Skip to main content

Mushroom and Chestnut Cream Soup

ingredients for 4 people 750g mixed mushrooms. 150g chestnut purée. 1 onion. 1/2 leek (white part only). 1 potato (about 120g). 1 liter vegetable or chicken stock. 80cc extra virgin olive oil. salt. freshly ground black pepper.   preparation Wash the chestnuts and with a sharp knife, make a cut in each one — don't cut too deep or they'll split, you just need to pierce through the outer shell. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the chestnuts, letting them bubble away for 5 to 8 minutes. Being careful not to burn your fingers, peel them one by one with a knife. The outer skin comes off easily enough; the inner skin, well, if your chestnuts are fresh and good quality, that'll take a bit more patience, but they turn out beautifully... Now they're ready to freeze, preserve in syrup, or in this case, turn into purée . Simmer them with a bit of water until they're completely soft, then blend them smooth. Fry the mushrooms in a deep pan wi...

Cream and Pear Tarts



Ingredients

for 6 tarts
  • two sheets of round puff pastry.
  • 3 Conference pears.
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar.
  • apple jelly for glazing the fruit.

for the custard cream:

  • 500cc whole milk.
  • 6 egg yolks.
  • 40g cornstarch.
  • 150g sugar.

you'll also need:

  • 6 round tart tins about 8cm in diameter.
  • parchment paper.
 

Preparation

Peel the pears, cut them in half, and remove the cores with the seeds.
In a saucepan, poach them covered in water with the tablespoon of sugar for about 3 minutes. Remove them from the water and let them cool down.
To make the custard cream: warm the milk with the sugar.
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch until completely smooth with no lumps. When the milk is just about to boil, take out a ladleful and mix it into the yolks. Pour this mixture back into the rest of the milk and, using a hand whisk, stir vigorously. Don't let it boil — take it off the heat just before and keep whisking for another two minutes off the stove. This way you'll get a really silky cream. Set it aside to cool...

Preheat your oven to 180ºC, top and bottom heat.
Line the bottom of each tart tin with parchment paper.
Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into rounds slightly larger than your tins.
Fit each pastry round into the tins and prick the bottoms with a fork...
Fill the pastry shells with the custard cream, making sure it's nice and cold.
Slice the pear halves thinly.
Fan out the slices a bit and arrange half a pear on top of the cream in each tin...
Pop them in the oven and bake until the pastry edges turn golden.
Warm up the apple jelly and brush it over the fruit so it gets a beautiful shine...

Happy baking!
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Cod with Hazelnut Crust and Roasted Vegetables

  ingredients 4 pieces of desalted cod. flour for dusting the cod. 100g roasted hazelnuts, chopped. a small piece of orange peel. 2 sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped. 1 egg. salt. extra virgin olive oil. for the vegetables: 1 small zucchini. 1/2 red bell pepper. two onions. 2 garlic cloves. 5 or 6 pitted prunes, halved. two tablespoons of currants. 100ml white wine. salt. freshly ground black pepper. extra virgin olive oil. preparation First, you'll want to make the coating for the cod. Grind the hazelnuts with the piece of orange peel and chopped parsley, then stir in the beaten egg. Dust the cod pieces lightly with flour, then coat them with the hazelnut mixture. Put the currants and prunes in a small bowl with a bit of water to soak while you prepare the vegetables. Rinse the vegetables well and drain them thoroughly. Slice the onions and zucchini into rounds, dice the bell pepper, and mince the garlic. In a deep skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onion, bell peppe...
Read more

Beet Salad with Zucchini, Asparagus, and Pear

ingredients for 4 people 1 bunch of green asparagus. 2 medium zucchini. 2 pears, unpeeled. 1 or 2 ripe tomatoes. cooked black beans (or white beans work too). small chunks of cheese (whatever you fancy). toasted sliced almonds. for the dressing: juice of 1/2 lemon. freshly ground black pepper. salt. 1 tsp honey. 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. preparation Start by making your dressing. Whisk together all those ingredients until they're well blended and slightly thickened. Set it aside for now. Get your asparagus ready... and cook them in salted water once it comes to a boil. Let them cook for about 4 minutes, then pull them out and plunge them straight into plenty of cold water to stop the cooking. Set them aside. Now for the zucchini. Give them a good wash, then use a mandoline to slice them into thin ribbons like tagliatelle. If you don't have one, a vegetable peeler does the trick just fine... Drop those zucchini ribbons into boil...
Read more

Red Velvet Cream Cake with Currant Flavor

This is a cake that features a brilliant red sponge, and the contrast with the pure white cream makes it absolutely stunning! Ingredients for 8 to 10 servings 4 whole eggs 300g sugar 2 tablespoons cocoa powder 125g butter, at room temperature 280g all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 pinch of salt 2 tablespoons red food coloring 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon currant extract (optional) 240ml buttermilk for the buttermilk 240ml whole milk 1 tablespoon lemon juice to finish the cake 750g heavy cream (35% fat) 220g powdered sugar you'll also need a 22cm diameter cake pan butter for greasing the pan flour for dusting Preparation To make the buttermilk , pour the 240ml of milk into a saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a boil... add the lemon juice, stir well, and remove from the heat. The milk will look curdled — that's exactly what you want. Let it cool for about 5 minutes... mix i...
Read more