Hot Chocolate with Cognac

There is only one drink which drives away the winter blues - hot chocolate laced with cognac, chilli, cinnamon and whipped cream. You will need:

150 g dark chocolate
400 ml milk
100 ml whipping cream
10 ml cognac
pinch of chilli
pinch of cinnamon

2 warm mugs/large glasses


First heat up the milk and chocolate stirring constantly to avoid burning. Whip the cream to a light fluffy texture. When the milk and chocolate are melted together, pour into warm mugs/glasses. Add the cognac and sprinkle  with chilli. Add the whipped cream and sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon on top. Serve immediately.

Beautiful Brittany - it's not just the food!

Brittany is not only famous for its gastronomy. Yes most people place a high value on the top quality food products available in the restaurants and food markets of Brittany. After all, Brittany is the garden of France. Not just for pork, beef, lamb but vegetables including all the basics - potatoes, carrots, cauliflowers and greens but artichokes, onions and garlic too! Brittany supplies most of the seafood consumed in France including oysters, mussels, scallops and lobsters. The fish market too is exceptional supplying the bulk of sea bass, monk fish, turbot, mackerel and cod. How can a place supplying such phenomenal foodstuffs also be so beautiful?  We just need truffles to make the place perfect! I hear they are on the way thanks to global warming!

Here is a short video of some of the beautiful sights which await you in Brittany (or Breizh) as the country is called in its Celtic language.

French Onion Soup

It's hard this time of year to beat a good French onion soup. This is a winter warmer dish which pleases on so many levels and particularly on a cold miserable day. It is also surprisingly simple to make at home and well worth the effort. There are numerous recipes for this soup but this is my own unique take following years of practice  which gives it that extra special magic!


Ingredients (serves 4)

4 medium Roscoff onions cut in half and sliced into 3mm slices ( regular onions can be used too)

50 gram of butter

1 tbsp of plain flour

200 ml of dry white wine

1.5 litre of boiling water

salt & pepper

1 tsp of sugar if needed

1 very small clove of garlic (optional)

Fresh chives (optional)

To serve;

12 slices of Baguette cut into 1 cm thick slices

150 gram of grated Comte cheese - or similar cheese ( Emmental)

Method

Place a large non stick pan on the stove and melt the butter without browning; add the onions and

soften them for 5 minutes and stir frequently; season with salt and pepper.  Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.

Caramelise  the onions by cooking them for 20-30 minutes to achieve an even, rich

brown caramel colour ; remember to stir every 2 -3 minutes to preventing burning. 

Add 20g of flour in a baking try and bake in the oven for 8 minutes or until the flour is very lightly brown, Once browned, stir the flour into the caramelised onions and mix thoroughly.

Gradually stir in the white wine and one third of the boiling water, Whisk well and add the remaining

water. Bring to the boil, skim off any impurities from the surface and simmer for 15 minutes.

Taste and correct the seasoning, adding the sugar if needed. and a tiny bit of garlic.

Serving; Arrange the bread slices on a baking tray and sprinkle two thirds of the grated cheese over them. Place under a hot grill for 3-4 minutes to melt and slightly brown the cheese.














Serve the soup with the croutons (and chives) on top and serve the rest of the cheese separately .

4 medium Roscoff onions cut in half and sliced into 3mm slices ( regular onions can be used too)

50 gram of butter

1 tbsp of plain flour

200 ml of dry white wine

1.5 litre of boiling water

salt & pepper

1 tsp of sugar if needed

1 very small clove of garlic (optional)

To serve;

12 slices of Baguette cut into 1 cm thick slices

150 gram of grated Comte cheese - or similar cheese ( Emmentaler

)

French Dining School

French Onion soup

serves 4-6

4 medium Roscoff onions cut in half and sliced into 3mm slices ( regular onions can be used too)

50 gram of butter

1 tbsp of plain flour

200 ml of dry white wine

1.5 litre of boiling water

salt & pepper

1 tsp of sugar if needed

1 very small clove of garlic (optional)

To serve;

12 slices of Baguette cut into 1 cm thick slices

150 gram of grated Comte cheese - or similar cheese ( Emmentaler

)

French Dining School

French Onion soup

serves 4-6

4 medium Roscoff onions cut in half and sliced into 3mm slices ( regular onions can be used too)

50 gram of butter

1 tbsp of plain flour

200 ml of dry white wine

1.5 litre of boiling water

salt & pepper

1 tsp of sugar if needed

1 very small clove of garlic (optional)

To serve;

12 slices of Baguette cut into 1 cm thick slices

150 gram of grated Comte cheese - or similar cheese ( Emmentaler

)

French Dining School

French Onion soup

serves 4-6

4 medium Roscoff onions cut in half and sliced into 3mm slices ( regular onions can be used too)

50 gram of butter

1 tbsp of plain flour

200 ml of dry white wine

1.5 litre of boiling water

salt & pepper

1 tsp of sugar if needed

1 very small clove of garlic (optional)

To serve;

12 slices of Baguette cut into 1 cm thick slices

150 gram of grated Comte cheese - or similar cheese ( Emmentaler

)

French Dining School

French Onion soup

serves 4-6

4 medium Roscoff onions cut in half and sliced into 3mm slices ( regular onions can be used too)

50 gram of butter

1 tbsp of plain flour

200 ml of dry white wine

1.5 litre of boiling water

salt & pepper

1 tsp of sugar if needed

1 very small clove of garlic (optional)

To serve;

12 slices of Baguette cut into 1 cm thick slices

150 gram of grated Comte cheese - or similar cheese ( Emmentaler

)

French Dining School

French Onion soup

serves 4-6

4 medium Roscoff onions cut in half and sliced into 3mm slices ( regular onions can be used too)

50 gram of butter

1 tbsp of plain flour

200 ml of dry white wine

1.5 litre of boiling water

salt & pepper

1 tsp of sugar if needed

1 very small clove of garlic (optional)

To serve;

12 slices of Baguette cut into 1 cm thick slices

150 gram of grated Comte cheese - or similar cheese ( Emmentaler

)

French Dining School

French Onion soup

serves 4-6

4 medium Roscoff onions cut in half and sliced into 3mm slices ( regular onions can be used too)

50 gram of butter

1 tbsp of plain flour

200 ml of dry white wine

1.5 litre of boiling water

salt & pepper

1 tsp of sugar if needed

1 very small clove of garlic (optional)

To serve;

12 slices of Baguette cut into 1 cm thick slices

150 gram of grated Comte cheese - or similar cheese ( Emmentaler

)

Our Latest Review on Trip Adviser

“Great food, great people, recommended highly!”

Reviewed 5/1/2016NEW

I spent the week over New Year's with my 15 year old daughter at Niall and Poul's French Dining School and we had the best time ever chopping, slicing, dicing, mincing, julienne-ing, whisking, frying, boiling, simmering, baking, roasting, tasting, adding more butter/salt/cream/lemon and re-tasting, plating, and sitting down to eat with good wine and conversation! The setting is true Brittany, in the green rolling countryside, in Niall and Poul's lovely stone Breton farmhouse which they have renovated themselves. The house, kitchen and instruction are a reflection of the hosts; warm, inviting, a dream to work with. Everything is made easy, clear, and not the least bit intimidating, although as you can see from the pictures you end up creating some fantastic haute cuisine dishes, and you leave thinking, "I can do this at home!"

I would add that as an American who has lived and explored in France for several years, I still found myself learning new things every day. Even if you feel you 'know' France I would say you will still get quite a bit out of this experience and shouldn't feel hesitant about taking the course because you already have spent time in France or Brittany. And my teenage daughter also found lots to do and learn that did not involve her smart phone or an ipad! In addition, she does not eat red meat and we found Poul and the menu to be exceedingly accommodating with her diet and easy for her to find things to eat every meal. While we were there a friend of theirs with Celiac disease also joined us for several meals without problem--truly they are very open and adaptable to all diets and restrictions.

We stayed at a nearby gite with full amenities, arranged by Poul and Niall, which was wonderful. We had a car, and I would recommend one, but we also hitched a ride with another student on a couple of occasions to visit the local sites, as did another student who was car-less. There are also lots of walks right out your front door, and this being Brittany I would recommend a raincoat and weatherproof shoes if it's not high summer, but otherwise we did not need anything but a pair of comfy shoes for working in the kitchen.

Finally, as all other reviews reflect, the food is excellent and you will come away with new knowledge and confidence, but the people and friends you will make truly make the experience great. Can't recommend enough!

JM

Visited January 2016

Quince and Rosemary Jelly

Only a week to go before Christmas and the weather is still warm (14 degrees today!) and sunny. I have spend most of the day outside doing gardening work and the birds (and I!) think it is more springlike than winter! Whilst I am loving the warm weather I know there will be some form of payback to come be it an icy cold January or February or a deluge of giant slugs come summertime! Still for the moment the only thing identifying the pending winter solstice is the short dark evenings and so I am soon drawn back into my cosy kitchen to make some quince jelly! 

Quince is not so easy to find in northern climes although in Brittany it now grows well enough as in parts of Ireland and the UK. The fruit is not sweet when raw and the skin is thick so it is not an immediate endearing fruit to harvest. The trick is knowing how to deal with it because it has the most amazing taste - the Romans and ancient civilisations of the Orient were aware of this delicate perfumed fruit and it was acknowledged as the fruit of the Gods.  It is also exceedingly healthy (if you don't overdo the sugar content) being high in Vitamins C and B2 as well as phosphorus, potassium and potash. Even Shakespeare referred to Quince as the "stomach's comforter"!

Ingredients:

900g of quinces cut into small pieces

1 litre water

1 Tbs lemon juice

4 large sprigs of fresh rosemary

650g sugar

Method

Put the chopped quinces in a pan with the lemon juice. Add the rosemary (keeping a sprig aside for later). Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer gently until soft.

Remove the rosemary sprigs and pour the pulp and juices into a sterilised straining bag suspended over  a glass bowl overnight. In the morning weigh the jelly juice and adding 450g sugar to every 600ml of juice. Heat the mixture stirring to dissolve the sugar. Allow to boil gently for ten minutes or until the jelly reaches setting point.

 Remove from pan, place in sterilised jars and  and allow to cool. Once cool, store in a cool place.

You can serve quince jelly with almost anything where the contrast is required but I find it goes exceedingly well with cheese, quail, and venison.

BBQ with a hint of turf

It always surprises me that the exquisite aroma of traditional turf (dried peat) whilst well known in Scottish refineries is completely unknown in the international culinary world. However at French Dining School we are slowly spreading the word from our own kitchen. Here one can see, feel and taste the extraordinary results of using just a little turf on beef but the results are just as good on fish, seafood and vegetables.

Gravadlax and Christmas Punch

It's not everyday you are invited to present a food tasting at the Royal College of Surgeons in London but then the Kensington & Chelsea Ladies Association only pick the most interesting  venues for their members. We thought carefully about what to offer and soon realised gravadlax with our very own sauce served on toast would go down a treat. This was especially so with our very  unique Christmas mulled wine served piping hot with raisins and almonds.

Gravad lax

-Make it 4 days before needed

Serves 10

1 half side Salmon ( 1 1/2 kg)

2 table spoon of salt

3 table spoon of sugar

2 teaspoon of black pepper

2 large bouquet of Dill

100 mm of Lager beer

50 mm of Pernod (optional)

6 raw Brussel sprouts thinly sliced to garnish (optional)

Dressing

1 Bouquet of fresh  dried chopped Dill

2 Tbsp of muscovado sugar

1-2 tbsp of Dijon mustard.

mix it

Method

If not already done, remove all the little bones on the Salmon filet

Sprinkle it with salt, sugar & pepper. 

Clean the dill thoroughly in water and then dry it, chop up the dill and sprinkle it

on top of the salmon so it is totally covered by Dill and Sprinkle the Lager and 

Pernod/gin and then cover it with cling-film and put some rice or dry beans on top

to keep the Dill close to the salmon.

 Let it marinate for 4 days.

Before serving, scrape off the dill and then cut it into thin slices - as smoke salmon,

and serve it  with the dressing with toasted brown bread. Garnish with the brussel sprouts.