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Panna Cotta with fresh fruits

1/2 Liter of fresh cream
1 Vanilla pod split lengthways, seeds scraped out
50 gram of sugar
2 gelatin leaves
Little bit of lemon zest

Fresh fruit sauce or whatever is in season
150 gram strawberries chopped
150 gram plums chopped
1 Orange file
Tbsp of honey -to taste
Grand Marnier or Framboise liqueur to taste

Method

Mix all the ingredients in a small pan and heat up to simmer

Soak the gelatin leaves in a little cold water until soft.
Squeeze the water out of the gelatin leaves,
then add to the pan and take off the heat.
Stir until the gelatin has dissolved.
Divide the mixture among 6 -8 small ramekins and leave to cool.
Place into the fridge for at least 2 hour, until set.

Fresh fruit sauce
Method
Mix the chopped strawberries, plums orange filet and flavor it with the liqueurs and honey

To serve, turn each panna cotta out onto a serving plate and serve it with the fruit sauce

melt a bit of dark chocolate and decorate the plates

5 DAY SUMMER COURSE 2010

Monday

We start at 10am with introductions, course program, safety issues (use of knives etc). We discuss each daily menu before we commence preparation and actual cooking.

Lunch
Chicken stock making for the week
Starter: Bruschetta on toasted bread
Main: Salmon fish cakes on a garden salad with homemade sauce remoulade
Cheese: Selection of French cheeses

Dinner
Starter:Artichoke in a citrus soup
Main: Langoustine stuffed chicken leg with mushroom sauce
Cheese: Selection of French cheeses
Dessert:Panna Cotta with fresh summer fruits

Tuesday

Lunch
Starter: Gazpacho
Main: Turkey breast marinated in soya, ginger and chili
served on a salad with toasted pine kernels
Cheese: Selection of French cheeses

Dinner
Starter: Grilled scallops with endive soup and chives
Main: Veal fillet with basil sauce, crème fraiche potatoes and rosemary roasted vegetables
Cheese: Selection of French cheeses
Dessert: Lemon cake with cointreau creme fraiche



Wednesday

Lunch
Starter: Small tomato pizza
Main: Warm smoked fish on a salad with horseradish cream
Cheese: Selection of French cheeses

Dinner
Starter: Grilled Langoustines with garlic butter
Main: “Frikadeller” Danish styled meat balls with
potato salad and cucumber salad
Cheese: Selection of French cheeses
Dessert: Tiamisu

Thursday

Lunch
Visit to local food market where we will eat as well

Dinner
Starter: Mushroom risotto
Main: Pan fried skate wing with lemon, capers, parsley & new potatoes
Cheese: Selection of French cheeses
Dessert: Caramelized strawberries served with
cinnamon and a poppyseed ice cream

Friday

Lunch
Starter: Mussel soup with saffron
Main: Caesar Salad
Cheese: Selection of French cheeses

Dinner
Starter: Lobster bisque
Main: Slow roasted lamb with oven baked vegetables Cheese: Selection of French cheeses
Dessert: Poached peach with a sabayon sauce and fresh raspberries

Eurotoque

Code of Honour

Article 1

“Euro-Toques International is a European association of chefs which represents its members throughout Europe.

Article 2

The objective of Euro-Toques is to respect the diverse traditions in the countries and regions of an enlarged Europe.

Article 3

Euro-Toques chefs maintain good relations between themselves and convey a unified image of the association to consumers.

Article 4

Euro-Toques chefs guarantee a set of common principles which are shared by all members throughout Europe.

Article 5

Euro-Toque chefs share their best practice at the heart of the organisation.

Article 6

Euro-Toques defends healthy food based on quality products.

Article 7

Euro-Toques chefs defend natural food and traditional recipes, proof that diversity in European culinary heritage and the sustainability of regional products is being maintained.

Article 8

The products used in kitchens are fresh and are prepared on site.

Article 9

The products used are seasonal to respect natural cycles and ensure authentic tastes.

Article 10

Euro-Toques chefs advocate a diversity of flavours and a variety of ingredients. They present consumers with healthy food and contribute to a nutritional balance.

Article 11

Euro-Toques’ missions include defending, informing and educating consumers.

Article 12

It is essential that the menu is a true reflection of the dishes it describes to preserve consumer confidence.

Article 13

The chef must remain totally independent of suppliers.

Article 14

The profession must remain transparent to ensure the food is safe and of known origin.

Article 15

Chefs and tradition are able to adapt to modernity. They convey a sense of pleasure and social interaction: a way of life.”

New Potatoes direct from the garden

It was Bastille Day here yesterday and so we celebrated by digging up our first new potatoes from our garden! We had our lovely friends, Katarina and Alexander, here from Slovenia so that was nice. Poul served up the potatoes with a typical Briton plate of pork loin cutlets with creamed peas! Starters of grilled goat cheese with nasturtium leaves and red peppers followed by home made poppy ice cream all made for a wonderful celebration!

Time to pickle walnuts

Now is the time to collect those soft green walnuts before they develop their hard exterior shells. Collect as many as you need and simply wash and stab them in the back! Make sure you use rubber gloves and an apron as the juices turn everything black permanently! Many a good t shirt I have ruined in this process! I found the best thing to use is a fork and stab or puncture the walnuts about 4 times (16 holes each!). Then place the walnuts in cold water in a large pot or container for three days changing the water once every day. After the third day, place the walnuts in your unique marinade and leave in a cool place until required. I usually prepare for six months in advance so these walnuts will be used from Christmas with the cheese board!

The Cherry Orchard

We recently became a jam factory! It's all Robert's fault. Robert, our neighbour, kindly suggested we headed down to his garden in beautiful Josselin and collect some very tasty cherries! We needed no encouragement and within a few hours an army of enthusiastic fruit gatherers were on their way to harvest the crop! We were a diverse group made up of babies and adults from Paris, Singapore, Denmark, Bulgaria and Ireland! We arrived at a beautiful laid out cherry orchard, surrounded with fruit hedges of redcurrents, blackcurrents, rasberries and roses. It was a delightful setting reminding me of a scene from a Chekhov play I had seen at the National Theatre in London!

The cherries, a beautiful hue of reds and yellows tasted so sweet with their delicious tarty sharpness that they were initially consumed immediately. Every tree was targeted in the search for easy access and a ladder was soon found to enable the sweetest cherries at the top of the trees to be reached. Within an hour we had a real cherry bounty and it was time to move on to the hedges. With all hands harvesting we soon had an inordinate hoard and it was time to relax in the garden and do what we do best - open a cold bottle of rosé and relax in the afternoon sunshine.