Shekshouka recipe!

Shekshouka (aka Chakchouka) is a dish of North African origin. Some cook it with an egg; my family cooked a different version of it, made of tomatoes and roasted peppers. As you will see, it is a nice and healthy dish. We eat it different ways: with bread, in crepes with some goat cheese (incredibly good) or as a side dish.  

Recipe - side dish:

• olive oil.
• a spoon of garlic.
• 24 oz roasted red pepper
• 30 oz diced tomatoes or 4 tomatoes.
• salt

Cut the tomatoes and red peppers in small cubes. Put all the ingredients in a pan and cook at medium heat for 2 hours. Add water from time to time so the tomatoes and pepper do not attach to the bottom of the pan.

Et Voila! You can also eat it hot or cold.

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

I tried for you: The Tallegio Grilled Cheese!

In my post for Eataly in New York, I mentioned that Tallegio cheese is apparently good for grilled cheese. Well, we tried and it is! The bread was a thick homemade bread (French loaf with some vegetable oil to give some moisture and thicker consistency). We ate it with a basil tomato soup and dipped the grilled cheese in it. It was excellent! You should definitely try it!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just want to eat!

Recipe: Baguette with a hint of Olive oil

You probably know the caricature of the French: baguette and beret! Well, the beret is truly a caricature (mastered in the movie

The Truth About Charlie

with Mark Walberg) as you will not see that many people wearing it if you go to France, except if they are a certain age; but the baguette is true! Bread is an institution there! You will find boulangeries very easily, with many types of breads: baguette, sour dough, with olives, blue cheese.... In restaurants, they will always give you some bread with your meal: as much as you want! 

When I came in this country, I missed passing by a boulangerie and buying my baguette or ficelle (very thin baguette - outstanding when hot with just butter on it). Well, I then discovered different types of breads (Challah, focaccia, Hero, bagel...) and locations to buy some: whole food (great baguette), Balthazar (bread sold in different stores) or Amy's bread. Then, to counter the fact that there are not as many boulangeries as I would like, I bought a bread machine: it is great! The kneading is better than doing it by hand (I tested on burger rolls) and you can set the machine so when you wake up, you have fresh bread for breakfast. Not to mention the sensational smell of fresh bread in your home!

Here is an easy recipe of French bread where I replaced part of the water with olive oil to give a hint of olive flavor and make the bread moist.

Ingredients for 2lb:

- 1 1/4 cup (30 cl) lukewarm water

- 1/4 cup (5 cl) olive oil

- 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 4 cups of flour (1 cup = 128 grams)

- yeast

Put all the ingredients together and knead them until obtaining a firm, non sticky dough. Let rise for 1 hour. Put the bread on a backing sheet and make some incisions on top with a knife. Let sit for 30 more minutes.

Pre-heat the oven at 375 degrees.

Cook for 30 minutes.

Once done, let the bread cool on a cooling rack. Et Voila!

Bon appétit!

Recipe: Crab Cakes Benedicts

I discovered crab cakes in this country. Well, the first time I tried them, it was at the cafeteria at work and I did not like it (wondering why???). I then tried few years later at Del Frisco's in New York and it was a revelation! Since then, anytime I can, I have crab cakes. The issue with them is that a lot of restaurants put too much bread crumbs and you cannot taste the crab. I tried to make some few months back at the French Culinary Institute (Sunday Brunch with Dave Martin) and decided to make them again, but changed the quantity and some ingredients. So, here I am: put to the test! I have to complete three parts of the dish: the crab cakes, the poached egg and the Hollandaise sauce.

Crab cakes:

Ingredients for 8 crab cakes:
- Claw meat (1 lb)
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of honey
- 1/2 cup of bread crumbs


Mix all the ingredients together and season only with pepper as the crab is salty. The honey is your binding ingredient and replaces mayonnaise. To shape the crab cake, use an egg ring: use you hands to put the crab in the ring and press to remove any excess of juice, otherwise, the crab cake will fall apart (claws are very moist). Cook the crab cake for 4 minutes on each side in olive oil.
Note: if the crab cake falls apart, add one more tablespoon of honey and some breadcrumbs until you reach a satisfactory consistency.

Poached egg:


For an easy way to make a perfect poached egg, check one of my previous posts by clicking here.

Hollandaise sauce:

Ingredients for 2 servings:
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup butter
- cilantro

In a sauce pan on low heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add the egg yolks, the cilantro, salt and pepper. Whisk energetically so the egg yolks do not cook. Once the sauce is slightly thicker, remove from the stove.

Toast an english muffin, put the crab, then the egg and finally the sauce! It's ready!

So now you want to know what I though about it? Well I made a big mistake going with the crab claws! The claws have a lot of sweetness; this added to the honey makes a too sweet crab cake!

It was good, but not a recipe I would strictly follow and next time I will try the lump crabmeat. Clearly, after doing this, I have more respect for those who are making delicious crab cakes from scratch! Not that easy!

How to make a perfect poached egg

Making a perfect poached egg is not that simple, except if you know a trick to keep the shape of the egg. If you just drop the egg in the water, that will not do it as the white will just go all over the place. So, here is a trick learnt from Chef Dave Martin: 

• bring the water to a boil. If you have a gas stove, turn it off; if you have an electric stove, remove the pan from it so the water stops boiling. 
• create a swirl in the middle of the pan. 
• crack the egg in a bowl and dump it in the center of the swirl. The movement created by the swirl will make the white wrap around the yolk. Wait 30 seconds and then put back the pan on the stove.
• cook until the white is not translucent anymore. Et voila!

Bon appétit!

Recipe: Ravioli In Parmesan Cream Sauce

So, this recipe comes from a dish I ate at Cafe Fiorello in New York. The first time I tried to make it, it needed some rework (i'll explain why), but now, I think I came up with a pretty good recipe that I hope you will enjoy!

It is very easy to make and will not take that much of your time (20 to 25 minutes)!

Ingredients for 3 people:

- Four Cheese Ravioli (9 oz / 250 g)

- Heavy Cream (1/2 pint / 210 ml)

- Grated Parmesan Cheese (0.4 lb / 200 g)

Bring water with a bit of olive oil to a boil. Do not add salt as the parmesan is already salty. 

Put the ravioli in the boiling water and cook them al dente (if they give you a range of minutes, cook them to the minimum). Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. When the ravioli are cooked, drain them. 

In a gratin dish or a dish that can go in the oven, put a layer of ravioli, heavy cream and then cover generously with parmesan. Make a second layer the same way.

Put the dish in the oven for 10 minutes to let the parmesan melt. Then put the oven on broil until the cheese is gratiné! Et voila!

So the mistake I made the first time was to use sour cream. It did not create the consistency of a sauce, instead, it created some patches of cream.

Bon appétit!

After burgers, onion rings and chocolate mousse, let's have a healthy meal! Couscous is a healthy grain that can be eaten in many ways: with meat and veggies, in salads such as a taboule, or buttered as I will show you (I know: it is supposed to be healthy and I add butter!). To make it, I am using a couscousier, but you can use a steamer. Some cook it by simply adding boiling water on it, but the taste is totally different and the grains are not going to be as light and fluffy as with a steamer. For 4 servings: 2 cups of couscous 1 teaspoon of salt 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil 2 tablespoons of butter 1 cup or 2 cups of edamame (based on your taste) in a bowl, mix the couscous, the salt and the oil with a cup of water. Put in the steamer, add the edamame and cook for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time to avoid packets of semolina. Add the butter and stir until fully melted. Et voilà! You can then serve it hot with a boiled egg, raisins or green olives. It can also be eaten with buttermilk in it (try and adjust the quantities)! Bon appétit!

Recipe: Onion rings with beer batter

Here is a quick recipe to make delicious onion rings. I tried to find out their origin, but it seems that there is no clear answer; some claims the first deep fried onions recipe came out in the 20's, others in the 50's. 

With a large vidalia onion, you make approximately 30 rings.

The ingredients are:

• 1 1/3 cup of white flour
• 1 tps salt
• 1/4 tps pepper (I also use Cayenne pepper)
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup of dark beer

Mix the ingredients all together in a bowl. Slice the onions into rings and dip them in the batter. Fry them in hot vegetable oil (in a pan or a fryer). Be careful with the temperature of the oil: if too hot, the batter will cook too quickly and the onion will not. 

Remove the onion rings once golden brown (flip them from time to time to cook them on both sides) and put them on a paper towel so it absorbs the oil. 

Bon Appétit!

Recipe: very easy Chocolate Mousse

This is a very easy recipe for chocolate mousse that will take 15 minutes of your time!

For 4 people:

• 150 g (5.3 onces) of semi sweet milk chocolate
• 3 eggs

Separate the yolks from the eggs.

In a saucing pan, melt the chocolate with a little bit of water on low heat. Once melted, incorporate the yolks. Whisk the egg whites until firm and delicately incorporate them with the chocolate.

Put the mousse in little ramequins and let them sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours minimum.

I told you that was easy!

Bon appétit!

Recipe: Homemade Burgers

Here is a quick recipe to make a burger from A to Z!

Let's start with making some amazing buns:

For 6 buns:

• 3/4 cup of lukewarm water
• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 onces of yeast

Mix all the ingredients together until you reach a very smooth and soft dough. Add flour until the dough is not sticky anymore. Let the dough rise for 1 hour. To prepare this, I use a bread machine that is awesome and makes the bread very fluffy!

Divide the dough into 6 pieces and put them on a baking sheet with flour in the bottom so the buns do not stick to it. Let rise for another 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 F (I use a convection oven).

Brush the buns with egg wash (1 egg beaten - some add a little bit of water) and then cook them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the buns are golden.

For the meat, for 5 people:

I use 2 lb organic grass fed ground beef with a ratio of 80/20 fat so the burgers are juicy. I put the meat in a bowl and mix it with half a bottle of dark beer. The beer will help keeping the meat together and it will add some juiciness. No need to season the meat, not even salt.

Now here is the secret weapon: in the middle of each patty, I put a large slice of sharp cheddar! The cheese will explode in your mouth at the first bite and will keep the temperature of the meat hot for a little longer. To do it, I use a small springform pan: put a first layer of meat, then the cheese and then add a second layer of meat. Make sure you close it well so the cheese does not leak while cooking.

I then cook the meat for 15 minutes on a skillet, with no oil, flipping regularly so each side cooks. I finish by putting one large slice of cheddar on top of each patty and cover with a lid so the cheese melts evenly. Once the meat is cooked, it is time for plating!

I always toast the bread so it will give a bit of crunchiness to the burgers. You can then put any topping or sauces you like (I love to mix mayonnaise and ketchup). Et voila!

Bon Appétit!

Recipe: Pasta with Walnut Sauce

If you like nuts, here is a very easy recipe for a pasta sauce that will serve two persons. In this recipe, Walnuts can be replaced by unsalted peanuts.

In a bowl, grind a 1 - 1 1/2 cup of walnuts. To grind them, I am using a coffee grinder. Add a teaspoon of minced garlic, two tablespoons of olive oil, a tablespoon of parsley, season with salt and add 4 generous spoons of sour cream. Mix all the ingredients and it is done! I suggest you heat the sauce for one minute in the microwave before serving. Isn't this easy?

Enjoy (I do)!

Arepas!!!!

Arepas are very popular in Latin America. I discovered it thanks to a friend from Colombia and I can tell you that her mom makes them great!

It is very easy to make: corn flour (I used white from PAN), water and salt. You can eat them in many ways: with queso blanco like on the photo, or with chicken, ground beef, tomatoes, avocado...There are many ways. Just consider this as a bread!

In New York, I like two restaurants for Arepas, both Venezuelan: 

- 

Caracas

 located in the East Village.

- 

El Cocotero

 in Chelsea.

Enjoy!