Monday, March 29, 2010

Everybody needs iron


Did you know that 30% of the world population lacks iron?

Did you know that 5 tablespoons of dry lentils ( a big portion) cover 50% of the daily needs for a woman and 90% for a man?

Did you know that you can cook lentils in so many different ways, you could eat them everyday, ... at least, we could in our family?

Yes, good food can do you good! In other words you can reconcile yummy and healthy.
Here is the "base" recipe : cook 1 cup of green lentils, my favorite, in hot water, slowly (very light boil) with an onion stuck with 4 cloves and a carrot peeled and cut in 4 pieces, salt, pepper and bay leaves. When they're cooked, you can enjoy them warm with pork, or cold with smoked salmon slices and shallots with a vinaigrette dressing made with raspberry vinegar (the key ingredient), or blend them with 1/2 of the cooking water and 1/4 of heavy cream for a delicious lentil soup... Therefore, join the Fan group of Lentils and enjoy!


Saturday, March 27, 2010

So smooth madeleines!

I love madeleines. They are one of my favorite sweets with macaroons and chocolate cakes. They are quite easy to make. You just need the proper molds if you want them to look like madeleines.
So, the my last and favorite recipe is the one from Joel Robuchon, a famous Chef in France, one of the best among the bests.
Mix together 7oz (200g) of sugar powdered, 2 3/4 oz (80g) of flour and same amount of almond flour ; add 6 egg whites slightly beaten and then 7 oz (200g) of melted butter, one tablespoon of honey and the zests and juice of one lime. Put it in the fridge for one hour and bake them in the moulds for 15mn (400F)
So smooth! I cannot stop! I have to! I will never make these madeleines again, they kill me!!!!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Creative recipes for kids with winter vegetables




I like to try new recipes, so does my older son Paul. This time, yesterday, we tried a very original meatballs recipe with chicken, leeks, mushrooms and a bit of fresh ginger. Very simple: you mince in a blender half a leek, 5 fresh mushrooms, a small piece (1/4 inch) of fresh ginger and mix that with 7oz of ground chicken, 1 tbsp of flour and 1/2 egg. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and shape in flat circles and fry them until nicely brown in a tbsp of olive oil.
Serve this with rice and soy sauce... delicious and your kids may say, like mine, " Mom, I didn't know I liked leeks that much". You feel so good, then !

Saturday, March 20, 2010

For chocolate lovers only...


Yes, I am addicted to chocolate; this is one of my numerous passions in life. Apparently, this was in my DNA, as you can notice with my youngest son Gabriel who was making truffles and chocolate ganache with me!
I love the multiple facets of chocolate: when you make a piece of dark chocolate melt slowly on your tongue, when you prepare a mini chocolate cake with the inside not really cooked so it remains semi-liquid, or when you pour boiling cream onto small pieces of chocolate in order to make a ganache. Of course, the quality of the chocolate you use is key. My favorite one is Valrhona, dark or milk chocolate. You can find it at Whole Foods or on line valrhona.com.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Winter and rain call for soup

With this kind of weather, cold and humid, I just feel like having a warm soup with croutons for dinner. My grand-mother has a recipe with zuchinis which is very easy : just cook in boiling water 4 zuchinis. When they're cooked, blend them with a little bit of the water and 2 portions of The Laughing Cow (La Vache Qui Rit), a spreadable cheese in a round box you can find in many supermarkets. A pinch of salt and pepper and the result is amazing with a very creamy texture.
The whole family loved it and for a couple of minutes, I just felt I was a little girl again in my grand-mother's kitchen. The taste of chilhood!

Monday, March 1, 2010

A passion for food


My name is Marie. I am the Mom of three young boys and I just started this blog recently following the idea of sharing my passion for food. Actually, one of the thing I enjoy the most is having good food and a glass of wine with good friends. Of course, I love to cook and taste new recipes as much as cooking the recipes I inherited from my grand-mother in France. The favorites of the moment are a Chicken Curry with Apples and Bananas and a old Style Mustard Pork Blanquette with Winter Vegetables, which is a very traditional French but twisted with the mustard in the sauce. I inaugurated my first classes with them.
So, welcome to my blog, feel free to share with me your favorite recipes, your tricks, your comments... in other words your passion.