The “Galettes de Sarrasin” – traditional french buckwheat crepes that can be served with savory filling: ham & cheese (Galette Jambon Fromage), veggies, eggs, mushrooms, salmon… The filling option is endless. My Breton husband loves them so much, he eats them plain with butter or with jam.
This recipe is gluten free!
Buckwheat Crepes
Ingredients
- 250 g buckwheat flour sifted
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 350 ml milk
- 350 ml water
- 2 eggs
- 50 g melted butter
- butter for cooking
Instructions
- Combine buckwheat flour with salt, milk and water together.
- Add eggs.
- Add melted butter and whisk until smooth.
- Cover with plastic and and let rest for 2 hours.
- Heat a lightly buttered nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1/4 cupful batter to skillet and immediately tilt to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook until edges start to dry and center is set, for about 30 seconds, lift with spatula and cook the other side for couple more seconds, move them to the cutting board.
- Always keep your eyes on the pan.
- Brush each crepe with butter and serve while they are still hot.
Heart-shaped Ice Cream
This heart-shaped Ice Cream will please your significant other without having to spend the whole day cooking. Ice cream in the shape of a heart served with a cloud of whipping cream dusted with grated chocolate. This icy dessert will melt hearts!
Heart-shaped Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 200 g chocolate ice cream (or another your favorite ice cream/sorbet )
- 50 ml heavy whipping cream ( 35%) very cold
- 1 tsp sugar
- Grated chocolate
- Few red berries (blueberry, raspberry…)
Instructions
- Take the ice cream out of the freezer and leave it out for 5 minutes to make it softer. Put the ice cream in a heart shaped mold. Cover with plastic wrap and put it back in the freezer for around 45 minutes.
- Submerge the mold under hot water for a couple seconds (wipe the water off of the mold with a towel so that the serving plate does not get wet).
- Remove the ice cream from the mold onto a plate. Put the plate into the freezer.
- Whip the heavy cream with the sugar until fluffy. Don’t over beat.
- When serving, put the whipping cream on the heart. Decorate with nuts, grated chocolate, and red berries. Serve right away.
Hachis Parmentier
Hachis Parmentier is a delicious French casserole made with layers of mashed potatoes and ground beef.
The dish is named after Antoine Parmentier (1737-1813). He was a French pharmacist who made potatoes popular in Paris and northern France.
Hachis Parmentier
Ingrédients
- 1 kg large potatoes
- 100 g butter (50+30+20)
- 50 ml milk (heated)
- 1 large onion
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 500 g ground beef
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- 30 g grated cheese
- Some seasonings or minced parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and chop them into cubes. Boil in salted water until easily pricked with fork, about 20 minutes. Then drain water.
- Add 50 g of butter and mash. Add warmed milk and mash together to smooth consistency. Taste the puree, add more salt if needed.
- Peel and chop the onion and garlic.
- Melt 30 g of butter in a large pan and saute onion and garlic until soft.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Take the pan off the fire and let cool down a little. Add a row egg.
- Process to finer texture by using a food processor, if desired.
- Preheat oven to 380F/190C. Grease baking dish.
- Add 1/2 of mashed potatoes in thin layer to the prepared dish. Then layer beef preparation on top of potatoes. You can also add your favorite seasonings at this point or some chopped parsley. (This time, I added paprika).
- Top with remaining potatoes. You can make some shapes on the top using the fork. Add remaining butter and dot on the potatoes. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes until the top is golden.
Cowboy caviar
Cowboy caviar (or Texas caviar) is a simple, healthy, colorful, and delicious appetizer, salad, side-dish, or dip. Using canned beans and corn is a quicker alternative to cooking dry beans. Spend less time in the kitchen but don’t forget to prepare in advance to allow the different flavors to blend together before serving.
Cowboy caviar
Ingredients
- 1 can (425 g) Black beans, Red beans, or Black Eye peas, or Tri-Bean blend drained and rinsed
- 1 can (425 g) whole kernel sweet corn drained and rinsed
- 1/2 red onion peeled and minced
- 1 bell pepper (red, yellow or orange) cored and cubes
- 1 jalapeño cored and minced
- 3 tomatoes cubed
- 1/4 bunch Fresh cilantro chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lime juice
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl, mix, cover, and let chill for about one hour in the fridge.
Puff Pastry Swirls With Smoked Salmon
What could be better with puff pastry than sour cream and smoked salmon? Kids and adults will really appreciate these savory small appetizers. The best part is, they are very simple to make. All it takes is spreading the filling onto the puff pastry, rolling it up, cutting it into rolls and bake.
Puff Pastry Swirls With Smoked Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- A bit of dill fresh or dried
- ground black pepper to taste
- 200 g smoked salmon slices
Instructions
- Roll the puff pastry out with rolling pin into 1/2 inch thick square. Spread the sour cream on the top. Leave about 1cm around the edges. Sprinkle with tiny chopped dill.
- Arrange the smoked salmon evenly on top of the puff pastry sheet.
- Starting at one end, roll the pastry up as tightly as possible.
- Tightly cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. It will be much easier to cut cold roll.
- Preheat the oven to 380 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With a very sharp knife, cut the roll into 1 cm slices.
- Remove the plastic wrap and transfer them to the baking sheet.
- Bake for about 15 -20 minutes until the “snails” are puffed and golden.
Roasted Pumpkin Wedges
Roasted pumpkin wedges are a simple and healthy dish that pairs well with fish and meat. This recipe is easy as pie and requires just basic ingredients like pumpkin, salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil and some fresh herbs.
Roasted Pumpkin Wedges
Ingredients
- 4 wedges of a big pumpkin
- 1 clove of garlic
- salt and black pepper
- Some olive oil
- Some fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro or scallions)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390F (200С). Line your baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Wash the pumpkin thoroughly, cut into two parts and remove seeds with a spoon.
- Cut the pumpkin into wedges. Keep in mind that this kind of pumpkin doesn’t need to be peeled. Season the wedges with salt and pepper. Next, mince or grate finely some garlic. Coat the wedges with a mixture of olive oil and garlic.
- Place the wedges on the baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes (depending on the kind of pumpkin and wedges size). When the wedges are soft, remove from the oven. Make sure they are not overdone.
- Sprinkle the roasted pumpkin wedges with fresh herbs and they’re ready to be served!
Easy poached pears with chocolate
The pears are poached with a vanilla bean and a bit of sugar. Then, they are cooled down and sprinkled with shredded chocolate. This is a very easy recipe to make and will be perfect for a special event or holidays.
Easy poached pears with chocolate
Ingredients
- 4 pears
- 750 ml water
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 vanilla bean cut in half longwise
- 50 g dark chocolate
- Some Fresh mint
Instructions
- Peel the pears.
- Cut them in half, then core.
- In the pot, bring water to a boil with sugar and vanilla bean.
- Add the pears and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, until they became soft but keep their shape. Remove the pot from the heat and let the pears cool in the syrup.
- To serve, drain the pears well. Then place each half on an individual plate.
- Sprinkle with shredded chocolate and decorate with mint.
- You can also serve this dessert in a glass.
Peach Melba
This is my version of a classical dessert “Peach Melba”. You just need roasted peaches, a red berry sauce and an exquisite whipped cream.
Peach Melba
Ingredients
- 3 peaches
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar (or sugar)
- 250 g berries (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries)…)
- 200 ml heavy whipping cream ( 35%) very cold
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 l vanilla ice cream
- Some dark chocolate
- Some sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 390 degrees F. Line one baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the peaches in half, and remove the stones. Place the peach halves on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
- Bake in the oven about 35 minutes until the peaches are tender. Remove from the oven, let them cool down completely, then carefully peel the skin.
- Rinse and drain fresh berries and puree them until smooth. Pass the puree through a fine sieve to remove all tiny seeds.
- Whip the heavy cream with the sugar until fluffy. Don’t over beat.
- In each glass, put one half of peach and one ball of vanilla ice cream.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of berries puree.
- Add the whipped cream and finish with chocolate crumbs and sliced almonds. Serve right away.
Green Tomatoes Jam
Don’t know what to do with the left-over green tomatoes from your summer harvest? Jam, of course! This recipe is extremely easy. Try it for breakfast, on top of bread, or as an appetizer with some cheese.
Green Tomatoes Jam
Ingredients
- 1 kg green tomatoes
- 3/4 inch ginger (optional)
- 2 lemons
- 650 g sugar
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes into wedges. Peel and grate the ginger, and press the lemon.
- In a pot, combine the tomatoes, sugar, ginger, and lemon juice. Cover and let sit all night.
- The next day, remove the cover and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and simmer for about 35 minutes, stirring frequently. Skim if needed. The cooking time depends of how much water is in the tomatoes. Don’t over cook. When the jam is cooled down, it will be less liquid.
- Pour the jam into a clean jar and cover it with its lid.
Roasted Sweet Mini Peppers
Mini Bell Peppers look so cute and perfect and tastes delicious, either roasted or raw. Normally, I’m not a big fan of bell pepper, but can’t say “NO” to this colorful bag with sweet mini bell peppers. These mini peppers add flavor and texture to a variety of dishes. You can serve it hot or cold, with meat or fish, or just eat it as a snack.
Roasted Sweet Mini Peppers
Ingredients
- 600 g mini bell peppers
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- some olive oil
- some green onion or any fresh herbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the stems off the mini peppers, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut the half peppers into the strips. Spread the mini peppers onto the baking sheet, coat it with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove mini peppers from the oven and garnish with fresh herbs before serving.
