These baked eggplants are delicious both warm and at room temperature, making them perfect to prepare in advance.

Roasted eggplants with tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 onions
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 3+3 teaspoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 small tomatoes
- 4 small eggplants¾
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Peel the onions and garlic and cut them into large pieces.

- Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onions over low heat until soft and translucent.Slice the tomatoes into ½ cm thick rounds and lightly season them with salt.Insert the tomato slices into the cuts in the eggplants.Place the stuffed eggplants on top of the onions in the baking dish. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and add a few bay leaves.Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the eggplants.

- Transfer the onions to the bottom of a baking dish. Preheat the oven to 180°C (390°F).

- Trim the stems off the eggplants. Carefully slice each eggplant lengthwise into ½ cm (¼ inch) thick slices, stopping about 2 cm from the base so the slices remain attached.

- Slice the tomatoes into ½ cm thick rounds and lightly season them with salt.

- Insert the tomato slices into the cuts in the eggplants.

- Place the stuffed eggplants on top of the onions in the baking dish. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and add a few bay leaves.

- Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the eggplants.

- Bake for about 1 hour, until tender.

- If you enjoy a stronger garlic flavor, press 1–2 additional cloves over the finished eggplants just before serving.
Buckwheat Crepes
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.

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.

Porcini Mushroom Soup
A tasty porcini mushroom soup. And to make things easier, we use frozen mushrooms here. They are fried in a pan without defrosting. Serve very hot with a spoon of sour cream.
You can also find these mushrooms under the name of ceps or bolets.

Porcini mushroom soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 400 g frozen porcini mushrooms
- 1-2 tbsp flour
- 3-4 medium-size potatoes peeled
- 3 leaves bay
- 1 onion peeled
- 1-2 carrots peeled
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp sour cream
- A few sprigs dill or chopped chives
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the mushrooms directly from frozen.

- Once the mushrooms are golden, sprinkle them with flour. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat.

- Slice the onion and grate the carrots.

- Heat the remaining oil in another frying pan. Sauté the onion and carrots until softened. Lightly season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the pan from heat.

- Cut the potatoes into cubes about 1–1.5 cm on each side.

- Bring about 3 liters of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the potatoes and bring back to a boil.
- Reduce the heat, add salt, mushrooms, and bay leaves, and simmer.

- Add the sautéed vegetables to the pot. Cook everything together for another 10–15 minutes.

- Serve hot in bowls. Add a tablespoon of sour cream to each serving and sprinkle with dill or chives.

Nutrition
Tomato and Boursin™ Puff Pastry Tart
A very easy tart to prepare made from ready-made puff pastry, tomatoes and Boursin™ cream cheese.
This French pie can be of any shape and any size, depending on what kind of dough you have on hand. I don’t even make sides so there is less dough and more filling. But this is not for everyone: if you like golden puff pastry, fold 1 centimeter of the edges inward and brush them with egg.

Tomato and Boursin™ Puff Pastry Tart
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 1 egg
- 4-5 tomatoes slices
- 100 g Fresh cream cheese (ex. Boursin™)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Few basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (thermostat 6).
- Spread the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Prick it with a fork.

- Brush the entire surface with the egg wash.

- Place the tomato slices.

- Press paper towel over the tomatoes to remove liquid excess.

- Place a small piece of cheese on each tomato slice. Pepper.

- Bake for about 25 minutes until the dough is cooked through.

Potato Gratin with Blue Cheese
The potatoes are baked in a creamy mixture of milk, cream, and Blue cheese. If you’re using new potatoes or ones with thin skins, there’s no need to peel them.

Potato Gratin with Blue Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 kg potatoes (about 4.5 lbs)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A pinch nutmeg (optional)
- 500 ml heavy cream (2 cups)
- 500 ml milk (2 cups)
- 150 g blue cheese (5 oz)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 180°C (thermostat 6).
- Butter a large ovenproof dish. Peel and slice the potatoes into very thin rounds.

- Put them dry with paper towels, then arrange them evenly in the prepared dish.Season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg if you like.

- Crumble the blue cheese with a fork, then mix it with the cream and milk until well combined.

- Pour the mixture over the potatoes, making sure everything is evenly coated.

- Bake in the oven from 1h to 1h30, until the top is golden brown and the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Put the dish under the grill for a few minutes to ensure the gratin is perfectly 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!

Almond Shortcrust Pastry
Almond shortcrust pastry is very easy to make, keeps well and is suitable for biscuits or tart bases.

Almond Shortcrust Pastry
Ingredients
- 120 g softened butter
- 75 g powdered sugar
- 30 g almond flour
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 tsp liquid vanilla (1 packet of vanilla sugar or 1 vanilla pod)
- 1 egg (beat a little with a fork)
- 200 g flour
Instructions
- Place butter, powdered sugar, almond flour, salt, vanilla, egg and flour in a mixer bowl.

- Using a paddle attachment (sheet), mix the ingredients at low speed until smooth. Be careful: do not mix the dough for too long.

- Form the dough into a ball.

- For convenience, flatten a little, wrap in cling film and put in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. After an hour (or even better the next day), you can start making the pie.

- This dough keeps well frozen, so I always make a double batch, dividing it into 2 parts: I cook one part right away, and the other one stays in the freezer until the right time.
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.
