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Zucchini & Avocado Tartare

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36°C today in Paris... maybe more under the bright sun without wind... too hot to cook. I found a zucchini I brought from Provence in my fridge. I have an avocado and sundried tomatoes from Italy... For the fresh herbs, you could have it in your kitchen garden. In Paris, I always grow it on my balcony.  Here's a very good "summer" recipe, which change from the traditional tomato-mozzarella or cantaloupe melon-proscuitto. Try this recipe at home and enjoy this delicious appetizer ! INGREDIENTS (2 serving) 2 medium-sized zucchini 1 big avocado (or 2 small ones) 1/4 cup pitted olives, cut in small pieces 2 tbsp sundried tomatoes, finely chopped 4 tbsp lemon juice Fresh herbs : basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, chervil Fleur de sel, Groun pepper DIRECTIONS In a bowl, mix diced zucchini and avocado, diced olives, chopped sundried tomatoes and fresh herbs. Drizzle lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and ground pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve the zuc

Zucchini & Quinoa croquettes

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Preparation : 15 minutes - Cooking time : 15 minutes INGREDIENTS (6 serving) 125g organic quinoa 2 organic zucchini 100g grated parmesan 50g bread crumbs 1 egg 3 tbsp olive oil 300ml water 1 garlic clove 1/2 tsp dried oregano DIRECTIONS Wash zucchini under clear water and dry it and grat it. Put it in a strainer with 1/2 tsp salt. Strain 10mn. In the meantime, cook the quinoa in water for 10 minutes. Remove from the stove and seed the quinoa with a fork. Leave 10 minutes. Pour the quinoa in a large bowl. Add the grated zucchini (drained). Peel the garlic clove and crush it over the bowl. Add the beaten egg and then oregano, bread crumbs and grated parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, and shape croquettes. In a pan, warm olive oil, and cook the croquettes 2 minutes each side over medium heat. Serve with a yogurt sauce simply seasoned with salt and pepper. Bon appetit!

Rack of Lamb topped with herbs crust, accompanied by shallots, white & green beans

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Preparation : 15 minutes cooking Time : 20  minutes at 400°F  (200°C) INGREDIENTS (6 serving) 6 racks of lamb (170g each) prepared by your butcher 200 ml veal stock 2g herbs of Provence Fleur de sel (table salt) and ground pepper  1 tomato A pinch of granulated sugar A pinch of Espelette ground bell pepper (or paprika) 30g carrots 4 shallots 25g chopped herbs (chive, parsley, tarragon) 70g bread crumbs 180g olive oil 2 garlic cloves White beans (already cooked) 500g green beans  + 1 leak DIRECTIONS Step 1 : Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Step 2 : Combine bread crumbs, chopped herbs with olive oil. Season with salt and ground pepper. Step 3 : Season the racks of lamb with salt and pepper. Add one spoon of sunflower oil in a pan, and heat it. SautĂ© the racks on all sides until lightly brown. Top the meat with the herbs mixture. Bake for 20 minutes. Step 4 : Meantime, peel and crush one garlic clove. Peel and chop 1 shallot. Pee

KING CAKE EPIPHANY TRADITIONAL CELEBRATION...

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In the beginning of January, French bakeries are filled with exquisite puff pastry pies that are called “ Galettes des Rois ” in France but also "King Cake" in the US. Epiphany is a traditional Christian feast celebrating the 'shining forth' or   revelation   of God to mankind in human form, in the   person   of   Jesus Christ.  The name "Epiphany" is a greek word meaning revelation. It’s based on the biblical story that tells of the Magi or   Three Kings   - Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar - who saw a bright star on the night Christ was born and followed it to Bethlehem… The Epiphany is celebrated twelve days after Christmas. At this occasion, families meet to share the traditional “galette des rois”. This puff pastry pie is filled with almond cream and... something else ! It’s time to find the kings. The French call it “ tirer les rois ”. The traditional galette is cut in slices (one per person sitting at the table plus one. The slice

Pumpkin & Coconut spicy Soup

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Winter vegetables are not only healthy but also good for the planet as we just have to buy the ones offered by local producers on the market. I have chosen pumpkin but instead of adding a little bit whipping cream, I add coconut milk instead. Try it and you'll see it's delicious! INGREDIENTS (6 serving) 1 pound pumpkin 1 orange 1 onion 1 liter chicken stock 250ml coconut milk 1/2 tsp ras-el-hanout spices Olive oil Salt & ground pepper DIRECTIONS Peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds. Keep the seeds that you will roast and enjoy later.  Cut the pumpkin in cubes. Peel the orange. Peel the onion and mince it. In the pot, cook the onion with a little olive oil until tender. Add the pumpkin cubes and the orange cut in quarters. Combine. Add the chicken stock. Season with salt, ground pepper and ras-el-hanout spices. Cook for 15 minutes over medium heat. Pour the coconut milk and cook for 5 more minutes. Mix with the blender. Filter it if necessary. You can serve this soup hot or

Cheese, Pecan & Squash Savory Tartlets

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I'm glad to share with you a delicious appetizer to enjoy in winter ! This recipe is a tribute to the French Mountain culinary heritage that I'm glad to highlight in my cooking tours. In the Alps, Jura and Franche-ComtĂ©, no meals without cheese and dairy products!! Morbier is a delicious cheese from Franche-ComtĂ©, one of the 3 PDO cheeses. It's a raw milk cheese that we easily recognize with it's horizontal line of ashes. In the past, this line preserved the cheese made with the morning milk before the evening milking. Preparation 45 minutes -  Baking time : 50 minutes INGREDIENTS (6 tartlets) Dough : 250g all-purpose flour 125g unsalted butter at room temperature 1 egg 1 tbsp water a pinch of salt a few sprigs of thyme. Garnish : 1/2 medium-size squash 1 red onion 30g pecan 80g Morbier cheese 200ml liquid cream 38% 2 eggs 1 tbsp granulated sugar 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar table salt & ground pepper olive oil. NB: if you can't find Morbier cheese, you can make thi

Christmas Shortbreads, a old tradition...

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We will celebrate Christmas soon and it's now the time to prepare delightful biscuits! According to the tradition, Christmas biscuits are usually star shaped and do you know why ? In the past, peasants said that shortbreads' pointed ends protected people against curses, chased away evil spirits and brought good luck for the new year. I decide to make a crown with my little Christmas vanilla flavored shortbreads. It's easy to make at home, and the presentation is nice too. INGREDIENTS (4 serving) 420g all-purpose flour 170g granulated sugar 200g soft salted butter 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp icing sugar & a drop of water 2 eggs Gold color powder Star shaped cookie cutters DIRECTIONS In a the bowl of your food processor, put flour, butter cut in cubes, sugar and baking powder. Mix on low speed until you get a sandy dough. Then add the eggs and the vanilla extract. Mix again until the dough has a smooth consistency. Wrap the dough in plastic film and c