Author: FromBAtoParis

"Morceaux Exquis" Exquisite Bits….& Bites: Shrimp/Apricot Forks….My Apricot Saga (Part II)

Posted on June 26, 2011 by fromBAtoParis

I was on the Metro, the other day, on the way to Le Bon Marché….my “temple”, specially during the sales-season….when I saw an ad, for a new exhibit “Morceaux Exquis”. The exhibit has nothing to do with cooking….rather it is an interesting tour around the artistic representation of the human body (and its different parts) in Mediterranean cultures….!

I loved the music of the words…and the concept ! Et oui ! an exquisite bit & bite can be made up of just two ingredients…just two things…three minutes in the kitchen, yet…an explosion of flavour!

Even bees love it!!

….like here…ripe apricots, shrimp, and a vinaigrette made with cilantro, dill, ginger...and just that!

So sweet…. so tangy….so orange….so Hermès …. yes, I am “soldes” vulture!!

Enjoy!

Shrimp/Apricot Forks
(for 10 people)
*shrimp, 20 *apricots, 5

For the Vinaigrette:

*ginger, a small piece, chopped *olive oil, 100ml *dill, 1tsp, chopped *cilantro, some leaves, chopped *garlic, 1 clove, chopped *lemon juice, 1 *fleur de sel *pepper

Prepare the vinaigrette combining all the ingredients. Sauté shrimps (previously peeled, intestine removed) in olive oil. Accomodate big slices of apricot and shrimp on fork. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Season to taste (fleur de sel/pepper)

Recipe (adapted) by Juliana Lopez May

Posted in apricot saga, apricots, cilantro, crevettes, shrimp | 14 Replies

My Apricot Saga (Part I) Apricot Amandine Tart, with a Hint of Dulce de Leche

Posted on June 19, 2011 by fromBAtoParis

Ready for the beach? I am! The moment I enjoy the most? The late afternoon….when the breeze turns a little bit cool, and I have this craving for a coffee…a coffee with something! “A little something”, I always say….

Then I will make a pause in my highly-intellectual activities, like doing crosswords…Last year, during our holidays, my son had the greatest idea: he bought himself the book General Culture for Dummies! We had so much fun! We spent twenty days submitted to his “interrogatoire” My husband was the champ! He knows everything! I think this is one of the reasons why I married him…he always tells me stories…stories based on facts..no, that’s not the way to put it…what I love about him is that I never get tired of his conversation…whatever he has to tell me amuses or interests me!

Well…going back..or rather starting with this Apricot Amandine Tart..I had it on the beach of our hotel last year, during our vacations in Thailand! Yes, there was a pastry chef that mastered French pâtisserie…so this and a coffee? Heaven to me!

The “pâte sucrée” is the one I always use in all my recipes, so crispy…fragile (that’s true!) but worth the effort of fitting it inside your mold…I used a rectangular one here… and then, to dare French masters, I committed the sacrilege (Oh, mon Dieu!) of pairing the “crème amandine” with a thin layer of dulce de leche…a “soupçon” (I love this word!!!!)

The result? When the mild acidity of the apricot meets sweetness in two textures: creamy, for the amandine, more compact, for the dulce de leche…..As Oscar Wilde said: ” I can resist everything but temptation”…..

Enjoy!

For the “pâte sucrée”, follow my recipe here.

Pre-heat the oven 170°C. Fit the pâte into the mold. Cover with aluminum foil, and some weights. Bake for 15′.

Once cool, apply a thin layer of dulce de leche. Then make the “crème amandine”, whisking 100gr of soft butter, and 100grs of sugar. Then add two eggs (one by one) and finally incorporate 100gr of almond flour, and 25gr of flour. Put the cream inside the mold, not until the edge since the cream will swell when baked. Cut the apricots in halves and accomodate them according to your taste and the shape of the mold. Bake 180°C till the crème amandine becomes golden brown. You can decorate sprinkling icing sugar, some caramelized walnuts or almonds, pistachios if you have…

Posted in amandine, apricot saga, apricots, argentinian, dulce de leche, tart | 22 Replies

C’est l’été ! (It’s summertime !) My Apricot Saga….

Posted on June 18, 2011 by fromBAtoParis

Et oui…some people go crazy about cherries…others love berries…moi? my favourite fruit? apricots ! I buy them in the market, rue Mesnil…”one kilo, please…and then I stroll home, eating the apricots just like that….I know, you’re gonna tell me I will catch a dangerous European bug…..I take the elevator, and sometimes only two are left in the paper bag!

I don’t know what makes them so special to me..its velvety touch? this subtile sweet taste….? To them this saga! *Apricot Amandine Tart *Apricot Chutney *Shrimp/Apricot Fourchettes

And while it’s pouring in Paris, and it’s even a bit cold, we think of summertime!

I hope you enjoy my ode to the apricot..Stay tuned !!

Posted in dried apricots, summer | 9 Replies

Healthy-Light Cooking to Fit into a "Maillot de Bain" : Sexy Salmon, Ricotta & Spinach, Plus a Summery Lime/Passion Sauce!

Posted on June 13, 2011 by fromBAtoParis

Et oui, I think most women go through the same momentum…around the month of June…we have to start considering getting into some sort of swimwear!!! and there we regret…so many sweet tarts…beef…icecream….so “OK, girls…time for fish!” Well, this fish is not that diet, but it’s fish….we digest it faster….and then it is not a question of going on a “horrible-food crusade” No, we have to get slim with style…!!

I have my mind set…and let me tell you that when I want something I don’t spare the efforts!! In one month I will fit inside one of these “maillots de bain” Yes! I’m in two minds between the Grace-Kelly blue “une-pièce”…oh so chic!…and the cherry-sportive one, to bring out my Roland Garros side (??!!) Do you think my husband will think I look like Sharapova?
One thing is sure, if you want to be considered the queen of French glamour (on the beach), “le maillot” has to be Eres!! Hide away your Banana Moon, or that bikini you bought at C&A….A French lady “Rive Gauche” only wears Eres!! (so expensive that you won’t even dare to get in the sea with it…well, the sales are coming, so I think I could afford a summer 2009 model ;D

“Maillot de Bain” photos: Eres Collection 2011

Have you noticed the word “maillot de bain”? How sexy the word is??? It’s not the same to talk about your “bathing suit” than saying “I will slide into my maillot de bain…” Why are French words connected with intimate wear so sexy??!! And “soutien-gorge”? (bra) Even pronouncing the word is sensual….What would Noam Chomsky say about this?

Ok…back to my fish….The salmon here has a ricotta-almond filling, and spinach on top….and the sauce is a mixture of lime, passion fruit, ginger, basil and butter (but a tiny bit, to give it its silky look!) You can do away with butter if you want, as I did…Didn’t I say I was dieting?

Enjoy it girls!

To make this Salmon, Ricotta & Spinach, you will need:
(4 servings)

*salmon, 4 pieces *spinach sprouts, 100gr *egg, 1 *ricotta, 150gr *almond powder, 50gr *garlic, 1 clove, chopped *salt & pepper *piment d’Espelette *olive oil *grated parmesan, 2tbsp

Pre-heat oven 180°C. Slice salmon in two (alongside) without actually separating the two parts. Combine the ricotta, garlic, egg, almond powder, salt& pepper, piment, and a little olive oil. (save some mixture to put on top ) Spread the mixture inside the fish, place some spinach leaves, and close. Spread the rest of the mixture on top, some spinach leaves. Fasten with a cotton thread. Sprinkle with some olive oil, salt & pepper, and parmesan. Cook 20/30′ (depending on how thick your fish is) Serve with the sauce.

For the Lime/Passion Sauce, you will need:

*lime juice, 1 *passion fruit juice, 2 (without seeds) grated ginger (to taste) *salt & pepper *piment d’Espelette (to taste) *butter, 80gr, melted *basil or dill, 1 tbsp, chopped

Combine all the ingredients. You can add 2 tbsp of coconut cream if desired.

Recipe adapted “Elle à Table”