madeleines - Cristina, from Buenos Aires to Paris

Beef Carpaccio, with Basil, Red Pepper and Mozzarella Madeleines, or when Italy marries "la France"

Even in Paris, after a cold spell, warm weather is coming….we feel like eating lighter, fresher things…. ( women like me have nightmares of looking like Moby Dick ON the beach !! ), so for whatever reason, health, weather or personal vanity (or the three at the same time!), this marks the beginning of my “summer” posts….devoted to low-calory-easy-to-digest-fast-to-make meals….Well, don’t get overexcited (or too sad), due to my French training, I will give you something buttery or creamy from time to time….Who said a salad dish can’t have a crème brûlée as final touch?

Now for the beef carpaccio…..classic Italian dish to which I have added my personal French touch, some madeleines: basil, red pepper and mozzarella cheese!.…

The arugula, basil, red peppers and the pine nuts accentuate the Italian/south of France scents and flavours….

The dish is named Carpaccio, after the name of an Italian painter, famous for its colourful paintings….Now, there are two stories associated with it: Mrs Cipriani, in Venice, or a rich lady from Milan, were advised by their doctors to eat raw meat….apparently, it was not considered very “elegant” to eat raw meat so they named the dish “carpaccio” so that no one would notice….
I do not know which story is true…but I love Venice, Milan and Carpaccio, so…..
AND I would like to point out, eating carpaccio IS elegant, “n’est-ce pas?” (isn’t it?).
Enjoy it !!!

Now for the recipe…….

Beef Carpaccio
(serves 4)

* beef fillet, 300gr

* lemon, 1

* extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons

* balsamic vinegar (optional), 1 tablespoon

* arugula leaves, 100gr

* fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper

* parmesan cheese, 50gr

* pine nuts, 30gr

Put the beef fillet (trimmed of any excess fat) in the freezer for 30′. This will help you cut the slices very thinly, if not, ask your butcher to do it for you (with the machine). Place the slices forming a rosette. Drizzle it with a little lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, fleur de sel and pepper (to taste). In the center, place the arugula leaves mixed with the pine nuts. Sprinkle with a vinaigrette made with the rest of olive oil, balsamic vinegar (optional), salt and pepper. Shave thin slices of Parmesan with your potato peeler. Top on the arugula.

Red Bell Peppers, Basil, and Mozzarella Madeleines

(for 16 madeleines aprox (normal size)

* basil leaves, 10gr

* red bell peppers, 1, for this recipe, but since we are roasting them, you can prepare more

* eggs, 3

* mozzarella cheese, 100gr

* parmesan cheese, grated, 15gr

* all purpose flour, 150gr

* baking powder, 1 coffeespoon.

* roasted red bell pepper, 60gr

* olive oil, 5 tablespoons

* salt and pepper

To roast the peppers, put them on a baking tray, in the oven, under the broiler. Roast them till the skin blackens. Take them out. Put them in a plastic bag, seal it, wait 30′. The steam will help for the peeling. Remove the skin and seeds.

Dice the mozzarella, the peppers. Slice the basil leaves thinly (previously washed and rinsed). Mix the flour and baking powder. Whisk the eggs with the parmesan cheese. Combine the flour and baking powder with the eggs and parmesan. Fold in the mozzarella, peppers and basil, the oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Combine well. Refrigerate at least for one hour.

Pre-heat the oven 180°C. Place a baking tray in the oven. Butter and flour your madeleine molds. Put the madeleine batter into a piping bag, and fill 2/3 of the madeleines molds. Refrigerate again with the mold. Bake for 10′ placing the mold on the hot baking tray. This temperature shock will make the madeleine have its bump. If you are using a mini Madeleine mold, baking time is 7′. Take them out of the oven. Wait for some minutes before unmolding. Let them cool on a rack. Repeat the process with the rest of the batter.