Eggplant Pizzas

Good morning everyone, I am so sorry I have not posted anything in a very long time.

The summer was good and busy then it is time to get back to school/work. Finally I take the time to write to you in order to share a beautiful quick recipe. I found it on Pinterest and add few tips to make it even tastier.

 (Makes 3-4 servings or 6-8 appetizer servings

1 EGGPLANT

2 TBSP OLIVE OIL, FOR BRUSHING EGGPLANT BEFORE ROASTING

1/3 CUP FRESHLY GRATED PARMESAN

1/3 CUP FINELY GRATED MOZZARELLA

Sauce Ingredients:

2-3 TSP. EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

3 LARGE GARLIC CLOVES, VERY FINELY crushed

1 CAN GOOD QUALITY PETITE DICED TOMATOES WITH LIQUID (OR USE 3 CUPS PEELED AND DICED FRESH TOMATOES)

1/4 TSP. DRIED OREGANO (USE GREEK OR TURKISH OREGANO)

Alternatively you can use already prepared tomato sauce

Instructions:

Cut off both ends of the eggplant; then cut it into 1,5 cm thick slices (trying to make them the same thickness!)  Put the eggplant slices on a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle both sides generously with salt.  Let the eggplant sit with the salt on it for about 30 minutes to draw out the liquid.  (After the eggplant sits for 15 minutes, turn on the grill to 375F/190C.)

Watch out last time I did, it I had to drive my daughter to school therefore when I came back the vegetable was so drain of water that it was as salty as can be. Never the less I thought it could not be noticed. I was wrong it was so awful!!!!

While the eggplant sits, make the sauce.  (if using already made sauce no need to preaviously warm it up.

Heat 2-3 tsp. olive oil (depending on your pan) and saute the crushed garlic just until it becomes fragrant.

(carefully watch this Onion as it contains 64% water therefore it burns easily) . Add the can diced tomatoes, and dried oregano and let the sauce cook at a low simmer until it thickens, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon as it cooks.  (Add water as needed, a few tablespoons at a time as the sauce cooks, keeping it hot by simmering at very low heat until it’s needed for the eggplant slices.)

After 30 minutes, wipe the eggplant dry with paper towels (this also removes most of the salt.)  In a non stick baking tray brush lightly with olive oil or use baking sheet, lay eggplant slices on, brush the tops of the eggplant with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried oregano or other herbs.  Grill the eggplant about 10 minutes or so on each side. Watch out it burns easily.

While the eggplant roasts, thinly slice the fresh basil leaves (if using) and combined freshly grated Parmesan and mozzarella.  After 25 minutes or when eggplant pieces are done, remove eggplant from the oven and turn oven setting to broil.  Spread a few tablespoons of sauce on the top of each eggplant slice, sprinkle with thin basil slices (if using) and top with a generous amount of cheese.

Put pizzas under the broiler until the cheese melted and slightly browned.  (This took 6-7 minutes for me, but I was using a toaster oven and in a more powerful broiler it would probably only take a few minutes.)  Serve hot!

Enjoy!

ARANCINI DE ROSI OR CRISPY FRIED RISOTTO BALLS

Risotto is delicious to eat hot and freshly made.

But what do you do with the leftovers.

My family, I guess I spoiled them too much, would not eat a reheated risotto especially the next day.

As I never spoil food, I decided to look through the internet and found some ideas to adapt to my family tastes.I do apologize, this time I will not give you the precise quantity since it all depends on how much left over risotto you have.

You will need:

Left over Risotto

Onion, peeled and diced

Chorizo diced

Olive oil

Whipping cream or double cream

diced Mozzarella cheese

3 whole eggs

breadcrumbs or

PANKO (JAPANEESE BREADCRUMBS)

In a pan fry onion with olive oil.

When reach golden color add the risotto and mix in some whipping cream. Continue cooking until you reach a nice combined consistency.

Let it cool in a large plate.

With your hands (I use disposable gloves), make ball shape out of risotto.

Then place at the center of each ball one diced mozzarella. Make sure it is well covered as you do not want your cheese to come out easily while frying.

Whisk the eggs and pass trough a strainer in order to get a smooth texture. Place in a large bowl.

In another bowl poor the bread crumbs.

Deep and roll the balls in the eggs mixture, lift and allow excess egg to drip off, then put it on the breadcrumb bowl. Using the other hand roll in and again shake off to remove excess. Again roll into the eggs mixture and then bread crumbs.

It is slightly time consuming but coating it twice give an extra crispy texture that is so yummy.

Repeat with all the remaining Arancini rosi.

In a wok, heat up oil at 375 degrees.

The result is absolutely divine.

You can store the balls before being fried in the freezer for later use.

When you ready to eat them, put in the

microwave at lowest temperature for 2 minutes. Then it is ready to be fried.

SALADE QUE J’ADORE !

Rapide et idéale pour cet été.

Pour 4 personnes

200 GR GAMBAS OU CREVETTES ROSES

250 GR DE CHAMPIGNONS DE PARIS

2 AVOCATS

GRAINES DE TOURNESOL QS

CORIANDRE

CIBOULETTE

1 CAS HUILE DE SESAME GRILLE

1 CAS HUILE CHILI

1 CAS HUILE D’OLIVE

LE JUS DE DEUX CITRONS

Poivre/sel

Faire cuire les gambas dans de l’eau salée bouillante.

Au bout de 5 minutes, les refroidir tout de suite sous un courant d’eau fraiche.

Réserver

Pendant ce temps faire griller les graines de tournesol à sec dans une poêle à feu vif. Attention c’est très rapide donc ne pas s’en éloigner. Au bout de 1 minute c’est prêt.

Peler la peau des champignons, elle se retirera très facilement. Ce légume est très poreux donc je ne veux pas le passer sous l’eau et risquer de perde sa saveur.

Cela permet également sa conversation. Ils arrivent à tenir près de 5 jours sans s’altérer.

Les couper en fines tranches. Réserver

Bien laver les herbes et les ciseler.

Dans un grand bol ajouter tous les ingrédients sauf les graines de sésame et bien mélanger. Laisser cette salade marinées min. 1 heure elle n’en sera que meilleure.

Au moment de servir, mélanger délicatement et ajouter les graines de sésame.

Cette salade est vraiment délicieuse grâce à ses huiles aromatisées et les herbes fraiches.

L’essayer c’est l’adopter !

TATINS TARTLETS BY FELDER

Here is an easy recipe that will impress your guests.

The tartlets are just too cute and so delicious.

I have made a few changes to the original recipe.

Christophe Felder, and yes after Christophe Michalak (of whom I’m a super fan, several of his recipes are available on the blog) we have Christophe Felder … Married to a Christophe I seem to get attracted to this forename!

This virtuoso and sugar passionate was pastry chef at the Crillon hotel in Paris at the age of 23.

He has written numerous books including an eight hundred page « Patisserie » 

It has been translated into English as <Patisserie: Mastering the Fundamentals of English Pastry>.

 

For about 25 tartlets:

125 g sweet dough: therefore half the recipe that you can find on this blog

ref.:http://wp.me/p3pMRs-bZ

250g Royal Gala, or if you prefer, Golden delicious apples as long as you use a fruit that caramelizes well.

75 g Granny Smith apples

 

For the caramel:

100g Sugar

27.5 g butter

25 ml of water

 

For the glaze:

30g mineral water

40g sugar

2g gelatin sheet or powder

Some orange and lemon zests

 

Peel the apples, core and cut into small dices.

Make a caramel by placing the sugar in a dry pan, preferably with a thick bottom.

When the caramel becomes brown and while the pan is still over heat pour the warm water and stir until reaching a smooth consistency.

Remove from heat, add the butter and mix well.

 

Place the apples in a baking dish, pour the caramel over but keep the thickened and reduced part in the pan.

pour the caramel over.

As seen in the photo above.

Cover with a foil and bake the apples for 30 minutes at 180 °C.

Then remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until the apples are cooked and tender like “Preserve”. 

Use a silicone mold with mini half spheres or if not available, grease mini mold pies as substitute.

Fill the molds with the caramelized apples, smoothen the top well with a knife as it will sit on the biscuit and therefore must be totally flat.

Place the molds in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours.

 

Meanwhile roll the dough thinly and using a circle cutter or a small glass form 25 cookies.

Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 180°C for 10 minutes or until the edges are golden.

Let them cool on a rack.

Melt 30g butter, and apply with a brush on the cookies, this will prevent them from becoming soft and it will keep all their

crispness.

Glaze:

Boil the water, sugar, and zest.

If you are using powdered gelatin now is the time to add it and let it boil for 2 min.

If you are using a gelatin sheet soak it previously in water.

Whisk well. Strain to get rid of the zests.

Let it cool at room temperature, it will thicken.

 

The finishing touch:

 

Unmold the caramelized apples.

Keep in the fridge.

 

Remove these little wonders from the fridge 30 minutes before serving and keep at room temperature.

 

Place one on each cookie.

With a brush, coat the domes of apples with the prepared glaze.

 

Store in the fridge.

Remove these little Tatin from the fridge 30 minutes before serving and keep at room temperature.

EGG SANDWICH

In the United States, They love boiled eggs sandwiches.

 For this recipe I used  mini pita bread, but you can easily substitute with any kind of bread. Never the less I find Pita bread lighter as the egg mixture is quite filling.

Serves 4 

 

8 BOILED EGGS

4 TBSP MAYONNAISE (you can use low fat mayonnaise that you find in the supermarket.)

2 PRING ONIONS

CORIANDER (according to your taste)

1 TBSP CURRY POWDER

Salt

 

Once you have boiled your eggs immediately peel them, crumble and mix with curry powder. It might be quite hot but you will enhance the flavor of the spice.

Mix with mayonnaise, coriander, and onions.

Fill you pita bread or spread on your bread.

Delicious!

MOCHA FRAPPUCCINO JUST LIKE STARBUCKS

 

 

Don’t you just hate spending tons of money for a drink using milk, coffee and caramel.

Try that recipe…. So delicious

1.5 CUPS OF CRUSHED ICED

1 CUP OF MILK (I USED LOW FAT AND IT WAS FINE)

1 ESPRESSO

3 TSP OF SUGAR (MORE OR LESS DEPENDING ON PREFERENCE)

2 TABLESPOONS OR MORE OF BUTTER SALTED CARAMEL

WHIPPED CREAM

 

Add some caramel in the bottom of a tall glass as well as on the border or as you like it.

Blend all the ingredients except the caramel and the whipped cream in a blender for 45 seconds.

Pour into the glass and top off with whipped cream and garnish with caramel.

 

You will love this drink

 

As a substitute for the kids I replaced Coffee by caramel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TIAN or VEGETABLE GRATIN

Let me give youA little history to explain to you how this dish took its name
In 1803 it was as « tion » in a technical sense foundry is borrowing an Occitan word already attested in Old Provençal (1391) to designate a bowl, a pool of pottery, a clay pot. It comes from the Greek « têganon » variant « tagênon » (etymological form) « frying pan » no known technical word etymology.
This dish took it name as it was attested in 1940 in central and French
The French used to describe the Provencal clay pot, and metonymy, the dish (vegetable pie) baked in a Tian.

SERVING 6

2 EGGPLANTS
4 ZUCCHINIS
6 TOMATOES
2 BRANCHES OF THYME
4 TBSP OLIVE OIL
3 ONIONS
1 GARLIC CLOVE
SALT &PEPPER TO TASTE

Preheat the oven gas mark 6 (180 ° C).
Peel and slice the onions finely.
Sauté in olive oil get a golden color without burning them.
Set in the Tian dish or gratin dish.
I used the crushed garlic that I keep pot in olive oil.
Wash all the vegetables.
Cut the ends of the eggplant and zucchini.
Remove the stems of tomatoes.
(You can remove the skin by immersing in boiling water for a few seconds and then immediately into ice water to remove the skin easily.
Cut the zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant into slices of equal thickness.
Place all the vegetables in the dish vertically, alternating.
Make sure you tighten your vegetables as during cooking they will shrink. I put as many vegetables as possible to a maximum.
Sprinkle vegetables with thyme, salt and pepper.
Drizzle with olive oil and Bake.
Cook covered with aluminum foil for about 1h30 After 30 minutes I use a spatula and press on the vegetables to bring out all the juice from the vegetables that will give a good evenly cooking process
Remove from oven and serve immediately.

If you receive guests for dinner, you can easily bake in advance in the oven, and then add an additional 15 min it will only get better.

ICE COLD CUCUMBER SOUP WITH MINT serves 4

A perfect recipe for the summer, fast, easy and delicious.

Also a great way to eat healthy and low calories meal.

3 Cucumbers (1250 G)

60 G OLIVE OIL

170 G SKIMMED YOGHURT If you want you can substitute with double cream

THE JUICE  OF 1 LEMON

1 GARLIC CLOVE

2 SHALLOTS

Half BUNCH OF MINT

SALT / PEPPER TO TASTE

Peel, cut into two and scoop out the seeds of the three cucumbers. Cut into large chunks and place in the bowl of your mixer. Peel and chop the garlic and shallots. Chop the mint. Add to the mixer the olive oil, youghurt, lemon juice, garlic, shallots and mint.

Seasan with pepper and salt to taste.

Mix until desired consistency and place in the fridge at least an hour before serving.

Enjoy!!!

CURRY INDIEN AUX CREVETTES

½ TASSE DE CREME FRAICHE OU LAIT DE COCO

1 CUIL. A SOUPE DE GINGEMBRE EN POUDRE

1 CUIL. A SOUPE DE PIMENT EN POUDRE

1 A 2 PETITS PIMENTS FORTS

2 CUIL. A SOUPE DE CURRY

1 POIGNEE DE CORIANDRE

CONCENTRE DE TOMATE

500 G DE CREVETTES

4 GOUSSES D’AIL

3 CUIL. A SOUPE D’HUILE VEGETALE

4 TOMATES

2 OIGNONS

Dans une sauteuse,  ajoutez 3 cuillers à soupe d’huile végétale.

Quand l’huile est chaude, mettez le curry et le gingembre que l’on fait frire. 

Tournez sans arrêt pendant 5 minutes. Ajoutez le gingembre et le piment en poudre.

Une fois le mélange homogène, faites-y dorer les oignons coupés en rondelles et l’ail haché. Attendre quelques minutes que les oignons dorent en se mélangeant aux épices. 

Au bout de 10 minutes, ajoutez les tomates pelées, épépinées et coupées en morceaux, et le ou les petits piments coupés en biais. 

Ajoutez 1 tasse d’eau, couvrez et laissez cuire 20 minutes.

Si vous faites un dîner ce plat est magique car à ce moment là vous laissez dans votre sauteuse.

Au moment de passer à table vous réchauffez cette préparation, une fois chaude ajoutez les crevettes.

Au bout de 5 minutes c’est prêt. 

En fin de cuisson, mélangez avec du lait de coco ou de la crème fraîche. 

Servez chaud.

Sur la photo ci-dessus je n’ai ni ajouté de concentre de tomates ni des tomates. A vous de voir ce que vous préférez.

Mon conseil : vous pouvez remplacer les crevettes par des légumes, du bœuf, de l’agneau ou du poulet.

Ce plat se congèle très bien et se réchauffe sans problème.

Servez avec du chutney et l noix de coco râpée, accompagné avec du riz n’est pas obligatoire, on peut très bien le servir avec de la purée de lentilles.

SI vous aimez bien sentir le confit de tomates  ajoutez une grosse de tomates  boite de conserve entière au lieu des 4 tomates. Je le fais confire un peu plus longtemps. voir photo ci-dessus

LEBANESE TABOULEH

It is such a great salad. So healthy as well it gives you a bowl of vitamins and hardly any calories. Enjoy!

Serves 8

6 SPRING ONIONS

8 TBSP OLIVE OIL

4 BUNCHES PARSLEY

6 MEDIUM TOMATOES

1 BUNCH MINT

THE JUICE OF 2 LEMONS

SALT & PEPPER

Peel and dice onions.

Wash cautiously mint and parsley. Chop and mix them together.

Peel tomatoes (as seen on the recipe sundried tomatoes)

Remove the seeds and dice the tomatoes.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients.

Add the oil, lemon juice and pepper.

Mix well season with salt just before serving.