Written on Sunday, September 2nd, 2007 at 5:41 pm
biscuits, chicken, figs, soup
It’s the beginning of september, so the thoughts are turning to autumn. But today’s been warm. And I’ve actually had some time to spend some time cooking, so an easy supper has turned into:
2 chilled soups (pea with mint (nigella lawson forever summer) and leek with lemon grass (waitrose cooking witht the seasons); served with a warm twice cooked cheese souffle (variation of a delia smith summer cooking theme).
Then chicken with lemon and garlic, with greeen beans
And dessert – has to be figs; 2 variations (obviously I’m in “duo” mode; figs baked in montbazillac; and figs stewed with cassis and spices (4 spices, ginger, cinnamon) served with almond macaroons (made in the newly acquired 20 year old Kenwood Chef – so easy!) and vanilla fromage frais.
On va se regaler!
Written on Saturday, December 2nd, 2006 at 7:00 pm
dessert, figs
There’s little to beat a freshly picked fig, still warm from the summer sun. But it’s also good to have a few ways of turning them into a stylish dessert.
Lots of variations on a theme – I’ll add variations as I come across them.
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Figs in sweet Beaume de Venise muscat wine
8 fresh figs
1/2 bottle of beaumes de venise
strip of lemon zest
1 vanilla pod
stab the figs 2 or 3 times, and gently poach covered 5 – 10 mins in the simmering wine, lemon zest and vanilla pod. Use a wide frying pan that will take them in a single layer. Drain, remove lemon and vanilla, reduce liquid, pour over figs, cool.
Alternatively, cut them through into quarters, but not right the way through the core; put into baking dish with montbazillac (sweet desset wine); or rasteau, or even cassis; bake … and I serve at room temperature.
Serve with creme fraiche, creme anglaise (vanilla custart), or vanilla icecream.
Or vanilla fromage frais, or any of the varieties of not quite yoghurt/not quite cream/not quite cheese stuff that fill the dairy of shelves of french supermarkets (and range from 0% through to 33% fat content). Just add sugar and the vanilla seeds from a vanilla pod