Pizza with asparagus, tomatoes and Cantal cheese

Here is a pizza with a twist. A quick and easy light and soothing delight…

Ingredients: 
1 rectangular fine pizza dough
4 slices of skewered ham
3 tablespoons of fresh cream
12 green asparagus
12 glazed tomatoes
a few snips of chives
20 to 30 g of cantal cheese
Pepper

Preparations:
1. )Preheat your oven to 200 °C (th. 6-7).
2.) Wash the green asparagus, peel them and plunge in boiling water from 8 to 10 minutes until they are nice and tender.
3.) Verify the cooking with the tip of a knife. Pass for a few minutes under cold water to stop the cooking.
4.) Unroll the pizza dough on an oven plaque covered with baking paper.
5.) Spread the fresh cream on all the surface and place the asparagus and glazed tomatoes on the cream.
6.) Cut the ham in thin strips then in big squares and place them on the pizza.
7.) Sprinkle with chiseled chives and slivers of Cantal cheese, add ground pepper.
8.) Bake for 18 to 20 minutes while watching the cooking.

Tip: Serve your pizza with an arugula salad.

Gabriella's Coffee Cake

This is a cake that is easy and fast to whip up. It presents well and will impress your tea guests with it's taste and presentation. Kids and adults love it!

Ingredients:
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
4 cups flour, plus 3 tsp.
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup dark brown sugar
5 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans

Preparations:
1.) Heat oven to 300°.
2.) Grease a 9½" bundt pan and set aside
3.) Whisk 4 cups flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl; set aside
4.) In another bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy
5.) Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition
6.) Add sour cream and vanilla and mix well to combine
7.) With the motor running, slowly add dry ingredients until smooth; set aside
8.) In another bowl, combine remaining flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
9.) Starting and ending with the batter, layer in bundt pan with sugar mixture to form five layers.
10.) Sprinkle with pecans and bake 1½ hours until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Mac & Cheese muffins

Your kids will love these. They are easy to make, easy to transport and easy to eat. An Amercian twist on the classic Neapolitan frittata.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Barilla macaroni
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
2 cups skim milk
8 oz. fontina or parmeggiano cheese, cubed (cheddar with cream cheese as substitute)
1 egg
cooking spray
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large pot then whisk in the flour forming a roux (or a paste).
3. Gradually pour in the milk, whisking as you go; then add in the cheese and stir until all of the cheese has melted. Let simmer on a low flame.
4. In a small bowl, crack open the egg and whisk it with a fork, then add a little of the hot milk and cheese mixture to it to temper the egg. (You don't want to cook the egg. If it looks cooked or scrambled, you added too much liquid).
5. Add tempered egg to the milk and cheese mixture; then add in the cooked pasta and mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray, then using a small kitchen spoon, add the pasta to the tin so that it's filled to the top. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes; then allow to set for 5 minutes.
7. Use a plastic knife to release them from the pan (so it won't scratch it) and serve. Makes approximately 100.

P.S. Before adding cheddar cheese to a cream sauce to keep it from clumping, put your shredded cheese (it is better to shred it from a brick of cheese yourself) in a baggie or bowl and put just a scant tablespoon of flour into it and shake it all around and then add to the sauce, it will melt smoother with less clumping or separating of the cheese and fat in the cheese.

Christine's pulled pork recipe

While making sure the kids got their costumes and make-up on properly for the annual school play, somehow we got talking about a yummy pork recipe...

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 pickled jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons of Chipotle chile powder
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/3 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 bay leaf
Salt
3 lbs of pork butt shoulder roast, trimmed of excess fat
Baguette bread

Preparation:
1.)  Purée all of the sauce ingredients (everything except the bay leaf, the pork and the buns) in a blender until smooth. If you have extra time, marinate the pork in the sauce overnight or for several hours before cooking.
2.)  Put sauce, bay leaf, and pork into a large pot and add 1 quart of water. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, covered, turning frequently, for 2 hours or until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork.
3.)  Remove from heat and cool pork in the sauce. When cool enough to touch, remove the pork from the sauce and shred into small pieces. Set aside.
4.)  Put the sauce back on the stove and bring it to a low boil. Let the sauce boil down until it has been reduced by two thirds. Add the pork back to the sauce. Salt to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving. Serve hot over open-face baguette bread.

French Onion Dip

What better way to welcome your guests that get them to dip in? This delicious onion dip gives your aperitive a real French touch.

Ingredients: 
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onions
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation:
1.) In a saute pan over medium heat add oil, heat and add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2.) Mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the cooled onions.
3.) Refrigerate and stir again before serving.

Caribbean Pumpkin Soup

In these cold November days a soup is a welcome soul-warmer, especially if it has a Caribbean twist to it. Try this yummy and simple recipe which will bet you dancing in no time.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium white onion, minced
1 Scotch bonnet pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced (optional)
3 lb. pumpkin, such as calabaza or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½" pieces
4 cups chicken stock
4 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
1 cup milk
¼ cup heavy cream
½ tbsp. mild curry powder
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Crème fraîche, for garnish

Preparation:
1.) Melt butter in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat
2.) Add garlic, onion, and, if using, Scotch bonnet; cook until golden, about 8 minutes
3.) Add pumpkin, stock, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf; bring to a boil
4.) Reduce heat to medium; cook until pumpkin is very tender, 30–35 minutes
5.) Discard thyme, parsley, and bay leaf
6.) Working in batches, purée soup in a blender until smooth.
7.) Return soup to saucepan and add milk, cream, curry powder, lime juice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper
8.) Simmer until slightly thick, 4–6 minutes.
9.) Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with a swirl of crème fraîche.

Peperonata

My son's favourite two vegetables combined in one scrumptious dish. Simple and easy as 1,2,3. It makes a great antipasto served with bruschetta.

Ingredients:
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 assorted red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into ¼" strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced crosswise
½ medium white onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Preparation:
1.) Heat oil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat.
2.) Add peppers, garlic, onions, and ½ cup water and season with salt and pepper.
3.) Cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until peppers are soft, about 1 hour.
4.) Stir in vinegar and transfer to a serving bowl.

Crêpes Suzettes

Pancake day requires a recipe of Crêpes Suzette! The pancakes are crêpes Suzette prepared with a caramel flavored orange sauce. Made simple, this recipe will delight the whole family.

For the crêpes

Ingredients:
110gr plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200m milk mixed with 75ml water
50gr butter
1 medium orange, grated zest only
1 tbsp caster sugar

Preparation:
1.) Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl
2.) Make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs.
3.) Gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk).
4.) Melt butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl and use it to lubricate the pan, using a brush or piece of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.
5.) Stir the orange zest and caster sugar into the batter.
6.) Heat the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and as soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be.
7.) Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only - then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate. If the pancakes look a little bit ragged in the pan, no matter because they are going to be folded anyway. You should end up with 15-16 crêpes.

For the sauce

Ingredients:
120g sugar
1 lemon
2 oranges
125g butter
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Preparation:
1.) Press and filter the citrus juice. Cut the butter into cubes.
2.) Sprinkle the bottom of a pan with the sugar. Grind peel of an orange. Heat gently without stirring and when the caramel begins to form, add the squeezed juice.
3.) Boil down slowly until obtaining a soft golden caramel.
4.) Add the butter and stir in the caramel.
5.) Flame with the Grand Marnier and reduce.
6.) Fold the crepes in the juice. Arrange the pancakes with the juice on a plate and repeat the process with the other pancakes. Pour all the remaining juice on top of the crepes and enjoy!

Macaroni Cheese

The most classic American Kids' dish which an Italian would not touch and the Swiss claim their own with a twist calling it Alper Maccaroni.

Ingredients:
4 cups dried macaroni
1 whole egg
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard (more if desired)
1 pound sharp Cheddar, grated (not pre-grated cheese), plus more for baking
Salt
Seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme

Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2.) Cook the macaroni until still slightly firm. Drain and set aside.
3.) In a small bowl, beat the egg.
4.) In a large pot, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook for a couple of minutes, whisking constantly. Don't let it burn.
5.) Pour in the milk, add the mustard and whisk until smooth.
6.) Cook until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.
7.) Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. Whisk together until smooth.
8.) Pour the egg into the sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
9.) Add in the cheese and stir to melt.
10.) Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt and the pepper. Add any additional spices if desired. Taste the sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.
11.) Pour in the drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.

Serve immediately (while it's still very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese and bake until bubbly and golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

Express French Lemon tart

Here is a very easy and fast recipe for a tasty lemon pie! Made in 5 minutes, you just have to bake it during your meal, it will be perfect for dessert!

Ingredients:
1 lemon cut into 8 pieces
300 gr sugar
120 gr butter
1 little pack vanilla sugar (20g)
4 eggs
1 tart shell

Preparation:
1.) Put all ingredients (except tart shell) into a blender and whirl well until you get a smooth mix.
2.) Pour your mix into tart shell.
3.) Bake 40 minutes at 160 degrees (watch that the top does not burn).

Tortilla Española

This typical Spanish recipe was given to me by an English friend who calls Spain her home. Nothing beats a properly cooked tortilla. Except maybe Jamon Iberico de Bellota! ;)

Ingredients:
5 big potatoes
1 Spanish onion
4 large or 5 small eggs
Olive Oil
Salt

Preparation:
1.) Peel and slice the potatoes into fairly thin "rounds"
2.) Do the same with the onion.
3.) In a non stick frying pan pour a generous amount of olive oil (spanish is better ;)
4.) Heat gently and add the potatoes and onions. The idea is to kind of "boil" the potatoes in the oil rather than fry them violently.
5.) Meanwhile lightly beat the eggs.
6.) When the potatoes and onions are nice and soft and a little brown (if preferred), then drain them and add straight into the bowl with the eggs. Mix quickly and return to the pan. There should be enough olive oil left in the pan to cook it.
7.) When the eggs have set on one side and the mixture feels firm you can then flip the tortilla over onto a plate and return to the frying pan to cook the other side.
8.) Eat warm or cold with crusty baguette and a glass of tinto!

You can also add spinach, ham, peppers or whatever takes your fancy.

Que aproveche!

Blueberry Pancakes

These are my son's favourite. The recipe was given to me by an Japanese-American friend in Paris. We'll be thinking of you in Istanbul. ;)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour Bio Type 65
2 Tbsp Sugar
4 tsp baking powder(1 sachet levure chimique)
1/3 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
2 cups milk
4 Tbsp cooking oil
Frozen blueberries
White chocolate chips or 1/2 a bar of Lindt white chocolate chopped up.
Pumpkin pie spice or Pain d'Epice Spice

Preparation:
1) Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add pumpkin pie spice with the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center.
2) Combine eggs, milk and oil and add this to the flour mixture at once. Stir JUST UNTIL MOISTENED. The batter should be lumpy.
3) Spread batter on lightly buttered, hot frying pan. Place blueberries and white chocolate chips on the pancake as soon as you pour the batter into the pan. Flip over when pancakes have a bubbly surface and are dry on the edges.