A Day in the Country with Alix

Alix de Lauzanne is a young woman I have known for 13 years since I attended her Uncle Charles-Henry de Valbray’s wedding in Morocco.  She is now married, the mother of four delightful young children, and lives happyily one hour outside Paris in the tiny village of Jonquieres, near Compiegne.  Alix started a business several years ago, Private Kitchen, giving cooking classes to friends and neighbors in her large, well-appointed country kitchen.

Alix de Lauzanne in her kitchen

I have been wanting to attend one of her classes for several years and yesterday, my new culinary buddy and good friend, Toni and I took off in the early morning sunshine for Jonquieres.  We arrived a little after 10am and enjoyed tea in the kitchen while we waited for the rest of the group to arrive.  We were five plus Alix, and as we donned our aprons, Alix explained how she likes to teach.  Because she and her clients all live far from a big or even middle size city where shopping is easy, she likes to show people how to create delicious meals using only ingredients which can be bought in a supermarket (Carrefour is where she goes).  Our class and lunch for the day was to be Mille-feuilles de canard au gorgonzola et au chutney, Osso Bucco and Tarte tout chocolat facon “Laduree”.

We began with the Osso Bucco because it needed to cook for one hour.  All of us worked at preparing the carrots and the garlic.  Alix had quite a few short cuts and tricks to share.  She said she always uses frozen (Picard) chopped onions, as onions freeze well and this reduces kitchen tears!  BUT, she never uses frozen garlic or shallots as they don’t freeze well and the bitter germ in the garlic is never removed.  She further added that browning the veal first does not add that much to the flavor, so she did not do it and the dish was put together in 15 minutes, and the result was indeed delicious.

Osso Bucco served with tagliatelle

Then we attacked the chocolate tart, which is Alix’s lighter version of Laduree’s celebrated tarte tout chocolat, with considerably less butter and chocolate.  The quality of the chocolate is important here – it must be 65-75% cocoa, and the butter must be sweet butter, but Alix throws in a pinch of fleur de sel for a little salty bite.  We made the pate sablee (short pastry) and then the chocolate ganache, put the two together and refrigerated the tarts for two hours.  When we were ready for dessert, we decorated our tarts and they looked as good as they tasted.

The last dish we made was our first course, the mille-feuille with duck breast, gorgonzola and chutney.  We made the chutney first, then cut filo dough into rectangles and buttered and cooked them for our pastry layers, and finally we assembled the dish and then enjoyed it immediately.  It was lovely to look at, and the combination of the pear chutney, gorgonzola and smoked duck breast was heavenly.

Mille-feuille with duck breast and gorgonzola
served on a bed of chutney

We enjoyed lunch and conversation around Alix’s dining room table with the sun streaming in and a good time was had by all.  I recommend a trip to Private Kitchen (www.privatekitchen.com) for all of you who live in Paris.  Alix will pick you up at the train station if you don’t have a car and she speaks excellent English, so if you put together your own group, she can teach the class in English.

P.S. There is a great brocante (bric-a-brac shop) where we went after lunch, which should be a part of your day if you go!

Alix’s Adaptation of Laduree’s Famous Chocolate Tart (serves 8-10 people)

Pate Sablee au Chocolat

200g (3/4 cup) flour (T45)

120g (8 tbsp) sweet butter (cold)

75g (1/4 cup) powdered sugar

25g (2 tbsp) ground almonds

12g (1 tbsp) cocoa

Pinch of fleur de sel

Chocolate Ganache

300g (1-1/2 cup) chocolate, 65-75% cocoa (Alix likes Nestle Corse Noir)

300g (1-1/2 cup) heavy cream

50g (3-1/2 tbsp) butter, room temperature

Instructions

Pate Sablee:

1. Mix all the ingredients by hand or in a mixer.  Note, this is a very dry mix.
2. Fill individual moulds or a large tart mould with a thin layer of the dry mix.  Press down firmly and evenly.
3. Cook in a 180C (350F) oven for 25 minutes – cool.

Ganache:

1. Cut the chocolate into small pieces.
2. Warm the cream until just boiling and pour over chocolate pieces and whisk gently, being careful not to touch the bottom of the bowl (otherwise the chocolate will congeal into a large mass, and it is very difficult to break up at that point).
3. Whisk in the pieces of cold butter until smooth.
4. Pour the chocolate into the moulds and refrigerate for 2 hours.
5. Decorate with chocolate shavings and cocoa.

Fricassee of Pork Cheeks Recipe

Pork Fricassee with Mushrooms and Carrots (serves 8)

Adaptation of original recipe from Gourmet Magazine, November 1992

Note: This fricassee may be made up to 2 days in advance (in fact, it tastes better if made ahead), and kept covered and chilled until ready to heat and serve.

3 tbsp vegetable oil

3-1/2 lbs pork cheeks (or if unavailable, use boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2” pieces)

1 large onion, chopped

2 ribs of celery, chopped

1 bay leaf

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups dry white wine

8 large carrots, cut diagonally into 1” thick pieces

1 lb mushrooms, sliced thin

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and brown the pork, patted dry, in batches, transferring it as it is browned to a large bowl. 

Pour off the excess fat and return the pork to the pot with the onion, celery, bay leaf, broth, wine, and simmer the mixture, uncovered, for 2 hours, or until the pork is tender. 

Add the carrots, simmer the mixture, covered, for 15 minutes, or until the carrots are tender, and transfer the pork and the carrots with tongs to a bowl. 

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, return the cooking liquid to the pot, and boil it until it is reduced to about 3 cups.

In a large heavy skillet cook the mushrooms in the butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid the mushrooms gives off is evaporated, sprinkle the mixture with the flour, and cook it over moderately low heat, scraping up the brown bits, for 3 minutes. 

Stir in the cream, stirring until the mixture is combined well, add the mushroom mixture to the cooking liquid, and simmer the sauce, stirring until it is thickened. 

Stir in the lemon juice, pork, carrots, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with rice.

Fricassee of Pork Cheeks

A Delicious Cauliflower Soup Recipe

My good friend, Toni Fyvie, who originally hails from New Zealand but lives in Paris full-time, is helping me with my blog.  We share a passion for great food and wine, both in restaurants and at home.  Since I know that most of you like to cook (as well as eat out), I have decided that every time I post on my blog, I will share a recipe with you.  Last night I made a truly wonderful cauliflower soup from Betty Rosbottom’s new soup cookbook, Sunday Soup.  I am giving Toni a taste of it today, and the recipe follows.  

Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Prosciutto and Parmesan (Serves 6)

4 tbsp unsalted butter

3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (4-5 medium leeks)

12 cups cauliflower florets (from 2 large heads; about 2 lbs each)

8 cups chicken stock

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 cup crème fraiche

Kosher salt

4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy deep-sided pot (with a lid) set over medium-high heat.  Add the leeks and sauté, stirring, until softened for 4-5 minutes.  Add the cauliflower florets, chicken stock, and cayenne pepper.  Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cover pot.  Cook until vegetables are very tender, for about 20 minutes.
2. Puree the soup, whisk in 1/2 cup of the cheese and the crème fraiche.  Taste soup and season with salt, as needed. (The soup can be made 2 days ahead; cool, cover and refrigerate.  Reheat over medium heat.)
3. Cut the prosciutto into julienne strips 3-4 inches long and 1/4 inch wide.  Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet set over medium heat.  When hot, add the prosciutto and sauté, stirring constantly, until crisp and brownded, for 4-5 minutes.  Using slotted spoon, transfer prosciutto to paper towels to drain.
4. Sprinkle each serving with some prosciutto, parsley, the remaining Parmesan and a touch of piment d’espelette.

Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Prosciutto and Parmesan

Enjoy!