7 minute read
Food and Drink - Easter Feast
Not far from Bordeaux, Le Gargantua Cooking School offers hands-on cooking and patisserie classes for cooks who want to learn both technique as well as recipes in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. Run by Frenchborn Marlène Deparis, the residential courses cover traditional, every-day and dinner-party food. Here she gives us some recipes to try at home.
Easter Feast
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Fresh flavours and a traditional stew make this meal a treat for any occasion, especially Easter
Vol-au-Vent aux Asperges
www.legargantua.com
Vol-au-Vent aux Asperges
(Serves 4)
24 Thin green asparagus
8 Thin white asparagus
Puff pastry
1 Egg
20g Butter
20g Flour
250ml
Good vegetable stock or milk
Preheat oven to 190°C. Trim and peel the asparagus. Cook in boiling salted water according to size (about 3-4 min if 1 cm in diameter). Cut out eight 8 cm disks in the puff pastry. Cut out 7 cm disks in the center of four of them, to make rings. With water, wet 1 cm all around the disks, and stick the rings onto them. Refrigerate until firm, then quickly egg-wash the surface of the rings before cooking in the oven until risen and brown (about 20 mins).
Make a bechamel: melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour, cook on low heat while whisking, take off the heat before it starts to colour. Progressively add stock or milk, place back on low heat, stirring constantly. Let it thicken and take off the heat when it starts to boil. Season.
Reheat the asparagus briefly in a frying pan with butter. Cut the asparagus spears to size and place in the puff pastry baskets filled with bechamel, and scatter the cuttings on the plate, drizzle with the butter from the pan.
Navarin d’Agneau
www.legargantua.com
Navarin d’Agneau
(Serves 6)
1.5kg Lamb (neck or shoulder or both), cubed
2 Onions, finely chopped
12 Young carrots
12 Young turnips
5 Spring onions
500g Peas in the pod Radishes
1 Bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley stalks)
2 Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 tbs Duck fat or oil
1 Large glass dry white wine
1 Tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbs Tomato concentrate
750ml to 1L Chicken stock
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Melt the fat in a heavy bottomed pan. Season the meat with salt. When the pan is hot, brown the meat on all sides and reserve in a bowl. Sweat the onions, add the garlic, return the meat to the pan. Deglaze with white wine, reduce until the almost dry. Add the cubed tomatoes, tomato paste, enough stock to cover the meat and the bouquet garni. Cook in the oven for 1h to 1h30.
Cook the vegetables separately: Throw the turnips into boiling salted water. After 8 mins add the carrots. 10 mins later add the peas, radishes and spring onions. Cook for 6 to 8 mins. Drain and cool in iced water, drain again then add to the stew. Reheat very gently for 10-15 mins before serving. Do not forget to adjust the seasoning before serving (salt and pepper).
Gratin de Poire aux Amandes
www.legargantua.com
Gratin de Poire aux Amandes
(Serves 4)
2 Pears, peeled and halved
1L Water 5
00g Sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp Vanilla extract
For the Almond Cream:
2 Eggs
100g Ground almonds
100g Unsalted butter
100g Sugar
½ tsp Rum or a few drops almond essence 2 or 3 tbs Apricot jam
Poach the pears in a syrup made with the water, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice for 10- 15 mins (until tender). Drain and leave to cool.
Cream the butter with a spatula or whisk. Add the sugar and whisk until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mix gently. Add the rum or essence, then the almonds.
Fill individual dishes half-way with the almond cream, add the pear halves, scatter with flaked almonds and bake for 20 mins, until the gratins brown.
Melt the apricot jam in the microwave, strain and use to paint the gratins as they come out of the oven. Leave to cool before serving.
All recipes available at www.thelocalbuzzmag.com/read-online
Merlot Magic
John Gilchrist is a former UK Sommelier of the Year and winner of the Mondavi award for the best wine list in the world.
John runs Les Caulins, a gîte and cookery school in SW France, with his wife (and chef) Emma.
www.lescaulins.com
It’s soft, juicy, plummy, spicy and generally yummy. The Northern Gironde region of Blaye AOC is one of the oldest wine producing areas in the Bordeaux region, exporting wine well before the more famous Medoc region was planted. Wine critics rave about the wines in this often forgotten area known for great Merlot.
North of the town of Blaye, in the commune of Fours, are the award winning wines of Château Haut-Canteloup. The Cuvée Prestige is a real gem. 90% Merlot, a deep ruby colour with a nose of sugary baked plums, gentle vanilla, spice and blackberry compote on the palate, with super silky tannin. chateau-haut-canteloup.com.
In North Gironde, in Saint- Palais, you will find the talented Alexia Eymas at Château Maison-Neuve. The 95% Cuvée Clotilde is everything that Blaye Merlot should be. A deep, vibrant, garnet colour with aromas of jammy, black and red fruits. As soft as a wine can be on the palate, with a sweet plum and gentle, toasted oak finish. chateau-maisonneuve.com
West of Blaye in the commune of St Mariens, Château Le Camplat and the talented Marion Reculet produce the Cuvée Prestige 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. The nose is sweet black cherry and raspberry with hints of woody vanilla. The palate is mocha, plums and cedar with a slice of spicy fruitcake, and ends with nice curranty, dry and soft tannins. chateaulecamplat.com
Guest Chef
Traditional & Modern French Cuisine for Spring
“Everything we do is homemade with love”
Caroline and Pascal Alix of Restaurant Caro & Co in Bazas, Gironde
PRAWN TARTARE, MEDLEY OF VEGETA- BLES AND CRISPY PUFF PASTRY
www.restaurantcaroandco.fr
• VEGETABLE MEDLEY
1 each of Black, yellow and orange carrots 1 Pink radish 1 Yellow cauliflower 1 Yellow beetroot 1 Green meat radish 1 Blue meat radish 2 tbs Olive oil 1 tbs White balsamic vinegar Pinch of salt and pepper Wash the vegetables, peel the root vegetables thinly with a potato peeler, place in ice to retain their crunch. Before dressing strain vegetables and season with the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
• PUFF PASTRY
4 Puff pastry circles (8cm dia) Preheat the oven to 190°C, lay the pastry circles on baking paper on a non-stick oven tray, add a second baking paper sheet on top and a second oven tray to prevent the pastry from rising. Cook for 12 mins until golden brown, leave to cool.
• PRAWN TARTAR
400gr Prawns (raw) 1 tbs Lemon juice or yuzu 2 tbs Olive oil 1 tsp Crushed pink peppercorns 2 Pinches salt and ground pepper Peel the prawns and chop roughly. In a bowl, combine oil, lemon juice and peppercorns, add salt and pepper. Add prawns and chill until needed.
• CURRY MAYONNAISE
4 tbs Mayonnaise 1 tsp Mild curry powder 1 tsp Honey Combine all ingredients.
• TO DRESS Fresh herbs (dill, mustard leaves, coriander) and edible flowers 4 tbs Cauliflower nibs (floret tips) Place the prawn tartare on top of the pastry shell. Delicately add the sliced vegetables, cauliflower nibs and herbs, garnish with mayonnaise.
Find this Steak Tartare recipe online
www.restaurantcaroandco.fr
Caroline has also let us have her recipes for Steak Tartare with Apple and Mustard and Local Grilled Beef with Crispy Potato Tubes which can be found online at www.thelocalbuzzmag. com/articles, together with details of where to find the more unusual ingredients mentioned.
Grilled Beef with Crispy Potato Tubes
www.restaurantcaroandco.fr
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Maison Guinguet
contact@maisonguinguet.com
DISCOVER THE EASTER CHOCOLATES
The chocolate factory is open Monday to Saturday and Easter Sunday morning from 9h to 12h30 and from 14h to 18h30Address : 163 road Les Cavales 47120 DURAS FRANCE Phone : +33(0)5 53 83 72 47 - Email :
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