Flan patissier

I love this thick and rich dessert called "flan patissier", which basically is a milk pudding on a dough. It's been years I haven't eaten any, and recently I've been thinking about making some. Chance was on my side with a special issue of "cuisine actuelle" on homemade cooking, and a lot of classical French recipes, and the one of the flan patissier!!!

It is really easy to make and a delicious dessert or a perfect breakfast served with fruits.

The dough is a "pate brisee", so just flour, butter and water. The pudding part is vanila flavoured milk, eggs and sugar like for a regular pudding. And it is baked 45min in an oven at 180.

Delicious!!!

Sunday breakfast

For Sunday morning breakfast I like to eat homemade freshly baked bread, pancakes, crumpets, or anything alike, and fresh fruits in salad or smoothie. It's a good start before spending the day out.

This weekend I prepared sugar bread, the recipe comes from Erik Kayser's book, my reference for bread making (in French). 

It's basically bread base in which a little sugar has been added, and the final shaping is slightly different. After baking it it is also finished with sugar sirup.

Perfect with butter, jam or just nothing.

Crepes!!!

22:00, I'm just from work and from my pilates class, my husband won't be back from work before 22:30. Just enough to time to prepare crepes!!! I couldn't resist walking in the cold wind thinking about warn buckwheat crepes!!!

So here I am, cooking some. The filling will be simple: butter, cheese, eggs, or leek, and to finish dark chocolate or butter and honey (delicious honey made by my uncle in Salon de Provence).

How did you eat yours?

Buckwheat crepes or "galettes" are a traditional Brittany dish and I have this in my blood from my grand-father!!!

Mix buckwheat flour with eggs, milk and a bit of water until obtaining a smooth., silky mixture. Cook on both sides in a buttered pan until golden. Eat right away!

Croque-monsieur

I know it's the easiest meal to cook and it requires actually not a single cooking skill, but it's always delicious and simple to accomodate with a lot different side dishes depending on the season.

Why simple? Because in my version of the croque-monsieur I do not use bechamel, I find this heavy and it is totally unecessary when the bread is soft and tasty. So the base for my croque-monsieur is a very good and fresh pain de mie (it works with toasts but it's so much less tasty). I top it with a very little butter, a slice of ham (the quality of the ham also makes a lot: I use always Kamakura ham) and some gratted cheese (gruyere, comte... Anything you like), toast in the oven, and ready to eat! In winter I often serve it with cabbage or cauliflower. This time it was cauliflower and romanesco roughly mashed with a lot of pepper and a bit of nutmeg.

Macha Madeleines

It's the week-end, time to make cookies, cakes and today: madeleines. I used a french traditional recipe (just eggs, sugar, flour, milk, honey) but with a touch of Japan: macha.
Just ready to eat!