Yumme in my Tummy : France

France

This week I’m blogging about France and where certain recipes came from and how to make them. Where is Camembert from? Camembert is a traditional soft French cheese. It is said that a farmer’s wife from the village of Camembert gave it some of the cheese to Napoleon. And it was named after the village. French Canadian Tourtiere. This French Canadian dish has been serve for many generations. It is traditionally served at Christmas in Quebec. In the 1611 it was agreed that the Tourtiere was referring to the pastry that covered a meat or fish pie. Éclair is the French word for lightning. it is thought that they were called this because the chocolate sauce on top glistens in the light. The Éclair is thought to have originated in the 19^th century in France. The Éclair is often associated with Marie-Antoine Careme. She was a pastry chef and a member of the Royal family

Menu:

Starter: Baked Camembert with Caramelized Onions

Main: French-Canadian Tourtiere

Dessert: Éclairs

Baked Camembert with Caramelized Onions

Serves: 2

Total Time: 50mins

Ingredients:

· 2 red onions
· 1 fully wooden boxed camembert
· 1 garlic clove
· 1 sprig fresh rosemary
· generous glug white wine
· 1 tbsp butter
· generous glug balsamic vinegar
· pinch of salt and black pepper to taste
· 1 loaf fresh baked Mediterranean bread (shop bought is fine)

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 200 C
Chop the Onions
Get the Camembert and make incisions into the ride on the sides
. Slice the garlic and get the Rosemary off the branch
. Push the Rosemary and garlic into the hole you made in the cheese make sure they are right inside
Fill the box that the Camembert was in with water. Cover the Camembert with tinfoil and place in box.
Pour some white wine over the top of the cheese and loosely close the foil over the top
Put in oven
Melt butter in a pan. Add the chopped onions. Stir continuously. Cook until the onions wilt and are sticky
Add some balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Keep on a low heat and stir occasionally
The cheese is reading when it is all gooey with no hard bits. After about 30mins
Get the loaf of bread and warm it up in the oven.
Serve the Camembert in its foil. And spoon onto bread and place some onions on top

French-Canadian Tourtiere

Serves: 8

Total Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

· 455g lean ground pork

· 225g lean ground beef

· 1 onion, diced

· 1 clove garlic, minced

· 120ml water

· 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

· 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

· 1/4 teaspoon ground sage

· 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

· 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

· 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 220 C

2. Put the pork, beef, onions, garlic, water, salt, sage, pepper, thyme and cloves in a saucepan

3. Cook until the mixture boils reduce heat and simmer until the meat is cooked (5mins)

4. Cool. Then spoon the mixture into the pastry. Place a lid made from pastry on top pinch the edges to seal. Cut some slits in the top.

5. Cover the Pie with tinfoil

6. Bake in the oven for 20 mins the remove the foil and cook for a further 15 – 20 mins

7. Let the pie cool then serve

Éclairs

Serves: 9

Total Time: 1 hr

Ingredients:

· 115 g butter
· 235 ml water
· 125 g all-purpose flour
· ¼ tsp salt
· 4 eggs
· package instant vanilla pudding mix
· 590 ml cold milk
· 235 ml heavy cream
· 30 g confectioners' sugar
· 1 tsp vanilla extract
· 56 g semisweet chocolate
· 30 g butter
· 120 g confectioners' sugar
· 1 tsp vanilla extract
· 45 ml hot water

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 230 C
Grease some grease proof paper
Place the butter and water In a saucepan bring to the boil. Stir until the butter melts.
Reduce the heat then add the flour and salt. Stir until the mixture comes away from the sides and forms a stiff ball
remove from the heat and add the eggs
put the mixture into a piping bag with a No. 10 nozzle. Pipe onto the paper 10 x 3 cm
bake for 15 mins. Then reduce heat to 165 C and bake for a further 20 mins
cool completely on a wire rack
In a bowl mix the milk and pudding mix. Beat the cream. Put in the sugar and vanilla and add the cream into the Pudding mix
Chop the tops off the Pastry shells and pipe in the cream and replace the tops
For the icing melt the chocolate and 30g of butter in a saucepan. Stir in the sugar and vanilla. Stir in the hot water one tbsp at a time.
Mix until smooth then drizzle over the Éclairs