Super Easy Recipe for Lemon Soufflé

This recipe is super simple to make and you will be able to put on a show for your guests :) Light, fluffy, the Lemon Soufflé is the perfect dessert after a great family meal. The only trick is to prepare it right on time and serve it immediately because it can go down quickly.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: **

Ingredients:

- 80g granulated sugar (20g + 50g + 10g)

- 3 organic lemons

- 3 eggs

- pinch of salt

1. Place 4 ramekins in the fridge. After about 15-20 minutes, coat the ramekins with butter and sprinkle 20g of the granulated sugar all over the inside. All the sides should be covered.

2. Preheat your oven at 350°F/180°C.

3. Separate whites from egg yolks. Mix the egg yolks with 50g of granulated sugar. Add the zest of 2 lemons and mix well.

4. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until peaks form. Continue beating and slowly add 10g of sugar and the juice of 1 lemon.

5. Slowly fold in the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Pour it into the ramekins.

6. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the soufflés are fluffy and golden on top.

7. Sprinkle each soufflé with confectioner's sugar and serve immediately.

Amazingly light and delicious...!

Home to make Plum-Vanilla Jam

I am lucky to have a plum tree in my garden so it's easy to make Plum Jam in this season. But you can also buy the fruits of course and make this jam the exact same way. I use red plums, ripe and sweet. The good thing with jam is that you can prepare several jars and eat it all year long! And my secret to get natural pectin is... lemon pips!

For about 4 jars
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: about 2 hours
Difficulty: **

Special utensil: empty spice bag/tea bag or gauze for cooking

Ingredients
- a bit more than 2 pounds red plums (use 1kg)
- 1 pound (use 500g) caster sugar
- lemon pips (from one lemon)
- 1 whole vanilla bean

1. Pit the plums and weight the pitted fruits. You should have about 2 pounds.
2. The quantity of sugar should be twice less than the quantity of plums. So if you have 2 pounds of fruits, you should use 1 pound of sugar.
3. Slice your lemon to get all the pips from it. Put them into the spice bag and close the bag securely.
4. In a big stainless steel pan, mix the pitted plums and the sugar. Add the bag containing the lemon pips.
5. With a knife, halve the vanilla beans lengthwise. Scrape the seeds into the fruit mixture and add the whole bean (optional).
6. Heat your pan on medium heat until it starts boiling. Then lower the heat and let cool slowly for about 2 hours. Mix frequently to prevent sticking.
7. To test if the jam is ready, use the spoon test: Dip a spoon into the hot jam and let the liquid drip off on a cold plate. The drops should be thick and not liquid. That's when your jam is ready!
8. Pour your jam in the jars, and return each jar upside down. Let cool like this and only return the jar when the jam is completely cool.

Enjoy right away, if you are patient, in a few days!!

Fast & Delicious: Citrus Scallop Carpaccio

No cooking time, super simple and delicious, this recipe is for you! It is very stylish and tastes great. Try this Scallops Carpaccio, you'll love it. You can also prepare this carpaccio with other fish pieces like salmon, cod or rockfish.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes + 3 hours in the fridge
NO cooking time!
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 4 big sea scallops
- juice of a 1/2 lime
- 1 mandarin, preferably organic (or tangerine, or even a small orange)
- 4 tablespoons good quality olive oil
- salt and pepper/red pepper berries

1. Rinse the scallops and pat them dry.
2. Slice each scallop thinly horizontally.
3. Arrange on plates in layers.
4. Grate the mandarin zest and reserve.
5. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, the lime juice, the mandarin zest and a pinch of salt.
6. Drizzle the citrus olive oil over the scallops. You can use a pastry brush to make sure all the pieces are coated.
7. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Grind some pepper or red pepper berries on top, and serve with a sprouts salad and toasted bread.

Guacamole: the king of dishes for your fiesta!

Guacamole is an avocado-based dip which originated in Mexico. It is quite easy to do and always appreciated as a dip in parties. The traditional recipe only includes ripe avocados and salt. To give it a twist, I like to add garlic, red chili, lemon juice and diced tomatoes. Try it and let me know!

Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: none
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 2 ripe avocados
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 small tomato, diced
- 1/2 red chili, very finely minced or 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- juice of 1 lemon (or lime)
- salt

Dice the tomato, grate the garlic and mince the chili.
Note that the chili and the cayenne pepper are optional. The give a nice kick to the dish but you can exclude them if you want to.

In a bowl, place the scooped avocado pulp and add the lemon juice. Using a fork, start mixing and mashing the avocado pulp.

Fold in the garlic, diced tomato and chili or cayenne pepper (if you use it).

Mash more until you reach the consistency you like: you can leave some avocado chucks for a more authentic guacamole of mash it more (even using a potato masher) for a smoother texture.
Serve quickly with tortilla chips or pita bread. Yum!

Lemon-Ginger Steamed Chicken

The recipe I'm going to share today is very healthy and perfect if you are on a diet. If you are not, it's okay because steamed chicken is delicious and you'll want to have some anyways :-) Steaming is a great way to keep all the flavors and the nutrients of the ingredients. This recipe is an example of how you can use steaming for everyday cooking.

Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1 pound (about 450g) chicken breast
- 1.5 inch (3.5 cm) ginger root, cut into thin slices
- 1 organic lemon, cut into slices
- salt and pepper
- olive oil (optional)
- some mint leaves, chopped

You should use a tall pot with a steaming basket. At the bottom of the basket, place one sheet of parchment paper. Make some holes in it.

Evenly layer the lemon slices in the basket and then layer on top the ginger slices like this:


Cut your chicken breasts in slices (not too thin) and layer them on top of the lemon and ginger. Season with salt and pepper and, if desired, sprinkle a little of olive oil.

Start steaming for about 15 minutes.
When it's cooked through, serve the chicken immediately with slices of lemon and ginger. Top with freshly chopped mint leaves. You can serve with rice or vegetables.

Healthy and Natural: Eggplant and Zucchini Puree

Natural, healthy, easy, tasty... this recipe has all good! It is my own version of the eggplant purée. Usually, eggplant requires quite a lot of oil to cook properly in a pan, which is not a very healthy: the trick here is to brush lightly the eggplant with olive oil and bake it in the oven to soften it. Then I mix it will the other ingredients to create a smooth, light and perfect texture. Try it!

Serves 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: *
-you'll need a food processor-

Ingredients:
- 1 small eggplant
- 2 small (or 1 regular) zucchini
- 1/4 red onion
- 2 big leaves basil
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt & pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Preheat your oven at 210°C/ 410°F.
Cut the eggplant in the middle, lengthwise. Brush the interior with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the inside is soft.

In the meantime, peel the zucchinis (if you are using organic veggies, I recommend to wash them well and to keep the skin).
Steam then for about 10 minutes, until soft.

When the eggplant is ready, scoop the flesh with a spoon and add it to the bowl of your food processor.
Add the zucchinis and all the other ingredients, except the sesame seeds.

Blend for about 2/3 minutes until the preparation is smooth and all the ingredients are mashed.

Sprinkle the sesame seeds on the puree and served hot with some prosciutto/jambon de Bayonne. Enjoy!

Brioche made with bread machine - Try it!

I've had my bread machine for about a year and I only made bread with it until 3 month ago. Then I started making jam (peach, strawberry etc.) and once, I tried to make a brioche. What a nice surprise! It's not only quick and easy; it's also delicious, fluffy and flavorful, like you would expect it from a brioche bought from a bakery. Find some time on a Saturday to try this recipe and enjoy your brioche for breakfast on Sunday morning.... yummm!

Serves 8-10
Preparation time: about 1h30 (with my machine) + 45 minutes to let rise
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup water (at room temperature)
- 1/3 milk
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup (1 stick / 50 grams) butter, softened and cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 bread machine yeast (dry active yeast)
- egg wash

To garnish/flavor your brioche:
- Orange cinnamon brioche: add the grated zest of 1 orange + replace water with orange juice + add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- Dried fruit brioche: add 1/2 cup of dried fruits to the flour + add the zest of 1 lemon
- Chocolate chips brioche: add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the flour
- Create your own!

Place the ingredients in the bread pan in the following order: water, milk, eggs, butter, zest or spices (if applicable), sugar, flour, chocolate chips or dried fruits (if applicable).

With a finger, make a small indentation on one side of the flour and add yeast. Make sure the yeast does not come in contact with the liquid ingredients.

Follow the instructions of your machine for the "Dough" program. When the cycle is complete, remove the dough from the bread pan to a clean, lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. With your hands, roll each piece into a 20-inch rope.

Lightly grease and flour a large baking sheet. Place the dough ropes on the baking sheet, twist them loosely and form a circle. Cover the ring with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place, until doubled in size (about 30/45 minutes). Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C.

When the ring has doubled in size, lightly brush it with egg wash, using a pastry brush.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the brioche is golden brown. Let cool before slicing.

Today is the day of crepes!

In France this Tuesday, every family will make crepes to celebrate La Chandeleur. Learn more on these thin delicious pancakes (Wikipedia). I recommend you to make crepes all year long since it's very easy and can be either sweet or sour. This recipe is for sweet crepes but if you want to try the sour version, do not add sugar and replace the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. You can then fill the crepes with mushrooms, cream, ham and shredded cheese for instance... mmmm!!

About 10-12 crepes
Preparation: 10 minutes + 15 min resting time
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1 cup/125g all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup/25cl milk
- 1 pinch salt
- zest of 1/2 lemon or orange (optional)
Note: you can add any flavor you want to the batter: grand marnier, vanilla extract, orange blossom extract etc.

Heat the milk in your microwave just a little bit (15 seconds are enough): it will ease the mixing of the ingredients.
Put the flour in a large mixing bowl. Make a hole in the middle and add the egg, the sugar, the salt and the zest or flavour if you are using any. Add a little bit of milk and start whisking. Gradually add in the milk until the batter is smooth.
Let rest for 15 minutes minimum; if you have more time, you can wait up to 1 hour.
Before starting cooking, check the consistency of the batter: if it is too thick, add a little bit of milk.
Cook the crepes for about 2 minutes on the first side, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, then turn and cook the other side for another 1 or 2 minutes.
Serve warm with your topping: sugar, chocolate spread, jam, fruits, whipped cream etc. My favorite is sugar and lemon: sprinkle granulated sugar on your crepe and then drizzle some lemon juice...