How to make a delicious Carrot Soufflé....

... very easily! You'll love this simple recipe. A soufflé is a great side dish which you can make with a lot of different vegetables: potatoes, broccolis, zucchinis etc. I prepared one with carrots and it turned out great. Try it out and let me know if you liked it!

Serves 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: **

Ingredients:
- 2 pounds carrots
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 to 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup grated cheese (parmesan or gruyère)
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 40 g (3 tablespoons) butter
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- salt & pepper

Wash, peel, cut the carrots and place them in your pressure cooker with the thyme and the bay leaf. Cover with water and cook for 10 minutes with the pressure regulator slowly rocking
Note: You can also cook the carrots in boiling water until they are tender (about 20 minutes)

Separate whites from egg yolks.
Drain the carrots, remove the thyme and bay leaf, and mash the carrots to obtain a smooth puree. Mix this puree with the sour cream, egg yolks and cumin seeds. Add salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven at 150°C / 305°F. Coat six small ramekins or individual baking dishes with butter.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until peaks form. Slowly fold in the beaten egg whites into the puree with a wooden spoon. Pour the mixture into the 6 dishes until they are three-quarters full.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve hot with meat, poultry or a salad.

Chicken and Peanut Stir-fry

Stir-frying basically means sautéeing and it is used a lot in Chinese cuisine. I like preparing stir-fries : it's quick and easy, and I can use any vegetable I like in this dish. Today, I'll share the recipe of the Chicken and Peanut stir-fry. If you like, you can replace the peanuts with cashews.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: **

Ingredients:
- peanut oil or vegetable oil for cooking
- 1 1/2 (750g) chicken thigh fillets, cut into strips
- 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup cornflour or all-purpose flour
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
- 2 carrots, very thinly sliced
- 1 head of brocoli, cut into small florets
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or fish sauce
- salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts

Heat a wok or a large fying pan until very hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl it around to coat the pan.
Dip a small handfull of the chicken strips into the egg whites and then into the flour. Add to the pan and stir-fry for 3 to 5 minutes, unti the chicken is golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and repeat with the rest of the chicken strips, reheating the pan and adding a little oil when needed.

Reheat the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the onion, carrots, pepper and brocoli over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the vegetable have softened slightly. Increase the heat to high and add the sauces: soy sauce, rice wine, oyster/fish sauce. Toss well and bring to a boil.

Return the chicken to the pan and toss over high heat for 2 minutes. Make sure the chicken is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Add the peanuts, toss and serve immediately.

Don't forget your chopsticks!

French Stuffed Cabbage for the last days of Winter

Comfort food is really something that I enjoy cooking. It is synonym of cosiness, fireplace, family and wool socks among other things.
Well, I don’t have a fireplace… but it is always a pleasure to eat a slowly cooked and delicious meal when it is cold and rainy outside. That’s my way of getting better in middle of the winter.
Last week-end I prepared a French recipe that my mom does a lot in winter time. In French, it is called “Chou farci à l’auvergnate”. It could be translated as “French Stuffed Cabbage“.

Serves 4
Preparation: 1 hour
Cooking time: 2 hours
Difficulty: **

Ingredients:
- 1 green cabbage
- 1 pound ground meat (you can use pork, veal, beef or a mix of these three – I have a preference for pork or veal)
- 2 onions
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 carrots
- 1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup stock (vegetable stock is preferred)
- salt and pepper
- 2 long bacon strips and 2 long pieces of cooking string
(optional)

Mix the meat with the onion finely chopped, the garlic and the parsley. Season to taste.
Prepare the cabbage: remove the leaves that are damaged or don’t look good. Without detaching the leaves, try to cut and remove as much stalk as you can. This part is harder and it is better to remove it.

Place the cabbage in cold water in a large saucepan. Heat slowly until water is boiling. Remove the cabbage, drain it and let cool down a little bit.
Open delicately the cabbage, unfolding the leaves, one after the other; make sure you do not detach them. When you reach the core, remove it, chop it and add it to the meat mixture.

Fill the cabbage with 3/4 of the meat mixture. Fold back some leaves and place small amounts of the remaining mixture between the leaves, delicately closing the cabbage for it to have its initial shape.


Optional step: Cross the 2 pieces of cooking string (X-shape) and place the bacon strips on top. Place the cabbage in the center, cover with the two bacon strips and then tie up the cabbage with the string.
This step might seem complex but it is simple when you so it.
Place the butter and olive oil in a saucepan (large and tall enough for the cabbage). Add the chopped onions and the carrots thinly sliced.
Place the cabbage on top and add the stock.


Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low.
Let cook for about 2 hours, making sure the vegetable bed does not stick to the bottom of the saucepan. You can completely cover with the lid the first hour and then half cover for the time remaining.

Et voilà! Cut into quarters and serve hot.

Beef Bourguignon: traditional stew for meat lovers

Since I’m French, it’s a must for me to know how to cook this dish. Even if beef is not my favorite meat, I always enjoy preparing a Boeuf Bourguignon for my family and friends. The best way to prepare this stew is using your pressure cooker: it reduces the cooking time and you do not have to check your pan all the time. It’s great if you are planning a diner with several people.