Cheese Puffs for any occasion

I was reading a French cooking magazine and there was a full section about 'gougères', which are cheese puffs. The beautiful pictures tempted me.

The base recipe can be sweet or sour and is pretty simple. So while my daughters where napping this afternoon, I made a batch. We'll probably eat it in front of the Super Bowl with our friends tomorrow, if they can last until then...

For about 15-20 puffs

Preparation time: 10 min

Cooking time: 25 min

Difficulty: **

Ingredients:

-115 g flour

-20 cl water

-75g butter

-salt and pepper

-75 g shredded cheese - ideally 'comté' if you can find it, or sharp cheddar or swiss cheese

-3 eggs

-1 egg yolk (optional)

-a bit of nutmeg

1.  In a saucepan, cut the butter into pieces, add the water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil.

2.   When the water is boiling, remove from the heat and add the flour at once. Stir very well with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball. Let cool a bit.

3.   Add the eggs one by one, stirring well between each egg. 

4.   Add the cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

5. Preheat your oven at 400°F / 200°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a pastry bag or simply 2 teaspoons, place little mounds of mixture on the baking sheet.
Optional: Brush each little puff with egg yolk.

6. Bake for 25 minutes.

A simple Zucchini Soup to warm you up this winter

A simple soup is always appreciated in the heart of winter. We all have already canned soup in our cupboards but you should try this recipe: you'll change the way you think about soups!! It is super simple and delicious. Even kids will love it! And thanks a lot to my friend Frank who once prepared this soup for me and my husband in Montréal!

Serves 4
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1 pound (500g) zucchinis - preferably organic to keep the skin, cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese or 3 Laughing Cow portions
- 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- water
- salt & pepper

Wash the zucchinis and cut them in to cubes. As mentioned in the ingredients list, if you buy organic zucchinis, you do not need to peel them. It's the best way to prepare this soup.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add the zucchinis. Coat them with butter and let cook for 3 minutes on medium heat, stirring.

Pour the broth into the saucepan and then add water to cover. Add a bit of salt and pepper.

Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes, or until the zucchinis are tender.

Add the cream cheese to the soup, stir well and mix everything with a hand blender until there are no more zucchini pieces and the soup is smooth.

Adjust the seasoning and serve hot. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Millefeuille with Summer Vegetables

This recipe came out of my imagination yesterday evening... no meat in the fridge but tofu, one eggplant, tomatoes and feta cheese. By adding some basic ingredients that I always have in my pantry, I prepared this flavorful dish which my husband liked a lot :-)
The presentation in layers is very cute and it's not difficult at all. Try this receipe as an appetizer or an entrée, and make it your own!

Serves 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Difficulty: **
--Vegetarian dish--

Ingredients:
- 8 slices of eggplant (1 long eggplant should be enough)
- 8 slices of tomatoes (2 medium size tomatoes should be enough)
Note: try to find an eggplant and tomatoes which are almost equal in diameter
- 8 slices
Note: same as for the eggplant and tomatoes : it's better if the tofu has the same diameter - if not, double the quantity
- 1 handful of basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 4 big dried tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon almond powder (or pine nuts powder)
- about 4 tablespoons of crumbled feta cheese
- olilve oil
- sesame oil

Grate the garlic cloves and rub each side of the eggplant slices. Pan fry the eggplant slices in olive oil until golden: you can proceed in batches. Pat dry to remove the excess of oil. Reserve aside.

Pan fry the tomatoes until soft and golden. This should be quick - make sure the tomatoes don't "melt", they need to keep their shape.

Wipe your pan and heat some sesame oil. Pan fry the tofu until golden brown on each side, turning once.

Chop the basil leaves and the dried tomatoes. Mix with 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and the almond powder.

Prepare the millefeuilles - place the different ingredients in this order:
1 slice of eggplant
1 slice of tomatoe
1 slice of tofu
a small quantity of basil/dried tomatoes preparation
feta cheese
1 slice of tofu
1 slice of tomatoe
1 slice of eggplant

Repeat to make 4 millefuilles. Top with crumbled feta cheese.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 390°F / 200°C, then broil on high for 5 minutes.
Enjoy with a baby greens salad and a balsamic vinaigrette.

Moussaka: a classic Greek recipe

The moussaka is a popular classic Greek recipe. The preparation is a bit long but it's worth it. Mildly spiced, moist and very flavorful, this moussaka will delight your guests. Traditionally prepared with ground lamb, you can use ground beef if you like.

Serves 6
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Difficulty: **

Ingredients:
2 pounds (900g) eggplants
1/2 cup (100ml) olive oil
2 large tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomatoe purée
2 large onions, chopped
1 pound (450g) ground lamb
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 ground allspice (quatre-épices)
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine
salt and pepper

For the sauce:
4 tablespoons (50g) butter
1/2 cup plain (50g) flour
2 1/2 cups (600ml) milk
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/3 cup (25g) grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Cut the eggplants into 5mm (1/4 inch) thick slices. Brush each side with olive oil and lay on an oven grid.
Heat your oven at 180°C / 350°C and cook in the eggplant slices for about 30 minutes, turning them after 15 minutes.

Peel the tomatoes (I personally use a vegetable peeler, it's faster than plunging them into boiling water and then peel away the skin - your choice).

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan and add the chopped onions and lamb. Fry on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring and breaking up the lamb.

Add the tomatoes, allspice, cinnamon, tomato purée, wine, parsley, pepper and bring to the boil. Then, reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for about 15 minutes.

In a shallow ovenproof dish, place alternate layers of eggplants and meat sauce. Finish with a layer of eggplants.

Prepare the topping sauce: in a small pan, melt the butter and stir the flour. Stir for 1 minute on medium heat.
Lower the heat and gradually blend the milk. Increase the heat to medium again and cook, stirring until thickened.
Add the nutmeg, cheese, salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the eggplants and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Heat your oven at 180C° / 350°F. When hot, bake for about 45 minutes. The top should be golden.

Mini Herb and Hazelnut Goat Cheese Balls

This fresh appetizer is great if you have a party with a lot of people. You can prepare the Goat Cheese Balls in advance and create a lot of variations, depending on the likings of your guests.
For this recipe, I used hazelnuts but at the end of this post, I'm sharing more ideas to garnish your cheese balls.

Serves 8
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: none
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1 log of herb & garlic goat cheese (or use a regular goat cheese and mix with 2 crushed garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon of herbes de provence - or savory)
- 10/15 hazelnuts

Prepare your herb and garlic cheese if you did not find one ready: mix the cheese, the herbs and the crushed garlic with a fork, until smooth.
Crash the hazelnuts and chop finely. Spread the hazelnut pieces on a flat baking sheet or plate.

For each cheese ball, take 1 big teaspoon of goat cheese. Form a ball with your hands and coat it in the hazelnut pieces. Proceed in batches and place the cheese balls on a plate.

Other ingredients to coat the cheese:
- freshly ground pepper
- spices: paprika, ground cinammon, ground cumin, ground coriander...
- any type of nuts, finely chopped: walnuts, brazilian nuts, pecan nuts...
- dried fruits, finely chopped: apricots, prunes, raisins, peaches, cranberries...
- seeds: flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds (white and black)...
and more!

Penne with cauliflower and fresh basil

Pasta is fun and very simple to prepare. You should cook it "al dente" which is the way Italian people eat it; it is also healthier than overcooked pasta. I often add vegetables to my pasta dishes, I love it. This time, I added cauliflower to penne, according to a recipe from Mario Batali which I made my own.


Serves 3
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: *


Ingredients:
- olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 pound grape vine tomatoes OR cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1/2 pound dry penne
- 1 bunch frech basil, chopped
- freshly grated parmesan
- salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the garlic. cook until soften and lightly golden brown. Add the cauliflower and stir well.
Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to break down. Note: I try to use organic ingredients so I wash the tomatoes and do not peel them. I either leave the skins or remove them when they detach themselves while cooking.
Add the cauliflower and stir well.
Add the hot water and cook about 20-25 minutes until the cauliflower is tender.

Bring cold water to a boil to cook the penne. Cook according to package instrutions, until tender but al dente. Drain well.
Add the pasta to the cauliflower and season with salt and pepper. Toss for 1 minute over high heat.
At the last minute, add the chopped basil. Sprinkle the grated parmesan on top and serve immediately.

Miam miam!