all the recipes

italian antipasto skewers
italian antipasto skewers

Simple is great too so these appetizers require more assembling and less preparing but a little effort will make it tastier ! Once you get the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls and fresh basil leaves, then you can decide whether you use prosciutto or pancetta or other smoked and cured meats or you may decide to leave aside the cured meat and...

10.07.2015
grilled anchovies
grilled anchovies

With this heat, comes the urge to take it easy, hang out in the garden and perhaps go to the beach, but has your summer vacation already begun or will you have to wait some more ? Why not pretend you’re already on vacation and make some small fish skewers at home, whether with small sardines or with large anchovies. You can either grill them...

03.07.2015
rhubarb syrup
rhubarb syrup

As I promised, here’s rhubarb recipe number 2 ! We began with a dessert a few days ago and now it’s time for a rhubarb syrup recipe with 3 versions, a simply sweet rhubarb syrup recipe, a spicy rhubarb syrup recipe and an herby rhubarb syrup recipe. With 1 kg of chopped rhubarb, you can probably end up with around 2 litres of syrup and...

26.06.2015
flattened roast chicken
flattened roast chicken

Chicken is just one of those foods you can do so much with, whether using only the wings, the drumsticks, the breasts or the whole beast. Cooking it whole obviously takes longer and looks great, but then you have to carve it correctly, unless you’re eating it at home and simply attack it with your fingers that get stickier and stickier. My...

15.06.2015
falafel spinach and chickpea balls
falafel spinach and chickpea balls

We are all familiar with falafels, chickpea balls or fritters that are wonderfully crispy-fried on the outside, soft on the inside, served as a main dish or in a bread as street food, often paired with pickled vegetables or coleslaw and salad and a few different sauces. Here is a version that is half spinach and just as great for vegetarians and...

06.06.2015
potato focaccia
potato focaccia

Anytime is a great time to enjoy different types of flatter breads such as french fougasse or italian foccacia or greek lagana and others too. But summertime seems like a great opportunity to experiment with and to taste the many variations which can be served with marinated and/or pickled vegetables, cheeses, cured meats, etc.. I had previously...

08.07.2015
roasted vegetables and goat cheese pie
roasted vegetables and goat cheese pie

"Summertime, and the living is easy" . . . so it’s also time for you to roast some vegetables ! Well, to be honest, life is easier if you have a mandoline to slice the vegetables thinly and evenly before roasting them ! Yeah, yeah , ha ha ! Obviously with this summer heat, I try to make things as simple as possible which is why I...

01.07.2015
rhubarb ginger tarts
rhubarb ginger tarts

It’s rhubarb season ! This unusually tangy vegetable is used for sweet as well as savoury dishes. My friend and neigbour was kind enough to bring me about two and a half kilograms of rhubarb stalks from his parents’ farm north of Paris last week so it was time for me to prepare 3 dishes with it ! We’ll start with the simplest and...

21.06.2015
coconut balls with goji berries
coconut balls with goji berries

My next door neigbour in Paris who is originally from Beirut showed up one day at my door with these wonderful, moist, sweet coconut balls, topped with golden raisins. Usually I’m the one who is supposed to cooks stuff but her sweets were divine and as she mentioned, they were also quite easy to make so I wanted to share this recipe with...

12.06.2015
frozen passion fruit & yogurt ice cream sticks
frozen passion fruit & yogurt ice cream sticks

I have a very dear friend who travels a lot and often brings me back fruit from far-and-away countries (legally of course !). This is a quick, simple, refreshing and very creamy frozen dessert that everyone should make ! Only 3 main ingredients, 1 mould for frozen desserts (or an ice-cube tray) and skewers or sticks ! In this recipe, I also tried...

03.06.2015
raspberry & rose shortcake with kadaif
raspberry & rose shortcake with kadaif

Fresh summer berries, flowers petals, cool and creamy filling, and kadaif shredded filo dough (like angel-hair used in several Mediterranean countries for sweet and/or savoury preparations and that I’ve already used in my Easter hazelnut & chocolate cheesecakes) … What could be better as a summer dessert ? It’s easy to...

06.07.2015
roast pork with rhubarb
roast pork with rhubarb

I have always found that the tart taste of rhubarb was fantastic with pork. My first trials with rhubarb were always with savory dishes, sweet dishes came much later ! I often cook my meat with lemon juice but this time, rhubarb would be enough, with a little honey and ginger and garlic. Don’t forget that the rhubarb must be disgorged of its...

29.06.2015
dried fruit & nuts cocoa buns
dried fruit & nuts cocoa buns

These buns are neither cakes nor pastries and not to be confused with a dessert ! These breads are more like traditional bread in which there is cocoa powder, dried fruit and nuts and pieces of chocolate. To be enjoyed during breakfast with butter and honey or jam or simply as a snack. I used a dutch oven or hot pot (with lid) to bake them and a...

18.06.2015
asparagus & smoked ham & cheese wraps
asparagus & smoked ham & cheese wraps

ASPARAGUS ... so weird & funny-looking ! I know I usually use filo dough pastry sheets when I bake but there are more varieties of prepared types of pastry dough out there than you expect ! Brik pastry sheets, usually used in North African countries is round, thicker and sturdier and there is no need to double it up as we do with filo...

09.06.2015
tomato and black olive flatbread
tomato and black olive flatbread

This flatbread recipe can be made simply and with no toppings, as a snack or even as a thicker and heavier bread base for your pizza (I must admit that I often like a thick crust). I always have leftover fresh yeast when i make breads and leftover tomato sauce when I make pasta or pizza and this flatbread is perfect for them. This sun-dried tomato...

31.05.2015