French Food Friday...Chocolate Fondant

photo from here

I have always had a bit of a soft spot for Gordon Ramsey and when he says that this is his favourite recipe then it must be good.

Gordon says: ‘Whenever I’m asked for my favourite recipe, this is the one. It has a divine melting texture and the liquid centre is sublime.’


Makes: 4
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time:
15 minutes

08 February 2011

You will need

50g unsalted butter, plus extra, softened, to grease
2 tsp cocoa powder, to dust
50g good-quality dark, bitter chocolate(minimum 70% cocoa solids), in pieces
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
60g caster sugar
2 tbsp Tia Maria
50g plain flour, sifted
Crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream, to serve

Method
1. Heat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3. Butter four 7.5cm dariole moulds (ideally non-stick) or ramekins and place in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up the butter.
2. Butter the moulds again and dust liberally with cocoa powder. Place in the fridge while you prepare the fondant mixture.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl set over a pan of hot water. Take off the heat and stir until smooth.
4. Using an electric whisk, beat the whole egg, egg yolk and sugar together until pale and thick, then fold in the chocolate mixture. Fold in the liqueur, followed by the flour.
5. Divide the chocolate mixture evenly among the ramekins and bake in the oven for 12 minutes.

6. Run a knife around the edge of the dishes and turn the chocolate fondants out onto warm plates. Alternatively you can leave them in the ramekins. Serve immediately, with a dollop of crème fraîche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Recipe, Ramsay’s Best Menus by Gordon Ramsay

...bon appetit à tous, Leeann

weekend tresors..

Bonjour mes amies,

It has been another of those days where nothing is going according to schedule but in a good way. 

Finally got around to taking some photos of some of the tresors that we found at the weekend.

The first find of the day was this this vintage plant holder which is adorable and I think it would look great with a wee plant in in. I have put some moss in the hole where the plant goes....

 
You will find details here.

Next up was a couple of Napoleon III crucifixes which I have yet to put on the online shop.

As you know I have a thing about marriage globes and this one was too good to pass up, it was very carefully carried home. I was happy to find it as it is complete and blue interiors are rare to find these days. 

Blue is my favourite colour, note it is for sale but is collection only as the glass is too fragile an item to send by the post.

Next up was a set of two Larousse encyclopedias which are dated 1917.

 Love the detail on each page and I never tire of looking at old books, especially French ones.

I especially love the coloured gravures, they are gorgeous and most inspiring.

This particular one is my favourite, the title is "Modern House", if only all modern houses  looked like this....

and the interior of the "modern house" is as fabulous as the exterior....

The next gravure shows a selection of beds or lits as they are called in French....
T

One of the last finds of the weekend were these irons which have been painted and the seller informs me that they make great book-ends.....

I am off to attack my pile of repassage (ironing) and feel that I maybe gone some time!

à très bientot, Leeann x

 

fabulously French...

 

photo from here

I could not resist sharing a photo of my favourite French actress; Marion Cotillard. Not only is she a real stunner, she is also one of the finest actresses that France has produced.

Fabulous and oh so French.....

Leeann x

p.s. We were busy in the shop today so did not have time to photograph the weekend tresors but hope to do so tomorrow. 

just another day...

Bonjour mes belles,

A couple of weeks ago, a lovely English couple came into our new shop and commented how lovely the countryside is here in the Dordogne and what a lovely slow pace of life it is.

A week later, French guests that live in Antibes,  made the same comment and said they adored the pace of life and found the village and the locals friendly.

This morning, whilst heading home from a local brocante, we were greeted by this sight.....how gorgeous is he and I loved the way that he just strutted out in front of the car.....il est vraiment charmant, la vie ici n'est-ce pas?
   
And to think that some people think that the pace of life in this part of France is slow......

à demain, Leeann x 

bon week-end à tous...

photo from here

Just wanted to wish you all a TRES BON WEEK-END...

amicalement, Leeann x

French Food Friday...Strawberry Coulis

Bonjour mes belles,

We have a lot of strawberries in the house which need? to be eaten quickly which is fine by me as I adore them so this week's recipe has a strawberry theme to it.

This coulis is very yummy, not too sweet and is a perfect standby sauce, as you can  make it ahead of time. 

 recipe and photo from here

Here in France, this coulis is sometimes served poured over summer fruits and drizzled with single cream as a refreshing dessert, called fruit soup or as it is known here soupe de  fraises. 

Strawberry Coulis

 
Serves: 6 as a sauce or 2 as a soup (approx 400ml)  
Preparation time: 10 minutes  
Cooking time: 10 minutes

You will need

750g ripe strawberries (hulled and quartered) or raspberries
60g caster sugar
Freshly squeezed juice of
1 lemon

Method
1. Rinse the fruit in a colander. Briefly shake off any excess water – a little leftover water will encourage the fruit to release its juices.
2. Put the fruit and sugar in a pan and heat very gently to prevent it from scorching. Simmer softly for 10 minutes, or until the fruit has lost its shape. Strain through a sieve, making sure to work the pulp with the back of a spoon in order to extract as much juice as possible. Add the lemon juice (also through the sieve).
3. Stir well before serving. The coulis will keep for up to one week in an airtight container in the fridge. 

....bon appetit à tous, Leeann x

cushion love....

photo from here

Following from yesterday's post where I posted a photo of a couple of new grain sacks, I thought that it was worth sharing this photo as the cushions have been made from old sacks and they look fabulous....

amicalement from a gray SW France, Leeann x