Ladybugs – Coccinelles

Ingredients;

1 pint of cherry tomatoes

a bag of spinach, or arugula salad

1 small can or jar of black, small olives

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp corn starch

8 oz feta cheese

Cut one end of each tomato, to leave place for the head. Cut them in half lengthwise, cut half of the back as on the picture.

Cut one end of each olive, then cut in half to make the head.

Cut 1/2″ slices in the cheese. Depending on the size, cut in 4, 6 or 8 wedges.

Put a leaf of salad on each wedge, a ladybug on top.

Dilute the cornstarch in the cold vinegar. Bring to a boil, stir for about one minute until the liquid is more like a cream. Let this cool down, then place in a ziplock, cut a corner and make the dots on the tomatoes.

Voila, bon appétit !

Classic French Bistro Sandwich, Croque-Monsieur

I know what you are thinking, with a name like this, even for Julia Child, there will be 3 pages of explanation… but follow me:

Ingredients per person:

2 slices of Gluten Free bread

2 slices of ham

4 tablespoons of sour cream or crème fraîche

6 tablespoons of shaved cheese, preferably Gruyère, you can use a vegetable peeler to do this

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°.

Spread the first bread slice with  one tablespoon of  cream on each side all the way to the edges. Place it in an oven proof dish or on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Top with two tablespoons of cheese, then ham folded, again two tablespoons of cheese, then the other slice of bread spread on both sides with the rest of the cream. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake until cheese is brown and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Use the broiler if needed.

Now for the pronunciation, it is similar to crock-meu-ssi-eu  😉

Et voila, bon appétit !

Nid de printemps – Spring nest

Ingredients for about 4 nests:

3 cups shredded hash browns, I used frozen ones.

1 cup shredded cheese: I used parmesan, romano and asiago. You can put Gruyere or blue cheese too.

2 eggs

6 to 8 slices of bacon

12 quail eggs

salad with small leaves like water cress

salt and pepper

optional; hollandaise sauce

Boil water in a pan and add the quail eggs for about 5 minutes until they are hard boiled. When they are colder, delicately remove  the shell.

Brown 4 slices of bacon twisted to make like tree branches. Cut the rest of the bacon in small pieces and brown also. Remove and set aside.

In a salad bowl, mix the hash browns, cheese, regular eggs, some salt, pepper and pieces of bacon.

In the pan used to brown the bacon, put 1/4 of this mixture and form the shape of a nest. Flip with a spatula after at least 5 minutes, the nest should be light brown. If you have enough space, you can cook several nests at the same time.

On a plate, arrange a nest with 3 quail eggs and on the side a twist of bacon and some salad.

You can make a hollandaise sauce to go with this dish, following the instructions on the packet. Serve it on the side.

If you can’t find quail eggs at your regular store, Asian stores generally carry them.

Perfect for a brunch or light meal.

Bon appetit !