Gateau Breton

After being healthy with just a soup, I think now it is time to get onto a non-healthy recipe hehe.
This is a cake my mum makes and that I requested ^^ I made it myself before but as everyone knows, no matter how many times you make something the one your mum makes is always a bizillion times better. Yes, this is a fact ;) So yes the pictures of the cake you see here was made by Mama Rithuu! Mercii!

In any case, it is a pretty simple recipe and absolutely delicious as long as you like butter and the sweet and savory combination! :) This recipe is from my mum's region in Brittany and it's very similar to dutch boterkoek (also really delicious by the way). So if you like boterkoek, you will definitely like this recipe! A must try at home! :)
Recipe also available in French at the end of this post!

Ingredients:

• 300g of flour
• 240g of butter 
• 240g of sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 pinch of baking soda

Preparation:

Little advice: best to use Breton salted butter for this recipe like the one on the photo below. If it's not available where you are, just use salted butter (very important that it is salty!)

1. Melt the butter and mix the sugar. Then add the egg yolks (make sure the butter isn't too hot so it doesn't cook the eggs ><)
   
2. Add flour and mix well until it becomes dough-y.
   
3. Butter your mould and flatten the dough into it. 
4. Lightly brush with egg yolk so it becomes golden brown when baked! :) Use a fork to do the little design as shown on the photo and bake for 30min at 180 degrees!

And when it's ready... nom nom nom

So yeah as you can see it's a pretty straight forward recipe! It's really tasty and super delicious to have for breakfast or just as a snack :P or just anytime... hehe 

Just remember, it is important to use good quality salted butter for this recipe!

Hope you try making it! :D

Recette en Francais:

Ingredients: 

• 300g de farine
• 240g de beurre
• 240g de sucre
• 3 jaunes d'oeufs. 

Preparation:

1. Faire fondre le beurre et y ajouter le sucre. Ajouter les jaunes d'oeufs.
2. Ajouter la farine et mélanger le tout
3. Mettre dans un plat beurré. 
4. Dorer le dessus au jaune d'oeuf.
5. Faire cuire pendant 30minutes a 180 degres. 

Voila! :D

Chez L'Ami David

Chez L'Ami David is a French restaurant in West London, and really one of the best ones you could find around concerning price and quality of the dishes. I've been to that restaurant quite a few times (like 5? :P) and it was delicious every time. The chef makes all the dishes himself so there isn't a vast amount of choice. BUT, my parents always say that the smaller the menu, the better the restaurant because it means they make everything themselves and that it is not microwaved food. One of my favorites, for example is the smoked salmon as a starter. You might say 'Smoked salmon isn't really French -_-' but the chef smokes that salmon himself and I can tell you its just ... nom nom nom! Worth trying! ;)

In this restaurant, you can eat simple but tasty french food. This is actually the restaurant where I had my first frogs legs! ^^ The menu also changes depending on the season which is why my parents and I have been a few times (to discover the new dishes hehe :P). This restaurant is a nice way to discover traditional French food, the one eaten during every day life.
Price wise it's pretty affordable (I mean some French restaurants are super snobby -expensive and little food on your plate-) with more or less 18£ for a 3 course menu.

Anyways, the best way to is to check the photos below of some of the dishes my parents and I had :)

Starters:

Avocado  with prawn cocktail salad 

Duck salad

Smoked salmon

Frogs legs

Pate made by the chef himself! With some caramelized onions

Main course: 

Rabbit with a mustard sauce, served with tagliatelle

Had tartare for the first time in a restaurant and I absolutely loved it! Raw meat (something I was a bit skeptical about) but at the end I didn't get sick so it's all good :P

Steak Tartare!

Spinach risotto

Some fish (forgot which :P) with courgette, potatoes and creamy sauce

Pot au feu

Creme brulee

Creme caramel

Somehow, I didn't have many photos of desserts... They had chocolate mousse, citron tart, profiteroles, etc. Good desserts as well :P
Anyways, I say you should definitely try this restaurant out if you are in London and EVEN if it's a bit away from the center.

I will leave their Facebook page over here so you can check more photos and the address if needed :)
https://www.facebook.com/ChezLamiDavid

A French Christmas

I wanted to make a post on what is typically munched in a French Christmas. Despite being French-Japanese, for christmas my parents always tried to keep it European, if not French. This is probably because the ingredients are obviously easier to find and also because Christmas is more of a European tradition :P.

Anyways, so almost every year we start with…. FOIE GRAS. If you've never tried it then you definitely should. It's goose liver that is extra fat (foie gras literally means fatty liver). It has become illegal in some parts of the US but we won't go into the debate of whether this is right or not. Foie gras is part of the French culture and I am definitely not giving that up. Imagine it is like pate but a billion times more delicious. And expensive. Which is why you only eat it on special occasion. The best is to eat it with toast or toasted brioche (my fav *drool all over keyboard as I write this*). I know you can also make foie gras yourself but since I don't know how, I will only talk about the already prepared ones.

 You drink sweet wine called sauterne, it really goes perfectly with foie gras!

Christmas is also associated to sea food and French people eat a lot of oysters, langoustines (scampi in English), etc. We don't usually have this at home since we don't live in France. 

Next, poultry is served with some stuffing (a mash of turkey, raisins, chestnut and some spices).

Instead of poultry you can also have boudin blanc with truffles in it (alleged truffles, the black dots on the little sausage are supposed to be the infamous truffles. Could also be pepper. Who knows :P). I prefer this boudin more (It's not made of blood and milk and some bread is also added) as it feels lighter than the normal one. Here we have it accompanied with rosti (it is originally swiss and it consists of potato and it's super yummy :P)

Then you ALWAYS finish a french meal with a plate of CHEEEESE. This is my favorite part (not only am I a nomster but also a cheese addict T.T). So here are a few of the cheeses we had for Christmas… What to drink with cheese? Good red wine, of course. Usually, cheese comes accompanied with a nice refreshing salad.

Then you finish your dinner with a buche de noel, which is the typical desert you have for christmas. It looks like a log! Only have a picture from a few years ago… We don't always eat this since it's pretty heavy (lots of cream and what not) even if my mum's is the light version of it! How to end your night? Drink some champagne! Yey!

Hope you have a better idea of what French people eat for Christmas. What do you have in your country? :) 

Galette Bretonne

Traditional galette complete! 

I'm sure everyone has heard of crepes. In many creperie places, they also sell savory ones which are actually called galettes in French. Those galettes are actually from my mum's region, Brittany and they are an absolute must if you go there. 

Galettes are pancakes made of buckwheat flour and good ones are supposed to be very thin and crispy. Unlike crepe that are beige-ish colour, the galettes are more of a brown colour. You can find these savory pancakes with an infinite type of toppings but I personally think that the best ones are the most simple ones. For example one of the most traditional and simple ones is galette complete, with egg, ham and cheese (emmental) which is the one I ALWAYS have.

*drool all over keyboard*

You might think I am narrow minded but I never ever take another one. This one is my absolute favorite of all times. It's not too boring because it has a few toppings which also allows you to taste all the flavors of the galette itself. This galette complete can also have some tomatoes or mushrooms. Anyways, by keeping it to the basics, you will really feel the buckwheat pancake and your wallet will also thank you (the most simple ones are the cheapest ones. The cheapest one that was delicious was only 5 euros! But its usually around 6 euros in Brittany and around 10 euros in Paris... Paris you cray!)

Galette complete with tomatoes!

Another traditional one is with andouille de guéméné, which is a pork sausage typical from Brittany. It smells really strong and it has a pretty strong particular taste. I guess it's one of those things that you either hate or love? I was not a fan when I was little (have not tried it again since) but my parents were always big muncher of andouille. 

Galette a l'andouille, you can see the crispiness of the pancake :D

Ok so I also have a photo of a galette with lots of stuff on it like some kind of ratatouille and a sausage. It also tastes really good so I would also recommend the more elaborate ones like these but I am really all about the complete one. Oh and the flag you see on the sausage is the Breton flag. Breton flag will most definitely pop up here and there if you ever go to Brittany (we have 3 of them hanging in our house :P).

Galette with sausage and ratatouille

Allright so... do you feel like just stuffing your face with these delicious galette after seeing these photos? (I do...) Do you wanna feel the crispiness of the pancake? The cheese melting in your mouth? Pop the egg yolk when you think it's the most appropriate time? Well, you don't necessarily have to go to Brittany to taste them because.... HERE IS THE RECIPE, yeaaaah boooooi! So yes here is the recipe from my mum! :D

Galettes Recipe

Ingredients:

• 250g of buckwheat flour
• 2 eggs
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 l of water
• 100ml of liquid cream 

For the toppings: eggs, slices of ham, emmental cheese etc. Depends on your mood :D

Preparation
To make galette it would be nice to have a very thin pancake pan BUT if you don't have it no panic, you can also use a regular frying pan :)

1. Mix all the ingredients in the order written above until smooth. You can also use an electric mixer to make sure nothing clumps up. 
2. Heat the pan with some butter and make sure the butter covers the entire surface of the pan. 
3. When the pan is hot enough, use a laddle to get enough of the preparation onto the pan. Make sure it is not too thick (it will make the galette heavy) or too thin (you will have holes otherwise) and spread it evenly over the pan. 
4. Let it cook slowly. 
5. When one side is cook, carefully flip the galette. Ok so this part you can use your own method as it is the trickiest part. Once you manage to flip it, let the other side cook until brown. 
6. When its done, serve on a plate. Add emmental cheese, slices of ham, fried egg, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, whatever you want :D

Perfect drink to go with the galette? Cidre of course. 'You mean cider'. No, no, my friend, CIDRE is the Breton cider. Delicious. Those 2 were made to be enjoyed together.. :3 The glass below is the traditional glass in which you drink cidre.

Noob looking fried egg (made by me. Apologies)

Bon appetit! :)

Recipe also available in French!

Galette bretonne:

Ingredients: 

• 250g de farine de sarrasin
• 2 oeufs
• Sel et poivre
• 1/2 L d'eau
• 100ml de creme liquide

Preparation:

1. Melanger le tout dans un bol. Utiliser un mixeur si necessaire pour ne pas avoir de grumeaux. 
2. Faire chauffer la poele et mettre un peu de beurre et recouvrir la totalite de la poele.
3. Quand la poele est assez chaude, utiliser une louche pour mettre la preparation. Faire attention a ne pas en mettre de trop! (Il ne faut pas que la galette soit trop epaisse)
4. Laisser la galette cuire lentement.
5. Quand elle est cuite, la retourner (differentes techniques personnelles peuvent etre utiliser :P).
6. Une fois retournnee, laisser cuire. 
7. A servir avec un oeuf au plat, emmental, jambon, tomates, champignons etc. et a deguster en buvant du cidre! :D

Frogs legs

So for my birthday this year, I went to a French restaurant in London. When a young French girl/boy becomes an adult, he/she has to eat 6 sets of frogs' legs. Just kidding. Nyaaaa~

Ok in all seriousness, I did try them but only because I have been very curious about how they tasted like. I had it as a starter and they were arranged like this:

I couldn't really realize what I got until I started separating them. Then I could really see the shape of the legs and I could really recognize the little animal (kind of made me laugh :P) as you can see on the photo below.

Such gracious legs.

I had heard before that frogs legs were kind of like chicken... And honestly I couldn't agree more. The meat is white like chicken and the consistency is also pretty similar. What was absolutely delicious was the sauce (butter, garlic and parsley). But the legs itself were nothing spectacular, I mean it just tastes like chicken but is more expensive than chicken. Obviously, it's worth trying and it's still a good experience but I don't think I would specifically order frogs legs for the sake of eating the actual meat. One down side was that I thought it was a bit too much for a starter (also because of the butter, it feels pretty heavy); only 3 sets of legs would have been enough for me. 

Anyways, I felt like a real Frenchy after eating this :P Oh no wait... Still never tried escargots... o_O

Madeleines

They reminded me of a submarine when I was small :P

Madeleines, are small vanilla flavored French cakes. They are very easy to make and very tasty. The shape of these small cakes are very crucial to their identification. They look a little bit like sea shells. The mold you should use for this recipe resemble like this:

One important thing for this recipe is to have the appropriate mould. I’m sure you could make them in a non madeleine shaped one but I feel like it would lose something and they wouldn't be madeleines anymore :P Up to you to try though! 

My mum used to make them for me as an afternoon snack for when I came back from school. I remember drowning them into my chocolate milk until no more bubbles would appear on the surface (yes I was an evil child). 
They are simple to make (20min preparation and cooking time) and delicious to eat so I decided I would try making them myself with my mama’s recipe.

Here is my mum's recipe! :)

Ingredients for 8 madeleines:

•          1 egg
•          40 g sugar
•          60 g flour
•          30 g of butter
•          1 pinch of salt
•          1 pinch of baking powder
•           Few drops of vanilla extract

 Preparation:

1. Preheat the over at 200-210 degrees
2. Beat the egg with the sugar
3. Add a pinch of salt and a few drops of vanilla extract
4. Add flour and mix
5. Add the melted butter and mix until you get a homogenous paste
6. Fill the moulds and immediately bake it in the oven for 10 min!

What my mum told me to do is use the back the spoon to make sure that the mixture is filling the molds so you get a nice madeleine shape J  

Make sure your little madeleines tan a lot and become golden brown! The first time I made them I didn't bake them enough and they looked rather pale and unhealthy :( 

Personally, I think the madeleines are best when they are fresh out of the oven. The smell of warm madeleines is just amazing and they feel extra soft! *drool*

フワフワ！so sooooft!

I used salted butter when I made them the first time and you could feel bits of salt in them. In case you don't like the savory-sweet mix, you can use regular unsalted butter as well :)

The preparation time is so short that it is also perfect to make them when you have unexpected guests and no snacks to offer!

This is how they look like underneath! 

Recipe also available in french and spanish! :)

Recette pour environ 8 Madeleines

Ingrédients:

• 1 oeuf
• 40 gr de sucre
• 60gr de farine
• 30gr de beurre
• 1 pincée de sel
• 1 pincée de levure
• quelques gouttes de vanille

Préparation:

1. Préchauffer le four a 200-210C.
2. Battre l’oeuf avec le sucre
3. Ajouter le sel et les goutes de vanille
4. Verser la farine et mélanger
5. Ajouter le beurre ramolli
6. Remplir les moules et faire cuire immédiatement pendant 10 min

A déguster tiède ;)

Receta para 8 madeleines:

Ingredientes:

• 1 huevo
• 40 g de azúcar
• 60g de harina
• 30g de manteca
• sal
• algunas gotas de vainilla

Preparación:

1. Calentar el horno a 200-210 grados
2. Mezclar el huevo con el azúcar
3. Agregar la sal y la vainilla
4. Agregar la harina y mezclar bien hasta obtener una mezcla homogénea
5. Agregar la manteca ablandada
6. Llenar los moldes y meterlos en el horno inmediatamente durante 10 minutos.

Para que tengan una linda forma de madeleines, se puede usar una cuchara para llenar el molde.

A disfrutar cuando todavía están calentitos y/o con un vaso de leche!