Express raspberry rose sorbet

Sometimes we don't have time or we're craving for somthing sweet and we just can't wait more than 5 minutes before having it !

This is how I came to make this deliciously quick and easy raspberry sorbet using frozen fruits.

Water rose adds a fancy touch.

Serves : 4

Here's what we need :

800g frozen raspberries, 1 1/2 tablespoons rose water, 12 tablespoons sugarcane syrup.

Here's what we do :

In a food processor, mix together the frozen raspberries, rose water & sugarcane syrup.

                                                                                                                                  Relax, savour & share!

Gluten free chick peas coffee chocolate fondant

I've been thinking of chick peas for a while, but didn't really know how to use them in a cake. All I knew was that I wanted to make something gluten free, something original !!

I must say I didn't really knew where I was going when I put the dry chick peas in water for the night, but then I thought of those wonderful chocolate fondant made without flour...

Chick peas just need something to wake them up.
Coffee and dark chocolate just do the job with perfection.

This fondant is tasty, thick and moist....YUMMY !!!

Yields : 8,3 inches square cake mould
Serves : 10

Here's what we need :

200g dry chick peas, 1 teaspoon baking soda, water, 200g melted butter, 5 eggs, 2 tablespoons rice flour, 250g sugar, 8 teaspoons instant coffee, creamy honey dark chocolate ganache.

1 night & 4 hours




Here's what we do :

The night before :

Put the chick peas in a saucepan with a teaspoon of baking soda & cover with water.

After a good night sleep :

Preheat your oven at 374°F.

Cook the chick peas on medium heat for 45 minutes (take the foam off).

Drain them well & mix until creamy & soft.

In a large bowl, mix the chick peas cream with the butter until well combined.

In a glass, add a small amount of water to the instant coffee, mix until completely combined.

Add the coffee to the mixture.

Add the sugar.

Whisk in the eggs one by one until well combined.

Whisk in the rice flour.

Pour the batter in the cake mould & cook for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile make the creamy honey dark chocolate ganache.

Take the cake out of your oven & pour the ganache on top.

Allow to completely cool down & refrigerate for 2 hours.

                                                                                                                                  Relax, savour & share!                    

Creamy honey dark chocolate ganache

That dark chocolate ganache recipe is really yummy with a marvellous still discret honey taste !!

It is perfect for chocolate tarts or stuffed chocolate candies.

After a few hours in the fridge, it stays creamy, soft and melt in your mouth deliciously.

 WHAT A TEXTURE !!!

Here's what we need :

200g dark chocolate (60% cocoa), 160g whipping cream, 30g high quality honey, 30g butter at room temperature.

1 culinary thermometer.

Here's what we do :

Chop the chocolate coarsely & melt on low medium heat in a "bain-marie".

In a saucepan, bring the whipping cream & honey to a boil.

Slowly pour 1/3 of the hot cream in the melted chocolate & whisk until well combined & glossy.

Do as well with the second 1/3 then the last one.

When the ganache is 40/104°F, mix in the butter.

                                                                                                                                  Relax, savour & share!

Lavender & olive oil bundt cake

This post is a paradox !!

I found that recipe in the delicious "Bakes exploration" book by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito.

Renato's mother got that olive oil bundt from a french neighbour named Annette from marseilles, and now it comes back to france...Who would thought I'd found a south of France cake recipe in an american book !!

The original recipe uses oranges zests instead of lavender and vanilla extract which I switched for orange blossom water. Anyway south of France is where we grow lavender, olive and orange trees, so both choices are delicious !!

Yields : One 10 inch bundt

Here's what we need :

3 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 4 large eggs separated, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup yogurt, 3/4 cup high quality extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons lavender flowers or 2 freshly grated orange zests, 3 teaspoons orange blossom water or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Here's what we do :

Preheat your oven at 350°F.

If you're not using a nonsticky bundt pan, generously spray the inside with unstick cooking spray or butter it well, dust with flour and knock out the excess flour.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks until they're pale & light.

Slowly pour in the sugar until it is completely incorporated.

Add the yogurt & olive oil & mix until thoroughly combined.

Add the lavender flowers & orange blossom water & mix until incorporated.

Add the flour mixture in 2 parts, beating after each addition until just combined.

In another large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Scoop one cup of the egg whites into the batter. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold them in.

After about 30 seconds of folding, add the remaining egg whites & gently  fold until they're almost completely combined.

Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time or until a sharp knife tip comes out clean.

Optional : you can dust the cake with icing sugar just before serving.


                                                                                                                                  Relax, savour & share!

Fiadone : soft Brocciu goat cheese and lemon tartlets

Here comes a traditional dessert recipe from Corsica.

In corsica, they have that marvellous cheese called "brocciu" made of goat milk. You can eat it soft or older and dry. Fiadone is made  with soft Brocciu, but unless you live or plan to go to Corsica I'm quite sure you won't find it.

Don't worry !! I have good news for you...you can use ricotta cheese instead !!!

Corsica is also well know for chesnuts, so I mixed chesnut flour with all purpose flour.
It tastes even more from the "island"!!

It is so easy to make and so yummy freshly delicious, you're going to love it !!

Yields : 6 tartlets of 4,13 inches

Here's what we need :

for the crust : 150g chesnut flour, 100g all purpose flour, 100g icing sugar, 1 pinch salt, 125g butter, 1 egg.

for the fiadone batter : 1 organic lemon, 300g soft Brocciu or ricotta cheese, 3 eggs, 130g sugar.

3 hours.

6 round 4,13 inches tart moulds.



Here's what we do :

the crust :

Work the butter with your hands until soft.

Add salt and icing sugar & stir until combined.

Whisk in the egg.

Add flours & work just until combined.

Put aside in your fridge for 1 hour.

Knead the dough with your hand palms, cut it in 4 pieces, superpose them & flatten with your hand palms, repeat 2 times.

Put it back in your fridge for 1 hour.

preheat your oven at 338°F.

Flatten the dough with a rolling spin and cut it in 6 round pieces (0,80 inches larger than your moulds to cover sides).

butter your moulds.

Lay down the dough in each one of them.

Bake for 10 minutes.

The fiadone batter :

Meanwhile, grate the lemon zest.

In a bowl, mash the cheese with a fork.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with ther sugar until light yellow & fluffy.

Add the grated lemon zest .

Whisk in the cheese until well combined.

Pour the batter into each  prebaked crust.

Bake for 30 minutes.

                                                                                                                                   relax, savour & share!

White chocolate pecan nuts and salted butter cookies

This fabuleous recipe comes from the mouth watering book by Alice Medrich "Chewy, gooey, crispy, crunchy, melt in your mouth cookies".

Actually I switched butter for salted butter and dry roasted salted macadamia nuts for pecan nuts.

You can keep them for up to a week in an airtight container (if by chance they last more than one day!!!) they're still chewy crunchy licious !!!

Yields : around 20 good size cookies

Here's what we need :

3/4 cup rolled oats, 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 8 tablespoons salted butter melted and still warm, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg, 1 cup chopped pecan nuts, 1 cup chopped white chocolate.


3 hours.


Here's what we do :

Pulverize the oats in a blender until fine.

Add the flour & baking soda and pulse to combine. Put aside.

In a large bowl, combine the melted salted butter with sugars & vanilla extract.

Whisk in the eggs.

Stir in the flour mixture just until all of the dry ingredients are moistened.

Stir in the pecan nuts & white chocolate.

Cover & refrigirate for 2 hours.

Preheat your oven at 325°F.

Remove the dough from the fridge, scoop the dough and place about 2 inches apart on the ungreased pan.

Bake until the cookies are deep golden brown, 13/15 minutes.
                                                                                                                                  Relax, savour & share!

Chocolate truffle cheesecake

Do we really have to wear bathing suits this summer ??

I know, we all know "yes" is the answer...

But could you seriously think of a world without a chocolate truffle cheesecake ?! I can't !!

Rich, creamy, delicious !!!

To make it even more perfect you can serve it with a strawberry olive oil and basil soup.

Yields : 9 inch springform pan
serves : 10

Here's what we need :

10 hours

1 1/2 cups crushed cookies, 4 tablespoons melted butter, 115g dark chocolate, 1 cup whipping cream, 230g cream cheese softened, 400g sweetened condensed milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 4 large eggs.


Here's what we do :

preheat your oven at 300°F.

Combine crushed cookies and melted butter.

Press on bottom of the springform pan.

Melt chocolate and whipping cream on medium heat in a "bain marie", put aside.

Beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.

Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract beating just until combined.

Add eggs one by one beating at low speed just until blended.

Add chocolate mixture beating just until blended.

Pour batter into prepared crust.

Bake 45 minutes (just until center is set).

Turn off the oven and let cheesecake stand in with the door closed for 30 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and gently run a knife around over edge to loosen from side of the pan.

Cool completely.

Cover and chill for 8 hours.

                                                                                                                                   relax, savour & share!

strawberry olive oil and basil soup with a twist

First stawberries are back on the market !!

To celebrate their arrival I thought of a recipe that I admit might be quite surprising at first sight !

But strawberries really do get along with olive oil and basil !
To add a little twist I used japanese sake and blackcurrant cream liquor.

You can serve it as a dessert by itself or with a chocolate cake, simply divine !
Why not for breakfast on a french toast ?!

Serves : 4

Here's what we need :

500g good stawberries, 4 tablespoons olive oil, 150g brown sugar, 2 teaspoons sake, 2 tablespoons blackcurrant cream liquor, 10 drops basil essential oil.



Here's what we do :

Wash the strawberries under cold water.

Remove the green and cut them in 4 lenghtwise.

In a saucepan on medium heat, pour olive oil and heat.

Add the strawberries with sugar, stir gently for 5 minutes.

Add sake, blackcuuant cream liquor and basil essential oil, stir.

Heat for 15 minutes.

Put aside until cold and store in fridge.

                                                                                                                                   relax, savour & share!