FFwD - Quiche Maraîchère / Quiche mit Marktgemüse

Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is "Quiche Maraîchère" – a quiche with market-fresh produce.

Das heutige Rezept für die French Fridays with Dorie Kochgruppe ist “Quiche Maraîchère” – eine Quiche mit Marktgemüsen.

As with all quiche recipes, making this quiche recipe requires two main steps, namely putting together the pastry and then preparing the filling. The key to making the perfect quiche seems to be simplicity, as you can see with this tasty recipe.

Wie bei allen Quiche Rezepten, wird auch diese Quiche in zwei Schritten gemacht, zunächst wird der Teig hergestellt und dann die Füllung.  Der Schlüssel zur einer perfekten Quiche scheint in der Einfachheit der Selben zu liegen, was mal wieder mit diesem wunderbaren Rezept bewiesen wird.

This classic French pastry.is essentially a rich baked custard, a so-called "royale", with eggs, milk, and/or cream and spices, encased in a crisp savory puff pastry, or a short pastry, also called a pate brisée. It is a recipe that can be adapted to suit anything you fancy. One of the nice things about quiches is that you can add pretty much any ingredient you happen to have lying about or just happen to find in your fridge. We also like our quiches with leek, spinach, cheese and onion, or salmon. Whichever filling you choose, the important thing is to ensure whatever it is it will not leak any water or cooking liquid into the filling. This means that you will have to sautée the onions or leeks, for example and that you have to blanch and squeeze out leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli rabe or chard.

Bei diesem klassischen französischen Rezept wird im Wesentlichen eine Royal aus Eiern, Milch und/oder Sahne und Gewürzen hergestellt, die entweder in einem knusprig pikanten Blätterteig oder in einem Mürbeteig, pâte brisée, gebacken wird. Es ist ein Rezept, das sehr wandlungsfähig ist. Das Wunderbare an einer Quiche ist, dass man so ziemlich jede Zutat, die man noch so zufällig in seinem Kühlschrank findet, in die Füllung geben kann. Wir essen auch gerne Quiche mit Zwiebeln, Lauch, Spinat und Käse oder Lachs, aber egal für welche Füllung man sich entscheidet, das Wichtigste ist, dass die Zutaten der Füllung keine Flüssigkeit mehr abgeben. Dies bedeutet, dass man die Zwiebeln oder Porree sautieren muss und Blattgemüse blanchieren und gut abtropfen lassen muss bevor man sie unter die Royal hebt. Es eignet sich übrigens nicht nur Spinat, sondern auch Rübstiel oder Mangold, je nach Saison eben.

The Larousse Gastronomique*, the culinary encyclopedia which can be relied upon for all things foodie, as long as they are French, informs us that, although quiche was made with bread dough in days of yore, both short crust and puff pastry are now quite acceptable substitutes. Dorie´s pâte brisée recipe calls for plain flour, sugar, salt, cold unsalted butter, an egg and ice water. As usual, I made the pastry by hand, with the help of my trusted pastry cutter. After some chilling, I rolled out the pastry, placed it into my rectangular fluted tart pan from France, trimmed the pastry edges slightly above the pan, so it would not shrink, lightly pricked the tart base with a fork and chilled some more. Then, I lined the chilled pastry with parchment paper, filled it with dry beans and baked for 15 minutes, removed the paper and beans and baked for another 10 minutes until the pastry was golden brown. Just the usual blind baking.

Der Larousse Gastronomique*, die kulinarische Enzyklopädie, die auf alle Fragen der Feinschmecker, solange sie französisch sind, eine aufschlussreiche Antwort geben kann, informiert uns, dass früher Quiche mit Brotteig gebacken wurden, doch das Mürbeteig und Blätterteig heutzutage durchaus akzeptabel sind. Für Dorie´s Mürbeteig-Rezept braucht man Weizenmehl, etwas Zucker, Salz, kalte ungesalzene Butter, ein Ei und Eiswasser. Wie üblich, habe ich den Teig von Hand gemacht. Wenn der fertige Teig gut gekühlt ist, muss man ihn ausrollen und in die gefettete und bemehlte Form legen. Ich benutze dafür gerne meine Tarte-Form aus Frankreich, dabei ist es wichtig den Teig etwas über dem gerillten Rand der Form abzuschneiden, sonst schrumpft der Teig beim Backen zu sehr. Dann mit einer Gabel einstechen und wieder kalt stellen. Dann den gekühlten Teig mit Backpapier auslegen, mit trockenen Bohnen füllen und für 15 Minuten backen, Papier und Bohnen entfernen und weitere 10 Minuten backen, oder bis der Teig goldbraun war. Das übliche blind backen eben.

Now Dorie lists in her recipe celery, leeks, red bell peppers, and carrots but she also mentions that is a quiche filled with vegetables from the market, hence seasonal, little custard and some cheese. Since red bell peppers and celery do not ever really feature in any of my quiches, I decided to use some lovely spring vegetables, namely the very seasonal white and green asparagus and wild garlic from my garden in this quiche.

Dorie schreibt in ihrem Rezept, das man für die Füllung Sellerie, Lauch, rote Paprika und Karotten braucht, aber gleichzeitig erwähnt sie auch, dass dies eine Quiche mit Gemüse vom Markt, daher saisonal, ist, und außer dem Marktgemüse nur mit wenig Royal und etwas Käse gefüllt wird. Da rote Paprika und Sellerie eigentlich niemals wirklich einen Weg in meine Quiches finden, habe ich mich für saisonales Frühlingsgemüse,  weißem und grünem Spargel und Bärlauch aus unserem Garten entschieden.

For the filling, I peeled the white as well as green asparagus and cooked it for a few minutes in lightly salted water, placed them in ice water and drained them on kitchen towels. Then I prepared the custard as per the recipe with heavy cream. eggs, salt and freshly ground black pepper. I then added some finely minced wild garlic. I placed the asparagus into the tart shell, placed the tart on a parchment lined baking sheet, carefully poured the custard over the vegetables, scattered some Gruyère over the top and baked the quiche for a good 20 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius, lowered the heat to 175 degrees Celsius and baked for another 10 minutes.

Für die Füllung habe ich den weißen als auch grünen Spargel geschält und ihn für ein paar Minuten in leicht gesalzenem Wasser gegart und dann in Eiswasser abgeschreckt. Dann auf Küchenpapier abtropfen lassen. Für die Royal hab ich, wie im Rezept vorgegeben, Sahne, Eier, Salz und frisch gemahlener schwarzer Pfeffer gemixt. Den Bärlauch habe ich kleingeschnitten und dazu gegeben. Dann habe ich die vorgegarten Spargelstangen auf den Teig gelegt, habe die Form auf ein mit Backpapier ausgelegtes Backblech gestellt, die Royal über das Gemüse gegossen, mit etwas Gruyère bestreut und gute 20 Minuten bei 200 Grad und dann weitere 10 Minuten bei 175 Grad gebacken.

You should let the quiche settle for a while before you remove it from the tart pan or cut into it. You can serve the quiche warm and freshly baked but it is also good cold or at room temperature,  it makes wonderful picnic fare. Let me just add that we certainly loved the Quiche Maraîchère with White and Green Asparagus and Wild Garlic.

Man sollte die Quiche für eine Weile auskühlen lasse bevor man sie aus der Form nimmt und mit einem scharfen Wanne in Stücke schneidet. Man kann die Quiche entweder frisch gebacken und noch warm servieren, oder man genießt sie kalt oder bei Zimmertemperatur. Wir nehmen Quiches zum Beispiel auch gerne zu einem Picknick mit. Ich sollte vielleicht noch erwähnen, dass uns die „Quiche Maraîchère“ oder „Marktgemüse-Quiche mit weißen und grünen Spargel und Bärlauch" ausgezeichnet geschmeckt hat.

To see how much the other members of the French Fridays with Dorie group enjoyed today´s recipe, please click here. If you happen to own Dorie Greenspan´s book “Around my French Table”, you will find the recipe for ”Quiche Maraîchère" on pages 158/159 and 498.

Wer sehen möchte, wie die anderen Mitglieder der French Fridays with Dorie Kochgruppe diese Quiche zubereitet haben, sollte hier klicken. Wer Dorie Greenspan´s Buch "Around my French Table" besitzt, findet das Rezept für "Quiche Maraîchère" auf den Seiten 158/159 und 498. – In der Gruppe werden die Rezepte nicht veröffentlicht.

*”Quiche. An open tart filled with a mixture of beaten eggs, creme fraiche and pieces of bacon, served hot as a first course or hors d'oeuvre. Originating on Lorraine (the name comes from the German "Kuchen," meaning cake), it has become a classic of French cuisine and is also widely enjoyed in other countries. Its origins go back to the 16th century; in Nancy, where it is a specialty, its local name is feouse. Quiches used to be made from bread dough, but now shortcrust or puff pastry is used. In some parts of Lorraine any pastry tart filled with migaine (eggs and cream) mixed with onions, cream cheese or pumpkin is called a quiche, and elsewhere quiches can be made with cheese, ham, bacon, onion, mushrooms, seafood and various other ingredients."
Larousse Gastronomique, Completely Revised and Updated [Clarkson Potter:New York] 2001 (p. 957)

FFwD - Visitandine

Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is ”Visitandine” – a simple white cake with a small-grained crumb.

The recipe for this French Visitandine is very similar to the recipes for Coconut Friands that we baked back in April 2012 and Financiers that we baked back in April 2013. These are all my favorite kinds of cakes. Simple, yet elegant. Not cloyingly sweet and very versatile.

You can use all kinds of fancy and pretty baking pans for these cakes. There are the madeleine molds, financier or tartlet pans or even muffin pans but then there are also pie plates or springform pans. I decided to divide the batter in two and used heart-shaped pans.

Dorie mentions in her recipe that the her friend Claudine Martina , the author of this recipe, likes to use a “plat à tarte” because using it, the cake bakes into "a nice flat galette”. That is exactly what I wanted my cakes to look like, nice flat and elegant.

The recipe is fairly simple, all you require is egg whites, plain flour, fine sugar, a pinch of sea salt and melted unsalted butter – as usual, I substituted the vanilla extract with pure vanilla sugar. Other than that, no changes to the recipe.

The name of the cake goes back to the “Visitandine” or “Visitation Order” (in German “Orden von der Heimsuchung Mariens”) formally the Congregation of the Visitation of Holy Mary, a Roman Catholic order of nuns founded by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal at Annecy, France, in 1610. The order was originally destined for charitable work, visiting and caring for the sick and poor in their homes, as well as for prayer. To this day, many Visitandines are devoted to education.

Apparently the nuns baked these simple cakes to sustain them during times of famine – the egg whites in the batter were considered to be a good source of protein.

Since I was quite taken by the elegant look of these cakes, I did not really want to serve them with whipped cream or turn them into strawberry shortcakes – I chose to dust them liberally with confectioners´ sugar to showcase the simplicity and elegance of these cakes. And since we are in the midst of rhubarb season around here and since I am a devoted rhubarb addict and love to use this wonderful spring vegetable (not fruit) in my baking (you might want to take a look here or here), I served the Visitandines with a very seasonal rhubarb-strawberry compote and some more fresh strawberries. Perfect!

To see how much the other members of the French Fridays with Dorie group enjoyed today´s recipe, please click here.

If you happen to own Dorie Greenspan´s book “Around my French Table”, you will find the recipe for ”Visitandine" on pages 436-37.

Easter Yeast Wreath - Oster-Hefekranz

Traditionally, we bake a lot of Braided Easter Yeast Breads around here. For many people Easter celebrations are not the same without a Yeast Braid for Easter breakfast. A freshly baked, homemade pastry like this is also a beautiful and delicious gifts to bring along to an Easter invitation or for Easter Brunch with family or friends.

Traditionell werden hier bei uns in der Osterzeit jede Menge Hefezöpfe gebacken. Ein Hefezopf gehört für viele Menschen zum Osterfrühstück einfach dazu. Schön luftig gebacken ist das Hefegebäck auch ein beliebtes, leckeres Mitbringsel zur Ostereinladung oder zum Osterbrunch bei Familie oder Freunden.

It seems that Easter is a time for showing off on the home baking front, and who is to argue with that, certainly not me. Therefore, since Easter is only a few weeks away,  I am getting a head-start on my springtime and Easter baking with this lovely Easter Yeast Wreath. However, I am unlikely to be alone in this quest. Across many cultures, people celebrate spring and Easter with rich indulgences whipped up from butter, sugar, fruits, nuts, spices and that essential symbol of new life, eggs, whether they be natural or dyed.

Ostern ist ja bekanntermaßen eine Zeit für ein wenig Stolz auf die eigenen, selbstgemachten Backenwaren. Da möchte ich natürlich auch nicht hinten anstehen und feiere diese Woche schon mal ein wenig die vorösterliche Zeit mit einem wundervollen Hefekranz. Und damit bin ich sicherlich nicht allein. In vielen Kulturen feiert man den Frühling oder Ostern mit besonderen Backwaren, die reich an Butter, Zucker, Früchten, Nüssen, Gewürzen und natürlich Eiern sind. Denn speziell Eier, bunt oder ungefärbt, sind das Symbol neuen Lebens und des Neuanfangs.

So, I will begin my Easter baking with a Yeast Wreath. The “Hefezopf” (literally "yeast braid") and the “Hefekranz” (literally "yeast wreath") are breads from Switzerland, southern Germany, Austria and South Tyrol. Typically, both Hefezopf and Hefekranz consist of three braided dough-pieces. While the Hefezopf is a loaf only consisting of a braid, the Hefekranz is bent into a wreath. Both are baked until they have a golden color.

Also, dann beginne ich mal meine Osterbäckerei mit einem Hefekranz. Der Zopf oder Hefekranz ist ein besonders geformter Kuchen aus gesüßtem, meist fetthaltigem Hefeteig. Nachdem der Hefeteig für den Zopf schön aufgegangen ist, wird er in drei oder mehr Teile aufgeteilt, die zu Strängen gerollt werden. Aus den Teigsträngen wird ein Zopf geflochten, der auch zu einem Kranz geschlossen werden kann. Anschließend wird der Zopf oder Kranz dann goldgelb gebacken.

As a special ingredient, I baked my Easter pastry with a wonderful spice, the so-called "Hefezopf Gewürz" (meaning "yeast bread spice"), a seasoning mix of cardamom, lemon zest, mace, cinnamon and turmeric. Scandinavian yeast pastries are also known to include quite a bit of cardamom and cinnamon.  As I was preparing my yeast dough, it already smelled wonderful while I kneaded it. When the wreath was baked, it did not only have a wonderful, slightly yellowish color but it also tasted the way only homemade sweet yeast breads taste, warm and aromatic from the spices and wonderfully buttery too. The quantity of the spice blend that I used was specified on the package as “one heaped teaspoon per 500 grams of flour” - for this recipe with 750 grams of flour I used two level teaspoons, exactly the right dose.  If you cannot get the spice blend, you can also use one teaspoon ground cardamom or grated lemon zest, some cinnamon, a little freshly grated nutmeg, or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla sugar, depending on your taste, of course. You can also omitted the spices, zest or vanilla altogether – the bread will still be delicious.

Als besondere Zugabe hat mein Ostergebäck heute ein wunderbares Gewürz, das sogenannte „Hefezopf Gewürz“ von der Karl Müller Gewürzmanufaktur in Wiesbaden. Das ist eine Gewürzmischung aus Kardamom, Zitronenschale, Muskatblüte, Zimt und Kurkuma. Von skandinavischen Hefegebäcken kennt man ja die Zugabe von Kardamom und auch Zimt. Als ich diese Woche die Gewürzmischung ausprobiert habe, hat der Teig schon bei Kneten toll geduftet. Nach dem Backen erhielt der Zopf nicht nur einen wunderbaren, leicht gelblichen Ton, sondern schmeckte auch ausgesprochen gut. Die Mengenangabe für das Gewürz ist ein gehäufter Teelöffel pro 500 Gramm Mehl. Für dieses Rezept mit 750 Gramm Mehl habe ich deshalb zwei gestrichene Teelöffel genommen, genau die richtige Dosierung. Wenn man die Gewürzmischung nicht bekommt, kann man auch 1 Teelöffel Kardamom oder geriebene Zitronenschale, etwas Zimt, ein wenig frisch geriebene Muskatnuss oder 2 Teelöffel Bourbon-Vanillezucker nehmen, je nach Geschmack eben. Man kann die Gewürze, die Zitronenschale oder den Vanillezucker aber auch ganz weglassen.

The Yeast Wreath or the Yeast Braid gets a shiny finish if you brush the outside with an eggwash and some milk just before baking. If you want, you can sprinkle the yeast braid with some pearl sugar or with sliced almonds or even glaze it after baking with a sugar icing. Often, the yeast braid also contains raisins or chocolate and can be filled with various fillings such as nuts or poppyseeds. After cooling, the Hefekranz is cut into thick slices, which are often enjoyed with with butter, jam and honey.

Besonders schön glänzend wird der Hefekranz und auch der Hefezopf, wenn man ihn vor dem Backen mit Ei und etwa Milch bestreicht. Wenn man möchte, kann man den Hefezopf auch mit Hagelzucker oder mit gehobelten Mandeln bestreuen oder nach dem Backen mit Zuckerguss glasieren. Oft wird der Hefezopf auch mit Rosinen oder Schokolade verfeinert oder mit verschiedenen Füllungen wie beispielsweise Nüssen oder Mohn gefüllt. Nach dem Abkühlen wird der Hefekranz in Scheiben geschnitten, die vor dem Verzehr mit Butter, Marmelade und Honig bestrichen werden können.

Easter Yeast Braid Ingredients for the Yeast Wreath 250 ml milk, lukewarm 40 grams fresh yeast (or 1 tbsp dry yeast)* 750 grams strong flour 2 tsps yeast bread spice mix (optional)** 110 grams superfine sugar 2 eggs, (M), free-range or organic 1 ½ tsps fine sea salt 125 grams unsalted butter, melted some flour for the work surface Ingredients for the Topping 2 tbsps pearl sugar 1 egg (M) 1 tbsp milk Additional one round baking pan (33 cm) or a baking sheet some parchment paper

Oster-Hefezopf Zutaten für den Zopf 250 ml Milch, warm 40 Gramm frische Hefe (oder 1 TL Trockenhefe) 750 Gramm Mehl (Typ 550) 2 TL Hefezopf-Gewürz* 110 Gramm feinster Zucker 2 Eier ( M), Freiland oder Bio 1 1/2 TL feines Meersalz 125 Gramm ungesalzene Butter, geschmolzen Mehl zum Bearbeiten Zutaten für den Belag 2 EL Hagelzucker 1 Ei (M) 1 EL Milch Außerdem ein große runde Backform (33 cm) oder ein Backblech  etwas Backpapier

Preparation of the Braid Heat the milk until lukewarm. Crumble the yeast cake and mix it with the milk until it has dissolved. NOTE: fresh yeast is available in the US here. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, the spice mix (if using), the milk with the dissolved yeast, the sugar, eggs, the salt, and the butter. Using the dough hooks of your electric mixer, mix the dough at slow speed for about 3 minutes, then at high speed another 5 minutes. Gradually add the butter to the dough. Knead at high speed for another 5 minutes until the dough is shiny. Cover the mixing bowl with a humid tea towel and let it rest for about an hour in a warm and draft-free place. On a lightly floured surface knead the dough by hand for a minute or two. Divide the dough into thirds and let them rest, covered, for about 10 minutes. Roll each dough piece into a 90 cm-long rope and braid. Transfer the braid onto the prepared baking sheet, shape the braid into a wreath,  cover and let rest for another 45 minutes. Pre-heat your oven (200 degrees or 180 degrees convection). In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with the milk. Brush the wreath with the egg mix, sprinkle with pearl sugar and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 25 minutes. If the wreath is getting too dark, cover it loosely with some aluminum foil. And should there be any leftovers, you can always warp them in foil – the pastry will stay fresh for a few days. And should the leftovers actually get stale, you can prepare a baked bread puddings or some delicious French toast, filled or plain.

Zubereitung des Hefezopfs Milch lauwarm erwärmen.  Hefe zerbröseln und in der Milch auflösen. In eine große Schüssel das Mehl geben, das Hefezopf-Gewürz, die Hefemilch, den Zucker, die Eier, das Salz und Butter hinzufügen und mit den Knethaken der Küchenmaschine bei niedriger Geschwindigkeit 3 Minuten kneten. Danach das Tempo erhöhen und weitere 5 Minuten kneten.  Butter nach und nach unter den Teig kneten. Bei hohem Tempo weitere 5 Minuten zu einem glatten Teig kneten. Schüssel mit einem feuchten Geschirrtuch abdecken und an einem warmen Ort 1 Stunde gehen lassen. Den Teig auf einer leicht bemehlten Arbeitsfläche durchkneten. Den Teig dritteln und zugedeckt 10 Minuten ruhen lassen. 3 Stränge von je 90 cm Länge ausrollen und locker flechten.  Den Zopf auf ein mit Backpapier ausgelegtes Backblech legen, zu einem Kranz formen und zugedeckt 45 Minuten gehen lassen. Den Backofen vorheizen (200 Grad Elektro/180 Grad Umluft). Das Ei mit der Milch verquirlen. Den Hefekranz mit dem Ei bestreichen. Hagelzucker darüber streuen und im vorgeheizten Backofen bei 200 Grad auf der 2. Schiene von unten 25 Minuten backen. Die letzten 10 Minuten eventuell mit Alufolie abdecken. Sollte der Hefekranz nicht ganz aufgegessen werden, kann man die Reste in Alufolie wickeln - so bleibt er noch ein paar Tage frisch. Aus altbackenem Hefekranz lassen sich aber auch leckere süße Hauptgerichte zubereiten, wie zum Beispiel Ofenschlupfer oder Arme oder Reiche Ritter.

Stay tuned – there will be more fabulous Easter treats making a delicious appearance on this blog very soon! Sources: for the Yeast Bread Spice Mix here  for the fresh yeast in the US here

Es werden in den nächsten Tagen weitere fantastische Osterspezialitäten vorgestellt, also es lohnt sich öfter mal hier reinzuschauen! Quelle: das Hefezopf Gewürz kann man hier bestellen.

FFwD - Vegetable barley soup with the taste of little India

Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is ”Vegetable barley soup with the taste of little India” – a basic root vegetable soup with barley and surprising warm spices.

The soup base is made up of onions, garlic, sweet carrots, and parsnips - since I could not find parsnips at this time of year, I used small white turnips instead. Then there is fresh ginger, freshly grated black pepper, sea salt, turmeric, and garam masala.

Tumeric is a bright yellow spice that comes from the rhizome of a plant in the ginger family. It is sometimes available fresh, but is usually sold dried and ground, in powder form. Turmeric has anti-oxidant properties which is why it has long been an Indian home remedy for many illnesses. Turmeric is often a component of curry powder and it  also gives chutneys and pickles, and this soup,  their distinctive yellow tinge. It has a slight peppery aroma and a musky taste.

Garam masala is an aromatic mixture of ground spices used as a base in many Indian dishes (“masala”means spice). The proportion of spices changes according to the dish being cooked but typical ingredients are cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper, with substitutions or additions made depending on whether the dish includes meat, vegetables or fish. You can grind your own garam masala according to your tastes, but it can also be bought ready-made.

The spices are sautéed together with the vegetables in some lovely olive oil, that takes about 15 minutes and it takes the raw edge off the spice and makes for a harmonious soup starter. After the veg are softened, all that is left to do is add the homemade chicken broth and the soup barley, Barley is divided into three categories around here, small, medium and large – I used the large one, called soup barley which needs a good 30-minute simmer before being puffed and ready to eat.

I must say that the taste of this soup was surprising, in a nice way, as we are so used to eating barley soup with lots of veg and bacon and sometimes a bit of smoked sausage – well, a very German kind of way – but we liked how the soup smelled while it cooked and how it tasted when we ate it for lunch, on a very bright and sunny day that felt like early summer.Thanks to Dorie, a new taste experience indeed, one that I would not have dared to try before I came across this weeks´ assignment.

To see how much the other members of the French Fridays with Dorie group enjoyed today´s recipe, please click here.

If you happen to own Dorie Greenspan´s book “Around my French Table”, you will find the recipe for ”Vegetable barley soup with the taste of little India" on page 89.

"River Cottage Veg Everyday" - Soup, Aubergines, Radishes & A Nomination for a James Beard Award

For today´s recipes in my River Cottage Veg Everyday series, I chose the "Creamy mushroom soup", a rich, earthy flavored soup, “Roasted aubergine boats”, that I served with thick Greek yogurt and a wild garlic pesto, and “Radishes with butter and salt” a colorful, springtime appetizer. All these wonderful dishes are part of my sixteenth post in my series.

Let me take the opportunity to mention that River Cottage Veg Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has been nominated for a James Beard Award! The awards cover all aspects of the industry and are the highest honor for food and beverage professionals. River Cottage Veg Everyday has been nominated for the Vegetarian category called “Vegetable Focused and Vegetarian”. In 2012, the book was already chosen as winner of Best Cookbook at the Observer Food Monthly Awards.

The awards are presented each spring at the Lincoln Center and past winners of the James Beard Awards include Nigel Slater and Yotam Ottolenghi. Read more about the award and the full shortlist here.

River Cottage Veg Everyday is divided into twelve manageable chapters, with the following short and clear titles: Comfort food & feasts, Hearty salads, Raw assemblies, Hefty soups, Bready things, Store-cupboard suppers, Pasta & rice, Mezze & tapas, Roast, grill & barbecue, Side dishes, Store cupboard, and Veg on the go. The chapters are therefore divided by method of preparation rather than by season, ingredient or, course.

The book includes over 200 recipes, such as Chard and new potato curry, Rocket, fennel and puy lentil salad, Beetroot with walnuts and cumin, Cucumber and lettuce vichyssoise, Magic bread dough, Caponata, and Spiced spinach and potatoes.

All recipes can be easily prepared as the recipes are precise and clear and never longer than a page. For each dish there is a recipe page with a short introduction and then there is always also a picture page.  Personally, I enjoy looking at the picture while reading through the recipe, the pictures are meant as guides and looking at them gives me a better feel for a recipe and thereby speeds up the preparation process as I do not have to figure out how a finished dish might look like.

It is quite possible to use the book as a reference book while putting together a shopping list, I always find a vegetable side dish or main dish that I want to try, as the book is full of new and fresh ideas on how to prepare vegetables in new ways as well as in updated traditional ways.

The ingredients that are required for the various dishes can easily be found at the greengrocers, farmers´ markets and in stores around here. When choosing a recipe, I always make sure to stay true to my personal credo of “cooking as seasonal as possible and with as many regionally available products as possible”, that way, finding the vegetables and herbs that I need for a dish, has always been rather hassle-free.

Let´s not forget that the recipes that I have prepared so far, have all proven to be rather “family-friendly”. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you might have noticed that I do not have a shortage of taste testers at home, the youngest being five years old. While some recipes meet with a bit more enthusiasm than others, they have all been received rather well. I consider this aspect to be another big advantage of this book – the reality of life is that I cook for a family and I am as quite pleased when I have a cookbook such as this one with lots of healthy and delicious recipes that will appeal to adults as well as children.

“Call me power-crazed, but I`m trying to change your life here. The object of the exercise is, unambiguously, to persuade you to eat more vegetables. Many more vegetables. Perhaps even to make veg the mainstay of your daily cooking. And therefore, by implication, to eat less meat, maybe a lot less meat, and maybe a bit less fish too. Why? We need to eat more vegetables and less flesh, because vegetables are the foods that do us the most good, and our planet the least harm.” (Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall)

So, of course, I am keeping my fingers crossed for that well-deserved award but no matter whether this book will win in its category or not, it is one of my personal favorite, everyday, go-to, family-friendly vegetable cookbooks these days. And I will continue my series on the recipes and cook my way through the book. Anyone out there care to join me in my quest – that would be quite nice!

If you own the English edition of this vegetable cookbook by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, called "River Cottage Veg Everyday", you will find the recipe for the “Creamy mushroom soup” on page 152  in the chapter on “Hefty soups”. The recipe for “Roasted aubergine boats” can be found on page 344 in the chapter on "Roast, grill & barbecue" and the recipe for “Radishes with butter and salt” on page 102 in the chapter on “Raw assemblies”.

Please take a look at the other posts from my "River Cottage Veg Everyday" series.

FFwD - Scallop and onion tartes fines

Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is “Scallop and onion tartes fines” – puff pastry tarts topped with caramely slow-cooked onions and slices of sweet-briny scallops.

Around here scallops are called “Jakobsmuscheln” and the French call them “coquilles saint-jacques” – both names translate to “James mussels”, making reference to the fact that the scallop shell is the traditional emblem of  Saint James, and is popular with pilgrims on the Way of Saint James to the apostle's shrine at Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Spain). Medieval Christians making the pilgrimage to his shrine often wore a scallop shell symbol on their hat or clothes. What a nice name for such a delicious shellfish.

During our recent trip to Antwerp, Belgium, we visited a beautifully renovated Chapel and marveled at this colorful church window with a picture of Saint James wearing a cloak adorned with two Saint James mussel shells.

Onto today´s interesting recipe, which was inspired by puff pastry tarts served at Yves Camborde´s world-famous Paris bistro "Le Comptoir".

There are a number of different elements to these tarts that are best served while still warm.

To make the base for these tarts, you start off by cutting circles from ready-made puff pastry and baking them in the oven for about 15 minutes with a baking sheet to weigh them down. Dorie´s recipe calls for circles with about six inches in diameter, I went with three inches and served these tarts as appetizers.

For the topping you cook some bacon until it is crisp and then cut it into slices or cubes. Then you caramelize some onions (I used French shallots instead) for about twenty minutes and add the bacon to the onions. You top the puff-pastry rounds with the onion mixture and arrange thinly sliced scallops on top. Add some freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle with some lovely sea salt, and drizzle with some really good-quality olive oil. Leave the tarts for three to four minutes in the oven – just long enough to warm the scallops.

Scallops are an expensive but delicious shellfish with a delicate taste, available in a range of sizes. Scallops have two fan-shaped shells which contain rounds of firm white flesh, sometimes with the edible cream and orange coral (or roe) attached. Scallops can be steamed, fried or grilled but should be cooked gently and only for a very short time or their delicate flavor and texture will be spoiled. Take care not to over-cook them, they should be served as soon as they are firm and opaque. So the short time that these tarts stay in the oven is just perfect, five minutes were just enough to warm the scaollops in the most gentle of ways and bring out their natural salty-sweetness.

We all really liked this recipe – young taste testers included. The combination of the sweet caramelized shallots, the saltiness of the bacon, the crispy puff-pastry base and the tender slices of scallops were absolutely delicious – certainly a recipe worth making again.

To see how much the other members of the French Fridays with Dorie group enjoyed today´s recipe, please click here.

If you happen to own Dorie Greenspan´s book “Around my French Table”, you will find the recipe for “Scallop and onion tartes fines” on pages 168-69.