So Frenchy, So Chic

Last night Leon and I hosted a lovely dinner party with friends, and it was great, although there was a touch too much wine imbibed! Sore heads all round today!

La Menu:

Starter:
Prosciutto
Olives
Tomatoes a la Leon

Main:

Roast beef
Sauteed carrots and beans
Pommes Duaphinoise
Roast shallots

Dessert:

Creme Brulee

La Recipes:

Tomatoes a la Leon


Pommes Dauphinoise

200 ml cream
3 garlic cloves
3 sprigs of thyme
6 potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin slices
1/3 cup grated gruyere and parmesan cheese, mixed
1 tbs extra cheese
salt and pepper
dash olive oil

Preheat oven to 190C.
Put the cream, garlic and thyme in a saucepan over low heat and gently simmer for about 5 minutes. Sieve and let it infuse until needed.
Grease a small roasting dish, about 15cm x 20cm x 4 cm, and place a layer of the sliced potato on the bottom. Top with some cheese and drizzle on some of the cream. Repeat until done then cover with foil.
Bake for 30 mins, then crank the heat up to 220C, remove the foil and sprinkle the top with cheese and bake until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
Manget!

Creme Brulee

350 ml cream
125 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
7 egg yolks
1/3 cup caster sugar
extra sugar

Preheat oven to 110C and place 6 150ml ramekins in a roasting tray. Fill it with water halfway up the dish.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, milk and vanilla. Gently bring to the boil then remove from heat to cool. It needs to be really cool so you don't end up with scrambled eggs. I like to pour the mixture into a jug and put the jug in a bowl of iced water.


Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Once the cream mix is cooled right down, gradually add it to the eggs, stirring very gently so that there is no froth.


Pour your mixture evenly into the ramekins and bake for about 40 minutes, or until just set. Once cooked, they need to rest for at least 2 hours or can be refrigerated overnight.






Just before serving, heat your grill to the highest setting and sprinkle the brulees with an even thin layer of the extra sugar. Bake on the top shelf for a few minutes but watch them to make sure they don't burn. Let them rest for about 5 minutes. The result should be a hard caramelized layer on the top that gives a satisfying 'crack' whe you hit it with a spoon! Yummy!


The meal: