Bacon wrapped Sea Scallops with Salad ... a delicious starter in 30 mn !

" Hi Emilie, how are you ?
- What are you doing tonight ?
-  Nothing ? What ? You invite us for a relax dinner at your house ? Of course we would love to join you !!! We will be to your place in 1 hour !! See you then, merci !"

I am sure you know these kinds of last minute dinners !!

Perfect, I love having friends at home for dinner and I love challenge, but what can I cook for them in less than 1h ??
Which also means, what can I cook that is easy and different than grilling ? - I am a Chef after all ;-)

Let think about it 5 seconds  : it is Summer, I want a light starter, I want to use fresh ingredients and I love Salads.

What about "une Salade de Noix Saint Jacques au Bacon croustillant " ? (a Salad with Sea Scallops wrapped in crispy Bacon) - That is just a DELICIOUS idea !

Let's go shopping : 30mn later, I am back from my favorite Fish Market in Fairfield, CT where I bought big Sea Scallops (4 scallops per person, but you can buy 5 scallops per person if you prefer the "American-size" portions - lol !!!)

You start grilling your Bacon in the oven, you wrapped your Scallops, you put everything in the oven for 10mn ... you check every 5mn to make it is not browning to fast ... Et voila !!!

Olive Oil & Balsamic Dressing (made with 1/3 of Balsamic for 2/3 of Olive Oil) and that's it !!
You just have to dress the plates and say "Bon Appetit" !!!!!!!!

Emilie, your French Chef
http://www.emiliefrenchchef.com/

La recette for 4 persons :

- 16 big Sea Scallops
- 16 slices of Bacon (low sodium)
- Salt, Pepper, fresh Thyme
- Organic Spring Mix Salad
- Balsamic, Olive Oil

Place the slices of bacon on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Start the broiler (on low) and brown the bacon until it starts to be crispy and gold.

Remove from the oven and wait 5mn. Wrap each half in a slice of bacon and close with a toothpick
Brush the skewers with olive oil, and sprinkle salt, pepper and thyme.

Prepare the dressing with 1 spoon of balsamic, 2 spoons of olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme (you can add chopped shallots).

Cook the skewers 8 to 10 minutes on under broiler, turning after 5mn.

When the scallops have a beautiful color and the bacon is crispy, remove from the oven.
Dress you plates with salad, dressing, and put the scallops on the top.
Enjoy with a French Baguette !

Et voila, bon Appetit !!

New generation of Potatoes ... Emilie French Chef's Fries

I am a French woman, I am a Potatoes loveuse , I am a BBQ loveuse but I would feel guilty if I had Potatoes everyday (even if I would love to) !



If eating healthy is necessary, eating tasty is essential !!

Unfortunately, the homemade Fries you can find everywhere can be tasty, but definitely NOT healthy !!

I don't have any deep fryer at home (and don't want to have one). However my fries are always crispy, tasty, with only a splash of Oil !!!

Today is a sunny Sunday day ... and on the menu tonight : ground organic Beef grilled on the BBQ, fresh Salad with Balsamic/Olive Oil ... served with "Frites maison a l'huile de Truffe et au Thym" (delicious homemade Truffle and Rosemary French Fries ...).

A great recipe in 3 quick & easy steps !!

- First, wash and dry the potatoes. Don't peel your potatoes for more taste and crispy !

- Second, cut the potatoes "en allumettes" (shoes string cut). Cut by hand is the way to keep the rustic touch, but you can also use the julienne attachment of your hand-held mandolin or your vegetable slicer (booooh !!)

- Last step, stir carefully the potatoes in the Truffle Oil, Thyme, Salt and Pepper.

  

Put your Truffle Potatoes in the oven for 25mn, and  wait. Just smell the flavor of the Truffle everywhere in your kitchen !!!!

Et voila, bon Appetit !!

Emilie, your French Chef
http://www.emiliefrenchchef.com/

La recette for 4 persons :

- 1 tablespoon of Truffle Oil (black or white) or Olive Oil or a mix of both (that's what I did)

- 2 pounds of a mix Yukon gold Potatoes and Russet

- Thyme (dry or fresh). You can also use (or add) your favorite herbs : Rosemary, Tarragon, Herbes de Provence, Italian Mix etc ....)

- Salt and Pepper

Wash the potatoes and dry them.

Do not peel the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into thin fries (shoe strings)

Preheat oven to 420 ° F.

Using a fork, mix in a large bowl the oil and seasonings. Add the potatoes and toss to coat.

Place the potatoes on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Make sure you have only one layer (do not overlap them).
Bake 15 min. Carefully invert the fries and bake 10 min, until browned.

If you really like the Truffle taste, you can brush your potatoes with cold Truffle Oil just before serving.

Homemade Confiture : happy Gift for happy Birthday !!

!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY !!

Ooooh la la my hubby D. is turning 35 today.

Although I didn't put 35 candles on the cake I organized for him a BIG SURPRISE PARTY with friends : French, American, Russian .... everybody was here!

I offered my friends a little souvenir ... I thought that ot of Homemade Confiture (Jam) would be a yummy idea !!





I decided to prepare a Confiture de Fruits Rouges (Red Berries Confiture) with Cherries, Blueberries, Strawberries and Raspberries. 

After washing the fruits carefully, the fruits were ready to melt slowly with the sugar.
And now, you only have to wait. It is easy, no ??

1 hour later .... hmmm, it smells fruits fruits in all my kitchen ... the Confiture is now ready to go in the pots !!

You will have to wait at least one month before spreading this sweet Confiture on your French Baguette>
One thing : keep the pot far from your kids ;-)

Et Voila, Bon Appetit !!
Emilie, your French Chef
http://www.emiliefrenchchef.com/

Confiture with Strawberry, Cherry, Raspberry and Blueberry
Ingredients for 10 jars (8oz each) :

Strawberry 1.5Lb
Cherry 1.5Lb
Blueberry 1/2Lb
Raspberry 1/2Lb
Sugar 2.5 Lb
The juice of one lemon
200g sugar
1g of pectin

- Wash all the fruits. Coarsely chop the strawberries and pit the cherries.

- Add Strawberries, Raspberries and Cherries in a large pot. Turn to cook on medium heat with sugar and lemon juice until the strawberries pieces are melted, around 35mn. Then add Blueberries. (I like to put the fruits and the sugar in a big bowl and let everything macerate overnight (or 8h).

- Add the pectin previously mixed in hot water and cook about 30mn over low heat, then, after cooking,

- Prepare the jars : I recommend to boil the jam jars and lids and then let them dry up-side down before putting in pot.
- Put all the jars in boiling water a few minutes to sterilize them. Dry meticulously.
- Pour the jars with the Confiture, close immediately with the lids and put them in reverse. Wait until the jam is cool and keep the jars in a cold and dark place (you can also keep it in the refrigerator).
- Allow 2 weeks to 2 months before enjoying !!

Bon Appetit !!

When the Rhubarb meet the Strawberry in a Pie ...

Early June is almost the summer in Connecticut and the strawberries are so sweet !
Rhubarb and strawberry is a perfect connection ... sweet and sour, not to mention the beautiful pink and red color.
I went yesterday to my favorite local Farm and came back home with a bag full of Strawberries and Rhubarb.

What can I do with this : Marmelade ? Jam ? Pie ?
Oh please, said my hubby D. make me a Pie !!!!!

10 minutes later, the KitchenAid was mixing the flour, the butter and the eggs ... the crust was done in few minutes !!!

BTW, I saved the rest of the crust to make individual quiches Lorraine for dinner ... what a good idea ;-)

These fruits taste really like summer ... so yummy !!!!

After 45mn baking ... the result was just perfect ... we can't wait to try it !!

Believe me or not, the Pie was even better the day after !!

Et voila, bon Appetit !
Emilie, your French Chef
http://www.emiliefrenchchef.com/

La Recette of the Rhubarb & Strawberry Pie (Tarte a la Fraise et Rhubarbe)

Ingredients for the crust:

300g flour
a pinch of salt
220g butter
20g sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Ingredients for the filling:

400g rhubarb
500g strawberries
100g sugar
1 egg white

Mix flour, salt and butter in the bowl of a food processor until getting big pieces. Stir in sugar and pour the beaten egg with water and beat until the dough mix before it forms a ball, add water if necessary. little by little !
Knead dough on floured surface and divide it into two so that a piece of dough slightly larger than the other. Wrap each ball in waxed paper and refrigerate one hour.

Remove the ends of the rhubarb stalks, cut into slices an inch. In a skillet, stew the rhubarb with the sugar over medium heat for 15 minutes, add the quartered strawberries. Continue cooking over low heat knew few minutes then let cool.

Flour the work plan, roll the larger piece of dough into you get a circle one with a 1inch diameter bigger than your mold. Place in pan, leaving the banks exceeded. Prick the dough and refrigerate again.

Preheat oven to 180 ° C.

Spread the remaining piece of dough and roll it. Cut into thin strips.

Remove the pan from the refrigerator. Pour stewed fruit on the dough and place the remaining strips of dough over the pie, perpendicular to form a lattice. Close the edges by pinching dough. Brush top of pie with egg white and sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar.
Bake for 35 minutes the dough is golden. Make sure the bottom crust is cooked, or add 10mn. And check.

Let cool. If you prefer it cold (like me), let the pie in the fridgge during 2h minimum before serving.

Welcome to my new French Cooking Blog !

Welcome all Foodies !!

Are you a French food Lover ? Are you a Cook ? Are you a Food Enthousiast ? Are you interested in learning the Secrets of Cooking ? Are you interested in learning how to make easy and tasty Recipes ? Are you ... ?

No matter "what or who you are", we all have at least one good reason to appreciate delicious food !

From now on I want you to appreciate cooking as well.
Keep in mind Cooking is not an Art reserved only to trained Chefs !

My Cooking Classes & Personal Chef services are famous in Connecticut (Trumbull, CT) and adapted to all levels, even for kids.

Visit my website: http://www.emiliefrenchchef.com/ to get more information about my services.

I learned how to cook with my father in Burgundy, France. I took Cooking Classes in Paris, and to me, the most important is that I cook eveyday with passion, with creativity, and always with fun !

Et voila ... Bon Appetit !!!