Scallops on a Parmesan biscuit

For the Parmesan biscuit:
70g of shredded Parmesan
70g of butter
70g of flour

6 scallops
100g cream cheese or light cream cheese
Chives to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of red pimento

To make the biscuits:

-by hand, mix the softened butter (not melted) with the flour until the dough is soft and uniform
-shape the dough into a roll and cover it with plastic wrap (see photo)
-place it in the fridge for an hour
-when the dough is ready, heat the oven to 350°F
-cut the roll into slices a little less thick than a centimeter
-leave them in the oven until they're golden
-put them to the side

To make the cream cheese layer:

-soften the cream cheese (I like Trader Joe's Light Cream Cheese)

-add the chives and pimento

-add salt a pepper to taste

-place a layer of the mixture on each biscuit

To make the scallops:

-heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan

-add the 6 scallops

-cook them until golden (about 1-1.5 minutes on each side)

-cut them in half horizontally

Last step!

-place the scallops on top of the cream cheese layer

-Enjoy!!!

Chocolate mousse delicieuse

4 eggs

200 grams (7 oz.) of milk or dark chocolate 

50 grams (3.5 tablespoons) salted butter 

1 tablespoon of cottage cheese or sour cream (more or less light ...)

Melt chocolate in double boiler with butter. If you’re using milk chocolate, don’t add anything. If you’re using dark chocolate, add cream. 
Once melted, put it in a large bowl. 
Separate egg whites from yolks. 
Beat the egg whites with an electric beater until it is firm. 
Add two big spoons of whites to the chocolate and mix very delicately, continue in the same way until the whites are entirely mixed. 
For best mixing turn under, over, under, over. You can keep the mixture in the bowl and you will serve on plates or you can put it in individual glasses. 
Place it in the refrigerator at least 6 hours. 

Mmmm, a good chocolate mousse and easy to make!

Zucchini Penne with Goat Cheese Sauce Recipe

For a dinner of 4 people :

2 small zucchinis 160 gr (6oz.) of fresh goat cheese

2 tablespoons of creme fraiche

400 g (around 14 oz.) of good quality penne pasta

150 g (5.3 oz.) fresh goat cheese

6 chives

30 g (1 oz.) of pine nuts

Salt and pepper

A pinch of nutmeg

Optional : coarsely grated Parmesan

Boil salted water for the zucchinis. 
Wash and cut zucchinis in half lengthwise and then slice them. Dip the zucchini in boiling water for one minute. 
Drain them but keep the hot water. Put it to the side.
Cook the penne in the boiling water (add more water if necessary. Wash and chop the chives. 
In a bowl, mash the goat cheese and the creme fresh.  
In a saucepan, heat the goat cheese and creme fresh mixture. When the mixture is smooth, add pepper, and then remove from heat.  
Add the chives and the nutmeg. 
Put this to the side.Drain the pasta. 
Return it to saucepan with the goat cheese mixture and zucchini. Heat 2 minutes. 
Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. 

Add to every plate the pine nuts and some coarsely grated parmesan. 

Recipe from the magazine  Le figaro madame, with some personal additions.  

Strawberry Soup

For the strawberry soup :
2 buckets of strawberry
20 gr of sugar
1 vanilla bean

For the whipped cream :
2 big table spoon of creme fraiche
10 cl of milk
1 table spoon of powdered sugar


Wash the strawberries and remove the green part and put them in a large bowl that can go over a pot. Add the sugar and the vanilla and cover with a film. 

Put the pot for 20 minutes over the boiled water. 

When the 20 minutes are done, mix the strawberry until it looks like a soup.
Place it in the fridge.

Whipped cream : 

If you want to be sure to have a perfect one, put your metal pot and the mixer utensils in the fridge one hour before doing it. 

Put the creme fraiche and the milk in the pot.

Mix in with an eclectic mixer: when it begins to rise, add the sugar and continue mixing. When it’s done put the mixture in the fridge. 

To serve, put one big table spoon of whipped cream in every cup of strawberry soup. It’s delicious!

Beef Puff Pastry

1 puff pastry
1 trussed beef (a tender piece best; i.e. filet mignon)
200 gr (7 ounces) of mushrooms
1 onion
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 egg 
1 teaspoon of milk
Salt and pepper
Rinse the mushrooms and cut them. Cut the onions.
Mix the onions and mushroom until it looks like a sauce. While it's mixing, put the beef in a friying pan with one spoon of olive oil and make sure it is browned on both sides. Put it to the side and wait for it to be cool.
Take your mushroom mixture and put it in a friying pan with the second spoon of olive oil.
Cook it for 15 minutes at medium temperature. Put it away.
Separate the egg whites from the yolk.
Unroll your puff pastry on the oven rack. Using a brush, moisten around the pastry with the egg whites.
Put 3/4 of the sauce in the middle of the pastry.
Put the beef on the top of it. Cover the beef with the rest of the sauce.
Cover the beef with the puff pastry, making sure it is well closed. 
Using a brush, cover the pastry with the egg yolk plus milk.Cook it in the oven at 400 degres during 35 / 40 minutes depending on how you like the meat cooked.  A potato puree or French fries make excellent accompaniments. 

Burger aux St. Jacques

2 good hamburger buns

2 or 4 scallops (in function of the scallops' size)

4 big pieces of Pecorino Toscano

Lettuce (roquette or Iceberg)

a teaspoon of butter

Cut the hamburger buns in two and put the pieces of cheese on the buns.  Put the buns in the over for a few minutes to toast them.  (Check it sometimes so it doesn't burn).

While you're doing that, in a frying pan, cook the scallops in the butter during one minute on each side (more if you like it more cooked).

Place the scallops on top of the Pecorino Toscano, add some lettuce, and close the burger with a wood stick.

Mmmhh, it's delicious with French fries...

(adapted from a Grazia Magazine recipe)

Delicious Beef Bourguignon

700 g of beef

100 g of lardon (bacon will suffice - cut the bacon into small pieces)

50 g of butter

60 g of onions

200 g of mushrooms

4 large carrots, chopped into pieces

30 g of flour

3 decaliters of red wine

3 decaliters of vegetable bouillon

Thyme, rosemary, etc. 

Cut the beef in pieces

Melt the butter

Add the onions and lardons to the skillet

After briefly frying the onions and lardons, remove them from the skillet and put them to the side

Put the meat in the skillet in the onion/lardon juice (or in a le creuset-style pot)

Add the flower to the meat and brown the meat (remove any juice that comes from the browning meat); add the bouillon

Add the lardons, onions, red wine and carrots, and season with the thyme and rosemary

Cook gently for 3 to 4 hours (or more)

30 minutes before serving, add the chopped mushrooms in small pieces.
The sauce will be somewhat thick at this point.  The meat will be deliciously tender.