Cooking in the South of France

Marcia Ochsner

Description

Marcia Ochsner is a Le Cordon Bleu (Paris) alumni with experience in various restaurants and teaching. During the past twenty years, together with her family, she has travelled around the world and lived in many countries, such as Brazil, Germany, Portugal, Malaysia and Australia, but it is with France that she identifies herself. Cooking in her kitchen in the south of France is her passion, which she often does between long walks.

Sujets

• France

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 31 mai 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528960359
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

COOKING IN THE
SOUTH OF FRANCE
An Elegant View on Classic French Dishes
Marcia Öchsner
2019
Recipes and Photos by Marcia Öchsner


COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Copyright © Marcia Öchsner (2019)
The right of Marcia Öchsner to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-52891-302-7 (Paperback)
ISBN 978-1-52891-303-4 (Hardback)
ISBN 978-1-52896-035-9 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
PREFACE
Marcia Öchsner has always been interested in cuisine. Introduced to the culinary arts at a young age, she spent her school holidays working part-time in a family run restaurant in Italy. Talented and extremely passionate about cooking, Marcia decided to learn more. In 2010, she enrolled on a one-week Mediterranean cuisine course at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She was so impressed by the skills learnt, and the quality of the teaching at the school, that she vowed to return and learn more about French techniques. However, the course of life took Marcia to another part of the world. A frequent traveller, Marcia was raised in Brazil and has lived in Europe, Asia and Australia for many years. Eventually, the urge to learn more from talented Le Cordon Bleu Chefs became a must and Marcia decided to take the intensive Cuisine Diploma programme over a period of three years. Top of her class in 2015, Marcia completed Le Cordon Bleu Cuisine Diploma with honours the following year.

Marcia has worked in restaurants, taught private classes and along the way learnt how to produce beautiful photos of food as she travelled the globe. The recipes in this book reflect her wide range of cultural references. The majority are classic French (as she is passionate about France and French cuisine), some of which are given a modern twist, but she also includes a selection with world cuisine influences. Marcia is inspired by the ingredients found near her home in the south of France. This is her first book and we wish her continued success.

Amities gourmands,
Le Cordon Bleu
THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
IN MEMORY of my mother. Who loved me unconditionally.
Who taught me that “love” is the most important ingredient in any recipe.
...
THANKS to my husband, Andreas Öchsner , who has always supported me and believed in me, even when I did not. Thank you for pushing my boundaries.
THANKS to my son, Marco Öchsner , my tough “food critic”, who also helped me with the English text.
THANKS to Lynne Westney, who reviewed this book in a very professional way.
THANKS to Catherine Baschet and Kaye Baudinette for guiding me through the final stages of this project.
























ENTRÉES


COURGETTE FARCIE (Stuffed round courgette)
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS:
Main ingredient:
4 small round courgettes
---
salt and black pepper
Stuffing:
olive oil
200 g minced beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
---
salt and black pepper
1 small red pepper, top, bottom, seeds and white fibrous ribs removed, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves
250 ml beef stock
---
100 g cooked bulgur
PREPARATION:
Stuffing:
Heat a little olive oil in a pan and brown the minced beef. Add the onion, garlic, turmeric, cumin and cayenne pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes over a medium heat, stirring continuously. Season with salt and pepper and add the red pepper, parsley and beef stock. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the cooked bulgur and cook over a low heat until all the liquid has evaporated. Reserve.
Courgette:
Prepare a steamer.
Slice off the tops of the courgettes and, using a melon baller or spoon, hollow out each courgette.
Season the interior with salt and pepper, place upside down in the steamer, with the tops alongside, and steam for 10 minutes.
Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350 ° F).
Stuff the courgettes with the reserved stuffing, cover with their tops and bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot.



PARFAIT DE FOIE GRAS
Serves: 12
Serving suggestion: ideal as an entrée with baguette, or spread on toasted bread or brioche for afternoon tea canapés.
Equipment: a ceramic terrine mould.
INGREDIENTS:
Main ingredient:
500 g foie gras (raw)
Parfait mixture:
500 ml chicken stock
---
20 g butter, to grease the terrine mould
---
150 ml crème fraîche
100 g butter
30 ml Cognac/Armagnac
salt and black pepper
1 tsp sugar
Gelatine coating:
1 gelatine sheet (2 g)
100 ml stock (from the cooked stock above)
1 tsp sugar
salt

PREPARATION:
Parfait de foie gras :
Devein the foie gras, removing all visible veins. Chop into large pieces and reserve.
Bring the chicken stock and foie gras to the boil and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove the foie gras and reserve.
Reserve 100 ml of the cooked stock for the gelatine coating.
Grease a ceramic terrine mould with butter. Reserve.
Place the cooked foie gras, crème fraîche, butter and Cognac/Armagnac in a blender. Season with salt and pepper and add the sugar. Blend to a purée. Transfer the mixture to the greased mould and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Gelatine coating:
After refrigerating the terrine for 2 hours, soak the gelatine sheet in a bowl of cold water.
Bring the reserved stock to the boil and add the sugar, salt and soaked gelatine (only the squeezed sheet). Mix well until smooth. Cool completely, strain and gently pour over the parfait. Refrigerate overnight.



BEEF CARPACCIO with truffles
Serves: 4
Equipment: a mandolin and a 2-3 cm (0.8 in – 1.2 in) pastry cutter.
Tip: can be served with a variety of different vegetables, including those mentioned below.
INGREDIENTS:
Main ingredient:
250 g piece top quality beef fillet, trimmed
Vinaigrette:
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
15 ml vinegar
15 ml lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp sugar
---
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Garnish:
1 small yellow beetroot
1 small daikon radish
1 small summer truffle
Assembly :
fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper
zest of 2 lemons
15 g drained capers
30 g Dijon mustard
chervil leaves and edible flower petals
PREPARATION:
Beef carpaccio:
Wrap the beef tightly in cling film and freeze for 1 hour (this will make it easier to slice). Unwrap the beef and slice it as thinly as possible across the grain of the meat (the knife must be very sharp). Place the slices of beef between 2 sheets of cling film and flatten them out gently, using a rolling pin. Arrange 4 or 5 slices of beef on each serving plate. Reserve. (If you are not going to serve immediately, cover with cling film and refrigerate to avoid discolouration).
Vinaigrette:
Combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Reserve.
Garnish:
Finely slice the yellow beetroot, daikon radish and truffle with a mandolin and, using a pastry cutter, cut each slice into circles of the same diameter (2-3 cm or 0.8 in – 1.2 in). Reserve.
Assembly:
Drizzle a little of the reserved vinaigrette onto the plate with the beef. Season the beef with fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper. Add the lemon zest, capers, and a few dots of mustard. Position the reserved garnish around the beef. Decorate with chervil leaves and edible flower petals.
Serve immediately!





FOIE GRAS & TRUFFLE RAVIOLI with spinach and parsley sauce
Serves: 4
Equipment: a microplane grater, a piping bag and a 4-5 cm (1.6 in - 2 in) pastry cutter.
Tip: double the ingredients and serve as a main course.
INGREDIENTS:
Pasta dough:
3 free-range eggs + 3 egg yolks
250 g extra fine flour (‘00’ grade)
1 tsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
---
1 egg, for egg wash

Filling:
olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
200 g cooked foie gras, chopped into small pieces
15 ml Cognac
20 g truffles, grated using a microplane grater
salt and pepper
Spinach and parsley sauce:
200 g baby spinach leaves
100 g parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
---
olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
---
15 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 tsp butter
Garnish:
100 ml crème fraîche
parsley leaves
truffle, shaved
olive oil
PREPARATION:
Pasta dough:
Combine all the ingredients, excluding the egg wash, in a food processor and knead to form a ball. Wrap in cli