Warm Starters

Creme de Champignons

This soup will be tastier with some wild mushrooms but it can also be made exclusively from regular mushrooms.

Preparation: 10 Min
Cooking time: 1 h

For 5 persons

Ingredients
250g button mushrooms
250 g cepes (can be replaced by chanterelles or other wild mushrooms)
80cl chicken stock
50 gr shallots
5cl white wine
50 cl double cream
Juice of 1 lemon
50gr butter

Clean the mushrooms and chop them and the shallots finely. Sweat the shallots in butter; deglaze with the white wine. Add the mushrooms, cover and simmer for 10minutes. Then add the stock and leave to simmer for another 45 minutes on a low flame. Blend very well and add the cream. Mix with a whisk. Just before serving, add the lemon juice.

Wonderful, warming and very tasty!

Omelette with cepes

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 to 10 minutes

For 2 persons

4 eggs
20g butter
80g cèpes
20g goose fat
2 large cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt and pepper

Cut the cèpes thinly and sauté them in goose fat till cooked and tender.
Add the finely chopped parsley and garlic.
Beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. In a frying pan, melt the butter and pour the eggs.
Before folding the omelette, add the sautéed cèpes.

Dress on a plate and served with salad of mixed leaves seasoned with walnut oil.

Stuffed Mushrooms with Polenta

Preparation: 20 Min
Cooking time: 20 Min

Serves 2 persons

Ingredients:

4 Portobello mushrooms, stalks removed and chopped
50 g coarse polenta
150 ml water
2 tbsp taragon, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
salt, pepper
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

Place the mushrooms onto a baking tray, drizzle some olive oil and season. Roast for 10 Min.

Heat some olive oil, add the chopped stalks and cook until softened.

Bring water to boil.
Put the polenta in the boiling water and stir continuously for 10 Min until the polenta has thickened.
Take off the heat and add the taragon , garlic and the stalks.

Spoon the polenta mixture onto each mushroom. Drizzle some olive oil and grill for another 10 Min.

To serve, place the mushrooms onto a serving plate on a bed of mix leaves and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.

Potato Rostis

Make them small (taster size) or large (side dish size).

Ingredients

2 yellow flesh potatoes
1 tbsp of finely chopped rosemary
some gram flour- 1 to 2 tbsp depending on potato moisture content
some sunflower oil to shallow fry
salt/ pepper

Peel and finely grate the potatoes. Squeeze all the water out the flesh. Add the rosemary and gram flour a and season. The end mixture should feel fairly dry. Form little patties and shallow fry on each sides.

Squash Fritters

Will make 6 to 8 fritters

Ingredients

250 g of grated squash
Some  flour
Orange zest
1 tsp of crushed cumin
1 egg white
Salt/ peper

Cut the squash and remove the rind. Weight it. Grate the squash finely.
Lightly whish the egg white and fold the flour, add the cumin and season.
Add the squash to the mixture. Spoon it out, slipping each spoonful into the boiling oil to fry.
Drain on a kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt and serve.

Savoury Chouquettes

These lovely choux bites are just perfect as finger food.

Ingredients

• 40 g of butter, cut in small pieces
• 125 ml of water
• 75 g of sifted flour
• 2 eggs
• 40 gr goats’ cheese
• Some finely chopped chive
• Salt/ peper

Preheat the oven to 225C/ Gas 8
In a saucepan heat the water and butter, when the butter has melted and the liquid is boiling remove from the heat and add the flour at once and stir it energetically with a wooden spoon. The mixture must come off the sides of the saucepan and form a dough.
Add one whole egg and beat it further. When the first egg has been incorporated, add the second egg ; the mixture must form a ‘ point’ to the finger and must be homogeneous.
Add the goat cheese the chive and season; mix just enough to incorporate these ingredients.
Line a tray with baking parchment and form choux buns either with a tspoon or a piping bag. Brush each bun with egg wash (whole egg+ a little water:  whisk well). With a wet fork, push down the point of each bun- this will allow each bun to rise evenly- and add a couple of rock salt crystals on top of each bun.
Lower the oven temperature to 200C and bake them for 15 minutes.

Tip: At the end of the cooking time, leave the oven on and open the oven door for 3 to 4 minutes- this will allow the choux to dry and avoid that they deflate.