24 March 2025
Tomato tartare, cornichon tapenade
20 March 2025
Slow-fried eggs with porcini sauce
Poaching eggs for more than 2 people is tricky, but restaurant Bouchon du Centre has an easy solution: panfry them ever so slowly on a low heat: in 7 minutes or longer. The white gets firm, the yolk stays runny.
But first soak 25g dried porcini in 125 ml hot water, during 15 mins.
In the meantime finely slice 2 shallots finely and softly sweat them in 25g butter for 6 mins, then add 125 ml white wine, turn up the heat and reduce till 40%.
Use a sieve to transfer the sauce into another pan.
Lift the mushrooms from the liquid and add to the sauce, followed by the water (make sure the tiny dregs stay in de bowl). Softly boil for 5 mins.
Add 100ml double cream and thicken with a tsp (or more) corn flour. Season with salt and pepper.
Finally panfry 4 eggs slowly in 20g butter on a low heat: take your time, 7 mins or more
Season with salt and pepper, serve with toast and dill
17 March 2025
Lamb chapli, labneh and fried rice
Mix 25g cornflour with 2 tbs water in a large bowl until smooth.
Add 250g lamb mince, a coarsely gated small carrot, a halved coarsely grated potato, 1/2 red paprika (finely chopped), 1/2 green paprika (finely chopped), 1/4 red chili (finely chopped), 15g fresh coriander (finely chopped, incl stems), 2 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 small egg (beaten), 1/2 tsp dried mint and 1 tsp ground chili
Season and, using hands, mix well to combine (mixture will be a little sticky). Divide into 6 portions. With oiled hands, roll portions into balls and place on a tray lined with baking paper.. Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up slightly.
Heat a large frypan with 2cm arachide oil over medium heat to 160°C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 3 minutes when the oil is hot enough). Flatten chapli slightly in the palm of your hand, then shallow-fry, in batches if necessary, turning occasionally, for 6-8 minutes until crispy, golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towel and season to taste. Cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Spoon 6 tbs labneh (or thick goat's yoghurt) on 2 plates and top with chapli.
Serve with fried rice, scatter with extra coriander, drizzle with olive oil and serve with lime wedges alongside. Feeds 2
(Here Roya Moeen's original recipe in Delicious magazine)
Follow me on Instagram @peterschoenmaker7 and have a look at my book 'Breakfast in Gascony' on Amazon for your Kindle
15 March 2025
Lamb and beetroot curry
Heat 1 tbsp vegetal oil in a large cast-iron or heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Cook 20 curry leaves for 1-2 minutes until crisp. Set aside on paper towel.
Season 350g lambs neck, cut into 3-4 cm pieces and cook, in batches, for 10 minutes until well browned all over. Set aside. Discard all but 1 tbs fat from pan.
Add a thinly sliced red onion and reduce heat to medium. Stir well, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally at first, but more often as the onion caramelises.
Add 5 crushed garlic cloves, 25g grated ginger, 1 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground turmeric and 3 smashed cardamom pods and stir for 1 minute.
Add 200 ml coconut milk and 150ml water and stir until combined, scraping bottom of pan with a spoon.
Return the lamb to pan with any resting juices and season. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Add 500g peeled smallish beetroots, cut into wedges and 200g rinsed and drained chickpeas and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, for a further 1 hour 30 minutes or until lamb and beetroot are tender when tested with a sharp knife.
Stir through 2 tsp garam masala, then check seasoning.
Sprinkle with crispy curry leaves, top with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and serve with warm naan bread to soak up the sauce. Feeds 2.
(Here Lucy Nunes original recipe in Delicious Magazine)
1 March 2025
Salmon, red curry, Thai basil
Slice 1/2 red onion in half rings and softly fry in 1 tbsp olive oil for a couple of minutes, then add 1 heaped tbsp red curry paste, stir well and fry another minute.
Add 200ml coconut milk, 2 lime leaves, 40 ml water and 125g green beans, cover and softly boil 5 mins.
Boil jasmine rice
Add 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp palm sugar. Stir, cover and softly boil another 5 mins.
In the meantime panfry 2 salmon filets, 200g each, skin side down for 4 mins, till crisp and golden brown.
Add, skin side UP to the curry sauce, cover and boil another 2 mins.. The inside should still be pink
Remove the lime leaves and stir in 2 tbsp thai basil leaves and 2 tbsp coriander leaves.
Start plating with the rice, then the curry and the fish. Serve with extra leaves on top and some sea cucumber, and lime wedges on the side. Feeds 2.
(Here Lucy Nunes original recipe in Delicious Magazine)
Follow me on Instagram @peterschoenmaker7 and have a look at my book 'Breakfast in Gascony' on Amazon for your Kindle