Cold pea soup, salmon mousse

First we need to cut a big onion, a fennel bulb and 3 garlic cloves and sweat them softly in a bit of oil. In the meantime put 200 gr frozen peas into boiling water and boil for a couple of minutes.
Drain. Mix all ingredients and add enough chicken stock to make a nice thick soup, using a blender.

Then shred 100 grs smoked salmon pp with crême fraiche and a tbsp mayo. Use the blender to make the mousse. Add some finely chopped celery and chives.

Serve as shown at room temperature. Crumble a bit of dried fried onion on top. With some salad leaves or watercress for decoration..

Inspired by Lionel Creteur, Racine Restaurant, Tillac, SW France

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Asparagus, egg sauce, salmon roe

Clarify some butter. Then make a Hollandaise sauce and add a little bit of soy sauce.

Deep fry the asparagus (about 2-3 mins)

Serve as shown, the asparagus sprinkled with some sea salt and topped with salmon roe.

A Nobu recipe, who got the sauce from Dynasty star Linda Evans

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Ravioli of celeriac and goat's cheese

Buy some young, soft goat's cheese. To make it even smoother mix it with cream. Then add a bit of runny honey, very small dices of a celery stick, some spring onion and chives.

Then peel a celeriac and slice it very thin, 1-2 mm.
Boil the celeriac 8-10 mins till soft and almost transparent.

Dressing: whole grain mustard, white wine vinegar, spoonful of orange juice, splash of walnut oil en a good quality olive oil.

Roast some hazelnuts.

Put 1 celeriac circle on a plate, add a spoonful of the cheese mix, cover with celeriac.
Finish with the dressing and  some extra celery and spring onion to have some colour.

Inspiration: Lionel Creteur, restaurant Racine, Golfclub Pallanne, Tillac (SW France)

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Brill, courgette, leek, cauliflower.

Brill (or Griet for my Dutch followers) is one of my favourite fishes. 

Start with the veggies. 
Take about 12 cm of courgette. Slice and cut to make long matchsticks. Do the same with the leek.
Cut some cauliflower 3 mm thick. 

Lightly oil the fish fillets.

Stir-fry the leek/courgette mix in some oil till just soft enough. 
Panfry the cauliflower in butter. Not too soft or they'll fall apart. 

Panfry the fish, skin side down, till crisp. Turn off the heat and flip the fillets over to have the other side done in 2 mins while you start plating.

I was lucky to have some lobster fond in the freezer and stirred in a bit of crême fraiche to make a sauce.

(If you are not so lucky just buy a box of frozen gamba's. Keep the brill till tomorrow and eat the gamba's today, just with some garlic, parsley and olive oil. Then use the heads and shells of the gamba's to make a stock with 2 halved onions, chopped carrots, celery sticks, halved tomatoes, a glass of white wine, a bay leaf and cold water. When done, reduce the stock till thick and sirupy. Tastes as good as lobster. Well, almost.)

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Smoked mackerel, baby beetroots, horseradish creme

Whisk 3 tbs creme fraiche with 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 full tbsp of horseradish.

Cut 2 small gurkins in very small cubes.

Plate with the flakes of smoked mackerel. Add halved baby beetroots. Add gurkin dices and some sauce. Decorate with pee shoots (or water cress)

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Courgette pancake, Brie, warm cherry tomatoes

Put the oven at 180C. Get the Brie out of the fridge.

Grate a courgette (zuchini) and some Parmesan cheese

For 4 pancakes you'll need:
2 cups of grated zucchini, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan, 3/4 cup of flour
Mix well. Add pepper and salt and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg.

Put the cherry tomatoes in the oven for 10-15 mins

Melt butter in a frying pan. Use 3 tbsp of the courgette-mix for 1 pancake
Cook 2 mins per side

Serve as shown, with some chives

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Baby beetroot, puff pastry

The greengrocer had these lovely baby beetroots, smaller than a golfball and I could not resist them.

They were pre-cooked so all I had to do was heat them up. To do that I warmed a bit of butter and a splash of olive oil and added a teaspoon of caster sugar, a splash of apple vinegar, salt and pepper. Halved the beets and warmed them up slowly. Stirring from time to time.

I had put the oven on 185°C and used a saucer to cut 2 rounds out of frozen puff pastry, which I put between to buttered sheets of baking paper. The top layer weighted down with coins, to avoid the dough rising.
This way I baked them for 10 minutes, then removed the coins and top layer of paper and baked for another 8 mins till nice and brown.

In the meantime I made a vinaigrette from a teaspoon of Dyon mustard, a tsp apple vinegar and 5 tbsp olive oil. I cut a shallot finely and did the same with parsley.

In the end I put the hot halved babies on the pastry discs and spooned the vinaigrette and the beet juices over it. 

(inspired by Veg!, Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall)

NB Next time I might use flatbread dough instead of the puff pastry...

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Marinated courgette, mozzarella

Cut the ends of 2 courgettes, then cut them lengthwise in 2 mm thick slices.

Put the courgettes in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil and use a pastry brush to get them all lightly coated.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a fairly high heat. Working in batches, sear the courgette slices for about 2 minutes on each side until tender and golden. Transfer them to a shallow dish.

Take the frying pan off the heat and let it cool down a bit. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, finely sliced garlic and the zest of a lemon. Heat very gently for a few minutes – the residual heat in the pan may be enough – you just want to take the raw edge off the garlic and infuse the flavours into the oil.

Pour the infused oil over the courgettes. Add some salt and pepper, a little squeeze of lemon juice and torn  mint or basil leaves . Toss together, cover and leave for 1 hour at room temperature

Serve with the torn mozzarella scattered over it

(From Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Veg!)

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Chicken fajita for posh people

The best way to eat fajita is with your hands but if you crave decorum and want to use fork and knife, here you go. From top to bottom:

Basil Leaves

Creme fraiche

Red fajita sauce from a jar

Red onions

Avocado

Basil leaves

Grilled paprika

Grilled chicken

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Herring, beetroot salad

In a sense this could be a Thai recipe, combining salt (herring) with sweet (mayo, beetroot) and sour (gurkins, vinegar, capers, Granny Smith)). 

Basic ingredients are equal parts of boiled potatoes and beetroot, in 5x5 mm dices. The dressing is made from mayonaise and horse radish, but I added a little apple vinegar. 

A quarter Granny Smith, finely diced, slices of a shallot, spoonful of capers and finely cut gurkin or cornichons. Spoonfull of dill. 

Mix and taste, leave in the fridge for at least a couple of hours. Taste again, now you can always add more of one of the ingredients. Or if sour is not your favourite use a sweet apple and leave out the vinegar.

Mine was served with samphire. I like the raw, salted herring on top, but others mix the herring with the salad.

Gravlax, samphire, oranges

I was watching the kitchen TV, without the sound, when a chef on 24Kitchen made this. Today I tried to re-create it from memory. 

I started with the sauce by boiling a glass of the juice of a blood-orange and some chickenstock, then reducing it till syrupy. In the meantime I rinsed and boiled the samphire for 3 minutes. Whilst the sauce and veggies cooled down I used a sharp knife to get out the fleshy parts of an orange. Put two slices of salmon (from Lidl, great quality) on plates and served as shown. 

Don't forget to put some sea salt on the oranges. Bon appetite!

Brill, spring veggies, gratin dauphinois

Brill is a ...brilliant fish, like turbot but cheaper. And I got a great tip from the Belgian site een.be to prepare it. 

Pre heat the oven at 160°C. 

Fry the fish, white side down, for 2 minutes in a spoonful of butter. Then turn the fish in the pan and move straight into the oven. For 12 mins. 

That's all folks.

Ceps, parmesan and rocket

Clean and slice the mushrooms, shave the cheese, wash the salad. 

Serve with a good olive oil, some lemon juice and black pepper. 

How simple can it be...

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Carpaccio of watermelon

I used a 10 cm serving ring to cut out round segments from the watermelon

Then sliced them very thinly with the mandoline

Made a dressing from walnut oil, crême of balsamic and olive oil

Served with blue cheese and chives. 

Cold melon soup

This one is very simple folks. 

Cut a nice, ripe melon in 4 quarters. One to make the cute balls, the flesh of the rest to be pureed with the juice of one orange and (the secret)! a splash of pastis. 

Prepare well in advance so you have plenty of time to chill in the fridge. 

Serve with some cured ham. Or not...

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Bruschetta, broad beans, goat's cheese

Delicious bite on a hot summer night.

Use a garlic press and squeeze 1 clove of garlic into some olive oil. Soften on a low heat.

Brush the oil over the bread.

Fry the bread in a dry pan. 

Boil the fresh peas and (double podded) beans 3 mins in unsalted water, then mix with olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and chopped mint.

Crumble the goat's cheese.

Serve as shown

Beetroot Carpaccio

Recently we had lunch at our friends Jappe and Susanna and when she served this I couldn't wait till the beetroots in my garden were ready. 

Today some of them were big enough, so I boiled them for 45 minutes. 

While they were cooling I whipped up a dressing with champagne vinegar, honey, walnut oil, olive oil and salt&pepper. 

Finely sliced a spring onion. Peeled the beetroots under the tap with my thumbs and sliced them very thinly with the mandoline. I arranged them in a circle on a plate. 

Then put the onion, goat's cheese and lightly toasted (in a dry pan) almond slivers over it and finally the dressing.

Download my new book from any Amazon

'A Year in Provence meets Hotel Babylon' (Daily Mail)

Content: House-hunting in Gascony (SW France) is not for the fainthearted as Peter (48) and Jan (45) discover. But they find their dream house. Starting its renovation they not only find an old grenade, but a bunch of secret papers as well. They are shocked being told about a murder in the village, threatened by snakes and other vermin and a mysterious derelict neighbouring farm seems to be booby-trapped, but why? 

Jan wants to convert the house into a small luxury hotel but all Peter wants is a holiday home. Over time Peter’s resistance is eroded. What a woman wants…The house back home is sold, a flat found. They are now in France most of the time. The hotel is in business. Jan has interviewed Yvette, a local girl to help her with the rooms. 

Delayed guests have arrived. Honeymooners. A ghost from the past drops in, Hugo Sanchez, claiming the house is his. Jan kicks out the first guests. New guests arrive, two househunting couples. The males starting a pissing contest. Peter gets his first Ferrari. A French neighbour explains why the British are strange people and that cave people were the first foreigners who came house hunting in France, 25.000 BC. 
Still in bed Peter finally meets Yvette, the new chambermaid. Is the baker’s wife unfaithful? How do the French call gay men? Yvette teaches Peter new techniques…about French bread. Dave, an Englishman pops in to pick Peter’s builders brains. 

Four German guests arrive with quite unusual tastes. Peter makes a shocking discovery in their bedroom. What is Yvette doing in a swingers club? Hugo Sanchez is seen again in the area, but what is he up to? 
Peter misjudges his young American guests. A dog selects a new master. A letter arrives from Spain from the man who claims he is the owner of the house. They learn the most popular word in Ireland. 

A Belgian guest has an unpleasant wake up call. Terrorists are seen in the area. New neighbour Dave dies. Peter checks out a potential terrorists’ lair. A truly international and eventful day in a small Gascon hotel. 
Guests have their car stolen. Dave’s bereaved brother arrives. Pictures of Jan’s interior are taken for Elle Decoration. A fireplace has travelled from Gascony to Amsterdam. and back. New guests are not what they were expected to be. 
Scantily clad models pose around the pool for a glossy magazine photoshoot, soon joined by a naked Yvette. 

Hugo Sanchez takes Peter on his Nazi treasure hunt, to the local graveyard! Then Peter’s biggest secret is revealed. A real Hollywood actress and her baby-faced lover arrive. They are desperate to find out the identity of the famous singer/songwriter is who keeps to his room. Another guest makes a confession that ends the treasure hunt. 

Peter is invited to cook at a Hollywood wedding. A guest smells someone smoking pot and wants some himself. Jan plans a party. A bachelor tells Peter of a very un-orthodox way to find his bride. Somebody gets arrested by the Gendarmerie. Another one marries the wrong bride. An old colleague and his wife stop over. A lone guest discovers an interesting notebook in the library. A hare catches a dog. Eight expats who come for lunch are having severe problems. The party is a huge success but the next day Peter has a total blackout. Is Yvette getting married? 

Warning: although I paid professionals UK editors I'm told the book still has grammatical errors. At the moment corrections are being made. The result will be ready to download on August 5. 

Then download here (or any other Amazon site) to read on your tablet, PC, phone or Kindle:

http://www.amazon.fr/Breakfast-Gascony-English-Peter-Schoenmaker-ebook/dp/B00ZM6G4DE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435161890&sr=8-1&keywords=peter+schoenmaker

Thai beef salad

Salad: Haricots verts, sugar snaps, red onion, red pepper, cucumber and coriander.

Dressing: juice from 1 lime (or 1/2 lemon), 1 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 garlic clove.

That's all folks...

...and the thinly sliced panfried steak of course. As raw as you dare!

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Basque squid stew

As Rick Stein wrote this recipe, the original version comes from Basque fishermen. 
After catching some nice squid they used what they had on board to cook it: a can of tomatoes, some wine and onions. 

On dry land I started with cleaning 2 squid, then cut them into rings and the tentacles in bits and fried that in some oil. 

In the meantime finely cut 4 garlic cloves and 2 onions, one of them red. Fried them with the squid. 

Added a can of tomatoes, a glass of red wine and (because it was just ready) a glass of chicken stock. 

While it simmered I went into the garden for some rosemary and thyme and added lots of white pepper as well. Found a green paprika, sliced it and put it in. 

Simmered the lot for 2 hours. 

Then I came across a small fennel bulb and a stalk of celery. Sliced the fennel with the mandoline very thinly and cut the celery. In they went for just a minute, to give a crispy bite. 

Some leftover shrimps were used for decoration.

Follow me on Instagram: @peterschoenmaker7 and have a look at my Kindle book

 'Breakfast in Gascony" on Amazon