Tag: light

Peppery Beet & Tomato Gazpacho

brasserieI love eating out in France (who wouldn’t?!), especially at lunchtime and preferably at a modest brasserie in a very typical French village, somewhere deep, deep in the French countryside. I do not really enjoy eating at stiff, fancy restaurants where plates are made to resemble works of art. Keep the art for the museums and bring on the real, honest food prepared with love! Though to be perfectly honest, I feel there is much more artistry in a well-made, simple meal than there is in a snobby chef’s masterly food arrangement skills. In fact, I have been moved to tears by a perfectly cooked steak — just as I have by a Rembrandt! And, I have been bored and aggravated to tears while sitting at a pretentious restaurant that served decorative food in tiny portions and where stark faces looked at every move I made, literally following each forkful to my lips. Ugghh…
I recently ate at a restaurant most tourists would pass by (except for coffee or a drink on market day). It’s a hangout for locals run by people some (and, no, I am not one of them) would call ‘arrogant’. Though the restaurant has recently changed management and adopted a new name, not much has really changed. You still have to do your best to get their attention if you want a drink, the locals are still sitting in the exact same spot (God forbid you happen to forget that and take their table — the looks!), and the only thing served from 12-2 p.m. is a straightforward menu du jour consisting of a starter buffet, two main choices and a few dessert options. Don’t even bother asking for a menu. This is it. Take it or leave it.
Never, not once, have I been disappointed. It’s home cooking served with carafes of good local wine, to the sound of French conversation and — sorry — the smell of Gitanes. Because after all, when I go to France, I want to be right in the middle of French culture, trying to blend in as much as possible.
One day, I walked over to the starter buffet and helped myself to a flavorful terrine (with chorizo!), some cold vegetables, grilled aubergine and a verrine of thick, ice cold beet gazpacho. You can see the photo here. Oh the taste in that little glass of soup! It was fragrant, peppery, tangy and just beautiful! I have made beet gazpacho in the past, but it wasn’t as good as the one I had that day. So I took note of what I was tasting and vowed to recreate that recipe when I got home. It’s been gloriously HOT here in the Netherlands — no better time to make it than now! Here’s the recipe, which yes, tastes just like the one I had at that perfect and utterly French restaurant. Enjoy!

Peppery Beet & Tomato Gazpacho
Serves 6-8
beet gazpacho

  • 3 tomatoes
  • 500g cooked, vacuum packed beets (with juice)
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, bruised
  • 1 tsp pink peppercorns. bruised
  • 1 tsp dried coriander
  • 4 tbsps rosé vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp piment d’Espelette
  • 320 ml water (or more, if you like a thinner soup)
  • fleur de sel
  • freshly-cracked pepper 
  • good olive oil, to serve

Make a small X with a sharp knife on the bottom of each tomato, and plunge them in boiling water for 3 minutes. Rinse with cold water, and remove their skins. Chop the tomatoes roughly, and put them in a food processor or blender together with the rest of the ingredients. Blend well but make sure the mixture is still nice and thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning or add extra water if you like. Leave in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and an extra grinding of pepper.

Summer Raspberry & Ham Salad

raspberry saladDuring the warmer months, salads are not only healthy, but also deliciously refreshing. If you allow yourself to be inspired by nature and use fresh ingredients you will see that the variations in taste, color and texture are as big as your imagination. Served with bread and paired with a good wine, they make the perfect light meal.  Pure, fresh and bursting with vitamins!
This salad is truly summer on a plate. The delicate flavor of the baby greens combined with the sweetness of the dressing form the ideal base for the rest of the ingredients: fragrant, crunchy walnuts, crusty bread topped with a creamy layer of grilled goat’s cheese, paper-thin slices of raw ham and as a finishing touch, sunny raspberries.
The salad makes a wonderful, light lunch for two, but you can also offer it as an elegant starter for four.  If you serve the salad as a starter to a barbecue, follow it with a grilled leg of lamb and round off the meal with a creamy dessert such a  crème brulée dusted with a touch of lavender sugar.

Summer Raspberry & Ham Salad
For 2 people (or 4, as a starter)

For the dressing:

  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsps walnut oil
  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 2 tsps honey
  • fleur de sel
  • freshly ground pepper

For the salad:

  • 50g walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 2 slices pain de campagne
  • 4 petits chèvre doux (soft goat’s cheese)
  • 100g mixed baby leaves
  • 100g fresh raspberries
  • 6 slices raw ham (approximately 60g)

Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing in a large bowl until they emulsify.  Roast the walnuts in a dry frying pan until they release their delicious aroma.  This usually takes 2-3 minutes. Spread the goat’s cheese on the slices of bread and place them under a hot grill until the cheese begins to bubble and brown in some places. Place the baby leaves in the bowl with the dressing and toss until each leaf is coated with dressing.  Divide the salad among two plates and sprinkle with the walnuts.  Top with the fresh raspberries and the ham.  Cut each warm slice of bread in half and lay both halves on top of the salad.  Serve immediately, preferably with a lively, aromatic Sancerre.

Strawberry Salad

strawberry saladI love fruit in salads, and strawberries work really well in almost every salad. The following recipe is one of my favorites during picnic season. Just make sure you take the dressing separately in a small jar. The salad is also great as lunch with thick slices of rustic whole-wheat bread and real salted butter.

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