Poulet Harissa Mayonnaise

A take on the traditional poulet roti mayonnaise, the only difference is that we add some harissa to the home-made mayo. Could even be a good quality French or Spanish commercial mayo. If you don't have left-over chicken, some good quality roast chicken slices (thick) works just fine. This with a little green salad, coriander leaves and a mustardy vinaigrette and maybe some pain poilane?

left over roast chicken

harissa (only one brand will do--will confirm)

home-made mayo (with Italian eggs)

1. mix 1 part harissa, 2 parts may (even 1 to 1 if you want it lighter and spicier)
2. put a small ramekin on your plate with chicken, salad, bread etc.

Prosciutto Cotto & Pesto

I made a very nice pesto with some aged pecorino the other day. I cannot believe how tasty pesto and top quality ham is together. Prosciutto has to be cotto.

prosciutto cotto (or Jambon de Paris)

pesto

1. smear pesto on slice of prosciutto
2. roll up, slice into one inch rounds, skewer with toothpicks

Jambon & Fromage Frais

Something I had at a cocktail chez les Penots last night. According to the hostess, these were the ingredients.

best quality jambon de paris

fromage frais

cornichons, chopped

chives

S&P

1. mix everything together and smear on a slice of ham
2. roll up, slice into one inch rounds, skewer with toothpicks

Zabaione Felice

Michelle's delicious zabaione, inspired by Rome's Felice Trattoria and according to Gambero Rosso voted 6th best tiramisu in Italy! But it's not a tiramisu. It's really important to do it with Italian eggs that have the same yolk color as the Blogger logo.

Zabaione

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp fine caster sugar

vanilla extract

1/3 cup double cream

langues du chats - crumbled

top quality espresso

chocolate sauce

85% dark chocolate - 1/2 bar broken

double cream

1. whisk egg yolks, sugar and vanilla extract over simmering water until double in size, up to 15 minutes (don't stop and don't let it boil)
2. remove from heat and continue to whisk in a bowl of ice water or sink filled with a bit of cold water, until it cools off
3. whisk double cream to soft peaks
4. fold into zabaione
5. to assemble, in a wine or martini glass, break up 1/2-1 langue du chat and pour in some espresso that has cooled to room temperature (do not soak or biscuits will disintegrate); fill each glass with zabaione mixture and cover with cling film
6. place in fridge to set at least an hour
7. for chocolate sauce, melt chocolate pieces and double cream (not much) in a double boiler until it becomes a sauce; set aside until cools to room temperature
8. right before serving, drizzle a bit of chocolate sauce on top of each and serve

Treacle-Cured Salmon

Can't wait to make this, stolen from Pascal Aussignac's new cookbook.

500 gr skinned/boned salmon fillet
250 gr coarse sea salt
5 tblsp black treacle

1. sprinkle fish with salt and let chill 2-3 hours in a shallow dish
2. drain, pat dry, cut into 2 cm cubes
3. mix with treacle, marinate 10 minutes, strain again
4. put fish on tray and flash grill for a minute or until charred
5. serve skewered

Regal Shrimp Cocktail

Marie Rose sauce is a very viable alternative to the usual horseradish-spiked sauce!

best quality prawn

home-made mayo (250 ml)

1 tblsp ketchup

1 tblsp worchestershire sauce

1 tblsp cognac

1 tblsp sherry

dash of tobasco

squeeze of lemon

pinch of paprika

1. make the mayo, preferably with Italian eggs
2. stir in other ingredients
3. cook prawns as desired, arrange in a cocktail glass & add sauce

Caesar Wedge

For all of you born-again iceberg lettuce fans. What better way to have it than with some Caesar dressing? The alternative to below recipe, actually, would be to replace the Caesar dressing with the roquefort mousse and lay a sliver of grilled streaky bacon on top.

iceberg lettuce, cut into large (quarter grapefruit size) wedges

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp maille mustard

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

S&P

2 tblsp home-made mayo (or Hellman's if you insist)

3 anchovy fillets

4 tblsp EVOO

1 tblsp parmesan

dash worchestershire sauce

squeeze lemon juice

chives, chopped

1. make dressing by blending garlic, mustard, vinegar, salt to taste
2. add mayo, anchovies, parmesan, EVOO, worchestershire sauce then lemon juice while still blending
3. distribute one wedge per plate and poor lots of the caesar dressing all over the place
4. sprinkle chives generously, a turn or two of the pepper mill