The Little Paris Kitchen (4 page)

This is a pretty classy way to serve a humble poached egg for an indulgent brunch or starter for lunch. Both the sauce and the eggs can be prepared a day in advance.

SERVES 4 AS A STARTER

For the red wine sauce:
*
1 onion, finely chopped • 1 stick of celery, finely chopped • 1 carrot, finely chopped • 1 oz lardons or cubes of smoked bacon • 2 tbsp butter • ¼ cup all-purpose flour • 2 cups veal or beef stock, warm • 1 tbsp tomato paste • ¾ cup red wine • 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley stalks, peppercorns)

• 4 fresh eggs
**
• a couple of drops of vinegar • toast for serving

TO MAKE THE SAUCE:
Fry the vegetables and lardons on a medium heat until golden. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon, then add the butter. Melt over a medium heat, sprinkle in the flour, and stir constantly until it turns an almost Coca-Cola color. Turn the heat down to low and slowly pour in the warm stock, whisking energetically. Add the tomato paste and wine and whisk until the paste has dissolved. Pop the fried vegetables and lardons back into the pan, add the bouquet garni, and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Pour the sauce through a sieve and taste for seasoning, then pour into a clean pan and gently heat through.

Meanwhile, pour water into a deep, wide frying pan until about 3¼ inches deep and bring to a boil. Crack each egg into a ramekin or cup and add a drop of vinegar. Whisk the boiling water vigorously before quickly slipping in the eggs one after the other. Turn the heat down and simmer for 3–4 minutes or until the yolks are just set and slightly soft.

Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and serve on hot toast, with the sauce poured over and around.
***

Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes

Two main ingredients—eggs and crème fraîche—are all you need for this super-simple yet very tasty dish. You can glam it up with a drizzle of truffle oil at the end if you like, or with a few thin shavings of real truffle.

I usually take a look in my fridge and throw in whatever I find suitable (which is almost anything savory). Serve with plenty of crusty bread or, for a gluten-free alternative, try steamed asparagus, raw carrot, bell pepper, or cucumber sticks.

Traditionally ramekins are used for baking
oeufs en cocotte
, but I make mine in teacups to add a little British touch to this classic French dish.

SERVES 4 AS A STARTER

•
⅔
cup crème fraîche
*
• salt and pepper • nutmeg • a handful of chopped dill
**
• 4 eggs • red lumpfish roe • small sprigs of dill

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Season the crème fraîche with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Place a heaped tablespoon of crème fraîche in the bottom of a ramekin, followed by a little dill. Crack an egg on top, add a second tbsp of crème fraîche, and sprinkle with a pinch each of salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Repeat with three more ramekins.

Place the ramekins in a baking dish and pour enough lukewarm water into the dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 15 minutes or until the egg yolks are set to your liking.

If you like, finish each serving with a teaspoon of red lumpfish roe and a sprig or two of dill.

Preparation time: 10 minutes Baking time: 15 minutes

The Basque region in the western Pyrenees has a strong identity, which is reflected in its food. In
piperade
, the colors of tomatoes, green bell pepper, and onion represent the red, green, and white of the Basque flag.

Traditionally,
piperade
is made with eggs that are simply scrambled into the dish, but I like to go the extra mile and serve it as a fluffy soufflé omelette.

SERVES 2 AS A STARTER OR I AS A LIGHT LUNCH

For the
piperade
:
2 tbsp olive oil • 1 clove of garlic, crushed to a paste • 1 onion, thinly sliced • 1 sprig of thyme • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced • ½ tsp ground Espelette pepper
*
or a pinch of regular chile powder • 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped • a pinch of sugar • salt

For the soufflé omelette:
4 eggs, separated • a pinch of salt • 1 tbsp butter

TO MAKE THE
PIPERADE
:
**
Place a large nonstick pan on a medium heat and put the olive oil, garlic, onion, and thyme into the pan. When the onion begins to soften, throw in the bell pepper, Espelette pepper, and tomatoes. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the bell pepper is soft.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F and make the soufflé omelette. Put the egg whites and salt into a bowl and beat until stiff. In a separate large bowl, beat the egg yolks for a minute. Fold half the egg whites into the egg yolks until evenly incorporated, then fold in the rest.

Place a large nonstick frying pan (that can go in the oven) on a medium heat. Melt the butter until it begins to sizzle, then pour in the eggs and spread them quickly with a palette knife to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook for 3–4 minutes, then place in the oven and bake for 4 minutes.

To serve, loosen the omelette from the bottom of the pan with the palette knife. Invert a large plate on top of the pan, then turn the pan and plate over so the omelette comes out on the plate. Remove the sprig of thyme from the piperade, add the sugar, and taste for salt. Spread the
piperade
on top of the omelette and serve immediately.

Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes

Soup is not just for cold winter nights, it's great for hot summer days, too.
Soupe au pistou
, from Provence, is jam-packed with summer vegetables and is served with a sauce—the
pistou
part.
Pistou
is a distant relative of the Italian pesto, except that
pistou
traditionally has no pine nuts or Parmesan cheese (the word originates from the Provençal dialect and means
pounded
). If you don't have a mortar and pestle for the pounding, some simple whizzing in a blender will give you a pretty good result, too. Maybe the modern version should be called
soupe au whizzou
?

SERVES 4–6 AS A MAIN COURSE

For a classic pistou:
1 bunch of basil • 3 cloves of garlic • 3–4 tbsp good extra virgin olive oil

For a Vietnamese pistou:
1 bunch of Vietnamese basil • 1 stalk of lemongrass, roughly chopped • ½ small red chile, seeded • 5 tbsp sunflower oil

• 3 tbsp olive oil • 2 onions, diced • 4 cloves of garlic, crushed to a paste • 1 sprig of thyme • 2 bay leaves • 4 tbsp tomato paste • 2 carrots, diced • 2 zucchini, diced • 7 oz green beans, quartered • 14-oz can white beans (e.g., haricots blancs, cannellini), drained and rinsed • 2 qt boiling water • 1 tbsp salt • a pinch of sugar • pepper •
⅔
cup dried pasta (a small variety like orzo) • 1¼ cups fresh or frozen peas

To make a
pistou
, simply pound the ingredients to a smooth paste (or whizz in a blender).

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the thyme, bay leaves, tomato paste, carrots, and zucchini, then cook for 15–20 minutes or until the vegetables are al dente (tender but still a little crunchy). Add the green and white beans with the boiling water and bring to a boil, then add the pasta and peas. Cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Remove the sprig of thyme and the bay leaves, then add the salt and sugar and season with pepper. Serve immediately, with a dollop of the
pistou
.

This spicy
pistou
is a homage to Le Grain de Riz, one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants in Paris (if you can call it a restaurant—it only seats 12 people). When Vietnam was a French colony, the Vietnamese adopted the baguette, and a popular snack is
bánh mì
, a baguette filled with mayonnaise, various pickled vegetables, and grilled meat. Now it seems the tables have turned, and the Vietnamese community in France is influencing the French culinary scene with cheap and cheerful
cantines
popping up everywhere.

Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 35
–
40 minutes