Food, travel and photography

Category: Main courses

Mint and cucumber mousse

Mint and cucumber mousse

You’ll need French fromage blanc to make this recipe. If you don’t have any you can use Greek Style Natural Yogurt.

Tomato crumble

Tomato crumble

Adeline Brousse who created this delicious recipe I found in a magazine years ago, gave me her go to publish my own version of her recipe. Many thanks to her. Adeline is a French journalist specialized in gastronomy and wine.

Lamb pear and prune tajine

Lamb pear and prune tajine

This recipe originating from Northern Africa is absolutely delicious and frankly easy to make. You may even give it a personal touch by adding almonds, pine nuts, or a little bit of honey, as the ingredients and spices differ from one region to another.

French mussels curry

French mussels curry

This family recipe is easy to make and simply delicious. Known to be highly iodized and fleshy, these shellfish are rich in protein, calcium and iron; to benefit from all the richness, they should be cooked just before eaten. Mussels from the French Atlantic or 

French Beurre Blanc my Way (butter sauce)

French Beurre Blanc my Way (butter sauce)

Champagne and shallots are the prime ingredients used in this recipe to flavour this butter sauce. White wine is also often used in this classic French cuisine recipe too … Don’t hesitate to try it!

Cullen Skink

Cullen Skink

Cullen is a small town in Northeast Scotland and the home of one of Scotland’s most famous dishes, Cullen Skink. It is a hardy soup and traditionally made with Finnan haddock (smoked haddock), potatoes, and leeks. It may be served with nice and thick buttered 

Christine’s ginger salad

Christine’s ginger salad

Christine likes it with more ginger, but Caroline and I found the ginger quantity used sufficient. It will be up to you to adapt to your taste. Ginger root is a fabulous antioxidant. When raw it is a great source of manganese and copper. The 

Gary’s grilled ribs

Gary’s grilled ribs

We tasted the ribs in different sauces before finding the right recipe that comes directly from North Carolina. The ribs are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside…Mmmmm! Obviously, we eat them with our fingers and can eat them pretty much anywhere! Thanks 

Lemongrass Scallops Skewers with Creamy Rice & Passion Fruit Sauce

Lemongrass Scallops Skewers with Creamy Rice & Passion Fruit Sauce

This is a real Chef’s recipe which I made adjustments to. I would like to address my very special thanks to the team of cuisine teachers from the Professional Cooking High School Escofier for letting me publish their recipe on my blog. You may find it on Page 25 

Karin’s crab meat and brandy o’gratin

Karin’s crab meat and brandy o’gratin

If you use light cream the dish turns out perfectly too. Karin likes to use chunks of crab rather than crumbs… As a starter this quantity is for 6 to 7 guests. As a main dish it serves 4 to 6 people.

French fondue savoyarde

French fondue savoyarde

I have been making this fondue for years. The secret to the perfect dish is to use good quality cheeses. A good quality genuine bread  bought one or two days in advance is important too… This way the bread will have time to dry out just enough to 

christine’s mango avocado and shrimp salad

christine’s mango avocado and shrimp salad

This salad is an all-time winner in our family. It is nutritious and well balanced and may well be considered a full meal in the summer. If you plan to serve it as a lighter starter, don’t use so much vinaigrette dressing and don’t use 

Cauliflower O’gratin

Cauliflower O’gratin

The size of a cauliflower may sometimes stop you from choosing to buy it especially if there aren’t so many people in your household. Do not let yourself be impressed as there are many delicious ways to eat it, including raw or in a salad! 

Maryse’s Veal Stew

Maryse’s Veal Stew

When you go grocery shopping, let your butcher know if you prefer fatty or lean meat. He will advise and help choose the pieces that suit your taste. I have tried the recipe with only one can of tomatoes and it was delicious too. Better if the 

scallops with parma ham

scallops with parma ham

Tender, succulent, surprisingly very easy to cook, these scallops with parma ham are ready in 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Beef tataki my way

Beef tataki my way

I usually serve this beef tataki dish with grilled mushrooms and zucchini, Japanese rice or a green salad.

Zaatar beetroot & yogurt spread

Zaatar beetroot & yogurt spread

For an elegant presentation, top with sunflower young leaves or any other ingredient baring the colour you wish to decorate your colourful spread. Special thanks to Chrystele who had me discover this delicious recipe created by the famous Yotam Ottolenghi.

Asmaa’s smocked aubergine spread

Asmaa’s smocked aubergine spread

This is a Turkish dish turned into a versatile spread that can be used over  bread, blinis, or part of a mezze table. My friend Asmaa is a Natural Chef & Health Food coach. You’ll find her on Instagram. Look for Authentickspoon. We met in 

Armelle’s scallops carpaccio

Armelle’s scallops carpaccio

This recipe was inspired from the 750gr website video on You Tube perfectly filmed and explained by the Chefs Damien and Christophe.

Quinoa Salad with Almond, Feta cheese & Pomegranate

Quinoa Salad with Almond, Feta cheese & Pomegranate

This colorful & energizing dish is inspired from a small recipe book I love : Cantine California by Jordan Feilders. I do want to thank him and his team; I was sincerely moved by their timely response and enthusiasm as we were communicating by mail. The cheeseburger recipe 

cheeseburger my way

cheeseburger my way

This dish is from California and its recipe was inspired by a small recipe book I love named: Jordan Feilders’ California Canteen. Special thanks to him and his team. This recipe served with my Quinoa almond and feta cheese salad is a best seller!

spaghettis carbonara my way

spaghettis carbonara my way

For a quick dinner, it’s a creamy homemade Italian pasta dish.You can use pancetta instead of smoked bacon.

Virginie’s pumpkin and hazelnut cod gratin

Virginie’s pumpkin and hazelnut cod gratin

Don’t hesitate to swap pumpkin for squash (red kuri squash) and to use a spicy olive oil such as the Peperoncino. I tried it too and it was perfect. I also tried with the butternut squash, but was a little disappointed : it tasted a little blend. I should have 

Rosetta’s tuna paccheri

Rosetta’s tuna paccheri

You could save time by placing the cherry tomatoes under the grill in the oven instead of slow baking them for an hour. Just be extra careful not to burn them. And do not cook the tuna and the capers together more than 10 minutes: 

Christine’s lemon and olive chicken tajine

Christine’s lemon and olive chicken tajine

2 hours cooking in a tajine dish. Serve with fresh chopped coriander and accompany with couscous grains.

Anne’s Curry Seafood Salad

Anne’s Curry Seafood Salad

This simple seafood salad means a lot to me : it brings me back to the time I lived in Nouméa, New Caledonia 25 years ago. I used to make this recipe very regularly but that was a long time ago and it took me time 

Accras from Martinique & Thomas’Ti punch

Accras from Martinique & Thomas’Ti punch

It’s really a lot easier than it seems but it involves frying so be careful. Good to know : cod accras are part of the traditional Caribbean cuisine. This dish is generally served  in Martinique as an appetizer with Ti Punch. Thomas’TI Punch is made of 5cl of white 

Homemade gravlax style salmon

Homemade gravlax style salmon

✨It’s a Scandinavian classic dish, thank you Francine for the recipe.✨ You can try it with vodka instead of gin. Many recipes recommend freezing the fish before curing in order to kill any parasites. It makes a stunning party platter if you serve it up appetizer style. For a 

Emily’s dipping sauce

Emily’s dipping sauce

This Nuoc Mām sauce can be kept for three to four weeks in a sealed container in the refrigerator. You can use it with my spring rolls recipe for example.