The Lit tle Pari s Kitchen

120 Simple bu t Cla ssic Fr ench Recipes

Rachel Khoo
W i th photogr aphs by David Lof tus and illus tr ations by R achel K hoo

First published in the United States of America in 2012 by Chronicle Books LLC. First published in the United Kingdom in 2012 by Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Books. Text copyright 2012 by Rachel Khoo. Photographs copyright 2012 by David Loftus. Illustrations copyright 2012 by Rachel Khoo. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available. ISBN 978-1-4521-1343-2 Manufactured in Germany Prop styling by Elodie Rambaud. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Chronicle Books LLC 680 Second Street San Francisco, California 94107 www.chroniclebooks.com

Introduction 6 Everyday Cooking 10 Snack Time 70 Summer Picnics 98 Aperitifs 124 Dinner with Friends and Family 152 Sweet Treats 210 French Basics 266 Cooks Notes 276 My Paris addresses 278 Index 280 Acknowledgments 287

S E R V E S 4 A S A S TA R T E R O R 2 A S A M A I N C O U R S E

Lentilles du Puy avec un fromage de chvre, betteraves et une vinaigrette daneth

P u y l e n t i l s a l a d w i t h g o a t s c h e e s e , beets, and a dill vinaigrette
Lentilles du Puy are grown in the sunny, volcanic Auvergne. The hot climate and mineral-rich soil give them a unique taste and texture, and they are known in France as poor mans caviar. They contain less starch than ordinary green lentils, so they hold their shape better: no mushy lentilles du Puy. Traditionally they are boiled in water, then fried with some chopped onion and lardons. I tend to improvise with ingredients I have in the fridge: they make a fine accompaniment to almost anything.
For the dill vinaigrette: bunch of dill 2 tbsp sunflower oil 2 tbsp white wine vinegar salt a pinch of sugar 1 cup Puy lentils 1 bay leaf 1 sprig of thyme salt and pepper 1 cooked beet, peeled a handful of baby salad leaves (optional) 7 oz fresh soft goats cheese* extra virgin olive oil

Whizz the dill (stalks included) in a blender with the oil, vinegar, tsp salt, and the sugar. Taste and add more salt if desired.
TO MAKE THE VINAIGRET TE:

Wash the lentils in cold running water, then put them into a large pot with the bay leaf, thyme, and a generous pinch of salt. Cover the lentils with at least double their volume of boiling water and cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Use a mandoline or a sharp knife to thinly slice the beet. Drain the lentils and discard the bay leaf and thyme. Divide the lentils equally between individual plates (or you could use a large serving dish) and scatter over the salad leaves (if using). Place the beet slices on top and crumble over the goats cheese. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and a little olive oil, and finish with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. * If you prefer a stronger-tasting cheese, try feta or a hard goats cheese.

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 1520 minutes

E V E RY D AY C O O K I N G

15

SERVES 6 8

Quatre-quarts aux agrumes

Citrus fruit cake
Quatre-quarts is the French equivalent of pound cake. Its a recipe that most French cooks know of by heart because its so simple to remember. As its name suggests, it has four main ingredients (flour, sugar, eggs, and butter). Cest tout!
4 eggs 1 cups superfine sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour a pinch of salt finely grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange 1 tsp baking powder 1 cup butter, melted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 350F and butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Separate the eggs. In a bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks with half of the sugar. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks and the other half of the sugar until thick and pale in color. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, zest, and baking powder together. Fold the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then pour in the melted and cooled butter, stirring gently until the butter is just incorporated into the mix. Finally, carefully fold in the egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then bake for 3540 minutes or until the point of a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center. The cake is best eaten the same day, but it will keep in an airtight container for a day or two.

Preparation time: 20 minutes Baking time: 3540 minutes

SNACK TIME

91