Cooking in the South of France: An Elegant View on Classic French Dishes

By Marcia Öchsner

Marcia Öchsner is a Le Cordon Bleu (Paris) alumni with experience in various restaurants and teaching. During the past twenty years, together with her family, she has travelled around the world and lived in many countries, such as Brazil, Germany, Portugal, Malaysia and Australia, but it is with France that she identifies herself. Cooking in her kitchen in the south of France is her passion, which she often does between long walks.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: May 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781528960359

Marcia Öchsner

Marcia Öchsner is a certified chef de cuisine by Le Cordon Bleu (Paris) with experience in various restaurants and with teaching. During the past twenty years, together with her family, she has travelled around the world and lived in many countries, such as Brazil, Germany, Portugal, Malaysia and Australia, but it is with France that she identifies herself. Cooking in her kitchen in the south of France is her passion and she does it often between long walks.

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ENTRÉES

COURGETTE FARCIE (Stuffed round courgette)

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

Main ingredient:

4 small round courgettes

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salt and black pepper

Stuffing:

olive oil

200 g minced beef

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground cayenne pepper

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salt and black pepper

1 small red pepper, top, bottom, seeds and white fibrous ribs removed, finely chopped

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves

250 ml beef stock

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100 g cooked bulgur

PREPARATION:

Stuffing:

Heat a little olive oil in a pan and brown the minced beef. Add the onion, garlic, turmeric, cumin and cayenne pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes over a medium heat, stirring continuously. Season with salt and pepper and add the red pepper, parsley and beef stock. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the cooked bulgur and cook over a low heat until all the liquid has evaporated. Reserve.

Courgette:

Prepare a steamer.

Slice off the tops of the courgettes and, using a melon baller or spoon, hollow out each courgette.

Season the interior with salt and pepper, place upside down in the steamer, with the tops alongside, and steam for 10 minutes.

Assembly:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

Stuff the courgettes with the reserved stuffing, cover with their tops and bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

PARFAIT DE FOIE GRAS

Serves: 12

Serving suggestion: ideal as an entrée with baguette, or spread on toasted bread or brioche for afternoon tea canapés.

Equipment: a ceramic terrine mould.

INGREDIENTS:

Main ingredient:

500 g foie gras (raw)

Parfait mixture:

500 ml chicken stock

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20 g butter, to grease the terrine mould

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150 ml crème fraîche

100 g butter

30 ml Cognac/Armagnac

salt and black pepper

1 tsp sugar

Gelatine coating:

1 gelatine sheet (2 g)

100 ml stock (from the cooked stock above)

1 tsp sugar

salt

PREPARATION:

Parfait de foie gras:

Devein the foie gras, removing all visible veins. Chop into large pieces and reserve.

Bring the chicken stock and foie gras to the boil and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove the foie gras and reserve.  

Reserve 100 ml of the cooked stock for the gelatine coating.

Grease a ceramic terrine mould with butter. Reserve.

Place the cooked foie gras, crème fraîche, butter and Cognac/Armagnac in a blender. Season with salt and pepper and add the sugar. Blend to a purée. Transfer the mixture to the greased mould and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Gelatine coating:

After refrigerating the terrine for 2 hours, soak the gelatine sheet in a bowl of cold water.

Bring the reserved stock to the boil and add the sugar, salt and soaked gelatine (only the squeezed sheet). Mix well until smooth. Cool completely, strain and gently pour over the parfait. Refrigerate overnight.

BEEF CARPACCIO with truffles

Serves: 4

Equipment: a mandolin and a 2-3 cm (0.8 in – 1.2 in) pastry cutter.

Tip: can be served with a variety of different vegetables, including those mentioned below.

INGREDIENTS:

Main ingredient:

250 g piece top quality beef fillet, trimmed

Vinaigrette:

60 ml extra virgin olive oil

15 ml vinegar

15 ml lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp sugar

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salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:

1 small yellow beetroot

1 small daikon radish

1 small summer truffle

Assembly:

fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper

zest of 2 lemons  

15 g drained capers

30 g Dijon mustard

chervil leaves and edible flower petals

PREPARATION:

Beef carpaccio:

Wrap the beef tightly in cling film and freeze for 1 hour (this will make it easier to slice). Unwrap the beef and slice it as thinly as possible across the grain of the meat (the knife must be very sharp). Place the slices of beef between 2 sheets of cling film and flatten them out gently, using a rolling pin. Arrange 4 or 5 slices of beef on each serving plate. Reserve. (If you are not going to serve immediately, cover with cling film and refrigerate to avoid discolouration).

Vinaigrette:

Combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Reserve.

Garnish:

Finely slice the yellow beetroot, daikon radish and truffle with a mandolin and, using a pastry cutter, cut each slice into circles of the same diameter (2-3 cm or 0.8 in – 1.2 in). Reserve.

Assembly:

Drizzle a little of the reserved vinaigrette onto the plate with the beef. Season the beef with fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper. Add the lemon zest, capers, and a few dots of mustard. Position the reserved garnish around the beef.  Decorate with chervil leaves and edible flower petals.

Serve immediately!

FOIE GRAS & TRUFFLE RAVIOLI with spinach and parsley sauce

Serves: 4

Equipment: a microplane grater, a piping bag and a 4-5 cm (1.6 in - 2 in) pastry cutter.

Tip: double the ingredients and serve as a main course.

INGREDIENTS:

PREPARATION:

Pasta dough:

Combine all the ingredients, excluding the egg wash, in a food processor and knead to form a ball. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  

Filling:

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion until golden-brown, add the foie gras and Cognac and reduce to remove the moisture. Add the truffles and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a food processor and blend into a thick purée. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate.

Spinach and parsley sauce:

Prepare a bowl with water and ice.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the spinach and parsley leaves and, after 1-2 minutes, when the leaves change to a deep green colour, remove and immediately transfer to the iced water to stop the cooking process and ensure they retain their vibrant green colour. Cool for 3 minutes. Remove and squeeze with your hands to eliminate any excess water. Reserve.

Heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry the garlic. Remove from the heat and add the reserved leaves (spinach and parsley). Blend to a fine and smooth purée. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper and butter. Reserve.

Assembly:

Roll the dough out to the thickness of a lasagne sheet, then cut out 4-5 cm (1.6 in - 2 in) diameter circles. Pipe the filling in the centre, covering ⅓ of the dough area.