Simply chic 3: For the Pleasure of Cooking

By Cassandra Loignon

I don’t think I’ll ever recover from a all the love and confidence that has been shown to me since the publication of the first volume of Simply Chic. I am truly privileged to share my passion, and especially grateful that people continue to be so enthusiastic about my creations! With this third volume, and true to its title, my objective hasn’t changed. It was and is still to allow you to discover recipes that are worthy of restaurants, but that are simple and accessible to all. You will mostly find recipes that I have created in response to the requests of my entourage and those who follow me: such as a Buddha bowl, Buffalo squash risotto, fried burrata, tagliatelle with a pancetta cream sauce, General Tao tacos, tuna steak, steak and mango salsa, and much, much more! And as I love a challenge —I’ve included in this volume three new sections: one dedicated to lunches, another to snacks and finally, one dedicated to Saturday night meals. For this one, I gave myself “carte blanche” and dared more elaborate recipes; Beef Wellington, rack of lamb, fresh pasta… those who wish to learn new techniques or impress their guests on special occasions will be served!

I have also become interested in healthy foods and the benefits they provide. However, this is not a health recipe book: gourmet foods are still in the spotlight, but I made sure to make more conscious choices. I also feature the virtues of certain foods, in addition to some of my tips for optimizing your meal preparation.

Now that the table is set, it’s time to please your palate with simplicity, but with a great big dash of chic!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pratico Édition
• Release date: Dec 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9782896581863

Book preview

A Word from Cassandra

Again, many thanks!

The enthusiasm for my first two volumes really took me by surprise, and even today, I find it hard to realize that so many people love my recipes. Basically, I had never written a cookbook before, so I had no idea what to expect. After all, I’m not a famous chef; I’m just someone who loves to cook and share my passion. Personally, whenever I would buy cookbooks, I always had the same problem: if one or two recipes really interested me, and if, when I tried them, they weren’t wow, I would simply put the book aside and never use it again. When I found out that people were using the recipes from my books in their own kitchens quite often, and that they hoped that I would publish another volume, I was elated and grateful! It truthfully means a lot to me.

In the continuity of Volume 2, for this Third Volume, I created a variety of recipes which had been requested of me, both by those around me and by the public in general. To innovate, I have also added snack ideas, and, by popular demand, a section dedicated to breakfast. There are also recipes I’ve been working on since Volume 1, but I had not yet perfected. My recipe for fresh pasta is a good example. Now that it’s ready, I’m very excited to present it to you!

As the idea behind my books is to eat like in a restaurant any night of the week (and remain simple and easy), I would never have imagined sharing recipes with even more detailed steps of preparation, for fear that some will find them just too complex. But, since many of you asked me for more sophisticated recipes for Christmas or for other occasions, I had the idea of creating the Saturday Evening section and to bring together a little more gastronomic recipes for those who want to challenge themselves or surprise their guests. Thanks again Marissa for this beautiful idea! This is actually the section of the book that excited me the most!

I also became interested in healthy foods and their effects on the body. Of course, I continued to create chic and gourmet recipes, as in my previous volumes, but I also tried to integrate more foods that are beneficial to our health: a personal challenge that I thoroughly enjoyed working on!

I sincerely hope with all my heart that you will enjoy my new culinary creations and that they will make you want to try them (again and again)!

Once more, thank you so very, very much for your confidence and for your encouragement. It truly touches my heart!

Cassandra Loignon

My personal challenge:

to innovate and expand my knowledge

From one book to another, I like a little challenge. Because Max trains a lot, he asked me to prepare meals that would increase his energy and be as nutritious as possible. So, I started to read more about food properties and their virtues. Personally, I am especially interested in their effects on my skin, i.e., how to stimulate collagen and obtain better skin tone. The pandemic has also prompted me to learn more about how food can strengthen the immune system.

What I learned from my research is that we should be eating a wide variety of food to obtain the maximum amount of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients. Blueberries, peppers, cauliflower, beets… eat the rainbow!

I have a different approach to cooking now because I try always to remember the importance of consuming foods that abound in a variety of nutrients. In all the recipes in this book, I tried to integrate foods that provide benefits. A word of caution, however, I have not created a health cookbook: I did not remove the butter, the cream or the cheese, but I really took the time to select more conscientious choices to enhance my recipes.

For instance, in Volume 1, in my recipe for energy balls, I combined several ingredients based on their taste. For this volume, I was also concerned with improving the nutritional value of my recipes. For my dressings, I often used garlic powder, but now that I know that a clove of garlic is much better for the body, that’s what I favour.

Here is the list of foods I have tried to integrate more abundantly in my own personal daily regime, both for their positive effects on my general health and on my skin.

Berries

(Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, etc.)

They are full of antioxidants that help the body fight against free radicals as well as preventing aging, heart disease and cancer.

Fish

They are a great source of omega 3, or fatty acids which are so beneficial for heart health. I cook with several different varieties of fish, but I particularly like to work with salmon, cod and tuna.

Leafy greens

(Spinach, kale, Swiss chard, etc.)

They are rich in vitamins and minerals (vitamin A, calcium, zinc, etc.) as well as in fibres. They are essential for their anti-inflammatory properties and their protective role against certain cancers.

Nuts and seeds

They provide proteins that help support us during the day as well as good monounsaturated fats that help decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. Almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pumpkin, sunflower, flax and chia seeds. Each variety provides different nutrients: vary them!

Olive oil

This vegetable oil provides vitamin E, a source of antioxidants that helps prevent damage to cells, as well as good fats that help reduce bad cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. I always use olive oil in my kitchen (except when frying food, because olive oil does not tolerate high temperatures).

Often I favour olive oil for cooking, and I incorporate a dab of butter for taste!

Eggs

They contain protein, good fats and several vitamins and minerals (Vitamins D and E, iron, folate, etc.), including Vitamin A, which contributes to healthy skin and eyes.

If, like me, you are not crazy about the taste of eggs, there are plenty of recipes in which they can be incorporated: fried rice, pad Thai, quiche, etc.

Legumes

In addition to all the nutrients they contain, chickpeas, black and kidney beans, lentils and other legumes are rich in fibre. They help reduce the risk heart disease and help us feel full faster. It is also an interesting source of protein, particularly in the context of a vegetarian diet.

Whole grains

Thanks to their fibre content, they help lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease. Whole grains fill us up faster and take longer to digest. Since have learned about the great benefits of whole grains, I cook with more barley, quinoa and oat flakes, and I replace white rice with brown rice, etc.

Yogurt

In addition to representing a good source of protein and of calcium, yogurt contains bacteria that participate in the balance of the intestina flora. When I cook creamy sauces, I always try to replace richer ingredients with plain Greek yogurt. Sometimes the taste is great, but other times, I still opt for cream or mayonnaise. Of course, I always test first with yogurt to try to get the best result, as much for health as for taste.

Vegetables

Broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, radishes, peppers, zucchini, sweet potatoes… they are packed with fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants beneficial for overall health and recognized for their role in the prevention of several diseases.

Sweet potatoes are the vegetable that I eat the most frequently. I love them because you can cook them a thousand and one different ways: stuffed, roasted, mashed, fried, as a substitute for potatoes, etc. I particularly like their sweet taste when baked in the oven!

Garlic

Rich in antioxidants and sulfur compounds, garlic helps prevent cancer and promotes cardiovascular health. It also contains allicin, an ingredient that helps the immune system thanks to its antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Avocado

Rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals (vitamins B5, B6, C and K, copper, potassium, etc.) as well as a good source of monounsaturated fats, they promote a healthy heart and reduce inflammation in the body.

Ginger

Fresh ginger boasts antioxidant properties, and helps to relieve nausea as well as reduce inflammation. It is also a natural decongestant.

Lemon

Contains several trace elements, like potassium and iron. High in vitamin C, a primary antioxidant that helps prevent the development of some cancers and cardiovascular diseases. This antioxidant also helps neutralize free radicals that are responsible for skin aging.

Every morning, I drink a large glass of hot water with freshly squeezed lemon. It’s a great way to start the day on the right foot! You can also add these ingredients to your water to give it even more benefits:

22.5 ml (1 1/2 tbsp.) cider vinegar: helps in the quicker digestion of fats, aids in better metabolizing carbohydrates and boosts the immune system (kills bacteria)

1.25 ml (1/4 tsp.) cayenne pepper: helps boost metabolism and reduces joint pain

2.5 ml (1/2 tsp.) of cinnamon: helps with fat digestion (it helps if you have problems with the digestion of certain foods, intestinal problems, kidney stones, etc.)

Chic Saturday Evening!

Among the new sections, the one that inspires me the most is undoubtedly the Saturday Evening section. It really is a section dedicated to impressing your guests! So many people have asked me to present more sought-after dishes for special occasions. To choose these recipes, I asked myself what I personally like to eat for Easter, at Christmas or on my birthday: Beef Wellington, rack of lamb, crab, lobster… I was inspired by everything I enjoy on special occasions or at restaurants, then I made a list of recipes from proteins or foods I absolutely wanted to integrate. I gave free rein to my imagination regarding the ingredients and the length of the recipes. My goal is to introduce you to new techniques. I also hope to help you discover methods that are sometimes less known, such as how to cook fish in oil without frying.

Some are afraid to try recipes with a higher level of difficulty for fear of failure. Maybe you have even followed a recipe to the letter, and it didn’t turn out right, and you ask yourself if you missed a step or just made a mistake. Often, it is simply because the recipes don’t give enough instructions to enable us to reproduce them well enough at home. For the Saturday Evening section, I made sure to detail each and every step to avoid failures and wasted food as much as possible. The length of some recipes may seem daunting, but the goal is really to explain the procedure step-by-step and to walk you through the process and to give you confidence to tackle them.

My Cooking! Tips

I’m not a chef, but still, I have my little tricks and advice to optimize my recipes. Here are a few!

1

Before cooking with a recipe, I carefully read the steps from A to Z. This way I already know the cooking or standing time required, and I can better plan the preparation of my meal. It also helps me assess if the recipe can be cooked quickly or if certain steps need to be done in advance.

2

I pay particular attention to prepping. For me, the success of a recipe is above all based on the preparation of the ingredients. For example, if we start to cook the onions and the next food to add is not yet cut, there is a risk of burning them. That is why I recommend cutting and measuring all the ingredients before you start cooking.

3

When I use a cutting board, I place a piece of humid absorbent paper or a humid towel underneath. In this way, my cutting board doesn’t move an inch!

4

I sharpen my knives before each use. It is very important to work with well-sharpened knives to limit the risk of