Ingredients:

4 teaspoons (packed) fresh lavender blossoms or 2 teaspoons dried
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 6- to 6 1/2-pound duck, fresh or frozen, thawed
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
3 tablespoons dry red wine
4 tablespoons lavender honey or orange flower honey
4 toasted baguette slices

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind 2 teaspoons fresh or 1 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms, thyme, sea salt and peppercorns in spice grinder or with mortar and pestle. Remove fat deposits and giblets from duck cavity, reserving liver. Trim excess skin and fat from neck area. Rinse inside and out; pat dry. Cutting through skin and fat (but not flesh) of duck breasts, score in crisscross pattern. Rub inside and outside of duck with herb mixture; return duck liver to cavity.Place duck, breast up, on rack in roasting pan. Roast 2 hours. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 375°F. Transfer duck to plate. Pour pan juices into 4-cup glass measuring cup; spoon off fat. Return juices and 1 tablespoon fat to pan. Add broth and wine. Return duck to pan. Brush with 2 tablespoons honey. Roast duck 20 minutes, basting once with pan juices. Brush with 2 tablespoons honey; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender. Roast duck until deep golden and thermometer inserted into innermost part of thigh registers 180°F., about 5 minutes longer. Transfer duck to platter. Remove liver; mash finely in small bowl. Spread liver over baguette slices. Add 1 teaspoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender to roasting pan. Place over medium heat. Boil juices until thick enough to coat spoon, whisking often, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Slice duck and serve with baguette slices and pan juices.

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken broth
2 medium slices onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound cooked and cubed lobster meat
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper

Procedure:

In a small frying pan place 1/4 cup chicken stock and the onion. Cook over a low heat for 5 to 7 minutes. In a medium size pot over medium heat melt the butter. Slowly whisk in flour. Whisk until a creamy mixture is created. Gradually pour in stock, whisking constantly. Whisk in milk, salt, onion, lobster meat, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper. Heat until soup is almost boiling. Do not boil the soup as the milk will curdle when boiled.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 pinch grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure:

lour chicken breast, then dip in egg, then in Parmesan cheese to coat. In a small skillet, saute chicken over low heat, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Ingredients:

8 medium size tomatoes
150 gr [5 oz] fresh goat’s cheese (fresh or semi-fresh)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg / 8 leaves of fresh basil (replace it with parsley if you can’t find basil)
2 tablespoons + a few drops of olive oil
salt & pepper.

Procedure:

Cut a round “hat” on top of each tomato and seed it. Chop the basil leaves (or parsley). Preheat oven at 200°C / 400°F. In a salad bowl put the goat’s cheese and crush it roughly with a fork; mix it with the breadcrumbs, egg, basil (or parsley), the tomato seeds, the 2 tablespoons olive oil and pepper, until well blended. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed (verify salt at this moment, don’t add any before). Display the empty tomatoes in an oven plate ; pour a drop of olive oil and a bit of salt in the bottom of each. Stuff them with the cheese preparation and put their “hat” back on top. Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Serve right away with a lettuce.

Hint : You can make this stuffing with zucchinis as well ; in this case, you will need to add a bit of milk in your stuffing to make it softer (the tomato seeds were doing that !).

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 cup crab meat
1 cup diced Swiss cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, mayonnaise, flour, and milk until thoroughly blended. Stir in crab, cheese, and onion. Spread into pie shell. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
1 (6 ounce) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion in butter until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, mushrooms, feta and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into pie crust. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pastry shell, allowing egg mixture to thoroughly combine with spinach mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining Cheddar cheese, and bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until set in center. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Ingredients:

4 legs of rabbit

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons French Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt & pepper

Procedure:

In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons sour cream, 2 tablespoons French Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt & pepper. Prepare 4 sheets of aluminium paper and make 4 papilotes ; put each leg in one and cover with the sauce ; close the papilote and bake in oven for 20-25 minutes at 200°C / 400°F. You can add a few thin sticks of vegetable in the papilotes if you wish (carrot, fennel). Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

1 chicken (at least 2 kg. (4 to5 lbs.)
40 cloves garlic
one glass of olive oil
salt & pepper
a bit of flour (to seal the terrine)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F (200 deg. C). Pour the glass of olive oil and 1 glass of water in the terrine. Separate the garlic cloves from their head, but do not peel them. Salt and pepper the chicken then put it in the terrine ; add the garlic cloves. Mix a bit of flour and water until you obtain a sort of “glue” with which you must “seal” the lid on the terrine (just apply a bit of “glue” all around to the border and put the lid on). Bake in oven for 2 hours. Serve this dish with sautéed potatoes ; you can also make some toasts on which you can mash the cloves to taste them (they are not strong because they baked for 2 hours). Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

450 grams (1 lb.) veal briskets
450 grams (1 lb.) shoulder of veal
450 grams ([1 lb.) potatoes
450 grams (1 lb.) carrots
225 grams (1/2 lb.) mushrooms
7 fl. oz. heavy cream
30 grams ( 1 oz.) butter
80 grams (3 oz.) plain flour
1 shallot
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 peppercorns
salt & pepper & nutmeg

Procedure:

Peel the shallot and cut it in 2 halves ; cut the meat in big cubes. In a casserole put the meat with cooking salt, the shallot,the bay leaves and the peppercorns ; cover with cold water and bring to simmer ; simmer for 1 hour 30. For the first half hour, skim the water, then cover.Peel and slice (thick) the potatoes ; peel and slice the carrots ;clean the mushrooms and cook them in a little olive oil (or have them canned, which is OK). After the 1hour and 30 minutes cooking, add the carrots and potatoes and simmer for another 30 minutes. Prepare a “sauce blanche” (=béchamel with cooking juice) : melt the butter in a sauce pan and spread the flour on it ; mix well. Start pouring the meat cooking juice (stock) little by little while turning with a wooden spoon. Try to strain the stock while pouring it. When the sauce has reached the right consistency (béchamel), add salt & pepper and a little nutmeg, then the cream. Add the meat and potatoes and carrots and mushrooms, mix carefully and let heat for 5 to 10 minutes together. Serve hot ; it is OK to reheat Blanquette if you need to. Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

1 kg cheek of beef
600 grams of beef neck; cut into squares measuring 4 cm on each side
150 grams of fresh pork breast
2 onions
1 carrot, diced
2 garlic cloves
18 pearl onions
80 grams of flour
1 bouquet garni
1 liter of tannic red wine (such as a cotes)

Procedure:

Choose an oven proof pan or dish (a crucible, for example). Place it on the stove and pour some oil in it (or some goose fat). Brown the meat and add the diced carrot, the crushed garlic cloves, the bouquet garni. Cover and leave to cook on low heat for 10 min. During this time heat the wine in a large saucepan and flame it. Once the flame has disappeared add the beef stock, salt and pepper and add a sugar cube. Add some flour to the saucepan and coat the meat well in it. Next, stir in the wine and stock mixture, check the seasoning and cook in the oven for 2 hours at 160°C (th 5a6). During this time peel the pearl onions and put them in a saucepan. Cover them with water and add some salt and pepper, as well as a tablespoon of sugar. Cover the saucepan with some waxed paper and let the water reduce until the onions start to caramelize. Set aside. Cut the pork breast into small squares and put these in some cold water. Bring the water to a boil and then cool the pork squares again in cold water. Sauté them in a frying pan along with some butter and oil. Drain and set aside.Take the dish out of the oven. Remove the bouquet garni and each piece of meat, one by one. Blend the sauce and pour it into another dish. Add the meat, the onions and the bacon cubes.Serve with fresh homemade pasta, English style potatoes or, even better, with some sauteed mushrooms (boletus mushrooms for example) and some small fried croutons.If you are feeling more adventurous, before you blend the sauce ingredients, you may add a jar of blackcurrants or 50 gr of blackcurrants (fresh or frozen). Then blend and sieve. Serve with some mashed celery or with some sauteed salsifies.