STRAWBERRY MILLE-FEUILLE

Strawberry mille-feuille! A little taste of Paris…

- Take one sheet of puff pastry (“masa ojaldre”) and cut in two equal rectangles. Brush the top of each rectangle with a beaten egg, and bake them each for about 20 minutes. Let them cool.

- In the meantime, cut one kg of fresh strawberries in thin slices, and let them stand in the juice of one lemon and a generous tablespoon of brown sugar. Set aside.

- Whisk on pot (about 200 ml) of heavy cream until there are little points on top.

- Place on rectangle on a large serving dish, spread with half of the cream and place half of the strawberries on top. Spread the rest of the cream and cover with the other rectangle of pastry. Top with the remaining strawberries.

- Refrigerate for about 30 minutes and serve. 

COUSCOUS WITH FRUIT

Special desert for Mother's day: sweet fruit couscous. So light and colorful! Here with mango, but berries or other fruits can be used. 

- For 250 gr of instant high quality couscous: bring a cup of orange juice plus half a cup of water to a boil. Cook the couscous following instructions. When ready, mix with the fruit of choice. Here, "Manilla" mango (very sweet mango with no fiber).

- On the side mix plain yoghurt with honey.

Place on separate dishes. Personally, I think it tastes better with the couscous with fruits at room temperature, and the yoghurt with honey cold.

GÂTEAU AUX FRAÎSES

- For two cups of fresh strawberries (washed and sliced) mix: two cups of sifted flour, two teaspoons of baking powder, half a cup of brown sugar (or two tablespoons of honey), a cup (200 ml) of crème fraîche (you can use heavy cream), a few drops of vanilla extract and three beaten eggs.

- Place in prepared baking pan and bake for about 40 minutes in a medium heat oven. 

MADELEINES

I made Madeleines for the first time. I have to admit, they may not look pretty but they came out rather good. I’ll keep on trying! 

- For 12 Madeleines: Beat two eggs with one third of a cup of brown sugar, until frothy. Add a sifted mix of one and a quarter cup of flour, a teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt.
- Finally mix in 50 gr of high quality butter melted (about a quarter of a cup), the juice of one lemon and a bit of grated lemon peel.
- Place the mix in the Madeleine baking pan, and let it stand for 20 minutes.
- Bake in a medium heat over for 10 minutes. It’s done!

Tips: If you prefer to use granulated sugar, use half a cup. You can also use orange instead of lemon to vary the taste.

FISH WITH TOMATO AND LEMON AND HERBS

Here a light fish recipe that takes less time to make than to write it out.

- Brush four white fish filets with Dijon mustard and set aside.

- In a pan, fry three garlic cloves smashed. When they start to release their aroma, place a few slices of tomatoes. Add the fish fillets on top along with more slices of tomatoes and slices of lemon (the lemons get soft and are delicious). Sprinkle with a generous amount of fresh herbs and fresh ground pepper. (I used thyme, basil and mint).

- Cover and let it cook for about 15 minutes, until the fish is soft and flaky. Do not turn over the filets.

Serve immediately with white rice and an arugula salad.