Cafe Dion

Glace a l' Orange et Citron, Oange-Lemon Ice

Bonjour,

It is still hot and sticky. I think Mother Nature is very confused and upset. This has been a tres strange summer. She gave us: fires, drought, hurricanes, tornadoes. I am waiting for the locust. In Colorado, we are going to have an early winter. I was in the mountains last weekend, and the trees have already turned. Not good! So, we need to forget all of this negativity and drink! This drink can be served to children also. It fun, yummy and makes a luscious dessert. As for us folks, bring the booze!  Let's the good times roll!

Glace a l' Orange et Citron: 

1 pkg unflavored gelatin

2 1/4 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon lemon zest, grated

1-6 ounces can frozen lemonade concentrate

1-6 ounces can frozen orange juice concentrate

1 egg white

2 oranges, segmented

1 pink grapefruit, segmented

1 Tablespoon Cointreau, per glass, per adult

Fresh mint

Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup water. Combine remining 2 cups water, sugar and lemon zest in a small saucepan, bring to slow boil for 5 minutes, to make a syrup. Dilute lemonade and orange juice in a large bowl, (follow directions on the cans). Add softened gelatin to hot sugar syrup, stirring until dissolved, add to orange-lemonade mixture. Pour into an ice cream maker container and freeze according to instructions from manufactory, for 8 minutes. Beat egg white until soft peaks form. Open the freezer can and add egg white mixture. Continue freezing for 35 minutes. This ice can be store in a plastic container and stored in the freezer for later use. Use parfait glasses, and put segments of orange and alternate with segments of grapefruit, drizzle the Cointreau on top of fruits and topped with thick spirals of Orange-Lemon ice. Garnish with mint.

Makes: 3 quarts of orange-lemon ice

A bientot! See you next Thursday!

©CafeDion 2012

 

Quiche aux Asperges et Trois Fromages, Asparagus with Three Cheeses Quiche

Bonjour, 

I made this recipe last night and it was a great success with my family and friends. This summer the asparagus have been small and delicious. I had enough left over asparagus from Sunday dinner to make this quiche. I didn't have enough of one kind of cheese, so I mixed 3 cheeses together and Voila!. Super quiche! You can clean the refrigerator that way. Use what ever you have on hand. I served it with a baby spinach salad and French baguette. A perfect summer dinner. Go for it! There is no wrong ingredients for a quiche.

Quiche aux Asperges et Trois Fromages:  

1 pie crust, store bought

1 cup Comte cheese, grated, divided

1 goat cheese log, crumbled

1 cup Swiss cheese, grated, divided

1 1/2 pounds small asparagus, cleaned and trimmed

3 large eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

3 Tablespoons sweet butter

Nutmeg, grated

Salt and ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll the pastry dough into a greased and floured rectangular shape pie pan, trim the edges, keep in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Once the asparagus are clean and their ends are trimmed, put them into a large saucepan, with cold water and salt, cook them for 10 minutes. Drain them, and lay them on a kitchen towel, until ready to use. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, cream, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper, add the goat cheese, mix well with a fork, add half of the Swiss and half of the Comte cheeses to the egg mixture, mix well. Pour egg mixture into the cool pie crust, lign up the asparagus on top of custard, push them in a little bit into the custard. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses on top and countinue baking for 25-30 minutes longer. Serve with a green salad and crispy french bread. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4-6

A bientot! See you next Thursday! 

©CafeDion 2012

 

 

Salade aux Oeufs, Egg Salad

Bonjour, 

Summer is almost over, the kids are back in school. Moms you deserve a break from cleaning, cooking, etc. Here is a great, easy salad. I am sure that you have everything on hand. Grab a cold drink, and relax. Dinner will be done when you are ready. Enjoy!

Salade aux Oeufs:     

1/ 4 cup mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

Dash Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon sweet onion, minced

1/8 teaspoon black ground pepper

6 hard-boiled eggs

1 cup celery, sliced

2 Tablespoons green pepper, chopped

Bibb/Boston lettuce

Fresh parsley, chopped

In a large bowl, stir mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt, onion, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, mix well. Cut eggs into large pieces, add to mayonnaise mixture,with celery, and green pepper. Mix gently (don't crush the eggs). Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve onto lettuce leaves, garnish with parsley.

Serves: 4

A bientot! See you next Thursday!

©CafeDion 2012

 

 

 

 

 

Gateau aux Peches, Peach Cake

Bonjour,

I hope everyone is doing well in this heat. But we all know that by next month we could get our first snow flake in Colorado. So, let enjoy the few more days of the hot summer, before we start complaining about the cold. I am planning on the holidays already. That is my favorite time of the year. I found this recipe is an old book my mom gave me. The paper is so old, I can't hardly read the writing, but I tried it and it is delicious. Let me know what you think.

Gateau aux Peches: 

6 medium peaches, ripe

1/4 cup sweet butter

1/2 cup super fine sugar

2 large eggs

Zest of 1 orange

Juice of 1/2 orange

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

6 Tablespoons milk

3 Tablespoons  dark rum

3 egg whites

Glaze: 2 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 egg yolk

Powdered sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Peel and remove the pits of the peaches. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1/2 the sugar, beat in egg yolks, orange and zest of orange. Sift flour and baking powder together; add to the mixture with the milk and rum, stir well. Beat egg whites until fluffy, fold carefully in batter. Pour the batter into buttered dish, press the peaches into mixture. To prepare the glaze, combine melted butter and egg yolk. Brush cake with glaze. Bake 40-50 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with powdered sugar if using.

Makes: 6-8

A bientot! See you next Thursday!

©CafeDion 2012

 

 

 

 

 

Chutney au Citron, Lemon Chutney

Bonjour, 

I remember my Grand-mere making the original chutney in England, sweet mango chutney. It is very popular in England. A long time ago, Major Grey a British officer brought back different kind of curries, on his way home to Great Britain. Chutneys are served with meats, can also be use in sauces. They are different grades of heat, from sweet to hot & spicy. Since I can't do spicy, I decided to create one to serve on fish. Chutney au Citron. I love it on either baked or grilled salmon, or any firm fish. This chutney needs to stay in a cold place for up to a month. It makes a great holiday gift. Give it a try!

Chutney au Citron:  

3 large lemons

3/4 cup sweet onion, finely chopped 

1 cup crisp sweet apple, peeled, cored and chopped finely

2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled, grated

3/4 cup  golden raisins

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons Brandy

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

Use a vegetable peeler to carefully remove the zest from the lemons. Do not leave any white pith (very bitter) on the zests. Cut the zest into julienne strips. Set aside. Over a large bowl, capture of the juice of the lemons. Use a small sharp knife to remove the white pith from the lemons. Discard the white films (pith). Cut each lemon in half, remove the seeds, chop the lemons. Put the chopped lemon flesh, lemon zest, lemon juice, onion, apple, ginger,raisins, sugar, vinegar, Brandy and salt into a medium saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. The mixture may seem runny, but it will thicken as its cool. While the chutney is still hot, pour into sterilized jars, cover tightly, allow to cool, and refrigerate. It will be ready to use in a month. 

Makes: 2 3/4 cups

A bientot! See you next Thursday!

©CafeDion 2012