La petite biscotte

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Archive for the ‘Basics’ Category

How do you like your vinaigrette? Do you buy it or do you make it yourself? I personally keep a bottle of self-made vinaigrette in the fridge which I mix with whatever I currently feel like. I use it for salads obviously but also for some simple dishes instead of a heavy sauce (like taboulé for example). I prefer to make small amounts at once to prevent the vinaigrette from   Read More ...

Basics

When I moved here to France I started to get to know French cuisine. One thing I truly fell in love with are tarts and quiches of all sort. If you wonder what’s the difference… well quiches normally always contain a savory custard which is made of eggs, milk and cream. They are also often garnished with several different ingredients like leeks and crisp bacon for example. Furthermore there is   Read More ...

Appetizers Bakery Basics French

This easy to make pastry is often used as a base for tarts or pies. When baked, it does not rise up, but instead reaches a nice crunchy texture. Usually I just buy a roll of shortcrust pastry at the supermarket because I don’t have much time, but whenever I can I try to make it myself. Pâte brisée is used a lot in french cuisine for both savory and   Read More ...

Bakery Basics French

VideoJug: How To Make Bechamel Sauce Yesterday I decided to use up the Cauliflower/Broccoli I had left in my fridge and of course my first thought was to make a gratin with a nice Béchamel Sauce. Although I didn’t get time to make the actual gratin, I’d still like to post about how to make a perfect Sauce Béchamel. I’m using this quite often (in moderate quantities) as a base   Read More ...

Basics French

Ok this morning I got up 1 hour earlier than normally but I’m glad I did it, because check the result: my first bento!Bento is a traditional way of preparing lunches for school/work in boxes that have several compartments to store the food carefully in order for the tastes not to get mixed up. But there is much more behind bento. Bento is also (as Japanese food in general) about   Read More ...

Basics Chicken Japanese Take-Away Lunch

About 75% of all tea produced in Japan is Sencha. Sencha is a rather “common” tea that is drank every day. It has a light green to yellow color and a fresh grassy taste. Normally this type of tea is not used for tea ceremonies. (Tea ceremonies require powdered green tea called matcha) So where to get Sencha? Basically if there is no Japanese or Asian store around you that   Read More ...

Basics Beverages

Ok, I promised a thorough explication on how to prepare, conserve/store and eat Japanese rice best.There are basically two types of Japanese rice. One type is the normal rice used in daily cooking for savory dishes. The second type is called mochigome and is used for sweet rice cakes and mochi, due to its stickiness. Once you’ve chosen the right type of rice (and I doubt that you’ll have much   Read More ...

Basics Japanese Side Dish

Well there is certainly nothing I enjoy as much as well prepared, steamy, Japanese rice. Japanese rice is a special variety of middle/short-grain rice that tends to stick just enough to be picked up by sticks but falls apart in your mouth. The variety itself is called Japonica Rice. Of course my first experience with Japanese rice was in a Sushi restaurant but nowadays my passion goes far beyond that.   Read More ...

Basics Ingredients Japanese