et-Pic Feast!

Kaarina's theme for Epitourists was Anne-Sophie Pic, chosen after she heard a story about an astronaut who requested the chef's lobster bisque and foie gras for their stay at the International Space Station. 

One of the world's most decorated chefs, Pic has been awarded a total of twleve stars (so far) at different establishments. The fourth generation in her family to gain renown for culinary prowess, she claims not to have been professionally trained (at a school). Perhaps she's being just a bit disingenuous? She has, however, started her own cookery school, Scook, with the aim of passing on her knowledge.

When you see the photos of Pic's haute cuisine, the plates are works of art. I was a bit intimidated to try to replicate the more complicated dishes, but she did have some recipes more friendly to home cooks. 

Our meal ran throughout the day and we cooked leisurely in Kaarina's kitchen. 

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MENU

lunch

Butternut Squash Soup with Coffee Whipped Cream

wine: Gabriel Meffre Laurus Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2023

snack

Crottin de Chevre avec Miel Lavande et Baguette 

wine: Domaine L'Idylle Sylvain Tiollier Vin de Savoie Jacquère 2023

first

Chard Ravioli

wine: Calmel & Joseph Villa Blanche Viognier

second

Chicken and Nut Crust 

wine: Gabriel Meffre Laurus Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2023

third

Stuffed Tomato

wine: La Ligière Le Mourre de la Caille Vacqueyras 2022 (Elizabeth and Philippe Bernard)

dessert

Praline Choux and Hazelnut Praline Paste

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Kaarina made a very tasty butternut squash soup, with the surprise ingredient of Coffee Whipped Cream. A fantastic combination!

I found some very cute petite Crottin de Chevre goat cheeses at Mckewans. When I saw them they reminded me of Paris. We ended up enjoying them separately as a snack, paired with a delicious french honey and alpine wine. 

Everyone participated in making the pasta; the dough had a surprising number of eggs! Laura prepared the ravioli stuffing with kale from her garden. We decided to make larger square raviolis to plate with the smaller rounds, partly because we were growing a bit impatient; partly because the dough was drying out. Once stuffed, they were fried in a pan and then cooked in vegetable stock. Really exquisite texture. 

Although the recipe called for guinea hens, none could be had, so Kaarina improvised with chicken breast. The nut crust was so delicious! Prepared ahead and then laid on top of the breasts in the oven.

I chose big heritage tomatoes to stuff because of their colour; they were quite tasty. Despite allowing the tomatoes to sweat ahead of time, most of them collapsed when I attempted to plate them. Rob wasn't fond of the lamb, so when I make these again, I'll try ground beef or pork instead.

I watched with fascination as Laura created the pastries and stuffing. She assured me the recipe wasn't difficult, but it certainly was time consuming! Delicious bites to end the meal.

RECIPES

Some of these are a bit lost in translation! Sheep and Ricotta Bush? 6 Feet of chard?

BUTTERNUT SOUP WITH COFFEE WHIPPED CREAM

(see below)

CHARD RAVIOLI
https://anne-sophie-pic.com/weeks-menu-2/?lang=en

(see below)

GUINNEA FOWL and NUT CRUST
https://anne-sophie-pic.com/menu-of-the-week-april-13-to-19/?lang=en

GRANDMA SUZANNE'S STUFFED TOMATOES
Anne-Sophie Pic: Queen of French Cuisine

PRALINE CHOUX and HAZELNUT PRALINE PASTE
Here’s the praline choux recipe and the hazelnut praline paste recipe I used
https://anne-sophie-pic.com/menu-of-the-week-april-20-to-26/?lang=en

https://theloopywhisk.com/2020/10/04/hazelnut-praline-paste-recipe/



 

Chard ravioli,

sheep and ricotta bush

A great restaurant classic for a long time, this dish uses – which is rare – the often overlooked white and green of Swiss chard, which it combines with the smoothness and freshness of the bush and ricotta. The ravioli, cooked here in a pan and then in vegetable broth, can be prepared in advance and frozen. Serve with grilled fish, such as red mullet.

Ravioli dough

500 g flour

10g salt

16 egg yolks

1 dash of olive oil

1 tsp. teaspoon white vinegar

The filling

5 shallots

1 dash of olive oil

6 feet of small chard

10 cl vegetable broth

1⁄4 bunch of chives

1⁄4 bunch chervil

Zest of 1 lemon

80 g ricotta

80 g of sheep’s milk

Salt, freshly ground pepper

The cooking

50 g butter

20 cl of vegetable broth

Fine salt

Equipment

Food processor (mini-mixer)

Clingfilm

Pasta rolling mill

3 cm diameter

round cookie cutter

1️⃣ Ravioli dough

In the bowl of a food processor, pour in order, while mixing: flour, salt, egg yolks one by one, olive oil and white vinegar. Form a ball and cover with cling film. Leave to rest in the refrigerator overnight.

2️⃣ The filling

Peel and chop the shallots. In a small casserole dish, fry them with olive oil over low heat for 10 min, stirring often. Set aside.

Peel and dice the white chard. In a saucepan, cook them over very low heat with a little olive oil for about 2 min. Add the broth and cook for 5 min. Set aside. Cut the chard green into thin strips, then immerse them for a few seconds in a pan of boiling salted water.

Drain them a first time, cool them under running water, then drain them again and set aside. Finely chop the herbs. Chop the lemon zest. In a bowl, mix all the stuffing ingredients. Salt, pepper and set aside.

3️⃣ The development of ravioli

Roll out the ravioli dough 0.5 cm thick and cut it into 3 cm diameter discs using a cookie cutter. Isolate half of the discs and place a spoonful of stuffing in the center of each. Take the other half of the discs and place them on the first to close the ravioli. Solder the edges by pressing. It’s important to blow out the air indoors.

4️⃣ Cooking ravioli

In a frying pan, fry the ravioli with the butter over medium heat for about 2 min, turning them delicately to color them on both sides. Pour the broth to deglaze the cooking juices, then bring to the boil and cook for another 2 or 3 min. At the end of cooking, the juice reduces, thickens and coats the ravioli in a creamy sauce. Serve the hot ravioli right away

📷 Mickael Roulier

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

adapted.... Pumpkin soup

500 g pumpkin

1 onion

1 dash of olive oil

20 g semi-salted butter

20 cl vegetable stock

15 cl of liquid cream

1 pinch of fine salt

Whipped cream

1 tbsp. blue mountain coffee beans

15 cl very cold liquid cream

1 pinch of salt

1 

Pumpkin soup

Peel and cut the pumpkin into small pieces. Peel the onion and chop it finely. In a saucepan, gently sweat the pumpkin pieces with the oil and butter over a low heat for 5 minutes, then add a pinch of salt. Add the vegetable stock, then the cream and bring to the boil. Leave to cook for 15 minutes, then blend with a hand blender or food processor (if necessary, pour the mixture back into the saucepan). Adjust the salt seasoning if necessary. Keep warm without boiling.

2 

Whipped cream

In a mortar, crush the coffee beans with a pestle so as to obtain a powder that is not too fine. Remove the larger particles by passing the grind through a fine sieve. On the other hand, whip the liquid cream in a bowl on ice, making sure to incorporate air when whipping. Whip the cream so that it is smooth and keeps its consistency. Then add the coffee and season with salt.

3 

The finish

Pour the hot pumpkin cream into verrines. Finish with a spoonful of Blue Mountain Coffee Whipped Cream. Serve immediately.

 Good to know :

Blue Mountain coffee is a rare coffee from Jamaica, 100% Arabica, which is found in roasters. You can replace it with another 100% Arabica coffee for its incomparable bitterness and strength.