catch of the day: willem ledueil of ze kitchen gallery recipe test: grilled monk fish with a grapefruit sauce vierge

Having picked up some monkfish at the Breteuil market this morning, I was flicking through my cookbooks and magazines to find an original recipe for a romantic meal for two. 4 cookbooks and several magazines later mission accomplished!

Ze Kitchen Gallery & Kitchen Gallery Bis are two modern fusion style restaurants in Paris that never fail to tantilate with fresh amazing flavor combinations. This month's "Elle a table"features an article on Willem Le Deuil and some of his recipes including one for monkfish with a sauce vierge with grapefruit. Would I be able to create with the same effect some of his dishes at home?

Reading through the ingredients though, I was missing the cockles, I debated whether it was worthwhile popping out again to get some but in the end decided that if my romantic dinner was to have any chance of creating the same taste sensation as a meal at one of his two restaurants, I would need all the help I could get, including the cockles!

The recipe was easy to follow and very simple. The recipe was to serve four but I halved the quantities as there was only two of us. I would not however advise halfing the quanties for the sauce, as I ended up having to add more olive oil. Next time I make this recipe I will use the quantities given in the recipe for the sauce vierge.

Did I manage to do the creator of this recipe justice...the verdict of my fellow diner....wow a "grand chef" could have cooked this I think he may have been slightly overstated the result but I will make this recipe again, and the cockles really made the difference.

Pretty in Pink: the art of a perfectly iced cake or almost....

What a week for food!

On Wednesday I was at an olive oil tasting in the 6th, it was organised by the Slow Food Convivium and was hosted by Simé and Dominique Masstot of "Olivari", 8 rue Littré. We tried 5 different oils from Greece, France, Spain and two from Italy ranging from ripe fruity and light to more intense oils. The suprise for me was the desert of mango, basil & olive oil, you need a fruity olive oil to pull it off (2 medium ripe mangos cubed, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and some thorn basil to taste!).

Saturday I headed off to "Spring" in the first arrondisement where they were selling fresh white asparagus with purple tips by the kilo. I bought two kilos! Yesterday I ate it raw simply dressed with lemon juice but tonight Iwill be steaming it and serving it with a light vinigerette.

Fed up of making delicious tasting cakes which are then let down by decoration that even kindgarten child would embarrassed by and finding myself alone for the weekend, I was up bright and early on Sunday morning to attend the cake decorating class in english at "cooking with class" near the Sacre Coeur.

The class was run by Briony, who taught us passed on as much of her know how as she could in three and a half hours from putting the ganache on the cake, to making sugar craft flowers and applying the sugar icing to the cake and getting that all important smooth finish. She also passed on lots of really good tips, including filling in gaps ad getting rid of air bubbles. The class was a really good mix of hands on work and enough help & encouragement from Briony to help ensure we all had a good result at the end of the class.

I would highly recommend this class anyone and am planning to sign up for more of the courses at the school, especially if as rumoured they start a regular cake decorating class, apparently just learning to roll out the sugar craft merits whole class itself! (mind you after my experience today I would believe it!)

The only downside is that your cake will look so good you won't want to eat it!