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French cooking blogs
I am writing this blog post despite two major obstacles. Firstly, Culturethèque has loads and loads of cookbooks, and frankly, there is no need to go any further. Secondly, my own diet is made of prepared soups, Galaxy chocolate, six-minute cakes and gluten-free crisp bread. I once managed to make cement out of mushrooms (boil, blend, et voilà), and when I used to cook, most things went from the frying pan and directly into the bin.
So it is with immense generosity that I have spent some time looking for French food blogs, and will proceed to comment and link below. (click on the title of the blog post for a comprehensive list).
Cooking with Culturethèque.
Recipe number 1: Madeleines au Nutella (Nutella shell-shaped madeleines)
The first recipe I have experienced from one of Culturethèque’s cookbooks is entitled Madeleine with a Nutella® Heart.
Despite being a fervent web addict and writing blogs and posts on Culturethèque’s Facebook wall, I have to confess that I am also a big fan of bakery. I don’t know why but I have always loved making sweet food. Maybe because I am – except when a catastrophe happens from time to time – pretty much sure that I (and by the way, my friends too) will without fail love anything made with chocolate, sugar and butter. When I arrived in London in late November, I came without my cookbooks – they stayed in France. Fortunately, the Christmas Holidays came and I had the opportunity to come back to London with some bakering equipment. Less fortunate, and due to luggage restrictions, I still have no cookbooks with me! That’s when Culturethèque enters onto the scene! Did you know that we have more than 470 books available for free? From salted to sweet, and drinks and dieting, there is something for every cooking enthusiast.
“Tout moelleux” Chocolate and vanilla muffins on Culturethèque
After testing a “madeleines” recipe and offering it to you on my first cookery blog, here's another (but not less “gourmande”) recipe extracted from Culturethèque : “Tout moelleux” Chocolate and vanilla muffins.
This recipe is taken from the Muffins : 750 grammes de plaisir book available for free on Culturethèque. This book offers 60 recipes, including 30 illustrated ones, but all of them original and tasty!
Cooking with Culturethèque: Cold Raspberry crumble
After introducing the first two recipes: Nutella madeleines and chocolate with vanilla muffins, let’s taste something new!
This time the recipe is taken from Crumbles, by Martine Lizambard. Just like the other cook books on Culturethèque, this ebook is free and accessible to all registered and logged-in users (also, free registration can be found on Culturethèque but is only reserved to UK residents).
The book lists more than 25 recipes from cold to warm crumbles and sweetened to salty ones.
Cooking with Culturethèque: recipe number four : Chorizo Omelette
After madeleines, muffins and crumbles, let’s test something salted.
I have chosen this recipe for several reasons:
- It did not take long to prepare, around 10 minutes
- it didn't need specific ingredients or special cookware
This recipe is taken from_ Cuisine au micro-ondes_, Collectif, 2008.
This book contains 30 recipes that can be cooked easily in the micro-wave.
Each recipe of the books is illustrated.
Cooking with Culturethèque: recipe n°5: Cherry clafoutis
Today, I have prepared a traditional recipe from my childhood: a cherry clafoutis.
I have found this “traditional” recipe in a book available for free on Culturethèque:
Desserts aux fruits ... et autres fantaisies from Bruno Olivier (2009), p44
Enjoy this yummy recipe!
Cooking with Culturethèque: recipe n°6: Chocolate marble cake
Today, I wanted to re discover a classic dessert: the chocolate marble cake.
I have found this very easy recipe in a free ebook available on Culturethèque:
Délices au chocolat from Samuel Butler (2008) (p.56).
Enjoy the recipe!
Cooking with Culturethèque: recipe n°7: Warm chocolate pudding-Express style
I have found this delicious recipe in a book available for free on Culturethèque:
Mes petits gâteaux from Bérengère Abraham (2009), p77.
Cooking with Culturethèque: recipe number 8: Fans of melon with Parme ham
Ingredients
¼ of melon
2 slices of Parme Ham
1 tomato
5 chopped up basil leaves
Cooking with Culturethèque: recipe number 9: Salt Butter Caramel Macaroons
Culturethèque came back in action on the 5th of November, so the 'Cooking with Culturethèque' blogs are also here again!
This time I wanted to have a go with macaroons, one of Paris’ unmissable and tasty delicacies.
Cooking with Culturethèque: recipe number 10: vanilla sablés
Youpi! This is my tenth blog about cooking with Culturethèque. To celebrate that, I have chosen to make a recipe which tastes the vanilla from Guadeloupe and takes us in the "Magie de Noël".
The "Stars" of the recipe are not only the vanilla beans but also the cookie cutters: starring heart shaped cookie cutter, hedgehog, reindeer and as a “clin d’oeil” to France: a snail.
Cooking with Culturethèque: recipe number 11: Pancake Baking
Even if Pancake Day is now a bit far away, it’s never too late to make pancakes!
The recipe is taken from: Crêpes et galettes : Les crêpes, c'est chouette ! (2010) by Marie-France Chauvirey (see p.45).
For 6 to 8 pancakes
Preparation: from 10 to 15 minutes
Baking: about 3 minutes for each pancake
Ingredients
75g of baking flour
1 baking powder one level teaspoonful
½ teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate
1 and ½ teaspoon of white sugar
2 eggs
15 cl of milk
Oil or butter
Cooking with Culturethèque: recipe number 12: “Incontournables Cannelés”
Today, Cooking with Culturethèque is packing their suitcases for Bordeaux with the “Cannelés” recipe. These little cakes are famous for their special shapes (their name “Cannelé” comes from the copper moulds used to bake them) and taste incredible (a mix of Vanilla and rum). This recipe is taken from one of Culturethèque’s cookbooks “La Cuisine bordelaise”, by François Martin, 2010 (see p. 62-63).
Preparation: 20 minutes (the day before).
Baking: 1 hour.
