Cooking with Reine Summit! Aubergines a la Parmesan, Risotto au Pistou, Bitter Chocolate Tart

I had the thrill of attending a masterclass with the Queen of Provencal cooking - French Chef Reine Summit (twice awarded France's Best Female Chef).   Reine was a bundle of energy as she jumped around the kitchen and infused the room with excitement for her French dishes and traditional methods of cooking!  Here are the wonderful recipes Reine taught us to make - these delicious - but easy to make dishes -  will definitely make it into the recipe book! 

 

 

Aubergines a la Parmesan Facon Crumble

 

 

 "Only use extra virgin oil...in my place I have olive trees and I produce my own..."

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

Serves 4

 

•  500ml of Olive oil
• 2 eggplants
• 500ml of tomato sauce

 To make the crumble

• 50g of flour
• 25g of parmesan cheese
• 25g of butter

 

For the Tomato Sauce

• 200ml of olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 chopped cloves of garlic
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 15g of basil
• 1kg of Roma tomatoes
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper and sugar (pinch)

 

Saute the garlic and onion in olive oil then add the tomatoes, thyme, sugar, salt, and pepper.  Cook for 30mins, push through a strainer (chinois) add chopped basil.

  

Was, peel  and dry the egg plants, then cut them into round peices about 1/2cm thick.  Fry in olive oil then place the cooked peices on an absorbent paper towel.

  

Put the crumble ingredients in a bowl and mix them together by hand.

  

Prepare small individual serving plates.  Place one slice of fried egg plant on the plate, cover with tomato sauce then parmesan.  Repeat this twice.  To finish cover with crumble mic and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes.

 

 

Risotto au Pistou

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

Serves 4

 

• 200g of Arborio rice
• 200ml of white wine
• 50g of eschalots
• 250ml of olive oil
• 50g of butter
• 1 litre of fresh tomato juice (place tomatoes in a blender and put through strainer)
• 100g of grated Parmesan cheese
• 30g of pine nuts
• 1 bunch of basil
• 1 small clove of garlic

 

Remove the leaves of the basil and chop finely with a clove of garlic, add 150ml of olive oil and put aside.

Soften the sliced eschaloyts in the remainder of the olive oil, add the rice and stir for 3 minutes until all the grains are covered and then moisten with the white wine.  Stir overa medium flame.

After the liqud has been absorbed by the rice, use a ladle to add the tomato juice, one spoonful at a time (wait until the liquid is absorbed before adding next spoonful).  Repeat this process until the rice is done (approx 20mins). Then add the grated Parmesan, butter and roast pine nuts.

Spoon the basil oil over the risotto once  plated.

  

 

 

Bitter Chocolate Tart

   

 

 

 " Keep the pastry thin...not so good to eat so much pastry - better to eat more chocolate!!!"

 

 

 Ingredients

 

Serves 8

 

For the Tart:

• 150g of butter
• 95g of icing sugar
• 30g of powdered almonds
• 1 egg
• 250g plain flour
• 1 pinch of salt

 

 For the chocolate mousse:

• 50g single cream

• 250g of dark chocolat (70% cocoa)
• 60g of butter
• 4 egg yolks
• 6 egg whites
• 50g of sugar

  

To make the tart:

 Mix by hand the softened butter with the icing sugar and the salt. Add the powdered almonds then the egg and finally the flour. Once it has joined into a dough leave to rest for an hour in the fridge.

 

Roll out the dough into a thin pastry.  Stretch into your tart trays.  Prick the pastry once in the tray with a fork.

 

In a pre-heated oven bake the tart cases for 10minutes until golden brown.  Once cooked remove from oven and let them cool.  Leave in the tray ready to our the chocolate in!

 

To make chocolate mousse:

Melt the chocolate in a bain marie.  Add butter and cream and mix well.

 

Once the chocolate has cooled down a little add the egg yolks into the mixture.

 

In another bowl whip the egg whites int ostiff peaks.  Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar.

 

Add the stiffened egg whites into the mixture and fold gently into the chocolate.

 

Pour the chocolate inside each tart tray leaving at least 1cm from the top.   Place in the oven at 200 degrees.  The chocolate should remain runny and not stiffen - so 5mins should be enough.  If you over cook it though - not a problem at all - you'll still have an amazing chocolate tart - just with a less runny filling!

 

Cocinar, comer y ser feliz,

Leticia