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Posts Tagged ‘Gruyere’

Croque Madame

Posted in Brunch, Cheese, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 10 June 2020| Leave a Comment »

Croque Madame

This is a cheat’s version of the French classic and makes a great brunch/lunch.

Croque Madame – serves 2

  • 4 large slices of sourdough
  • Dijon mustard
  • 100g grated gruyère
  • 4 slices thick-cut ham
  • butter
  • 4 tbsp crème fraîche
  • 2 eggs

Spread the sourdough with a thin layer of mustard on one side, then fill the sandwiches with half the gruyère and the ham. Spread the outside of the sandwiches with butter.

Heat a non-stick frying pan and fry the sandwiches on both sides until golden.

Mix the crème fraîche with the rest of the gruyère and spread over the top of the sandwiches. Put under a hot grill until the cheese bubbles and starts to brown.

Serve with a fried or poached egg on the top.

(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, May 2015)

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A Creamy Quiche Lorraine

Posted in Cheese, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 18 April 2020| Leave a Comment »

Creamy Quiche Lorraine

A quiche that wobbles, just set, is a wonderful thing and this almost oozes. It feels luxurious and decadent, despite having simple ingredients and we’d cook this in any season. We used a local flour mill, Dunany in Drogheda for a non-bleached plain flour which accounts for the colour in the crust. Serve with a green salad.

Wine Suggestion: our choice would be an Alsace Pinot Gris, or if you can find it a dry Muscat like Zind-Humbrecht’s Grand Cru Brand Muscat. Coming from the amazing Brand vineyard this is reliably dry and will redefine for you what Muscat is. Neither of us were fans of this grape, but as always, the right wine can change opinions.

If stuck open the latest vintage, but if you are able to wait a year, or two, or more this will reward you ten-fold. The musky spices, texture and flavours match the cream, cheese and pancetta in a way nothing else will quite achieve. Failing this a close second is a richer Pinot Gris, which may be easier to find.

Quiche Lorraine with butter pastry – serves 6

  • 200g cubetti di pancetta
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 250ml double cream
  • 200ml crème fraîche
  • 100g gruyère, coarsely grated

FOR THE PASTRY:

  • 225g plain flour
  • 150g chilled butter, cut into cubes
  • 1 egg yolk

Make the pastry first by putting the flour and butter in a food processor with a pinch of salt. Whizz until it looks like breadcrumbs then add the egg yolk and 2½ tbsp of iced water and whizz until it comes together. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Roll the pastry out thinly and use to line a 20cm x 4cm deep, straight-sided, loose-bottomed tart tin. Leave the excess pastry hanging over the sides. Chill again for another 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.

Fry the pancetta in a little olive oil until cooked then drain on kitchen paper. Beat the whole eggs, egg yolks, double cream and crème fraîche together and season.

Line the pastry tin with baking paper, fill with baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Trim off the excess party with a sharp knife.

Turn the oven down to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.

Scatter the bacon most of the grated cheese over the pastry base, add the egg mixture and top with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until just set and lightly golden. Leave to cool for a bit before serving.

(Original recipe by Lulu Grimes in Olive Magazine, April 2014.)

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Gruyère and Turnip Gratin

Posted in Cheese, Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 31 January 2019| Leave a Comment »

Turnip & Gruyere Gratin

Turnip (or swede as some of you call it) gets a lot of bad press but we absolutely love it and even more so when cooked with lots of cream and cheese. Jono has declared this his favourite turnip dish and has demanded we cook it again.

Gruyère and turnip gratin – serves 4

  • 700g turnip/swede (the large, orange-fleshed variety)
  • 300ml double cream
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 100g gruyère, grated

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas4.

Peel and thinly slice the turnip – a mandolin or food processor works really well for this.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil then add the turnip and cook for 4 minutes. Drain really well.

Whisk the cream, mustard and garlic together and season. Layer the turnip and mustardy cream alternately and sprinkle in half the cheese. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very tender, browned and bubbling.

(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe, Olive Magazine, January 2017)

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Smoked Ham Salad with Shaved Gruyère, Escarole & Walnuts

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 12 October 2018| Leave a Comment »

Smoked ham salad, with shaved Gruyere, Escarole & Walnuts

You know those fab salads that they serve in French bistros? Well this is one of those and it’s from Rick Stein’s French Odyssey – a book we never travel to France without.

Wine Suggestion: this wine reminded us of holidays in the Dordogne in France so we chose a white Bergerac from Chateau le Tap, a nearly even blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon with a touch of Muscadelle thrown in.

Smoked ham salad with shaved Gruyère, escarole and walnuts – serves 4

  • 1 escarole lettuce or 2 English curly lettuces
  • 100g piece of Gruyère cheese
  • 400g of good quality smoked cooked ham – about 12 very thin slice
  • 10 walnuts in the shell
  • 1 small bunch of chives, chopped

FOR THE DRESSING:

  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp crème fraîche or sour cream
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp walnut oil (or use more olive oil if you haven’t got this)

Remove the outer lettuce leaves and discard, then break the rest into leaves. Wash and dry well in a salad spinner.

Cut the cheese into very thin strips using a cheese slicer or mandolin.

For the dressing, whisk together the mustard, lemon juice and vinegar. Add the crème fraîche, whisk until emulsified then gradually whisk in the olive and walnut oils. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange the sliced ham, lettuce leaves and shaved cheese onto 4 plates and scatter over the shelled walnuts. Drizzle over the dressing and sprinkle with the chives.

(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s French Odyssey, BBC Books, 2005.)

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Warm Tomato, Mustard & Gruyère Tart

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 26 August 2018| Leave a Comment »

Tomato, onion & pepper tart

This tart is bursting with summer flavours and the pastry is fabulously light and crisp. Delicious for lunch with a green salad.

Wine Suggestion: We drank the Rocca delle Macie Chianti Vernaiolo with this; unoaked, fresh and vibrant, especially as we’d put it in the fridge for 20 minutes. While not weighty or serious it does have loads of depth and length… perfect for this dish.

Warm tomato, mustard & gruyère tart – serves 4

  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • 1 onion, peeled, halved & sliced
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 100g gruyère cheese, grated
  • 4-5 vine tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • a handful of black olives, pitted and halved
  • a small handful of basil leaves

PASTRY:

  • 200g plain flour
  • 100g cold butter
  • 50g Grana Padano or Parmesan, finely grated
  • 1 egg

First make the pastry by whizzing the flour and butter in a food processor until it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the cheese, then the egg and bring together to make a dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

To make the filling, cook the pepper and onion in a tbsp of olive oil for about 15 minutes or until very soft, then season.

Heat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5.

Roll out the pastry to the thickness of a euro. Line a shallow tart tin (about 23cm) with the pastry, fill with baking parchment and beans, and blind bake for 10 minutes. Take out the paper and beans and bake for another 5 minutes.

Allow the pastry case to cool a little, then spread the base with the Dijon and sprinkle over the Gruyère. Top with the pepper mixture, then a layer of tomato slices and the olives. Season really well and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until the tomatoes are tender and the pastry crisp. Scatter the basil over before serving.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, September 2009.)

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