Monday, July 6, 2009

Recipes from Maison Conti

Carrot Soup One of our favorite ways to start a meal at Maison Conti is with warm carrot soup. I learned this recipe years ago from my friend Gillian. I've adapted it to my style of cooking and committed it to memory. It has become a classic Maison Conti offering throughout the year. 2 T butter 1 onion cut into small pieces Saute the onion in butter until the pieces are transparent but not browned. Add: 9 carrots cut in small chunks 6 cups chicken broth 1 t ground coriander Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the carrot morsels are tender. (About 30 minutes.) Allow the soup to cool. Blend the soup until there are no chunks left. A submersion blender is the best tool for this. Grate fresh ginger to taste (this can be anywhere between 1-3 T) and stir into the soup. Serve with a dallop of plain yogurt, sour cream or creme fraîche in the middle of the bowl and garnish with fresh ground pepper and fresh cut chives. Blueberry Pie One of the simpliest desserts we offer is an attractive variation on blueberry pie. In France we have excellent prepared pie crust dough, made with pure butter and available fresh in the dairy aisle. You can make your own, of course. Place crust in pie pan and add a few air hole in the bottom with a fork. Allow excess crust to drape over the sides while you prepare the berries. Put 3-6 cups blueberries in a bowl. Fresh are best, but frozen ones, allowed to thaw first, also work well. Add a cup of sugar and 1t nutmeg. Place berries on the raw crust and fold the excess crust over the berries. Place in a oven which has been preheated to 350º and cook until golden brown (about 40 minutes). Other types of berries can work, although they are usually more juicy so the tarte is not as firm and compact on the plate. Garnish with a dallop of ice cream or whipped cream.

1 comment:

  1. Miam, miam !
    Nancy, tes recettes sont toujours aussi bonnes que belles ! A Maison Conti, l'art est partout présent : dans l'atelier bien sûr mais aussi dans le jardin et la cuisine.
    Je ne sais pas qui a pu dire un jour que les américains ne connaissaient que le Mc Do ! Je recommande vivement l'excellente cuisine de Rick et Nancy à Maison Conti.

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