Only_Oli (The O_Zone)

This is “my recipe”; there is no onion, parsley, pancetta, or truffle… which can all be added for a variation on the base recipe, but I still prefer the basic Velouté de Topinambour, where the taste of the Jerusalem Artichokes is well blended with the Hazelnuts and Walnut oil. A Classic at the Dehon’s family dinner.

Ingredients :

How to Make :

• Clean and peel the Jerusalem Artichokes (drop them in cold water so that they do not oxidise)
• Chop the Jerusalem Artichokes into slices of about 5mm or half a cm thickness
• Put the Jerusalem Artichokes, the Hazelnuts, the Salt, the Pepper, the Walnut oil, and the Butter in the Thermomix on “Browning” Gentle for 10 minutes.
• Add the 500ml of water and bring to a boil. I use the Manual mode of the Thermomix for 10 minutes at 105 degrees, speed 2.
• By now, everything is cooked, and we simply want to make a nice texture.
• First blend for 1 minute on speed 8.
• Add the cream and blend again for 30 seconds on speed 8.
• Adjust Salt and Pepper as you see fit. I like it when you can taste the White Pepper.

• If you are making it without the Thermomix, simply fry in a saucepan for 10 minutes, making sure nothing is burning at the bottom, then add the water and cook for a further 10 minutes, then blend, then blend again with the cream.
• Serve warm.

A bit of history about the topinambour :

In France, the topinambour is deeply intertwined with the collective memory of the German Occupation (1940–1944).

While they were once a delicacy in the 17th-century French royal courts, their reputation was forever changed by the hardships of World War II.

Why they became a “War Food”

• The Potato Shortage: During the Occupation, the German army commandeered most of France’s potato crops to feed its troops. Potatoes were also used to produce fuel (alcohol) for the German war effort.

• The Unregulated Alternative: Unlike potatoes, topinambours were largely ignored by the occupying forces, considered “fodder” for livestock. Because they weren’t strictly rationed or seized, they became a vital survival food for the French population.

• Roadside Growth: You are correct about their location. Because the plant is incredibly hardy and invasive, it frequently escaped gardens and grew wild along roadsides, ditches, and railway tracks. For many starving families, foraging these “wild” tubers was one of the few ways to supplement meagre rations.

The “Forgotten” Vegetable

For decades after the war, topinambours (along with rutabagas) were known in France as légumes oubliés (forgotten vegetables).

“For the generation that lived through the war, the taste of topinambour wasn’t a culinary choice—it was the taste of hunger, occupation, and digestive distress (due to the high inulin content and the lack of other foods to balance it).”

Many survivors refused to ever eat them again once the war ended, and they virtually disappeared from French markets for nearly 50 years.

The Modern Renaissance

Today, the topinambour has made a massive comeback in French “bistronomy.” Modern chefs have reclaimed it for its unique, nutty flavour, often serving it as a velvety velouté or roasting it with thyme. It’s no longer seen as a sign of poverty, but as a gourmet winter root.

It started with a savoury cake. I was making an olive-and-pancetta cake — that French-style salé cake I have been making for years — and I found myself wondering: how do I actually know when it’s done? A skewer comes out clean long before the inside has fully set, and the colour of the crust isn’t always a reliable guide when there’s no sugar to caramelise.

The answer is a probe thermometer. And once I started thinking about internal temperatures for savoury cakes, I realised I’d never applied the same logic to sweet cakes either. So here’s a guide to both.

Savoury Cakes (e.g. olive & pancetta) Target internal temperature: 88°C – 92°C

Savoury cakes behave differently from sweet ones because their structure is built on eggs and cheese rather than sugar and fat. The egg proteins need to fully set, which means you don’t want to go below around 85°C at the centre — that’s your food safety floor. But push much above 92°C, and you’ll end up with a dry, rubbery crumb, and cured meats like pancetta will toughen noticeably.

One more tip: let your savoury cake rest after baking. It firms up beautifully as it cools and is almost always better eaten warm rather than piping hot straight from the oven.

Sweet Cakes

Different batters have different sugar and fat contents, which shifts the ideal doneness temperature more than you might expect:

I remember my mum made these in my youth and can remember it was some preparation work and fiddly with the rice paper tearing, etc….

But it was always a success at the dinner table.

I have made a few of these recently for parties with friends, and they are delicious and uncommon.

The wrapping technique below in pictures makes the whole thing a lot easier for the novice.

Ingredients :

How to Make :

• Assemble as per the photos below.
• I like to sprinkle a little bit of sesame seeds on top to finish it off.
• Can be prepared well in advance.
• Serve chilled with the sauces, and must be eaten with your fingers.
• I would like to explore making the deep fried versions as well.

Another recipe from friends visiting us in London. This time, I tried the Thermomix function that lets me create the full recipe on the Cookidoo platform, so anyone with a Thermomix can now make this recipe.

The shortcrust pastry is upgraded with some ground almonds, which make it velvety.

Go here to start cooking!

This is actually a lot easier if you can source the raw ingredient from a quality source.

In particular, if you can buy a fresh de-nerved foie and have a temperature probe.

Ingredients :

• 1 Foie Gras (de-nerved)
• 2 Teaspoons of Salt
• 1/2 tsp of Madagascar Pepper
• 1/2 tsp of White Pepper
• 2 tbsp of Armagnac
• 1 Terrine for the cooking

How to Make :

• Assuming you have a de-nerved Foie Gras (fresh, uncooked, but the veins have been removed already). Check my 2012 recipe if required. You can do this yourself.
• Sprinkle the Salt and Pepper on all sides of the foie
• Pour the Armagnac
• Put the foie in the terrine and push well so there are no air spaces
• Cook in the oven at 120 degrees. I use the top and bottom modes to keep it gentle. (Use a bain-marie if your oven is not very precise and you are worried that it would overcook)
• Use a temperature probe to check the inside temperature of the foie.
• Cook until the centre of the foie reaches 48 degrees Celsius.
• Cool down with a weight on the top of the foie to ensure it fills the terrine properly.
• Put into the fridge for a few hours to firm up.

When serving to eat, take the foie gras out of the fridge 30 minutes beforehand so it can be sliced more easily.

Serve with bread and a sweet wine like a Montbazillac or a Sauterne.

Ingredients :

• 8 Plums or a bit more – cut into 1/8th
• 125g of Butter (or a bit more up to 150g for richer)
• 250g of plain flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 50g of water

Frangipane :

• 100g butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 175g ground almonds
• 50g of plain flour
• 2 eggs beaten

How to Make :

• Make the shortcrust pastry first so it can rest in the fridge for a little while.
• Mix the flour, butter, egg yolk, and a small amount of water to make a dough.
• With Thermomix – 20 seconds on speed 4.
• Wrap in some clingfilm and put into the fridge until you are done with the rest of the preparation.

• Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius, fan-assisted.
• Ground the almonds (TM7 – 10 seconds on 10) and transfer to a separate bowl.
• Put the sugar and butter into the Thermomix and mix for 20 seconds on speed 4.
• Add the two eggs, the flour and the almonds.
• Mix with the Thermomix with the Butterfly for further. (20s on speed 4).
• Take the pastry out of the fridge and lay it in the tart tin.
• Lay the almond mixture.
• Lay the plums in a pretty circle pattern.
• Put into the oven for 45 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius, fan-assisted.
• Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream.

Petits moments partagés, grands souvenirs — et une recette qui restera!.

We had Heidi at the house for a week, and it was such a pleasure to share some relaxing time and get to know each other better.

It felt special to reminisce about how her dad and I lived together at my parents’ house nearly 40 years ago, and now, all these years later, his daughter spent a few lovely days with us. Family is truly precious — and creating new memories together is even more special.

Even though her stay was short, she made the most of it, with visits to London, a local pub quiz with Manu, and some great evening chats all together.

She also shared her crêpe recipe, which I’m saving here for future use. From now on, it will be known in our house as Heidi’s recipe… even if it originally comes from a classic North American cookbook, The Joy of Cooking.

Ingredients :

• A can of Chickpeas
• A can of tomatoes
• one pepper
• Some carrots, as you see fit
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 chicken stock cube
• Salt, Pepper
• Dried Apricots (very important to give some authentic flavour of Sweet and Spicy).
• A bunch of Parsley or Coriander, depending on your taste
• Optional: A couple of potatoes
• Optional: Cauliflower
• KEY ingredients: The spices are the key ingredients in this dish, and it comes down to what you like or the dishes that you are trying to accompany.
  • Ground Coriander
  • Turmeric
  • Cumin
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Piment de l’espelette
  • Black Pepper
  • Cinnamon (I only like very little of this if any)
  • Ras el Hanout (which is usually a blend of all the spices above and even more).

How to Make :

• Chop the carrots into big pieces
• Do the same with Pepper and Potatoes, or all the vegetables you considered.
• Roast the Garlic and spices for a few minutes, and then add all the other ingredients.
• Pour 0.5l of Chicken Stock, bring to a boil to cook the vegetables, and reduce slightly.
• You can make the ragout a bit thicker with a tablespoon of flour if required.

Ingredients :

• 1.5kg approx of deboned lamb shoulder.
• Salt, Pepper to taste
• A bunch of curly parsley
• 80-100g of onion
• 80-100g of Pistachios
• 80-100g of Almonds
• 80-100g of Pine Nuts
• 80-100g of dates
• 80-100g of dried Abricots
• 2tsp of Ras el Hanout spices
• Some honey (may be a good tablespoon)
• Olive oil to cover the meat before cooking

How to Make :

• Blitz all the ingredients in the Thermomix for 10 seconds on 5, this will make a coarse paste.
• Open up the shoulder flat on the tray.
• Use the Thermomix mixture as a “farce” and roll the shoulder with some butcher’s twine.
•  Put in the oven at 140 degrees for 2 to 3 hours. (you can cover with aluminium foil, but make sure you leave some time without the foil to give it a nice colour)

Serve with some Gratin Dauphinois and juicy vegetables…and a good Cote du Rhône