Spoonful starters and deserts from SW France
I tasted these yesterday at a beautiful restaurant by the ocean in Hossegor called Jean des Sables that I also like to go to in summer for the sunset views.
This is what they presented to us for starters and desert and I thought I would share them with you. I also got some recipes from the chef, lucky me, so here they are!
Tuna starter spoonful.
Easy to make: take a leaf for a spring roll (buy them in asian delicatessen, the one’s you have to wet slightly to make them go soft). Place inside some freshly braised tuna, some fig coulis or jam (see how to use figs better in my recipes here) and a little dab of salmon eggs. Wrap up in a cylinder and then cut slices through your spring roll. Place them on large porcelain spoons and serve for aperitif or starters! It’s fresh and light and yum!!!
Fresh desert spoons
This is even easier. Make some standard vanilla scented rice pudding :
Ingredients
-
- 150g/5oz short grain or pudding rice
- 1.7 litres/3 pints full fat milk
- 100g/3½oz caster sugar
- 2 tbsp vanilla syrup (see Top recipe tip below)
- Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
- Rinse the rice in cold water to remove the dusty starch from the surface – this will prevent the pudding becoming too thick.
- Place the drained rice in a large saucepan with the milk, sugar and vanilla syrup.
- Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer very gently, stirring every five minutes, for 25 minutes.
- Simmer for five more minutes, stirring slowly all the time to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from the heat and pour into a shallow 2000ml/3½ pint ovenproof dish.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and then leave to rest for at least one hour – this will allow the creamy texture to develop.
- Sprinkle the surface of the pudding with sifted icing sugar and serve warm.
- To serve cold, preheat the grill to its highest setting. Sprinkle the cold pudding evenly with caster sugar, using a fine sieve, and place under the grill for 2-3 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes then serve.
Place this into the bottom of a large desert serving spoon and make sure it’s compact and round (using a small metal spoon).
Place on top a small layer of thinly sliced kiwi fruit and coat with some honey or syrup.
This is a really fresh and unusual treat.
Straight from the ocean restaurant that I love! Happy Sunday!
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Deluxe dinner on the ocean
Oh, I love these! Especially the presentation, which looks lovely. I will definitely try the starter. Thanks for inspiration!