WARM CAMEMBERT IN A BOX A whole Camembert cheese, baked in its wood-chip box is the perfect opener for brunch or a barbecue. I like mine soaked in Calvados but apple juice does well when kids are around. Crisp toasts of French bread, or sticks of carrot and celery, are good for serving to scoop
BAKED LAMB CHOPS WITH ONION AND POTATOES Trust the French to improve Irish stew by first browning the chops and onions, then cooking them in stock with sprigs of thyme, calling them Côtes d’Agneau Champvallon. The resulting dish is grandmother’s pride, a full meal that needs very little attention. Serves 4 4 lamb chops with
APPLE CRUMBLE This recipe is good for any tart fruit, particularly apples, apricots, or plums; when we lived in Burgundy, we would add the wild peaches from our centuries-old walled vegetable garden. This was the children’s favorite recipe to make with the food processor, though of course the butter can be rubbed into the flour
CHOCOLATE PUDDING WITH MINT AND ORANGE Spices such as cinnamon seem the natural flavouring for chocolate to us, so this herbal and fruit combination with mint and orange comes a surprise. Leo blinked twice when he first tasted it, and then he grinned. “Cool” he said. Serves 6-8 3/4 cup/150 g sugar Grated zest of
BUTTER AND BACON ROAST CHICKEN At home in Yorkshire, my mother always backed up her roast chicken with bacon – quite literally. She would brush the bird all over with melted butter and then drape the breast with slices of streaky bacon. I like to add a generous bunch of an aromatic fresh herb such
CHERRY BATTER PUDDING It’s odd, really that the Yorkshire pudding principle of a baked batter so rarely extends to dessert in England. The French sweet batter pudding, called clafoutis, originated in the Limousin in central France but now it is found everywhere, adapted to local fruits and alcohols. Traditional for tart cherries in spring, when
APPLE AND TOMATO CHUTNEY Late tomatoes and early apples tend to ripen at the same time, hence the popularity of this simple chutney. Makes 5 2-cup/500-ml jars of chutney 4lb/1.8 kg ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced 4 lb/1.8 kg tart apples 4 onions, sliced 5 cups/1.25 liters white wine or cider vinegar 2 teaspoons peppercorns,
GRILLED CORIANDER CHICKEN WITH YOGHURT Given its Mediterranean overtones, it’s not surprising that this chicken dish is as good at room temperature as when it is served hot. Yogurt plays a double role as tenderizer for the meat and thickener for the sauce. Serves 2 2 chicken breasts (500 g total) 1 cups/250 ml plain
CANDIED CHERRY CAKE When Grandma was a little girl, Candied Cherry Cake was her favorite treat. Quite often the cherries fell to the bottom of the cake so she could eat them first, followed by the squishy crumbs. The cake is cooked at a low temperature to encourage the cherries to rise. Makes an 8-in/20-cm cake
CHOCOLATE SORBET For the cook with one of those little electric ice cream machines, here is the perfect summer treat. Grandma usually uses 70% dark chocolate and leaves the sorbet overnight so the sorbet sets firm. Makes 1 qt/1 liter of sorbet to serve 6 to 8 5 oz/150 g dark chocolate, chopped 3 cups/750