the hungry expats

This is a classic French recipe, usually made with canned pear halves in syrup. Since I found some beautiful poires Williams at the market yesterday, I decided to poach them in a simple homemade syrup instead. CRUST 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1/3 cup vegetable oil or butter, softened 1/3 cup  warm water PEARS POACHED IN SYRUP (optional) 5 firm pears 3/4 cup white sugar 2 cups water 1 teaspoon vanilla Zest of 1 lemon FILLING  2 eggs 1/3 cup almond meal 1/3 cup butter, melted 1/3 cup sugar (I used half white sugar and half dark brown sugar) 1 tablespoon of rhum DIRECTIONS Make the crust. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together and knead just long enough to combine them well. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Poach the pears in syrup (skip this step if you are using canned pear halves in syrup). In a saucepan, mix together sugar, water, van...

For this recipe, I used a classic New York cheesecake recipe, which I had to adapt to the European market, because if Philadelphia cream cheese is now found everywhere on this side of the pond, graham crackers are unheard of on the French riviera (well, in Menton anyway). I replaced them with Speculoos cookies, because their cinnamon-brown sugar flavor works wonderfully with cream cheese. The classic recipe calls for 2 lbs of cream cheese. I used 2/3 of that (600 grams) and reduced the other ingredients accordingly, which explains why the cheesecake doesn't look as high as it normally does (FIY, I used a 9-inch springform cake tin). CHEESECAKE 150 grams of Speculoos cookies (if you use Graham crackers, add sugar) 70 grams of unsalted butter, melted 600 grams of PHILADELPHIA cream cheese 160 grams of white sugar 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour Pinch of salt Zest of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon of lemon juice 2 eggs 160 ml of sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used ...

A word of advice: non-coffee drinkers, don't run away! As my American readers already know, a "coffee cake" does not contain coffee at all (well it can occasionally, but this one doesn't), it only means that it is meant to be enjoyed WITH coffee. I made this one with fresh blueberries (in season now) purchased at the farmers'market in Ventimiglia, Italy. I topped it with a crunchy layer of cinnamon streusel, because really, who doesn't like a delicious crumble on top of their coffee cake? CAKE 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used one vanilla pod instead) 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder pinch of salt 2/3 cup milk (not non-fat) 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen STREUSEL TOPPING 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon     DIRECTIONS Preheat oven at 350°F (180°C). Butter and flour a 9-inch r...

As far as I can remember, my mom always started this cake by coating the bottom of a pan with a dark brown caramel. This recipe is more Southern in the sense that it calls for a mix of butter and brown sugar, which caramelised the pineapple nicely and gave the cake a wonderfully-rich buttery flavor. Sorry Mom, I like it better this way. INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup unsalted butter 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1 can sliced pineapple, drained 1 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup white sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 pinch of salt 1 egg 1/2 cup milk (not non-fat) 1/3 cup greek yogurt or sour cream 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract DIRECTIONS   Preheat oven to 350F.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Pour it into a 9-inch cake pan. Tilt the pan to coat sides with butter. Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter. Add 1 whole pineapple slice to the center of the pan. Halve the remaining slices. Place them in a fan-like shape around center pie...

Traditionally, a strawberry bavarois is a light strawberry mousse on top of a thin layer of génoise (sponge cake). As I love the contrast between the smoothness of the filling and the texture of the crumbly crust found in the cheesecake, I decided to replace the traditional sponge cake base by a crunchy chocolate cookie crust. I am very pleased with the result: the dark chocolate crust adds a rich depth and works wonderfully with the airy strawberry mousse.   CRUST 150 grams of Oreo-style cookies (about 6 oz.) 50 grams of butter, melted pinch of salt   FILLING 500 grams of fresh strawberries 1 lemon 6 leaves of gelatin (11 or 12 grams) 40 cl. of liquid heavy cream (at least 30% fat), chilled 200 to 220 grams of white sugar (1 cup) Preheat oven at 350°F. To make the crust, place cookies in a mixer and pulse to obtain a sandy texture (20 to 30 seconds). Pour into a bowl, add salt and melted butter. Stir to combine ingredients and spread evenly at the bottom...

This is a French classic. When strawberries are in season, fraisiers start to pop up in every pastry shop. They're really not that difficult to make though, so why not try your hands at it? Here's the recipe I used.   FOR THE CAKE   4 large eggs 1/2 cup white sugar 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon almond extract FOR THE CREME MOUSSELINE 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup white sugar 2 large eggs 1/4 cup cornflour 1 stick + 1 tablespoon butter (125 grams), softened 1 vanilla pod 1 pound fresh strawberries Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.   Start with the cake. Place sugar and egg yolks in a large bowl.   Using electric beaters, whisk until sugar has dissolved and mixture is pale in colour. Add in almond extract and set aside. In another bowl, whisk egg whites with electric beaters on high speed until firm peaks form . Fold egg whites into the egg-sugar mixture in 3 times, just enough to keep batter light and airy.   Divide batter in halves ...

This recipe is slightly adapted from the one featured in the November '13 issue of SAVEUR Magazine. A real Southern gem. The taste of the toasted pecans on top really comes through.  CAKE 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I used canola oil) 2 cups sugar 5 eggs, separated 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 1 cup finely chopped pecans (extra flour and butter for the pans) FROSTING 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 4 tablespoons  unsalted butter, softened 1 cup confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted DIRECTIONS Heat oven at 350°. Butter and flour three 8" cake pans. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Whisk buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl. Cream butter, shortening and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until fluffy, 2 t...