Pepper, goat cheese and tuna tart

Again another great weekend!! 2011 New Year’s good resolution is to go back into drawing and sketching. It’s easier to do when you have other sketchers around you, so I joined the Dublin sketcher club for the past few weeks. Basically we meet up every Sunday in Dublin in different places to sketch, help and support each other. Sometimes sketching in public can be bit scary. If you are drawing in public, people will try to catch a glimpse above your shoulders and comment. At least within a group, it’s less scary.

http://dublinsketchers.blogspot.com/

Through the sketcher group, I came to hear about’ Dr Sketchy’ alternative sketching event. Sketching models dressed up as Tank girl or a weird mutant….. Still can’t tell if Johnny Trigger was a giant rabbit or a giant Kangaroo!!

http://www.drsketchysdublin.com/

Anyway with all of this, I just did not get a chance to do the groceries this weekend.

Going through my pantry or super messy cupboard, I ended up with eggs, cheese, tuna and pepper.

So, in Monday lunch box it’s going to be Pepper, goat cheese and tuna tart. It’s actually the second time doing this recipe. I like the combination.

Lay the short-crust pastry in a pie dish.

I guess I could have baked the pastry, but I don’t have time.

Then mix the tuna with herbs, and lay on bottom of the pie dish, then add sliced of goat cheese log.

In bowl, beat the egg and cream together, add nutmeg, salt and pepper. Don’t use too much salt as the goat cheese is salty. Pour the mix over the tuna.

Wash and slice the pepper. I sliced it within the width instead of the length. I ended up with circle of pepper and pushed them onto the top of the tart. It looks impressive.

Bake in a warm over for about 35/40min.

It was really quick to make, maybe half hour max. I had to make the short-crust pastry which is also pretty quick. It’s now in the oven, and it smells delicious!

Crêpes aux Bacon et Champignons à la Béchamel

Yesterday, the 2sd of February was “la chandeleur” or Chandler’s day. Probably one of my favorite celebration since I was a child. After all, here comes another excuse to have Crêpes.

Tradition would be to flip the crêpes holding a gold coin or “Louis d ‘or” in your other hand. Succeeding would bring you good luck and money all through the year. Isn’t it great?!

Chandeleur comes from the word “chandelle or Candles”. It’s a pagan and catholic celebration. Pagans were celebrating purity, fecondity and the goddess Brigid by lighting candles at midnight. For the Catholic Church, Chandler’s day happens 40 days after X-mas and Christ birth. It’s supposed to be when Jesus was presented to the Temple. Thanks god for wiki….

I’m a little bit late this year. I only cooked some today. Though, I still managed to flip the first one, holding a 2euro coins in my left hand. I wish I had a gold coin.. Anyhow!

With the leftover, I decided to make “Crêpes à la béchamel, jambon et Champignon” for my lunch box tomorrow. When I was a child, we had them every now and then as a treat. My parents would buy them at the frozen section in our local supermarket. 15min in the oven, and you would have a stuffed crêpe filled up with a goo-y, cheesy sauce…. Lovely! They use to make them with spinach too. Those were not too popular in our household.

Here is my version, pretty classic.A

Crêpes au bacon et champignons à la béchamel

· 4 crêpes

· 70gr of butter

· 4 tbsp of cornflour or flour

· ¼L of milk

· 3 bacon slices

· 10 Fresh Mushrooms

· 3tsp of grated cheese, I used conté cheese

· 1 shallot

· Salt, pepper and nut meg

· Herbs de Provence

Cut the mushrooms, bacon in square. Then slice the shallot thinly.

Grate your cheese and reserved. I used Conté cheese, but you can use any cheese you want.

In a pan, fry the bacon. There is no need to add oil. Then add the shallot and cook together for until golden and crisp. Then add the mushroom. Cook for less than 5min and add herbs de Provence to taste.

In a pot over the hob, melt butter and add the corn flour. While steering, add the milk little by little. Do not add the milk at once. It would mess up your cheesy sauce. Steer until you get the texture of a thick custard. Add a little bit of grated nutmeg, less than the tip of a teaspoon.

Add the grated cheese and your fried bacon/mushroom mix. Mix over the hob if necessary and add some milk if it gets to thick.

Lay a crêpe on a plate. Spread it in the middle with your mix, and then fold into a rectangle.

Put your crêpes into an oven dish and sprinkle with little bits of butter. Bake for about 15min or until golden on top.

It’s great with a salad. Not the lightest lunch box but so huuum!