Trying out Rachel Khoo's yummy Provencal style chicken.

Yesterday, inspired by Rachel Khoo's new DVD I stuffed the breasts of a whole chicken with a mix of roast peppers and roast leeks (cooled off and chopped finely) and finely chopped black olives. Pre-cooking, I rested the bird on an arrangement of chunks of cooking onions and fennel after rubbing the whole chicken over with French salted butter. I was broadly following her Provence style recipe (pages 104 and 105 of Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook) and Rachel recommends keeping the skin intact when sliding the stuffing right the way under the breast skin.








See Rachel Khoo link above for my review of her new DVD

Covering the bird over with silver foil I roasted it in my oven on gas mark 6 for ninety minutes, removing the foil for the last half hour. Then I basted the cooking chicken with the delicious smelling juices formed from the melted butter and now cooked onion and fennel trivet. Lastly I threw in a few slices of chorizo simply because I like it so much!

I let the cooked chicken rest for ten minutes and thoroughly enjoyed the most tender and most moist chicken I believe I have ever cooked! I will definitely be cooking that style again! That stuffing mix was to die for!

To go with the chicken I steamed some fresh asparagus and ate it with that and the cooked onions and fennel.

Rachel Khoo 'Europa in Meiner Küche' DVD review (in English)

Rachel Khoo  'Europa in Meiner Küche' DVD review

Should the title in German put you off, fear not. I purchased this fabulous DVD a few weeks ago and the English language version is available on the DVD as well as the dubbed version in German. It was produced by BBC Germany and is a sumptuous food fest across Europe and is supported by Rachel's most recent book Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook. All you need to do on slipping the DVD into your player is choose 'English' from the two options on the opening screen where you will see 'sprachauswahl' on the right hand side. It is so easy and then you will have Rachel and her fantastic colourful foodie travels all to yourself in English. In my opinion the English language version is the much better version. I did watch an episode in the dubbed German version and 'ja' it is OK but at times you can still hear Rachel speaking English under the dubbing.

 

                                                               

 

The DVD has two DVDs each with five half hour episodes on. The places in which Rachel seeks out new recipe ideas and tries them out on her very grateful London friends are: Istanbul, the Amalfi Coast, the Costa Brava, Provence, Stockholm, Naples, Barcelona, Turkey's Princes Islands, Sweden and elegant Nice in the South of France. They are all beautifully filmed and gorgeously colourful and with Rachel Khoo on hand to offer her Khooky versions of Continental Khookery one episode watched simply isn't enough! I found my own viewing becoming a back to back 'just one more' evening of foodie delights.

 

Each episode features at least two recipes but also offers some great insights into the people and the cookery of each individual country, city, town or region. Even a random recollection of the whole series (yes I have watched them all twice so far!) recalls her finger licking lemon lava cakes, pistachio and pomegranate cake, courgette linguine, sweet tasting burnt leaks and burnt peppers, seafood paella nests and honey- roasted peach crema catalana. Just some of the mouth watering dishes she cooks on the DVD and makes it all seem so easy.

 

During each episode Rachel draws and paints with her water colour palate to illustrate her charming companion book Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook (over 100 recipes) and laughs continually at her own pun filled sense of humour. As she makes her own version of a tasty lamb kebab baked on a stick in pastry who cannot fail to be charmed as she calls it her “very own Khoobap!”

This DVD is a must for any fan of Ms Khoo. My copy came via Switzerland and took just under two weeks to reach me. It was worth very second of the wait. Highly recommended! I only wish the Little Paris Kitchen series was on DVD too. I for one would be Khooing with delight!

                                                              

Both the DVD and book above (retail price of book £20) can be ordered through the Amazon links on this page.

New Rachel Khoo DVD. Terribly over excited

Yes!!!  (or should I say "ja") a DVD by Rachel Khoo has just been released on 24th April  and hot off the press I have just ordered my copy through Amazon. I am totally over excited!

OK so the title Rachel Khoo - Europa in meiner Küche is in German but it is possible to play an English language version too. In the DVD you can join Rachel in her travels across Europe where she discovers new flavours and comes up with ever more new cooking ideas. On her Twitter account Rachel jokes that you can even hear her voice dubbed in German if you want. Ich freue mich sehr darauf! I'm really looking forward to that!

I've been loving Rachel's recent book Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook so much so that I have nearly worn out the book spine and ribbon and I am bursting with excitement for this DVD to come through my letterbox soon. Like many Rachel Khoo fans worldwide I think that it would be fantastic to have The Little Paris Kitchen: Classic French recipes with a fresh and fun approach in a DVD format too. This is a BBC DVD so hopefully there will be more titles on the way if this proves popular. I see no reason why not personally.

                                                                          

PS ignore the funny little white squares that appear after the books and DVD title. I am not so clever with html to get rid of them. The links still work.  Phil x    

News of a new Rachel Khoo TV show airing very soon!

This is a copy and paste blog from an email I received today from Rachel Khoo about her new TV show. If you are as excited to hear about this as I was read on!

'For me, travel and food go hand-in-hand. I love nothing more than creating a recipe inspired by a recent adventure. My kitchen is sprinkled with bits and bobs that I’ve picked up on my travels, from enamelware unearthed at a French flea market, to handmade crockery from Sweden. Whilst filming my latest television show, I was lucky enough to be able to combine my love of food, with a touch of wanderlust.

I’m so excited to announce that my show (divided into two seasons) is airing in the UK next week! It has been lovely to receive feedback from my viewers in other parts of the world (ranging from Poland to South Africa!), but I’m really thrilled that the show will now be airing here in my own stomping ground.

Things kick off this Monday June 9 on the Good Food Channel (Sky 247 or Virgin 260), with back-to-back episodes from the new series. First up, I explore how fashion influences food in the first episode of Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: London.

The fun continues at 9:30pm with Episode 1 of Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: Cosmopolitan Cook (my second series), when we discover the culinary delights of bustling Istanbul. Click here to try some of the mouth watering recipes featured in my new show, all inspired by my adventures in London and beyond.





Did you spot my Instagram snapshots from my recent press trip to South Africa? It was great to meet some of you at the BBC Worldwide press events, and thanks for coming along to the Delicious Festival in Johannesburg.' Rachel.

Review of 'My Little French Kitchen' by Rachel Khoo

I have to say that  - My Little French Kitchen - is one of the most beautiful books on French cooking I have ever seen. There is a lovely mix of stunning colour and black and white photography, hand drawn maps, over a 100 recipes from all regions in France and with a two page introduction on each region covered you really get an idea about what attracted Rachel to re-discovering various dishes.

In the book Rachel Khoo writes charmingly about her latest project and that she was a woman on a mission as she travelled around France on trains, by bus, by cycle on foot and by minibus! He mission was to discover long forgotten French recipes, made by regional grandmas. Rachel's travels take her to Brittany, Bordeaux, Basque, Provence, Lyon and Alsace. She also met food producers and artisans along her travels and credits their knowledge and enthusiasms for and about regional food in France for much of the inspiration in this book. She wasn't just interested in the old recipes though she was also interested in what foods and drinks the younger generations enjoy.

Every seductive page in this book has your mouth watering and wishing you were in France enjoying the dishes that Rachel has lovingly made. I really must try those sticky cassis pork ribs with mint and broad bean couscous but then the Porc et palourdes en cocotte looks darn good too and then again the praline brioche may be just what I need for breakfast. And after reading all about Christmas in Alsace I desperately feel the need to head off to the mountains and jostle amongst the happy traditional Christmas throngs in the Alsace city of Strasbourg whilst enjoying a le knack sausage in a bun. Ooh la la!

Rachel Khoo's first book – The Little Paris Kitchen – was a number one best seller and after fervently browsing through the sumptuous pages of - My Little French Kitchen – I could well see this one zooming to the top of the booksellers charts and into the hearts of all things French and of the lovely Rachel Khoo. The retail price is £20 and Amazon are offering it at around £12 at this time of writing.

                                                                         

Winner of Rachel Khoo Competition is ...

Many thanks to the hundred plus applicants who entered the Rachel Khoo competition to win a copy of Rachel's brand new book on French cookery - My Little French Kitchen. There are clearly a lot of Rachel Khoo fans out there and the new book was certainly worth waiting for.

So here were the questions - some harder than others.

A. Which Parisian bookshop did Rachel Khoo work at when she arrived in Paris?
B. At which famous cookery school did Rachel Khoo enrol to learn French cookery skills.
C. Can you now book a meal at Rachel Khoo's Little Paris Kitchen?
D. What is the company name of the fishmonger that Rachel Khoo goes to in her tv programme, Little Paris Kitchen.

Answers:

A. La Cocotte
B. Le Cordon Bleu
C.No
D.Pillet – Saiter

And the first applicant to get all answers correct is - Sinead Dowd of Leeds!!!

Well done Sinead. I'm sure you'll love your prize.

My review of 'My Little French Kitchen' will follow shortly.

Competition: Win a copy of Rachel Khoo's new book.

For all Rachel Khoo's fans tomorrow (10th October) is an exciting day as her new book - My Little French Kitchen - is launched.

I am offering a chance for one lucky winner to win a copy of her new book through my competition below.

Just answer these questions correctly and send your answers with your full name to mugofstrongtea@googlemail.com with the email title RK French Kitchen Comp. Winner will be the first email to get the answers correct. Closing date midnight Saturday 13th October. Winner will be announced on this blog on Sunday 14th October.

Comments with the answers will  be deleted. Comp is by email only.

Questions:

A. Which Parisian bookshop did Rachel Khoo work at when she arrived in Paris?
B. At which famous cookery school did Rachel Khoo enrol to learn French cookery skills.
C. Can you now book a meal at Rachel Khoo's Little Paris Kitchen?
D. What is the company name of the fishmonger that Rachel Khoo goes to in her tv programme, Little Paris Kitchen.

Bonne Chance.

http://www.rachelkhoo.com/about-mademoiselle-khoo

The release of Rachel Khoo's new book - My Little French Kitchen.

I love Rachel Khoo's work and I'm looking forward to seeing her new book 'Rachel Khoo - My Little French Kitchen' when it gets released on the 10th October 2013.

'Taking her 'Little Paris Kitchen' on tour in her second official book, Rachel leaves Paris to travel throughout France in search of the very best recipes in the country. From the snow-topped mountains and Christmas markets of Alsace to the winemaking region of the Bordeaux, the dreamy vistas of Provence and the well-stocked larders of Brittany and Normandy. Rachel seeks inspiration in some of the best-known foodie places as well as uncovering and sharing hidden insights. Recipes include: pork and clams with cider and butter beans, spicy aubergine sticks with couscous, baked figs with walnuts, beer-glazed ham hock, caramelized apple bake and spiced almond biscuits.' (source: Amazon)

I have been trying to find out if there is a telly series connected with the book (I'm assuming so) but have no news on that front. I'm keeping my eyes peeled (that always sounds so painful!) on Rachel Khoo's website and through Twitter. By the way if any readers want to follow me on Twitter I am there at PhilLowe7. See ya there.

Catch up with Rachel Khoo's latest culinary events

http://www.rachelkhoo.com/culinary-events

Catch up with Rachel's latest culinary events through the link above.

Parisian thoughts and lavender chicken.

My bench as I poked my head of my front door at 3.33am as it poured with rain.

Today the constant rain of the last three days finally cleared up and I found time to enjoy the sunshine and do some cooking and clothes cleaning.

Had a lot of fun today semi-recreating le petit Parisian (Willy Ronis's boy with a the baguette). I got a few funny looks from passers by as I posed in the middle of the village as the Baguette Boy now grown up but I don't care. Life should be fun!

Back at home I cooked some chicken pieces in lavender and lemon having marinated the chicken in said mix for twelve hours. It was delish and many thanks to Karen who kindly sent me the lavender. The lemon was the prominent taste but I could detect the lavender pieces coming through. The recipe was one of Rachel Khoo's and I even dipped my baguette in the cooking juices and boy was the experience a goodie!!!!


                                                            

Karen and Steve's lavender

The weather had cleared up from the continuous rain we've been having the last few days and I managed to get some washing out to dry on the line. I sat for a while outside on the garden bench soaking up the sun with a beer with next door's cat, Mr Harris, keeping me company and feline eyeballing a raven on the fence. You can sometimes under estimate the amount of bugs flying about on an average sunny day and most of them seemed very attracted to my orange t-shirt, so-much-so that I retired indoors after a while after getting irritated by the little devils landing all over me.

Tonight will be first time in six weeks that Rachel Khoo and her fab Parisian cookery programme won't be on the telly to watch and drool over so I have been going through my French cooking books and DVDs and would like to recommend some to you. Not all are about Paris but they are all fabulously French and would grace any Francophone's home and kitchen.  Most of the books I have pictured are highly visual (lots of sumptuous photos of food and markets) and the French Odyssey DVD is a must to have. Watch it and you feel like you have been on a French holiday with Rick Stein.

Two great French based dvds

An old favourite.

Two Paris based videos I definitely recommend for any lover of Paris.

Thanks for looking in and lastly a lovely picture of some bluebells that I discovered growing at the back of my house. Life can be beautiful at times. If only I was also lingering around one of those fragrantly fresh French markets.

Rachel Khoo and the fishmongers in Trouville

Trouville sur Mer. Normandy

On Rachel Khoo’s Little Paris Kitchen programme (episode four of six) I loved the visit to Trouville’s fish market and in particular to the family run 150 year old fishmongers,  Pillet – Saiter (boulevard Fernand Moureaux, 14360 Trouville sur Mer) where Rachel cooked Moules Marinières with apple cider from Normandy and finished off with a dollop of crème fraiches and wowed the family Pillet - Saiter. As the camera tracked across the counters heaving with sea bass and crevettes, langoustines and bulots cuits ie: fresh whelks I could practically smell the ozone.  If you missed the programme it is still available to view on bbciplayer. Download it and view to your heart's content, like I did.

Rachel said that they had eight different types of oysters and ‘amazing looking lobsters – don’t put your fingers in there!’ Apparently one can’t get live grey shrimps in Paris and the ones she witnessed and made her so joyous, were pulled out of the water only an hour ago. Heaven!

The owner, Dominic, showed her how  to cook scallops in water. Not boiled but poached for two minutes because they were so fresh and to retain their natural sweetness. She made a mustard mayonnaise thinned out with water and vinegar. Trouville was such an attractive sight and place. I wanted to get on a train and go there straight away. Why don’t we have this type of venue in the UK? Perhaps once upon a fishing industry we did.

bulots cuits

I also loved the chicken cooked with lavender and lemon and the, ash covered cheese, pistachio and prune cake, and the super looking salade composée where each item complimented another.

 For more info about cooking with lavender check out this website. http://www.what-about-lavender.com/cooking_with_lavender.html

My Little Frenchy Kitchen

Entranced by another episode of ‘The Little Paris Kitchen’ featuring Rachel Khoo last night I thought I’d show off my French styled kitchen and the various objects I have collected over the years to feed my love of all things French. Alas, I live in rural Nottinghamshire not Paris but one can dream.

I had a bit of a tidy before I took the pictures and the interior isn’t as charmingly chaotic as Rachel Khoo’s tiny Parisian kitchen but it suits me. I sometimes listen to French radio stations (online) as I cook as a bit of fun background noise. My language skills aren’t enough to understand half of what is being said but I like the French sounds and get some of it. And when I’ve had a few glasses of Merlot I feel that I could walk out of the door and be in Paris itself.

Not that I’m obsessed or owt but, over the years, I have also built up a collection of modern French music on CDs and a movable feast of French language DVDs most of which seem to feature the lovely Audrey Tautou. Odd that. And then there’s a collection of books for Francophiles covering every aspect of French life and a big pile of France magazines and more cookery books about French Cooking. Oooh la la!

I was going to list them for you but got inspired to create an Eiffel Tower out of some of them instead. More fun.

I think I’m going to have severe withdrawal symptoms when Rachel Khoo’s six part programme is finished. I do hope that a video is produced. Last night’s programme interested me as a butcher because she went to the largest wholesale food market in Rungis, south of Paris and wowed the butchers (all but one) with her version of Steak Tartare. I also loved the cheeses at the award winning cheese shop and what she did with the goat’s cheese.

Tonight I am cooking a lemon and thyme chicken with some simple roasted vegetables. At the time of writing this it is still in the oven and smells great.