French Food by Mimi Thorisson

CHERRY CLAFOUTIS

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500 g (1 pound) cherries

4 eggs

50 g (3 . tbsp) salted butter, melted and extra for lining the cake pan (you can use plain butter if you prefer)

200 ml full milk

100 g plain flour

60 g plain sugar

1 1/2 tsp of vanilla sugar

1 tbsp orange blossom water

Icing sugar, for dusting

A pinch of salt

Preheat oven 200C/400 F.
Butter (generously) a cake pan. Rinse cherries and pat them dry. I leave the stones but you can remove them if you prefer).

Place them in the bottom of the cake pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and vanilla sugar.
Add milk and eggs (one by one), whisking gently. Add orange blossom water and butter, mix until you get a smooth batter.

Pour batter on top of cherries. Bake for 15 minutes at 200C/400 F, then lower heat to 18oC/350 F and cook for a further 30 minutes.
Leave to cool and set (the clafoutis will be all puffed up and set evenly).

ROAST PIGEONS WITH RED WINE

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Serves 4

4-6 farm-raised pigeons

Sprigs of fresh rosemary

100 g unsalted butter

4-6 cloves of garlic, unpeeled

Olive oil

For the sauce

250 ml red wine

25 g unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 190 °C.

Wash and dry the pigeons, sprinkle with salt and pepper inside the cavity, add half a clove of garlic, rosemary sprigs, and a
teaspoon of unsalted butter. Rub the pigeons with butter.
Tie the pigeons with twine around the circumference, turn over and tie the twine around the circumference again.
Drizzle a bit of olive oil all over. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30–35 minutes depending on cuisson preference. Place the pigeons aside and keep warm.

In the meantime, place the pan above the heat and wait for the juices to simmer. Add the red wine and bring back to a soft boil.
Add a knob of butter and wait for the sauce to thicken.

Serve with the pigeons.

CRUNCHY RATATOUILLE

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Serves 4

2 medium-sized onions, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

3 courgettes, sliced

1 large aubergine, cut into cubes

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely sliced

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

40 ml red wine (optional)

4 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Slice all the vegetables accordingly.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the onions until they are transparent. Add the peppers and cook for 3 minutes.
Then add aubergine, courgettes, garlic, thyme and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes.

Finally, add the chopped tomatoes and the red wine (optional), stir gently, cover and cook for 25 minutes on a low heat.

Serve with a fried egg, sunny-side up.