Scallop and mushroom brochette

 One of the joys of moving to a new country is learning the language. When it comes to French, it's a relearning process. After 11 years in the Netherlands speaking Dutch, I lost a lot of my French, which is annoying because I used to speak it quite fluently. One way to learn a language is to watch cooking shows; I find it helps a lot. That's actually where I discovered this recipe while watching Top Chef. Here's my interpretation of a Paul Pairet recipe, a simpler and more accessible version. It's still just as delicious. I replaced the teriyaki marinade with an oyster sauce, soy sauce, and mirin marinade. The trick is to cook it over direct heat, not on the griddle.

10 ml soy sauce
10 ml oyster sauce
10 ml mirin
2 g freshly ground black pepper
10 medium sized scallops
5 mushrooms
2 large metal skewers (I used these for cooking and not the wooden ones featured in the picture)

Cut the scallops in half to obtain 2 rings

Cut the mushrooms in the same way, so that you get round slices that match the shape of the scallops. Make sure there are no holes in the slices; they should be whole.

In a bowl, mix the mirin, soy sauce, oyster sauce and black pepper.

Place the scallop slices in the marinade and let stand for 15 minutes

Begin threading the scallops and mushroom slices onto the skewers, alternating between the scallops and mushrooms. Make sure they are threaded evenly and centered on the skewer. You'll want to leave some space at each end so you can rest the skewer on the edge of the grill.

Prepare your barbecue for direct cooking at 200°C

Remove the griddle and place the skewers on the edges over the coals (make sure you wear heat-resistant gloves when doing this!)

Cook the scallops for 30 seconds on each side, basting them with the marinade as you turn them over. Continue cooking for about three minutes to cook them thoroughly.

Ragoût d'épaule de chèvre aux anchois

 Comme beaucoup d'entre vous le savent maintenant, la chèvre est l'une de mes viandes préférées et elle est si polyvalente qu'elle s'accorde avec de nombreux profils de saveurs, de la Méditerranée au Moyen-Orient en passant par les Caraïbes. Son goût est comparable à celui de l'agneau jeune et du mouton plus tard. Vous pouvez découvrir mes nombreuses recettes dans ma  section « Goatober »  sur Kitchen Exile. De nombreux bouchers et agriculteurs du monde entier mettront la chèvre à l'honneur pendant le mois d'octobre, alors n'hésitez pas à consulter vos producteurs locaux pour découvrir leur offre. 

300 g d'épaule de chèvre coupée en cubes

10 g de brins de romarin frais finement hachés

5 g de thym frais haché

5 g de ciboulette finement hachée

2 gousses d'ail râpées

5 g de persil frais haché

5 g de menthe fraîche finement hachée

5 g d'origan frais finement haché

40 g d'anchois à l'huile d'olive finement hachés

2 g de poivre noir fraîchement moulu

150 ml de vin blanc

100 ml de bouillon d'agneau ou de poulet

2 tomates finement hachées

20 g d'olives noires finement hachées

Mélangez l'épaule de chèvre avec les herbes, l'ail, le poivre et les anchois et laissez mariner toute la nuit au réfrigérateur.

Préchauffez votre four ou préparez votre barbecue pour une cuisson indirecte à 140°C

Fouettez les tomates jusqu'à obtenir une pâte lisse.

Mettre tous les ingrédients dans une poêle en fonte et cuire pendant 3 heures

J'aime servir ce plat avec du riz, du couscous ou du taboulé.

Beetroot, celeriac and butternut squash dauphinoise

This is one of my favourite winter dauphinoise dishes. Great on it's own as a dish or as an accompaniment to a Sunday roast. 

1 medium sized beetroot, peeled and thinly sliced 

100g celeriac, peeled and thinly sliced

100g butternut squash peeled and thinly sliced

200ml double cream
Sprig of thyme
Small sprig rosemary
1g grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
10g salted butter

In a pan place the cream thyme and Rosemary and bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 mins to infuse
While the cream is heating start to layer a deep baking dish with the sliced vegetables. 

As you layer season with the salt, pepper and grated nutmeg (go easy on the nutmeg as it can overpower).
Once you've finished layering pour over the cream
Cover the baking dish with foil and place in an oven at 150c (fan) or 160c (normal) for 45 minutes
After 45 minutes take the foil off, add the butter and cook at 190c (fan) 200c (normal) for a further 30 mins
If cooking on the BBQ, cook on indirect heat at 160c, covered in foil for 45 minutes and again with the foil off, adding the butter at 190c for another 30 minutes