What would be delicious and, preferably, not very difficult to please your child on the weekend? Ideas from Chef Helen Darroze.
Michelin-starred chef Hélène Darroze runs restaurants in Paris, London and Moscow (see her website helenedarroze.com for more details). Every month, she shares her favorite recipes with us and talks about what has been a source of culinary inspiration for her.
“I love spending Sunday night with the kids. In London, we usually return late from a walk and don’t have time to cook, so for dinner I offer them sushi bought on the way. But in Paris on Sunday we usually stay at home, and in the evening my girls cook with me. I let them choose the recipes, so my Sunday dinner menu is tasty and quite light! The croque-monsieur French sandwich is one of my daughters’ favorite dishes, but their godmother Susie’s recipe for chocolate pie is their favorite. The cake is simply magical, it can be quickly and easily prepared. Children put ingredients together and mix them enthusiastically. Of course, I am always there: suddenly you need to cut something, warm it up or share your experience. Most of all, I want cooking to be entertainment for children, so that they have fun. Sunday night is also a pajama party. We sit on poufs near the coffee table, bring plates with everything we have prepared, chat merrily and are very pleased with each other. At such moments, we feel so good that every time I want them to last forever … “
Monsieur Step
For 6 people
Preparation: 20 minutes
Preparation: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 24 slices of sandwich bread (preferably thick enough)
- 300 g full fat sour cream (30-35%)
- 300 g grated hard cheese
- 12 thin slices cooked ham
- 50 g soft lightly salted butter
- Chilli
Preparation
Put the sour cream in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Add grated cheese, wait until it melts and mix everything. Pepper. Remove from heat and let cool to thicken the sauce.
Spread each slice of bread on one side with soft butter, and on the other with sour cream and cheese sauce. Spread on 12 slices of bread (on the side where the sauce is) 12 slices of ham folded in half; top them with the other 12 slices of bread. Wrap each sandwich in cling film; store in the refrigerator. Before serving, roast the croque-monsieur in the oven, turning on the grill, for 5 minutes on each side. Serve with greens or a green salad.
Chocolate brownie pie
For 6 people
Preparation: 10 minutes
Preparation: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 250 g chocolate
- 250 g butter
- 250 g cane sugar
- 70 g flour
- 4 eggs
Preparation
Melt the chocolate in a water bath. Add oil and heat for another 2-3 minutes. Put the mixture into a bowl. Stir with a whisk and at the same time add sugar and sifted flour. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and add them to the batter. Stir until the mass becomes homogeneous. Transfer the dough to a baking dish (for example, round, with a diameter of 23 cm), previously greased with oil and sprinkled with flour. Put in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
Take the pie out of the oven. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes before taking it out of the mold.