French Ingredients and their alternatives

Can't find some of those tongue-twisting French ingredients? Here are some alternatives available at any supermarket or grocer.

Extracted from Astroview June 2009

Fleur de Sel
What:
The top layer of hand-harvested sea salt, this grayish or pink salt is one of the more expensive types
Alternative:
Regular salt that is used in everyday cooking

Creme Fraiche
What:
Thick cream with a slightly sour taste
Alternative:
Mix a small amount of sour cream with normal heavy cream and leave it aside for several hours in room temperature

Mirepoix
What:
The holy trinity of French cooking, Mirepoix acts as a flavor base
Alternative:
Mirepoix is a combination of onions, celery and carrots (ratio 2:1:1) that are either raw, roasted or sauteed

Harissa
What:
Spicy hot sauce made of smoked chilli peppers, garlic and spices
Alternative:
Sambal or chilli sauce

Herbes de Provence
What:
A mixture of different cooking herbs native to the Provence region, South of France
Alternative:
Make your own mix using Thyme, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Basil, Bay Leaves and Fennel

Chocolate Crepes by Laura Calder

Makes a dozen crepes

1 tbsp butter
40 gm chocolate
250 ml milk
2 eggs
55 gm sugar
1 tsp vanilla
125 gm flour
250 ml whipping cream
225 gm dark chocolate, finely chopped

Method:
1. Put the butter, chocolate and milk in a saucepan and heat to melt. Beat the eggs with the sugar in a bowl. Add the vanilla and then the flour. Beat in chocolate mixture and strain the mix into a jug
2. Leave it to sit for half an hour. If necessary, add more milk or water to give it the consistency of thin cream
3. Fry the crepes, using a bit of oil in a non-stick pan
4. Meanwhile, put the whipping cream and dark chocolate together in a saucepan and heat, gently, until the chocolate melts and turns smooth. Thin as needed with more cream to create a chocolate sauce that you can drizzle over your crepes
5. You can also enjoy your crepes filled with sliced bananas or strawberries topped with cinnamon flecked whipped cream

Salade Nicoise by Laura Calder

Serves 2

A) For the dressing:
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp tarragon vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup mild olive oil, or half olive oil and half peanut oil
Lemon juice, to taste if needed
Salt and pepper

B) For the salad:
10 leaves from a head of lettuce
6 fresh basil leaves, shredded
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
6 red baby potatoes, boiled until tender, and sliced
110 gm green beans, blanched in salted water, refreshed and drained
3 baby artichoke hearts, cooked and quartered
1 very small purple onion, sliced finely and separated into rings
A handful of Nicoise olives
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
3 or 4 anchovies
Fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper

Method:
1. To make the dressing, whisk together garlic, vinegar and mustard in a bowl. Whisk in the oil, adding it in a thin stream. Taste and add some lemon juice if the dressing isn't sharp enough. Season with salt and pepper
2. Toss the lettuce together with a little bit of the dressing and shredded basil. Arrange on a platter and then do the same for each vegetable. Once all the vegetables are dressed and arranged on the serving dish, scatter the onions and olives over them. Arrange the eggs on top, season with salt and pepper and serve!

Stir-fry Long Beans with Cincaluk by me

This is a simple dish, just heat a little oil, add some minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Add cut long beans and stir fry until half cook. Add cincaluk and stir fry until long beans are cooked.

Cincaluk is a famous Malaccan sauce made from prawns, chili, onions and lime. It's really nice and can be used like chili sauce.

Cincaluk or preserved shrimp (From http://www.cnngo.com/singapore/eat/singapores-smelliest-foods-356172)

Cincaluk is an extremely salty, fishy and pungent concoction of teeny tiny shrimps fermented in brine and cooked ground rice. Don't be spooked by the little black eyes dotting the pale pink bodies of the shrimp. It’s all edible. You can use cincaluk straight out of the bottle, mixed with sliced chilies, onions and a squeeze of lime as a condiment (especially popular with grills). It's also used to flavor many dishes and stir-fries. Because it's so potent, a little goes a long way. Fermented shrimp has been found to yield potent natural anti-oxidants, EPA, DHA and amino acids. Some scientists have also started using cincaluk to cultivate and produce probiotic lactic acid bacteria

Herb Crusted Sea Bass with Garden Stew by me

Recipe from Cilantro, sponsored by Samsung

360 gm Sea Bass fillet
10 red cherry tomato (round)
100 gm butter
Salt and pepper to taste
18 pcs Batonnet potatoes (deep fried)

For herb crust - mix all ingredients:
150 gm bread crumb
100 gm butter
1 lemon zest
5 gm fresh thyme
5 gm fresh oregano
30 gm garlic
3 gm black pepper
A pinch of salt

Method:
1. Cut sea bass into fillets
2. Then marinate it with salt and pepper. Keep in chiller while preparing the other ingredients
3. Once all the ingredients for the herb crust are mix together, place it on top of the sea bass fillet
4. Then bake at 250'C for 7 - 8 mins in the Samsung Convection Microwave Oven

Garden stew:
50 gm yellow zucchini
50 gm yellow onion
30 gm green capsicum
30 gm red capsicum
50 gm brinjal
1 tomato
200 gm whole peel tomato (concasse)
40 gm tomato paste
200 ml brown stock
Salt, black pepper and sugar to taste

Method:
1. Cut all vegetables into small cubes
2. Place oil in the sauce pan, add in cubed onions
3. Add in tomato paste and puree, stir well till a redish colour
4. Add all vegetables to saute and stir well
5. Add in stock, simmer and cook until tender
6. Lastly season it with salt, sugar and black pepper

Once done, place the garden stew on the plate then place the baked herb crusted sea bass on top and it's ready to serve.

Siew Mai Dumpling by me

Recipe from Cilantro, sponsored by Samsung

Ingredients A:

150 gm chicken leg meat – diced

25 gm Shiitake mushroom – diced

10 gm spring onion – diced

6 gm Knorr chicken seasoning powder

10 gm sugar

3 gm salt

6 gm potato starch

Ingredients B:

150 gm prawn meat – diced

15 gm potato starch

15 gm sugar

Ingredient C:

30 pcs Wanton skin, preferably Siew Mai skin which is more translucent and thin

Method:

1. Marinate ingredients B for 1 hr, then rinse it under running water for 1 hr

2. Drain the prawns and dry it with a clean cloth. Ensure to squeeze it dry

3. Mix ingredients A and B together, set in chiller for 15 mins

4. Fill the Wanton skin with the chilled mixture

5. Set for steaming in the Samsung Microwave Convection Oven for 10 mins

Red Bean Bun by me

Recipe from Cilantro, sponsored by Samsung

Ingredients A:

250 gm strong flour

50 gm sugar

5 gm salt

1 gm bread improver

15 gm dry yeast

1/2 egg

250 gm water

25 gm butter

Ingredients B:

150 gm red bean paste – 30 gm each portion

Ingredients C:

1/2 egg – wash

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients A into a dough except butter. Do ensure that salt does not mix with yeast and egg is the last to be in the mixer.

2. Add butter after all the ingredients incorporated in the mixer. Add more flour if the dough feels wet. Most likely additional 3  tbsps flour.

3. Remove from mixer. Knead until the gluten form and set to rest for 5 mins.

4. Portion each dough into 60 gm and rest for another 5 mins.

5. Roll flat the dough and wrap the red bean paste in the centre.

6. Roll the dough flat and gradually roll back. Shape it as desired.

7. Place the dough for proving around 15 to 20 mins before baking.

8. Egg wash the dough and set to bake in Samsung Microwave Convection Oven for 13 mins at 220’C

Note: Just preheat the oven at 250’C. Once preheated, check the temperature is at 220’C. Place the dough, select Convection button, dial the timer to 13 mins and press Start button.