Episode 2 The Little Paris Kitchen: Cooking with Rachel Khoo

'My name is Rachel Khoo.

'I'm a food writer and a cook.'

Wow!

'My passion is for French food cooked simply like Parisians do at home.'

I think there's still this kind of cliche of French food

where you think it's complicated.

My cooking is no fuss, just enjoyable.

Oh, no, it fell in!

'After training here as a chef, I opened the smallest restaurant in Paris in my tiny flat.'

It was always really flattering that Parisians liked my French food.

-Superbe.

-Fantastic. Really.

'I want to take the fear out of French cooking.'

-Pois?

-Pois. Yes.

'Tonight, I'll be dishing up the tastiest little teacups.

'My version of a French beef classic.'

Oh, that's pretty awesome!

'And a sinful chocolate cake with a secret centre to die for.

'This is French food the way the Parisians cook and eat.' C'est tout. That's it.

'Some people come to Paris for love. I came here for the glorious cakes.

'And after training at Le Cordon Bleu, making them became a full-time job.'

French patisserie is taken very seriously.

It's their art de vivre, it's a way of life.

'In Paris, there's a modern revolution taking place.

'Pastry chefs are pushing the boundaries with their elaborate creations.

'This unusual take on a chocolate eclair was the product of two months of experimentation.

'These breath-taking emporiums are fabulous for inspiration.

'And Monsieur Basile Kamir's wonderful patisserie is a Parisian favourite.'

Patisserie is the new trend for the young artist.

And everyone now tries to re-visit the old cakes

and make them a new look and a new taste.

If you love what you do, you can be English and make the best cakes.

LAUGHTER

'Tonight, I'm going to cook up a range of delicious dishes,

'but I'm starting with a patisserie classic.

'Although originally created in Italy over 500 years ago,

'the Parisians took this recipe to their hearts.'

My first chouquette, I experienced it when I used to work for a French family as an au pair.

We'd pick up the little bag of the choux pastry puffs with sugar on it. They're really easy to eat.

You just pop them in your mouth. Yeah, very delicious.

'This choux recipe makes a classic pastry base you can also use for profiteroles and eclairs.

'Start off by adding 170ml of water and 170ml of milk,

'a teaspoon of salt and sugar, and then 100 grams of butter, and bring it to the boil.

'And finally, add 170 grams of flour.'

It will start looking like really lumpy mashed potatoes.

You've got to stir quite hard now.

So you've got to put in a bit of elbow grease. It looks good.

OK, I think that is ready,

so I'm going to put it in my bowl.

Now we need to incorporate the eggs, but if you add the eggs in now,

you'll scramble it because the dough is really hot,

so we're just going to stir it a little bit to cool it down.

This is when a sous-chef would be handy. This is hard work.

So I'm going to add my eggs.

The mix will look like it's curdling.

If it looks like it's going wrong, you're on the right track.

There's a lot of mixing with this recipe. It's a good workout.

OK, that is looking good. OK, let's do some piping.

The easiest way to remember how to hold a piping bag

is you have this L-shape with your thumb and your finger.

Loser!

Think "loser", OK?

Then you're going to turn it around and you're going to basically pinch it in there.

You hold the piping bag nice and straight at 90 degrees,

then you press, press, press, stop and then you flick.

'Then give the chouquette a dusting of icing sugar.'

That icing sugar will create a little sticky layer

and that sticky layer will make our nibbed sugar stick.

'This is just refined white sugar you can find in the supermarkets,

'but great for baking as it won't melt in the oven.'

I'll put some chocolate chips on these at the end.

It's not very French, this version, with the chocolate chips, but it still tastes good.

'If you replace the toppings with cheese, you get the savoury version, gougeres, the French also love.'

I'll dust my chouquettes with a second layer of icing sugar. It adds that extra bit of sweetness.

So they're ready to go in the oven.

'These little pastry delights are difficult to resist,

'but leave them in the oven for 20 minutes till they're completely cooked or they'll collapse.'

I think the chouquettes are done. They are baked.

They look perfect.

So they're a lovely golden colour,

best eaten when they're warm, so I might just have one right now.

Hmm!

Delicious!

That's the perfect chouquettes.

'The lightest pastry puffs in Paris.

'Now, who needs romance when you've got sugary delights like this?'

# On peut s'aimer a la folie On n'est plus p'tit, oui! #

'Unfortunately, one cannot live on cakes alone.

'When Parisians want some fish, they head to the markets like Marche Rue Gros.

'It's a bit more expensive, but worth it.

'This twice weekly market has great produce from the coast of Normandy -

'oysters, gurnard and all the best that the sea can offer.

'For my next dish, I'm on the lookout for some trout.' Bonjour, monsieur.

Look at the whole selection. They're beautiful, they're fresh. It doesn't smell overwhelmingly fishy.

You know, that "off" smell.

'A good relationship with your fishmonger is so important.

'They'll know the best catch of the day, do all the messy jobs and give you great advice.'

The fishmonger gave me a little tip on how to choose your trout.

You're looking for slimy skin.

The gills should be red underneath and a glossy eye.

'So, time to cook it using a classic French technique.'

I'm going to make a trout in a parcel, en papillote,

which is a great way of keeping all the flavours,

it's healthy and really easy to do.

We'll start off by making our little marinade. Zest half a lemon.

You can use any kind of fish you like.

I use trout because it's a beautiful fish. It's got a lot of flavour.

It's an oily fish, so it's very good for you.

Half a teaspoon of salt, a couple of generous pinches, pepper...

And a good glug of olive oil.

I'm going to make my paper parcel.

You don't have to use baking paper.

You could use aluminium foil, which is a bit easier because you can scrunch up the ends to seal it in.

But I'm using the classic technique of using paper.

When you measure out your paper, you want to give yourself a couple of inches on each side.

The fish goes in. Now I'm going to use my marinade.

'A quick rub outside and in gives the fish a beautiful citrus flavour.'

Don't be afraid to get your hands messy. It's more fun.

I've par-boiled some baby potatoes.

Just slice them in big slices.

What the potatoes do is they soak up some of the juices.

Fennel...

I just want half. I'm just going to take the not so nice bit off.

My bin's broken!

You just thinly slice it.

The lovely aniseed flavour from the fennel mixed with the lemon is just going to be really yummy.

If you don't want to use fennel, you could use leeks.

You could use red onions because they're not too strong.

Just pick out vegetables which have a low water content.

If they're too watery, the vegetables will release too many juices

and your fish will be swimming in a water bath!

A bit of string to tie my ends and a pair of scissors.

Whether you're using paper or aluminium foil, make sure you seal it properly, so fold over the top.

'This technique can be tricky to get right,

'but if you do, the end product should look like a sweet.'

Oh, that was too tight!

Got a bit too enthusiastic with that.

OK, the parcel is nicely sealed.

And that's going to probably take 15, 20 minutes.

The great thing about cooking with papillote is you're less likely to overcook it. It will stay moist.

It's kind of a guaranteed way to cook fish.

Let's have a look at our papillote. It certainly smells delicious.

I can smell the lovely lemon flavours and the fennel, so let's have a look.

This is a bit like Christmas, opening a present.

Look at that!

So we've still got the lovely juices in there.

A squeeze of lemon on top.

It's just missing a big dollop of really creamy creme fraiche.

Obviously, that's optional. What you look for with the fish being cooked is it should be opaque, the flesh.

If you have a look... You can just peel the skin off like that

and if you look, you can just flake away.

'A classic French supper that would traditionally be served with a fresh green salad.'

Hmm! Perfectly cooked.

'The best things really do come in small packages.'

'Like the papillote, there are certain techniques and recipes that require finesse in French cuisine,

'none more so than the art of bread-making.

'There are three times more bakeries in Paris than in London

'and for good reason as most Parisians will pick up fresh baguettes every day.

'I'll need some for my next recipe and I always get them from a local boulangerie.

'Bakers are compared to artists in Paris.'

-Attends, attends! Une minute!

-'And Christophe Vasseur is considered one of the best.'

Le pain des amis. La specialite! Salut, hein? A bientot.

-Rachel!

-Bonjour, Christophe.

-How are you?

-I'm good.

-A beautiful selection, as always.

-Thank you.

-But what you're most famous for is "le pain des amis".

-Particularly this bread.

The famous "bread of friends".

Exactly. Two-thirds of the taste is in the crust.

Your bread and French bread, this is the biggest difference - crust.

In the UK, we don't have the same bread culture as in Paris.

No, it's in our soul, it's in our blood, the bread.

We cannot have a day without bread, otherwise we become sad and angry.

People would cross Paris. People would take their cars and do 20 kilometres

in order to buy some good and fantastic bread. There is no other culture where you see that.

Perfect. Merci.

'I'll pop back later for some tips on how to make the perfect baguette.

'In the meantime, I'm going to use one for my next recipe.'

Oeufs en cocotte, eggs in pots,

this dish is a Parisian store cupboard dish.

I'll use teacups for my recipe, but traditionally, you would use ramekins.

It's my little British touch - cup and saucer.

Tea for two. 'If you want to prepare it my way,

'make sure the teacup porcelain isn't too thin or it'll crack in the oven.'

Creme fraiche, a nice dollop.

'The creme fraiche's sharp flavour will cut through the rich egg.'

Full-fat creme fraiche, bien sur!

If you want to, you can do a light version, but that's on your own conscience.

Season it with a bit of nutmeg.

You could add a pinch of cumin if you'd like, paprika, a little bit of chilli powder.

It's really as you like. A pinch of salt.

Pepper.

And then you add your eggs.

Add some dill, which has a lovely fresh taste.

And one more spoon.

I've made them before with a Bechamel sauce or cheese sauce.

That's really delicious, too, but this is the quickest version.

Et voila. That is your oeuf en cocotte, your eggs in pots.

All you need to do now is bake it. Grab a tray.

Or you can use a baking dish and you can put your cups in there.

In it goes.

Just some lukewarm water out the tap.

'Fill the improvised bain-marie so the water covers half the teacups.

'That will make them cook evenly at 180 degrees.'

I love my eggs on the runnier side, so about 15 minutes in the oven,

but if you want them firmer, give it a little longer.

Let's have a look. Oh...

Yes!

They look perfect.

'And now for the finishing touches.'

I'm going to add a bit of...

A little bit of salmon eggs on top.

'Salmon eggs were a great discovery for me. You can get them in specialist shops.

'They work really well in all egg-based dishes.' Adds saltiness

to the oeuf en cocotte. The lovely thing about this recipe is you can dress it any way you like.

You can root round your fridge and see what you've got left over. Ham, mushrooms, whatever you like.

Let's not forget baguette soldiers. Quite important. You need some dipping action.

'Don't even think about soft white bread. The crunch packs the punch.'

Aw, they look so pretty.

And that's it. My oeuf en cocotte. This is the fun part - eating it.

That looks pretty amazing.

I don't know what to say. It's good!

'The tastiest teacup you've ever seen - glorious gooey egg

'and the crunchiest, freshest of baguettes.

'On paper, all you need to make a baguette is flour, water, salt and yeast,

'but in reality it's all about the mise en forme. The shaping.'

-Mind your head here.

-'Christophe is going to show me how.'

-The first thing is the dough, here.

-Mm-hm.

-The first secret is not to mix it too much.

And to leave it a long time. What makes French bread so specific

is also the fact that we have a very wide choice of wheat.

-Some varieties that are very unique. We're going to shape together...

-Let's do it.

-Let's do the shaping.

You see some dough and we'll shape it the baguette way.

-You fold it and flatten it. Fold it again.

-'Christophe tells me the secret to perfect baguette crust

-'is for the dough to be warm when you're shaping it.'

-Stretch it.

-We have the baguette.

-You make it look so simple.

-It looks simple, but it's very tricky.

Because this is alive. It's just like a woman. You talk to her a bit too loud and, no, no.

It becomes angry.

A bread shall be the results of the passion, of the sensitivity of a man or a woman,

-whoever transforms the flour.

-I'll have a go.

-So fold it over first.

-Yes!

-And then...

-Fold it.

-..again. Yeah.

-I need a lot of practice.

-Yeah!

-And then...

-Wait! Yeah, go ahead!

Not too much, not too much.

-What happens next?

-We leave it for 10 minutes.

-'After the bread has rested, it's into the oven

'at 270 degrees for 15 minutes.

'Et voila! There you have it. The perfect baguette.'

Crunchy crisp crust there.

And it smells amazing.

Mmm!

'In France, it's against the law to use preservatives in some bread,

'so the following day my fresh baguettes have turned into a potential tooth hazard.

'But for my next dish, a stale baguette is just the job.'

This is a great way of using leftover, old, stale baguette and making it into something new.

'In fact, for this recipe an old baguette will work even better than a fresh one.

'Beef Bourguignon - a classic dish.

'But I've got a little twist on it that always proved to be a hit in my petit Parisian restaurant.

'And for my version, I'm going to need that stale, old baguette.

'Start off by coating the beef in flour.'

It's worth - oh, my goodness! I'm wearing the wrong dress.

I'm dusting myself right now.

'The flour will thicken the stew later.'

I'm using beef shin, fairly big chunks.

I prefer doing big chunks. It takes longer, but it's better.

OK. 'Then sear the beef. It will bring out the sugars in the meat and make it more flavoursome.'

It's got a lovely golden colour. When it's caramelised on one side, just turn it over. Almost done.

That looks good.

'Remove the meat, but keep the oil. Then add 150g of smoky bacon, a handful of baby onions,

'a clove of garlic...' Oh!

Coming out everywhere! 'And some cracked black peppercorns.'

The little black bits at the bottom actually make the stew taste better.

My herbs go in. A sprig of rosemary,

bay leaf, a sprig of thyme.

The meat goes in there. Just bung it in.

Red wine. You should use wine you can actually drink.

If it's not good enough to drink, it's not good enough to cook with.

And then 150ml of water.

'Add a teaspoon of salt and another of sugar.'

A teaspoon of tomato paste.

Oh, I forgot my parsley stalks.

Just chop.

They go in. They'll flavour your stew as well.

Lid on. In the oven it goes.

About three hours.

Et voila! That's it for now.

'While that's stewing away, it's onto my delicious dumplings.

'Cut the stale baguette into small pieces and add some parsley,

'then pour over 250ml of warm milk. The staleness stops it going mushy.'

Let your bread soak up all that milk. A generous pinch of salt.

A bit of black pepper. Nutmeg.

I need one egg to make everything stick together.

Grab a wooden spoon, give it a mix. I need a tablespoon of flour.

Mix it all together. It looks ready.

All you need to do now is you kind of squash them together.

It's about a golf ball-size shape.

Those are the dumplings done.

They just need to cook on each side.

They're starting to crisp up really lovely.

These are browning nicely. Time to get my stew out the oven.

Oh! Ah! Hot! Hot! Whoo!

Yum!

Oh, it's bubbling away. Now I just need to serve up.

'I put some chopped mushrooms in at the last minute to stop them getting soggy.

'The French would serve this with tagliatelle pasta or potatoes,

'but I think these crispy baguette dumplings fit the bill.'

Classic French recipe with a little twist from me.

'If you want to know more about any of the recipes in the programme, log on to:

'And from a French classic to the modern. Next up is my take on a very indulgent dessert.'

Merci beaucoup. Au revoir.

'Parisians will use basic cooking chocolate when making it,

'but I like a better quality bar.

'Grab a spoon. It's about to get messy.'

Moelleux au chocolat is one of my favourite desserts.

It has an amazing, oozing chocolate centre. I've added my own little touch, which is salted caramel.

'I'm going to make the gooey caramel filling first.

'And for that I'm going to need 150g of sugar.'

To start off with, you just want to sprinkle enough sugar to cover the bottom of the pan.

If you add it all in one go, you're most likely to mess up your caramel.

The sugar will crystallise, become one big lump and not melt properly.

'Add all the sugar and cook until it reaches a kind of cola colour,

'and pour in 150ml of double cream.'

When you put the cream in, stand back a bit or you'll get a facial.

So...

Oh! It's gone a bit crazy.

Add your salt. A teaspoon. It just adds a bit more sophistication to your caramel.

'The story goes that salted caramel was created in Brittany in the '70s.

'I'm using fleur de sel. It's hand-harvested and fairly expensive,

'but you can also use coarse sea salt. Caramel can crack if you overheat it.

'A temperature of 108 degrees or when it coats the back of the spoon should do it.'

Pour it into your bowl. And that now is going to go into the fridge.

Careful. 'While the caramel chills, get on with the chocolate sponge.'

The most important ingredient - chocolate.

I'm using a dark chocolate.

Minimum cocoa solids is 60%

just because we are diluting the chocolate taste with butter, with sugar, with flour.

And if you use a milk chocolate, you don't get that strong chocolate taste.

'Add 85g of butter. The Parisians tend to use unsalted butter to cook,

'but if you want a more intense flavour, go for salted.'

It's starting to simmer away. You only want a light simmer.

'While that melts, grease some ramekins.'

Tip a bit of cocoa powder in there, about a tablespoon. Tip it in your hand so it coats all the way.

'Then mix 170g of light brown sugar and 85g of flour.'

How's this doing? Resist the temptation of dipping your fingers in there.

I'll just pour it in here with my flour and my sugar and you just mix it together.

'Into my lovely chocolate mix go six eggs.'

So give it a good scrape at the bottom.

And that's it. You want to fill about three-quarters,

the reason being you need to leave a little bit of room to put your caramel in the middle.

The essential part is chilling it because when you come to bake it,

the middle stays uncooked for your oozy centre.

'The desserts need to chill for about an hour, which gives me time to do my least favourite job.'

They're chilled.

My caramel

in my piping bag.

All you need to do at this point is put it in the middle and then you just squeeze.

Like that. There you go. A dollop in the middle.

Like that.

There you go. That's pretty amazing.

'Put the puddings in the oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes.

'You want cooked around the edges and gooey in the middle.'

They look like they're ready!

Careful. It's hot. They're puffed up a little bit.

Ah...

Oooh!

Wow. Caramel there.

Oh...!

That's pretty awesome. Look at that.

A perfect moelleux au chocolat.

You just want to eat it straight away. A wee bit hot.

Mmm.

'Next week I visit the biggest food market in the world

'where I challenge the butchers to try my steak tartine with a Japanese twist.'

I am terrified!

'Things get cheesy...' Look at all that cheese. You only live once!

'..with my take on a tartiflette. And I cook a deliciously decadent chocolate mousse.'

It's like, whoa - chocolate!

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