Episode 4 The Little Paris Kitchen: Cooking with Rachel Khoo

My name is Rachel Khoo. I'm a food writer and a cook.

My passion is for French food cooked simply,

the way 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, there's a little bit left. I'm going to have that. Yum.

I love cheese.

After training here as a chef,

I opened the smallest restaurant in Paris in my tiny flat.

Somebody said to me,

it's harder to get a reservation at my place than it is for El Bulli.

I was like, OK.

-Superb.

-Fantastic.

In this series, I'm going to take the fear out of French cooking.

-Pois.

-Pois.

-Pois!

Tonight, I'm serving up

a supper dish with an unusual twist.

Yeah, good.

I take a trip Parisian-style to the coast.

It just jumped!

And show a tasty treat who's boss. I have a very big blowtorch.

This is French food the way the Parisians cook and eat it.

C'est tout - that's it.

My recipes aren't inspired by Michelin-starred restaurants

but by the bistros of Paris.

There's some amazingly innovative cooking happening right here

in these relaxed eateries.

At the award-winning restaurant, Frenchie...

Du merlot, du boeuf - degustation, oui?

..head chef Gregory Marchand combines simple ideas

with complex flavours,

like this calamari and carrot coleslaw.

The calamari is smoked.

-There we go. Bon appetit.

-Bon appetit, merci.

There's a lot of things going on in such a little dish.

Seems very humble.

Yeah, you've got the fresh flavours from the carrot, then the smokiness.

All the food we do here is simple but we work a lot on the seasoning.

Behind the simplicity, it's actually quite a complex flavour profile.

This inventive, highly skilled approach can translate just as well to home cooking.

It's all about creating the perfect balance of flavours.

So, inspired by that coleslaw, I'm going to make a breathtaking salad.

This dish showcases modern Parisian cooking.

The humble vegetable is the star but the trick is to produce

a mind-blowing range of flavours and colours.

I have this beautiful selection of vegetables here which I'm going

to transform into a stunning winter salad with a goat's cheese mousse.

I start by peeling the parsnips

and some suitably named deep purple carrots

which have a lovely mild flavour,

but you can also stick to regular ones.

You want to try to get all pieces of vegetable a similar size

so they cook evenly.

Such stunning colours, all these vegetables put together.

They're colours like you're more used to with fruit.

Look at that. Crazy carrot.

I'm going to do one apple.

The apple, when it roasts, it gets a lovely sweet caramel flavour.

That works so well, it's a brilliant combination.

Drizzle your vegetables with a neutral flavoured oil before baking.

I like sunflower.

I really just want the flavours of the vegetables to come out,

to shine and sing.

Olive oil tends to overpower the flavours.

It takes about 45 minutes, maybe a little less.

You want a nice hot oven, about 200 degrees.

Now for my delicious goat's cheese mousse. This is Selles-sur-cher.

It's got this edible ash coating here.

That adds a little bit of smokiness.

If you can't get this cheese,

any other soft goat's cheese works really well.

This cheese comes from the Loire valley in central France

and has a rich creamy taste which becomes stronger the more it's aged.

You'll need 200 grams.

Add eight tablespoons of milk and work it into a smooth paste.

It's a bit like cheesy whipped cream.

That's exactly what we're adding next.

A third of a pint of whipped cream.

You want to incorporate half your whipped cream first

because it will loosen up the mixture.

At this point, you can just beat it in.

Add the rest in.

At this point, you want to fold the cream in

because you want to keep some of that air in.

I'm going to put that in a piping bag.

Put it in a jug

and that way you can just...

scrape it all in there.

OK.

And with the mousse chilling, next I'll fry 100 grams of lardons

which adds another level of texture and flavour to the salad.

They're just going to add some saltiness

and a bit of smokiness to the salad.

Finally, some raw beetroot.

I'm using yellow golden and Chioggia which add a subtle

earthy flavour but you can also stick to more common types.

Look at that. That yellow is like sunshine yellow. This looks amazing.

It's a kind of psychedelic beetroot here.

Look at that, it's a bit like a stained-glass window.

I've got crapaudine. This has actually been cooked. Beautiful.

All you need to do at this point is put it together,

any way you like it.

Grab a bit of parsnip, some of the beautiful carrots.

You just scatter it on the plate,

mix and match. This is, for me, a really enjoyable part.

Leave a few gaps for your goat's cheese mousse.

I'm just going to pipe some dollops like that. Little mountains.

If you don't have time to make the mousse,

you could always use small pieces of goat's cheese on their own.

Lardons.

Dot them around. Some salad leaves.

The French call this a salade composee,

where each carefully chosen ingredient complements the other.

Vinaigrette - just drizzle on your vegetables.

Finish with a sprinkle of salt.

Look how beautiful those colours are.

It's almost too good-looking to eat.

A sumptuous modern salad.

Hot and cold, raw and cooked, salty and sweet.

For my next recipe, it's all about unconventional flavours.

I'm off to my local butcher in Belleville to buy a delicious chicken.

Salut!

Parisians who love their poultry look for quality farm-reared chickens

and my butcher, Jean Benard, always delivers.

Landes, in the south-west of France, is famous for its chickens.

They carry the French Red Label which is similar to our free-range chicken guarantee.

Their lovely strong taste comes from being raised slowly

and given good quality feed.

Oui, s'il vous plait. Merci.

Because I'm not the best butcher,

he's going to take the head off and the feet and cut it up

into bits for me, because he can do it in five minutes and I take half-an-hour.

I'm going to use lavender with this chicken

which Parisians use for baking.

This will add a subtly perfumed taste.

Sticky lemon and lavender chicken.

You might be thinking - lavender in a savoury dish?

Right, we're going to start off with crushing some lavender.

There is lavender that tastes bitter so look for sweet lavender

and make sure it's suitable for cooking.

In it goes.

Next step, I'm going to zest the lemon.

OK, right, lemon zest in.

And I'm going to grab some thyme.

I have my Parisian fridge out here.

In Paris, most people have small fridges

so you stick your stuff out on the windowsill.

OK, I'm just going to take the leaves off these sprigs.

Thyme and lavender go really well together. It's a good combination.

Some olive oil, about two tablespoons.

I'm going to add two tablespoons of honey,

some lavender honey which is going to give that stickiness to this dish.

The lavender honey will reinforce the flavour of the mixture.

You'll find it in specialist shops in the UK

but you can also use regular good quality honey.

I need some lemon juice.

OK, let's juice this lemon.

That goes in there. A pinch of salt.

Let's mix this all together.

Once it's mixed up, I'm going to grab my chicken.

OK, We've got some lovely chicken here.

All you need to do

is stick all the pieces in.

I've got a nice selection of drumsticks, thigh, wings.

Give it a good mix. That way, all the pieces get coated.

If you wanted to, you could just cover it with some clingfilm

and put it in the fridge.

But because my fridge is so small...

SHE LAUGHS

..I have to save space on everything,

so I'm going to grab a sandwich bag.

Here.

I'm just going to tip it in there.

This dish, a lot of people think it's like, "You should do it for summer."

I quite like doing it in the winter when it's grey and wet.

It's a good little summer treat for any time of the year.

All you need to do is give it some time in the fridge

and pop it in the oven.

All right, that's going in the fridge.

I've grabbed my chicken out the fridge.

It's had a couple of hours to marinade and I'm going to put it in the oven.

Cook it for 40 minutes at 200 degrees.

That's it. Easy. Easy-peasy.

If the chicken is browning too quickly, cover it with aluminium foil

and it's a good idea to turn the pieces over

halfway through, so they brown evenly.

I think the chicken - it's bubbling away, looks like it's done.

OK. Yes.

That looks pretty amazing.

You've got lovely caramelised sweet, sticky skin on the top.

If you've got some crusty baguette or some bread at hand,

you just want to rip a piece off and dunk that bread in those juices there

because it's seriously good.

Serve with green beans or any vegetable with a gentle flavour

that won't fight the lavender.

Yeah, good.

The rich savoury flavour of the chicken and sweetness of the lavender -

a traditional French ingredient used in an unconventional way.

Experimenting with contrasting and complementary flavours was always

a major part of the recipes I dreamt up in my tiny restaurant.

I love surprising my guests with these culinary contradictions.

Dessert.

Creme brulee with raspberries and Indonesian long pepper.

Even cutting edge Parisian chefs like Benjamin Darnaud

would come to sample my simple but sumptuous home cooking.

I'm just like, I'm crazy with creme brulee.

My next recipe might seem unconventional to us Brits

but it was always a popular starter amongst my diners.

It's a savoury cake.

In the UK, when you say cake, people think delicious sponge cakes,

chocolate cakes, but in France, when you mention cake,

the French think savoury, which might sound a bit bizarre

but actually it's super tasty.

I need 250 grams of plain flour.

To my flour, I'm going to add 15 grams of baking powder.

I'm just going to put this on the side, I don't need this for the moment.

I'm going to use goat's cheese. This is Sainte-Maure.

I'm going to chop it up.

I love the acidic tang of Sainte-Maure,

but if you can't find it, any soft goat's cheese will work well.

I'm going to chop up my prunes.

If you don't want to go down the sweet side, you can do olives.

That's really nice. Done my prunes.

I'm going to roughly chop pistachios.

Pistachios add that beautiful colour and it's got a bit of a crunch

and the nutty flavour. OK, that looks like it's done.

Just give the flour with the baking powder a mix.

Now add your cheese, nuts and prunes

and then you can get on with your batter.

Four eggs.

Now they need whipping.

Luckily, I have something hiding in my cupboard which will do it for me.

That looks like it's done.

Pale and fluffy.

Look at that. It's lovely and fluffy, pale in colour.

That's how you want it.

I'm going to add 150 ml of olive oil, 100 ml of milk.

50 grams of yoghurt.

Keeps the cake nice and moist.

Now I'm going to add some salt, a teaspoon. Pepper.

I'm going to add my dry ingredients and fold that in.

The reason why you want to fold it in is because

if you beat it too hard, then you get a tough cake.

OK, that is your cake batter. That's all. Really easy.

Grab your baking tin. Pour it in.

If you don't have any baking paper to line your tin,

just butter and flour it thoroughly.

Now I'm going to put it in the oven.

Cook the cake at 180 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes.

Yum, yum, yum.

You should just be able to pull it out like this

but it's not happening.

Et voila.

Look at that.

Mmm.

You can smell the cheese.

Grab a bread knife.

Let's have a look and see how it's turned out.

Oh, wow. Isn't that beautiful? I'm going to cut a little piece off.

You're getting the saltiness from the cheese,

getting the lovely pistachio taste

and a little bit of sweetness from the prunes.

Just all that together in a cake form works really well.

Honestly, I'm not just saying it.

It's the perfect picnic food and a great alternative to a sandwich.

To cook my next recipe, I'm doing what many Parisians do on weekends -

head to Trouville in Normandy.

There I'm going to make a dish where a sweet ingredient

enhances a seafood classic.

What I love about Trouville is the really fresh seafood.

You're at the source.

I'm visiting one of the best fishmongers in town.

The Pillet-Saiter family have been fishing these waters for almost 150 years.

They've got eight different types of oysters, live whelks,

amazing looking lobster. You don't want to put your finger in there, it's still alive.

One of their local specialities, you just can't get in Paris.

-You want to try it?

-Really? Live grey shrimp.

Oh, oh. Oh, God! It just jumped!

They were hauled out of the water only an hour ago. OK.

It's still moving.

Mmm. It's crunchy, it's sweet and a little bit salty.

To get the best out of seafood this fresh,

you need a very simple approach, so Dominique is showing me a favourite family recipe.

-It's scallops in water.

-So you cook it in water.

I normally fry scallops.

Fry in the pan. I've never boiled them.

Dominique only needs to poach the scallops briefly

because they're so fresh.

It doesn't taste fishy at all, it actually tastes very sweet.

The flavour of his dish comes from the simplest of ingredients.

Carrots, pepper, water. It's all.

-Salt is not necessary.

-Oh, OK.

-No salt with fish.

-No.

To retain their natural sweetness,

the scallops are cooked for only two minutes.

Now, the sauce.

His sauce is a mustard mayonnaise thinned out with water and vinegar.

-The sauce.

-OK.

Wow! This is proper old-fashioned French home cooking.

And there's only one place to enjoy seafood as fresh as this.

-So the sauce has a bit of acidity.

-Oui.

-And the scallops are very sweet.

I think it makes a perfect balance, doesn't it?

Very unusual combination, but it works very well.

Now, I'm going to try and impress one of the oldest fishing families

in Trouville with my take on a classic.

Before you begin, make sure the mussels have been rinsed and de-bearded.

All right, to start off...

you need your pan and some butter.

Then add a bay leaf, a sprig of thyme and one thinly sliced onion.

I'm going to add cider to my onions.

It's going to add a lovely apple taste.

The cider's from this region in Normandy.

This is my Normandy twist on a seafood classic.

Traditionally, you would use white wine.

And the mussels go in straightaway.

Put the lid on. And give to three to four minutes.

I have so much space in this kitchen. I can have a little dance.

Sebastian, one of the family, comes to have a nosey.

Careful, it's hot.

-Smell good?

-La pomme.

-You can smell the apple, yeah.

-I can try?

Yes, of course. I'll bring some over in a minute. OK.

All right. A toute suite.

I might have a new admirer. Maybe.

I think he just flirts with all the ladies around here.

Let's have a look.

Wow! So they've opened up nicely.

And you can smell that lovely apple taste.

Finish it off with a dollop of creme fraiche.

So give it a good stir.

OK, that is ready. Sprinkle of parsley on top. C'est tout.

All right. My mussels are done. Let's serve them up.

-All right, try some. Vous voulez gouter aussi?

-Merci.

-Very nice.

-Very nice?

-Tasty.

Cider gives you more of a fruity taste. The little bit of apple?

-C'est extraordinaire. You stay here and cook with us.

-OK.

And if you'd like to more about the recipes in the programme,

then log on to:

And from the subtle flavours of seafood to the big bold flavours of my next dish.

This is a tricky one, which requires a bit of practice, but I promise you the end result is worth it.

I have the perfect recipe to recreate that Parisian patisserie

experience at home, a grapefruit and pepper meringue tartlet.

Start off by zesting my grapefruit.

This is for the grapefruit curd,

which will sit in the base of the tart.

Beautiful smell from the grapefruit.

It's a bit like aromatherapy. Great way to start the morning.

Cut it in half.

Give it a good squeeze and pour 90 ml of juice into a pan.

I need one egg.

And one egg yolk.

To your mix, add 100 grams of plain sugar,

a table spoon of cornflour and a pinch of salt.

Then get on the hob.

You want to whisk constantly until it thickens up.

It's almost there. All right, it's bubbled.

Switch off the heat, add 50 grams of cubed soft butter.

That looks like it's done. I'm going to pour it into my bowl.

It's got a great consistency,

but you do need to chill it a little bit cos it will set.

In the fridge it goes, just to chill.

Next task, the base for the tarts.

And for that, I've already prepared a Breton biscuit mix.

The recipe is on my BBC web page.

And what you do is kind of snail shape first.

So you go out, all the way in.

And then the ring around the outside.

You want a little dip in the middle to put your curd in.

They go in the oven for about 12-15 minutes.

Next up, the meringue topping.

Get a pan with 100 grams of sugar

and 40 ml of water to make a hot syrup.

Here comes the science part.

I have my thermometer here and I'm going to put it in.

I need to get 118 degrees Celsius.

If it's not hot enough,

your meringue's not going to be stiff enough.

If it's too hot, your meringue's too stiff

and you're not going to get a nice finish.

118 Celsius is the perfect temperature.

I'm going to put my egg whites in my mixing bowl.

Add a pinch of salt.

So we're not far off. We're at 107 degrees Celsius.

It's starting to bubble.

Come on! 118, OK. Let's take that out.

And then you want to pour it along the side of the bowl.

If you don't pour on the side, you pour on the whisk and that makes spun sugar.

I'm going to look in the oven. I think the biscuits are done.

Let's have a look.

Yay! They look perfect.

I'm going add a little bit of black pepper to my meringue.

The spiciness from the black pepper

works really well with the acidity of the grapefruit.

That looks perfect.

I'm going to turn it off.

Ah.

Wow! Look at that meringue!

And that will look beautiful on our tartlets.

OK, I just need to get my grapefruit curd out of the fridge cos that's been cooling down.

Just add a couple of tablespoons in.

If you don't have time to make the filling,

you could cheat a little and buy some lemon curd from a shop.

OK, meringue time.

Look at that. Just put it on top.

OK, you will need a blowtorch. And not any old blowtorch.

I have a very big blowtorch.

Lightly brush the meringue. This will caramelise it and add a little crispness.

And that's it. All that's left to do is to eat them.

Let's have a little look inside.

So when you cut in, you've got a little surprise.

Isn't that stunning?

Next week, entertaining made easy with the perfect dish for sharing.

Healthy and delicious. Good combination.

The tricks of the trade.

Turn it upside down and hold it over your head.

For the lightest ile flottante.

And I get my hands on some exquisite oysters. One for luck!

SHE LAUGHS

-For a party, Parisian style.

-I'm going to have more.

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