In the past three years, French cooks have been swept by a craze for "les cakes". I am not sure how the misunderstanding occurred, but by cake, they do not mean something round and sweet, but something loaf-shaped and (usually) savoury.
This recipe makes three loaves, each serving six.
Le cake aux olives et reblochon
1 loaf for now; 2 for the freezer)
75g lardons
handful of black olives, rinsed, dried, pitted and coarsely
chopped
85g Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated
500g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt and plenty of ground black pepper
110g cubed Reblochon or other semi-soft cheese
2 tbsp freshly chopped herbs
225ml milk
40g melted butter
1 large egg
175ml crème fraîche
We serve the Raynaudes "cake" in slices with aperitifs - it is especially elegant when baked in a dainty cocktail size. I managed to persuade a local catering supplier to stock foil loaf tins of 6x18cm - this recipe makes enough for three - or you can make one big loaf in a 13x24 loaf tin. You can vary the flavouring as you choose - fried mushrooms, diced ham, herbs or other tasty morsels.
Fry the lardons till just beginning to go brown. Leave to cool and mix in the olives.
Grease the tin or tins and sprinkle half the Parmesan evenly over the base. Whisk the flour, baking powder and seasoning in a large bowl (easier than sifting). Mix in the Reblochon, herbs, lardons and olives.
In a large jug or bowl, whisk the milk, butter, egg and crème fraiche. Using a large rubber spatula, fold the wet into the dry until just mixed - the mixture is meant to be thick and sticky - and stop when it is just combined. Turn into the tin or tins, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and bake for 30 minutes (small tins) or 45-50 minutes (large tin) at 180°C (160°C fan), until a skewer comes out clean, though be aware that if it hits some oozy cheese it will come out sticky regardless. Cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes then turn out and serve warm.
Limoncello
In the autumn, I have to bring our 12 small lemon trees into the greenhouse. This commotion is repaid by the delicious scent of the lemon blossom in late winter and a modest crop of lemons. I refuse to use these for general cooking - instead they are used for tea, or this refreshing Italian liqueur. Makes two 75ml bottles.
5 lemons, fresh as you can get (you will not need juice for this
recipe)
1 litre grappa, vodka or alcohol for fruits
200g white sugar
Scrub the lemons and soak overnight in cold water. (If you grow your own lemons, they come in all sizes, so this is a good recipe to use up the little ones - you will, of course, need to scale up the number.) Drain and dry. Remove the zest with a zester, sharp knife or potato peeler.
Now you have a choice. Either put the zest into a large bottle or jar and add the grappa. Or use a funnel and feed the lemon zest through it into the bottle of grappa. Seal, shake well and leave for a month, stirring occasionally.
Dissolve the sugar in 425ml water, then boil for a minute and leave to cool. Mix this syrup with the lemon-grappa mixture, shake well, then strain into clean bottles. If you are an amateur wine-maker you may have special filters to clarify drinks, otherwise the liqueur will settle into a clear yellow liquid and a milky sediment, which should be shaken before serving.
Make it look great:Keep this in the freezer, which will slightly thicken the liqueur. Serve in tiny shot glasses.
Raynaudes' secret:In France, every supermarket and off-licence sells neat alcohol for making liqueurs and bottling fruits. It is worth seeking these out to take home, as are bottles of pure cane sugar syrup ( pur sirop de canne) for cocktails.