In case you are wondering, “How on earth can she be travelling and still continue to cook and post stories?”, here is the answer. No I am not Wonderwoman (although I always wanted to have bionic eyes like her!) I am not crazy either and stay up all night to produce these stories (I could though because let me tell you, coming back home in France involves a lot of time spent around tables or cooking and eating!). I am just organized! Yes yes, you heard well. I had prepared those stories before I left (and now you think I am crazy).
Yes food obsessed. Too much to say for just one person. Crazy.
In any case, I hope you will enjoy this one. I promise to be back visiting your blogs soon too, when I am back home. In the meantime….
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B : – Tu veux un bonbon?
P : – Ah oui s’il te plaît, merci!
P : – Miam, c’est super bon ça! Je peux en avoir un deuxième ?
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B: – Do you want a candy?
P: – Ah yes please! Thanks!
P: – Yum, it’s really good! Can I have another one?
Do you think that bonbons are only for kids? And would your children eat those? I mean, these are real candies in case you thought otherwise. I am told that when I was a kid, I used to be Betty Bonbon, in other words I ate a lot of candies! So much so that Madame Boyon who ran the village gas station where I would regularly go to spend every single pocket money centime (penny) I owned against candies, used to nickname me this way. Apparently I would sometimes go along with my brother, and as I was putting my candy collection on the counter with my coins in order to pay, she would tell me softly “Betty, tu n’as pas assez d’argent” (you do not have enough money), to which my brother would respond (so he says since I do not recollect this whatsoever), “ça va Madame Boyon, donnez-lui, je paye!” (It is ok Madame Boyon, give them to her, I am paying). What a sweet relationship between my brother and I you will have to admit.
Why I am pretty skeptical about this story is that beside the fact that I suspect that my brother is exaggerating as to how naughty I was and how heroic he was with me, today I am just not interested in candies at all. Aha! A proof he could just have made this up! I can only eat savoury candies, such as Tomato Candies. Yes candies with un fruit, la tomate. A good way to try to trick your kids into eating candies, don’t you think?
This brilliant idea comes from a chef of course, who else? Inspired by a recipe found in my cookbook, Tentation, I stole this idea which I adored right away, and made those goodies for l’apéritif. The key in this recipe is that once you understand the concept, the possibilities for the fillings are enormous! These amuse-bouches have to be prepared ahead of time for the most part, and are really a delightful finger food to have with a glass of…well something nice.
Count about 3 bonbons per person.
Isn’t it nice? You do no longer need to feel guilty while eating bonbons anymore! The way to go!
You need:
For the bonbons:
- Filo pastry
- 7 oz grated parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Dried herbes de provence
- Tomato purée
For the tomato purée:
- 1 lb + 2 oz tomatoes
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion sliced
- 1 garlic clove
- 5 basil leaves
- 2 Tbsp dried d’herbes de provence
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp honey (liquid)
- Salt and pepper
Steps:
- Heat some olive oil and when hot, add the chopped onion with the curry and herbs.
- Cook for 2 or 3 min until adding all other ingredients of the tomato puree.
- Cook for 10 min or so, until the tomato puree is reduced.
- Mix in a food processor.
- Let it cool down and place little amounts in your ice cube trays, to be place in the freezer for 3 hours minimum.
- Cut 18 sheets of phylo pastry (5″ x 3″ ). In the middle, place a cube of tomato.
- Close them as if closing a package.
- Place them on a baking sheet topped with parchment paper sprayed with oil.
- Pour 2 droplets of oil on each bonbon (package) and with your finger, spread it over the entire bonbon.
- Sprinkle with grated parmesan and herbs.
- Place under the broil for 2 to 3 min to brown, on each side.
Ingrédients :
Pour les bonbons
- Feuilles de filo
- 200 g de parmesan
- Huile d’olive
- herbes de provence séchées
- Purée de tomates
Pour la purée de tomates
- 500 g tomates
- 3 càs d’huile d’olive
- 1 gros oignon émincé en fines tranches
- 1 gousse d’ail
- 5 feuilles de basilic
- 2 cas d’herbes de provence séchées
- 1 càs de curry
- 2 càs de vinaigre de balsamique
- 2 càs de miel liquide
- sel et poivre
Étapes :
- Faites chauffer de l’huile d’olive dans une poêle et lorsqu’elle est chaude, faites-y revenir les oignons émincés avec le curry et les herbes.
- Cuisez-les pendant 2 ou 3 min avant d’ajouter tous les autres ingrédients de la purée de tomates.
- Cuisez pendant 10 min jusqu’à ce que la purée de tomates soit réduite.
- Mixez-la dans un robot électrique.
- Laissez-la refroidir et répartissez-la dans vos bacs à glacons (pour en faire des cubes). Mettez au congélateur pendant au moins 3 heures.
- Coupez des feuilles de brick (filo) (18 de la taille de 12 x 9 cm). Placez au milieu un glacon de purée de tomates.
- Fermez la feuille de brick comme si vous fermiez un paquet.
- Placez les bonbons sur une plaque de four recouverte de papier sulfurisé graissé.
- Déposez deux gouttes d’huile sur chaque bonbon et avec votre doigt, répartissez-la sur toute la surface du bonbon.
- Saupoudrez de parmesan râpé et d’herbes de provence.
- Placez les bonbons sous le gril pendant 2 à 3 min de chaque côté, pour que les bonbons dorent.