This superb bread recipe comes from Domaine de l’Arlot in Burgundy (France) where it is made every day by the lady of the house, Madame de Smet. Madame, as you might imagine, entertains a lot of visitors to the highly acclaimed Domaine and needs food preparation to be as easy as pouring great wine.
Joan Lawrence of Aurum Wines in Central Otago, whose son Brook worked at Domaine de l’Arlot for a time and returned home clutching the recipe, is the source.
If you can make a good béchamel sauce and beat egg whites, it is a breeze. A roulade is basically a flat soufflé rolled up with tasty ingredients. So, while you’ve learned how to make a roulade you’ll also be able to produce a first class soufflé. The procedure is identical; only the method of cooking varies.
This recipe is based on Jane Grigson's tribute to Perry-Smith. It is from The Observer Book of British Cookery.
Don’t be startled by the amount of butter, it’s a terrific dish, rich sure, but then you only need a small portion.
The dish can be prepared well ahead and refrigerated with the glazing and baking to do at dinner time.
The Italians have a way with bean soups.
Minestrone, ribollita, pasta e fagioli, are classic Italian soups that celebrate the splendid variety and hearty flavours of dried beans. Expect to find borlotti and black-eyed beans in the more rustic soups, cannellini beans prevail when subtle flavour is required. This soup has its style origins in the refined cooking of Piedmont, home to black, and white, truffles.