INGREDIENTS:
1 sheet puff pastry
5 ripe tomatoes
2 onions, finely chopped
Herbs – thyme & oregano
Garlic clove, sliced or crushed
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
5 tbs olive oil
Dijon mustard
Parmesan – optional

METHOD:

1) Pierce the puff pastry with a fork and precook in an oven for 5 minutes at 450 degrees (230 ° C). Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into slices of around 3mm in thickness.

2) Fry the tomatoes with the garlic and herbs in some olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and cook for a further 5 – 8 minutes.

3) Drain as much moisture as possible out of the tomatoes and remove skins and seeds, place in a separate bowl. In the frying pan, sauté the onions and then add these to the tomatoes.

4) Brush the bottom of the pastry with a thin layer of Dijon mustard and place the pastry on a greased baking dish. Arrange the tomato slices on top of the pastry to make several layers. Sprinkle with herbs, a pinch of salt and grated parmesan if desired.

5) Bake at 220 degrees for around 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately with a simple green salad.

1) Chop It

Crush an unpeeled clove with the back of a large knife using the heel of your hand. Peel and remove any green shoots. Chop finely using the middle of the knife blade keeping your fingers firmly on top of the knife tip, using a rocking motion.

To make a paste, add some sea salt to the chopped garlic and rub with the side of the knife as though you are smearing the garlic across the chopping board. Continue until you have a smooth paste.

2) Cook with It

- Make a garlic butter. Mix garlic paste with softened butter and chopped parsley and place in a sheet of square cling film. Roll the garlic butter out into a sausage shape, wrap in the cling film twisting both ends to form a tightly packed sausage. Store in the fridge or freezer ready to be used in cooking.

- Add it to mash potato for extra flavour

- Roast it. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb and cut off the top of the cloves. Place on foil in a roasting tin with some olive oil and wrap the bulb in a parcel. Cook in the oven at 200 degrees C for half an hour. Allow to cool and remove the clove skins leaving just the softened garlic. Spread on to crusty French bread.

- For long lasting use, pickle it. Peel and place them into jars to brine them, this can be done by boiling red wine or white vinegar, a little salt and sugar. Add chillis or herbs if you want. Then simply pour the mixture over the cloves in a jar and refrigerate your pickled garlic for two weeks.

3) Eat It

Reasons to eat more garlic (as if you need them):
- helps boost immune system
- fights off infections
- it is an anti-oxidant
- reduces blood pressure
- tastes delicious!

4) Wear It

It’s a great accessory. No one can deny the allure of a man dressed like this? Also it makes for a very easy fancy dress outfit…

1) Try to use sharp knives. Chopping will be easier and safer with sharp knives

2) Soak peeled onions in warm water to make them less pungent and to stop your eyes from watering

3) Taste the dish often to check the seasoning, season to your taste as it’s you who’ll be eating it after all

4) Keep your spices in a cool place as light and heat can affect their flavour

5) De-clutter your kitchen so when you are cooking you won’t panic trying to find things

6) Mix up your veg. Don’t just stick to what you know, try replacing your usual veggies with things like fennel, celeriac, parsnips, sweet potato etc.

7) When choosing fresh fish, check that the eyes are clear, the skin is shiny and the flesh is firm

8) Make sure the pan is hot enough, especially when sautéing vegetables and cooking meat or fish. You will get a nice colour and coating.

9) A great way to use leftovers is to make a soup with them.

10) To make the perfect poached egg, your eggs need to be fresh. To test the freshness drop the whole egg into water. If it sinks to the bottom, it’s fresh. If it floats to the top, don’t use it.

Learn these tips and plenty more on our French cooking course. Happy Cooking!

Cuisinons ensemble! = Let’s Cook Together!

So you’re off to France to brush up your culinary skills? But what about your French language skills? While you’re learning how to cook food that tastes great, you can also learn the language so VoulezVouloz has compiled a few simple French cooking phrases.

French Cooking Expressions

ça a l’air bon = that looks good
le savoir-faire = know-how
c’est délicieux = It’s delicious

French Cooking Vocabulary

le hors d’œuvre, l’entrée* = appetiser
le plat principal = main course
la cuisinière = cooker
le four = oven
la casserole = saucepan
la poêle à frire = frying pan

French Cooking Instructions

mijoter = to stew
cuire = to cook
sauter = to fry

French Cooking Ingredients

l’ail = garlic
l’huile d’olive = olive oil
le poivre = pepper
le sel = salt
le sucre = sugar

This article was kindly provided by VoulezVouloz: French lessons and private French tuition across the suburbs of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in Australia. Wherever you are, call 0448 271 392 and they’ll send a tutor out to your house, workplace or favourite café.