Cold melon soup

This one is very simple folks. 

Cut a nice, ripe melon in 4 quarters. One to make the cute balls, the flesh of the rest to be pureed with the juice of one orange and (the secret)! a splash of pastis. 

Prepare well in advance so you have plenty of time to chill in the fridge. 

Serve with some cured ham. Or not...

Follow me on Instagram: peterschoenmaker7 and have a look at my Kindle book

 'Breakfast in Gascony" on Amazon

Bruschetta, broad beans, goat's cheese

Delicious bite on a hot summer night.

Use a garlic press and squeeze 1 clove of garlic into some olive oil. Soften on a low heat.

Brush the oil over the bread.

Fry the bread in a dry pan. 

Boil the fresh peas and (double podded) beans 3 mins in unsalted water, then mix with olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and chopped mint.

Crumble the goat's cheese.

Serve as shown

Beetroot Carpaccio

Recently we had lunch at our friends Jappe and Susanna and when she served this I couldn't wait till the beetroots in my garden were ready. 

Today some of them were big enough, so I boiled them for 45 minutes. 

While they were cooling I whipped up a dressing with champagne vinegar, honey, walnut oil, olive oil and salt&pepper. 

Finely sliced a spring onion. Peeled the beetroots under the tap with my thumbs and sliced them very thinly with the mandoline. I arranged them in a circle on a plate. 

Then put the onion, goat's cheese and lightly toasted (in a dry pan) almond slivers over it and finally the dressing.