'Amuses' with scallops and asparagus à la flamande

Another happy Sunday in Le Temps des cerises, today with a variety of amuses with scallops and once more on general demand a classic with asparagus: asparagus à la flamande.

The first amuse is made with peas, cream, a bit of olive oil and orange zest. The scallops are baked very briefly in butter, with a bit of piment d'espelette on top (by the way, they sell piment d'espelette at the tea market stall in Sainte Cécile) .

Ingredients: peas (about 250 grams), vegetable broth, cream, pepper, salt, scallops, butter, piment d'espelette, a few slices of smoked duck

Recipe: Boil the peas in vegetable broth. Blend them with a bit of the broth and a bit of cream. Add pepper and salt. Done! Bake the scallops very briefly in hot butter, add a bit of piment d'espelette.  Chop the slices of smoked duck. Dress the plate as follows: see photograph

The second amuse starts off like the first one, only you have to add more broth (not too much, it is still a velouté), sieve the peas (in order to remove the skins), warm up the liquid again and add Roquefort cheese that immediately melts in the hot velouté.

Ingredients: peas (about 350 grams), vegetable broth, Roquefort or another blue cheese, scallops, butter, salt, pepper.

Dress as per photograph (right)

Our main dish today was Asperges à la flamande, served with butter, parsley and boiled eggs. You first have to prepare the asparagus and boil them in salty water. When the asparagus is almost tender, remove the water and let the asparagus stir for a bit longer in butter (see photograph). Mash the boiled eggs, add parsley and the butter you used for the asparagus.

Dress the plate as per photograph (left)





Our aperitif today was a sparkling rosé wine Les bulles sauvages (grenache, syrah, muscat, méthode traditionelle) from the Pays du Ventoux, from the Domaine du bon Remède: absolutely excellent: dry, yet fruity and brisk, with a long aftertaste and beautiful flavours!

Our white today was an absolutely fantastic Riesling from one of the top domains of the Pfalz: Von Winning. Astounding, as always.