Recipes – Nata la Gourmande

Creamy cauliflower casserole with chicken

quick weekday dinner from fridge leftovers Ingredients: It’s a common kitchen predicament – half a broccoli or cauliflower tucked away in the depths of the fridge, often forgotten. But fear not, for I bring you a delectable dish that not only rescues these neglected greens but also lets you make use of leftover Greek yogurt…
Roasted cauliflower with chickpeas and creamy tahini sauce

smoked and spicy vegetarian dinner You will need: Full of flavor and loaded with nutrients healthy dinner for a busy weekday. So simple to make and so much to enjoy. Sweet onions adding an interesting edge and finalize the symphony of tastes.
Braised caramelized leeks a la Flamande

candid leeks with traditional French Flamande sauce with eggs and butter. Usually it is served with asparagus, but it seems to compliment leeks so good that it is a great combination for a simple starter for your dinner or as main dish as well.
Braised eggs

with leek, spinach and crushed feta cheese Ingredients (2 person): This is quick, nutritious and very tasty recipe for late weekend breakfast or light dinner. I prefer to cook it in two separate pans serving each of them as a dish straight in the pan, but you can combine it all in one pan.
Celery and beef stew

flavoured with apple cider and patience You will need: Celery and beef is very beloved combination of mine, especially when cooked slowly allowing all flavours to mix in to one. I particularly like how celery root is matching with beef and think it is a bit underrated vegetable. Here it comes together with celery stalk…
Focaccia with rosemary and garlic

Homemade version of crunchy, delicious classic Italian bread This will fill your home with freshly baked bread aroma, and best part is – you don’t need to have any skills to bake it, it is perfect recipe for all levels of baking and is so simple. There is also no need to let dough rise…
Caramelized onion quiche

Creamy and full of flavours quiche for starter or brunch I have particular love to the caramelized onions and following that I really like also this quiche with is so creamy, richened with some Gruyere cheese and herbs. It is simple to make and the longest time is required for caramelizing onions, but you can…
Raspberry meringue roll

Roulade light as air and with berry cream filling This is simple dessert that will amaze your guests and be a beautiful decoration for dinner table. It is also a great way how to use left over egg whites that very often end up in the fridge. Raspberries and mascarpone cream are rolled and encased…
Tiramisu layer cake

A variation of our beloved Italian dessert Tiramisu is one of my favourite treats and I consider it as a perfect closing argument to the dinner. Moreover, it is quite easy to make and it is classic enough to make people of different tastes happy. For this dinner I decided to make it more as…
Pulled beef with homemade Teriyaki sauce

Healthy and filling bowl for weekday dinner Pulled beef is one of the best things ever. It does require quite a lot of time to cook it, but it is worth every minute. And there are so many different options how to use it and play with it around. Here’s one of the options for…
Coconut Macaroons

3 ingredient delicate biscuits I’m a big coconut lover and I really like classic French biscuits – Macaroons. Those, that can be called also as ugly cousin of pretty macarons. I’ve tried several ways how to cake these and came to the conclusion that the best texture and flavour is by using this very simple…
Burnt Basque Cheesecake

Crustless cake with silky filling and lightly caramelized top Originating from San Sebastian in Spain it became beloved all around the world, including my kitchen as well. Its recipe is simple and this a cake where every no is a yes – burnt top, irregular shape, cracks, holes. Method (I used 18cm cake tin):…
Coq au Vin

Classic French chicken casserole Coq au vin is a French dish of chicken braised with wine, lardons, mushrooms in butter – so rich and deep flavour. Typically it is made with red Burgundy wine is typically used, though many regions of France make variants using local wines, but any dry red wine will do. It…
Meringue cake with strawberries

I had 4 egg whites left from making vanilla sauce and had to find some use to them. So it was evening to make an airy cake with homemade strawberry confiture and fresh berries – very simple, but meringue with cream and fresh berries never disappoints. See the video of process below this post. Method…
Osso Buco

Osso Buco with creamy polenta While Osso Buco originates from Lombardy I think it is so warming and comforting in more Northern parts of Europe.“Osso Buco” means “hole of bone” because this marrow provides the rich flavour to the sauce so for making this dish delicious choose the shanks of the veal (or beef)This is…
Blueberry pancakes with vanilla sauce

Pancakes for late weekend breakfast Sundays are pancake days and I’m sharing another option for never ending pancake varieties – pancakes with blueberries served with homemade vanilla sauce. You will need:
Beef Bourguignon

Iconic French beef stew for cozy winter dinner Beef Bourguignon is the MVP every winter, it is one of my most favourite dishes and in fact it is quite easy to make it. Don’t rush and be patient, and let this be your Sunday project for a winter day. Process: Ingredients:
Pavlova cake

Pavlova with raspberry confiture and lychee cream Delicate, so creamy, crisp on edges and soft inside. Slight notes of lime to harmonize the sweetness, fresh cream with floral hint of lychees and above all raspberries – match made in heaven!Pavlova is simple and classic recipe and what makes it interesting is to unleash your imagination…
French chocolate and caramelized banana cake

Franču šokolādes banānu kekss – soli pa solim Or chocolate banana bread with a twist for more interesting flavours. There are simple ways how to add more edges to well known and classic chocolate banana cake and one of them is by caramelizing bananas and adding some dark rum. Bitter, deep chocolate taste balanced with…
French onion soup

Recipe for comforting, cheesy and incredibly tasty French onion soup This is so comforting, so warming on a cold Winter day. Rich onion soup with thick slice of grilled bread and Gruyere cheese. Key to success is to caramelize onions properly and without rush. The more you caramelize the deeper the colour and flavour you…