Edible Paris

Bruges

Bruges, Belgium. May 2012

Histoire Ancienne, Calais

So, you're not supposed to judge books by their covers, but sometimes, just sometimes, it's perfectly acceptable to judge restaurants by their exteriors. Especially when you turn out to be right. 

Historie Ancienne was easily the best-looking joint in town, especially when the rest of the town was in a fairly battered state due to roadworks when we were there. The restaurant was just as handsome inside, filled with plenty of leather and brass 1930s-style booths, and black and white photos and paintings of naked ladies. 

Bread basket with assorted breads, butter, sea salt, chilli flakes and taramasalata

Starter - monkfish tartare, herbs, and pipette with oil and flavourings

It was the first time I've had a dish with a plastic pipette in it - very exciting! The monkfish tartare was delicious and substantial, made even more interesting by the savoury herb-infused oil from the pipette. 

Starter - foie gras terrine

Little grunts of pleasure were coming from Manbacon's side of the table, so I took that as a sign that his foie gras starter was highly enjoyable. 

Main - White fish, rice and oysters

My main was another sculptural dish - don't the little sticks poking out of the rice oblong remind you of a robot head? Delicious fish again, but the oysters were the real winner here. 

Main - veal liver with root vegetable mash

Manbacon had no complains about his veal liver - in fact, he was too busy savouring it all to speak much. 

Although we were stuffed to the gills by the time we finished our mains, we had to get dessert too. The creamy, sweet sabayon was complemented with a cold, slightly tart raspberry (I think?) sorbet, not too heavy, but the perfect end to an already wonderful meal. 

Dessert - Sabayon with strawberries and sorbet

I'm saving my pennies and planning on another trip across the Channel soon, just to sample more of the menu. 

Histoire Ancienne

20 Rue Royale

62100 Calais 

France

Quinces For Princes

Ok, I've been tardy with posting a recipe for the quince pies I made for Christmas, but here it is, at last! It's a fairly easy recipe, and everything can be thrown together quickly once you've poached the quinces. If quinces can't be found, or you just can't be bothered with them, then I don't see why you can't substitute them for some other fruits.

Ingredients:

1 kg quinces (about 3 or 4)

4 small apples (I used Braeburns, but use whichever ones you like)

1 kg puff pastry

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp nutmeg

2 heaped tbs sugar/honey

1 egg, beaten

200 gms apricot glaze (optional)

Makes about 24 individual pies.

- Cut quinces up into quarters and remove the seeds.

- There are two different ways to soften the quinces - the way is to poach them in a large amount of water (enough to just cover the tops of the fruits), with spices added for taste. I ended up with about 2 pints of lovely pink fruit-flavoured liquid at the end, and simply added some gelatin to it to make quince jelly.

The other method is similar, except you use less water - put the quinces and spices into a large pot or saucepan, then add an inch of water to it.

Whichever method you choose, you'll need to simmer it for at least two hours. Stir them occasionally to prevent them sticking to the bottom and burning.

- After one hour, quarter the apples and add them to the pot, and simmer for another hour.

- Test the fruits after two hours, they should be soft enough to mash with a fork. If not, cook them for a little longer.

- If you're poaching the fruits, remove them from the liquid and leave to cool and drain for at least 15 minutes. If you're using the second method, the liquid should have evaporated and been absorbed by the fruits by now.

- Mash the fruits up roughly, you want some texture when you bite into the pies. I found it easiest to just use a potato masher.

- Cut and place puff pastry into muffin trays (be sure to leave enough pastry for the tops). Spoon the fruit mixture in, then cut more puff pastry circles for the tops. Brush the tops with a beaten egg.

Bake in a preheated oven for the time and temperature specified on your puff pastry packaging - I think I left them in for about 20 mins at about 200 degrees Celsius.

- Leave them to cool on a rack once they're done.

- This step is entirely optional, I did it because I always overindulge my sweet tooth. Put some apricot glaze in a saucepan and boil it, then, with a brush, brush it over the tops of the pies for a shiny finish.

That's about it, and like I said, really easy to assemble once the fruits are cooked. If you're pressed for time, you can always cook the quinces a couple of days before, then spoon them into the pastry cases and bake them on the day itself. The pies can be kept for up to a week if stored properly, and they're delicious reheated in the microwave, with a dollop of vanilla bean ice-cream over it.

As I haven't had too much experience with writing up my own recipes, please do let me know if you spot any mistakes in this one. And if you do use it, I'd love to hear how you got on with it!