I’d like to share with you a very easy recipe I prepared all summer to accompany the « apéritif ».
You might already know that for French people l’apéritif – also called l’apéro – is a very important time of the day…moreover during vacation time.
It takes place between 6pm and 8 to 9pm and we usually drink either some wine, beers, local alcohol like Pastis in Southern France or homemade mixtures (such as the Walnut Wine or the Orange Wine). But what we eat while having the “apéro” is also very important to us.
On special occasion (if you have guests) some biscuits and few olives won’t be the best fitting. When you have time, your guests will very much like that you made your own “bouchées”…and this brings me to the recipe I wanted to share with you: Feuilletés au échalottes et au chèvre.
Everybody like it and it’s very easy to prepare in a short delay.
For 4 people, you need:
- A puff pastry (flaky pastry) – I buy them already made
- 10 shallots of good size
- Little white sugar
- Some fresh goat cheese
If you don’t like goat cheese, you can also use Camembert or blue cheese. It’s delicious with any type of tasty cheeses.
In the pictures, I used “Picodon” which is a typical goat cheese from the Drôme area – in Northern Provence.
- Pre-heat your oven at 190°C or 375°F
- Brown the shallots gently in a teaspoon of olive oil – in the middle of the process, add some white sugar to have them caramelize.
- Cut your puff pastry in squares of 5c centimeters – 2 inches for each of the sides.
- Add a teaspoon of shallots in each square and a piece of cheese. Add salt and pepper.
- Close the squares pasting (with little water) the opposite corners of the pastry.
- Put in the oven until the pastry has a nice color (about 20 minutes).
I promise: it look nicer is you take more time to close your bouchées...
You can eat them hot or cold.
Advice: if you use a creamy cheese such as camembert, don’t put too much in each “bouchée” otherwise it will drip while cooking.
I hope you’ll enjoy, Bon Apétit !!!
