Asparagus au gratin

Serve as starter!

• 6-7 asparagus spears per person
• Parma ham or other uncooked ham
• Fresh parmesan cheese
• Olive oil

Preparation:
• The asparagus is easier to peel if you lay the spears on a flat surface and peel from the tip to the end.
• If necessary, cut off the woody ends by about 2 cms.
• Lay the asparagus spears evenly in an ovenproof dish.
• Grate over some good quality fresh parmesan cheese.
• Slice some parma ham into thin slithers
• Sprinkle the asparagus with a trickle of olive oil, and scatter the cheese and ham over the asparagus.
• Cook in a preheat fan oven at 180 deg C for 25 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus.
• Serve hot

Coffee jam

Ingredients
• 250 g high-strength ground coffee 30 cl of pure and natural apple juice 800 g of sugar 1 liter of water

Preparation
• In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil, then incorporate the whole of the ground coffee and leave infuse out of fire for 30 min.
Filter the resulting liquid. Take 60 cl which you will pour in a basin for jam accompanied with apple juice and sugar. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 min often and delicately Using a skimmer. Check cooking: jelly deposited on a cold plate solidifies rapidly. Immediately remove the bowl from the fire and skim over carefully. Scald and dry pots beforehand, then pour the jelly and cover.

Melon soup "Mas Conil"
(served at table d'hôtes of the Mas since 2004!)

Ingredients for 4 to 6 people:
• 4 small melons or 2 big ones
• 1 tablespoon of pastis
• 1 good olive oil spoon
• 6 slices of raw ham
• Mint or basil leaves

Preparation
• The day before, cut the melons in 2, eliminate the seeds. With the help of a Parisian spoon, take a dozen melon balls per person, and reserve them.
• Take the pulp and place it in a bowl, mix it. Put it to the cool.
• Put the slices of raw ham in a pan and roast them to obtain crispy ham crisps. Place them on paper towels, then put them in the freezer.
• Just before serving, add the pastis and olive oil and mix the soup again. You have to get a smooth mixture.
• Serve the soup in individual bowls, add the balls,
• sprinkle with the crisp ham and garnish with mint leaves or basil.

Orange jam

Ingredients
• 1.5 kg of untreated sweet oranges
• 1.5 kg of crystallized sugar
• 4 c. Earl Gray tea

Preparation
• Wash oranges and brush them. Immerse them in a saucepan with cold water, bring to the boil and boil for 30 min.
• Cold the oranges immediately by plunging them several times in large quantities of cold water.
• Cut the oranges in very fine and small slices. Reserve the seeds in a bag of muslin.
• Alternate layer of oranges and layer of sugar in a terrine.
• Slip the muslin sac in the center and add 20 cl of water. Let macerate for 12 hours. Prepare an infusion of full-strength tea in 20 cl of boiling water.
• Pour the contents of the terrine into a jam basin and bring to a boil for 45 min, skimming.
• Pour the filtered tea into the bowl. Mix and give a few boils for 5 to 10 min.
• Check the cooking by placing a little jam on a cold plate. It must freeze quickly.
• Remove the bag of seeds. Pour the ladle into the jars. Close them immediately and hold them down for 24 hours.

Velvety Pumpkin Soup With Blue Cheese and Bacon

Ingredients for 4 people
• 800g pumpkin
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 6 slices bacon
• 1 cup crumbled blue cheese

Réalisation:
• Stir together the pumpkin, chicken stock, shallot, molasses, butter, salt, and cayenne pepper in a large stockpot over low heat.
• Simmer 10 minutes
• meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook until crispy;
• remove to paper towel to drain, then cool and crumble.
• Laddle soup into bowls. Top with bacon and blue cheese.

Tea jam

Ingredients
• 2 teaspoons of tea; Earl Gray very good quality.
• 90 cl of water
• 1 kg sugar special for jam

Preparation
• Bring water to a boil.
• Pour 2 teaspoons of tea into a teapot, cover with boiling water and let infuse a few minutes to get a strong but not pungent tea.
• Put the jam sugar in a bowl, water it with tea.
• Mix well for a few minutes, until sugar dissolves.
• In a heavy-bottomed casserole, bring the mixture to a boil over and cook for about 7 minutes from start.
• Remove immediately from fire.
• Pour the jelly into the jars, previously boiled and dried.
• Let cool completely and then close tightly.

Black truffle (tuber melanosporum) ice cream

Ingredients for 4 to 6 people:
• 2 eggs
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/2 dl cream
• 20 gr of black truffle (tuber melanosporum)

Preparation
• 2 days before preparation, put the eggs and truffle in a well-closed jar.
• On the day of preparation, whisk the yolks and sugar until the mixture whitens.
• Reduce the broken truffle and add it to the mixture.
• Whip the cream and incorporate gently without waiting.
• Beat the whites in firm snow.
• Using a spatula gently stir in the appliance.
• Pour this one into a container and freeze.