One of the most memorable evenings in my life came on La Fete Nationale (known outside France as Bastille Day) in Paris, about six years ago. I was staying with a Hong Kong friend who had moved to France and, to introduce me to her friends, she organised an impromptu picnic on Le Pont des Arts, one of the pedestrian bridges over the Seine. It was a gorgeous evening, the mood was joyous and the food, although gathered from the charcuterie, patisserie, boulangerie and various other traiteurs (prepared food shops), was delicious. Bastille Day in Hong Kong isn't nearly as exciting but you can still celebrate liberte, fraternite and egalite on Thursday (or any other time) with a delicious picnic meal.
Pan bagnat
I usually dislike pre-made sandwiches because the bread becomes too soft, but trust the French to make a virtue out of sogginess. Pan bagnat needs to be made in advance, so the dressing and juices from the tuna, tomato and roasted pepper soak into the bread. The dressing recipe makes more than you'll need for two sandwiches, so put the leftovers in a jar and refrigerate - it will keep for about two weeks.
2 large eggs
1 large red bell pepper
2 baguettes, about 22cm long
1 medium-sized ripe tomato, thinly sliced
A few slices of red onion
1 can or jar (about 270 grams) of good-quality Spanish, French or Italian tuna
1 small tin of anchovies in olive oil
1/2 Japanese cucumber, thinly sliced
Fresh lettuce
Fresh basil
For the dressing:
About 10 grams Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced
2 small garlic cloves, minced
About 60ml fresh lemon juice, at room temperature
180ml extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the eggs in a small saucepan that gives them a little room to swim. Cover by about 1cm with cool tap water and place over a low-medium flame. Bring to the boil then cover the pan, remove from the heat and leave for 10 minutes. Rinse the eggs with cold water, crack the shells (but don't peel them) and put them into a bowl of ice water. Peel the eggs when they're very cold and cut into thin slices
Char the bell pepper in the open flame of a gas grill. Allow to cool then strip off the blackened skin. Remove and discard the core and seeds, then slice the pepper.
To make the dressing, whisk the mustard with the shallot and garlic. Whisk in the olive oil very slowly to create a thin emulsion, drizzling in lemon juice whenever the mixture gets too thick. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut the baguettes in half lengthwise and pull out some of the interior to create room for the filling. Use a pastry brush to liberally brush the dressing over the entire interior of the baguette. Put the sliced tomato over the bottom part of the baguette then add the onion, tuna, anchovy, sliced egg, red pepper, cucumber, basil and lettuce. Put the top half of the baguette over the ingredients. Wrap the sandwiches tightly in cling-film and press down firmly. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Puy lentils with goat's cheese
If you can't find Puy lentils, use another type that holds its shape when cooked.
250 grams Puy lentils
2 bay leaves
3 whole (unpeeled) garlic cloves
2 shallots, minced
About 60ml fresh lemon juice
About 45ml extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flat-leaf parsley
About 100 grams soft goat's cheese, crumbled
Rinse the lentils and drain them, then put them in a saucepan and add fresh water to cover them by about 2cm. Add the bay leaves and garlic, then bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer until the lentils are just tender - do not overcook. Drain the lentils; remove and discard the bay leaves and garlic. Put the lentils back into the saucepan, add the shallot, lemon juice and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool. Taste the lentils and correct the seasonings. Just before serving, mix in whole flat-leaf parsley leaves and the goat's cheese.
Hazelnut and brown butter madeleines
The batter should be made at least eight hours before you cook them, but the madeleines are most delicious within a few hours of being baked.
60 grams whole hazelnuts
170 grams unsalted butter
4 large eggs, at room temperature
100 grams granulated sugar
85 grams honey
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp baking powder, sieved
130 grams plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting the madeleine moulds
Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Put the hazelnuts in a pan and bake at 180 degrees for about 12 minutes, or until they smell toasted. Allow to cool then rub the hazelnuts between your hands to remove the papery skins. Finely grind the nuts in a food processor.
Put the butter in a pan and melt over a medium-low flame. Cook until the milk solids at the bottom of the pan turn dark brown. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the butter through a small sieve into a heat-proof bowl. Discard the milk solids.
Use the whisk attachment of an electric mixer to beat the eggs with the sugar, honey and salt until thick and frothy. Whip in the baking powder then stir in the brown butter. Gently fold in the flour and ground hazelnuts then cover the bowl with cling-film and refrigerate for eight hours or more.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Spray the madeleine moulds with pan coating, dust evenly with flour then shake out the excess. Stir the batter to re-combine the ingredients then fill each indentation three-quarters of the way up. Bake at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until the madeleines are fragrant and firm to the touch. Remove from the moulds and serve.
Styling: Nellie Ming Lee
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