An elegant fruit smoothie always has a pleasant, inviting colour and flavours that blend together marvellously. This one contains four strawberries, a few chunks of pineapple, and a small section of banana, all of which can be processed while frozen if necessary, with the addition of water and yoghurt.

Elegant Hummus bi Tahini Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton 2009  Please see  Elegant Bread  for M-J's pita recipe.  M-J’s elegant recipe for hommos bi tahini, hummus bi tahine, tahina or whichever way you prefer to spell chickpea and sesame dip: mash the chickpeas and add sesame paste, preferably a very liquid one with lots of natural oil in it, and squeeze into this mixture the juice of a lemon, add salt, red pepper and olive oil to your taste. Mix until almost smooth. Serve  hummus bi tahini  with warm pita bread, Moroccan olives,  shawarma , and whatever else you have on your  meze  table. Hummus is a perfect dip for summer entertaining. And without the very inelegant addition of raw garlic, which no one will miss, this dip is more socially acceptable. The lemon component is very refreshing, the sesame paste is tasty, and the garbanzos (chick-peas) are light and airy. Combining these simple ingredients results in a magical dish that is very popular at parties. ©M-J de Mesterton

A classic silver tea set for the elegant gourmet, as seen in many films and in grand English houses: Mappin & Webb of Sheffield's Late Georgian Style. Elegant Late Georgian Style Tea Service by Mappin & Webb of Sheffield, England

Green Vegetable Smoothie, an Elegant Gourmet Way to Start the Day M-J's Elegant Green Vegetable Smoothie Celery, cucumber, radishes, yellow hot peppers, lemon juice, and yoghurt or buttermilk blended together make a health-promoting morning tonic. ©M-J de Mesterton

A delicious, orange-coloured smoothie for breakfast is a bracing tonic. One carrot, two yellow Cubanelle peppers, a quarter of a lemon, peel and pulp included; two celery stalks, five radishes, and a cup of buttermilk whirled together in a blender or food-processor make an elegant morning smoothie. This particular concoction is loaded with vitamins A and C.  ©M-J de Mesterton

A simple salad with cucumbers as its main ingredient, with celery and feta cheese chunks, dressed in a plain vinaigrette with pimientos, is a beautiful component of an elegant summer luncheon. -M-J de Mesterton

One carrot, two yellow Cubanelle peppers, a quarter of a lemon, peel and pulp included; two celery stalks, five radishes, and a cup of buttermilk whirled together in a blender or food-processor make an elegant morning smoothie. This particular concoction is loaded with vitamins A and C. 

(( Côte d'Azur)   Choux Farcis   Tempes de Cuisson: 2H I/2   Marché pour 10 personnes:   600 G d’epaule de veau   600 KG de róti de boeuf   1 KG de côtes désossées de porc   4 ouefs entieres   2 bonnes poignées de Gruyère rápá   1 bonne poignée de riz long   3 choux moyens de Milan (verts et frisés)   80 G de buerre   Oignons,Ail, Sauge, Bouquet Garni, Sel Poivre   I cuillère á café de noix muscade   Epluchez les choux en enlevant les feuilles trop vertes. Faites blancher 15 mn dans une eau bouillante et salée.   Egouttez et laissez refroidir. Dans trios cocottes différentes, faites cuire á feu doux vaindes: le boeuf un peu plus que saignant (½ lr), le veau avec des oignons et le bouquet garni (I h), le porc avec ail et sauge (1 h ½).   Vous pouvez faire cuire les viandes et les choux la veille.   Mixez les trios viandes avec leurs jus. Ajoutez á ce mélange les ouefs entiers, le gruyère et le riz préalablement cuit durant 10 mn.   Eventuellement, ajoutez de la noix de muscade. Choi

Anti-Garlic Chefs and Celebrities, Elegant People after My Own Heart Truly elegant and considerate people DO NOT EAT RAW GARLIC, nor do they sabotage their friends by inserting it into their cuisine. I thought this was common knowledge, proper etiquette and behaviour-- comme il faut --among civilised cooks and those who entertain in elegant fashion. But, I have seen a website that claims to be "elegant gourmet" while dishing out recipes that contain as many as "six cloves of raw garlic." Heaven help the unwitting "gourmands" who end up reeking in the office or home for as long as a week after ingesting those poisonous concoctions. In England, household staff are required to never ingest raw garlic or onions, in order to not offend those who live in or visit the home. Butlers especially are fired for such breaches in common, traditional etiquette. Why, then, is the culinary world bent on sabotaging our very lives with raw garlic in the most unlikely of d

Anti-Garlic Chefs, Elegant People after My Own Heart Truly elegant and considerate people DO NOT EAT RAW GARLIC, nor do they sabotage their friends by inserting it into their cuisine. I thought this was common knowledge, proper etiquette and behaviour  comme il faut among civilised cooks and those who entertain in elegant fashion. But, I have seen a new website that claims to be "elegant gourmet" while dishing out recipes that contain as many as "six cloves of raw garlic." Heaven help the unwitting "gourmands" who end up reeking in the office or home for as long as a week after ingesting those poisonous concoctions. In England, household staff are required to never ingest raw garlic or onions, in order to not offend those who live in or visit the home. Butlers especially are fired for such breaches in common, traditional etiquette. Why, then, is the culinary world bent on sabotaging our very lives with raw garlic in the most unlikely of dishes? Certainly,

Quote from the Chateau Lalinde website : Lalinde lies on the border of the Black and the Purple zones of the Perigord region, in other words it is surrounded by oak forests and some of the most renowned vineyards in the world. It is also in the heart of the Dordogne valley, known for its thousand and one castles, medieval fortresses, its bastides, the prehistoric caves of Cro-magnon man and troglodytes, its honey coloured villages and markets, sunflowers, tobacco barns and maize fields, and friendly people!   The limestone cliffs and gently rolling hills offer endless opportunities for the artist, the photographer, the hiker, the fisherman or the cyclist, and the foie gras and other duck specialties, the truffle and walnut products of the region make this a paradise for those who love to eat well.

No wonder this glass of burgundy has a heart-shaped bit of candle-light on it! My elegant cheese log, rolled in chopped almonds, is made from two shredded cheeses, butter, summer savoury, and  Fromage à la Crème

Baking day comes once a week at our house. If I have dough left, it goes into the freezer for baking later in the week. ©M-J de Mesterton

M-J uses her recipe for fougasse to make an elegant, thin pizza crust.

My elegant gourmet hamburgers are made with brioche buns for a soft and rich eating experience. ©M-J de Mesterton

Hamburger buns are meant to be light and fluffy, so I make mine with brioche dough. ©M-J de Mesterton 

Brioche Dough Makes Elegant Hamburger Buns

Strawberries and home-whipped cream combined with angel food cake sit on an elegant antique Noritake platter in the 1950s Ming pattern. Fresh Strawberries and Whipped Cream on Angel Food Cake

With a Kitchenaid stand-mixer and the proper brioche pan, this one made in Europe from easy-release silicone, elegant gourmet brioches are made at home with ease. ©M-J de Mesterton 2011

Tea and Treats from the British Isles

Brioche, a   Viennoiserie   made at home in a small cake pan can be sliced for perfectly round sandwich bread. Brioche makes excellent toast, French toast or  pain perdú . Viennoiseries   is the collective French term for baked goods made from yeast-leavened dough or from puff-pastry. Viennoiseries typically have a high-protein and fat content from eggs, butter, milk, and cream, and are usually sweetened with sugar, ingredients which lend them a rich character. The  Viennoiserie  yeast-dough, once formed and risen, is often "gilded" or laminated with an egg-wash to make it shiny and deep in colour after baking.   Viennoiseries  are eaten for breakfast or with tea and coffee. Examples of  Viennoiseries  include brioches, croissants, Vienna bread and  baguette Viennoise ,   pain au chocolat, pain au lait, pain aux raisins, chouquettes,   chausson aux pommes,  Danish pastry ,  and  bugnes . A surge in popularity of Viennese-style baked goods in France began with the opening o