Summer outside A happy festive hour in the park

To get the most out of beautiful summer evenings, what could be better than a well-supported hour of happiness. We offer you some perfect dishes for this occasion, inspired by recipes from Martin Juneau’s new book, Festive!

Simple and delicious recipes

For his second cookbook, Martin Juneau imagined a book with a “slightly urban, slightly rustic” look. “Finally, photographer Marc-Olivier Bécotte took the project completely elsewhere. […] “I myself was surprised by the visual direction it gave to the book”, admits Pastaga’s co-owner.

The photos that evoke the pool and the aperitifs in the sun, however, very well reflect the desire of the chef to offer a work filled with freshness and liveliness.

It was in this spirit that he selected 75 recipes of Festive!

As with Juneaus

“The first book [Simplicité culinaire, paru en 2016]”There were more dishes that I made in the restaurant or that I would have made in the restaurant”, he explains.

This time, the restaurateur is instead offering “simple and delicious” recipes, inspired by the food he cooks as a family.

“Obviously, we gave ourselves ammunition to do things that were more fun than mashed potatoes or parsley,” he laughs.

Martin Juneau has also extracted recipes from what he has presented on shows in the past. Pre-game nutritionbroadcast in Zeste in 2020 and 2021.

Did he have an audience in mind when he wrote his book? “Not completely,” he replies. I told myself I would do what I wanted to do […], hoping to give people a taste for cooking. »

Space for variety

With its varied sections, ranging from snack-style dishes to salads and field surfing, Festive! is not a book created specifically to entertain on the terrace or to prepare a sports aperitif or to plan a picnic. It is a book that offers options that can be adapted in many cases.

For a happy hour in the park, is there any suggestion? A good dozen recipes of Festive! feel good about this kind of meeting, believes Martin Juneau.

For an “optimal picnic experience”, he advises choosing dishes that can be pre-cooked and that are well preserved.

An example is the cake with olives, bacon and mozzarella. “It’s a recipe I brought when I went to work in France in 2000,” he explains. A delicious cake that you just have to cut and share in a friendly atmosphere. “I really like that spirit. »

To drink

Whoever says 5 to 7, often says alcoholic beverage. A great lover and importer of natural wine, Martin Juneau took care to suggest a couple of wines (or beers) for each of his recipes. “Bubbles, light roses, sour beer, white on acidity” are some of the indications mentioned. “I wanted to be very vague. I did not want to specifically give a wine from such a producer […] because that does not mean the product will be available when people go to see the book. »

Cocktail recipes are also available at the end of the book. Something to celebrate all summer long.

Recipe: cake with olives, bacon and mozzarella

A delicious split cake that can be eaten as is or used as a toast base at the time of the aperitif

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 125 g (3/4 cup) flour for all uses
• 3 g (1/2 tablespoon) sea salt
• 8 g (1/2 tablespoon) baking powder
• The skin of 1/2 lemon
• 100 ml (3/8 cup) whole milk
• 75 g (1/3 cup) brown butter (lightly colored)
• 125 g (1/2 cup) eggs (about 4)
• 25 g (1 1/2 tablespoons) gray onions, chopped (1 or 2 onions)
• 75 g (7/8 cup) minced mozzarella
• 50 g (1/3 cup) green olives without crust and crushed
• 75 g (1/2 cup) bacon, cut into small pieces
• 30 g (2 1/2 tablespoons) chopped capers

Preparation

• 1. Preheat the oven to 190 ° C (375 ° F).
• 2. In a mixer, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and lemon zest.
• 3. Add milk, brown butter, eggs and mix slowly.
• Still stirring, add the onions, cheese, olives, bacon and capers.
• Place in a non-stick rectangular baking tray 15 cm × 30 cm (6 in × 12 in) and bake for 45 minutes.
• 6. Let it rest before disassembling it.

Recipe: crunchy fennel, slices and clementine

A salad full of freshness that you will want to put in your picnic basket

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cooking: 10 minutes

Ingredients for the salad

• 2 fennel bulbs
• 4 clementine
• 120 g (1 cup) feta
• Salt to taste

Ingredients for vinegrette

• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) soy sauce
• 10 ml (2 tablespoons) honey
• 10 ml (2 tablespoons) wasabi
• 20 ml (4 teaspoons) yuzu juice (or lemon).
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) sesame oil
• 25 ml (5 tablespoons) vegetable oil
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) sour cream

Preparation

• 1. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients of the vinegrette to get a smooth and homogeneous sauce.
• 2. Remove the branches from the fennel bulbs and save some leaves for serving. Using a mandolin, cut the bulbs into very thin slices. Add them to the large bowl, season with salt and toss to coat well with the vinegrette. Let stand for ten minutes (fennel will soften under the influence of salt and vinegrette).
• 3. Meanwhile peel the clementines and divide the segments. To book.
• 4. Thoroughly clean the slice and place it in a small food processor to grind it into a powder (this step can be done with your fingers, but the result will be a little thicker).
• 5. Mounting is very simple: fennel saturated with vinegrette at the base, clementine segments randomly arranged and sliced ​​powder sprinkled on top. Decorate with some fennel leaves.

Recipe: mimosa eggs with crispy chicken skin

Amazing stuffed eggs

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cooking: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) chicken skin
• 10 large eggs
• Juice of 1 lemon, separated
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) mayonnaise (home or market)
• Salt to taste
• Crushed pepper to taste
• Green onions, if desired

Preparation

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180 ° C (350 ° F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or waxed).
• 2. Lay the chicken skins on the baking sheet, cover with a second sheet of parchment paper (or waxed) and another baking sheet (to keep the skins flat). Bake for about 20 minutes or until skin is golden brown and crispy. We put them on absorbent paper and set them aside.
• 3. Meanwhile in a pan place the eggs and pour cold water in half of the pan. Add half the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and cook for 12 minutes. Remove the hot water from the pan and pour cold water over it to stop boiling. Peel the eggs, leaving them in the water (it’s easier that way).
• 4. Cut the eggs in half, remove the yolks and place in a bowl. Using a fork, press the yolks, add the mayonnaise and the rest of the lemon juice and mix well to get a smooth preparation. Season to taste. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with an open top. Store in the refrigerator.
• Place the egg whites in a large plate or serving dish, with the side open upwards and fill with the egg yolk filling. Sprinkle with crushed chili and top with crushed chicken skins. If desired, add small pieces of green onion.

Note: You do not have chicken skin on hand? You can replace it with small pieces of bacon as in our photos.