Recipes to try at home!

Want to discover the Euro-Métropole de Metz in a different way? Here, there are no invented recipes: only authentic local specialities, from quiche Lorraine to mirabelle plum sweets. Combining culinary expertise and local produce, these recipes tell the story of Metz... through its cuisine. Get cooking!

Ingredients (for 4 people):

• Shortcrust pastry
• Lean smoked bacon
• 4 eggs
• 1 bowl of crème fraîche
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Line a large pie tin with shortcrust pastry
• Beat four eggs with crème fraîche (1 bowl) and a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Add the small pieces of lean smoked bacon, sautéd in butter
• Pour it all into the pastry
• Cook in the over for arounf 25 minutes

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cooking: 40 minutes

Ingredients (for 6 people):

• 1 tenderloin of roast pork
• 750 g. of Metz mirabelle plums
• 50 g. of butter
• 2 tablespoons of cognac
• ½ glass of water
• 1 tablespoon of caster sugar
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Season the pork with salt and pepper
• Heat the butter in a casserole dish and brown the meat in it
• Throw away the fat from the cooking
• Add the rest of the butter and leave it to cook on a low heat, uncovered, for 25 minutes
• Remove the meat and keep it warm
• Wash and stone the mirabelle plums
• Deglaze the casserole dish with the cognac and a bit of water, add the sugar
• Bring it to the boil, add the mirabelle plums and continue cooking for 5 minutes
• Cut the meat into thick slices Put them on a plate surrounded by the mirabelle plums and coat it with the sauce

Ingredients (for 6 people):

• 1 shortcrust pastry
• 750 g. of stoned mirabelle plums
• 50 g. of butter
• 100 g. of caster sugar
• 1 egg

Method :

• Roll the shortcrust pastry out on a greased baking tray and prick the bottom
• Arrange the mirabelle plums
• Melt the butter and the sugar on a low heat
• Take it off the heat, add the beaten egg
• Pour on the plums
• Cook it in the oven on gas mark 5/6 (170°C) for 35 to 45 minutes

Method:

• Prepare a caramel with the cooking juice from the mirabelle plums and the sugar
• Add a knob of butter
• When the caramel lightly browns, add the stoned plums
• Leave them to coat in the sugar and put the vanilla ice cream on top

Serve immediately and flambé with a good mirabelle liqueur

A traditional Pâté Lorrain normally requires several hours of marinating, but you can make a quicker version by skipping the marinating step and adding a little extra seasoning.

Ingredients (for 4 people): 

• 250 g pork neck, finely diced
• 250 g veal, finely diced (or all pork if you're in a hurry)
• 1 roll of pure butter puff pastry
• 2 finely chopped shallots
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 small bunch of chopped parsley
• 1 sprig of thyme or a pinch of dried thyme
• 10 cl dry white wine (Riesling or Gris de Toul if you have it)
• 1 egg (yolk for glazing, white for the stuffing if desired)
• Salt, pepper, nutmeg (optional)

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C and prepare the stuffing
• Mix the meat, shallots, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, a little nutmeg and the white wine
• Leave to rest for 15–20 minutes at room temperature to allow the flavours to blend
• Assemble the pie
• Roll out the puff pastry on a baking tray; keep a little pastry aside to make a lid if the rolling pin is large
• Drain the meat roughly (so as not to soak the pastry) and form a roll in the centre, leaving a 4–5 cm border
• Fold the pastry over the filling and seal the edges with a little egg white or water
• Make one or two small holes in the top and score a light grid pattern with a knife

Glazing and baking:

• Glaze the top with beaten egg yolk (and a spoonful of milk if desired)
• Bake for 40–45 minutes at 200°C until the pastry is golden brown; reduce the temperature to 180°C if it browns too quickly
• Serve warm with a well-seasoned green salad for a complete meal