There are always loads of recipes I'd like to try but lose them before I do. This is where I can record recipes I find interesting and keep notes on my experiments with them.

I have a system that I've adopted for working through recipes:

1 - New recipes are saved to the Experimental Mouffette and is labeled : Untested
2 - As I'm working out the changes I'd like to make (if any) it is labeled : Testing
3 - Once I think I've got the correct formula it is labeled : Test 1
4 - IF I am able to reproduce the effect a second time it is labeled : Test 2 - if I am not able to reproduce the effect, it remains Test 1
5 - The same process as step 4 is used to graduate it to Test 3
6 - Once I have been able to reproduce the effect successfully 3 times, it graduates to my main blog, La Mouffette Gourmande

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Sunday, February 15, 2026

Tourte argovienne aux carottes (Aargau-style Carrot Tart) - Untested

https://www.bio-suisse.ch/fr/vivre-bio-suisse/recettes-bourgeon/detail/tourte-argovienne-aux-carottes-bio.html

250g carrots, finely grated
5 eggs, separated
200g sugar
Zest of ½ lemon
250g ground almonds
75g flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves (tip of a knife)
Pinch of salt
100 g apricot jam

Glaze
250 g icing sugar
2½ Tbsp lemon juice

Decoration (optional):
10 marzipan carrots

Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line the bottom of a 9" springform pan with parchment paper and grease all the inside surfaces with a little butter.
In an electric mixer, whisk the yolks with the sugar and lemon zest until pale and frothy.
Add the ground almonds. 
Fold the carrot immediately into the egg mixture.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and spices, then gently fold into the batter to try and maintain the loft in the egg yolk.
Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the batter using a spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the lower part of the oven for 50–55 minutes.
Remove from oven, let cool briefly, then remove from the pan and invert onto a wire rack.
Heat the apricot jam, strain through a fine sieve, and brush over the warm cake surface and sides. Let cool completely.

Glaze
Mix icing sugar with lemon juice until thick but pourable.
Pour the glaze over the centre of the cake, tilting slightly to evenly coat the top and sides. Allow to dry.
Decorate with marzipan carrots if using.

Tarte spirale à la carotte et à la moutarde - Untested



1 blind baked pie crust
650 g carrots (preferred width?) scrubbed or peeled
200 mL heavy cream
100 g plain yogurt
20 g chickpea flour
10 g cornstarch
15 mL (1 tbsp) Dijon mustard
15 mL (1 tbsp) whole-grain mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
  1. Wash and peel or scrape the carrots.
  2. Shortcut for thin slices: Use a vegetable peeler to create long, thin ribbons instead of finely slicing each carrot. This is much faster and still looks elegant.
  3. Steam the carrot ribbons for 8–10 minutes, until just tender (they will finish cooking in the oven). Use a vegetable steamer to make it easier to delicately handle the strips.
  4. In a bowl, combine the cream, yogurt, chickpea flour, cornstarch, Dijon mustard and whole-grain mustard.
  5. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until smooth. Pour into the pre-baked tart shell and spread evenly.
  6. To arrange the carrots, start from the outer edge, and layer the steamed carrot ribbons over the cream, pressing gently so cream peeks between the layers. Continue inward until all carrots are used.
  7. Change the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry edges are golden and the filling is set.
  8. Let cool slightly, then serve warm with a salad. 

Tourte à la carotte - Untested


5 carrots (about 500 g, peeled weight)
60 g melted butter
40 g grated Parmesan (4 tablespoons ≈ 40 g)
20 g extra grated Parmesan (for egg mixture)
2 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
200 g crème fraîche (20 cl ≈ 200 g)
1 pinch dried oregano
1 pinch ground nutmeg
15 g Dijon mustard (1 tablespoon)
4 g chopped parsley (1 tablespoon)
Salt and pepper
2 recipes pie crust
1 extra egg yolk (for glazing)
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
  2. Peel and grate the carrots. Blanch them in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 1 minute. Drain well and transfer to a mixing bowl.
  3. Add the melted butter, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole eggs and 2 of the egg yolks with the nutmeg, grated Parmesan (20 g), crème fraîche, salt, and pepper.
  5. Roll out one sheet of pie crust into a pie dish (about 23–24 cm / 9-inch). Spread the Dijon mustard evenly over the pastry.
  6. Spread the carrot mixture over the pastry, then pour the egg mixture on top.
  7. Cover with the second sheet of pie crust. Seal the edges well and cut a small hole in the centre to create a steam vent.
  8. Brush the top with the remaining egg yolk.
  9. Bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.

Monday, February 9, 2026

Gajar Matar, Carrots and Peas Curry - Testing


1 - Inconclusive first try. Ben liked it just fine, I felt like there was a bitterness likely caused by not enough veg-to-spice ratio. I will try again, this time increasing the carrots and the peas by 100g each.

1 small onion (4oz/150g) groughly chopped
1 garlic clove roughly chopped
1 inch piece of ginger peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
1 ¾ cups (350 grams) diced carrots
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 ⅔ cups (350 grams) peas (thawed if frozen)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or as needed, see notes below)
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon Indian red chili powder (you can substitute cayenne)
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon garam masala
  1. Put the onion, garlic and ginger in a small food processor and blend until finely chopped.
  2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then add the onion mixture and stir over high heat for 2 minutes, or until softened. Reduce the heat to medium and add the cumin seeds and turmeric. After 1 minute, add the carrot and stir for 2 minutes. Add the ground cumin and coriander and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the peas, salt, sugar, and chili powder. Add water.
  3. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the carrot and peas are tender. Stir in the garam masala and serve.

Friday, February 6, 2026

Pasta with Sausage and Arugula - Untested


Yield 4 servings

2 small red onions, sliced into ½"-thick wedges
1 fennel bulb, sliced into ½"-thick wedges
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
8 oz. hot or sweet Italian sausage (about 2 links), casings removed
10 oz. gemelli, casarecce, or other medium pasta
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
6 cups baby arugula
Finely grated Parmesan (for serving)
  1. Preheat oven to 425°. Toss onions, fennel, and 2 Tbsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Spread out into a single layer. Pinch sausage into small pieces and scatter around onions and fennel. Roast until vegetables and sausage are cooked through and well browned, 25–30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
  3. Combine vegetables, sausage, and pasta in a large bowl. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, remaining 4 Tbsp. oil, and ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking liquid and toss to coat, adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until sauce comes together and coats pasta. Toss in arugula.
  4. Divide pasta among plates and top with Parmesan. Season with more salt and pepper.

Lentil & Barley Stew - Testing


1 - Maybe add 1 tsp tomato paste. The recipe can definitely be doubled, which might be better.

LHSS score: 🟢 ~9 / 10

1 Tbsp butter (½ oz/14gr)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion (4oz/115g) onion, chopped 
2 cloves garlic, minced
⅛ tsp celery seed
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp dried rosemary
16oz/450g fresh tomato, chopped (canned is ok)
2 to 3 cups water
¾ cup lentils duPuy/French
⅓ cup pearled barley
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to finish
1 small Parmesan rind (20g)
½ cup (2oz/55g)carrots, shredded 
1–2 tsp red wine vinegar (to finish)
  1. In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 4–5 minutes. Add the garlic and celery seed and cook 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
  2. Add the bay leaf and rosemary, stirring briefly to bloom them in the fat.
  3. Throw in the tomatoes and cook for 5 to 7 minutes to let them lose their rawness.
  4. Add the water, lentils, barley, salt, pepper, and Parmesan rind. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and barley are nearly tender.
  5. Stir in the shredded carrots and continue cooking 5–10 minutes, until all grains are tender and the stew has thickened slightly. Remove and discard the bay leaf and Parmesan rind.
  6. Stir in 1–2 teaspoons red wine vinegar. Taste and adjust salt and black pepper as needed.
  7. This stew wants rest — it improves noticeably after 15–20 minutes off heat.

Quiet, steady, metabolically kind food — especially with your yogurt commons bread alongside.

If you ever want to nudge this one notch further (still internally consistent), we could talk about herb timing or tomato concentration — but this version is already doing its job very well.

Monday, January 26, 2026

Coconut Curry Chickpeas With Pumpkin and Lime - Test 1


1 - Well this was a roaring success! And I learned the difference between light and regular coconut milk. It's all about the texture (duh, like milk vs. whipping cream but, I'd say, even more dramatic). I didn't have enough chickpeas, but even with what I had, it was really good. I also missed the bit about the half cup water, and I'm not sure it's really needed, but I've put it back in to try it out next time. Because there will be a next time.

4 to 6 servings

3 Tbsps. oil
1 large onion (10oz/285g) chopped
2 jalapeños, seeded or not, thinly sliced or a good pinch of red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1" piece of fresh ginger, grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1½ tsps. garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp turmeric
3 cups (16oz/454g) cooked chickpeas, rinsed
1¾ cups (1 can) coconut milk (do not use light coconut milk)
1¾ cups (1 can) pumpkin purée
½ cup water
1½ tsps fine sea salt, more as needed
¾ cup chopped cilantro, more for serving
2 to 3 Tbsps. fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
  2. Stir in the onion, jalapeño and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is just golden, about 8 minutes.
  3. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. 
  4. Stir in garam masala, cumin and turmeric; cook for an additional 30 seconds.
  5. Stir in chickpeas, coconut milk, pumpkin, ½ cup water and 1½ teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let the flavors meld. (Add more water if it starts to look too thick.) 
  6. Stir in cilantro and lime juice to taste. Taste and add more salt if necessary.