Creme Fraiche Pesto Recipes

GLAZED BEETS WITH CREME FRAICHE AND PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• For the beets, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Massage each beet with about a teaspoon of oil and season with salt and pepper. Individually wrap each beet in aluminum foil. Place the beets on a baking sheet and bake for about an hour, or until you can easily pierce them with a knife.
• When the beets have cooled enough to handle but are still warm, unwrap them and rub them with a dry kitchen towel or paper towels to remove their skin. Cut the beets into quarters and allow to cool completely.
• Fill a high-sided saute pan with 1/4 cup of water, the honey and butter and place over medium-high heat; stir gently. Once the mixture begins to thicken and form a glaze, turn off the heat, add the cooked beets and toss to coat them in the glaze. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• For the pistachios, toast them in a small saute pan over medium heat just until they're warm and you can smell their "pistachio-ness." Cool and chop or crush them slightly; they should remain chunky to give good crunch to the dish.
• For the creme fraiche, place it in a bowl and mix with the lemon zest and about half the chopped mint. Refrigerate until you're ready to assemble the dish.
• To serve, spoon the creme fraiche mixture over the bottom of a medium serving dish. Place the warm beets (reheat them if necessary) on top of the creme fraiche in a single layer. (Resist the urge to pile these beauties high; you'll want to be getting creme fraiche and beet in every bite.) If there's any glaze leftover in the pan, pour it over the beets. Sprinkle the pistachios over the beets. Tear the parsley leaves with your fingertips and let them fall naturally over the beets. Sprinkle on the rest of the mint, add a few grinds of fresh black pepper and you're good to go.

CHICKEN & CREAMY PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions
• While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil and fry the chicken. After a minute add the courgette.
• Mix the creme fraiche and pesto together.
• Just as the chicken and courgette seems done throw in your cherry tomatoes and cook for about a minute, or until the tomatoes begin to soften. (Not too long or they will turn to sauce!)
• Add the pesto and creme fraiche mix, plus some basil leaves (about 10), to the chicken pan and heat through, covering the other ingredients.
• Drain the pasta, plate up and serve the chicken and sauce on top. Sprinklw with some more basil leaves if you want.
• You can make more of less sauce really easily and add as much chicken as you like to suit all appetites and tastes, less pesto or more could be added too.

CRèME FRAîCHE PASTA WITH PEAS AND SCALLIONS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Trim the scallions. Thinly slice 1 or 2 scallions on the diagonal and set aside for garnish. Cut the remaining scallions into 1/2-inch-long pieces.
• In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add the 1/2-inch scallion pieces, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions start to caramelize, soften and brown in spots, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
• Once the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
• While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce: In a large bowl, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the Parmesan, crème fraîche and lemon zest; mix to combine. Stir in 1/2 cup of the hot reserved pasta water until the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the charred scallions.
• When the pasta is done, add the peas to the water and turn off the heat. Immediately drain the pasta and peas together, and add them to the sauce in the large bowl. Toss thoroughly to combine, adding more reserved pasta water as desired to loosen the sauce to a silky texture. Season to taste.
• Serve immediately. Divide among bowls and top with more pepper and reserved sliced scallions. Serve with the lemon wedges, for squeezing on top.

CREAMY RED PESTO CHICKEN WITH PASTA

Steps:

• Bring water to the boil in a saucepan and start to cook the pasta (if using fresh pasta, start cooking it later).
• Heat the oil in a skillet over a medium heat. Add the diced chicken and cook for 4 minutes.
• Add the diced red onion and cook for a further 5 minutes.
• Add the sundried tomato pesto and creme fraiche to the chicken and onion in the skillet. Stir and heat through thoroughly, making sure the chicken is fully cooked.
• Stir in the grated parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the sauce to the pasta, stir through and serve, or alternatively serve the pasta topped with the sauce.