Cromesquis of frog & parsley pesto

Is eating frogs a fantasy? Not for chef Samuel Boulle, who makes them into cromesquis to (re)discover this classic of French gastronomy.

This recipe from Samuel Boulle, chef at La Fantaisie restaurant in Seillonnaz, is taken from the 2024 edition ofBook 109: The new blood of French gastronomy. Discover the ingredients and preparation steps to make it a breeze.

Serves 8
Preparation time: 50 min
Cooking time: 35 min
Resting time: 4 h

Ingredients for the frog cromesquis & parsley pesto

For the frog cromesquis

750 g frog legs
50 cl whole milk
35 g butter
35 g flour
100 g grated cheese
80 g garlic
1 bunch parsley
3 eggs
200 g breadcrumbs

For the parsley pesto

100 g pine nuts
180 g Parmesan cheese
3 bunches parsley
175 g sunflower oil
salt and pepper

Steps for thefrog cromesquis & parsley pesto

Prepare the frog legs: flour the legs, then cook them in a hot frying pan with oil and butter (slight browning is necessary), seasoning with salt and pepper at the end. Leave to cool and remove the bones from the frogs' legs. Chop the garlic and parsley.
Prepare the béchamel sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir with the butter and flour until the mixture whitens. Gradually add the milk to the roux, then whisk vigorously. Add the grated cheese, parsley and chopped garlic and adjust the seasoning.
Prepare the cromesquis: add the flesh of the frogs' legs to the béchamel, then pour into spherical molds and freeze until the mixture hardens.
Just before serving, bread the cromesquis in a mixture of egg and breadcrumbs, then fry in oil at 140°C until nicely colored.
Prepare the pesto: remove the stems from the parsley and blanch in hot water for 1 min. Stop cooking in iced water to give the pesto a nice green color. Squeeze dry.
Roast the pine nuts in the oven at 200°C for 7 min until light brown.
In a blender, blend the parsley, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan, gradually adding the sunflower oil.
To serve: place a dollop of pesto in the center of the plate, and arrange the cromesquis on top.

For further information

La Fantaisie, 50 rue des Alinières, 01470 Seillonnaz
12/20 in the Livre des 109
Read Gault&Millau's review of La Fantaisie

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