The versatility of milk makes it a key ingredient in European cooking and baking. It provides a vital foundation for creating texture and moisture, but also for delivering a golden-brown finish. Milk is widely used in classic European savoury sauces, but is perhaps more popular for its use in breads and sweet dishes.
Whether you are running a professional kitchen or cooking and baking for the family, milk is an ingredient that you can’t live without. Here we have listed some classic European dishes which stand or fall on how well milk is used as a key ingredient.
The omelette originates from France, and you can adjust this recipe very slightly to make a Spanish frittata also. Milk plays a vital role in this very simple recipe. It combines with egg to make a light mixture that needs to be heavily whisked. This ensures a delicate and fluffy omelette which combines nicely with the crunch of potato and onion.
Rosemary and Garlic Focaccia flat bread
We know Focaccia bread as a comforting accompaniment to an Italian pasta, or a nice salad, although it actually works alongside many other dishes. Milk is used here to make the dough, and combines with olive oil and garlic to create the distinctive taste that is so popular. Make sure you work the dough gently but thoroughly to get the delicate texture you need.
This is a staple French dish which promotes the best cheese-producing regions in the world. And while many people think Fondue is simply melted cheese, there is actually a lot more to it than that. The key to a good fondue is making a sauce with depth and flavour and which stays fluid and doesn’t thicken too much when kept under a constant heat. Milk helps with this, while this recipe includes adding garlic, flour, lemon and paprika. Cheese is obviously the key ingredient here, but a good fondue needs other elements to make it truly special and milk is definitely one of these.
In this classic Italian dish you would expect to use milk to create a smooth, consistent and indulgent Bechamel sauce, but there is a twist here, because we also add it to our mince beef main sauce. We add a 50ml measure of milk at the end of making the main sauce to give it some richness and texture. Milk also then helps the Bechamel sauce to bind and thicken and to deliver the quintessential flavours we love.
A madeleine is a small and subtle, bite-sized sponge cake originating from France. It can have various toppings and accompaniments, and here we have gone with zesty lemon curd. Milk plays a vital role in making the sponge light and fluffy with a soft centre, but also with a distinctive crispy edge. This is a delicate operation and milk is added at the first stage when making your initial mix.
Try these recipes for yourself using our range of Just Milk products.