My French Cuisine

Childhood memories

2012-01-26T23:23:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Hope the new year started well for all of you.

I spent two weeks in Lyon over the holidays. My head is full of memories, and my camera full of pictures... I tried to capture all the beautiful and delicious food that my parents and parents in law lovingly cooked for us. I will share a selection in a later post.

Just before leaving for France, a friend had told me about a wonderful post she had read on TheKitchn.com, where Sara Kate gathered childhood pictures of her readers in the kitchens where they first learned to love food. I wondered if I could find any pictures on me in the kitchen(s) where I learned to love food. Glancing through my parents' photo albums proved to be quite emotional. Many long forgotten memories came back to mind. I smiled at the many happy faces and many sweet moments. Among these little treasures were several shots that immortalized my early love for cooking.

Cooking with my Mom (I look just like her now)

Picking wild blackberries with my Dad

Preparing and eating one of my first chocolate cakes

In the mood for brunch

2011-12-10T14:21:00.001-08:00

Eggs à la coque are so simply delicious! Click here for the recipe.

Duck Pâté

2011-12-08T23:19:00.000-08:00

I don't know if this is due to my lyonnaise origins (Lyon is renown for its fine charcuterie, or deli meats), but if you ask me what my favorite food is, there is a good chance I'll answer pâté (pronounced pah-TAY). It's hard to explain, but just thinking of it makes me salivate.

There are all kinds of pâtés. Some can be spread on bread, others are sliced and eaten with a fork and knife, like this one. Some are baked in a crust (my favorite). Others are baked in a terra cotta or ceramic dish, called a terrine. Although originally a country dish, they can be very refined—some contain truffles, foie gras, or other fancy ingredients. There's one for every taste (and in my case, I love them all!). If you ever go to France, stop in a charcuterie-traiteur (deli shop) and try a few. Each region has its own specialties.

Since I am far from France, I make my own pâté from time to time. I tried various recipes over the years, but the one I'm about to give is my favorite. I found the recipe in a wonderful little French book called Terrines by Catherine Quévremont (Marabout, 2002). My first attempt was quite an adventure. I bought a whole duck, removed the skin very carefully so it remained in one piece, and then cut out all the bones... I spent the whole day fighting with this duck. I waited a few years before doing it again, and spent another frustrating day in the kitchen... The result was well worth my efforts, but the following time (several years later), I decided to cut a few corners (and I also adapted the spices and meat cuts to what's available here), and the pâté still tasted amazingly good.

Here is what I did:

48 hours in advance
Serves 8

4 duck breasts with skin (about 2.2 lbs or 1 kg)
12 oz (350g) salt pork
10 oz (300g) veal for stew
1/2 TBSP salt
black pepper (about 40 grinds)
about 25 white peppercorns, crushed in a mortar
3 cloves, crushed in a mortar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
1 TBSP Cognac
1 or 2 handfulls shelled pistachios (dry-roasted, unsalted)
3 bay leaves

Cut the salt pork in cubes and immerse in water several times to rinse off some of the salt.
Gently pull off the skin of the duck breasts. Make sure to keep the skins in one piece, as they will be used to line the terrine dish. Use the tip of a sharp knife if needed to lift off the skin from the breasts.
Grind three breasts out of four, as well as the veal and salt pork, using the large plate of a meat grinder* (or cut in small pieces with a knife).
Cut the fourth breast in 1/2" cubes.
Place all the meats in a large bowl. Add the salt and spices, egg, and Cognac. Mix well by using two forks (one in each hand) until homogenous.
Add the pistachios and mix again.
Line the terrine dish** with three pieces of duck skin. Place one skin at the bottom (with the outside of the skin facing down), and two skins on the sides (with the outside of the skin facing outward).
Fill up the terrine with the meat mixture. Press to remove any air pockets.
Place the last piece of skin on top. Place the bay leaves on the skin. Close the terrine with its lid.
Place the terrine dish in an oven-safe dish, and fill this one with water (at least 1" of water).
Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes at 350ºF (280ºC). Let the pâté cool down in the oven. Remove the dish with water and keep the terrine in the fridge for at least 48 hours.
To serve, cut thick slices. Remove the congealed grease. Serve with good bread and cornichons (French gherkins). Make sure to eat the jelly (it's delicious!), but don't eat the skin.

* I have a manual, tinned cast iron meat grinder made in Czech Republic by Porkert, and I love it.

** I just measured my terrine dish (from Ikea). It holds 48 ounces (1.5 quarts) and is roughly 9" long, 5" wide, and 4.5" high.

Kale pesto tomato tart

2011-11-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

The other day we made a delicious kale and walnut pesto based on this recipe by Shutterbean. We ate about half of it with fresh pasta (yum!), and used the other half for this tomato tart.

I used my beloved quiche crust recipe, but used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, and replaced the cream with water. Actually, I had made the dough in advance (I double or triple the proportions then divide the dough into small balls and freeze them), so I just had to unfreeze a ball of dough (20 seconds in the microwave), roll it out on parchment paper and voilà. I poked a few holes in the crust with a fork to let air go through and prevent the crust from bubbling up while baking, spread the kale pesto evenly, then laid thin tomato slices in concentric circles, starting from the edge of the dish. I sprinkled with a little salt and pepper, then baked at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 30 minutes.

Going through my pictures...

2011-11-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

Purple Plum Radishes (September)

Spinach (July)

Romanze New Potatoes (June)

Baked dry-rubbed spareribs

2011-10-26T23:04:00.000-07:00

I think I had my first pork ribs on the banks of the Danube in Vienna some 15 years ago. I was touring Austria with my parents and my sister, in one of the very rare organized trips we ever took. We had hotel reservations for two weeks all around the country, but our days were unplanned and we visited whatever interested us on our own. No guided tours. But as we crossed the same travelers every evening at the hotel, and sometimes randomly during the day if we happened to be visiting the same attractions, we started building bonds. That evening in Vienna was one of our last before the end of the trip, and we decided to all have dinner together. The 12-or-so of us sat at a long and narrow rectangular table, the kind you see in movies where an idealized Italian family has lunch al fresco on the patio of a beautiful country house in Tuscany. Except that the table was on a river bank, a few yards from water on the majestic Danube. Not bad either. It was a really festive and joyful, warm summer evening. The kind of evenings you remember with nostalgia, I guess, and that brings back so many other memories of stunning Tyrolian landscapes, sumptuous castles and gardens (those of the famous Empress Sisi), beautiful streets and hidden plazas in Vienna, cute villages, music, old stones... Can you tell I miss Europe?

I can't think of ribs without going back to Vienna in thoughts. The power of food on my little mind... If I remember correctly the ribs were served as a whole rack, and must have been barbecued or grilled. The recipe I'm about to give you is more of Southern US inspiration, but if you know how Austrians prepare pork ribs, please share!

This dry rub is an adaptation of Joy of Cooking's Southern Barbecue Dry-Rub recipe. I didn't have all the spices at hand when I tried it the first time, but it turned out really well. I made a few changes the second time around and the ribs tasted even better. So here's my version:

Serves 3–4 people
Preparation: 10 minutes, 12–24 hours in advance
Baking: 1 hour

1 rack spareribs (around 3–3.5 lbs)
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp salt
1–1 1/2 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp white peppercorn, crushed in a mortar
1 Tbsp cumin seed, also crushed
1/2 Tbsp ground Cayenne pepper

The night before (or in the morning):

Pour all the ingredients of the dry rub in a 1-gallon freezing bag. Shake well to mix the spices.
Insert the sparerib rack in the bag, close, and shake well to cover with spices evenly. Rub the spices into the meat through the plastic bag.
Place in the refrigerator overnight (or from morning to evening).

1 hour before dinner:

Take the sparerib rack out of the bag and place in a large enough oven-safe dish. Pour the juices and spices left in the bag onto the ribs.
Bake for 1 hour at 375ºF (about 190ºC).
Cut the rack into individual ribs and serve immediately.

Practical note: the sugary juices that fall on the dish around the ribs will likely burn... This doesn't affect the taste of the meat, which doesn't burn, but it makes it harder to clean the dish. Soaking the dish overnight seems to help a lot in cleaning out the burnt juices.

Warm Green Bean Salad

2011-09-06T23:33:00.000-07:00

Last week I listened to an interview of Alice Waters on NPR (by Terry Gross on Fresh Air). It was so inspiring that it got me dreaming about opening a place of my own all over again. (This is a recurring fantasy... which shouldn't surprise you too much). I spent last night in my Dream Café, welcoming patrons with delicious yet simple, healthy, affordable food made from the freshest ingredients, presented in a short, ever-changing seasonal menu, and featuring a fun selection of small plates for children, and a place for them to quietly play and read after their meal, so grown ups can have a few minutes of respite. Sigh...

As I was listening to Alice, two thougts came to mind. First, she mentioned that she stopped seeing her friends when she got into the chaos of opening Chez Panisse. She also said that she stopped cooking there when she had her daughter... So this dream business of mine sounded quite incompatible with my dream life of the moment. Unless maybe I could have a cafe that required work only from 9 to 5 week days (i.e. preschool hours)? Sigh... My second thought, which alleviated my disillusion, was that as far as focusing on the quality of ingredients, I was definitely, albeit modestly, following Alice's path. Nothing is more pleasurable to me than eating vegetables and fruits (and meats and fish) that taste like themselves. In her interview, Alice said that finding the ingredients was 85% of cooking, and that the Bowl of Fruit was the item she was the most proud of on her menu. I found that comment truely admirable.

All this got me thinking about the vegetables that my family used to grow in France. We didn't have a garden, but my grandparents and several uncles and aunts did. All were growing, among many other delicious plants, green beans. I don't know if green beans are still in fashion in France's vegetable gardens. They certainly were 20 years ago. The kind that my family grew was what is called "haricots verts" in the US: small, thin, dark green beans, which are both firm and juicy and barely require any cooking at all. Just a few minutes of steaming or boiling in salted water, then you can eat them warm with a piece of melting butter on top. This is how we ate them most of the time—and they rarely made it to the table: we would snack on them as soon as they were ready. Another favorite was to add boiled potatoes to the beans and season either with butter (and decorate with lemon wedges) or vinaigrette dressing.

Summer is nearly over but I found organic green beans last Saturday, so there is still time to try out this recipe, which I prepared a month or two ago. As a matter of fact, I will receive filet beans (another name for haricots verts) in my CSA box tomorrow.

Serves 4–5

1 lb green beans (preferrably thin, tender ones)
8–10 small potatoes (about 1 lb). New potatoes of any variety, or small Yukon Gold for example. I prefer silky rather than starchy potatoes, but both make great warm salads.
1 small shallot

Dressing:

1 1/2 Tbsp old-style Dijon mustard (with whole grains), or regular Dijon mustard (Try to find a French brand, such as Maille or Amora, for a more authentic taste.)
1 Tbsp Jerez vinegar (sherry vinegar from Spain), or regular red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp sunflower oil, or other mild-tasting oil
2 Tbsp olive oil (Try to find oil made with olives from only one country¹—e.g. Greece or Italy—, extra-virgin, cold pressed)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Start with the potatoes: peel them and boil them in salted water until cooked but still firm (stop cooking as soon as a knife can go through easily), about 15 minutes.

Hull the beans² (unless they are very thin) by carefully snapping each end and pulling the string that runs along the bean (which is only a problem in more mature beans). Rinse the beans.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the dressing. Place all the ingredients in a small sealable container³. Close tighly with a leak-proof lid. Shake well until homogeneous.

Thinly chop the shallot and place at the bottom of a large salad bowl.

As soon as the potatoes are cooked through, drain them and place them in the salad bowl. Pour 2 or 3 Tbsp dressing on them and toss. The warm potatoes will absorb the oil and flavors of the dressing and shallot.

Steam or boil the green beans in salted water for no more than 5 minutes in a pressure cooker. They must be firm but not crunchy, soft but not floppy. They loose the brightness of their green color without really tarnishing...

Drain the beans and add to the salad bowl. Pour a couple more Tbsp dressing if all has been absorbed by the potatoes. Toss gently (avoid breaking the beans).

Serve immediately.

¹ To me it's an indication that it was made in smaller, maybe more artisanal batches. But I don't know for sure. And the taste should be more distinct (unique to the country of origin) than if olives are mixed.

² This is a social time in a French kitchen—at least it is in my family. Everyone grabs a few handfuls of beans to hull and chats around the kitchen table.

³ I use a recycled jam jar. If there is any left-over dressing, I just put the jar in the fridge. If there is very little left in the jar, I still keep it (French mustard is expensive over here!) and add more ingredients (in the quantities listed above) in the jar next time I need dressing.

Plum cake

2011-08-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

My pear cake recipe (here) works well with other fruits. Tonight, my daughter and I made a plum version of this cake with the following proportions:

5 ripe plums
4 eggs
180g (less than 1 cup) sugar
1 stick (114g) butter
170g (about 1 1/3 cups) flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

We beat the eggs and sugar until foamy. We added the melted butter, then the sifted flour, then the baking powder, vanilla extract, and cinnamon, mixing well (with a whisk) while adding each ingredient.
We poured the dough in a buttered, round metal pan (the same old 10" x 2" I used in the pear cake recipe).
We placed the plums, halved and pitted, on the dough, cut side up.
We baked for about 50 minutes in a 340ºF oven.

Fennel Bulbs au Gratin

2011-06-20T23:03:00.000-07:00

Halved, steamed in a pressure cooker for a few minutes, then placed in a buttered pyrex dish, sprinkled with butter and grated Gruyère cheese, under the broiler for 5 minutes.

Lemon chicken with olives, in a tomato sauce, with yellow chard

2011-06-19T23:11:00.000-07:00

Two of our closest friends moved to New Zealand last summer for a year and we were fortunate enough to visit them last month. It was so nice to spend some time with them and to discover this beautiful country (our first time south of the Equator!).

To welcome us, our friends prepared an amazing tajine dish* of chicken, green olives and preserved lemons (not exactly a typical Kiwi dish, but rather a nice reminiscence of our friend's childhood in North Africa). I must have had this dish in mind when I pulled ingredients out of the fridge the other night and prepared the chicken dish that follows.

Serves 4

4 whole chicken legs
1/2 jar (12 oz) strained tomatoes
about 20 olives
juice of 2 lemons
4 thin slices of pancetta, diced
1 cup white wine (Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved, stem removed
1 bunch yellow chard leaves, whole or coarsely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

I like whole (non pitted) kalamata or mixed Greek olives, in bulk (not canned). For chicken, I always go organic since chicken is cheap anyway. Same with lemons.

Marinate the chicken legs in lemon juice for about 1/2 hour or simply until the other ingredients are ready (chard washed, pancetta diced, etc.)

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom pan or a cocotte. Add the diced pancetta and let it color for a few minutes. Set aside. Drain excess fat from the pan if necessary.

Drain the chicken legs (keep the marinade). Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper, then add them to the pan. Brown on every side.

Add the strained tomatoes, lemon juice marinade, olives, pancetta, garlic, and white wine. Stir. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 1/2 hour.

Move the chicken legs to one side of the pan then plunge the chard leaves in the tomato sauce. Stir until wilted (2 minutes maximum).

Serve with wild rice or bulghur (cracked wheat).

* Our friends' recipe more authentically Mediterranean than the above week-night "invention", and includes olive oil, onions, garlic, and most importantly ras el hanout (a North African spice blend).

A few pictures...

2011-05-25T23:47:00.000-07:00

Barbecue-grilled beef tri-tip

Tokyo turnips, braised in butter

Bok choy sautéed in sunflower oil with green garlic, in a wok

Flashy English peas and carrots from my weekly organic vegetable box

Lemon chicken with olives, in a tomato sauce, with yellow chard

(recipe coming up...)

Yogurt Dip

2011-04-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were invited to a potluck Easter egg hunt party, and I remembered about the potluck part of it about five minutes before leaving. Thankfully we had all the ingredients I needed for a quick yogurt dip. I combined the ingredients listed below in a glass jar, cut up young and juicy carrots from our organic CSA box into strips, and I even got the time to take a picture! Now that's fast...

1 6-oz (170 g) plain yogurt (Clover organic for instance)
1 lemon (or Meyer lemon), juiced
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, crushed
salt

This also makes a great sauce for grilled lamb chops.

A few years ago I blogged about my childhood Easter memories.

Lemon Marmalade

2011-04-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

Are Meyer lemons and navel oranges still in season? They were a couple weeks ago. Trees in our neighborhood were bending under the weight of hundreds of brightly colored fruits. A friend brought us a bag full of them, picked up in her backyard that very morning. And what do you do with citrus that has been lucky enough to grow without pesticides? Eat them with the skin! I made lemon marmalade that weekend (and brought a jar to my friend as a thank you gift), using a recipe from my mother-in-law*.

For about 8 jars
(I often reuse empty 13-ounce Bonne Maman jars.)

6 Meyer lemons (organic or pesticide-free)
2 navel oranges (organic or pesticide-free)
1.5 kg (6 cups) sugar
1 liter (about 1 quart) water

Day 1

Rinse the fruits under running water. Pat them dry.
Cut them in 4 lengthwise, then take the seeds out and place them on a square of cheese cloth that you tie with a string (in French it is called un noué). If you don't have cheese cloth, you can put the seeds in a tea ball.
Thinly slice each fruit quarter (about 3-5 mm or 1/8-1/5 " in thickness).
Place the fruit slices and the pocket of seeds in a large pot (I use my pressure cooker without closing it, althouth une bassine à confiture—a jam pan—would be more authentic...). Pour 1 quart (about 1 liter) water on the fruits. Place a lid on the pot.
Wait for 24 hours.

Day 2

Place the pot or pan on the stove on medium-high heat, lid on. Boil for 50 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Wait for 24 hours.

Day 3

Find 8 or 9 empty glass jars with lids. Clean them if necessary and boil them in water for 5 minutes to sterilize them. Let them dry on a clean dish cloth.
Open the pot or pan and remove the pocket of seeds. Pour the sugar and stir until it dissolves in the fruit juice.
Bring to a boil and cook without lid for about 35 minutes.
Use a ladle to pour the hot marmalade in the jars. Fill the jars up to the bottom of their rim. Close immediately. As the jam cools down, the air inside the jar will retract and the lid will pop. Store the marmalade for up to one year in a kitchen cabinet (or a cellar if you have one). Refrigerate after opening.

I use this marmalade just as any other jam, spread on whole wheat walnut bread for breakfast.

* I actually modified the recipe a little bit. Gisèle uses 12 true lemons, 2 oranges, and 1 peeled grapefruit with 2 liters of water and 3 kg (12 cups) of sugar. Her recipe yields about 16 jars. Since Meyer lemons are sweeter than true lemons, the grapefruit wasn't really necessary in my case.

Artichoke!

2011-03-03T22:39:00.000-08:00

Simply boiled and eaten warm, leaf after leaf, with vinaigrette until getting to the best part–the heart. Yum!

Pork tenderloin and brussel sprouts

2011-02-08T23:10:00.000-08:00

So little time and so much to do... On days like these (and they are becoming the norm as I just started a new job—and a new career—after a year of professional soul searching), I turn to my pressure cooker for a healthy, yummy, quickly-cooked meal.

Last night, I prepared dinner as follows.

For 4 small appetites (or 2 big ones)

1 pork tenderloin
1-2 lbs brussel sprouts
2 carrots
1 onion
2 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
4 cloves
salt and black pepper
2 cups white wine (I used some Alsace riesling)
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
1 tbsp butter

Peel the onion and nail the cloves in it. Peel the carrots. Cut the base of the brussel sprouts and rinse them. Break 2 cloves of garlic off the head, but don't peel them.
Bring about 2 quarts of salted water to a boil in a pressure cooker. (I don't know if it really makes any difference but I always use coarse sea salt when boiling/blanching vegetables or when cooking pasta.) Boil the vegetables for 5 minutes.
Drain the vegetables. Melt butter in the pressure cooker. Brown the pork tenderloin on all sides for 1 or 2 minutes.
Add the pre-cooked vegetables, pour the wine (and optionally 1 cup water). Add the herbs and spices. Close the pressure cooker. Set it to its higher pressure setting (mine has 2).
Bring the pressure cooker to full pressure over high heat, then reduce the heat and cook for 8 minutes.
Cool under running water to release the pressure. Serve.

Soup du Jour

2011-01-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

Follow my usual recipe.

Chop and sauté in 1 tbsp butter:

1/2 yellow onion
2 carrots
1 turnip (optional)
1 bunch collard greens
1/2 bunch mustard greens

Cover with water and add:

1 Roma tomato (optional), cubed
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
4 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
salt and pepper

Cook in a pressure cooker for 10-15 minutes, or in a conventional "cocotte" for 30 minutes. Blend. Serve with crème fraîche.

I unfreeze 1 ladle of soup at a time,
and serve it to my kids as an appetizer
while dinner is cooking.

Clementine Christmas Cookies

2010-12-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays everyone!

For about 40 cookies (depending on their thickness and the size of your cookie cutters)

250 g (2 cups) flour
200 g (1 cup) sugar
125 g (1/2 cup or just over 1 stick) butter
1 clementine
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 or 2 egg yolks

Cut the butter in small pieces and allow it to warm up to room temperature (you can use a microwave for a few seconds).
Combine the butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Rub the ingredients between your hands to obtain a uniform "sand."
Squeeze the clementine. Add half of the juice to the flour mix and briefly kneed with your hands. Add more juice as needed to obtain a shiny, elastic dough that doesn't stick to your hands. Shape dough into a ball. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
Roll the dough down to 3 or 4 millimeters. Cut out shapes. Place on a non-stick cookie sheet (or use parchment paper). Lightly brush each cookie with egg yolk.
Bake in a 360ºF (180ºC) oven for 10-12 minutes, until golden. Keep an eye on the cookies as they will rapidly change color. Uneven oven temperature and uneven cookie thickness will make them cook more or less rapidly.
Let the cookies cool down and enjoy, or store in a metal box for later.

Chestnut stuffing

2010-12-17T12:05:00.000-08:00

When I see fresh chestnuts at the farmer's market or in the produce aisle, I can't resist: I buy a bag. They remind me of the "chestnut fair" ("la vogue des marrons"), a traveling carnival that takes place every fall atop the Croix Rousse hill in Lyon. Amidst the noisy, flashy rides and cotton candy vendors are fire-roasted chestnut vendors. They roast fresh chestnuts from Ardèche, the nearby producing region, in big barrels over a crackling and smoking wood fire. They serve the hot, blackened chestnuts in cones made of newspaper. You warm up your hands by holding the cone for a few minutes, then shell the chestnuts one by one, trying not to burn your fingers, and eat them while still steamy. What a treat.

Chestnuts also remind me of Christmas meals. Chestnut-stuffed roast turkey, served with sautéed apples and more chestnuts, is one of the traditional Christmas dishes in my family. Here is a recipe for the stuffing, adapted from my 1991 Larousse de la Cuisine.

The recipe is for a 9-lb (4-kg) turkey. Since this attempt was just for fun (and for the 4 of us), I didn't buy a whole turkey but two drumsticks, and baked the stuffing (or dressing, rather) around them. The turkey pieces were simply seasoned with salt and pepper and brushed with sunflower oil. I baked them for about one hour at 350ºF (180ºC), adding the dressing about 20 minutes before the end.

one bag fresh chestnuts (1.6 lbs or 740 g)
4 strips bacon, diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 thin, boneless pork chop (about 1/3 lb or 150 g), diced
1 apple (Pink Lady for example), thinly sliced
salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg, 2 whole cloves, 1 pinch ground cinnamon

Cut a cross into each chestnut with a sharp, pointy knife.
Roast the chestnuts on a cookie sheet, cross facing up, in a 450ºF (230ºC) oven for about 30 minutes. Let them cool down a little then peel them (use your hands to break the shells and remove them). Crumble the chestnuts between your hands or chop them coarsely with a chef's knife.
Fry the diced bacon and chopped onion in a pan for a few minutes.
Add the diced pork and cook for a few more minutes.
Add the apple slices. Season with salt and spices. Toss well. Cook for a few minutes.
Remove from the heat and toss in the crumbled chestnuts.
Use as turkey or chicken stuffing, or bake separately as dressing for 20 minutes.

Potato gratin with bacon

2010-12-05T15:21:00.000-08:00

A beautiful potato dish came out of the oven yesterday night, all steamy an bubbly. We took a few bites, then a few more, and we would have eaten the whole dish if it wasn't for this blog. I wanted to take a picture but there wasn't enough light... Now this cold leftover doesn't look half as nice as the dish did yesterday, but hopefully it gives you an idea... The potatoes literally melted in our mouths. Yum!

Serves 2
(prep time: 10 minutes, cooking time: 1 hour)

4 big Yukon gold potatoes
4 strips bacon
1/2 big yellow onion
1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
1 tsp butter
about 1 cup whole milk
about 4 oz. (100 g) gruyère cheese
salt, pepper, nutmeg

Peel the potatoes, rinse them and slice them. Dice the bacon. Chop the onion. Place all in a large bowl.
Sprinkle with salt, freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Toss well.
Rub a glass or ceramic oven-safe dish with garlic (here's my dish). (Discard what remains of the garlic clove.)
Butter the dish, then throw in the potatoes and gently shake the dish from left to right to arrange the potatoes in an even layer.
Pour the milk.
Bake for about 45 minutes at 360ºF (180ºC).
Take out of the oven momentarily and grate gruyère cheese on top. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes or so, checking from time to time until the cheese forms a nice, golden crust.
Eat with a side of escarole salad.

Soup du Jour

2010-11-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

I love soup. It's my favorite comfort food in all seasons. And I love making soup as much as I like to eat it. What I find fascinating is that no two soups are ever alike. Mixing vegetables is very much like mixing colors, except that, contrary to paint, the soups' flavor combinations are as interesting and varied as their hues.

I'm starting a little series, called "soup du jour", where I'll tell you what vegetables went in my soup that day. I hope this will give you some ideas. The process is almost always the same: I sauté some onions (and sometimes leeks) in butter; add whatever other vegetables I happen to have handy; cover with water; add salt, pepper, bay leaves and thyme; and simmer for about 30 minutes (or cook in a pressure cooker, like this one, for about 10 minutes). I usually ~~mix~~ blend my soups (that's how my kids like them best), but some soups are excellent when left chunky. Don't forget to remove the bay leaf and thyme before ~~mixing~~ blending.

Today's soup:

1 tsp butter
1/2 large yellow onion
1 bunch celery (stalks and leaves)
3 large carrots
3 Yukon gold potatoes
1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme
salt, freshly ground black pepper

The Intangible Cultural Heritage

2010-11-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

Interesting news from the U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today. 46 elements were inscribed today on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Among them:

France - The gastronomic meal of the French - The gastronomic meal of the French is a customary social practice for celebrating important moments in the lives of individuals and groups, such as births, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, achievements and reunions. It is a festive meal bringing people together for an occasion to enjoy the art of good eating and drinking. The gastronomic meal emphasizes togetherness, the pleasure of taste, and the balance between human beings and the products of nature. Important elements include the careful selection of dishes from a constantly growing repertoire of recipes; the purchase of good, preferably local products whose flavours go well together; the pairing of food with wine; the setting of a beautiful table; and specific actions during consumption, such as smelling and tasting items at the table. The gastronomic meal should respect a fixed structure, commencing with an apéritif (drinks before the meal) and ending with liqueurs, containing in between at least four successive courses, namely a starter, fish and/or meat with vegetables, cheese and dessert. Individuals called gastronomes who possess deep knowledge of the tradition and preserve its memory watch over the living practice of the rites, thus contributing to their oral and/or written transmission, in particular to younger generations. The gastronomic meal draws circles of family and friends closer together and, more generally, strengthens social ties.

What to substitute for bouillon cube

2010-11-09T11:05:00.000-08:00

Being away from my source of bouillon cube has been a curse for many years. I had to wait for my next trip to France to buy some, or I had to add the little package to my wish list when my parents visited. This was one of the last items I decided I could only get there. (As a new immigrant I used to load my luggage with all sorts of things, but little by little I found my way around my local store's aisles and discovered substitutes for all these goodies.)

A box would last me nearly a year, so I always had supplies for the few recipes in which bouillon cubes seemed irreplaceable, like this beef and carrot stew. I would use them very sparingly. But one day... months away from any trip to/from my bouillon cube paradise, I used the last cube in the box. Oh, horror! What was I going to do!!! The safety net was gone.

Rather than despair, I read the list of ingredients on the side of the box, in hopes that I would be able to come up with an equivalent mix of spices. Here's what I read:

Maggi's Kub Or ingredients:

salt, flavor enhancers, hydrogenated palm oil, natural flavors (wheat, soy), sugar, onion, glucose syrup, citric acid, garlic, coriander seeds; pepper, cloves, celery, and bay leaf extracts, preservatives.

I started realizing that there really wasn't any need to wait for a trip half way around the world to flavor my stews and soups! Half of the ingredients didn't need to be part of any recipe (flavor enhancers? Palm oil? Preservatives?). The other half (the actual spices) was widely available in California. So here is what I tried in my next beef and carrot stew, plus a few other meat or vegetable-only dishes.

Replacement for 1 bouillon cube:

1 tbsp olive oil or butter
1/2 fresh yellow onion, chopped
2 fresh garlic cloves, peeled, halved, stem removed
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh or dried thyme
1 tsp whole coriander seeds, crushed
1 tsp whole celery seeds, crushed
2 whole cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

It turned out beautifully every time. I didn't need to rely on scarce supplies anymore, and my dishes had become 100% natural.

And this is how the curse became a blessing :-)

PS: I sill love Kub Ors and recommend them if you can find them!

Strawberry Apricot Jam

2010-07-11T23:28:00.000-07:00

If I had truly-French breakfasts, the way my grandparents used to have them, I would start my days with a big bowl of café au lait and dip tartines de confiture in it. The coffee would be freshly ground and brewed and would diffuse its delicious smell all around the house. I would add a dash of milk (and maybe drop one or two sugar cubes) in it and stir mechanically while listening to Radio France news. The tartines would be warm strips of fresh baguette, or better yet ficelle (a thinner, crispier version of the famous French bread), layered with butter and home-made jam. I would love the flavors and textures of bread soaked in coffee and coffee infused with butter and jam.

But I don't live in France, so forget the fresh ficelle bought every morning at the boulangerie just down the street. Caffeine makes my heart race, I don't like milk all that much, and I can't stand the sight of wet bread crumbs and melted butter floating in my beverage. For some reason I don't like the flavor combination of butter and jam either. (How odd! They're made for each other!) So my not-so-French breakfast consists of light black tea instead, and slices of whole wheat walnut bread, toasted and spread with either butter or jam, which I carefully keep away from my tea.

I mostly eat store-bought Bonne Maman jam, but there's nothing like home-made jam. And unless you own fruit trees that produce pounds and pounds of fruits every summer, you don't have to embark on a day-long adventure of making pounds and pounds of jam. A few jars are enough. And it doesn't take that long.

Here is a strawberry-apricot jam recipe inspired by the excellent jam recipes of my Larousse de la cuisine.

For 3 or 4 Jars
(I'm using 13-oz, i.e. 370-g, jars.)

2 lb (or 1 kg) organic fruits (about 1/3 apricot, 2/3 strawberries)
2 lb (or 1 kg) sugar (you can use gelling sugar or add fruit pectin but this is optional if you don't mind a slightly runny jam)
1 organic lemon

Day 1

Prepare the fruits as follows:

Rinse the apricots and strawberries, and cut them in 4 or 8 pieces, discarding the pits and stems.
Place the fruit pieces in a glass container. Pour the sugar over them. Close the lid and shake well to coat.
Leave in a cool place overnight.

Day 2

Clean 4 glass jars and their lids in warm, soapy water, then sterilize them for 5 minutes in a large, covered pot of boiling water. Let them dry on a clean kitchen towel.

Cook the jam in several iterations (simmering the fruits, then their juice alone, three times in a row), as follows:

Pour the sugared fruits and all the juice from the glass container in a heavy-bottom pot.
Stir in the lemon juice.
Slowly bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar.
Use a metal skimmer spoon to temporarily remove the fruits from the pot. Reserve the fruits, and simmer the juice for 5 minutes.
Pour the fruits back into the pot; simmer for 5 minutes.
Skim the fruits out (reserve); simmer for 5 minutes.
Do steps 5 and 6 one more time (so total, the fruits have simmered for 15 minutes and the juice for 30 minutes). Stir in the fruits one last time and turn off the heat.
Ladle the hot jam in the jars (you can use a jam funnel to work cleanly. Otherwise, simply wipe the jars with a damp paper towel if jam spills on the outside of the jar). Close the lids tightly. As the jam cools down and the air above it contracts, you will hear the lids pop. (There needs to be enough air, but not too much, between the jam and the lid. If you pour jam all the way to the base of the jar's screw, you should be fine.)
Label the jars with the name of the fruits and the preparation date. Store in your pantry or kitchen closet for up to a year. Once a jar is open (or if the lid didn't pop), keep refrigerated.

Beef with carrots

2010-06-21T23:25:00.000-07:00

My great-grandmother–my mom's mom's mom–called it "bœuf mode". It is a traditional French braised beef dish, one that belongs to the so-called "cuisine bourgeoise" ("simple and of good taste", as Larousse puts it). The recipe is so classic it's in the dictionary: "larded beef cooked with onions and carrots".

My mother learned the recipe from her grandmother when she was a teenager. Over the years, she made a few adjustments. For example she started using a different cut of meat after talking to her friend's dad, who was a butcher (the original cut was more fibrous). She cooks the meat in one piece and slices it once cooked, while her grandmother cooked it in cubes. The sauce is not as thick nor as spicy as my mom remembers it from her childhood. Even the name has changed: my mom calls it "bœuf aux carottes" (beef with carrots) rather than "bœuf mode". But one thing remains: it is the family's favorite comfort food. Every morsel of meat, every slice of carrot melts in the mouth. It is absolutely delicious.

Here is how my mom (and I) prepare it:

Serves 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour (pressure cooker) or 2 hours (regular pot)

2-3 lb boneless beef chuck roast¹ ("paleron")
about 12 carrots (2-3 per person), sliced²
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, and 3 sprigs parsley, tied together ("bouquet garni")
1 vegetable bouillon cube³
1-2 cups dry white wine (e.g. Pino Grigio or Chardonnay)
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp sunflower oil (or other mild-flavored oil recommended for high heat)

Heat the oil and butter in a pressure cooker ("cocotte minute"). Add the chopped onion and stir for about 2 minutes until translucent.
Add the beef roast and brown on all sides.
Add the carrots, garlic, herbs, white wine, and bouillon cube. Close the pressure cooker and set it to its higher pressure level (mine has two levels, one for vegetables and one for meats).
When the pressure cooker whistles, turn down the heat to medium-low. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. (If you are using a regular pot, simmer for 2 hours, lid on.)

You might have some left-over meat. Eat it cold with Dijon mustard.

¹ local, organic, 100% grass-fed beef if you can
² there is this funny controversy in my family about how the carrots should be cut. Some (on my mom's side of the family) swear they should be sliced while others (on my dad's side of the family) prefer them julienned (cut into thin strips). Whoever cooks chooses their favorite carrot shape.
³ my favorite bouillon cube is KUB OR by Maggi but unfortunately it isn't sold in the U.S.

Fava bean and egg salad

2010-05-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

As a scientist I can't help myself but weigh fava beans before and after shelling them every time they cross my path. I had blogged about the experiment here already. And yesterday as usual I took my scale out. This time we had 3 pounds of pods, 1 pound 4 ounces of beans with skin and just under 14 ounces of beans once skinned (28% of the pods' weight). We had enough for 3 generous servings.

The following recipe is inspired by this one, from Marmiton.org.

3 lbs fresh fava beans (in pods)
2 sprigs thyme or savory
3 brown eggs
3 calçot onions (or green onions)
2 to 3 oz (60 to 85 g) goat cheese*
1 tbsp Banyuls vinegar (or sherry vinegar)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Boil the eggs for 10 minutes then plunge them in cold water.
Remove the dark leaves and the outer skin of the onions and slice them thinly. Place them at the bottom of a salad bowl and cover with 1 tablespoon vinegar.
Shell the fava beans. Boil them with thyme (or savory) in salted water for 5 minutes, then plunge them in cold water to stop the cooking. Pop the beans out of their pale green skin. Place them in the salad bowl.
Peel and slice the eggs. Add them to the salad along with the cheese, shaved or diced depending on how hard it is.
Season with salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss.
Serve or refrigerate.

* I used a fresh California goat cheese rolled in herbs that I had handy. I think a hard goat or sheep cheese would work even better.

Agretti

2010-05-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the wonderful surprises of this week's CSA box. As Andrew Griffin explains in the newsletter, agretti is the Italian cousin of the American West's tumbleweed. It starts out with slender succulent leaves with "a unique marine flavor and toothsome quality". As it matures, agretti becomes, like it's American cousin, a sprawling, dry and prickly shrub, which no-one would eat!

Here is what we did, with the help of the newsletter's recipes and advice:

Serves 2

1 bunch agretti, clean (we pulled the leaves from the hard branches and rinsed in cold water twice)
4 slices prosciutto
1 tbsp olive oil

Tear the prosciutto into small pieces and pan fry until crisp. Remove from the pan and reserve.
Heat up the olive oil and sauté the agretti until wilted (3 or 4 minutes are enough).
Toss the agretti and prosciutto together and serve warm.

It was a little too salty for my taste (the original recipe called for pancetta) but the crunchiness of the agretti was great and the flavors really pleasant.

Red Cabbage Coleslaw

2010-04-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

The recent books and TV shows about unhealthy foods are preaching to the choir, at least in my home, but it never hurts to think about one's eating habits and try and improve them one way or the other. I am getting a little more obsessed with the quality and origin of my food every time I read or hear about the subject. It has been many years now since we started buying most of our groceries at Whole Foods Market and on the farmer's market. But until recently I was relying on these "institutions" to make good choices for me; I read the labels without paying too much attention, trusting that all I could buy there would be equally "good". If you look closer, though, not all producers on the farmer's market are certified organic, and not all fruits and vegetables sold at Whole Foods are local (nor organic). To really make educated choices, it takes more than just going to the "right" place, one has to pay close attention to every bit of information (or lack thereof) on everything one buys... Phew.... So in the hurry of grocery shopping with 2 agitated babies, we ended up buying the same things over and over again (read the labels once, buy multiple times!) and it wasn't satisfying our need for variety and creativity.

Thankfully we live in one of the best regions in the world to accomplish what we were aiming for: buy local, organic, fresh, in-season produce without having to think too much about it. We have recently joined Two Small Farms' CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and so far it has been a great experience. We get a whole box of fruits, veggies and herbs every week, along with a 2-page newsletter explaining what's what and how to cook or prepare all these gems. The freshness surpasses anything we could find even on the farmer's market, as everything goes directly from the fields to our box to our fridge the day it is picked. The cost is significantly lower too... But what I like the best is that we don't know what's in the box until we open it (we could find out online... but it would spoil the surprise) and some of the veggies, we are seeing for the first time in our lives. I know it doesn't appeal to everybody, but to me this is heaven. It really feels like discovering a treasure every week and with ingredients that tasty, it's hard not to make something delicious. From green garlic to rutabagas to rapini greens or erbette chards, we never stop learning. Some items are even called "mystery" when the newsletter is printed before knowing what can be harvested that day. Love it!

We have been adjusting quite smoothly to the large quantity of produce getting into our fridge every week. I am guessing that the box is sized for a family of 4 adults. But so far we have managed to eat everything (and eat out for lunch). Hopefully we'll get to walk to the farmer's market once in a while because I absolutely love walking there from home and meeting the farmers and my neighbors. There is a social aspect to it that we lost with the CSA box.

Our first box contained 2 red cabbages. We had eaten red cabbage before (especially in Munich) but never cooked with it. So I turned to my Joy of Cooking, 75th anniversary edition cookbook and adapted the Becker Coleslaw based on what was in my box. It was crunchy, juicy, refreshing...

Serves 8 (nearly two 1.75-qt (7-cup) Pyrex containers)

1 red cabbage
3 carrots (mine were Chantenay carrots)
1 heart celery
10 sprigs curly parsley
zest of 1 organic lemon
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp french mustard
5-10 dashes hot pepper sauce
salt and pepper

Dice all the veggies (washed or peeled). Grate the lemon. Discard the stems from the parsley sprigs and mince the leaves. Place all in a large bowl.
Combine the mustard, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Whisk well. Pour on the veggies. Add the hot pepper sauce.
Toss, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Serve chill.

DIY Play Kitchen for Hanae and Luca

2010-03-31T13:47:00.001-07:00

Is it in the genes or are they just mimicking our own behaviors? Hanae and Luca are really into cooking. We baked a quatre quart cake and a quiche lorraine with Hanae the other day. She did so many things on her own that I was impressed. Luca always wants to watch what we are doing and loves banging on pots and pans (well maybe that makes him a musician more than a cook...).

They do a lot of pretend cooking as well and we would love to encourage that. We shopped for play kitchens for a while but were either disappointed by the quality and look of the toys (the plastic ones) or horrified by their price (the wooden ones).

Right around the same time our friends launched a brilliant parenting website called Parents Guild. It is a community site that works much like Wikipedia, with its content being added by users. Questions are asked and answered by parents (and grand-parents, etc.) in a very friendly and honest way. One of the questions that came up was how to find a play kitchen that would be "gender neutral" (most play kitchens are pink or girly one way or another). Several links were posted showing DIY projects and that's how we got inspired to build our own kitchen...

It was a lot of fun to plan the design and the execution was a lot easier than we had anticipated. This is the kind of project that will keep evolving with new accessories but it is already functional and our chefs have been busy...

The table, wood board (sold as-is), pot hanger and stainless steel cookware are from Ikea. The "sink" is a cake mold from Smart and Final. The faucet and various screws and hooks are from Lowe's. The curtains' fabric is from Eddie's Quilting Bee (Sunnyvale). We reused the plastic stove and utensils that the children had received as birthday and Christmas gifts.

The project cost us around $90 total but it could have been cheaper (we bought everything new...). If anyone is interested I can give step-by-step instructions... Let me know.

Herbes de Provence

2010-03-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

When we first moved to the US (10 years ago already...) we came unprepared, that is without a very essential ingredient: Herbes de Provence. Getafix (a.k.a. Panoramix, the famous druid in Asterix's village of invincible Gauls) knew better and always had mistletoe (gui) in his pockets to prepare his magic potion. Herbes de Provence must be as widely used in France as ketchup is here. They are such a great addition to any grilled meat, fish and vegetables. They flavor baked dishes as well as stews. It's just hard living without them. So we looked for Herbes de Provence in gourmet stores but at the time all we could find was a mix of herbs that didn't smell or taste anything like what we were looking for. The mixes were either very bland or had the wrong kinds of herbs – we even found a mix that had lavender flowers in it and was just unusable. So the next time we went to France we brought back a jar of the true stuff. Ten years later things might have changed but we still bring our herbs back from France and I thought I'd share what's in the mix.

Well as it turns out not all Herbes de Provence mixes are equal there either (of course!). I recently bought a fancy glass jar (Ducros Label Rouge) with herbs that are certified grown in Provence, France. The ingredient list goes as follows:

Rosemary (romarin) – 26%
Savory (sariette) – 26%
Oregano (origan) – 26%
Thyme (thym) – 19%
Basil (basilic) – 3%

I also have a not-so-fancy plastic jar in my pantry (also by Ducros, which is a McCormick company since 2000) which ingredients are:

Savory, rosemary (25%)
Wild thyme (serpolet), marjoram (marjolaine), oregano, basil, thyme (7%)

Although this second mix looks more complex, with more herbs, the percentages don't total to 100... which means either there is something else in the mix (hay? :-)) or hopefully they just made a mistake. Oh and we don't know where the herbs were grown and with what kind of quality standards...

Lastly, my Larousse de la cuisine cookbook indicates that Herbes de Provence are made of:

thyme, rosemary, bay leaf (laurier) and savory.

I guess the best would be to make one's own mix with one of the above list of ingredients. Keep in a dry and dark environment.

[Update (04/08/2010)] Here is the official site for the "Label Rouge" certified Herbes de Provence (all in French... sorry). Also see my comment to this post.

Happy birthday to me

2010-03-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

There is always a good reason to bake a chocolate cake. I followed my favorite recipe (that you can find here) but used ramekins (6 of them) instead of a cake mold. I didn't butter the ramekins or line them with parchment paper; I just poured the dough right in. I reduced the baking time to 10 minutes. We ate the mini-cakes in the ramekins, which saved us the risky unmodling I described in my earlier post.
I used 6 of the 9.7 ounces of a Scharffenberger's 62% cocoa semisweet chocolate baking bar.

Other birthday celebrations included a delicious Southern lunch in the city with a dear friend plus cheese cake on Union Square, a just as delicious and fun Vietnamese dinner with more dear friends (at Xanh in Mountain View), an amazing day-after tapas lunch with Pierre (at Joya in Palo Alto), and Hanae singing "Happy Birthday to Maman" and telling me I turned 2.

Salmon en papillote

2010-02-23T16:14:00.000-08:00

The funny things that happen in our brains. We met a long-time friend the other night and talked nostalgically about our lives in Munich. He had lived there before us (we spent six months in Munich in 2001) and was recently there again on vacation. We talked about how the littlest details could bring back so many memories, just like madeleines did to Proust. As he had stepped in the U-Bahn, the distinct metallic smell of the subway had hit our friend and brought him back many years in the past. We all shared stories about the fun things we had done there, the beautiful places we had visited, the great meals and beers we had savored.

A week later I went grocery shopping and picked without thinking too much about it, two bunches of fresh spinach. Then my eyes stopped on a root of ginger and I thought that it would make a good combination. I carried on, scratched my head in front of the fish and decided to go for some salmon. It's only when I put them together that I realized I was reproducing a dish I had eaten in Munich. Not that there is anything Bavarian about it. But we had been invited by French expatriates just after moving to Munich and they had served us baked salmon topped with cream, spinach and ginger. I had liked the dish as much as the warm welcome. It took nine years and a conversation to release this memory from my unconscious. The funny things that happen in our brains...

Baking fish en papillote is not to be mistaken with eating papillotes, the wrapped chocolates I talked about a while ago (here). It consists in wrapping the fish and accompanying topping (la garniture) in paper or foil to trap the steam and cook them in their own juices. The result is incredibly moist and flavorful.

Serves 3:

1 salmon fillet (I bought Atlantic this time) – about 1/2 lb per person
2 bunches fresh, organic spinach
1 small fresh ginger root
3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp white wine (e.g. Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio)
salt, freshly ground black pepper
freshly ground nutmeg
olive oil

Pull out the stem of each spinach leaf (a technique beautifully explained by Julia Child here at time 1:30). Wash them well. Blanch them for 1 or 2 minutes in salted, boiling water. Drain and press to remove excess water.
Rinse the salmon and pat dry between two paper towels. Cut the fillet crosswise into three portions of equal weight.
Cut 3 squares of aluminum foil as wide as the roll (e.g. 12" x 12"). Pour a dash of olive oil in the center of each square. Place a portion of fish on the oil (skin down) and fold up the edges of the foil (forming a bowl around the fish). Season with salt and pepper.
Place a third of the blanched spinach on top of each fish portion.
Peel the ginger root and grate 1 tsp over each papillote.
Pour 1 tbsp of cream and 1 tbsp of white wine. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Close the papillote tightly by bringing the edges of the foil together at the top and pressing firmly.
Bake at 365 F (185 C) for about 20 minutes.

Serve in the aluminum foil so your guests will have the pleasure of opening the papillotes and unveiling the "surprise". You can then let them slide the fish (with topping and juices) in their plate and discard the foil. Then add a few spoonfuls of rice (simply boiled in salted water and butter) on each plate.

(the picture was taken before baking)

Vote for me!

2010-02-17T22:06:00.000-08:00

If you click on the above icon you can vote for my Broccoli Rabe and Breaded Veal Scalopini recipe to help it get published in Foodista's Best of Food Blogs cookbook.

Bloggers can enter as many of their 2009-2010 recipes as they want, so feel free to suggest other recipes (posted on this blog) that you think would be good candidates. Contest ends February 28 and winners will be announced in August.

Thanks for your help!

Baked egg custard

2010-02-09T21:56:00.000-08:00

Buying the right amount of milk has become a bit of an issue lately as our daughter is growing out of toddlerhood. Her consumption is very irregular: she seems to have mostly given up on her morning and evening's cup of warm milk. But at times she wants to be just like her baby brother – and babies drink a lot of milk. So we continue buying 1/2 gallon whole organic milk every week and it isn't always used up. This is the perfect excuse to turn the soon-to-expire but still delicious ingredient into desserts the whole family can enjoy (I don't drink milk but I'll eat it!).

Flan aux œufs can be made with 2% milk but whole milk will make them a lot creamier

For 6 flans:

1/2 liter (just over 2 cups) milk (whole, organic preferred)
100 g sugar (I just measured it to be 7 tbsp, i.e. nearly 1/2 cup)
3 large eggs

Slowly bring the milk to a boil in a heavy bottom pot. Turn off the heat as soon as bubbles form on the surface.
Whisk together the eggs and sugar until foamy.
Slowly pour the hot milk on the egg and sugar mix, whisking continuously to prevent the eggs from coagulating.
Pour one ladle of custard in each ramekin dish* (or other small oven-safe dish. I recycled Saint-Benoît and other yogurt ceramic containers).
Place all the ramekin dishes in a big, flat, shallow, oven-safe dish and fill up with about 1/2 inch of water (this water bath is called a "bain marie").
Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes at 365 F (185 C). Be careful not to overcook. The flans should not be entirely set when you take them out of the oven. They will get firmer as they cool down.

Let the flans come to room temperature. Cover each dish with a piece of aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator (up to 3 days).

*You can turn these flans into "flans au caramel" by simply pouring one tablespoon of light brown caramel at the bottom of each ramekin dish before pouring the custard. It will be easier to spread the caramel if the dishes are warm (to prevent the caramel from hardening at the contact of a cold dish...).

To prepare the caramel:

Use a small stainless steel pot (which can stand direct heat at a high temperature).
Melt 100 g (1/2 cup) sugar (or sugar cubes) with 1 or 2 tbsp water over medium-high heat.
Watch closely as the sugar will change color rapidly once the appropriate temperature is reached.
Do not steer; simply tilt the pot once in a while to level the sugar and distribute the heat.
Remove from heat as soon as the caramel takes a light, honey color. Do not wait until it becomes brown.
Pour in the ramekin dishes immediately, using a metal spoon (caramel is very hot, over 300 F – 150 C). Tilt the dishes to fully coat the bottom of each dish.

Christmas Eve Dinner

2009-12-29T10:19:00.000-08:00

We are in Lyon for a month and if December is the worst time to be in France weather-wise (this year especially), it is one of the best as far as eating goes. Sophisticated meals are de rigueur to celebrate Christmas with the family. And as the family grows, we get to celebrate multiple times...

We spent Christmas Eve with my parents, sister, uncle, aunt, cousin and grand mother. My Mom and Dad cooked this splendid dinner:

Smoked salmon on warm blini; tzatziki; mâche; cod egg tarama

Guinea hen, cooked whole in white wine and chicken broth with honey, raisins and chestnuts
served with mashed pumpkin

French cheese (these four and six or seven more)
with bread

Orange slices, Grand-Marnier marinated dates and prunes, passion fruit sherbet

served with macaroons from Rolancy

After dinner we realised that Santa had come by...

Braised fennel bulbs

2009-12-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

It is funny how some vegetables can be drastically different depending how they are prepared. Raw, fennel bulbs bring a crisp, fresh touch to salads. Their anise flavor is bold and invigorating. They should be used in moderation as their strong aroma can easily overpower a dish. Cooked, they become sweet and melt in the mouth. They are great on their own, or aside braised/grilled/roasted meat or baked white fish (halibut for instance).

Count one small fennel bulb per person. One small yellow onion and 1 tbsp butter for 2 bulbs.

If sold with branches, cut off the branches. Cut each bulb in half. Core. Rinse. Slice crosswise into 1/2 to 1/3 inch (1 cm) strips.
Heat up the butter with a splash of sunflower (or other high heat, mild flavored) oil in a frying pan, until bubbly. Oil will prevent the butter from burning.
Add the sliced onion, reduce to medium-high heat and toss to coat with butter. Sauté for a few minutes until translucent.
Add the sliced fennel bulbs, toss.
Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, tossing from time to time. Reduce heat if necessary. Add liquid (water or white wine) if dry. Cook 5 more minutes without a lid.
Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Here I braised the fennel bulbs with a pork tenderloin and basmati rice. The meat was browned on all sides in butter (in a large cast iron pot), seasoned with salt and pepper then coated with a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. The fennel (prepared up to step 4) was arranged around the meat. I poured 1 cup (20 cL) dry white wine (e.g. Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio) on the fennel, covered and simmered for about 20 minutes on medium-low heat (make sure not to overcook the meat – which I did here, sadly).

Lemon and Olive Oil Madeleines

2009-12-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

Some cookbooks are poetry. "La Cuisine des Parfums" by the Scotto sisters* is organized around flavors – spices, herbs, oils..., rather than by courses. Appetizers, entrées, desserts, side dishes, etc. are all mixed up in a delightful méli-mélo. Although confusing at first, it leads the reader to focus on the flavors at the heart of each recipe (a table at the end will help you find your way). The recipes are so well written that you can feel the love Elisabeth Scotto and her sisters (Michèle Carles and Marianne Comolli) devote to cooking and eating. You can imagine the pleasure they have at preparing each dish, which titles are an invitation to dreaming. The origins and use of each spice is also a fantastic and useful read. And Christine Fleurent's pictures are beautiful.

I had browsed this book many times, salivating. This is the kind of cookbook you read for leisure. But I hadn't had a chance to try any of the recipes yet. Last week we were invited pour le goûter (Tea Time) and I was looking for a quick and easy recipe (limited by time and an empty fridge...) that would give an alternative to the pound cake or madeleines I often bring on such occasions. The "brioches à la fleur d'oranger" (orange blossom brioches) looked delicious but I didn't have any yeast. So I decided to try the "Petits gâteaux à l'huile d'olive et au citron" (small olive oil and lemon cakes) and since I didn't have any gelatin either, I would have to do without the decoration (a lemon syrup and lemon zest gelatin). To make them look pretty, as "naked" as these cakes would be, I used madeleine molds instead of simple round molds.

Makes 32 madeleines

3 oz (about 10 cL) lemon juice (that's 2 freshly pressed organic lemons or 2 oz / 5 cL of lemon juice concentrate like this one)
2 tbsp lemon zest (optional... grated from organic lemons)
3 oz (about 10 cL) olive oil
3 eggs
7 oz (200 g) sugar
2 cups (250 g) flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt

Zest, then press the lemons.
Beat the eggs and sugar until foamy, almost white and doubled in volume (with a manual egg whisk – good upper body workout, or an electric mixer).
Keep whisking and combine the lemon juice and olive oil.
Slowly add the flour (sifted) and baking powder (use a wooden spoon and trace wider and wider circles in the bowl).
Add the lemon zest and salt; incorporate slowly.
Scoop about 1 tbsp of dough in each madeleine mold (greased).
Bake at 350 F (180 C) for about 15 minutes. Remove from the molds while still warm. Cool on a plate. These madeleines can be stored several days in a tin box.

*I have the 2008 edition, in French. Unfortunately it doesn't look like it is available in English. Weirdly enough I can't find the French version on the internet either. Only the 1996 edition comes up, and is discontinued. I got this beautiful book as a birthday present from my aunt and uncle.

My French Cuisine on Facebook!

2009-12-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

I have created a Facebook page for My French Cuisine (here). Become a fan to know what goes on in my culinary life between two blog posts... I'll write about my favorite restaurants, cookbooks, cooking experiences and discoveries, etc.

Potato Leek Soup

2009-12-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

Today felt like a soup day. Gray and cold, with only the blooming Christmas decorations and a majestic full moon rise to warm one's heart.

La soupe poireaux - pommes de terre is a classic among classics. Its variations take beautiful names: potage vichyssois is served cold with crème fraîche and herbs; potage bonne femme is cooked in chicken stock and sprinkled with fresh chervil (cerfeuil)...

I like to add onion to my potato leek soup to enhance/strengthen its flavor. I also like it thick and silky.

Serves 4

3 small leeks
4 small yellow potatoes
1 small yellow onion
salt, pepper
1 tbsp butter

Slice the onion. Remove the dark ends of the leeks, cut in 4 length-wise, rinse and slice.
Melt the butter in a large pot (I use a cast iron cocotte). Sauté the onion and leeks for 5 minutes on medium heat. Do not allow to brown.
Cover with water. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the potatoes, peeled and cubed. Simmer 20 more minutes.
Remove from heat and blend until smooth. Add water if necessary to obtain your preferred consistency. Season to taste.

By the way this is perfect for kids. My daughter loves it as-is, or with grated Swiss cheese, or a splash of milk or cream. I freeze it in small containers (1 ladle each) that I can pop out of the freezer at the last minute.

Pumpkin Gorgonzola Quiche

2009-11-24T09:07:00.001-08:00

I'm thinking that this quiche would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving meal. I made it up last Friday, trying to eliminate another quarter of Hanae's pumpkin. I brought it to a potluck lunch and my friends loved it!

For a quiche 11" (28 cm) in diameter

1 quiche crust (recipe here on my blog)
1 lb (about 500 g) pumpkin
1 tbsp butter
3 eggs
4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
salt, pepper, nutmeg
3/4 cup (100 g) Gorgonzola Dolce
Emmentaler (Swiss cheese)

Roll out the quiche crust, place on a tart pan lined with parchment paper. Punch with a fork.
Cut the pumpkin into small cubes (peeled, seeds and strings removed: see here).
In a deep pan, melt the butter and sauté the pumpkin cubes on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and cook for about 15 minutes until tender. Remove the lid and let the water evaporate completely (another 5 minutes). Remove from heat and allow the cooked pumpkin to cool down.
Whip the eggs and cream together. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.
Purée the pumpkin (in a blender, or simply with a fork). Mix in the egg and cream. Spread on the quiche crust. Dice the Gorgonzola cheese into 1/4" x 1/4" cubes and sprinkle evenly on the quiche. Grate Emmentaler on top.
Bake in a preheated oven at 365F (185 C) for about 40 minutes, until golden. Eat warm (but not hot) as an appetizer with crispy lettuce, or serve as amuse-bouches (in the form of tartlets, see here).

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Thank you so much for reading this blog and for always posting encouraging comments.

Pumpkin soup

2009-11-19T15:45:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago my daughter came back from daycare with a huge pumpkin, so heavy she couldn't lift it. We didn't get a chance to carve it in time for Halloween... but we got to eat it right after that :-)

A quarter of it turned into a soup (no, no the rest didn't turn into 3/4 of a carriage), inspired by one of Anne-Catherine Bley's many, delicious soup recipes.

Serves 6

1/4 pumpkin (that's about 1 kg or 2+ lbs)
3 or 4 small yellow or Yukon gold potatoes (optional)
1 yellow onion
1 or 2 garlic cloves
salt and pepper
nutmeg
1 tbsp olive oil or butter
heavy whipping cream (half pint carton)
3 or 4 strips uncured bacon

Cut a pumpkin into 5 or 6 wedges. Remove the pumpkin's seeds and strings. Cut each wedge into 2-inch sections and cut out the skin. Cut each section into cubes.
Melt the butter or heat up the olive oil in a large pot. Peel and slice the onion and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes.
Add the pumpkin and potatoes (also peeled and cubed) and cover with water (3 to 4 cups, or 3/4 liter). Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the vegetables get mushy.
Remove from heat. Blend until smooth. Stir in freshly grated nutmeg.
Dice the bacon into "lardons" (small bits of bacon...). Cook in the microwave for a few minutes on a plate covered with paper towels, until crisp.
Serve 1 or 2 ladles of soup per person in small bowls. Serve the heavy whipping cream and crisp bacon bits in two serving dishes for the table. Each guest will pour the amount of cream they want in their soup and then sprinkle the desired amount of bacon on top.

Broccoli rabe and breaded veal scalopini

2009-11-11T15:49:00.001-08:00

We recently moved to old downtown Mountain View and it really feels like heaven. Beautiful and quiet tree-lined streets, century-old houses, inviting vegetable gardens and deliciously fragrant flowers in the front yards, countless parks and playgrounds, shops, restaurants... and of course the weekly farmers market, which I was surprised to read is the fourth largest in California. We walk to it almost every Sunday. What a treat!

One farmer at the very end of the market (I forget their name...) sells the best french string beans we've ever had. They are thin, firm, with a bright green color that attest their freshness. We simply steam them and eat them with a little bit of butter melted on top. This farmer also sells what they label as "Italian broccoli" but is actually broccoli rabe. When my father visited last summer he immediately recognized these greens. They are not common in France, but his Italian grand mother would prepare them when he was a child. My father didn't remember how she would cook them so we made a few trials and here is what we came up with. They were the perfect side dish for our breaded veal scalopini (also a heritage from our Italian descents).

Broccoli rabe with tomatoes
Serves 4

1 lb (500 g) broccoli rabe
3 or 4 tomatoes
1 small yellow onion (or given the size they have in California, just one half)
1 or 2 garlic cloves
salt and pepper
olive oil

Wash and steam the broccoli rabe for a few minutes (3 or 4) in a pressure cooker.
Thinly slice the onion. Peel the garlic clove, cut in half and remove the stem.
Heat up 1 or 2 tbsp olive oil in a deep pan.
Sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes on medium heat until translucent.
Add the broccoli rabe, close with a lid and cook for a few minutes.
Cut the tomatoes in 4 or 8 wedges depending on their size, add to the pan and cook several more minutes.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Breaded veal scalopini ("Escalopes de veau panées")

1 or 2 veal scalopini per person
1 egg, beaten in a bowl
1 or 2 handfuls bread crumbs, in a bowl
salt and pepper
at least 2 tbsp butter

Proceed as follows with each scalopini:

Season with salt and pepper
Dip in beaten egg
Dip in bread crumb and cover evenly
Pan fry in a good amount of butter (add more butter before flipping as the bread crumb will absorb it), 1 or 2 minutes on each side over high heat.

Vote for this recipe on Foodista.com and it might get published! Simply click on the icon...

Grapefruit, avocado and shrimp salad

2009-11-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

It has been two and a half years since I posted anything on this blog (except for a couple posts maybe). I missed you! Life has been full of events, happy and sad. Mostly happy. We are now a family of four. Luca was born last June. Hanae is now a two and a half years old toddler. They are the most perfect children on Earth. :-)

Needless to say, though, that our cooking habits have changed quite a bit. We haven't given up on the healthy and tasty criteria, but everything has to be prepared quickly or we would never eat. I am hoping to find the time to blog regularly again (weekly?) as we are starting to settle in. The recipes will be simpler than ever. And you should try them on your kids! Hanae eats pretty much everything we do.

So let's start with this refreshing salad for the Indian summer (temperatures are high in the Bay these days). Keep it in the refrigerator until it is time to serve it as it is best chilled.

Serves 4

2 pink grapefruits
1 or 2 avocados
1/2 lbs cooked shrimp salad (that's a big handful)
about 2 tablespoons vinaigrette salad dressing (recipe here) – Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, oil (sunflower + olive for instance), salt and pepper

Prepare the grapefruits by peeling them then removing the skin from each wedge and cutting the flesh in two. Make sure to work above a salad bowl to collect the juice. This is the hardest part of the recipe but it can go really fast once you have some practice.
Cut the avocados into small cubes. I find that the quickest way to do this is to cut each avocado in half, trace squares with a knife in the flesh, all the way down to the shell. Then flip the half avocado and press on the skin/shell to detach the cubes into the salad bowl.
Rince the shrimp, dry in a paper towel. Add to the salad bowl.
Prepare the vinaigrette by combining 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp vinegar, 3 tbsp oil, 1 pinch salt and some freshly ground black pepper. The quickest way is to pour all ingredients into a jar, close the lid and shake.
Add the dressing and toss.

Grilled pizzas

2008-04-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far in Sunnyvale. We had friends over for dinner and had planned to bake pizzas. A few days earlier, when we had planned the event, it was still winter (there is virtually no springtime here). So using the oven only sounded appropriate. But we couldn't possible heat up the house any more yesterday night, as we were already suffocating.

Fortunately Craig Priebe was here to help. He just wrote a great little book called "Grilled Pizzas and Piadinas" where all the pizzas are grilled on a barbecue. He explains how to make the dough (but also tells you it's ok to buy it) and how to pre-grill it; how to make sauces and toppings in advance, then how to build your pizza and grill it. We gave a try to two of his recipes, guided by the mouth-watering pictures, and it was a success! I guess we could perfect our grilling techniques but all the explanations are there in the book. You just need to make a little bit of reading at first (the first section of the book is a crash course on grilling the perfect pizza) then you're ready to go.
The piadinas (italian flat-bread sandwiches), salads and desserts also look fantastic. I'm trying the PAT piadina next (Pancetta, Arugula and Tomato, with a basil pecan pesto. Yum!).

Moroccan Grilled Pizza
Pizza dough: this is where all the art resides, but there is a nice little box on the side of the 2-page recipe that goes "save time with pre-made doughs or crusts [...] Trader Joe's sells terrific fresh pizza dough that grills up perfectly"... And indeed it does! As we were pressed by time, this is what we did. However the recipe is detailed but doesn't look overly complicated.
Toppings: grated Parmesan, shredded mozzarella, grilled chicken breast (coat breast with salt, pepper and olive oil and grill on the hottest part of the barbecue for about 5 minutes on each side) torn or cut into bit-size chunks, 1/2 thinly sliced red onion, about 12 roasted garlic cloves (we chopped the top of a whole garlic head, drizzled with olive oil and placed on a low-heat barbecue for 5-10 minutes), pitted Kalamata olives, 1/2 thinly sliced red pepper.
Curry Glaze (we forgot all about it but the pizza tasted great nonetheless... This would have given it a nice kick, though): combine 1/4 cup honey, 2 tbsp curry powder, 1 pinch red pepper flakes and 1 pinch salt. Drizzle over the finished pizza before grilling it.
How it works: first grill the pizza dough, rolled into an irregular 12x12" (30x30 cm) round without edges for about 3-4 minutes on one side only on a grill that indicates 400F (we used our gas barbecue but the book explains several indoors and outdoors grilling methods) . Flip the pizza crust over and brush with olive oil, then add the toppings (randomly sprinkled rather than layered, to create different tastes in each bite), starting with the cheeses; finish with the glaze. Grill for 5 to 8 minutes on your preheated (medium-high) barbecue. You can then broil for 2 minutes in the oven to caramelize the glaze (we forgot that step).

The Margheritan
This one is a simple tomato, basil and cheese pizza. We bought a small can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes that we spread over a grilled pizza crust (first brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with Parmesan and shredded mozzarella). We added a sliced fresh mozzarella ball and fresh basil leaves and grilled for 5-8 minutes.
The recipe uses a "chunky tomato basil sauce" made of fresh, coarsely chopped tomatoes, fresh basil, pressed garlic, tomato paste, salt, pepper and sugar mixed together and used uncooked.

Home-made Yogurt

2007-07-18T17:38:00.003-07:00

Had I known that making yogurt was so easy, I would have tried years ago. As I learned in Mireille Guiliano's best seller "French Women Don't Get Fat" (a fun summer read that reinstates many basics), a yogurt maker is totally optional. All that is required is uniform, constant warmth. An oven, turned off but with the light on, is enough. I followed her recipe:

- 1 liter 2% milk
- 1 or 2 tbsp yogurt as starter (preferably a good one with live cultures... I used Sonoma County's Saint-Benoît)

Slowly bring the milk to a boil on medium-low heat. Turn off the heat as soon as the milk is steaming and small bubbles form on the edges of the pot.
Transfer to another pot (or bowl) at room temperature and wait until a thermometer reads between 110F and 115F (about 45 degrees C).
Mix the starter (yogurt) with a few ladles of warm milk. Then pour into the pot of milk and stir well.
Fill jars and place in the oven (turned off). Cover jars with a clean cloth. Switch on the oven light. You can place a bowl of hot water in the oven if you fear the temperature won't be high enough. Wait 8 hours without opening the oven door.
Cover the jars with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Wait another 8 hours.

I obtained a very creamy and uniform yogurt. It wasn't quite as solid as the original Saint-Benoît from the store but it wasn't liquid or watery either. It was so soft and sweet that I didn't need to add anything to it. A pure marvel.

Dear readers,

2007-06-11T10:01:00.001-07:00

Thank you so much for all your recent visits, comments, invitations to memes, etc... I am sorry I didn't take the time to respond. These past 10 months have been life changing and I am sure you will forgive me for being less and less present on the web once you know what was going on: I was cooking up my very best creation, a baby! Hanaé was born 1 month ago in California. She is, of course, the most beautiful and the sweetest baby girl on Earth. Her dad and I have never felt so happy!

Cooking and blogging have become a bit secondary, as you can imagine... However I will continue reading your many excellent culinary blogs, and I will try posting new recipes on this blog once in a while. I hope you'll keep checking My French Cuisine for updates and that you will make good use of the archives.

A bientôt !

Poires Belle-Hélène

2007-04-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

"Beautiful Helen pears" were invented in Paris in the 19th century and were named after an opera by Offenbach. What a romantic introduction for this French dessert par excellence, a true classic, found in at least (this is a guess) half of the restaurants of the Hexagone. It only takes a few minutes (maybe seconds!) to assemble this dish if you use ready-made ingredients; it is actually not much longer to prepare half of them from scratch (the poached pears and the melted chocolate). You can even make ice cream and cookies from scratch for a deluxe version (but this probably won't taste like in restaurants, because I am pretty sure they go for the fast and easy way in most cases...).

You need:
- 1 whole pear per person, poached (or 2 canned half pears)
- 1 or 2 scoops vanilla bean ice cream
- chocolate melt
- a few almond cookies (thin and crisp, no matter what shape you choose)

The combination of temperatures (ice cream, warm chocolate), textures (soft pear, crispy cookie) and flavors (all of them!) is simply out of this world. There is even a little bonus: although this dessert looks very fancy, it is very easy to prepare.

I usually poach the pears in the morning to let them cool down and eat them the same evening. They should be at room temperature when you serve them (they won't taste as good if they just came out of the fridge). Either leave them out all day, in a closed dish, or allow them to warm up if you store them in the fridge. Bosc pears are my favorite, both for taste and "handling" (they hold well, even after being cooked).

All quantities below are for 6 pears.

To poach the pears:
Peel them, keeping them whole (leave the stem for decorative purposes). Place them upright in a deep pot. Sprinkle 1/4 cup (50 g or 4 tbsp) sugar and pour 1 cup (20 cl) water over the pears. Simmer/steam (lid on) for 20 minutes on medium heat. Drain the pears but keep the juice. Let both cool down.

Just before serving, prepare the chocolate melt as follows:
Bring the pear juice to a boil in a small pot and allow it to evaporate until only half of the volume is left. Place this small pot in a bigger one, half full of water ("Bain Marie") and place over medium heat (water should never boil).
Cut 4 1/2 oz (125 g) high quality* dark chocolate (for example Le Noir Gastronomique 61% cacao by Valrhona...) into small pieces. Melt chocolate in the warm pear syrup, stirring until smooth and shiny. Add 2 tbsp (30 g or 1/4 stick) butter and let it melt, stirring continuously.

To assemble:
Place one pear in each dish, upright. Add 1 or 2 scoops vanilla ice cream. Pour warm chocolate on the pear and ice cream. Stick 1 or 2 almond thins (or even more authentic: "tuiles aux amandes") in the ice cream. Serve immediately.

* good rule of thumb for quality chocolate: the list of ingredients should start with cocoa beans rather than sugar!

Springtime Lamb Stew

2007-04-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

This recipe will be perfect for Easter.

Le navarin d'agneau (last word –lamb– is pronounced like the spanish "año") is a type of ragoût (pronounced "rah-goo"): a rich, thick stew in which the meat, poultry or fish is first fried (rissolé) then covered in flour (to thicken the sauce) before simmering (sometimes with vegetables) in a well seasoned liquid (wine, broth...). This should not be mistaken with the italian ragù, a meat sauce from the Bologna region. Navarin is a mutton or lamb ragoût cooked with young, springtime vegetables.*

The recipe is for 6 people. It takes about 1½ hours to 2 hours to prepare and cook. It is sufficient in itself as a main dish, but if you fear that your guests will need some carbs, you can boil a few small potatoes (peeled, boiled whole in salted water for about 15 minutes or until a knife goes through), served on the side, or added to the sauce at the last minute.

3½ lbs boneless lamb shoulder roast (my Larousse calls for 800 g "épaule d'agneau désossée" –1¾ lbs boneless lamb shoulder, and 800 g "collié d'agneau désossé" –1¾ lbs boneless lamb collar). See the american and french lamb cut charts.
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp sugar
1 cup (20 cL) white wine
2 tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 bouquet garni (pronounced "boo-kay gahr-nee") –a few sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf, a small bunch of flat leaf parsley, tied together with kitchen string
1 tbsp butter
3/4 lbs (300 g) carrots (ideally the youngest, tenderest you can find –those sold with their leaves)
1/2 lbs (200 g) turnips (ideally the smallest, youngest you can find –most likely sold with their leaves)
1/4 lbs (100 g) onions (ideally small button onions)
3/4 lbs (300 g) green beans (ideally the thinest french green beans you can find)
3/4 lbs (300 g) shelled green peas, either fresh or frozen
salt, pepper, nutmeg

Cut the roast into a dozen big chunks or slices. Heat up the oil in a big pot. Fry the meat a few minutes until it gets a nice golden color on all sides, without burning. Drain the meat and discard most of the fat. Place the meat back in the pot.
Sprinkle the meat with sugar and toss. Sprinkle with flour and toss. Cook for 3 minutes, tossing continuously. Pour the wine and reduce the heat to medium. Season with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.
While the meat starts simmering, dice the tomatoes. Peel the garlic cloves, cut them in half and remove their stems. Add these veggies to the pot along with the herbs. If necessary, add some water, just enough to fully sink the meat into liquid. Cover pot with a lid. Simmer for 45 minutes.
In the meantime, peel the carrots, turnips and onions. If they are small you can keep them whole. Otherwise, slice them. Sauté in butter (in a dip pan) for about 10 to 15 minutes. Toss regularly.
Steam or boil the green beans (about 6 minutes in a pressure cooker).
Once the 45 minutes are passed, add the sautéed veggetables and the green peas to the stew and simmer for 20 more minutes.
After this time, add the green beans and simmer 5 more minutes.
Serve hot in the pot.

* info compiled from Le Larousse de la Cuisine and The Food Lover's Companion

Quick pork roast and potatoes

2007-03-01T22:29:00.000-08:00

There wasn't time (or enough light) for a picture yesterday night but the scene would have deserved one: beautiful pork roast fresh out of the oven, nice and crisp on the outside, soft and juicy at heart, surrounded by potatoes and shallots soon to melt in my mouth... I wish I could have recorded the smell too. It only took 5 minutes to prepare (including a trip to the backyard to get a bay leaf!) and 1 1/2 hours to cook (without doing anything). Totally worth the wait.

1 boneless pork shoulder butt (ours was 2.3 lbs, a little over 1 kg)
2 golden yolk potatoes (you can use more... I'd say at least one per person)
4 shallots
3 or 4 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
1 cup dry white wine (Pino Griggio makes wonders)
a few tablespoons olive oil

Place the pork roast in an oven-safe dish. Season with salt and pepper on all sides.
Peel the shallots. Cut the larger ones into 2 or 4 pieces. Keep the smaller ones whole. Place all around the roast at the bottom of the dish.
Peel and slice the potatoes (about 1/4" or 3/8" thick, less than 1 cm). Arrange them in the dish around the roast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place the thyme and bay leaf on the roast's sides. Pour 1/2 cup white wine all over the dish, especially on the potatoes (to soak them). Keep the other 1/2 cup wine for about 30 minutes before the end of cooking time (pour it on the potatoes to prevent them from drying up).
Pour the olive oil on the roast (so that it gets a nice color) and on the potatoes (to make them tender and juicy).
Bake at 425F (220C) for about 1 1/2 hours (count about 30 minutes per pound), or until a thermometer reads 160F (71C) in the center of the meat. Keep in the oven 5 more minutes (oven turned off) then slice the roast (1/2" to 2/3" thick, less than 2 cm). Serve with the potatoes and shallots. Don't forget to pour the dish's juices on the meat.
Slice the leftover meat thiner and eat cold with Dijon mustard in sandwiches or with a crisp greens salad.

Bugnes - the recipe

2007-02-26T23:40:00.000-08:00

As promised (but with a little delay... sorry about that), here is the recipe for bugnes, the Lyon region "mardi gras" beignets.

250 g (14 fl. oz.) all purpose flour
50 g (slightly less than 1/2 stick or 4 tbsp) unsalter butter
50 g (2 fl. oz.) sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp orange blossom water (optional)
salt
about 1/2 liter (1/2 quart) sunflower oil to deep-fry the bugnes.
powdered sugar (a few tablespoons)

Prepare the dough at least 2 hours in advance:

Sift the flour over a large bowl.
Combine with the sugar, orange blossom water and a pinch of salt. Add the butter in very small parcels and mix a little.
Dig a hole (in french we say "une fontaine" -a fountain) in the center of the flour mix. Beat the eggs and pour in the hole.
With the hands, combine all the ingredients and knead for only a minute or two, until the dough gets homogenous. Make a ball out of it and let it rest for at least 2 hours at room temperature under a clean cotton cloth.

Then...

Roll out the dough (on a flat, floured surface) as thinly as possible (about 2 mm) in a somewhat rectangular shape. This should be fairly easy as the dough should be elastic and moist.
Cut out stripes about 1 1/2" to 2" wide. Divide the stripes into smaller rectangles, approximately 4" long. The bugnes on the pictures are small but feel free to make the stripes longer or wider if you prefer. Bugnes come in various sizes.
Twist the rectangles as follows:

With a knife, make a 1 1/2" long slit in the center of each rectangle, lengthwise.
Take one of the rectangle's small sides through this hole and reshape, as shown on the pictures above.
If you go with longer stripes of dough, there might be enough length to make two knots.

Heat the oil in a frying pan (oil should be about 1" or 1 1/2" deep) until boiling hot. Place a few knotted stripes of dough in it, making sure they don't touch eachother.
Flip once, after only a few seconds, then wait a few seconds longer (this goes fast!).
Take out as soon as the bugnes have a nice golden (but not too dark) color. Drain on paper towels placed in a plate.
Once all the bugnes are cooked, sprinkle with powdered sugar (it's easier to sprinke evenly if you use a small strainer and shake it overn the bugnes).

You can start eating them as soon as they are ready. If there are any left, store them in a metal box (lined with paper towels). Eat them any time of the day as a snack, on their own.

Bugnes

2007-02-20T22:58:00.000-08:00

I am sure if you don't speak French you must be puzzled by the title of this post.... How to pronounce "bugnes"? Let me try to explain. The last 4 letters "gnes" form only one sound, similar to the ñ in Spanish (like in "mañana"). B is the same b sound as in English (like in "book"). The u sound is unique to French, and impossible to explain... It's somewhere between an "ee" (like in "freeze") and a "oo" (like in "cook") but it's neither of those sounds. Close your lips as if you were going to say "oo" but take the sound to the front of your mouth by lifting your tong... I think this should work. Here (and here) are neat pages where you can hear each individual sound. In IPA "bugnes" would be spelled: [byɲ].

Bugnes are a specialty of Lyon, where I grew up. They are thin and crispy doughnuts (strips of dough, fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar) that are made for "mardi gras" ("fat Tuesday": today!). You can buy them at the "charcuterie" (deli meat shop), at the "boulangerie" (bakery) and people cook them at home too. My grand-mother did, every year. There are variants: some are crispy, others are a bit thicker and spongier. Some have an orange blossom flavor, others are plain. Some have a knot or two, others don't. Some are long and thin, others are much bigger and square. This gives plenty of good excuses to eat a whole bunch of them (science to the rescue: we need a good comparative study here). The only constant is that you can't eat them cleanly: you always end up with grease and sugar all over your fingers and lips.

If you read this blog regularly you must think that I am a very traditional person, only eating traditional French food, only when it is the tradition to eat it... To be honest I am puzzled by this tendency of mine to blindly obey these rules (bugnes for mardi gras, crêpes for chandeleur,etc...). This is so far from my usual aspirations (the constant pursuit of novelty). I guess this is old Pavlovian conditioning rooted in my childhood. Each traditional dish I eat brings back so many memories. Moving half way around the world hasn't helped forgetting them. To the contrary: it has made them more vivid and vital (a way of balancing all the new things I experience).

Anyway, this weekend I will tell you how you can make good bugnes, all year 'round!

A grain of salt

2007-02-12T21:54:00.000-08:00

Boy! Does this blog look dusty, with old posts laying around and nothing new since last year...

Hope you all had a wonderful start of 2007. I've been very, very busy these past few months, to a point where I had to choose between cooking and blogging. The former was obviously more important, for survival reasons among others... And I guess the rush at work gave me a mild case of the writer's block... I seem to be on the way to recovery, though, as the hectic schedule is slowly coming to an end. Things should go back to a more human pace in the coming weeks.

Until then, let me introduce you to our new friend:

This adorable chick is an original creation of F. Personnaz, an artist living in Bessans (a remote little village at the end of Maurienne Valley in the French Alps). It is a wooden salt box that Pierre's parents gave us for Christmas. We keep coarse salt in it and use it by the handful in pasta water, soups and stews. I love how different the sculpture looks from the left and from the right.

Have you noticed how salt always seems to be kept in nicely decorated containers? I imagine, for the longest time salt was the main seasoning in France and all around Europe (along with garlic and aromatic herbs –which had to dry in the open air, and maybe a few spices –which were expensive and sparse, and kept in very small quantities). Salt had to be stored away from humidity, yet it had to be handy as it was used in most dishes. Hence the pretty box that could stay out of the cabinets at all times... Or so I see things. That would seem like a valid explanation, wouldn't it?

By the way here is a French food idiom: "mettre son grain de sel" (literally "to put one's gain of salt in"). This means to put one's 2 cents in, but in situations when it's not really appropriate or welcome to give one's opinion. Not what I did in the previous paragraph, I hope...

Happy Holidays!

2006-12-24T11:31:00.000-08:00

And best wishes for the coming year...

Potato Gratin like in the Alps

2006-12-08T22:46:00.000-08:00

What? December already! Where did time go? I'm in shock. This fall has been so busy at work and otherwise. I guess I'd better post a new recipe before you guys give up on me...

Here is a very yummy potato gratin called "gratin dauphinois", very famous in the Grenoble region where it comes from (an hour east of Lyon, at the foot of the Alps). Purists would argue that this isn't a "true" gratin dauphinois because I am using cheese, which would make this dish a "gratin savoyard" (from Savoie region, just north of Dauphiné) but whatever. It tastes great!

Serves 6
Baking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

3 pounds (1.5 kg) Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 pound (225 g) Gruyère cheese (either Emmental or Comté –Comté being stronger, or Beaufort if you can find some –it's very expensive in the US)
8 oz. (225 g) crème fraîche (french cultured cream), or heavy cream if you can't find crème fraîche
1 egg
1 cup (20 cL) milk
salt and black pepper
butter (just enough to butter the dish –no oil please!)
2 garlic cloves

Peel the potatoes. Slice them thinly (about 1/8") and place in water to remove excess starch.
Butter a deep oven-safe dish (like this one). Peel and press the garlic cloves or chop them very finely. Spread at the bottom of the dish.
Preheat your oven at 390F (200C).
Dry the potato slices in a clean cotton cloth. Place a first layer of potato slices in the dish. Season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 tablespoon of crème fraîche. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Add a new layer of potato and proceed as described above. Repeat until all the potatoes are layered. Make sure to keep 1 tablespoon of crème fraîche for later. Finish with cheese.
Pour the milk on the potatoes.
Bake for 1 hour at 390F.
Beat the egg with the remaining crème fraîche and pour this mix on the gratin. Bake for 15 more minutes.

This is ideal with some crunchy, delicately bitter frisée salad. In Lyon we add poached eggs, garlic croutons and sizzling hot, diced bacon ("les lardons") to this salad, served with vinaigrette dressing.
Alternatively you could sprinkle a few whole or half walnuts on the frisée and serve it with vinaigrette dressing made of colza or sunflower oil (i.e. a not very flavored oil) plus 1 tablespoon of walnut oil.

Pot-au-feu beef stew

2006-10-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, "sunny vale" can get cold and cloudy... This always comes as a shock after 8 months of ever-blue skies. We had our first rain shower two weeks ago. Then sunshine again (birds started singing like in springtime -they have no patience) but as I am writing this post, the call for a lazy afternoon by a wood fire, sipping hot tea while reading a magazine, is getting stronger and stronger. But before I slip into warm coziness, let me give you the recipe for pot-au-feu (literally: "pot in the fire"): a traditional wintry beef stew. This one was inspired by my 1991 edition of Larousse de la Cuisine (that my grand-mother offered me when I graduated junior high...). My mom's recipe (that I learned after cooking this one) is slightly different. I'll give it at the end of this post.
I can't describe how good pot-au-feu tastes. The meats and vegetables and so soft; the broth is so warming and fragrant. Pot-au-feu's flavors evoke so many childhood memories!

For 6 people:
Cooking time (total): 4 hours

600 grams (1.5 pounds) beef short plate ("plat-de-côte")
600 grams (1.5 pounds) beef shank ("gîte")
600 grams (1.5 pounds) beef brisket ("macreuse")

You would also usually add marrow bones ("os à moëlle")... given that you find some. The cooked marrow can be spread like butter on toasted bread.
There are good beef cuts diagrams here and here.

1 onion
4 cloves ("clous de girofle")
3 garlic cloves
"bouquet garni": bay leaf, sprigs of thyme and fresh italian (flat-leaf) parsley tied together with kitchen string
10 whole peppercorns
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
4 carrots
3 turnips ("navets")
3 parsnips ("panais")
3 leeks
4-6 branches of celery

Pour 2 liters (1/2 gallon) cold water in a (very) large pot (preferably cast iron). Place the whole short plate in the water. Bring to a boil. After 10 minutes, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
Add the two other pieces of meat (whole), the onion (whole, peeled, with cloves nailed in it), garlic (whole cloves, peeled and crushed), herb bouquet, peppercorns and salt. Bring to a boil, skim then reduce heat again and simmer for 2 hours without a lid.
Add the carrots and parsnips (peeled and cut in 3 lengthwise), turnips (peeled and cut in 4 crosswise), leeks (dark, hard ends removed, cut in 4 crosswise, rinsed and tied together - or one by one- with kitchen string) and celery (in 1-inch chunks). Cook slowly for another hour.
If you are lucky and find marrow bones, poach them in slightly salted water 20 minutes before the end.

The broth is usually served separately from the meat and vegetables (as shown in the pictures). The broth can be filtered (through a fine sieve). Serve as hot as possible with mayonnaise (home made that is...), mustards (Dijon extra strong or whole grain) and toasted bread.

My Mom tells me that placing the meat in already boiling water keeps it more tender and flavorful than starting from cold water. She uses beef shank ("jarret") and short plate ("plat-de-côte"). She only cooks it for 2 hours total, adds the vegetables mid-way through and a few potatoes (peeled and cut in 4 or 6 pieces) half-an-hour before the end. She doesn't use parsnips (I had never eaten parsnips before this time, actually).

Greek-style Okras

2006-09-14T19:22:00.000-07:00

Fish soup and grilled fish, rabbit in a wine sauce, wild goat, grilled octopus, tiny deep-fried fish, lots of eggplants and zucchinis, tomato salads with feta and herbs, more tomatoes in dakos salads, white wine and raki, fragrant bread coated with sesame seeds, sweet preserved fruits, prunes and figs fresh from the tree... Here are a few of the amazing foods and wines I savored during my trip to Crete last July.

Now I'm back to endless days of stressful work, too short weekends and the wait for another escape to the other side of the world. In the meantime, dreaming of delicious foods and cooking dishes from paradise vacation spots is an easy cure to the traveller's nostalgia. I needed a fix last week and prepared okras - the greek way.

Choose small, firm okras (1/2 pound)
2 ripe heirloom tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion
3 tbsp greek olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 cup water

Rince the okras. Cut the hard, round extremity of each of them but try not to expose the seeds.
Combine the vinegar and salt in a small plate or cup. Dip the cut end of each okra in this mixture and place in a deep pan.
Cube the tomatoes and chop the onion. Place in the pan over the okras.
Pour the tomato juice and the water in the pan.
Bring to a simmer and relax for about 20-25 minutes, while the okras are cooking. Do not toss during the cooking phase: it would break the okras and they would become sticky. Just let the magic happen without doing anything.

Five things to eat before you die

2006-09-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

When Susan in Italy from Porcini Chronicles tagged me for this meme originated by Melissa (The Traveler's Lunchbox) I was thrilled: this is such an interesting subject, there will be so much to learn from other bloggers! But after sitting for a (long) while in front of my computer, trying to give my own contribution to the project, I started getting the "writer's block". How on earth was I going to narrow down to 5 an ever growing list of dishes I would have died of not trying? My whole life is devoted to culinary experiments (like many food bloggers for sure). I rarely cook the same recipe twice and what waters my mouth the most when reading a restaurant's menu is dishes I can't pronounce or made of ingredients I have never heard of. This isn't really something I am forcing on myself (say I'd rather have something I know but try to get out of my comfort zone): I actually enjoy a dish more if it surprises me. Discovery is endless... and so is the list of dishes I wish everyone can try at least once in their life.

On the other hand, of course, I often dream of renewing my best food experiences and do so if I can. So I guess I do have favorites. For this meme, let's stay in the French realm (since this is the subject of this blog), although there would be many more cuisines to talk about. I'll try to tell you about five dishes I dream of all year round until I go back to my home country (you have to be there to get the real deal, especially when it comes to childhood memories). Here is goes:

1. Choucroute alsacienne. Alsace-style sauerkraut ("sauerkraut" became "choucroute" after centuries of interactions between french and german languages at the border) is a dish made of fermented cabbage garnished with various deli meats: saussages, pork... and more pork coming in all shapes and forms. The fermented shredded cabbage is slowly cooked in Alsace white wine (usually Riesling) and flavored with Juniper berries. Choucroute has become a traditional brasserie dish all over France, which allowed me to eat a lot of them in Lyon where I grew up. Most boucheries-charcuteries (butcher-deli shops) also sell the necessary ingredients (meats and cabbage) to prepare your own. The sourness of the cabbage, the tart taste of Juniper berries, the juicy meats spiced up with Dijon mustard are amazing.

2. Steak tartare is on the long list of french dishes that are not "politically correct" and that some people don't dare to try (along with snails, frogs, very smelly and colorful cheeses, etc, etc). But it is soooooooo good that it would be a real mistake to not try it at least once (and then you'll want more). Technically speaking, steak tartare is raw ground beef, mixed with a raw egg yolk and just seasonned... The whole "uncooked meat" story is clearly against the "safe handling" warning displayed in huge red letters on each package of meat we buy here in the US. But let's forget about this somehow marginal issue and focus on the taste. If you like tuna sashimi you already have an idea of what raw beef tastes like. Steak tartare seasonning usually consists of Dijon mustard, chopped cornichons (delicious small crunchy gerkins that would deserve to be in this 5-item list by themselves), chopped onion, chopped capers, chopped flat-leaf parsley, tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. This is yet another typical brasserie dish. In some restaurants they prepare it in front of you, bringing the meat topped with the egg yolk with spices on the side, and mixing everything at your table. It is served with thin and deliciously crunchy pommes frites.

3. "Bouchon" cuisine. "Les bouchons de Lyon" are famous for two reasons: heavy traffic jams ("bouchon" means cork) and traditional restaurants. Les Bouchons emerged in the 18th century at the apogee of Lyon's silk weaving industry. They were generally held by women and offered various hearty foods for the silk workers ("les canuts"). Famous dishes include onion soup, "salade lyonnaise" (frisée with grilled bacon, poached egg, croutons and a shallot vinaigrette dressing) or "rosette" (dry saussage) for a start; veal kidneys ("rognons") or "andouillette" (veal tripe saussage) served with a creamy whole grain mustard sauce, "quenelles" (pike fish dumplings) or "cardons" (cardoons) au gratin as a main dish; "cervelle de canut" ("weaver brain", a weird name for "fromage blanc" fresh cheese seasonned with salt, pepper, garlic and chives), Saint-Marcellin cheese, "tarte à la praline" (bright pink sugar-coated almond tart)... Eating in a Bouchon downtown or on Croix-Rousse hillside (usually sharing a table with other patrons) is really something to try.

4. Oysters from Marenne-Oléron. Oysters are mostly eaten raw in France, with minimal seasonning (a dash of lemon juice or a few drops of red wine vinegar and finely chopped shallots) so as to not mask the subtle flavors of this delightful "fruit de mer". They are served with a slice of rye bread coated with salted butter, and a glass of dry white wine. Marenne-Oléron is a famous oyster farming region on the french Atlantic coast. The oysters they grow there are small and delicate. Their taste is divine. Definitely something you want to try (and if you can go there: even better!)

5. Cantaloupe from Provence. There had to be something sweet in this list... And I have eaten so many bland cantaloupes over here that it makes me sourly regret those grown in South of France. They are usually smaller that their American counterparts but much softer and sweeter: the juices are more concentrated. If you go to a farmers market they'll pick the right one for you depending on when you plan to eat it, so that it will be at its peak when you dive in it with a teaspoon. Eat it plain or pour a teaspoon of port wine in each half. It makes a lovely appetizer.

Now I wonder what the following fellow food bloggers will come up with:

Betty of Cuisine Quotidienne
Nandita of Saffron Trail
Marcela of La Majuluta
Pascal of Home Recipes
you can also go to Melissa's blog and enter your 5 things to eat list (or link to your post) as a comment

Blueberry muffins

2006-08-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,
I hope you are all having a very nice summer.
Our vacation in Greece and France were fantastic: seeing one's family on too rare occasions makes one cherish each and every moment with them. When these powerful moments happen on beautiful backgrounds such as the breathtaking landscapes of Crete or those of Burgundy, it's even better! We are still in the process of sorting our pictures and memories...
Foodwise there would be much to talk about. In two weeks we ate at home maybe twice... All other meals were taken at restaurants where we had such a diversity of amazing regional dishes that it would take me hours to enumerate all of them. Maybe I will, in another post, just to salivate again at the thought of all these treats.
But for now let me tell you about the blueberry muffins I baked last Saturday.

When we came back from vacation our frontyard was a jungle: weed (there's very little grass in the patch of land facing our house) had grown higher than our knees, making the house look like it was abandoned. In our absence a neighbor had contacted the city council to complain about this pittyful display. And our landlord, who is always extremely kind to us, came to mow the "lawn". Last Saturday he came back with his wife to fill the stretch of weed and dirt along sideway with clean, flat and never-to-grow-an-inch concrete (this now looks much better indeed). As they were working in our yard under a burning sun, I felt very guilty (my plan for that afternoon was to read a novel in the much nicer-looking backyard where we've installed a very comfortable hamoc among fragrant flowers and aromatic herbs)... I decided to bake a few cakes to thank them for their efforts. But since I was in a hurry I could only use what was already available in the fridge and cabinets... This is how I came up with this modified version of a muffin recipe found on Marmiton. As mentioned on the web page, the recipe is based on "gâteau au yaourt" (yogurt cake), which isn't truely a muffin type of cake. You shouldn't be looking for a true American muffin recipe here. But if you are interested in a lighter muffin-shaped blueberry and yogurt cake, you are at the right address!

Note that the yogurt's cup is used to measure all ingredients. What is called "cup" below is a yogurt cup.

For 12 muffins:

one 7 oz. (200g) greek yogurt (FAGE 2%) - 1 "cup"
3 "cups" all-purpose flour
2 "cups" sugar
3 eggs
1/2 "cup" canola oil
3 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. baking soda
one 11 oz. (314g) box fresh blueberries
150g (3-4 handfuls) whole hazelnuts and walnuts

Start by emptying the yogurt in a large bowl. Rince the cup. You will use it to measure the other ingredients.
Add the sugar to the yogurt and stir well until the sugar has disolved.
Add the whole eggs and beat to incorporate.
Sift the flour over the mix, little by little. Stir from the center outwards to incorporate without creating lumps.
Add the oil, then the whipping cream. Stir until smooth.
Coarsely chop the hazelnuts and walnuts. Add them to the mix.
Rince the blueberries and incorporate them gently to the mix without breaking them.
Pour into oiled muffin molds until almost full. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes.
Eat when they are still a little warm inside... Or keep in an air-tight box.

On the road again...

2006-07-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful year! We've just come back from Mexico and are ready to take off to our next destination: Greece! We are going to spend a whole week in Crete with Pierre's family then fly to France to spend a week with my family in Lyon and Burgundy. I'll be back in California and on this blog early august.... Until then I wish you all a beautiful summer!

Leek Omelet

2006-07-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

No need to have you wait any longer: here comes a very simple leek omelet recipe. I should say a French leek omelet recipe, as you will notice the use of lots of butter (apparently it's a sign!) and also because the eggs are only cooked up to a point where they are still a little bit liquid (which is pretty unusual on this side of the Atlantic). This doesn't mean that the eggs are raw: the whole operation takes place at high temperature. But the omelet is taken off the heat "before it is too late" so as to keep all the flavors intact.

There are many "omelette" variants. The simplest is plain: just eggs (with seasoning). Eaten with a good piece of country-style bread, there's really nothing to add. Other famous recipes include fresh herbs ("omelette aux fines herbes" with chives and parsley), wild mushrooms ("omelette aux champignons"), etc. These ingredients are used as flavoring and should not mask the main ingredients: eggs and butter. To me, traditional French cuisine is all about preserving the flavors of the base ingredients without overpowering them seasoning or sauces. Modern "haute cuisine" hasn't forgotten this principle: it creates more complex flavors by adding subtle touches of spices and extravaganza. It's all a matter of balance.

Back to our leek omelet. Here is what you need:

3 or 4 small leek
1 or 2 tbsp European-style unsalted butter
4 eggs (or more -2 per person)
salt and pepper
nutmeg

Choose young and tender leek. Cut off the sprouted white end and the dark-green leaf tips. You are left with the white core and the tender green leaves. There won't be much to throw away if the leek are small (which is usually the case in the summer). Split the leek twice in the length starting a few inches away from the white end, creating a kind of "whip" (a non-violent one!). The leek still holds together (from the base) but the leaves are now separated from each other and easier to rinse. Place the leek one after the other under the faucet and rinse them under running water. Drain. Lay the leek on a cutting board and slice into 1-inch long sections.

Place a good chunk of butter (1 tbsp at least) in an anti-adhesive low-edge pan on high heat. Once the butter starts bubbling and crackle, add the leek all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon to cover each piece of leek with melted butter. Stir regularly. After a few minutes, reduce the heat, cover with a lid and slowly cook until the leek are transparent and soft. Season with salt and pepper. Turn down the heat to low while you are preparing the eggs.

I always choose brown eggs (cage-free, vegetable-fed, antibiotics-free). I've never seen white shelled eggs in France and I've never gotten used to them -although I've read there's no difference. Break 4 eggs (or more -you need 2 per person) in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Whip vigorously with a fork. There are two purposes here: combine the yolks with the white and create an emulsion. The more the eggs are beaten, the lighter the omelet.

Put the pan with the cooked leek on high heat again. Add some butter if needed (if the leek have absorbed all of it). Once the pan is very hot, pour the eggs and tilt the pan to spread them evenly over the leek (as shown above). Then wait without touching anything.

After a minute or two, fold the omelet in a half moon shape (above picture). You can tilt the pan to spread the remaining liquid eggs on the entire pan. Then fold this newly formed disk on the half-moon omelet. Never flip the omelet: it would overcook it. Remove from the heat while the omelet is still runny ("baveuse" which means the inside has thickened but isn't solid yet, as shown on the pictures).

And that's it! The trick is to keep the pan on high heat and go quick, trying to minimize the handling of the omelet to avoid breaking it.

Serve with good bread and a side salad for lunch or dinner.

Faire le poireau

2006-06-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted a French food idiom in a while... So here it goes! "Faire le poireau".

If you have ever seen a field of leeks, sticking straight out of the ground, one next to the other, quietly waiting for time to pass, you know why "faire le poireau" (to do the leek, to be planted like a leek) is synonym of waiting in line. There's even a verb: "poireauter" (also "poiroter" according to my Larousse dictionary).

And if you "do the leek" too long, you could end up taking root ("prendre racines", "s'enraciner").

I'll post a leek omelet recipe in the coming days... Stay tuned!

Celebrating summer...

2006-06-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

.... with a gazpacho! There's nothing like an ice-cold soup on an oven-hot day.

I posted the recipe last year here.

Discovering Mexico

2006-06-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long absence... We were busy visiting Mexico! And what a blast we had! We spent 3 days in beautiful Guadalajara with our friend Maite then we flew to Cancún and drove accross the Yucatán peninsula all the way to Mérida, visiting ancient Mayan cities, spanish colonial buildings and colorful pueblos along the way. Ten days to forget all about work, stress, fatigue and routine. This was a last minute trip and we didn't choose the best time temperature-wise (it was the hottest month of the year : over 90F every day and the air was very, suffocatingly humid) but the good thing was: we were all alone! No tourists at all. And the heat didn't stop us from enjoying every moment of this wonderful trip. I am still under the spell of this incredibly diverse country. The harmony and peace of spanish-style haciendas, the energy and life emerging from markets and off-the-beaten-path streets. Children playing everywhere. Flashy bouquets of flowers on the trees. Miles and miles of green tropical forest. Breathtaking centuries- old pyramids and sculptures. And so much more.

Food-wise (since this is the topic of this blog) we made many very pleasant discoveries. In the Tlaquepaque district of Guadalajara we drank fresh coconut juice directly in the shell. When we brought back the empty coconut to the street merchant he cut the flesh into quarters, flavored it with lime, chili and salt and gave it back to us in a plastic bag. So good. Earlier that day we had eaten Mamey (a delicious tropical fruit), tequila and limón ice cream. Limón has almost nothing to do with what is called lime in the US. It's much sweeter. Amazingly refreshing. We also ate flan at the Mercado Libertad, which was litterally a beehive of several thousand square feet downtown Guadalajara. I really enjoyed eating chilaquiles in the morning at various occasions. We didn't miss the famous Yucatec specialties: sopa de limón (a chicken broth with tomatoes, tortillas and limes), pollo pibil (chicken breast marinated in a red sauce), alambres (was it goat meat?)... A waiter in Valladolid's market almost refused to serve me menudo (I think it was a beef tripe soup) that I had seen someone else eat. "I don't recommend it", he said. "Why?", I asked. "Because you're French" (meaning non-Mexican)... He finally gave me some to taste. It was a broth with a strong tripe flavor (the full size portion had pieces of tripes in it) and you had to add green onions, lime and of course jalapeño pepper to spice it up. I liked it! But I could see the waiter's point... It's kind of strong and different. We drank lot's of limonada, agua mineral and cerveza clara (Estrella, Superior, XX) in an attempt to rehydrate our sweating bodies. We had little veggies and fruits (because we didn't trust our ability to overcome potential germs), lots of frijoles and tortillas. I'm sure we could have been more adventurous but we ate exclusively Mexican during the whole trip, which is already honorable (ok, we had very good pizza one night).

We flew back last Sunday night. It's around 70F in Sunnyvale these days with a nice and refreshing breeze. That's a relief. On Monday night we shopped at Whole Foods and bought lots of greens. This is nice too. But since we're back I feel overly uncomfortable in what now appears to be a blend, standardized, too practical and even too soft environment (what I mean is that everything here is made to be easy to live with, not necessarily enjoyable or beautiful or exciting). I miss the crowds in the streets, friendlily talking to anyone (including us, perfect strangers) at any occasion about anything, relaxing on benches of cities plaza's at dusk when the air is cooler, playing with their kids, buying snacks or toys from street merchants, enjoying life. I miss the beautiful colors of the houses, the masterfully sculptured stones (whether carved by Mayans or conquistadors), the sense that material comfort is not the secret to happiness. I do realize, though, that I am just idealizing what I've seen with my tourist eyes. But hey, it was good to see something different. Learning is the true key to happiness.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you want info on hotels, restaurants, car rental, sight seeing or other travel tips. If you read French you will also soon find more details about this trip on Nouvelles de Californie.

Fava beans

2006-05-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

It must be fava bean season because all the merchants were selling some at the farmers' market last Saturday. I had never cooked fava beans in my life before. And I'm not sure if I had ever eaten fresh ones either. Two good reasons to buy some! Trying to evaluate how many handfuls of pods would be necessary to feed two persons, I filled up a bag with almost 2 pounds of these long, slightly twisted, dark green vegetables, guessing that the weigh of beans would be much smaller than that of the pods.

Pierre just turned 29 and he got a cute little Belgian cookbook called "Le Produit" (by Filip Verheyden and Tony Le Duc) from my parents. It's the second volume of a trilogy, printed in a classy black fabric hardcover with "gold" edges. The first book is called "La Base" (the basics). The one Pierre got is an index of products (veggies, fruits, meats, fish, spices, herbs) with a beautiful picture and a very simple recipe involving this ingredient alone (along with the necessary spices). We took advice for our fava beans.

First we removed the beans from the pods.
We blanched the beans in salted water for 1 minute.
We rinsed the beans in cold water to stop the cooking process.
We removed the thick, light green envelope around the beans. The bean itself has a nice and flashy, darker green color (as you can see on the above picture). As the book explained it, some beans split and some others didn't.
We sautéed the beans in butter for a few minutes. That's all the book recommended. As we had prepared lamb leg steaks (just salted and peppered and sautéed in butter), we simply added the beans to the pot. The lamb steaks could have used a little more seasoning but the fava beans didn't need anything else: they were delicious, not too soft and extremely flavorful.

I've seen a mouth watering recipe of fava bean, green bean and asparagus salad in my Jamie Oliver book. And I'm sure they would go well in a Mediterranean-inspired recipe too, with tomatoes, spices, herbs, roasted meat... There's room for many experiments.

A few statistics on fava beans:

There are about 5 beans per pod.
We paid $1 per pound of pods last week at the Sunnyvale farmer's market.
Weight of the pods: about 800 grams (almost 2 pounds)
Whole beans (with skin): about 300 grams
Ready to eat (once skin was removed): about 200 grams
Which means we ate 25% of the initial weight.
Nutrition facts

Carrots, beets and tomatoes

2006-05-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

Spring calls for refreshing salads. And sometimes a mosaic of various tastes and colors is better than tossing everything together! “Assiettes de crudités” (literally “raw vegetable plates”) can be served as an appetizer or even as a lunch on their own. The palette is almost infinite, from vibrant reds to bracing greens: sliced tomatoes of course, but also shredded carrots and red cabbage, cauliflower bouquets, sliced cucumber, lettuce, mâche… Green onions, olives and fresh herbs (chives, parsley…) can be used as condiments along with the inevitable vinaigrette dressing (or simply olive oil and lemon juice). Some cooked (but cold) veggies can also find their place among crudités although they don’t really belong here: diced beets, shredded celery root, sweet corn, macédoine salad (a mix of boiled green peas, green beans, diced carrots and turnip coated with mayonnaise)… Even non-veggie ingredients make their way to the dish: hard-boiled eggs, anchovies. The important thing is to dress a good-looking dish that emphasizes the variety of shapes, colors and flavors. And with so many options, you can have a brand new appetizer each time!

On my plate the other day were simply tomatoes, spiced carrots and beets. I cooked the carrots and beets the day before since they needed some time to cool down.

The carrots (skinned and thinly sliced) simmered in water (3 cups water for about 2 pounds carrots) with olive oil (3 tbsp), crushed cumin seeds (1 tsp), Cayenne pepper (a pinch), garlic (1 clove, crushed) and salt (a pinch) until all the water evaporated (a good 30 minutes on medium heat). The empty pan was then deglazed with red wine vinegar (2 tbsp) and this juice was poured over the carrots.

The beet root was boiled (whole, with skin) in a pressure cooker (in salted water, for 30 minutes after the whistle started blowing), then sliced (1/2” thick) then cut into 1/2”x1/2” squares.

Pain d'épices

2006-05-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

Pain d'épices (literally "spice bread") is the French version of gingerbread. It's not as crispy as the little men American kids bite into. The texture is closer to a dense country bread than a cookie. The ingredients are very similar, though: spices, honey...
According to Wikipedia, some breads were already prepared with honey in ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt. But the Pain d'épices recipe used nowadays in France was borrowed from China in the Middle Age.
Pains d'épices come in all shapes and forms and there are many variants to the recipe: use of different spices, different types of honey, nuts (usually walnuts or almonds), citrus peels (orange), glazing... Regions and cities like Alsace, Reims, Dijon, have renown specialties but pain d'épices is also widely baked at home.

The bread on these pictures was inspired by a recipe in Bahadourian's excellent cookbook "Epices et Aromates". Mr. Bahadourian is the owner of a famous spice shop (épicerie fine) in Lyon, where many of the Lyon region top chefs get their spices and herbs. The book has a first section on spices themselves: where they are from and how to use them. There are several very interesting chapters (for spices, herbs, and blends like curry). The second part of the book is a selection of classic, well seasoned recipes from all over the world (from Indian samosas to Provence bouillabaisse, Hungarian goulash, Sicilian preserved pears and many more). There's even a bonus section with more elaborated recipes by Lyon chefs. It's a relatively small book but I love it. It's full of really useful tips.

The recipe in the book was for a bread loaf but I made my pain d'épices flat instead, to mimic Swiss Laeckerli's shape (my sister Emilie studies in Lausanne and made me discover these sooooo delicious almond cookies). Here's what I used:

1 pound (or 500g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pound (or 500g) orange blossom honey from California
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon anise seeds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 clove
zest (peel) of 1 organic orange (I harvested an orange in my backyard one minute before using it: can it get any fresher?)

The recipe is very simple. It's best to bake the bread a day or two in advance and store it in an air-tight container. Here's what I did:

Sift the flour in a large bowl and mix with the baking soda.
In a pot, heat the honey, milk and salt until they are almost boiling.
Pour the hot honey on the flour and incoporate. You could use a bread machine here... I don't have one so I had a nice workout, using a wooden spoon!
Grind the spices. Chop the orange peel thinly. Incorporate them to the dough.
Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread the dough on it. The parchment paper will save you a lot of time and energy... Pain d'épices is pretty sticky.
Let the dough cool down for at least one hour before baking.
Bake at 300F (150C) for about 40 minutes, until the top gets a nice golden color.
Once the bread is cool, cut in rectangles of about 1.5"x2".

Chocolate Cake - the making of

2006-04-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

My friend Failop -she's a true friend: she asked me questions about my chocolate cake recipe. Which means I had to make one to take pictures! How great an excuse is that! Thank you Failop!

You can click on the picture to enlarge it. The small pics are arranged in columns.

Green!

2006-04-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

It's already the fourth edition of , a really fun food photography challenge organized by Sam (Becks & Posh) and Andrew (SpittoonExtra). I've found out about it recently... and am already addicted to it! Here's the photo I submitted for this month's challenge. Check out the Foodography 4 Flickr group, there are some really great pictures there.

Easter Memories

2006-04-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

After weeks and weeks of nearly tropical rain (pretty much a non-stop deluge), spring has finally shown its face last Thursday (alas, it didn't last!). A few hours of sunshine were enough to warm the air and fill it with delicious flowery fragrances. I can't step outside in this weather without being instantly swamped with nostalgia. My head spins, memories of my childhood in France start scrolling in front of my eyes. I can't really explain this feeling, nor can I control it... I just have to bear this soon-to-vanish state of naive happiness!

Last Thursday, in the sun, I pictured myself about twenty years ago, en route to my grand-parents' for our traditional Easter lunch. My Dad's parents, Edouard and Rose, "Pépé et Mémé", lived in Saint-Pierre d'Albigny, a big village (a small town) in Savoy. Imagine a bunch of white houses with steep slate roofs on a hill, surrounded by impressive mountains -the Alps. We knew we were close to arriving when we saw l'Arcluse in font of us -a huge rocky mountain above Saint-Pierre. Easter was usually one of the first nice spring days of the year. The air was still cool but you could see here and there fragile flowers coming out of the ground or blooming on a tree. A few birds singing, snowcaps melting at the summits.

I don't really know how bunnies can lay eggs in a yard... That never happened in my grand-parents' yard. But the explanation we were given wasn't that much believable either. In my family (as probably in every french family with catholic-rooted traditions), bells traveled all the way from Rome (the Vatican) carrying and spreading all sorts of blessings (among them, I guess, the gospel, but most of all: chocolates!). Chocolates weren't shaped into bunnies. They were sometimes shaped into bells or eggs. Most of the time, what we discovered under a tree or hidden in a bush in the yard was a welcoming chick ("une poule"), filled with smaller chocolates... in the shape of small fish ("la friture")! I didn't really know what symbols were associated with these figurines. I just ate them all without asking. The chick was usually made of a delicious dark chocolate: shiny, crunchy, full of aromas. Even a child can appreciate good stuff. There wasn't an ounce of unneeded sugar in this little marvel. The fish (and a few shrimps, for diversity) came in different colors and flavors: milk, dark, white and even pink chocolate (don't know what was in there). They were usually of lesser quality than the shell, but very delicious nonetheless. Sometimes we had eggs too. Very small ones, either in the chick or in a separate bag. Those were usually candies (caramel or nougatine) covered with chocolate.

After the treasure hunt began another of my favorite times: lunch! My grand-mother, "Mémé Rosine" (she's 96 now), always prepared a very traditional Easter menu that she had inherited from her own mother, an Italian from Montecassino (near Naples) -my great-grand-parents fled Italy in the 1900's, looking for work, and settled in Lyon, were Mémé and her brothers were born. Last Thursday I could only remember some of the dishes that Mémé prepared. I remembered an omelet served as an appetizer and thought it was followed by a roasted lamb shank, served with green beans. I asked my Dad to refresh my memory and here is what he replied to me:

"Il y a bien longtemps que nous nous sommes écartés des traditions culinaires venues d'Italie et transmises par mémé, mais j'ai encore tout cela en mémoire.
En fait il ne s'agissait pas d'agneau, mais de cabri (ou chevreau) cuisiné de différentes manières : les "abattis" c'est à dire les pattes sont rôties puis en fin de cuisson on leur verse dessus un mélange d'oeuf, de jus de citron et parmesan moulu afin d'enrober les morceaux. Il y a très peu de viande à grignoter mais on suce ces abattis en les tenant avec les doigts : un régal.
La partie charnue (le gigot) était cuite normalement au four, accompagnée de ce que l'on veut (pommes de terre sautées, haricots verts). J'oubliais la fameuse "omelette de Pâques" qui est faite des abats du cabri (la fressure : coeur, foie, rate, poumons) coupés en petits morceaux revenus à la poêle avec de la saucisse italienne coupée en rondelles. On verse dessus des oeufs battus en omelette (je crois qu'il en faut au moins une douzaine) et on retourne l'omelette afin qu'elle soit bien saisie des deux côtés. On plante au milieu un petit brin de rameau béni lors de la fête de Rameaux qui précède Pâques, avec lequel le patriarche bénit les convives au début du repas, c'est l'entrée.
La veille de Pâques on mangeait une sorte de gâteau de riz aux oeufs et à la saucisse que mémé appelait le "jarône": on fait cuire du riz créole, que l'on mélange avec des oeufs, du parmesan et des morceaux de saucisse rissolés. On laisse prendre le tout dans un moule haut ou une marmite que l'on doit mettre au four pendant un certain temps ? Et on coupe des tranches. On peut le manger chaud ou froid.
Je me renseignerai auprès de mémé et de Denise pour plus de détails.
En résumé il faut beaucoup d'oeufs (symbole du renouveau de la nature) et un cabri (ou un demi cabri que l'on commande chez le boucher car il n'en a pas régulièrement).
Merci de m'avoir permis de me replonger dans mes souvenirs, j'en ai l'eau à la bouche... "

Need a translation? Here it goes:
"It's been a long time since we've stepped away from our culinary traditions, coming from Italy and handed down by Mémé [my Dad's mother]. But everything is still vivid in my memory.
It wasn't lamb but kid [a young male goat], cooked in different ways: the legs were roasted and coated with a mix of beaten eggs, lemon juice and grated parmesan cheese. There was very little meat to nibble on these pieces but we sucked on them, holding them between two fingers: delicious!
The fleshy part (the upper leg) is roasted normally and served with whatever one wants (green beans [simply boiled in salted water, served with butter and lemon], potatoes [fingerling, sautéed in butter]...). I was forgetting the famous "Easter omelet" which is made with the kid's giblets (heart, liver, spleen, lungs) cut in small cubes and sautéed along with sliced italian sausage. Beaten eggs are poured in the skillet (at least a dozen I believe) and the omelet is flipped so as to cook it well on both sides [this isn't the french way of cooking omelets]. A little boxwood branch, blessed during the Palm Sunday mass a week before Easter is stuck in the center of the omelet. The patriarch blesses all the guests with this branch at the beginning of the meal: the omelet is the appetizer.
The day before Easter we used to eat a kind of rice cake made with eggs and italian sausage that Mémé called "le jarône" [it must be an italian word pronounced with a french accent] : rice is boiled, then mixed with eggs, parmesan cheese and sautéed slices of sausage. I guess this mix was for a while in a deep pan or a pot? Then sliced. We can eat it warm or cold.
I will inquire the details of Mémé or Denise [my Dad's sister].
To sum up, a lot of eggs are needed (eggs are the symbol of nature's rebirth) and a kid (or half kid, that is ordered in advance at the butcher's because he may not stock this meat on a regular basis).
Thank you for allowing me to dive into my memories. My mouth is watering!"

I'll let you know as soon as I get all the details of the feast!...

Savory Tartlets

2006-04-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

Want some fun? I suggest you make a few savory tartlets! This is such a creative activity! It feels like being 4 again and playing with playdough or beads or whatever. Seriously.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a potluck party last Friday and the host asked me to bring a hors d'oeuvre. She said other people in charge of appetizers were bringing salads, a vegetable tray, nachos and salsa... and that I should try to bring something else. I didn't really have time to go grocery shopping for that event but my fridge was well garnished already (which is pretty unusual). Unfortunately the content was very diverse: one tomato here, a piece of cheese there... Nothing in quantities large enough to make a big dish. It was the perfect occasion to bake bite-size quiches!

First I prepared a pâte brisée pie crust following this recipe. Not knowing how many tartlets I would have time to bake, I doubled all the ingredients (but ended up freezing half of the dough). Half a pound flour was enough to make 5x15 (yes! That's 75!) tartlets.

Then I emptied my fridge and started composing different fillings, following my inspiration.

Each batch was baked in a silicon mold at 350F (180C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

I. The first batch of 15 tartlets was made of:

Roma tomatoes (I think I used one or two), cut in small cubes (I removed the seeds and juice)
Black olives (maybe a dozen), pitted and sliced
Cheese. I used Saint Marcelin in some of the tartlets (it's a creamy, creamy cheese from the Alps, so creamy it's usually sold in a little cup) and Fourme d'Ambert in others (a soft blue cheese from central France).

I placed a little piece of cheese at the bottom of each quiche crust then filled them up with tomato and olive dice.

II.On the left of the above picture is a series of whole grain mustard mini-quiches. I used:

1 egg
1 tablespoon crème fraîche (or sour cream)
1 or 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.

I beat all the ingredients together before pouring the mix into the pie crusts.
Since the custard is a little bit liquid, using a silicon mold can be tricky... I placed mine on a cookie sheet to give it the necessary firmness.

III.The batch on the right of the above picture was made as follows:

1 egg
1 tablespoon crème fraîche (or sour cream)
salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg
1 Roma tomato
walnut chunks
Gruyère cheese.

I made a custard by beating together the egg, cream and seasoning. I poured 1 tablespoon of this mix in each pie shell. I added tomato cubes and walnut chunks on top (they sank). Then I sprinkled with grated cheese.

IV. For the 4th batch I made a classic "tarte à l'oignon" (one before last on the above picture) with a personal touch (some wine!). I used:

1 chopped yellow onion (coarsely chopped, that is)
some butter
2 or 3 tablespoons white wine (Chardonnay or Pino Grigio)
custard made of 1 egg, 1 tablespoon crème fraîche, salt, pepper and nutmeg
Gruyère cheese

I cooked the onion in butter (about 1 teaspoon) until transparent (a few minutes on medium-high heat). Then I poured the wine and simmered for about 10 minutes.
I filled up the pie shells with 1 tablespoon custard, poured the onions on top and sprinkled with grated cheese.

V. Last but not least (although it's the easiest one!), I simply placed a piece of cheese (Saint-Marcelin or Fourme d'Ambert) in the pie crusts and toped them with half walnuts. It's shown in the middle in the above picture.

I placed all the tartlets on a cookie sheet and brought this tray to the party. It was so funny watching people trying to figure out what was in each of them!

Today's Lunch

2006-03-28T20:32:00.000-08:00

Today for lunch I brought an endive salad to the office. When endives are small and crisp white, they are not bitter at all and they are so refreshing! Eating raw endives brings as much pleasure to the ears as to the palate. They are divinely crunchy and juicy. Hmmm... I'm salivating!

For 2 (as a main dish):

6 small endives
3 Roma tomatoes
3 hard-boiled eggs
2 handfuls half walnuts
1 handful black olives
1 finely sliced scallion
3 tablespoons vinaigrette dressing

If the endives are small, no need to remove the core. Simply slice them into 1" segments. The leaves will fall apart by themselves. Cut the core into 4 pieces.
Cut the tomatoes into 4 wedges then in 2 again.
Cut the eggs into 4 wedges.
Slice the scallion thinly (use the white part and some of the tender green but not the whole length of it).
Add the walnuts and olives.
Toss with the salad dressing.

Another popular endive salad is made with cubed Gruyère cheese, green apple slices, walnuts (and endives).

Last year on March 24...

2006-03-24T00:02:00.000-08:00

Last year on March 24, I hit the "Publish" button of my very first post! My French Cuisine was born, with the sweet taste of a chocolate mousse. It took me 365 days to make another one and take a picture this time.

My first year of food blogging has been everything from fun to frustrating, from motivating (what a good excuse to try out new recipes,to spend the time to care about the details, and to try to make the dish look as nice as possible...) to discouraging (why work so hard on publishing recipes while there are so many wonderful blogs out there?). It has been rewarding many times (thank you all for your nice comments and emails!). And I guess overall it has been a very satisfying learning experience in many more ways that I could have imagined. The bottom line is that I feel like sticking around some more on the blogosphere. :-)

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog so far and that you'll come back often! "Your opinion is important to us" so don't hesitate to leave a comment any time.

La moutarde me monte au nez

2006-03-18T15:43:00.000-08:00

Be reassured, I'm not actually loosing my temper. I just want to explain another food idiom! La moutarde me monte au nez litterally means "the mustard is getting up my nose". Now if you've ever tried real Dijon mustard (it's much hotter than the one sold in the US; even French brands seem to make it milder for exportation), you can imagine the effect of eating a spoonful of this nose-tickling condiment. When someone is upset and his/her face gets gradually red (you know, like in cartoons!), you can tell that "la moutarde lui monte au nez".

Talking about mustard, I have a new favorite brand! I was looking for Maille mustard the other day at Whole Foods Market but couldn't find it. Maille is excellent (they used to sell it in gigantic jars -1 pound!- at Williams Sonoma. Can't find it there anymore). Not knowing what to do, and not being able to live a few days without mustard, I picked a jar Beaufor's extra strong Dijon mustard at random (well not exactly. It was the "cheapest" -read the least expensive- jar on Whole Foods' gourmet shelves). And it turns out to be the best mustard I've ever tasted overseas! The fact that it is "extra strong" brings it to the the expected spiciness level. Their Moutarde à l'Ancienne (whole-grain mustard) and Moutarde aux Herbes de Provence are exquisite too.

International Women's Day

2006-03-07T23:56:00.000-08:00

No cooking today...

March 8 is International Women's Day. Although there is much to celebrate about, this day should also be a time to remember that there is a lot left to accomplish for women's rights, health and education around the world, even in "developed" countries. The simple fact that there is a need for a yearly event to celebrate women's achievements speaks volumes.

Here are a few links where you can find information on the subject.

International Women's Day website
United Nations: women in decision making
Amnesty International: stop violence against women
Wikipedia's article
In the news

Back to recipes in my next post...

"Quatre Quarts" Pound Cake

2006-03-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

Here is a cake recipe that's really piece of cake: the pound cake. The name of this cake comes from the fact that all ingredients are weighed and used in equal proportions (traditionally, one pound each of flour, butter, eggs and sugar). In French we call it "Quatre quarts" (litterally "4 fourths"), also reflecting the fact that all 4 ingredients are used in equal amounts.
It is a very simple yet deliciously fragrant and addictive cake. No additional flavoring is needed if you choose good quality products. The biggest challenge is to beat and blend the ingredients well enough to make the cake moist and fluffy (otherwise "pound cake" will have a very different meaning!). So:

Take 3 large eggs and weigh them. They should weigh about 2 oz. each (60 grams).
Weigh the same amount of all-purpose flour: 6 oz. (180 grams) or 1 1/4 cups
Weigh the same amount of sugar: 6 oz. (180 grams) or 3/4 cup
Weigh the same amount of butter: 6 oz. (180 grams) or 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks).
You can use unsalted and salted butter (50-50), or unsalted butter alone with a good amount of salt (up to 1 teaspoon). The first time I've used salted butter in a pound cake, I thought I'd just made a huge mistake (I intended to use unsalted butter) and panicked. But it turned out to be really good, maybe even better than with unsalted butter: all the simple and earthy flavors of the butter, sugar and egg are enhanced by the salt. And it gives the cake the unique flavor of Britany pastries, that also use "beurre demi-sel". Free trip to the beach!

Pour the sugar in a large bowl. Pour the melted butter* and blend it in with a wooden spoon until smooth.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Set the whites aside.
Add the egg yolks to the sugar-butter mix. Stir well (with the wooden spoon). The more energetically you beat, the fluffier the cake.
Slowly add the sifted flour and incorporate it gradually as it falls on the batter.
Add some salt (up to a whole teaspoon). This isn't needed if you are using salted butter.
Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat until stiff. If the egg whites have been beaten enough you should be able to flip the bowl upside down and they won't fall down... Up to you to take the risk!
Incorporate the egg whites to the batter, one big spoonful at a time, very delicately, making under-and-over motions until evenly blended. The foam (air bubble) shouldn't "break". This is also a very important step in getting a fluffy cake.
Pour the batter in a buttered round metallic cake mold (about ~~12"~~ 9-10 inches in diameter).
Bake at 350F (180C) for about 45 minutes or until baked (if you stick a knife in the center of the cake it should come out dry).

* For long I've melted butter directly in the cake pan, in the preheating oven. This way the mold was buttered and I didn't have to wash another dish. But it's easy to "over melt" the butter (i.e. get to the point where it's bright yellow and oily rather than white and foamy). Now that I have a micro-wave (it's only been a few months, believe it or not) I find it even more convenient to melt the butter in there. My micro-wave even has a "melt butter" button!

Food Idioms - C'est pas du gâteau !

2006-02-28T19:36:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed how food sometimes ends up in expressions that have nothing to do with it? Like "piece of cake", "apple to apple", "cool as a cucumber", etc. Well, you can imagine that French people, food-centric as they are, have tons of food idioms as well. Some of them are regional, others are used very commonly all over the country; and all are so picturesque!

I thought it would be fun to explain some of them (the cream of the crop!) in this blog, along with pictures and a recipe if possible. I'll sum them up in the "Food Idioms" section under "My Recipes" (on your right).
If you want to share your favorite French or English idioms, please do so! Leave a comment!

Let's start with an easy one. "It's a piece of cake" can be directly translated into "c'est du gâteau", meaning "it's easy", like in English. But the French idiom is often used in the negative way : "c'est pas du gâteau" (it's difficult), sometimes substituting cake for pie: "c'est pas de la tarte". Does it depict a cultural trait ?...

Mushrooms à la grecque

2006-02-22T21:20:00.000-08:00

This supposedly Greek recipe has many variants but the idea is to cook white mushrooms in a spiced tomato sauce, and eat them cold as an appetizer, along with other salads. As the days are getting longer and warmer in California, this dish (which is great for a buffet or a barbecue party) came to mind to welcome the early spring time.

Ingredients:

250 g (1/2 pound) white mushrooms. Choose them small and firm.
the juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup white wine (a dry one, e.g. Pino Grigio)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 branch thyme
1 bay leaf
about 20 whole coriander seeds
salt and pepper

Preparation:

Clean the mushrooms (cut the end of the stem), wash them and dry them with a paper towel.
Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, white wine and tomato paste. Add the whole coriander seeds.
Bring this sauce to a boil and keep at high heat for one minute.
Add the mushroom and boil (over medium-high heat) for 8 to 10 minutes, uncovered.
Let the mushrooms cool down then store in the fridge until it's time to eat!

Variants:

You can add 1/2 chopped yellow onion, 1 garlic clove and/or 1 cubed carrot to the sauce. Sautée the veggies first in olive oil, then add the other ingredients and bring the sauce to a boil.
You can use 2 fresh tomatoes instead of (or in addition to) the tomato paste. Cook the sauce a little longer before adding the mushrooms (otherwise it will be too liquid).
You can sprinkle the mushrooms with italian parsley once they are cooked.

Crêpe Party

2006-02-16T23:21:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago (February 2nd) was La Chandeleur. We've always celebrated this holiday in my family, mostly because of the culinary tradition associated with it (les crêpes!). Our parents and grand parents used to prepare the crêpe batter and we used to cook a few crêpes ourselves (my sister, my 2 cousins and me), even at an early age. There was so much excitement in the kitchen that accidents happened almost every year... I burnt my cousin's ear once (we were maybe 9-10 years old), carrying the hot pan all around the kitchen to find the best spot from where to flip my crêpe... I also crunched his fingers in a door another year... Ouch (you noticed that I only remember the accidents I provoked... I'm sure, though, that they weren't the only ones!). Fortunately these misfortunes were always soon forgotten, the tears were quickly dried and we could spend the rest of the afternoon eating crêpes with jam, chocolate, brown sugar and butter... never tired of eating sweets.

Last Sunday night we had a belated Chandeleur party with our friends Vince, Tammy and Mitch. We prepared two batches of batter, one with buckwheat flour ("sarrasin" in French) for savory crêpes, one with regular all-purpose flour and some beer (a North-of-France recipe brought to Lyon by my grand mother) for sweet crêpes.

Sorry, we ate all the crêpes before I could take any picture! But here are the recipes.

Buckwheat flour crêpe batter:

350 g (20 oz.) buckwheat flour
65 cL (22 oz.) milk
2 tablespoon crème fraî��che (alternatively, whipping cream)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks

Use a wooden spoon to prepare the crêpe batter.
Sift the flour over a large bowl. With the spoon, make a hole in the center of the flour pile.
Pour the milk in this "well" and start incorporating the flour by making very small then larger circles from the center of the dish. The mix should become homogeneous.
Add the crème fraîche and blend it in the batter.
Then add the 2 egg yolks and the whole egg.
When the eggs are fully incorporated, sprinkle with salt and mix well again.
Let sit for 2 hours at room temperature, covered with a clean cloth.

Batter for sweet crêpes:

250 g (14 oz.) whole purpose white flour
25 cL (8 1/2 oz.) milk
25 cL (8 1/2 oz.) beer (mild-flavored pale ale or yeast beer)
3 whole eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons melted butter (alternatively, but it's not as good: canola oil)
optionally (but not really necessary), 1 or 2 tablespoons sugar

Use a wooden spoon to prepare the crêpe batter.
Sift the flour over a large bowl. With the spoon, make a hole in the center of the flour pile.
Pour half of the milk and beer in this "well" and start incorporating the flour by making very small then larger circles from the center of the dish. The mix shoud become homogeneous.
Beat the 3 whole eggs in a separate bowl, as you would do to prepare an omlette.
Pour the eggs on the batter and stir.
When the eggs are fully incorporated, add the salt and butter and mix well again.
Finish by pouring the other half of the liquid (milk + beer) and mix well. The batter should be fluid but not liquid.
Let sit for 2 hours at room temperature, covered with a clean cloth.

How to cook crêpes:

To cook the crêpes, use a non-stick pan with low edges. Make sure to choose a really flat pan that will diffuse the heat evenly.

Pour a little bit of canola oil on a paper towel and rub the inside of the pan to coat it with oil.
Heat up the pan (on high heat). Pour about 1 ladle of crêpe batter in the center and quickly tilt the pan and rotate it to cover the whole pan surface with batter. Alternatively you can use a wooden ustensil in a T shape to spread the batter. The first crêpe is usually not good looking... So don't worry.
Cook a few minutes on each side. To find out if the side in contact with the pan is cooked, shake the pan : it's cooked if the crêpe moves freely. If it sticks to the pan, cook some more. To flip the crêpe, either use a wooden spatula or flip it in the air: make some room around you, lift the pan, give a quick but strong wrist whipping motion to free the crêpe from the pan and make a loop in the air with the pan. It's hard to explain but after a few trial it's very easy to do. In my family we used to hold a golden coin (my grand-mother had a few "Louis d'Or" from long ago) in the hand holding the pan. If you flipped the crêpe correctly you'd be lucky and prosperous for the entire year. It's worth trying!

Buckwheat crêpe fillings (what we had the other night):

ratatouille (1 yellow onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 branch thyme, 1 bay leaf, 3 skinned red bell peppers, 4 zucchinis, 1 eggplant -cubed and salted 15 minutes in advance to remove bitterness, one 28 oz. can of whole peeled plum tomatoes. Simmer in olive oil 15 minutes without the tomatoes then 20-30 more minutes with them, until all the veggies are tender. Sprinkle with fresh italian parsley before serving)
spinach and ricotta (fresh spinach leaves sautéed 1 or 2 minutes in a pan with 1 tbsp butter, then add 2 or 3 tbsp ricotta cheese and cook 1 more minute. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg)
mushrooms (1 diced yellow onion and 1 pound sliced white mushrooms cooked in 1 tbsp butter with 1 cup white wine. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with fresh italian parsley before serving)
home-made fresh cheese (1/3 goat, 2/3 cow milk)
sliced Heirloom tomatoes
any combination of the above (e.g. ratatouille topped with fresh cheese, spinach topped with sliced tomatoes, etc...)

Other ideas:

Brie, Boursin, grated Gruyere cheese, blue cheese...
ham and cheese
paté
sunny-side-up egg directly cooked on the crêpe, while the crêpe is cooking
... you name it.

Sweet crêpe fillings (what we had the other night):

jam (peach, fig and blueberry)
Nutella and roasted sliced almonds
honey (and roasted sliced almonds)
bananes flambées (slice 2 bananas in their length. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350F in a buttered dish. Pour 1 cup brown rhum in a sauce pan. Heat up a few minutes. When it's close to boiling, pour the hot rhum on the baked bananas and light up with a match -be careful). You can place a piece of dark chocolate on each banana half: it will melt... Yum!

It would also be great with:

butter
butter and brown sugar ("cassonade", another North-of-France marvel)
honey and walnuts
... much more.

Cream of Tomato Soup with Cumin and Greek Yogurt

2006-02-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

I've always been attracted by cookbooks and I've accumulated quite a few since I can read. Each of them has its very own style, its load of good ideas and advice, mouth watering pictures and descriptions... They are also full of memories of the place and time I bought them or the person who offered them to me and the occasion. They evoke so many past meals and daring recipe experiments! They are also a constant invitation to gustative discoveries.

I got my latest cookbook a month ago in France (a thoughtful gift from Pierre): Bar à Soupes, published by Marabout. Anne-Catherine Bley (the author) explains how she opened the first soup bar in Paris, after having watched Seinfeld on TV and been to New York where she became enthusiastic about the whole concept. She has published several soup recipe books and some of them are translated in English. This one isn't yet...

The recipes are sorted by main ingredients (tomato, carrot, greens, dry beans, etc.) or by type (broths, traditional soups, soups with cheese, dessert soups...). There are also a lot of variants: one basic recipe and several ideas on how to modify/enhance it. I also like the pictures (by Akiko Ida), taken in the soup bar, of people religiously (or sometimes gluttonously!) eating their bowl of soup.

The very first recipe in the book is a cream of tomato soup. It comes with many inspired variants but I had to come up with my own, based on my fridge's content the other day... Here is my version of the "velouté de tomates":

1 big can (28 oz., about 800 grams) whole peeled tomatoes
1 or 2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
1 branch thyme
1 bay leaf
2 or 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt (e.g. FAGE "Total", classic or 2%)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sugar cube (or 1 teaspoon crystal sugar)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
salt and pepper as needed
1 cup (about 25 centiliters) water

Peel and coarsely chop the onion and garlic (remove the stem first). Heat the olive oil in a pot and start cooking the onion and garlic slowly (they shouldn't change color).
Add the tomato paste, "le bouquet garni" (thyme and bay leaf), cumin seeds and sugar.
Add the tomatoes and stir with a spoon to mix all the ingredients together. The tomatoes can stay whole.
Pour the water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the thyme and bay leave.
Blend as smoothly as possible with an electric blender.
Add the Greek yogurt and mix well.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve the soup and sprinkle with a few cumin seeds on top of each bowl.

Apple - Rhubarb Preserves

2006-01-27T21:38:00.000-08:00

I was wandering in the produce aisle of my favorite grocery store the other day when my eyes got caught by a bright pink bunch of rhubarb sticks, comfortably "seated" between other delicious yet not as visually attractive vegetables. I instantly had the illusion that the slightly acidic taste of this beautiful plant was arising in my mouth. I only had to think for an extra second to also "taste" the apples that would perfecly complement my next sweet-and-sour dessert. I picked a few branches of rhubarb, chose a few Cameo and Sundowner apples, and day-dreamed until I got home and could finally cook these fruits. I love the color transfer that gave the preserves their warm pinky touch!

Apple-Rhubarb Preserves

- 3 apples
- 4 rhubarb sticks
- 2 tablespoons (brown) sugar
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup water

1. Peel the rhubarb while cutting it in 1" or 2" chunks.
2. Peel and seed the apples. Cut them in 4 or 8 pieces.
3. Place the fruits in a pot. Sprinkle with sugar. Pour the water. Toss a little.
4. Slowly simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the fruits are soft but they sill hold their shape.
5. Serve warm or cold with a few madeleines or shortbreads, a scoop of vanilla ice cream... or on its own.

Celery rémoulade

2006-01-19T21:51:00.000-08:00

Le celeri rémoulade is a popular celery root salad with a mayonnaise-based dressing. You can serve it with other little appetizers such as carottes râpées (freshly shredded carrots with a lemon juice and olive oil dressing), sliced tomatoes, cubed beets (boiled about 30 minutes in a pressure cooker), macedoine, etc... Artfully arranged in concentric circles in one big plate these colorful salads will look like a beautiful and edible flower. :-)

Celery rémoulade can be found at any deli in France but since it isn't the case in Sunnyvale, as probably in many other places around the globe, why not make some ourselves? It's very easy.

What you need:
- 1 celery root
- rémoulade dressing:
. 1 hard-boiled egg (10 minutes)
. 1 raw egg
. 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (e.g. Maille or Amora)
. 1 teaspoon vinegar (e.g. apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar)
. canola oil (1 or 2 cups or as much as you want)
. salt and pepper
. optionally, 1 teaspoon tarragon

1. Prepare the celery root.
- If you have a good mixer with a shredder attachment, peel the celery root and shred it then boil it ("blanch it") for no more than 3 minutes in salted water. It should remain slightly crunchy.
- I don't have a good mixer with a shredder attachment so I use my mandoline on the julienne position. Since the celery root is very hard, I peel it and boil it first for 4 minutes in salted water to soften it up a little. Then I julienne the celery root with the mandoline and blanch it for only 1 minute.
Whatever method you choose, make sure to keep the water. It is an excellent, flavorful and healthy broth that you can use in your next veggie soup. You can freeze it very easily.

2. Prepare the rémoulade dressing. It is basically a very mustardy mayonnaise to which we add a thinly chopped hard boiled egg. Additional seasoning (such as tarragon) can be used. Some recipes also add parsley and even finely chopped cornichons (small French pickled gherkins) and capers. This is purely optional as long as the mustard is strong enough. Note that rémoulade is a smooth dressing: the herbs should blend in rather than make chunks.
- Place the mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl or jar. Stir a little. Add the egg yolk and start mixing more vigorously with a hand whish. If you are using an electric blender (as I do) you can use the whole egg. The mayonnaise will be lighter in color and texture. Pour the oil in a thin stream while mixing/whisking continuously. Make sure to get the emulsion going (i.e. get a thick and homogeneous sauce) before adding more oil. You can add as much oil as you need mayonnaise. For this dish, 1 to 2 cups should be enough. Add some seasoning if you want (tarragon -dried of fresh, fresh parsley, cornichons, capers...).

3. Chop the hard boil egg very thinly and incorporate it to the sauce.

4. Drain the celery root and place it in a salad bowl. Pour the rémoulade dressing on top and toss until the dressing is evenly spread. The flavors will be better absorbed if the celery is still warm when you mix in the dressing.

5. Let cool down before eating. The celery rémoulade gets even better if you leave it in the fridge overnight. This will give it time to marinate a little.

O, papillottes!

2006-01-16T22:16:00.000-08:00

Coming back from Lyon last week-end I brought back many gourmet memories (what a wonderful trip it was!) but also lots of tangible souvenirs, especially from the chocolate department: a good way to keep the holiday spirit going! My favorite ones around Christmas are les papillottes. This specialty from the Lyon region is on every table at the end of the year. The best of the best are made by Révillon Chocolatier in Roanne, about 50 miles west of Lyon, in a beautiful and hilly countryside.

Papillottes are a treat for all the senses. With their shiny envelope, they look like somptuous little presents. Choose one at random in the bag or plate for a delicious surprise. Take the little jewel between your fingers and pull gently on each end of the package: the metallic wrap makes a delicious rustling noise that wakens the ear and waters the mouth. As the papillotte opens up, the chocolate fragrances rise up to your nose. You are about to indulge yourself with dark, milk or white chocolate and an irresitible filling such as ganache, praliné, hazelnuts or nougat. You could even get a flavorful fruit paste (quince if you're lucky). While eating the sweet treat, read the joke or saying printed on a little piece of white paper placed inside the wrap, around the chocolate. Let the chocolate melt in your mouth. Meditate and enjoy... Then pick another one :-)

Apple Tart in Los Angeles

2005-12-19T23:39:00.000-08:00

Yet another classic: la tarte aux pommes!

We're just back from Los Angeles where we've spent 3 days with our friends Mike and Failop, as a warm and cosy "pre-vacation" (we're leaving tonight for France where we surely will experience another climate!). On Friday night we all cooked dinner together. Mike prepared a sweet and velvety butternut squash soup (with pears and cream). Failop cooked a juicy pork tenderloin with herbs and potatoes, served with roasted aspargus. Pierre and I baked an apple tart. There are so many French bakeries around Mike and Failop's apartment in Westwood that we had been salivating all day thinking of a nice pastry for our sweet tooth. It was simple enough to satisfy our craving. Here is how the recipe goes:

1 pâte brisée pie crust (see my recipe)
3 to 5 juicy apples depending on their size (we used 5 small organic Cameo apples this time)
For the custard:

1 whole egg
about 3 tablespoons sugar
about 1 cup milk

Some sugar (1 or 2 tablespoons) to sprinkle on the top

Roll out the pie crust on a tart dish (buttered or lined with parchment paper).
Peel the apples and remove the core. Slice them in thin wedges. Place them on the pie crust in a spiral on in concentrical circles, starting from the edge of the crust and going inward, the thicker side of the wedges facing up.
Prepare the custard: beat the whole egg with the sugar. Add the milk and beat well.
Pour this mix on the apples. Sprinkle with sugar.
Bake 30 to 45 minutes at 360F.

There was some pie crust left... We had foreseen this and bought some raclette cheese, a Swiss cheese perfect for melting. We cut the pie crust left overs in small rectangles (maybe 1"x3"), placed a smaller rectangle of cheese on top and rolled them together. After 10-15 minutes in the oven at 360F and 2 minutes under the broiler, we had delicious crispy snacks!

Now it's time to get on the plane and enjoy 2 1/2 weeks of chocolaty delicacies, home made marvels, restaurant creations, regional specialties.... I wish you all Happy Holidays and see you next year!

Black Lentil Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Onions

2005-12-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

Holiday season often rimes with potluck parties. We were invited to a very cool one yesterday night to celebrate winter and its many delights with our friends before everyone goes on vacation. Each of us was in charge of bringing a specialty from ones native region. The buffet was therefore composed of mexican guacamole, tunisian roasted vegetables, Provence wine and many more succulent dishes. Pierre and I opted for a lentil salad, in honor of our native city of Lyon, proud capital of gastronomy, although our salad ended up not being truely à la lyonnaise.
The proportions below are for a big, big potluck party salad that can serve 15+ people as an appetizer. It can be prepared one day in advance.

Lentil Salad:

Rinse 1 pound black lentils in warm water.
Coarsely chop 1 yellow onion.
Peel 2 or 3 garlic cloves, cut in half and remove the stem.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large pan.
Add the onion, garlic, 1 bay leaf and 1 branch fresh thyme. Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat to soften without coloring.
Add the lentils. Stir a little then add 1 bottle white wine (a light and dry one. Pino Griggio is perfect). There must be enough liquid to cover the lentils. Add water if necessary.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 45 minutes or until the lentils are soft and they have absorbed most of the liquid.
In the meantime prepare a vinaigrette dressing with Dijon mustard (2 tbs), Jerez vinegar (spanish sherry vinegar, 2 tbs), olive oil (6 tbs), salt and pepper.
Pour the vinaigrette on the lentils while warm to allow them to absorb the dressing's flavors.
Add the roasted tomatoes and roasted onions (see recipes below) cut in large wedges (remove the rosemary, thyme and garlic from the tomatoes).
Serve cool but not cold.

Roasted Tomatoes:

Rinse 4 ripe tomatoes. Cut in half and remove the seeds with a teaspoon.
Sprinkle with salt and let drain, face down on a paper towel, for about 10 minutes.
Place the tomatoes face up on an oven-safe dish. Sprinkle with salt and thinly chopped garlic (2 cloves).
Add fresh rosemary and thyme and a few drops olive oil.
Bake at 330F for 45 minutes.

Roasted Onions:

Rinse 2 yellow onions, whole with their skin.
Place them on a metal dish (a cookie sheet for example).
Bake them for 1 hour or until soft at 350F.
Peel them once they have cooled down and cut into 6 or 8 wedges.

Baked Cod with Tomatoes and Preserved Limes

2005-12-01T08:42:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I was left with several limes after a party where we didn't drink quite as many cocktails as we anticipated. Not knowing what to do with so many limes (they're a rare fruit in my kitchen) I browsed as usual on Marmiton.org (they also have an English version) and found an amazing Carribean chicken recipe using preserved limes (citrons verts confits à l'huile d'olive). The first step was then to make the preserve... This is how I made my first jar of olive oil preserved limes.

The chicken was awesome. Several months past before I thought about my limes again, quietly waiting for my attention in the fridge's door. I wanted to assort the limes with other ingredients. I had in mind that preserved limes would be the perfect condiment for fish. So here's what I "concocted".

Baked Cod with Tomatoes and Preserved Limes:
Serves 2.

1 big North Atlantic Cod filet
1 big ripe tomato
1/2 yellow onion
olive oil
salt and pepper
a dozen slices of preserved limes (see the recipe at the end of this post)

Rinse and slice the tomato. Chop the onion. Drain the lime slices.
In an oven-safe dish, spread 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place half the tomato slices at the bottom of the dish, one next to the other. Place half the slices of preserved lime on the tomato slices. Sprinkle with half the minced onion. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut the cod filet in two pieces and place them in the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with the other half of tomato slices. Place lime slices on the tomatoes. Finish with a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper.
Bake about 30 minutes at 365F.

We served the fish with rice Pilaf. The tomato juice and olive oil combined perfectly with the bitterness of the limes. Very nice!

Preserved Limes:

1 lb. organic limes
salt (about 2 tablespoons)
olive oil (2-3 cups or mode depending on the jar's size)
2 or 3 cloves
1 bay leaf

Rinse the limes (whole, with their skin) and dry them with a paper towel.
Slice the limes (about 1/2 cm or 1/4" thick). Place them in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and let them drain for 12 hours.
Remove the excess salt by gently damping the lime slices with a paper towel.
Place the slices in an air tight jar. Add the cloves and bay leaf. Pour olive oil until all the slices are fully sinked.
Wait at least 1 week before using. This preserve can be kept up to one year in the fridge, if the limes are organic.

Eggs "à la coque"

2005-11-25T08:10:00.000-08:00

I've always been fascinated by the myriad of beautiful ways eggs are cooked in the US and Anglo-Saxon countries in general. The names are so appealing: sunny side up, over easy, eggs Benedict... Omelets come with a long and imaginative list of ingredients that varies from one region to the other. Eating eggs in the morning makes breakfast a real feast! I love it.

There's nothing comparable in France... Eggs are eaten much less often, traditionally for lunch or dinner, where they replace meat, as a lighter and cheaper option. We use eggs extensively in pastry, custards, sauces and the like but rarely as the center piece of a meal. And our "omelettes" usually contain... well, eggs, salt and pepper... with sometimes (but not necessarily!) a single other ingredient like mushrooms, fresh herbs or tomatoes. At least that's the way it is in my family.

However, there is one recipe that you guys might not know yet... The funny and delicious "œufs à la coque". The eggs are soft boiled, for only 3 minutes. This is just enough time to harden the white and get the yolk warm but liquid. The eggs are placed immediately in a cute little dish, "le coquetier", just big enough to hold the eggs upright.

Children love eggs à la coque and I was no exception. My Dad was always assigned to cut off the top of the eggs, knocking on the shell with a dull knife. He would then remove "le chapeau" and I would start with this piece, scooping off the egg white with a little spoon. I would then dip "les mouillettes" in the yolk (these are buttered toasts cut into long "fingers"), and scoop the egg white at the bottom. My favorite joke was to flip the empty eggshell up side down and ask: "Papa, can you cut off the top of my egg for me?" Of course he would play along, even after a thousand times, and look genuinely surprised to find out the shell was empty!

As an adult the first part (eating the egg!) is still truly enjoyable. You should try, even for breakfast!

To sum up, you need:

1 egg per person
1 slice white or whole wheat bread, toasted
butter

Gently sink the eggs in boiling water.
Boil for 3 minutes (4 if they are very cold).
Place in egg cups or on a bed of lettuce leaves (the idea is to hold the eggs upright).
In the meantime, toast the bread, spread butter and cut into "fingers", the size of french fries.
Cut off the top of the egg, "le chapeau" ("the hat").
Eat the egg white with a tea spoon.
Dip the toasted bread fingers in the yolk.

If the eggs are part of a lunch or dinner, they can be served with a green leaves salad.

A day in the kitchen

2005-11-10T23:29:00.000-08:00

Is there anything more rewarding than sharing the result of ones culinary efforts with friends or family? I had this wonderful and pleasurable experience last week-end: I invited my dear friends (we were seven adults and three babies) and made ambitious plans for the menu. Pierre and I spent the whole Saturday in the kitchen, and we harvested the fruits on our hard work on Sunday enjoying the good food and wine and the excellent company. Here is what we prepared:

Pastis, fruit juices and tiny snacks
*
Red bell pepper coulis, cumin feta cheese and roasted pistachios by the glass
Mixed greens salad with hazelnut vinaigrette
*
Veal paupiettes cooked in white wine
Fresh pasta with a Chanterelle-mushroom tomato sauce
*
Cheese plate
Home made rosemary bread rolls
*
Pear and green apple sorbet
Almond chocolate croquants

Apéritif is big in France. It usually takes place in the living room (or in the backyard on a hot day), where everyone (including the host!) has a chance to sit down and relax over an informal chat. People are sometimes invited for the apéritif only and the snacks and beverages that are served can get very fancy and numerous. But last Sunday our apéritif was very simple and light: I didn't want my guests to be full before starting lunch! We had Pastis, a refreshing anis alcohol, served with water -Pastis makes you believe you're sitting at a café on a tree-lined village square in South of France. We also had fruit juices and a few olives, mixed nuts and tapenade spread on tiny toasts.

The appetizer was served in glasses, as it seems to be the trend in France right now (this is just a guess based on my readings of Marmiton's forum). I tried a recipe found on my favorite website. I prepared the three main ingredients on Saturday as they could be stored (separately) in the fridge overnight. First I needed to broil the red bell peppers (4 pounds of them, about 5 minutes on each side, grill set on high) until the skin became black and detached itself from the veggie's flesh. I let the peppers in the oven 10-15 more minutes (oven and grill turned off) to let them cook a little then peeled and seeded them. I blended the peppers' flesh and added about one tablespoon of olive oil (then placed this coulis in a plastic box, in the fridge). I cut about 1/2 pound feta cheese in small cubes, added 2 tablespoons of crushed cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and mixed everything with a fork (another plastic box in the fridge). Lastly I chopped a handfulsulls of dry-roasted, unsalted, shelled pistachios. Just before serving on Sunday, I poured about 3 tablespoons of bell pepper coulis in each glass (I chose sturdy whisky glasses), added 1 1/2 tablespoon of feta cheese on top and sprinkled with pistachios. The glasses were served along with a mixed baby greens salad with a delicious hazelnut oil vinaigrette dressing prepared by Pierre.

Paupiettes are little pouches of meat, usually a veal round stuffed with ground meat. I based my veal paupiettes on several recipes and comments I'd found in my cook books and on the internet. I bought 8 slices of veal round for scaloppini. The stuffing was made with 1 pound of ground veal, 3 or 4 fresh Chanterelle mushrooms (chopped), 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs (finely chopped chives and ), 1 whole slightly beaten egg and about 1/2 slice of sandwich bread (without the crust, cut in small cubes). Plus salt and pepper. Once everything was mixed together I placed the veal round on a cutting board, placed a slice of on each slice of veal and placed 1/8th of the stuffing (about 1 tablespoon) in the center. Then I rolled them and tied them up like a gift box. I sautéed the paupiettes a minute or two in a lot of butter, until the meat got a nice golden color, then poured about 1 cup of white wine in the pot (Pino Griggio is great for cooking) and let simmer for one hour on medium heat, with a lid.

The paupiettes were served with home-made pasta. Pierre made the dough and I helped him roll it out and cut it into fetuccine with his pasta maker. The sauce came from one of Jamie Oliver's books. First I cooked the tomatoes: I peeled 6 big ripe tomatoes after having boiled them for about 20 seconds and made sure to let them intact (according to the naked chef, the seeds are what make the sauce bitter, so it's better to cook the tomatoes whole). I heated a pan containing a few tablespoons of olive oil and added a chopped garlic clove, a dry chili pepper and a tablespoon of dry oregano. After a few minutes I added the whole tomatoes, covered the pan and let simmer for about 1 hour. While turning off the heat I added 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and stirred. Then I sprinkled fresh basil and marjoram (1 tablespoon, coarsely chopped) and let the sauce cool down. I put it in a box in the fridge... The next morning just after my guests arrived, I prepared the mushrooms. I had about 1/2 pound fresh Chanterelle mushrooms and 1 bag of dried Cepes. I poured 300 ml of boiling water on the dry mushroom (in a bowl, obviously) and let them there for 15 minutes. In the meantime I cut the Chanterelles into large slices. I heated a pan with olive oil and added 1 garlic clove and a few branches of thyme. After 1 or 2 minutes I added all the mushrooms (drained, but I kept the cepes water) and let them cook for 5 minutes. Then I poured about 2/3 of the cepes water, trying to leave the impurities at the bottom of the bowl. After 5-10 minutes I poured the tomato sauce on the mushrooms, mainly to reheat it. Just before serving I added 1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese. Hmmm... Yummy!

The cheese plate is almost inevitable Frenchrench table. It always comes after the main course and before the dessert. On our cheese plate was Brie, Saint-Félicien, Mimolette and Tomme de Savoie. We tried to balance the plate, serving creamy cheese as well as dry ones, all with very different flavors. We served home-made ("Pierre-made") rosemary bread rolls. I'll ask Pierre to reveal his breadmaker secrets in a future post!

Last but not least... Le dessert. Pierre prepared a delicious sorbet on Saturday. He poached 4 Bosc pears and 4 green apples in boiling water (peeled, cored and cut in pieces) with a lemon rind and a stick of cinnamon for about 8 minutes. He then blended the fruits (drained, he kept the water) with the juice of the lemon until smooth. He prepared a syrup with 4 tablespoon brown sugar and 2 1/2 fl. oz. of the fruits' water (brought to a boil for 1 minute) then added the fruit purée to it and mixed well. He froze the sorbet on a cookie sheet and blended it 3 times every 2 hours before placing it in its final container.

In the meantime I prepared Provence croquants, which are small hard almond cookies. My recipe said to mix together 400 grams of all-purpose flour, 250 grams of whole roasted almonds (with the skin), 125 grams of powdered sugar and a pinch of salt, then to incorporate 4 whole eggs to the dough. I rolled the dough into logs about 1 inch in diameter and baked them 10 minutes at 350F. When I sliced them I realized they weren't cooked enough... So I turned the croquants into biscotti! I baked the slices at 350F for 10-15 more minutes. Then I tasted one... And I realized they weren't sweet enough to my taste! So I melted dark chocolate and dipped each biscotti in it. A long and epic adventure.

With all these dishes prepared in advance for the most part we had plenty of time on Sunday for our friends. And of course we cooked so many things that the fridge and freezer have been full ever since: we won't have to cook anything for a while!

Roasted Bell Pepper Salad

2005-10-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

This Mediterranean salad is really simple and very refreshing. It could be served as an appetizer with a good slice of bread or as a side dish with grilled meat. It works great on the barbecue but you can also roast the bell peppers in the oven.

4 red, orange and/or yellow bell peppers
2 shallots
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
if you want: 1 or 2 garlic cloves

Rinse the bell peppers and place them on a cookie sheet in the oven. Turn on the grill to its highest temperature.
Rinse the shallots and wrap each of them in aluminum foil without peeling them. Place them in the oven with the peppers.
Do the same with the whole, non-peeled garlic cloves.
Allow the bell peppers to roast on each side until the skin becomes dark brown and bubbly (about 5 minutes on each side). Flip the shallots and garlic cloves once in a while as well.
Once the bell peppers are roasted remove all the veggies from the oven. Place the bell peppers in a plastic box and close it. The steam coming out of the peppers will help detach the skin from the flesh. Pour cold water on the (closed) box to cool it down.
Peel the bell peppers and remove their seeds. Cut them in long strips and place them in a salad bowl.
Unwrap the shallots and garlic cloves, peel them and slice them. Add them to the salad.
Sprinkle salt, pepper and ground coriander seeds on the salad.
Pour two tablespoons of olive oil and toss.

Cherry Tomato and Pesto Quiche

2005-09-21T00:18:00.000-07:00

I'm making an exception today: the following recipe is not a classical French dish but something I "invented" yesterday night while trying to use up the cherry tomatoes and basil growing in my backyard. Since it turned out really good I wanted to share this new recipe with you guys (there are more quiche ideas here). So here it goes:

home-made pâte brisée quiche crust
about 4 tablespoons of home-made pesto sauce
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes (it should work with 3 sliced "regular size" tomatoes)
3 eggs
2 tablespoons of crème fraîche (or sour cream)
salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg
gruyère cheese

Roll out the dough and place it in a buttered pie pan (or use baking paper instead of the butter, as I did). Make a few holes in the crust with a fork.
Spread the pesto evenly on the pie shell.
Place the tomatoes on top of the pesto.
In a bowl, beat the eggs and crème fraîche. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour this mix on the tomatoes.
Sprinkle shredded gruyère cheese on the top.
Bake for about 30 minutes at 400F, or until the quiche has a nice golden color.

You can eat it warm or cold, with a green leaves salad or on its own.

Easy Mayonnaise

2005-09-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

Mayonnaise is so easy to make that you'll wonder why you were buying industrial one so far...

The important thing is to have all the ingredients at room temperature. Take them out of the fridge about 15 minutes in advance.

1 very fresh egg yolk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (try Maille or Amora brands)
salt and pepper
canola or sunflower oil
1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice.

Place the egg yolk in a bowl. By the way the bowl should be at room temperature too.
Add the mustard, salt and pepper. Stir until obtaining a smooth paste.
Let the oil flow in a thin stream over the mustard paste, stirring constantly with a metal spoon or a whisk. Pour the oil slowly enough so that the emulsion remains homogeneous at all time. Theoretically one can make up to 1 liter of mayonnaise with 1 egg... So add as much (or as little) oil as you need, as long as the constistency of the sauce doesn't change (it shouldn't become liquid).
Finish with the vinegar or lemon juice. Stir some more to incorporate.
Consume right away or keep in the fridge with a plastic film covering the bowl, no more than a day or two.

Variant: in some recipes the vinegar is added at the same time as the mustard, salt and pepper. That works too. Adding the vinegar at the end is Pierre's mom's secret (not anymore!) and I never missed a mayonnaise since I started doing it this way.

Another alternative: if you are using an electrical blender you can use the whole egg (white and yolk). The mayonnaise will be lighter in color and texture.

Mousseline sauce: this impressive sauce (which is perfect with steamed aspargus for instance) is nothing more than a fancy mayonnaise. The egg white is whipped separately (into a firm white foam) and incorporated at the end.

Photos added on Sept. 09, 2006

Baby shrimp stuffed avocado

2005-09-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

We are just back from Washington D.C. where we've spent 3 beautiful days walking on the Mall, visiting museums (I loved the NMAI), federal buildings and memorials under the warm sun of late summer. We've also spent an afternoon in gorgeous Georgetown and stopped at Café La Ruche for an early dinner before going back to the airport. I had a delicious stuffed avocado. Avocado became really popular in France in the 1970's . You would find this recipe in any french cook book of that time. I only takes a few minutes to prepare and can be served as an appetizer, on its own, or as a main dish (like at La Ruche) with a mixed greens salad. The avocado can be served in it's "shell" (I mean with the skin on) and eaten with a spoon. All you need is:

1 ripe avocado
4 tablespoons peeled, cooked baby shrimps
2 tablespoons home-made mayonnaise (see my next post ).

Rinse the avocado and dry it with a paper towel. Cut it in half and remove the seed but don't peel it (or do so... It's up to you).
Mix the baby shrimps and the mayonnaise in a bowl.
Place each avodaco half on a plate and pour half of the shrimps on each one. You can place the avodado on a lettuce leaf to prevent it from sliding on the plate.

And voilà!

very French Rice Salad

2005-08-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a nice and simple idea for lunch.

1 cup (200 grams) long grain rice
2 hard boiled eggs (10 minutes)
2 ripe tomatoes
3 scallions
1 can of tuna in water
1 small can of sweet corn
1 handful of black olives
3 or 4 tablespoons of vinaigrette salad dressing

Boil the rice in a lot of salted water until cooked (15-20 minutes). Drain the excess water and let the rice cool down (you can rinse it with cold water to go faster).
Thinly slice the scallions.
Slice the tomatoes and the eggs.
With a fork, cut the tuna in small chunks after draining all the water from the can.
Drain the olives and the corn.
Add all the ingredients and the dressing to the rice and toss.
Eat cold.

There are many variants to this refreshing salad. You could replace the tuna by cocktail shrimps, crab meat or cubed chicken breast or use no meat at all. You could add other veggies, like green and red bell peppers, cucumbers, avocado... You could add fresh herbs, like parsley or tarragon... Be creative!