Category Archives: French
We were talking over coffee this morning about how we eat so much better when we are in Paris. Â And, this is funny because we eat pretty well back home, but here, we tend to eat small little meals.
For instance our day usually starts with ultra creamy (we are talking CUSTARD) yogurt, fresh baked pastries and fresh fruit just picked up from the market and coffee, lots of coffee and we linger in the apartment, listening to music, taking every Parisian breathe in and just enjoying each other. Â It is really bliss.
We eventually head out and the first stop is the Tabac for a couple espressos, at which time, we figure out our day. Â Keep in mind we have been here often, so we usually hit somewhere we have not been or we just wander the streets, taking it all in, with stops for more espressos or maybe a vin rouge. Â Our big meal out is usually lunch, which means a quiant little French Bistro and lots of delicious food. Â More wandering and then we head “home”.
I take great joy in going back out after putting my feet up for a bit, to pick up pastries, a bottle of wine and a bag full of  cheese, baguettes, endives, radishes, jambon and more wine.  The pastries are our afternoon snack.  By the time we take the last sweet bite into our mouths, we are on California time and we catch up on emails, phone calls and work.
After a few hours, it is time for dinner which usually is more creamy French cheese, baguettes, fresh produce, jambon and lots of wine. Â We then explore a new neighborhood or take an old one in, even further. Â We enjoy some music, a walk and a little vin rouge. Â That is our perfect Paris.
Want to see more of Paris on a daily basis? Â Then come with us!
We had an early tomato appearance at our house last week. Â I normally wait until May or June before buying the first of many tomatoes; Â but, they looked so pretty at the store that I could not refuse. Â I love heirloom tomatoes not only because of their amazing sugary sweet taste or their juicy texture; Â also, because they are not perfect. Â I love the different shapes, sizes, bumps, lumps and many colors. Â As soon as I saw these two odd shaped yellow and red ones I knew they were coming home with me.
 
I had help making this tart.  No, not Lenny;  that would have warranted a video to entertain you.  I had E & M of MEM.  I mentioned to them that I was going to make a tart out of tomatoes and their interest was definitely peaked.  The girls have really taken on a huge interest in food and cooking, especially Ella.  I have to say I admire her many questions and the desire to learn.  She was there every step of the way, from lining the tart pan, to mixing the filling, to layering the tomatoes and then on to photographing even before  sampling.  She helped with setting up the tart on different plates until we got it just right as well she waited with anticipation after every click of the camera – wanting to see the picture, to make sure they were okay.  Maggie, was not far behind, trailing after her big sister and wanting to do just as she was doing.  Now we know we have some foodies in training;  but, maybe there is a career of photography lurking also!  It was definitely fun to have help making this tart, especially 20 little fingers and two big smiles!
The base of this tart is a slightly peppery and flaky crust. Â We made a goat cheese based custard filling for the base of the tart and then layered slices of the beautiful heirloom tomatoes over the top. Â Tomatoes and goat cheese are not complete without a drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkling of maldon salt and fresh thyme from the garden. Â Serve this with a mixed green salad lightly dressed with white balsamic and olive oil, as well as a nice of Rose! Â Perfect! Â The girls even loved the taste of the tart!
How do you like to use your Heirloom Tomatoes?
Recipe: Â Savory Tomato Tart
The past two weeks have been heavy meat eating weeks. Â Don’t get me wrong, we love to eat and we love to socialize with our friends over food, but, it has been a little nutty. Â This week we decided to take it a little easier with some meals that we could extend over a few days. Â Quiche was one of the first meals that came to mind.
I love making my quiche crust-less. Â Yes, it makes me feel less guilty about all those eggs and cheese. Â If you don’t mind a crust, please by all means do use one. Â I used the same recipe that I use for all of my quiche recipes but I made a few minor adjustments. This particular quiche was heavily scented with fresh thyme. Â I used some zucchini blooms as the main veggie ingredient. Â The addition of grey salt and a sprinkle of espelette pepper brought all of the ingredients together. Â Served with a green salad and warm bread, it was the perfect meal.
Recipe: Â Zucchini Blossom Quiche
Galette is a French term used for free form crusty cakes; think, buckwheat crepes from the Normandy area. Â I love galettes, either sweet or savory, they are wonderful. Â And I really love their rustic appearance. Â I know when I see a Galette that it will be simple good food.
I had some beets left over from the market last weekend and decided I would make a simple galette with them. Â I seasoned my pastry dough with a generous handful of fresh thyme and then lined the dough with goat cheese, beets, olive oil and a sprinkle of maldon salt. Â It was lovely, really lovely and made the perfect light dinner, especially when paired with some soup or a small salad.
Do you like Galettes? Â If so, are you sweet or savory? Â What is your favorite recipe? Â Do tell ….. we are always looking for new inspiration from our readers.
Recipe: Â Beet and Goat Cheese Galette
Click the printer icon for a downloadable PDF of this recipe
* I am entering this old post in Gel’s Kitchen Blog event, NTTC July 2009 Egg Challenge. This is a fantastic and easy salad to make for a light and quick dinner.
I completely forgot about Easter. We have been so busy and all of the Catholic signs flew by us. Not only until today, did it cross my mind, when E & M stopped by flapping their Palms from Sunday Church. Normally, I love Easter. It is the beginning of all things Spring. I am usually baking hot cross buns, making marmalade, starting the garden, baking Masa; not, this year. Since all the things we love about Easter, food wise, will have to wait this year, I decided we needed to do something remotedly related to the holiday. In the middle of making breakfast it came to mind, why not pay tribute to the “egg”.
The first part will be the poached egg. Now, as regular reader, you know I am not a huge fan of eggs. I must confess, I actually like them. They just have to be done the right way, which is, my way. Laudalino, on the other hand, will eat an egg any old way .. poached, fried, soft boiled, scrambled, hard boiled. Not picky. A few weeks ago I had an incredible poached egg served over a bed of curried chickpeas and lentils, it was fantastic and what was so fantastic was that the egg was perfect. I have been attempting to make the perfect poached egg and I have finally mastered it.
Poached eggs don’t have to be only for breakfast. They are also wonderful for brunch, think Egg’s Benedict, as well they are fantastic for dinner, such as on a Pizza, over mushrooms, or even on a salad. One of our favorite ways to have a perfectly poached egg is the classic French salad, Frisee with Lardons (bacon).
Recipe: Perfectly Poached Egg
1 egg
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
water
Bring water to boil in a shallow frying pan, about 2 inches deep. Crack egg into a small dish. Lower the heat on the water to a simmer and slowly slide the egg into the simmering water. Cover with a lid and let sit about 3 – 5 minutes depending on how soft you like the yolk. Gently remove from the water, with a slotted spoon and lay on a double folded paper towel for about 1 minute. Put into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper. Serve. Eat.
Recipe: Frisee with Lardons
1 head frisee, cleaned and torn into pieces
6 bacon slices – cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons red vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons bacon fat, left from browning bacon
salt, to taste
fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Cook bacon until golden and crispy. Remove from pan and left set on folded paper towels. Set aside
Combine vinegar, mustard, shallot, olive oil, bacon fat, salt and pepper in a jar, shake to combine.
Toss frisee with dressing and bacon bits. Set aside. Poached eggs using directions above. To serve put a bed of lettuce on a plate and top with two poached eggs each. Serve with a nicely warmed baguette. Serve. Eat.
Another simple Souffle, this time using Blue cheese. It not only is a lovely dinner but would be fantastic as a light lunch or brunch dish. French food does not have to be hard to make.
You are not seeing things. There has been two souffle nights at our house. The first one was so good that I had it on my mind all day. Laudalino is out of town so I figured I would make some light and why not another souffle. This time it was blue cheese.
Yesterday, I was hanging out with my favorite god-child and on our way home from a St. Paddy’s day celebration, she mentioned that we had to stop by the store for some black beans – she wanted black beans for lunch. I told her if there was parking by Bi-Rite we would stop. Our lucky day as there was parking right in front. Now, we had all intentions of picking up black beans and a head of lettuce. Once we got into the store, the soon to be “foodie” that she says she is, took over. We were soon in the cheese isle and her little eyes glistened as she proclaimed that we needed to have some “butter cheese” (otherwise known as blue cheese of any kind). She fondled the packages, turning them around, looking for the bluest ones. Then she turned around and said we needed a baguette, she gave them all a little squeeze and found the softest one. We were set …. a fantastic blue cheese, a soft baguette, black beans, lettuce and two pieces of the darkest chocolate they had at the counter.
I knew the remainder of this blue cheese would be great either alone or in a souffle (that part was only a thought on my way home tonight). It was perfect served along side a lightly tossed green salad with an herbed dressing. Sorry Laudalino, I will make for you another time!
Recipe: Blue Cheese Souffle
* serves 2
20 grams of butter, plus a little extra, softened
17 grams of AP flour
125 ml milk
2 eggs, separated
60 grams blue cheese, the stinker the better
sea salt
cracked black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 F. Brush 2 (1 cup capacity) ramekins or oven proof bowls with melted butter. Place on a baking tray and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk, stirring continuously for 2 – 3 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the blue cheese, remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and sea salt and pepper. Beat egg whites with electric mixer until firm peaks form. Gently fold through the cheese mixture. Fill the ramekins two-thirds full. Cook for 18 – 20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately. Eat.
Okay, hold on one minute, don’t skip this post because you see the “S” word. Trust me!  Souffles are not hard to make.  I love souffles. We have a tendency to only make sweet ones as I forget about the savory guys. This recipe I found in a past addition of the Donna Hay magazine is “simple made simple”.
We wanted something different for dinner tonight as well whenever Laudalino is getting ready to leave for a trip (off to LAX for biz) I like to make something memorable! As well we wanted something meatless, light and filling. This recipe was just that. We had a lovely souffle on the table in less then 60 minutes. The base was a cheddar cheese filling with a parmesan cheese base crust. I served it with a very fresh baguette and a nice glass of french wine. A lovely dinner for two!
Recipe: Cheese Souffle with Parmesan Crust
*adapted from Donna Hay
* serves 2
25 grams finely grated parmesan cheese (I used a mixture of grated and shaved)
20 grams of butter, plus a little extra, softened
17 grams of AP flour
125 ml milk
2 eggs, separated
60 grams coarsely grated cheddar
sea salt
cracked black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 F. Brush 2 (1 cup capacity) ramekins or oven proof bowls with melted butter and dust with the parmesan cheese. Place on a baking tray and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk stirring continuously for 2 – 3 minutes or until thickened. Stir through cheddar, remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and sea salt and pepper. Beat egg whites with electric mixer until firm peaks form. Gently fold through the cheese mixture. Fill the ramekins two-thirds full. Cook for 18 – 20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately.
This is going to be a quick & dirty post – only because we are completely swamped right now. I do want to tell you all about this fantastic Barefoot Contessa recipe, that has become part of the Recession/Depression Dinner series….
We are big eggplant fans as you can do so much with it, from appetizers, to sides and main dishes (and even the famous “Ape Diet”) You can roast it, bake it or grill it.  We, actually I, love gratins – warm and gooey with comfort written all over them. I love the traditional potato ones, as well as squash, tomato and even cauliflower. It is really a great veggie to add to your recession/depression proof meals!
I normally make gratin with layers of veggies, Parmesan and lots of bechamel sauce. This recipe used a mixture of ricotta, Parmesan and cream and pre-made marinara sauce, I found a great organic one at Whole foods. I grilled (using the grill pan) the eggplant slices in very little olive oil and then made layers using the sauce and ricotta mixture, finishing the top with a sprinkle of Parmesan. Baked for 25 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Definitely quick and easy. Not so mention delicious. I served it with a simple tossed green salad. Very nice vegetarian meal.
$ 13.27 for 6 servings.  Dinner and lunch for the next day as well as two extra servings for the freezer.
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