A Big Ol’ French Fridays Catch Up!

The holidays sure flew by, didn’t they?  My last post was right before Thanksgiving, and now here it it New Year’s Eve!  I hope you all enjoyed whichever holidays you celebrate.  We had a lovely time, but I am looking forward to life getting back to normal.

While I wasn’t able to find time to blog over the last 6 weeks or so, I did manage to keep up with my French Fridays with Dorie cooking.  I like the idea of closing out the year caught-up, so without further ado, I present my “Big Ol’ French Fridays Catch Up”!

Herbed Olives

We love olives so I knew we would like this one.  I had fun selecting a variety of olives from the olive bar at Whole Foods, and I rounded them out with some  leftover Niçoise olives I had on hand.  After a week marinating in olive oil with a variety of herbs and spices, the olives really had a lot of flavor.  We enjoyed dipping bread in the resulting oil too.  This is an easy one to have on hand for the holidays.  A real winner!

Beef Cheek Daube with Carrots & Elbow Macaroni

Like pretty much everyone, I was unable to find beef cheek, so this really should be called “Beef CHUCK Daube”.  Regardless of whether you use cheek or chuck, this is a hearty, warming meal perfect for a cold winter day.  The macaroni adds a level of comfort and familiarity to this dish that is inspired.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans Cream

I have to confess I didn’t manage to get a picture of this one.  I did make it.  I swear!  I just wasn’t feeling inspired by the lack of natural light the night I made it.  We liked this soup.  It was creamy and flavorful (without cream!).  I think I would like it better as a starter soup rather than as a main course, which is how I served it.   Starter soups just don’t fit in to my lifestyle, unless I’m at a restaurant.

Chicken, Apples and Cream à la Normande

This is an elegant, yet easy dish that my whole family enjoyed.  I love chicken dishes that include mushrooms, and the apples added an unexpected (in a good way!) touch of sweetness.  This only needs a simple side dish, such as the broccolette tossed with olive oil I served.

Cheez-it-ish Crackers

Yummy!  I modified the recipe slightly:  I substituted 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour, and I used cheddar cheese (not one of Dorie’s suggested cheeses, but a delicious choice).  These are more like a savory cookie than a cracker, but they are quite tasty and addictive.  I love that the dough can be rolled into a log and frozen – it makes entertaining a breeze!

Go-with-Everything Celery Root Puree

This was a fun one!  I have never cooked with or eaten celery root before (as far as I know).  I was a little unsure how to trim the knobby roots, so I just kind of chopped them off and smoothed them out with the peeler.  The resulting puree was creamy and delicious.  It was like mashed potatoes, but creamier and with a slightly different flavor.  We really liked this one!  Even my daughter who doesn’t usually eat mashed potatoes ate a decent amount.  I served it with BBQ Meatballs, but this puree really would “go with everything”.  Give this recipe a try!

I look forward to another year of FFWD cooking!  January will be an interesting month…

Best wishes to all in the New Year!