Tag Archives: French Fridays

March 27, 2015 · 5:50 PM

FFWD: Next-Day Beef Salad + Orange-Almond Tart

Happy French Friday! This post marks quite a milestone! With the make-up recipe I did this week, I am now 100% caught up on French Fridays with Dorie! Bring on the final 7 recipes! (Sorry for all the exclamation points…can you tell I’m excited?)

So, we’re going to talk about two recipes today. This week’s recipe, Next-Day Beef Salad, and one from quite some time ago, Orange-Almond Tart.

Next-Day Beef Salad

For some reason I put off trying Next-Day Beef Salad because I thought it required leftover beef tenderloin from Boeuf à la Ficelle. Turns out you can use pretty much any leftover beef. I used top sirloin, but I can see how something a little more tender would be better.

This salad was created when Dorie made an attempt at clearing out a variety of leftovers. She gives us a specific recipe, but also gives us permission to play around with it.

The recipe starts with the beef and a simple dressing of mayonnaise and mustard. I added in green onions, Picholine olives, cornichons, grape tomatoes, and red bell pepper. Tossed together, I served my salad on a bed of mixed greens.

This was good! I really enjoyed the flavor of the mustard dressing with the beef. This is a great recipe to keep in mind when you have leftover roast beef and want to use it for something a little different.

Orange-Almond Tart

The group made Orange-Almond Tart way back in February 2011. I chose not to make it at the time because we just didn’t need to have a big dessert. If I had known back then that I would be on track to complete every recipe from Around My French Table, I might not have skipped it.

Orange-Almond Tart is a riff on the classic Pear and Almond Tart. It still has the pâte sablée crust and the almond cream, but the pears are replaced with oranges.

Why did I wait so long to try this tart? I knew I would like it because, you know, dessert. But I didn’t expect to love, love, love it! I loved the unexpected burst of orange juice. The flavor went so well with the creamy almond filling and the tender, sweet crust. Making this tart was a reminder how much I like Dorie’s Sweet Tart Dough recipe.

There you have it! I look forward to finishing the final stretch of recipes with 100% completion! Have a great weekend!

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Tagged as beef, cooking, dessert, French Fridays, salad

March 20, 2015 · 5:18 PM

FFWD: Côte d’Azur Cure-All Soup

Happy French Friday! This week for French Fridays with Dorie, we made a simple, wholesome soup intended to cure anything that ails you, from a cold to a hangover. It’s called Côte d’Azur Cure-All Soup.

There isn’t much to this soup. The main ingredient is a whole bunch of garlic. The cloves are thinly sliced and cooked in equal parts water and chicken broth for 30 minutes to soften and mellow it. A bouquet garni of fresh sage, thyme, and bay leaves is simmered along with the garlic. When the garlic is done, 3 to 6 egg yolks are whisked in with a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese. Drizzle each bowl with a bit of olive oil and serve!

There isn’t much to say about this soup, except we liked it! It isn’t really meant to be served as a meal, but I did anyway. It’s really meant to sip when you are feeling under the weather. It was much more flavorful than it looks, and very “warming”. I would definitely make this if we found ourselves fighting colds or the flu.

I hope all of you out there have a wonderful weekend!

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March 17, 2015 · 2:52 PM

FFWD: Veal Marengo

Well, I’m a few days late with this post, but I have a good excuse! I enjoyed a lovely long weekend with my Mom and sister at Lake Tahoe. We had a wonderful time relaxing, sightseeing, laughing, drinking wine, and eating.

I had been looking forward to making Veal Marengo ever since my Mom made the recipe in November. It reminded her of a veal stew she had in France last Fall, and she loved it so much she made it again a month later. She gave me a great tip to use veal stew meat in place of the shoulder, which is harder to find.

Veal Marengo is a pretty simple stew, but I felt that the execution was a little fussy and used too many pots and pans. While the veal stew meat is simmering in a mix of onions, tomatoes, tomato paste, white wine, and herbs, the rest of the vegetables are each cooked separately in their own pots. The cipollline onions were cooked until glazed with butter and the mushrooms sauteed until tender. The potatoes were boiled, then drained and coated with butter. After the veal is tender, the onions and mushrooms are added. The potatoes are served on the side.

If I make this again, I will definitely streamline the recipe. I would cook the cipolline onions in the pot with the veal. I might still saute the mushrooms, because I think they benefited from that extra step. My husband and I agreed that we would have preferred the potatoes cut into smaller pieces and mixed into the stew, so I would probably cook those directly in the stew too.

I thought this stew was delicious! I loved the mild flavor of the veal, and mushrooms are a favorite of mine.

This post participates in French Fridays with Dorie, an online cooking group making our way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table. We only have 9 recipes to go!

Before I go, I can’t resist sharing this photo I took at Lake Tahoe the other day. The lake was still and beautiful and the clouds were very dramatic!

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March 6, 2015 · 4:56 PM

Cabbage and Foie Gras Bundles

Happy French Friday! We’re reaching the point in our French Fridays with Dorie journey where if you are hoping to go the distance and finish every recipe on time, you can’t skip any recipes. I kinda wanted to skip this one. But, I don’t want to let one recipe keep me from crossing the finish line, so here we are.

First off, I have to admit that I did not use the correct foie gras called for in the recipe. We were supposed to use foie gras terrine made from whole pieces of foie gras. I used some leftover foie gras pâté that I saved from our last foie gras recipe. The type of foie gras Dorie specifically said not to use. I did this because finding the proper foie gras is probably impossible around here, and mail-ordering it would have been very expensive. I didn’t want to spend big bucks for a few bites.

So, this was pretty simple. Cabbage leaves (I only did two) were cooked in boiling water for a few minutes to soften them. After they were cool enough to handle, I wrapped the leaves around pieces of foie gras to make little “bundles”. The bundles were then steamed (I reduced the amount of time because of using the pâté) and plated. Finish off with a tiny drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of fleur de sel. Enjoy?

I had a hard time with this one (I didn’t even think about giving this to anyone else around here…). There isn’t much I won’t eat, but I could barely take two bites of this. I didn’t care for the flavor, but I really hated the texture. I am sure the texture would have been better if I had used the proper type of foie gras. I also couldn’t get past what it was I was really eating.

At least I get credit for trying, right?

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February 27, 2015 · 5:47 PM

FFWD: Riviera Fish Soup

It’s another Fishy French Friday! We are really get down to the final recipes. There are some iffy ones left, but also some really good-sounding ones. I am looking forward to trying them all!

This week’s recipe was a little iffy-sounding to me. Pureed fish soup? It was hard to get my head around that one. But, I forged ahead in the name of French Fridays with Dorie. I bought my whole red snapper (I got the last one!). The nice folks at Whole Foods cleaned, scaled, and chopped it up for me. I made sure they left me the head.

When I arrived home, I simmered that snapper, head and all, with a bunch of lovely aromatics, including onions, fennel, saffron, tomatoes, and some herbs and spices. The secret ingredient is pastis, an anise-flavored liqueur. Next, I ran the whole shebang (minus the fish head) through my food mill! It was actually kind of hard work. After adding a little more salt, pepper, and pastis, my soup was ready for serving.

Another important element of this fish soup are the garnishes: a large crouton and rouille. I attempted to make my own rouille (a cousin of aioli) using Dorie’s recipe, but failed miserably. It was looking good. But, at the last minute it it suddenly turned to liquid! Did I add the last bit of olive oil too fast? Who knows? The next day I found this Saffron Rouille recipe using pre-made mayonnaise. It was delish!

So, back to the soup. To serve the soup, it is topped with a slice of toasted country bread and a large dollop of the rouille. I have to say, after eating this both with and without the rouille, it really adds a lot to the soup. Don’t skip the rouille!

This soup was met with mixed reactions in my house. I loved it! I loved the flavors and textures. It was unique (to me) and delicious. Certain other people couldn’t get past the fact that this was “fish soup”, and didn’t care for it.

I probably won’t have a chance to make this soup again because it was a lot of work for just one person to eat it. But if you are looking for a soup to impress a group of fish-liking, adventurous eaters, give this a try!

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Tagged as cooking, fish, French Fridays, rouille, snapper, soup

February 20, 2015 · 5:26 PM

FFWD: Vanilla-Butter-Braised Lobster + Couscous Chicken

Happy French Friday!

It has come to my attention that perhaps I was a little too harsh on Valentine’s Day in my last post. It can be a fun holiday, we just don’t make a big deal about it. I was trying to explain why we don’t make a big deal, and I guess my point didn’t come across quite like I wanted it too. I don’t hate Valentine’s Day! All that said, we had a lovely Valentine’s Day dinner this year, inspired in part by this week’s delicious French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Vanilla-Butter-Braised Lobster.

Vanilla-Butter-Braised Lobster

As the Dorista’s nominated recipes for the February line-up, it was decided that Vanilla-Butter-Braised Lobster would make the perfect dinner for Valentine’s Day. Great idea, and great excuse for a special dinner!

The recipe calls for live lobsters, but Dorie helpfully suggests that previously frozen lobster tails would work as well. I opted for the lobster tails. It was interesting to me to see the varying amounts people had to spend to purchase their lobster. I was lucky to run across a “one-day sale” at Whole Foods, and picked up 4 small lobster tails for only $20.

I have never cooked lobster before. Heck, I have only eaten it a handful of times. One thing I would love to experience some time is super-fresh East Coast lobster cooked at the source. Some day!

Anyway, I was surprised how quick and easy lobster tails are to cook, when they are braised in clarified butter. Dorie’s twist is to add a vanilla bean. I found the vanilla flavor to be very subtle, but delicious.

I rounded out our special meal with Lemon-Steamed Spinach and potatoes roasted in duck fat. Decadent and delicious!

Couscous Chicken

I’m a week late on another FFWD recipe: Couscous Chicken. This one is a North-African-inspired dish that makes a very satisfying dinner.

What makes Chicken Couscous special and exotic is the spice mix: fresh ginger, cumin, turmeric, saffron, cinnamon, and garlic. The chicken and spices are stewed together with a variety of vegetables, including, leeks, carrots, celery, and zucchini. The final touch is garbanzo beans. The whole thing is served with the traditional couscous. Dorie has us cook the couscous with some of the stew’s broth, lending the pasta the same exotic flavors as the rest of the dish.

I loved this! I found it so satisfying and delicious. Best of all, it made enough for two night’s worth of dinners!

This post participates in French Fridays with Dorie, an online group dedicated to cooking our way through Dorie Greenspan’s wonderful book, Around My French Table.

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Tagged as chicken, cooking, couscous, French Fridays, lobster tail

February 6, 2015 · 7:00 AM

FFWD: Winter Ceviche

Happy French Friday! We’re back to fish this week, and also back to me having to make a dish for myself. The only shellfish that gets eaten by everyone around here is crab, and Winter Ceviche features scallops.

Luckily, Winter Ceviche was easy to scale down for one and pretty quick to make. Most of the preparation time was spent letting the scallops marinate in a mix of lemon, lime, and mango juices.

This recipe has an interesting mix of ingredients and flavors. I already mentioned the citrus-mango marinade. Once the scallops are done marinating, they are served atop a bed of fresh tarragon leaves lightly drizzled with olive oil. Next, halved grapes are strewn on top after a quick dip in the marinade. Finally, the whole thing is topped with thinly sliced shallots that had been marinating in a mix of sherry vinegar and sea salt.

I enjoyed eating Winter Ceviche. The mix of flavors was unusual, but delicious. It was very refreshing and almost summery, which was great in the middle of winter. I doubt I will make this again since I’m the only one who will eat it, but it was good.

I will be out of town this weekend without wi-fi (the horror!), so I won’t be reading blogs or able to monitor my comments. I have a fun weekend planned with friends and family back in my home town of Seattle.

This post participates in French Fridays with Dorie, an online cooking group cooking our way through Dorie Greenspan’s wonderful book, Around My French Table.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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January 30, 2015 · 5:25 PM

FFWD: Croquants

Happy French Friday! We’re taking a break from the fishiness this week with a super simple cookie called Croquants.

Croquants are a crisp and crunchy cookie made from nuts, sugar, egg whites, and a small amount of flour. Almonds and hazelnuts are the most commonly used nuts in Croquants, but I used Dorie’s “house favorite” salted cashews.

These might really be the fastest, easiest cookies I have ever made. Mixing up the ingredients took about two minutes with a bowl and spatula. No need to haul out the mixer!

I loved these little cookies. They are light as air and very crisp. The flavor reminds me of something, but I can’t put my finger on it. Using the cashews was a good call, but I imagine they would be very good with almonds too.

Have a great weekend!

This post participates in French Fridays with Dorie.

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January 23, 2015 · 5:14 PM

FFWD: Spice-Crusted Tuna + Caviar in Aspic

Happy Friday! Boy this week went fast! I think it is because Monday was a holiday, so the week started a day late. Regardless of how fast the week flew by, I managed to make two French Fridays with Dorie recipes, both fishy. I made this week’s recipe, Spice-Crusted Tuna, and the dreaded recipe from a few weeks ago, Arman’s Caviar in Aspic.

Spice-Crusted Tuna with Mango Chatini

First up is a quick and easy recipe using fresh ahi tuna: Spice-Crusted Tuna. Fresh tuna is rubbed with a paste made from cardamom seeds, white peppercorns, coriander seeds, fresh ginger, and salt. Then it is quickly seared in a skillet and served with a drizzle of olive oil. I topped it with the optional Mango Chatini, found in the “Fundamentals and Flourishes” chapter of Around My French Table.

The recipe called for tuna steaks that were about a half inch thick. Mine were at least an inch think, so I sliced them in half. I wish I had not done this as I ended up overcooking my tuna. The recipe stated that the inside of the steaks should remain pink, but mine were cooked all the way through.

I liked this recipe, but it would have been better if I had not overcooked my tuna. This is a good quick and easy recipe to make if you are looking for something meaty, but a little different.

Arman’s Caviar in Aspic

Now it’s time to talk about what might be the most dreaded recipe in AMFT: Arman’s Caviar in Aspic. Fish flavored jello with scoops of caviar. Ummm…

Needless to say I had to make this one for myself. No one else in my household would touch this one with a ten foot pole.

So, I made it and I tried it. I didn’t hate it. But I can’t say I liked it either. I can see how, with the right setting, the right people, and the right drinks, this could be an enjoyable sensory experience. Unfortunately, trying this on a random Thursday afternoon by myself in my sweatpants was not the right setting…

I’m still glad I made this and tried it! It’s part of the FFWD experience.

Next week we get a (short) reprieve from fish. Stay tuned!

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Tagged as ahi, aspic, caviar, cooking, French Fridays, tuna

January 17, 2015 · 2:41 PM

FFWD: Curried Mussels

Happy French ~~Friday~~ Saturday! I am a day late with my French Fridays with Dorie post. I sat down to work on it yesterday, but I must admit I got distracted by the Internet.

This week we made a wonderful dish that tastes way better than the effort put into it. Curried Mussels are the last of the three mussels recipes in Around My French Table for the group to complete. It is basically steamed mussels in a creamy curry sauce.

I am always surprised how quick and easy mussels are to cook. We began by building up a sauce of butter, onion, shallot, curry powder, red pepper flakes, wine, and some herbs. The mussels are added to the pot and quickly steamed. Once the mussels are done, the sauce is finished with a bit of cream. Heaven!

Good thing this recipe was quick and easy because I made it for myself for lunch one day. No way anyone else in my household was going to eat this. It felt special and decadent to make myself such a wonderful lunch on an otherwise mundane week day!

This was my favorite of the three mussels recipes. I even slurped up some of the sauce when the mussels were gone. I will have to remember this recipe next time I’m feeling the need to treat myself to a special lunch.

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