Showing posts with label French. Show all posts
Showing posts with label French. Show all posts

Friday, October 15, 2010

French Picnic Tart Recipe


This recipe is for easy French aperitif that is sure to please, those looking for special tastes Salty olives Tapenade, sweet creamy goat's cheese and Leek into one great taste served on puff pastry. This cake is a good to take with you on a picnic if it tastes great warm or at room temperature.

Tapenade

Pate is a spice from the South of France, Provence.It is made by crushing of olives and olive oil to add to obtain a spreadable paste.You can find the Pate made with both the Green and black olives. other possible ingredients in a tapenade: lemons, anchovies, capers, garlic and herbs. you could try making your own, but there are many very high-quality products ready to go in a jar.

Outside this recipe here are some other simple ways to enjoy the Pate:

Just spread over toasted French bread and served as a Starter (try it with a Corsican Muscat even more authentic flavor of the French Southern). As a dip for raw vegetables. To accompany grilled fish or meat.
Leek

The French love to cook leek and this recipe is a great place to start if you have not already tried it. When cooked; Leek mellow quickly and sweet, giving them a high-contrast mode to taste in a dish with a salty taste.Follow these tips when cooking with Leek:

Search for leek, which is smooth with fresh green tops Leek remains fresh in the fridge for about five days. you can freeze leek, cutting and cleaning for several minutes in boiling water for blanching. Rinse them with cold water, drain, prefreeze on a tray for about 30 minutes and put in the freezer bags in a handy.To clean a leek, the main base and most of the tougher green top cut off.Than you well under running water, rinse spread except the leaves at the top. There is usually what is caught dirt.Or you can cut the Leek (such as in the recipe below) and then rinse with water.
Goat's cheese

Goat's cheese is called fromage the chevre or simple chevre in France, where you have more than 100 species.Sometimes, the goat's milk mixed with milk make a mi-chevre.PUR-chèvre contains only goat's milk. goat cheese is nice-it comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and sometimes special small boxes.

For this recipe, I used a log with goat's cheese was cut, which is easily and spread on the top of the pie. you could try something else, perhaps you can crumble.

Puff Pastry

You will find often puff pastry used in both sweet and savoury French dishes. Although I am sure that there are a number of ambitious (and perhaps a little crazy) home cooks who quite ready to make their own, you can create a puff pastry prepared for this recipe.Here in France, we are making good quality puff pastry in the refrigerator section of the grocery store buy, but you need to go to the freezer section to find, depending on where you live.You are looking for a quality product with a minimum of ingredients. it must be made with flour, butter, pepper and not much else.

Leek pie with green olive Pate
Tarte aux Poireaux et tapenade

puff pastry (I use to keep up with the simple theme of this site, packaged puff pastry) 4 to 5 leeks (if they are great you should be a lot less) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, salt and pepper, 1/3 cup of white wine (3 1/2 ounces) small pot 1 green olive Pate (if you can't find green tapenade, black olive tapenade also works)

1 "log" goat cheese (about 8 grams), cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds

Roll the puff pastry in the form that you desire. role of the sides and discussion at the bottom of a dozen places with a fork. Cook for 10 minutes at 400 ° C on a baking sheet non-stick. remove from oven and let cool.

In the mean time, cut the roots and the Greens of the leek. cut the white part in the 1/4 inch rounds. Steam them for 5 minutes (you can do this in the microwave if desired).

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the leeks, thyme, and salt and pepper. boil 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until just the wine evaporates.

For the construction of the cake: spread the Pate on the cooked cakes. cover with the leek and then evenly with goat's cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes at 400 ° c or until the cheese is melted and started the Brown on top.

Makes 6 servings








Kim Steele writes for easy French food, you much more easy French recipes. for another French Starter try this recipe for Zucchini Fritters or you prefer the convenience of a Leek here is yet an authentic French Leek recipe known as Flamich. a bientot.


French onion soup recipe-not just for Newlyweds


Tradition, this French onion soup recipe to newlyweds served on their wedding night in France. Try to imagine that you are married and for your first night's accommodation of wedding luck with your beloved in the room, and a whole lot of singing and people with a steaming soup Terrine of laugh. You are required to eat some get the revelers out of the room and on their way. Kind of a nutty tradition, eh?

You'll also find other onion soup served during long nights of eating and revelry in France. it is supposed that remedial measures properties, giving you the power to stay up to date with la fete.

No need to marry or all night long stay to enjoy this excellent soup. with the French bread and cheese topping makes a satisfying meal only by itself, perfect for a winter evening.

Here are a few tips for making perfect French onion soup, and then the recipe itself:

The is a crucial step in making a good onion soup is to make your time in the kitchen of the onions.It can be more than half an hour to make the necessary caramelization with which this French onion soup recipe of good taste.As you at the helm of the onions on a regular basis to keep track of the tanning experience, infrared lamps, it's a good idea to do something different in the kitchen at the same time.You can use to clean and, for example, the table. usually, the soup served in individual oven proof bowls then covered with bread and cheese before baking, but there is no need to go and a bunch of new equipment to buy if you just want to try this for a first time. just the soup in an oven proof dish and then that. the effect will be a little different, but the taste is still excellent. in France, this French onion soup recipe normally made with Gruyere cheese, but may not be able to find, so that the cheese is a good alternative
French onion soup recipe
Soupe à l'oignon

2 pounds yellow onion, peeled and cut into rings 3 tablespoons olive oil-2 cloves garlic, minced beef stock 2 tablespoons of flour and white 1/2 cup of 2 litres of wine salt and pepper French bread, diced 1 1/2 cups grated cheese

Cook the onion in the olive oil in the low to medium heat stirring. often it takes about 30 minutes to effect a good caramelization. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute.Add the flour and cook for another minute.Now add the beef stock and wine and simmer for another 30 minutes. season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, the Soup ladle in the oven-proof bowls (or use a single large oven proof dish), to make sure everyone gets enough of onions. place the cubes of French bread and then sprinkle with cheese. bake in the oven to 350 ° c for 10 minutes, Broiling, for the last few minutes to give the light brown.

6 should








Looking for more classic French recipes? Easy French food you will find many simple French recipes such as this beef bourguinon recipe and this scalloped potatoes Recipe. come on and learning to enjoy your food such as the French!


Sunday, October 10, 2010

French in a Flash: Bernadette's Poisson à la Crème

20101004PoissonALaCreme.jpg

[Photographs: Kerry Saretsky]

Sometimes, in the year and a half I've been writing this column, I totally lack inspiration. What am I going to make this week? That's what happened yesterday. So I asked my for-all-intents-and-purposes beau-père what dishes he loved most growing up in Normandy, and he said without hesitation his mother Bernadette's poisson with cream.

He told me that his mother mixed cream and ketchup and poured it over fish. Ketchup? "Ketchup?" I asked him.

"Yes, ketchup."

"Don't you mean tomato paste?" I pressed.

"Yes, tomato paste!" I always remember from that seminal I Love Lucy episode with the escargots that the French hate ketchup, which is of course not entirely true, but I was still shocked that it might be mixed with cream to smother fish. Turns out, even kitchen condiments are lost in translation. Either way, I could tell that I wasn't going to get anything exact about this recipe from those closest to its source.

So, I set about making my own interpretation, which I think turned out quite successful. In Normandy, everything is about the cream and the butter, and this recipe proves that cream and fish make a good dinner. I lay skinless, boneless fillets of white fish in a hot baking dish, and pour over a mixture of garlic and crème fraîche. As it all bakes together, the garlic becomes fragrant and the cream bubbles up and turns golden around the edges. The juices from the fish as it cooks mingle with the cream, and create a thinner, flavorful sauce. I then top the bubbling dish with freshly shredded basil and just-burst grape tomatoes for a sweet-tart counter to the rich cream. Dinner is ready in less than 15 minutes, and it's light and decadent all at once.

Thanks, Bernadette, for the inspiration!

20101004PoissonALaCremeDish.jpg

About the author: Kerry Saretsky is the creator of French Revolution Food, where she reinvents her family's classic French recipes in a fresh, chic, modern way. She also writes the The Secret Ingredient series for Serious Eats.

4 8-ounce boneless and skinless fillets of white fish, such as red snapper or hogfish Sea saltFreshly cracked black pepper1 cup crème fraîche2 to 3 cloves of garlic, finely grated on a Microplane4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided2 1/2 cups grape tomatoes (about 40), cut in halfPinch of granulated sugar1/2 cup chiffonade of fresh basil (from about 16 basil leaves)

View the original article here

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Making pancakes-a recipe and tips for a perfect French pancakes every time


Pancakes are so easy, low-calorie and cheap, and just about everything you so stylish with them, you may be wondering why you should not make them every day of the week.

T he ingredients:

6 oz flour

pint milk

2 eggs

2 tablespoons oil plus a little more for cooking

sugar to taste (optional)

The tools:

Deep frying pan (or crepe pan) If you're lucky enough to have a approx 8 cm

Pallet spatula

Scale/liquid sensor for mixing the batter

Kitchen scales

Stove

Plastic shopping bag or parchment paper to keep it separate from the pancakes in the stack

The method:

1. mix flour, eggs, milk and oil until very smooth and let up 20 or so minutes

2. in the meantime, put the pan on a medium heat. My burners range from 1-6, so I just to him to three on the heat and the warm pan. This is an electric heater so customize it as you on gas

3. Once you're ready to go save the heat the Cook up a notch or two and put a small decline in oil in the Pan

4. pour over a cup of the batter into the Pan and swirl around to a thin layer at the bottom

5. the boil on the one hand, to the top and the bottom is dry is golden brown

6. use your pallet knife the crepe and rotate

7. on the other hand, Cook until golden brown

8. Remove from the pan on a plate and cover with parchment or plastic bag

9. continue cooking the pancakes and them on the sheet with parchment or plastic bag between layering until you all the tips

Science:

What you create is pretty much an omelette with some flower added.

Mix the batter. you do not want all the pieces and the gluten in the flour will activate.This will ensure that the pancakes an elasticity they easy to convert.

Pancakes are referred to as flat. This is the reason why the tips are before you leave the pancakes.It lets the air you into the batter during the mixing of the escape.

Troubleshooting

The problem:My crepe never goes Brown!

The solution:Turn off the heat! make sure that your pan and oil are very hot for adding the batter

The problem:My crepe pan shall comply with the rules laid down

The solution:Turn off the heat! I really do not know why this works, but these first two problems in General.

Also, make sure you are using a good pan. that's very scratched will never be good pancakes to produce because you add too much oil in the Pan must be to them.

The pancakes can also because you sweet pancakes (with sugar in the mash) which stuck to a hot pan will if you don't have enough oil.

If your pan is good enough really isn't much need oil. really need to do a drop

The next step

Pancakes are really the easiest way you can posh of a meal. all you can have on a roll or a roll that you make to a crêpe can come up and people will think that they are a kind of complex French delicacy. ham and cheese, ricotta and spinach, chicken salad, that you name.

They Just roll up, put them in a shallow baking dish, grate on some cheese and bake for about 20 minutes.

Serve with a fresh salad or other vegetables such as asparagus or green beans. Something eat more than lunch are a sauce to pour over them.

Sweet pancakes are served with ice cream, chocolate sauce, applesauce, or just about any sweet thing that you can think of. one of my favorite recipes for pancakes is pancakes frangipane which the frangipane bit far the more difficult part of the operation.

They freeze excellent. If I have a dinner for two with pancakes will I only have two of a head and one for a starter and dessert. the rest of us can go in the freezer for next time. they can weeks in advance, which really helps if you honey is all about in the short term.

And yet, they are as simple as long as you provide the appropriate tools.

These are good for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. you can even pull them out for a late supper, dessert or coffee.

It's almost no matter what you put in them. people are so impressed with your apparently advanced cooking skills which they do not notice that it's what they have on their shrimp salad sandwich yesterday.

Recommendations

A good pan and a good pallet knife/spatula are the secret with no negative pancakes. If you have any of these items are not, I suggest that you make the investment.

You do not need a crepe pan specialist, but a good 8 inch shallow non-stick baking pan is an indispensable tool.

Pancakes are almost impossible with a pallet knife or spatula. I have a degree of success with a regular spatula/egg turner but the thinner the edge, the better.








For cooking and baking tips and tricks, and check for some great ideas pancakes with out on dinner for two project http://thedinnerfortwoproject.blogspot.com