Claudine, Oui c'est Francais

French Fridays with Dorie-Marie Helene's Apple Cake-and a pork chop

This week the assignment for French Fridays with Dorie was to make an apple cake. This terrified me a little only because I am not a fan of fruit cakes, pies or sugar coated berries. But the show must go on and the project must get made. Lucky for me my husband is a big fan of apple pie/cake and he would take care of it. We started by going out to a apple farm just a mile from our house and I picked up some honey crisp  and Jonagold apples that were the size of a small child. A quick cut of the apples and a toss around in the batter and into the pan it went. I think my apples were a bit on the large size so they poked out of the top, not at all like the picture. But from all reports it was fantastic.

For the next day I decided to turn the dessert into a savory dinner treat. What are the classic combinations with apples? Pork chops and cheddar cheese, maybe not together but I had an idea. I sliced some of the apple cake, toasted it to give it a little crunch on the edges, browned up some pork chops and made a quick Bechamel sauce and added some aged vintage white cheddar at the end. It was fantastic! I would make this again in individual cups and serve it along side a pork roast for a interesting change. Give it a try!

Bechamel Sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

15oz flour

1 cup milk

white pepper & nutmeg

6oz grated white cheddar

Melt butter and add flour, whisk until combined and continue to cook for 1 minute. It will start to turn a light brown. Add half of the milk, bring to a boil continuing to whisk until thickened. Add rest of the milk and keep whisking until thick and coats the back of a spoon. Add in pepper and nutmeg and remove from the hear. Stir in cheddar and once melted serve immediately

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French Fridays with Dorie-Hachis Parmentier

What would the French version of Shepard's Pie be you ask, Hachis Parmentier is your answer. Dorie writes about this ultimate fall comfort food and gives the credit to Daniel Boulud, one of the greatest French chefs living in the United States. Consisting of beef, vegetables and topped with potatoes and cheese this is a fantastic cold weather dish. I actually made it weeks ago and when looking at the pictures I wanted to lick the screen to get to those potatoes. The topping consists of potatoes mixed with heavy cream, whole milk and butter and then topped with.... wait for it... Gruyere cheese. Of course I tripled the cheese on the top and let it get extra brown for that much more of a rich taste.

It was fantastic!

French Fridays with Dorie-Vietnamese Chicken Soup

By the name of this recipe you may wonder why this is on a French Friday but there is a connection, its a bit of a stretch for a French food purists such as myself but there is one. For 26 years beginning in 1859, Vietnam as it is known today was part of the area known as French Indochina. But this is basically a great soul warming soup, with a little extra depth in flavor then your normal chicken soup. The addition of the coconut milk and fish sauce add a whole new flavor profile and the acid at the end from the lime cuts through any sweetness. The recipe called for rice vermicelli or chinese egg noodles, I used angel hair pasta instead and a little asian hot sauce at the end. It was great on a early fall weekend and perfect two days later for lunch.

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French Fridays with Dorie-Mustard Tart

Week number two and we are in the full swing of things, this week it is "Gerard's Mustard Tart" on the menu.  The key ingredient of the tart is what you might guess, mustard and more specifically French mustard. There is a not so little spot in France that you may have heard of before, Dijon. Located in the Burgundy region and surrounded by some of the most famous of all French dishes, Boeuf Bourginon, Gougeres and (my favorite) Esacargot all come from the area surrounding Dijon.

The Mustard Tart has a combination of both Dijon mustard and a grainy French mustard and gives the slightest hint of flavor and paired with the carrots and leeks it is a great light lunch or paired with a salad for dinner. For the crust I decided to use my favorite French tart ring for a more rustic look instead of the traditional ruffled tart pan and used a classic Pate Brisee for the crust.

I highly recommend it for anybody and can't wait for the next week

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livestrong day 10//2

October 2nd is marked as the day that Lance Armstrong learned that he had cancer, the day that changed his life. Today October 2nd is celebrated as "Livestrong Day" for everybody that has had cancer or has been touched by cancer. It is one disease that everybody can say they have been effected by, either by themselves or their friends and loved ones have been.

My grandfather passed away 16 years ago from Prostate cancer, and we know first hand how horrible cancer can be. It doesn't descrminate and doesn't care if you are young or old. It is a horrible disease and needs to stop. Hopefully we can get our health care figured out in the US and can help some of the millions of people that learn they have cancer every year. 

So on Livestrong day, do something that makes your life better and the people around you.

I wanted to make a cake inspired by the Livestrong wristband, a cake covered in yellow fondant and then inscribed with "Livestrong" just like the bands.

French Fridays with Dorie: Gougères

It's the inaugural week of French Fridays with Dorie and the celebration of her new cookbook, Around My French Table. Over 500 pages of traditional and not so traditional French recipes it is a must for any French food fanatic or cookbook lover, so pick one up today! Dorie Greenspan is an American living in Paris, but besides that very enviable title she is also a James Beard award winning cookbook author.

The first recipe is the Gougère, the perfect bite of puffy dough with a hint of cheese that just the thought of one will make your mouth water. I have made these many many times and is a staple for any gathering at my house, so of course I welcome an excuse to make some again.

The basis of the Gougère is the Pâte à Choux, a versatile dough that is used for desserts like the crowd pleasing Croquembouche. Choux in French translates to cabbage and was given the name after the dough was used to make rolls that resembled the cabbage. The Gougère is made using the same dough but with the addition of cheese, and as we all know, cheese makes everything better!

Dorie's recipe calls for the little pillows of goodness be dropped and with spoons, but I prefer to pipe them for a cleaner more polished look.

 

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