Is there a truly French version of eggs Benedict, or is this dish — which has taken Paris by storm — just a copy of the American original? The basic recipe of poached eggs, Canadian bacon, English muffin and hollandaise sauce has been ‘Frenchified’ over the years. The most surprising variation, oeufs bénédictine, was created by the great chef Auguste Escoffier in 1903 and consists of truffled purée of cod topped by poached eggs and cream sauce!
Oeufs Bénédict / Eggs Benedict
Elle magazine, which boasts many superlative recipes, has three for oeufs Bénédict. The first is identical to the original except that bacon strips — ‘poitrine fumé’ in French, ‘streaky bacon’ in Britain — are used instead of Canadian bacon — ‘bacon’ (pronounced bah-KON) in French, ‘back bacon’ in Britain. The second is a veggie version that substitutes shiitake mushrooms and snow peas for the meat and adds some chives for le look. The third also leaves out the meat and instead inserts a potato pancake between the toasted muffin and the poached egg, adding a sprinkle of fresh thyme and chervil on top.
If you go out for brunch in Paris, you can find hollandaise-topped poached-eggs-on-a-muffin with smoked salmon and red caviar (Petrossian), Canadian bacon and spinach (Ralph Lauren), cured Basque ham and salad greens (Le Fumoir) or truffle shavings (Shangri-La). At Ladurée they dispense with the muffin and instead serve the eggs with smoked salmon and spinach on a toasted slice of brioche. Now how French is that?
One could also make the argument that, hollandaise sauce having been invented by the French, eggs Benedict is fundamentally a French-inspired dish. Nonetheless, the dish was reputedly born in New York City, although exactly when and where is unclear. The best known version has it that a certain Lemuel Benedict went to the Waldorf Hotel one morning in 1892 and asked for his eggs to be served this way — the problem being that the Waldorf didn’t actually open until 1893. Another version has a Mrs. LeGrand Benedict asking the chef at Delmonico’s restaurant to whip up something new for her lunch back in the 1860s. A third story involves a certain Commodore Benedict, a New York banker and yachtsman, but it’s not clear whether he thought up the dish or merely enjoyed it.
The recipe I’m posting today — just in time for Easter — is very close to the New York original. The first step is to make the hollandaise (with my mother’s foolproof recipe). The second is to toast the muffins and lightly fry the Canadian bacon. The eggs are then poached for 3-4 minutes in water with a dash of vinegar (which helps the white hold together). Et voilà. You can assemble your masterpiece.
Happy cooking.
Sea bass and finocchio marry well. In this combo from Provence, fillets of roasted sea bass are served with a tian of potatoes, finocchio, garlic and fresh thyme. But what, you may ask, is a tian? Well, it’s two things. First, it’s the name of an earthenware cooking dish typical of Provence. Second, it’s the food cooked in the dish, generally sliced veggies drizzled with olive oil. Happily you do not need a tian (dish) to make a tian (baked veggies).
If serving the sea bass with the tian, you’ll want to get that going first. The potatoes and finocchio are finely sliced and layered into a baking dish with minced garlic, salt, freshly ground black pepper and thyme. I highly recommend using 
This deeply flavorful, earthy dish of rice, lentils, caramelized onions and spices can be found at Lebanese market stalls and restaurants in Paris and is easy to make at home. The ingredients are cooked separately, spices are added and everything is combined at the end, with more fried onions on top. I’ve served it twice recently — with shawarma chicken and with 
Let’s see off the winter with a bowl of creamy mushroom soup, a classic French recipe lightened in this version by using a mixture of cream and milk instead of pure cream. A dash of lemon juice adds tang, and herbs also brighten the flavor. The soup is hearty enough to make a fine main dish at lunchtime, perhaps followed by a salad, and can be served as a first course at dinner or in small glasses as a palate teaser at cocktail hour.
So, yes, velouté de champignons is comfort food. Never mind the calories, we still need comfort food here in Paris, having just gone through 
Le crumble is hardly a French invention, yet it has become wildly popular in this country, with apple crumble topping the list of favorites. So in honor of Valentine’s Day I’m offering you this delightful dessert — sweets to the sweet, dear readers. The recipe is simple: peel the apples, chop them, pile into a baking pan, add a butter-flour-and-sugar topping, and bake. When the crumble comes out of the oven, you’ll find that 
Mussels filled with garlicky parsley butter and baked until bubbly and golden make a great start to a meal. They may be served with cocktails as a palate teaser (amuse-bouche) or as a first course at the table. By taking care not to overcook the mussels, you will ensure that each mouthful not only bursts with flavor, but is tender as well. And this dish is fun to make. Pop the mussels into the oven as your guests are arriving and prepare for applause.
Coq au Riesling is chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce made with Riesling, a dry but slightly fruity wine from Alsace. While the dish was traditionally made with rooster (coq), chicken is now commonly used. For one thing, roosters are far tougher than chickens and take a long time to cook. For another, it’s not always easy to find a rooster — even in France, where it’s the national symbol! Meantime, today marks the start of an innovative herbal collaboration between EFC and a climate-aware online garden shop. Details below.
For our first collaborative foray, 
When walking in Paris in winter, one is likely to encounter a café chalkboard proposing grog au rhum, the French version of a rum toddy. This ubiquitous drink is popular not only because of its alleged healing qualities – it is said to be a remedy for the common cold and associated ailments – but also because it is warming and tasty, a great pick-me-up in nippy weather. And the beauty is that it may be made at home in a matter of minutes.
And so we end the year with an ultra French, ultra elegant starter of sea scallops in Champagne sauce to grace your table during the festive season. The scallops are sautéed in butter, deglazed with Champagne, bathed in a creamy, buttery Champagne sauce and decorated with fresh herbs. The amount of Champagne needed is equivalent to about one flute, so you can serve the rest of the bottle to your guests to get the festivities off to a merry start.
Cassoulet, one of France’s most popular dishes, is a specialty of the southwest Languedoc region. Dried white beans are simmered to tenderness, infused with garlic and baked in a slow oven with various meats — sausages, bacon, duck or goose confit, and sometimes pork or lamb. This is French comfort food at its finest. It’s a festive dish for a crowd that could be fun to make over the holidays. Preparation takes time, but it’s worth it.
