Tapenade

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Meg

The very thought of this flavor-packed spread evokes gnarled olive groves and thyme growing wild by the side of the road in southern France, where tapenade originated. Ubiquitous in Provence, it is usually made with black olives, but green olives are sometimes used. It may be made with garlic or without, with a dash of cognac or none. You can serve it on toast or as a dip at cocktail hour, and it also works well as a sauce for fish.

Tapenade / Black olive spread from Provence

Now some news. I was approached this week by an American book publisher about possibly doing a cookbook for their series. The up-side was that I would finally have accomplished my dream of publishing a recipe book. One down-side was that it would not be The Everyday French Chef Cookbook, but would bear a different title with little reference made to this site. The other down-side was that they needed the material by mid-July — 300 recipes and 150 sidebars! And photos too. That appeared to me to be a superhuman task, and in the end we decided we were not a perfect fit.

Nonetheless, this experience fired me up again for the idea of doing a cookbook. Certainly not by mid-July, but maybe in the year ahead. And once again, I’d like to ask for your feedback. Would you prefer an all-encompassing book on French cuisine à la Julia Child, but modernized and simplified? Or would you rather see a series of smaller books on specific categories of food — soups, vegetables, desserts, etc. — or perhaps four volumes on seasonal cooking? I can’t really pay you for this, but I’d like to offer a free cooking lesson to anyone who replies — next time you come to Paris. In the meantime, happy cooking!

Posted in 1. Starters | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Bar à l’aïoli

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Meg

sea bass aioli2Sea bass, variously known in France as bar (in the north) and loup (in the south), is highly prized because of its delicate flavor and succulent flesh. It is often grilled with fennel stalks over grapevine cuttings during barbecue season. At other times of year, it may be oven-roasted and served with aïoli, southern France’s garlicky take on homemade mayonnaise. Surround it with vegetables, and you have a ready-made main course.

Bar à l’aïoli / Sea bass with garlic mayonnaise

This dish is a variation on le grand aïoli, another full course meal with vegetables and fish, generally cod, as well as eggs, olives, tomatoes and chick peas. Both of these dishes may be served warm or at room temperature, but personally I prefer my sea bass nice and hot. Total cooking time is about half an hour. In the recipe, I also explain how to bone and fillet a fish, French-style. No video on this yet, but maybe one of these days…

Meantime, I had dinner last night with a couple of visiting American friends at one of my favorite restaurants, Le Repaire de Cartouche, where the chef Rodolphe Paquin has just redecorated. Imagine my surprise when my friend Bob announced he had become a vegan. He’s an athletic all-American type guy from Iowa. Never imagined he’d give up meat, fish, eggs, butter, cream and cheese — rather a challenge when dining out in France. As it turned out, it was not a problem. He chose white asparagus with truffle oil. When the food arrived, his asparagus was so thick that two spears filled an entire plate, each more than an inch (2.5 cm) in diameter! The spears were sprinkled with finely chopped black olives and shallots, and bathed in the truffle oil. I had a taste — quite delicious.

Site news: With the advent of spring, I have updated the Everyday Menus for omnivores, vegetarians and vegans, and will continue with the Weekend Menus over the next couple of days. We’ve been having alternately sunny days and rainy days here in Paris, but it’s generally been a beautiful spring. As they say in France, ‘En mai, fais ce qu’il te plaît‘ (‘In May, do as you please’). One of the reasons I love this country. Happy cooking!

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Mousse aux groseilles

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Meg

red currant mousse2Ethereally light, delicately pink and pretty as a picture, this red currant mousse makes a lovely finish to a meal. And the beauty of it is not just that it brings to your table the first blush of summer days to come, but also that it takes only 15 minutes to prepare. The red currants are cooked with a little sugar and strained before being added to beaten egg whites. That’s the whole thing. Refrigerate for a while, then sit back and wait for applause.

Mousse aux groseilles / Red currant mousse

groseillesThis recipe may be adapted for use with raspberries, strawberries and other soft fruits of summer. As for red currants, it’s still a little early in the season for them here in France, although they can already be found at good markets and green grocers. In my garden, the red currant bushes have flowered, but I will have to wait until around mid-June for my first burst of flavor from the beautiful red fruit. Something to look forward to. In the meantime, happy cooking.

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Tarte fine aux poireaux et lardons

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Meg

Leek bacon tart7This fine-crust savory tart with leeks and bacon is what you might call French ‘pizza.’ It is a relative of the more commonly seen flammekueche from Alsace, in which bacon and finely sliced onions are placed on thin dough covered in crème fraîche. That very popular dish is also known as tarte flambée because it is traditionally cooked over flames in a wood-burning oven. Happily, culinary techniques have moved on, and you don’t need to set your kitchen on fire these days to produce a French savory tart.

Tarte fine aux poireaux et lardons / French ‘pizza’ with leeks and bacon

In fact, thanks to huge improvements in the quality of supermarket products, this tart may be made with packaged pizza dough, meaning you can produce an elegant starter or lunch dish in a matter of minutes. Or you can make your own pizza dough, or go to your local bakery — as may be done here in France — and buy a lump of bread dough to use as the crust. The rest is child’s play, but (warning) don’t let your kids near the kitchen. This tart is so popular with the younger set that it may well be devoured before reaching the table.

With this recipe, I am inaugurating a new category on The Everyday French Chef: Savory Tarts and Tartines. There is a world of savory tarts beyond quiche in France, from pissaladière in the south to flammekueche in the north to what we call make-your-own-pizza here at home, with inventive combinations of whatever we happen to have in the fridge or pantry. As for tartines — the ubiquitous open-faced sandwiches that have been served in this country forever — they are creative, quick and easy to prepare. I plan to begin offering recipes on this site in the weeks ahead. Both the tarts and the tartines are classic French fast food with an elegant touch. Perfect fare for everyday French cooking.

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Jardinière de légumes printaniers

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Meg

If I were a vegetable, I’d like to start my life in spring. The tenderest peas, the sweetest onions, the most darling little carrots and turnips emerge at this time of year. The markets in France are overflowing with beautiful young veggies. And what better idea for a chef that to combine them in the bright and lovely dish known as a jardinière — literally, a garden box — of vegetables.

Jardinière de légumes printaniers / Spring vegetable medley

There are many variations on this dish. It may include baby leeks, baby fennel, artichoke hearts, or any other spring veggie — and it may also include bacon, a favorite with the younger set.

The veggies (except the peas), along with the bacon if you’re using it, are sautéed in olive oil until  just beginning to brown. Then they are braised briefly in water — this produces a succulent sauce. The peas are added at the last minute.

Et voilà — a dish that marries well with just about anything, and that can also achieve star power on its own, accompanied by a salad and perhaps some cheese.

Happy cooking!

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Entrecôte bordelaise

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Meg

entrecote bordelaise2If you are from the Bordeaux region you probably know the difference, but if you’re from anywhere else, you may not: entrecôte bordelaise, one of France’s great steak dishes, is served without a wine sauce. The steak is grilled over charcoal or pan-seared, topped with minced shallots, sprinkled with sea salt and parsley, et voilà. That’s all. But entrecôte à la bordelaise is a different matter — the à la means it will be served with a rich sauce of shallots, butter and wine, preferably Bordeaux.

Entrecôte bordelaise / Pan-seared steak with shallots

entrecote a la bordelaise2Today’s recipe includes both styles of preparation. The key is to use a premium cut of beef. In France, these dishes are traditionally made with the steak known as entrecôte, which literally means between the ribs. Good substitutes include rib-eye, sirloin, Porterhouse, New York strip, club, Scotch fillet and Delmonico.

ferrandi1And now for something completely different. I had the pleasure yesterday of lunching at the Ecole Ferrandi, a cooking school that has been praised in France as the Harvard of gastronomy. The occasion was a gathering of the Reuter Dinosaur Club (read: aging journalists who have worked for Reuters and lived to tell the tale). It was so impressive that I took some photos to share with you.

ferrandi2From the menu, I chose a starter of a foamy soup of smoked haddock with asparagus tips and cockles. For the main course I had fillet of red mullet and bream, bouillabaisse style, replete with tiny langoustines and a delicious rouille (saffron mayonnaise). This was followed by a cheese plate and, for dessert, an absolutely gorgeous lychee Bavarian cream on a pink biscuit accompanied by Champagne-flavored sherbet.

ferrandi3All of the cooking and serving is done by students at the school, who may begin their training as young as 15, or enroll after completing their high school education. The service was a little slow, but what the heck? These kids were turning out gourmet meals that would not have been out of place at a three-star restaurant. In fact, the school’s board is headed by Joël Robuchon, one of France’s greatest chefs. And the lunch costs just 30 euros, a bargain for this kind of meal.

ferrandi4Would I go back? Yes, definitely, providing I had plenty of time and a very big appetite. It was so much fun!

And in the meantime, happy cooking.

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Asperges au parmesan

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Meg

asparagus parmesan4There are so many beautiful things to be done with asparagus in the springtime that sometimes it’s hard to choose. In a quiche? In an omelet? Wrapped in a crêpe with melted cheese? Served in solitary splendor as a first course with a vinaigrette? Braised to a rich and savory brownness? At a recent dinner party, I decided to experiment and combined this spring’s first asparagus with parmesan and nut-brown melted butter. To applause…

Asperges au parmesan / Asparagus with parmesan

One of the many appealing aspects of asparagus is its beauty — the elegant fresh green spears will enliven any platter. Another is its history. People have been serving asparagus since at least 3000 B.C. when Egyptians depicted it on a frieze. As I’m currently studying early humans, I often try to imagine their mealtimes — and that frieze is proof of their good taste. Finally, the health benefits of eating asparagus have been recognized since the days of the ancient Greeks, and some societies considered it an aphrodisiac. Here in France, Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV, liked to be served what she called “love tips” (points d’amour). I can’t vouch for asparagus as an aphrodisiac, but certainly it is a source of pleasure in itself. And that’s enough for me. Happy cooking!

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Risotto au safran

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Meg

saffron risotto2Risotto is one of the world’s great comfort foods, and this particular kind — with saffron — is one of my favorites. It makes a fine starter and works well as a side dish. I served it the other evening alongside rolled roast of duck with walnut sauce. Simple fare with a slightly sophisticated edge — and quite different from the relentlessly modern food one risks encountering these days at some of the reputedly hottest restaurants in Paris.

Risotto au safran / Saffron risotto

As regular readers of this blog already know, I am a big fan of Shaun Kelly and the creative cuisine he brought to the restaurant Au Passage — fresh, seasonal and invariably inventive. Shaun was preceded at Au Passage by another young Australian chef, James Henry, who went on in late 2012 to open a new place, Bones, also in the 11th arrondissement. It’s had great reviews, and I had high expectations when a friend and I went there last weekend. But, alas, we were disappointed — and not just because, after arriving at 8, we had to wait more than an hour for the first food to appear.

It was something we hadn’t ordered, a palate teaser of indeterminate nature. On the tiny plate, it looked like two mouthfuls of merguez (spicy sausage). But looks can be deceiving, as we discovered on tasting what turned out to be a mixture of sea urchin, grated carrot and botargo (salted mullet roe), encased in an unidentifiable wrapper. By 9:30, we were still waiting for the first course when the waitress appeared with a second palate teaser — two slices of barely cooked duck heart. “It looks like it’s still beating,” said my friend.

When at last the actual dinner appeared, the dishes were neither bad nor great. One combined asparagus, sea scallops and citrus fruit, another starred monkfish cheeks in broth. By the way, it’s a set menu with no choice possible except the main course. I chose veal, which came with mini artichokes and whipped cream — quite tasty. My friend had a microscopic serving of lamb with kidney (James Henry specializes in offal). This was followed by a clear-the-palate salty orange granita. We were more than ready to leave by 11 when they finally brought the dessert, which was — wait for it — jerusalem artichoke ice cream.

Now please don’t get me wrong. I’m all for inventive cuisine, but sometimes it feels like chefs are trying too hard to push the margins. It’s like they’ve forgotten that restaurant goers may enjoy creativity, but we are above all seeking a good meal. In addition, the restaurant was incredibly noisy, with a young crowd of (mainly) foreigners. Not surprising, as the French would not tolerate being made to wait 90 minutes for the first course.

Meantime, I just revisited Au Passage, which was as fabulous as ever although there is now a brand new chef. Ah oui, mes amis. Shaun Kelly has gone off to a new place, Yard, also in the 11th. Haven’t tried that one yet — it opened only this week — but when I do I’ll let you know. The new chef at Au Passage, an English friend of Shaun’s, is Edward Delling-Williams, and I’m delighted to report that he is maintaining that bistro’s fine tradition. Without recounting everything we tried, I’ll just say that the dish of cockles with bacon and salsify (an edible root popular in France) was to die for. So much so that I will attempt to replicate it for you in a future post. And in the meantime, happy cooking!

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Coquelet à la géorgienne

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Meg

Georgian chicken2Take a moment to consider the humble walnut. It is said to have health enhancing qualities, and even life extending properties, possibly because it contains antioxidants. Now let’s consider the Georgians and their beautiful, mountainous land on the shores of the Black Sea — the land where Jason is said to have gone in search of the golden fleece. Is it because walnuts play such a large part in the cuisine of the Georgians that are among the longest-lived people on earth? They combine walnuts with garlic, spices and herbs to make a spectacular sauce that they serve often, sometimes with grilled chicken, as in this recipe.

Coquelet à la géorgienne / Chicken with walnut sauce

I served this to guests the other day, using the small, young chicken known as the coquelet in France. Tried it out on my daughter first. Her reaction? ‘Trop bon!’ (French kidspeak for ‘awesome’). The sauce is made ahead of time, the chicken roasted at high temperature to crispy succulence, and when you bring it to the table be prepared for oohs and aahs. This same sauce works brilliantly on cooked vegetables like green beans or spinach. I plan to serve it next week on roast duck. But is it French? Mais oui, now it is. It’s been a star of my Parisian table for decades.

When considering the great cuisines of the world — Indian, Thai, Persian, Chinese, Italian and, of course, French — mention is rarely made of Georgian cooking. This will undoubtedly change over time through globalization. In the meantime, one woman has done quite a lot to make Georgian cuisine accessible to everyday chefs in the West. She is Anya von Bremzen, whose masterful Please to the Table, which came out in 1990, contains recipes from all the republics of the former USSR.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Anya recently about her new book, Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking, which despite its title is not a cookbook but rather a fascinating history of the Soviet Union viewed through the lens of food. If you’d like to see the interview, it’s here on a French literary site called Paris Writers News.

One more thing on the literary front: I’ve just begun a new blog on the craft of writing that may be of interest to the readers/writers among you. As a journalist and writer with nearly four decades of facing the blank page on a daily basis, I decided to share some thoughts. The first post, Is This a True Story, considers the ethics of changing the names of people portrayed in a memoir. If you read it, please add your thoughts. I’d love to see them.

And by the way, it’s spring. Happy cooking!

Posted in 6. Poultry | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mousse aux fraises

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Meg

strawberry mousse1Who would have thought that something like strawberry mousse could spark a sex war? But that’s what happened the other day when, experimenting with this recipe, I took two versions of it to a friend’s place for a lunchtime dessert. There were six at the table — four women and two men — and a truly Parisian cacophony erupted when I asked which version they preferred. All of the women liked the first, in which the uncooked strawberries release a bright burst of flavor. All of the men preferred the second, creamier sort, in which the strawberries are briefly simmered before being incorporated into a mousse.

Mousse aux fraises / Strawberry mousse

Of course we’ve all seen the way the pleasures of the table can be appreciated differently by women and men. Pardon the generalities, but I’ve found that women like their coffee brulant, as they say in French — burning hot — while men prefer to let it cool down a bit. Women often have more of a sweet tooth. Men like to take their sugar via alcohol. Et cetera et cetera. (If you have other examples, please share them.) In this case, I was very surprised by the outcome — but pleased that everyone liked both versions. It was a matter of degree, but all agreed that strawberry mousse — elegant, light and oh so flavorful — is a perfect dessert for spring. And by the way, preparation is simple and incredibly quick.

Site news: If you have a moment, please check out a site called Provence Guru, which as of this week will from time to time be featuring recipes from The Everyday French Chef. It’s not a food site per se, but rather an ‘insider’s guide to Provence,’ with articles on restaurants, culture, wine, rentals and many other themes. Run by a genial Englishman named Jamie Ivey who left his job as a corporate lawyer to enjoy a more relaxed life in Provence, and who became an author specializing in rosé wine in the process, it is packed with useful information about that particularly beloved corner of France.

Even if you’re not heading that way, you can enjoy dreaming about it. And in the meantime, happy cooking!

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