Fraises et framboises à la crème

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Meg

fraises framboises3At last it’s strawberry season! The Paris markets are overflowing with red ripe berries. First came the large and rather flavorless strawberries trucked up from Spain, and now the homegrown gariguettes, a highly prized French variety that’s bursting with sweet taste. Raspberries are here, too — they’re Spanish, but hey! They’re delicious. Why not combine the two into a succulent, simple dessert? Add a touch of fresh basil and it becomes really special, a creation to write home about.

Fraises et framboises à la crème / Strawberries and raspberries with cream

When I first came to France I was surprised to see simple desserts like strawberries with sugar or cream (or both) on the menus of elegant restaurants. But who can resist? It’s light, seasonal and oh so refreshing. The berries come piled up in high glass cups or artfully scattered on plates, accompanied by a big bowlful of crème fraîche and a jar of sugar. At home you can bring the fruit to the table and let diners compile their own creations, or do it for them in the kitchen. Doesn’t matter. This is a dessert that can be prepared any day of the week in less than five minutes, and will surely be greeted with applause.

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Turbot au four au beurre blanc

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Meg

turbot4Friends were stopping by en route home to England. A birthday lunch was called for. And the guest of honor, having seen the fish on display at my local market, made a special request: Could we please have turbot for lunch? I rose to the challenge — the main challenge having been to find a baking pan large enough to accommodate the formidable fish. I set it on a bed of thyme branches, popped it into a very hot oven — and voilà. Twenty minutes later it was all set to go. All it needed was the beurre blanc…

Turbot au four au beurre blanc / Baked turbot with creamy butter sauce

Ah, the beurre blanc. For those of you who may be wondering, beurre blanc is an emulsion of butter, vinegar and shallots that by some sort of culinary magic transmogrifies into one of the most sublime of French sauces. It is typically served with fish — and usually in restaurants, as it has a reputation of being difficult to make. That’s poppycock. It’s no more tricky than mayonnaise — all you need is a little practice. When I first tried making it about 35 years ago, I got it right on the second try (much to the astonishment of my French boyfriend). And I’ve been making it ever since. As for the turbot, it is a large diamond-shaped flatfish somewhat akin to flounder — which may be substituted if turbot is hard to find in your region. I guarantee your guests will love it. Happy cooking!

Site news: I have added a spring update to the Everyday Menus section and will update the Weekend Menus in the coming days. These include menus for omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. In the process of updating, I noticed I’ve been including a lot of dishes that an everyday French chef wouldn’t make every day, but only on special occasions — for example, turbot with beurre blanc. In the weeks ahead I plan to rectify that by including more dishes that can be whipped up on a moment’s notice for the enjoyment of you and your partner, your family, your friends or just for yourself, any day of the week.

Posted in 5. Fish and Shellfish | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Navarin d’agneau printanier

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Meg

navarin2Navarin, or lamb stew, derives from the French word for turnips — navets — which turn up (pun intended) in colorful bunches in outdoor markets every spring. Their appearance heralds not only the return at last of warm weather, but also the arrival of a seasonal dish that is doubly heartening. For navarin may be as warming as a winter stew, but its spring vegetables display the promise of warm summer days soon to come.

Navarin d’agneau printanier / Lamb stew with spring vegetables

We made a navarin in cooking class the other day and it took just over an hour. Stewing time, of course, depends on the cut of lamb you use. The version shown above is my favorite, with turnips, carrots, spring onions and fresh peas. But many other variations are possible. Julia Child’s recipe also calls for green beans and potatoes, but I find that results in a heavier dish akin to Irish stew, losing navarin’s light touch of spring in the process.

turnipsAs for turnips, they had bad rep in my family when I was growing up in the States. Why, I can’t understand. The turnip is a delightful vegetable, easy to grow in a garden plot and spicy enough to add zing to a stew or salad. Turnips were apparently first cultivated in India some 3,500 years ago, and today feature prominently in North African and Middle Eastern cuisine. They also have a long tradition of culinary and other uses in Europe. Nonetheless, their bad rep clings to them over here, too. In France, at least, where a movie or play that bombs is called not a lemon but un navet…

Book news: ‘Mastering the Art of French Eating,’ a new food memoir by the author Ann Mah, is now available for pre-sale ahead of its publication in September. The book is a regional tour of France and its culinary traditions undertaken by Ann when her husband, a diplomat, was suddenly transferred to Baghdad, leaving her on her own in Paris. It includes recipes from each of the regions visited, as well as Ann’s musings on food, life and love. Cannot wait to read it myself!

Posted in 7. Meat Dishes | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Quiche au saumon fumé

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Meg

quiche saumon epinards3At cooking class the other day, the students wanted to make quiche. Fine. But which kind to propose? Quiche lorraine with cream and bacon felt too heavy for spring, never mind that it’s still raining in Paris. Ditto flamiche, the leek quiche that hails from northern France and Belgium. I wanted something richly flavorful with a hint of luxury and a touch of green, a dish to cheer us up in this most dire of springs. Et voilà — inspiration in the form of a smoked salmon quiche, with spinach to brighten it.

Quiche au saumon fumé / Smoked salmon quiche

This quiche may be served as a starter, a light main dish at lunch or supper, or at brunch. The flavors of the salmon and the spinach marry well and are enhanced by grated cheese and a sprinkling of fresh dill. As for the rest of the filling — eggs, milk and cream — allow me to let you in on an open secret. This filling may be used with any kind of quiche. You’d rather marry mushrooms and bacon? Or broccoli and cheddar? Go for it. This is the ideal dish for using your imagination. Happy cooking!

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Genoise au citron et pavot

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Meg

gateau printemps1April in Paris… Snowflakes and gray skies… Nary a blossom is to be seen… Given the situation, the only solution the other day was to make a beautiful cake. It was Easter Sunday and I’d been invited to dinner. The hostess asked me to bring a dessert. I had little time, having had a guest myself at lunchtime, so I put on my thinking cap and came up with this lemon-poppyseed tort — quick to make, fun to decorate, lovely to behold.

Genoise au citron et pavot / Lemon-poppyseed tort

The cake is a genoise flavored with grated lemon peel and poppyseeds. I iced it with a mix of confectioner’s sugar, milk, lemon and brandy. Then came the decoration — ah, the decoration! This is an art I picked up while working as a chef at the Café Dewitt in Ithaca, New York, many years ago. We had some candy eggs left over from lunchtime, so I placed them around the rim, interspersed with miniature daffodils from a plant I’d bought at the market. And for the tray, strawberries. When the cake was presented that evening, oohs and aahs erupted and the guests broke into song — literally! Of course, it’s not Easter every day, but this cake may be decorated in many different ways. For example, with a sprinkling of poppyseeds on top, strawberries around the rim and flowers strew around the tray. It’s so much fun! Just use your imagination…

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Soupe aux artichauts safranée

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Meg

soupe artichaut2I grow artichokes in my garden in Burgundy. This spring I’ll have to start over because a wild boar trampled my two artichoke plants last autumn. Which means I’ll be lucky if I get a single artichoke by September. Happily artichokes can be found in abundance at markets in France throughout the summer and beyond. And sometimes you don’t even have to go to the market — frozen artichoke hearts are all you need. As in this soup.

Soupe aux artichauts safranée / Artichoke soup with saffron

The soup is essentially a purée of artichoke bottoms with a little olive oil and cream. The saffron is what makes it really special. First, there’s the color — incandescent yellow-orange. Then there’s the sublimely exotic flavor, which is, I think, the reason why saffron is reputedly the world’s most expensive spice. Depending on how much you like saffron, you can include it in both the soup and the swirl on top, or use it only for the swirl. Personally, I like it enough to use it in both.

Meantime, the food and travel writer Ann Mah has just posted one of my recipes on her excellent site. Ann, a friend who until recently lived in Paris, has a regular column called Tuesday dinner with… where she invites other food bloggers to contribute a recipe for a dish they would make on a Tuesday evening — i.e. an evening when a fast and easy supper is called for. The recipe I sent her is Salade Savoyarde, a salad with lettuce, potatoes, country ham and melted cheese. To check it out, go to: annmah.net / Tuesday dinner with The Everyday French Chef.

Site news: One of the reasons I embarked on this culinary adventure last fall is that I’m hoping to publish a cookbook. For that to happen, I’ve been told, I need tens of thousands of followers! So how are we doing? Thanks to your interest and support, the site is nearly 8 months old and has a steadily growing following. But it’s not growing fast enough to reach 10,000 anytime soon. The Everyday French Chef needs a boost, and I’d like to ask for your help.

One way would be to send a link to the home page to 5 or 10 (or more) of your friends. Or, when you see a recipe you like, you could share it by pressing one of the buttons at the bottom of each page — via Facebook, Twitter, Email or Pinterest. And of course, if you like this site but have not yet subscribed, you may do so. I am very grateful for your support, and will keep you posted. In the meantime, happy cooking.

— Meg Bortin

Posted in 2. Soups | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Gigot d’agneau à la marocaine

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Meg

gigot3Just in time for Easter, here’s a recipe with a twist — a leg of lamb coated in spices that infuse the meat with a seductive Moroccan flavor. Add a little couscous on the side, and you will have an exotic Easter meal as memorable as the painted eggs left around your house or garden by a certain rabbit. And once the Easter holiday has passed, you can make this recipe time and again, for it’s a crowd pleaser and quite easy to prepare.

Gigot d’agneau à la marocaine / Roast leg of lamb, Moroccan style

The French tend to serve their lamb rare and the Moroccans well done, so how to approach this roast? My rule of thumb (with a caveat) is to forget about how other cultures prepare their meat and serve the roast as you — and your family and guests — like it. The caveat is that I’ve lived in France so long I’ve been influenced by the local style, and have come to believe that the meat becomes tougher and arguably less flavorful the longer you cook it. In my kitchen, I roast the lamb just long enough for the meat in the broader parts of the leg to be medium-rare — pink with perhaps a tiny spot of red in the middle. The meat toward the bottom of the leg will be more well done, allowing a choice for the diners around the table. Happy cooking!

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Asperges braisées

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Meg

asperges braisees3I think there’s something we can all agree on — the first taste of asparagus each year is one of the rites of spring. Not that spring has sprung in Paris quite yet, but the first green spears have just made their debut in the outdoor markets. I’d been waiting for that moment and seized on it last week while shopping for a dinner party. There, gloriously displayed, was a large heap of young asparagus. I bought it, brought it home and braised it.

Asperges braisées / Braised asparagus

Braising transforms asparagus into almost a different vegetable. Not that I don’t like the more delicate steamed variety with hollandaise or simply with olive oil and sea salt. I’m sure we’ll get around to that later this spring. But braised asparagus acquires a richly smoky flavor as it browns, a lusty, earthy taste. I usually serve it as a starter, but it also brings star power as a side dish to whatever you may be serving. At the dinner party, I served the asparagus alongside roast guinea fowl. There were no complaints.

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Champignons à la crème et au cerfeuil

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Meg

champignons cerfeuil1My friend Nicole lives in the shadow of the Pompidou Art Center, right around the corner from a Paris bistro called Le Hangar. This trendy restaurant is sufficiently hidden away to retain a private feeling, even in the crowded Beaubourg neighborhood. We have been going there for years — no, decades. Of their classic French dishes with a modern spin, my favorite has always been a salad of raw mushrooms with cream and herbs, specifically chervil — the herb that looks like a feathery version of cilantro or parsley but is quite different.

Champignons à la crème et au cerfeuil / Mushroom salad with cream and herbs

Why did chervil never catch on in the States? I don’t remember seeing it there, although it may now be available in gourmet markets. It is ubiquitous in France, easy to grow and reputedly packed with vitamins and healthful properties. Chervil is all over the place in French cuisine — in soups, omelets, with fish, with vegetables and, as above, with certain salads. Its flavor is delicate, with hints of anise and tarragon. Apparently it came south from Russia, which is maybe why it is such a perfect partner for mushrooms and cream. If you cannot find chervil, dill is perhaps the best substitute. Happy cooking!

Posted in 1. Starters | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Soupe de moules au safran

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Meg

soupe moules safran1I never tasted mussels before arriving in Paris as a young woman. They just weren’t available far from the sea in the American Midwest, where I grew up. But even though Paris is about two hours by road from the nearest coastline (the Channel), all kinds of ultrafresh seafood can be found in abundance here. Mussels are cheap, easy to prepare and they delight the palate with their slightly sweet and nutty flavor. They marry well with other tastes, including spices like curry or, as in this soup, saffron.

Soupe de moules au safran / Mussel soup with saffron

Saffron is, of course, expensive, but the amount needed for this recipe won’t break the bank. Counter to standard wisdom, I prefer powdered saffron to the stringy kind — it’s easier to use and, in my view, just as flavorful. Saffron is pricey because it comes from a type of crocus that lives for a single day — the threads must be harvested on that day, and within a window of a couple of hours! It is one of my favorite spices, redolent of the luxury of Arabian nights. The way it enhances mussels is magical. Try it and see.

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