Pommes de terre au romarin

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Meg

rosemary potatoes2Potatoes roasted with rosemary and olive oil — nothing so melt-in-the-mouth delicious could be as simple to make. Preparation time is five minutes or less, although you do need to be around for the next hour or so while your potatoes turn a golden brown, their aroma drawing everyone in the house into your kitchen. Fend them off with promises of things to come, for these potatoes marry well with so many other dishes — roast chicken, pan-seared fish, an omelet or simply a green salad.

Pommes de terre au romarin / Roasted rosemary potatoes

Site news: Today I launch The Everyday French Chef on Facebook. Simply click on the Facebook button above to go to the page. Here you will find new features including an Events section, the first event being a soufflé demonstration in my Paris kitchen on Nov. 6. If you happen to be in Paris, please sign up — space is limited, but the demonstration is free. The Facebook page is a place for readers to interact with me and each other, for example by suggesting recipes to include on this site, or by sharing your own culinary tips. If you are enjoying The Everyday French Chef, please share the new page with your Facebook friends. Your support means a lot to me! — Meg Bortin

Posted in 8. Vegetables | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Steak maître d’hôtel

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Meg

Who was the genius who first conjured up this simple but delicious way of serving steak? My guess is that it was a head waiter with a big crowd coming in and a dearth of ingredients for sauces. But every restaurant kitchen in France has butter and parsley on hand — and so, voilà, a new dish was born. But this is just my imagination speaking. I plan to track down the culinary origins of beurre maître d’hôtel — or ‘head waiter’s butter’ — and will get back to you on that. In the meantime, why not just enjoy the steak?

Steak au beurre maître d’hôtel / Pan-seared steak with parsley butter

This is a great recipe for any everyday chef, for it takes a total of 10 minutes to prepare, from fridge to table. With a very high quality steak, it may be served on its own, garnished with a little bunch of watercress, for example. Or accompanied by the great French classic, pommes frites (French fries). Or by any number of vegetable dishes, from rosemary potatoes (coming tomorrow) to green beans to purées and beyond. Happy cooking!

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Crème de lentilles

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Meg

It only takes one word to describe this creamy lentil soup: sublime. Created by Rodolphe Paquin — the chef and owner of Le Repaire de Cartouche, one of my favorite neighborhood bistros — it is a soup that will knock your socks off. Not for the faint-hearted, it is richissimo, with vast quantities of cream. But that is what makes it oh, so delicious.

Crème de lentilles / Creamy lentil soup

M. Paquin, who kindly contributed his recipe to The Everyday French Chef, uses either chicken stock or water as a base when he makes this soup. As for the lentils, he prefers the small green lentils found over here called lentilles du Puy. If they’re not available where you live, just go for high-quality lentils.

Rodolphe Paquin, who comes from Normandy, has been chef at Le Repaire de Cartouche since 1997. The restaurant is named for a dashing bandit and ladies’ man who ran a gang of thieves in the Bastille area in the 18th century, before the French revolution. Cartouche is perhaps France’s version of Robin Hood — he took from the rich and gave to the poor (up to a point). His repaire, or hide-out, was reputedly in the building on the Rue Amelot where the restaurant now stands, its walls covered in murals depicting the exploits of Cartouche. Despite his legendary prowess in evading the royal authorities, Cartouche met a bad end. He was arrested, deserted by his comrades and tortured to death on the wheel at the esplanade where the Hôtel de Ville, the Paris city hall, now stands. Nonetheless his legend lives on in poetry, theater and the movies, notably a 1962 film in which Cartouche was played by the equally dashing Jean-Paul Belmondo.

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Figues rôties à la crème

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Meg

Fresh figs roasted in vanilla cream flavored with ground coriander seeds is a dessert that will have your guests begging for more. There is something about the muskiness of the figs that gives off a wanton come-have-me aroma en route from the oven to the table. When I made it other night, I thought it would serve six — but happily we were only three, for we finished it in a flash. And had there been more, we would have finished that too.

Figues rôties à la crème / Fresh figs roasted in vanilla cream

I had never encountered a fresh fig before coming to France, and can still remember my surprise at the taste of it. No relation at all to its cousin, the dried fig, which we’d enjoyed over the years in my family at Christmas time. The fresh figs of Avignon were already ripe in July, hanging low on the boughs of trees lining the road that I took to my daily classes on French structuralism. It was drowsily warm in the classroom, and the odor of the figs outside would send me into reveries that unfortunately affected my grades. To this day, the fresh fig is for me the most voluptuous of fruits, its elegant shape and rounded bottom enhanced by the sculpted beauty of its leaves, its exterior, deep purple or green, concealing the sweet lush red within.

The fig season is coming to an end, at least over here in France, so if you’d like to try this dessert now’s the time. The Everyday French Chef will be back on Monday with a recipe from one of my favorite neighborhood bistros. Happy cooking!

Posted in Desserts | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Tomates provençales

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Meg

provencal tomatoes1There are many approaches to this classic dish from Provence — the slow way on the stove-top, the quicker way in the oven, with or without breadcrumbs, with thyme instead of parsley, etc. For the purposes of an everyday French chef, the quick way works just fine and produces a classic version of the garlicky roasted tomatoes of southern France. Preparation takes 10 minutes, and then you can pop them into the oven and get on with the rest of the dinner while enjoying the intoxicating scents wafting through your kitchen.

Tomates provençales / Roasted tomatoes, Provence-style

I first tasted these tomatoes when I spent the summer in Avignon as a 19-year-old (let’s not mention the year). I was staying with a French family composed of the mother, the daughter, the newborn granddaughter, the dog and the 100-year-old tortoise named Caroline. Madame Bergier took in boarders because her husband had died and she needed the money. He had been a doctor in French colonial times, and their rambling house was filled with treasures from Africa, Indochina and the Middle East. There was notably a scimitar — call it a sword of Damocles — hanging above the entrance to my bedroom, and over the bed a huge red parchment parasol with little red pompoms all around. In this exotic ambience, dinnertime was a welcome return to southern French reality. I have been trying to replicate Mme Bergier’s fabulous roasted tomatoes ever since.

Posted in 8. Vegetables | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Filet de porc au romarin

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Meg

pork rosemary1The most succulent cut of pork, roasted to a crispy golden brown on the outside, meltingly tender on the inside, infused with rosemary and garlic — this is a recipe fit for the most discriminating palate. The meat is lean and juicy, its elegance enhanced by the spicy earthiness of the rosemary. And the beauty of the dish is that it takes just 5 minutes to prepare, plus roasting time of about half an hour.

Filet de porc au romarin / Roast pork fillet with rosemary

Roast pork fillet marries well with country dishes like vegetable purées or Provence-style roasted tomatoes (coming tomorrow). I could say more, but will not as I’m rather tired, having been up from 3-4:30 a.m. watching the U.S. presidential debate. Like many Americans in Paris, I am very concerned about the outcome of this election — we may be an ocean away, but we feel very close to the situation back home. But that is not the subject of this web site, so I will save my thoughts on the matter for another occasion.

Instead, here’s some site news: My young French computer genius stopped by yesterday and added share buttons to the bottom of each page (except the home page). Which means that if you like a recipe, you may send it to friends via Facebook or Twitter. Meanwhile I have begun building a Facebook page dedicated to The Everyday French Chef. The page will inform its readers about upcoming events — the first of which is a soufflé demonstration scheduled for early November — and hopefully also include video interviews of some of my favorite Paris chefs. If you’d like a sneak preview, search on Facebook for The Everyday French Chef.

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Soufflé au roquefort

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Meg

I first started making cheese soufflés while living in Moscow, where I was posted as a correspondent in the 1980s. Those were dark years with limited options for grocery shopping. But one could always find the ingredients needed for a soufflé — eggs, flour, butter, milk and cheese. I alternated between the recipes of two of my favorite cookbooks — The French Chef Cookbook by the unmatchable Julia Child, my first and most important influence in becoming a French chef, and The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas, a wonderful book. Over the years I have simplified these recipes to come up with a quick and easy version of this most ethereal of culinary creations.

Soufflé au roquefort / Roquefort soufflé

I don’t know who invented the soufflé but will look into it for future postings. But the bottom line is that this makes a spectacular entry to any meal. As a starter for a special occasion, you may make individual soufflés accompanied by champagne. For a light lunch or supper, follow the soufflé by a green salad and maybe some fruit. As for the cheese itself, if you don’t like roquefort, or don’t have any to hand, many other cheeses work equally well. Experiment, innovate, create…

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Artichauts vinaigrette

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Meg

artichaut vinaigrette2When I was a kid growing up in the United States, artichokes were considered a great delicacy in my family. But as we lived far from California, where they were grown, they were expensive. My mother would cook a single artichoke for the four of us, cut into quarters. When I came to France and was served a whole artichoke for the first time, I thought it must be a mistake. But artichokes are available everywhere here. They grow wild along the roadside in parts of the south, their crowns bursting into glorious purple bloom if they remain unharvested. So it wasn’t a mistake. I had simply landed in paradise.

Artichauts vinaigrette / Artichokes with mustard vinaigrette sauce

It is customary in France to serve a whole artichoke per person as a first course, accompanied by a sauce for dipping the leaves and the heart. The sauce served most often is a vinaigrette made with Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and an uncomplicated salad oil. Sometimes I use this sauce for artichokes, while other times I opt for the delicious combination of lemon juice and olive oil. On special occasions, I serve artichokes with homemade mayonnaise. That recipe will be coming along soon.

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Mousse au chocolat

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Meg

chocolate mousse1This is a mousse for serious chocolate lovers. Its deeply seductive flavor comes from the combination of high-quality dark chocolate with cognac and whipped crème fraîche. If that sounds too devilish to you, or if you will be making your mousse for the younger set, you may omit the brandy and substitute dark coffee or vanilla. For best results, buy a couple of imported bars with a chocolate content of 70 percent. You won’t regret it.

Mousse au chocolat / Dark chocolate mousse

There are various culinary approaches to mousse. The most common, in France, is to include butter with the chocolate and eggs. Instead of butter this version instead uses cream, which I find makes a lighter mousse and one not quite so rich. It allows the flavor of the chocolate to dominate while producing the melt-in-your-mouth quality you seek from this sort of dessert. If the mousse is not sweet enough for your taste, serve with a dollop or spritz of sweet whipped cream on top.

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Gratin de courgettes

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Meg

gratin-courgettes3Zucchini infused with thyme, garlic and nutmeg and topped with a crust of bubbling cheese — it sounds as good as it tastes. But the best thing about this dish is how easy it is to make. In the time it takes to heat up the oven, you can steam the zucchini, grate the cheese, combine the cream and seasonings, and presto — it’s ready to bake. You may need to double or triple the recipe, because it will have your happy diners clamoring for seconds.

Gratin de courgettes / Zucchini gratin

The gratin is a staple of French cuisine but every chef has a different way of preparing it. Which means you can use your imagination to create variants of this dish — experimenting with different cheeses, for example, or combining the zucchini with another vegetable.

A word on cheese. My friend Ann Mah, an elegant writer on food and travel, has a new feature on her web site every Tuesday in which she invites another food blogger to share his or her midweek cooking secrets, most recently David Lebovitz. Through this feature I discovered Chez Loulou, a site that includes a terrific guide to French cheese. France reputedly counts a cheese for every day of the week — as De Gaulle famously said, ‘How can you govern a country that has 365 cheeses?’ In fact there are many more French cheeses than that, making a guide both interesting and useful.

The gratin may be served as a side dish or as the main dish of a light meal, preceded or followed by a salad. It will marry well with a sturdy red wine.

Posted in 8. Vegetables | Tagged , , | 4 Comments