french

appetizers

This tasty yet basic appetizer, raw marinated vegetables or crudités, soaks in store-bought dressing overnight before serving. The sheer simplicity of it reflects French cuisine: Take a simple ingredient and make it taste exquisite.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups carrots, cut into thin sticks
• 2 cups red bell peppers, cut into strips
• 2 cups petite asparagus spears
• 2 cups celery, cut into thin sticks
• 1 1/3 cups Vinaigrette dressing

Preparation:

Wash and cut the vegetables. Keeping them separate put the carrots, peppers, asparagus spears, and celery each into their own bowl. Toss aech vegetable with 1/3 cup dressing, cover, and chill for at least 8 hours. Drain remaining dressing and arrange the marinated vegetable on a platter. Serve cold.

Makes 8 servings.

Basil Palmiers Recipe

When one thinks of palmiers – the tiny scroll-like pastries – sweet, flaky cookies come to mind. While these are flaky and delicate like the original, that’s where the similarities end. This recipe for basil palmiers uses a pesto-like filling of fresh basil and garlic for a wonderful, savory flavor.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 3 cloves garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 lb puff pastry (1 sheet store bought)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat an oven to 400F.

Pulse together the basil, garlic, and olive oil until it forms a finely textured paste.

Roll the pastry dough into a large rectangle, about 15-inches by 12-inches. Using a pastry brush or spoon, spread the basil paste in a thin, even layer over the dough. Starting at the long ends of the rectangle, loosely roll each side inward until they meet in the middle. To hold difficult pastry together, brush it with the egg, if needed.

Slice the pastry crosswise into 1/4-inch palmiers – they’ll look like little scrolls – and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them with the ground black pepper and bake them for 12-15 minutes, until they puff and turn golden brown. Remove them from the baking sheet and serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe makes 30 basil palmiers.

Variation: Sprinkle 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese over the basil paste and dough before rolling it into palmiers.

Salad

Grilling seafood adds a new flavor variation to this traditional French salad. Use store-bought French vinaigrette for quick, easy preparation.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup French Vinaigrette
• 1 12-oz 1-inch thick salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 large zucchini (courgette), cut into ¼-inch slices
• 8 jumbo shrimp, shelled and halved
• 8 sea scallops
• ¾ pound green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces and steamed until crisp-tender
• 16 romaine lettuce leaves
• 1 yellow pepper, sliced into strips
• 4 roma tomatoes, quartered
• 4 hardboiled eggs, quartered
• 16 black olives
• 1 tablespoon capers
• French Vinaigrette for drizzling
• 4 chilled salad plates

Preparation:

Brush seafood and zucchini with 1/3 cup French Vinaigrette, and then arrange single-layer on grill rack. Cook 6 inches above glowing coals or low-medium heat. Grill salmon pieces for 4 minutes on each side, zucchini for 6 minutes on each side, shrimp for 4 minutes on each side, and the sea scallops for 6 minutes on each side. Remove each item when it is cooked through to a plate and allow to cool to warm-room temperature.

Assemble salad:

Place 4 lettuce leaves on each salad plate. Evenly dividing ingredients, arrange grilled seafood, vegetables, and eggs atop the beds of lettuce. Drizzle with Vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

desserts

This apple clafouti recipe, also know as clafouti aux pommes, is a homespun version of a traditional puffed French custard cake. The classic combination of apples, lemon, and cinnamon make a fantastic comfort dish.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon softened butter
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups sliced sweet-tart apples
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar (powdered)

Preparation:

Preheat an oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch by 9-inch square baking dish or a 9-inch deep-dish pie round with the softened butter.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, cinnamon, and salt until it forms a smooth, thin batter. Spread 3/4 cup of the batter onto the bottom of the prepared baking dish and bake it for 2-4 minutes. Watch the batter closely and remove it before it cooks through completely. It should just start to thicken and set when it is removed from the oven.

Transfer the dish to a heatproof surface and arrange the apples in fan pattern over the hot batter. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Sprinkle the confectioners’ sugar over the finished clafouti and serve it warm.

This apple clafouti recipe makes 8 servings.

Most of the world’s supply of Calissons – a unique almond paste candy – comes from Aix en Provence. Most visitors to Aix come away with a penchant for the distinctive candy. They’re hard to find, but taking the time to make them from scratch is worth the effort.

Cook’s note: This recipe uses raw eggs. Children, elderly people, pregnant women, and anyone with a suppressed immune system should avoid this food.

Prep Time: 1 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces crystallized melon, diced
• 1 ounce candied orange peel, diced
• 3 tablespoons almond liqueur
• 3 tablespoons orange flower water
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 ounces fine granulated sugar
• 3 ounces ground almonds
• 10 ounces heavy cream
• Confectioners’ sugar

Preparation:

Soak the melon and orange peel in the almond liqueur and orange flour water overnight, and then drain. Discard the soaking liquid.

Line a tray of oval-shaped candy molds with plastic wrap and set aside. Cream the egg yolks, 4 oz sugar, and ground almonds. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream and plumped fruits into the egg mixture.

Fill candy molds with the nougat batter and freeze until the candies are firm. Roll them in the confectioners’ sugar, if desired, before serving.

This calissons recipe makes approximately 12 servings.

main dish

There are so many recipes out there for classic beef Burgundy, or boeuf Bourguignon. Here is the traditional version that you are likely to have encountered at some point in your life. Universally enjoyed, this slow-cooked beef stew is the ultimate comfort food.

Cook’s note: This recipe uses one allspice berry, because it infuses a distinctive flavor that many palates find overwhelming. If you are a fan of allspice, increase the number of berries up to a total of four, according to personal taste.

Prep Time: 8 hours, 25 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups dry red wine
• 2 cups strong beef stock
• 1/4 cup Cognac (or good quality brandy)
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped into large pieces
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch-long pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 10 black peppercorns
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 allspice berries
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1/2 pound bacon, cut into thick slices, and then coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon softened butter
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound pearl onions, peeled
• 1 pound white mushrooms, wiped clean and bottoms trimmed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Preparation:

In a large non-reactive container, gently toss together the red wine, beef stock, Cognac, onion, carrots, garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, bay leaf, and beef. Refrigerate and allow the mixture to marinate overnight, or for at least 8 hours.

Preheat an oven to 300F. Remove the beef from the marinade and drain it on a clean kitchen towel. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a bowl and reserve the marinade liquid.

In a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Fry the bacon in the butter until it is crisp. Keeping the fat in the Dutch oven, transfer the cooked bacon to a plate. Add the drained beef to the bacon fat and cook over high heat, turning often, until the beef is browned. Transfer the beef to a plate. Add the marinade vegetables to the fat and sauté them over medium-high heat, stirring often, for about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and allow it to cook for about 30 seconds. Gradually add the all of the reserved marinade liquid, stirring constantly to form a smooth sauce.

Drain the fat and return the beef and bacon to the Dutch oven, and stir a few times to combine the ingredients. Cover with a lid and cook in the preheated oven for 3 hours, until the beef is very tender.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a clean bowl. Strain and skim the fat from the sauce and pour it back into the Dutch oven, along with the beef.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the pearl onions for about 10 minutes, until they turn tender. Continue cooking them until most of the cooking liquid evaporates. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper to the pan and sauté them, along with the onions for 5 minutes.

Knead together the reserved tablespoon of softened butter and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour to make a beurre manie. Stir the beurre manie into the simmering onion and mushroom mixture and cook it for 1 minute, until it thickens slightly. Add the thickened vegetable garnish to the Dutch oven and bring the stew to a simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve hot.

This beef Burgundy recipe makes 6 to 8 servings.

Baeckeoffe is traditionally a marinated meat and potato stew or casserole. Here, the preparation time has been dramatically reduced by cooking the lamb directly in the white wine.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 leeks, trimmed and chopped
• 4 potatoes, cubed
• 12 oz lamb, cubed
• 4 oz white wine
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy Dutch oven, sauté the leeks in the butter until they start to turn tender. Add the potatoes and the lamb to the oven, and then toss with the white wine, salt, and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

Makes 4 servings.

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french onion soup