Homemade ~ Mustard ~

"It's easier to make than you think"--that's the phrase that comes up most often when you 'Google' how to make homemade mustard.  It's true!  It is très simple!  The result of the minimal effort required to make your own mustard is a taste-bud exploding, intense and delicious 'condiment' that out-shines the jarred store-bought kind, hands-down.  I know I won't go back .... ever.

Recipe possibilities are endless--using it for marinades, vinaigarettes, dips....or just putting a large spoon of it on your favorite salami....or hard boiled egg for that matter.

Here it is:  For a large batch, enough to share or store ....

2 cups mustard seeds
3 cups apple cider vingar
1/2 tbs. sugar
salt to taste

Place mustard seeds in a ceramic or glass bowl and add apple cider vinegar and a dash of salt.  You can let it rest to absorb the vinegar for at least 3 days or as long as a week .... Once the seeds have softened and absorbed most of the liquid, grind the mustard in a food processor or with a stick blender.

You can make flavored mustards by adding; curry, Herbe de Provence, honey, tarragon.... etc.  I made three varieties -- Hot (with a tiny bit of red pepper), Sweet (with honey) and Spice (with  hot curry, paprika and tumeric).

 The heat of mustard mellows after it is refrigerated, so if you find it too strong at first, let it sit for a while more.  My recipe is the 'French-style' using vinegar, but you can also experiment with wine or beer....  This mustard is great in the cold months on cooked meats, makes a great dressing and in the summer it's ready for your burger or hot-dog!

Enjoy!  Bonne semaine mes amis!

Petites Pommes

After a brief absence fighting off the flu--which is apparently traveling through France (and New York and Pittsburgh based on the comments of my friends back in the US!) .....I was knockin' on death's door--okay, a bit too dramatic.... but wow--it was horrible.  You know when you feel so bad that you beg every person that passes your bedroom to please, please, please just put you out of your misery?  That bad.  But I am over it... finally.  And back to loving food and wanting to cook and wanting to share food!  So if that hasn't entirely put-you-off.....still with me?

On one of my last visits to our local 'bio' farm, Le Chateau, I filled my basket with leeks, cabbage, beets, onions and about a dozen very 'petite' pommes.  It might be hard to scale from the pictures, but these little apples are only just slightly larger than a golf-ball and I thought they were not only cute, but also perfectly snack-size or 'Petite Fille' size.  This week as I was coring one to fill with peanut-butter for my eight year old, I thought how fun it would be to make mini-stuffed baked apples with them...a bite-size desert.

Although perfectly cute, and perfectly sized, these little pommes are not at all perfect.  They are grown organically and their nibble marks and less than perfect skin attests to this....but this point also makes me most happy about buying and eating them.....imperfection is perfection!  When I was taking the images for this post I was really noticing that although they may not win any beauty contests, their flavor and 'purity' easily made up for it.

 ~ Mini-Pommes with Spiced Corn-Cake Filling.....

1/2 cup 'farine de mais' or corn flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour (I use rice flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup raw sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp. mixed spice mix of cloves, nutmeg and ginger or 'pumpkin-pie' spice mix
1 egg
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tbs. light oil
4 apples

For my recipe I used the tiny apples and filled nine of various sizes, but normally I think this batter will fill 4 regular apples--as you are only filling the cored recess.

Combine dry ingredients, then wet, then mix all.  The texture is similar to cornbread which is lovely with the softness of the baked apple, so now worries to beat or use an electric mixer, just blend by hand and fill apples.  Fill them only 3/4 up because the cake will rise out the top and spill over, but then some will also leak out the bottom a bit too.

Bake filled apples at 350F for about 25 minutes or until apples are soft when poked.

Dust with sugar or serve with cream on top....these make a yummy and rustic little desert. If you can find the tiny apples they are almost 'apple-poppers'.....

Happy Monday mes amis!  It's great to be back in the kitchen!

Cake...

It was French Guy's birthday..... Not to give anything away--but it was the one right before the BIG one...so at his request, it was a small celebration.  It was also on a Tuesday--non-weekend parties are hard to pull off.  So instead there was a special diner-pour-deux and he actually had to wait for cake until yesterday when I finally could make his cake, a day late.

Welcome again to my experimental kitchen.  I live in France.  Have you been to a 'patisserie' in France?  Am I crazy for actually trying to pull-off a cake made from scratch in the land of 'gateau', 'tartes' and 'tortes'? Well....oui.  But I needed something that matched up with our family's various preferences, restrictions and desires.

My desire?  (most important, non?) was C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T!  

Anything after that was inconsequential..... 

 

No dairy (milk products) and no gluten (wheat).....The result of the quest?  

............. Chocolate Almond Cake with Coconut-milk ganache..........

250 grams Almond Flour

200 grams raw, unrefined sugar

100 grams rice flour (or wheat all-purpose flour if gluten is not an issue)

2 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

5 cl. light oil

50 grams coco powder (unsweetened baking coco)

1/4 ltr coconut milk

For the ganache:
150 grams 70% dark cholate
1/8 ltr. coconut milk

(I was baking with my kitchen measures purchased here in France for a change--so if you are converting back to cups--250 grams is about 1 cup and a half....etc.  Just eye-ball it!  You'll do fine!)

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl beat eggs and oil.  Warm coconut milk and throughly mix coco powder in warm milk before adding to dry ingredients along with the eggs and oil mixture.  Pour into forms (J'adore the little silicon ones and I also use a 9" round one that is fabulous.)  Bake at 350F for about 20-25 minutes for the small forms or 35 min. for 9" round.

For the ganache; warm the coconut milk in the microwave (not to boiling point, just under). You can add a 'flavor' to the milk--Cointreau, Framboise, vanilla, espresso powder...or just stick with the bittersweet pure chocolate.

Pour heated milk over chocolate pieces.  Leave it without stirring for 5 minutes then stir melted chocolate until smooth and shiny.  You can let it sit until it is the consistency you like--from very runny to thick enough to spread.... as you like.

 ~ Chocolat Ganache ~

The consistency of the cake is moist and slightly dense--and very rich!  

The ganache is creamy and decadent. 

Joyeux Anniversaire mon coeur!  

Thanks for the reason to make and eat chocolate cake.....

....like we really needed one..... a reason to eat cake, that is.

"C" is for cookie......

I have confessed before that I am not a baker....especially cookies.  Making cookies is counter-intuitive to my closet-ADD.....(okay--well now that's out....) I enjoy the mixing up the ingredients but after the first tray is removed from the oven, I am d-o-n-e.  But there is a few dozen more cookies still to go in, and then there is the mess to clean-up.  Maybe if I could just make one cookie, or one giant cookie.  Don't think I haven't considered it.

But here is the baking out-of-necessity thing again.  There is, to my knowledge, only one type of gluten/dairy free cookie available at the grocery store in town, and I do not know any 'patisseries' that make gluten free options, aside from 'macarons'--some are 'g/f' but you have to watch out for cross-contamination from other baked goods--and then there is the sweet-addictive 'meringue'  also made 'sans gluten'...but healthy?  10 pounds of sugar + egg whites.....protein--eggs? -- Healthy in my book!  But maybe not the best 'repas' for 'les enfants' or 'bebe'--and that was my inspiration for making some cookies that I could give to the kids and 'Petite Fille' who is one, and not send them to the moon on a sugar-high--but instead give them something yummy, sweet enough.... and in a crunch could also serve as breakfast--hee, hee---if needed, bien sur!

So there you go--many reasons to subject myself to the mundane torture of making cookies when I would rather be making a cake, or sauteing something.......

~Apple Date Cookies~

1 cup almond flour
1 cup gluten-free flour baking-blend or regular white flour
1 cup organic brown sugar (yes! I know--seems like a lot, but it is worth it for all of the other healthier ingredients--and REAL organic unrefined sugar is not terrible for you--as much as artificial sweeteners are.).... and besides--these are c-o-o-k-i-e-s....
3/4 cup quinoa flakes or gluten-free quick oats.
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3 tsps vanilla
1 tbs. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 tbs. light oil
1/2 cup apple juice
1 large apple, peeled and then grated
3/4 cup chopped dates

Mix all of the dry ingredients.  Mix the vanilla, eggs, oil, apple juice and grated apple and add to dry ingredients---add dates, you can also add nuts at this stage if you like, but I leave them out so that the baby can enjoy them too.

Drop by small spoonfuls on parchment lined tray and bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

These cookies are soft and filling.....for an added treat, I drizzled some cinnamon apple 'frosting' on them made by mixing powered sugar with apple juice and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

As the official 'tester' I had to eat about six of them before serving them to the children.  Just to make sure they were good enough.......I know, I am such a good mommy.....the sacrifice I am willing to go to......no limits. 

Enjoy mes amis!

When there is ~ snow ~ outside.....

Oh! At long last there is snow!  Call me crazy but we all really wanted a bit of snow this winter.  It is stunningly gorgeous here when there is a small dusting or a few inches of snow on the ground.  We are not skiers...  (we wish we were though!) we just love to frolic in the stuff, take quiet snowy walks, or just look at it from the kitchen window..... while inside--making soup, mais bien sur!

This is one of the easiest ever soups to make.  My mom made a version of it when we were kids, when this very 'exotic' ethnic sausage called 'kielbasa' became popular in the US.  Here it is called  'saucisses fumees' and it is most commonly served German-style with kraut and boiled potatoes or lentils.

Because it tends to be salty and garlicky, it makes a great addition to a simple broth and veggie soup.  Also, as it is 'pre-cooked' the sausage is a great last minute addition. This soup is hearty but not heavy and very flavorful.


Winter 'Saucisse' Soup........

8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 diced onion
1 leek diced
4 large carrots chopped in large pieces
5 potatoes, skinned and cut into large cubes
4 sausages
1/2 head of green cabbage
olive oil, salt, pepper

Lightly saute the vegetables in olive oil. Cover with stock and cook until tender.  Add sausage pieces and diced cabbage. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until cabbage is tender.

Sit inside, watch the snow, listen to the bellowing winds.... and enjoy!

Stay warm mes amis!

Braised Leeks

I often use leeks in cooking--soups, leek tartes, in any potato dish.....but I have never used them as a 'featured' side dish before.  Many people won't touch them, or attempt to make them because they have the bad-rep of being mud or dirt ladden, onion-y, tough over-grown onions.  But quite the contrary--they are not that difficult to prepare--they just need a good rinsing between the outer layers, become sweet and tender with little effort--and a big bonus--I rarely ever am reduced to tears when cutting them or chopping them.  For the record,they are also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin B6, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate and Manganese.

I have to admit--I went off the idea of cooking and eating leeks after while reading the famous 'French Women Don't Get Fat' book by Mirielle Guilano, grande-dame of Veuve Clicquot--I attempted to follow her initiation 'diet' /cleanse that promised to help me turn into a svelte-French-lady---you drink only cooked leeks in water, slightly salted, every two hours for 4-5 days--as I recall.  Don't try it.  It put me off leeks for a few years.....

Instead, if you are keen to fall in-love with leeks--try this instead.  Simple. Yummy.  Comforting.

Braised Leeks:

5-6 medium to large leeks, dark green ends trimmed and rinsed clean of sand or dirt between layers.
Olive oil
Sea Salt
Herbs de Provence
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock

 

I cooked these as a bottom layer under roasted chicken.  Otherwise, if you are just doing the leeks--you lay a single layer in a casserole, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper and cook them at 350F for 30 minutes--to keep them from browning too much, add the stock half way through cooking.

Braised leeks are a classic in French Cuisine--Julia Childs was the queen of this type of classic French side-dish....I think I will stick with Julia (at least for the leeks) and stay with Mirielle for the Veuve----. 

Bon appetit!

~ Falafel ~ des lentilles

I had a bit of a shock yesterday.  Well not really a shock.  At the moment it was more like a surprise that was mildly amusing.  My oldest, who just turned thirteen, has proclaimed that he is now a vegetarian......Oh, really!?  He must be serious.  He posted it as his status on Facebook.  Serious.

Well here is the thing.  I am not against it.  I was a vegetarian throughout college and for a few years after...never 'vegan' but a vegetarian for a total of ten years.....honestly it was great.  It was more instrumental than I realized in influencing me in my cooking and creative style with food.  I wasn't willing just to 'cut-out' back then--it had to be more interesting and taste better than eating meat.

But, being that he is thirteen, and there is suspicion that all this comes about because of a particular 'belle-fille' at school who has talked him into abstaining from flesh--this may last only as long as said 'relationship' with this gal lasts--which in my estimation is about one week.

Nevertheless, last night I initiated him into the wonderful world of meatless-ness, by making a big pot of lentils, which I served as a lentil-burger with a side of tomates et cucumbre......Bienvenue à mon fils, bon appétit !  Ironically his little brother dined on TWO very juicy, slightly greasy 'steak-hache'...and he almost licked the plate--that's my little meat-eater!

So today at lunch the remaining 'lentilles' became a version of falafel, and it brought back comforting and tasty memories of my college days--a vegetarian feast--and a nice change from typical Normandy-winter food.....

So here you go!

2 cups cooked lentils
1 cup cooked, or canned chickpeas
4 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. lemon juice
1 clove grated garlic (optional)
2 slices of whole grain bread (I used a gluten-free rice/millet bread) grated to breadcrumbs.
salt and pepper
sun-flower oil or light high-temp cooking oil

Make sure lentils and chickpeas are well drained. Combine all in a food processor. Form into small patties or balls. Fry until brown in hot oil.

Yummy served with plain yogurt and cucumbers.....and with your favorite salad. Even French Guy loved it when I gave it to him for lunch--but you should have seen his face when I suggested we might ALL become vegetarians................mais, non.  Jamais....ever.

Chai Tea Breakfast Cake

I love Sundays--really, who doesn't?  If I am not running off to a flea market or brocante, I can sneak back into bed with my cup of coffee and watch a few cooking and travel shows while I catch up on Facebook and emails.  I found two shows on 'Direct 8'--the first is 'A Vos Regions' which is followed by 'A Vos Recettes'..... they are shows about different areas of France, culture and food and I do my best to follow along--my food vocabulary in French is extensive--I wish I could say the same for my 'grammar et conjugation '   Je sais----someday.......  (le sigh.)

This morning I was on 'Petite Fille' duty, so while she watched 'Elmo' on video and sat in her high chair having toast and bananas, I made a cake that I have been thinking of for some time--a breakfast cake, not too sweet with the subtle 'spice' flavoring of Chai-tea and spiked with dried cherries.

Here it is:

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 cup rice flour (whole 'grain' is best....you can sub regular wheat-flour here too.)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup organic apple sauce
2 eggs
1 tbs light oil
1 cup strongly brewed Chai-tea
3/4 cup dried cherries

Mix all of the dry ingredients.  Mix the apple sauce, eggs. and oil and add to dry ingredients, mix in dried cherries.  As a last step, add the tea--you can use more or less, but you want the batter to be thick and spreadable--not too thin and depending on the flour(s) you use--this might vary.

Spread batter into silicon cake form and bake at 350F or around 185C for 30 minutes or until firm and golden.

For an added hit of sweetness, I make an orange spice glaze or drizzle with powdered sugar, a few drops of orange juice and zest and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Yum.  It is really good and smells heavenly while it cooks.  Enjoy!....and Bonne Dimanche!

Onion Jam.....

 

 If you want a simple to make yet complexly flavored 'condiment' that is very French and totally fabulous--make a few jars of 'Confiture d' Oignons'  or onion jam.  I made some last week and we have almost finished the entire jar.  Used in bistros on steaks foie gras and terrines, at our house it goes on chops, burgers and duck breast....and adds a punch to panini or basic grilled cheese sandwiches.

Chopping up onions is not my favorite thing.  I was too lazy to set up my mandoline and my food processor makes a great shredded-dice, but not the long strings or rings that I like best for this recipe.  I am still trying to find the 'trick' to cutting up onions tear-free.  This time I lit a candle and had it next to the cutting board while I chopped--to no avail.  I was sobbing like a baby within minutes (and sneezing too!) Having a very sharp knife does help..... if you know of other tricks, please do share!  I use onions a lot!

Here is the recipe:

4-5 onions chopped or sliced into fine rings and strips
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 tbs. honey
1 cup red wine
salt & pepper

Cook onions with olive oil and sugar and lemon juice for 15 minutes.  Add a cup of water and raise heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.  Add honey and cayenne and cook on medium to high heat until the onions caramelize.  Finally add in the red wine and cook about 10 minutes.  The onions will fully absorb the wine and will become shiny and dark when done.

Put in glass jars with a tightly fitting lids to store in the refrigerator.  It will be easy to find ways to eat it up--but will last for several weeks if not used immediately!

Sunday Lunch

There has been a long string of very grey and wet days and this past week the temperatures finally dipped down below freezing.  We had a brief flash of sunlight this morning but by lunch the clouds had gathered together again and the winds were back.  A slow cooked, richly flavored winter dish was called for to help us cozy-in for the afternoon.

There is a quintessential French dish known as 'Pot-au-Feu', traditionally a slow cooked 'stew' of meat and vegetables cooked directly on an open fire.  Everything is cooked slowly in lots of broth, and there is plenty left after cooking to make soup.  When we go to the market, there are even large burlap sacks of 'pot-au-feu' vegetables for sale, perfectly portioned to make a very large-family-size meal.

My choice of vegetables today was based on what we found on Friday evening when we visited our local 'bio ferme' (organic), Le Chateau, so along with the expected carrots and onions and leeks, I also added parsnips (instead of turnips) and couldn't resist a huge head of 'chou' so that went into the pot as well.

'Poule au Pot' or Chicken Pot au Feu.....

1 large hen (or chicken)
3 tbs. olive oil
3 tbs. duck fat
1 onion or 4 shallots
4 large carrots
4-5 parsnips
1 large leek
1/2 head cabbage
1 cup dry white wine
5 cups broth
8 whole sage leaves
salt & pepper
Herb de Provence

Wash and prep the onions and root vegetables, skin and chop as you like and set aside.  In a large iron dutch oven, melt the duck fat with the olive oil.  Place whole chicken in the pot and brown skin on all sides.  Add onions, carrots, parsnips, and leek and toss to coat with oil and fat.  Sprinkle with herbs and salt and pepper.

Cover pot and put it in a very hot oven (about 475 F) for 25 minutes.  After 25 minutes, reduce heat to 350F and add wine and broth and sage leaves.

Cook for an additional hour with lid on.  In the final 20 minutes add chopped cabbage. 

Serve in bowls with a generous amount of broth. It's a perfect meal for a wet-wintery day!

Let them eat cake!

The momentous week is over!  My littlest has turned ONE and my oldest has turned THIRTEEN!  Very exciting -- their birthdays are 3 days (and 12 years!) apart-- and I love it.  My oldest has already proven himself as an awesome big brother to 'Middle Garcon' who is eight, and of course is completely crazy for his little sister, 'Petite Fille', who consequently took 7 steps yesterday... actually she would have take a few more steps, but I screamed, so she instantly sat down.....it was exciting!  I couldn't contain myself!  She is absolutely enjoying the new freedom that being so mobile brings having now two options: speed-crawling and walking....  Oh my.

So two cakes were made; one for the little girl and one for my big boy.  I have been experimenting with baking so much more since moving to France.  I think it's fair to say that the French are on the top of the podium for baking---anything.  One of my favorite things is how commonly almond flour or 'meal' is used in baking--in fact you have probably noticed it sneaks it's way into almost every baked good I make. Not only is it gluten-free, but very nutritious; high in protein and low in carbs--not to mention moist and delicious!

'Petite Fille's' cake was a yummy moist, rustic and simple almond-pear cake.  Call me a conservative health-nut--but she is one, and I am totally against artificial flavors, tons of sugar and disgusting neon-frosting for a birthday cake. She is a gorgeous, healthy, funny and sweet baby--and I would like her to stay that way!

Her cake was amazing!  I ate more than my share!  Here is the recipe....

Almond Pear Cake

3 cups almond meal
1 cup rice flour or any type of baking flour you prefer
3/4 unrefined sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
4 pears. peeled and quartered, or preserved pears sliced in quarters
3/4 cup reserved juice from pears, pear juice or apple juice
1 tbs. safflower oil

Blend the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl mix eggs, vanilla, pear juice and oil.  In a greased or silicon baking form, arrange pear slices.  Mix dry and wet ingredients until well blended and pour cake batter over pears.  Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 35 minutes.  Once removed from oven, let the cake cool for about 25 minutes before turning it out on a plate.  It should be slightly brown and will crack as it cools due to the moisture from the pears.....

Pretty, fresh, rustic.....country pear cake!  Enjoy!

Creamy ~ Winter ~ Pesto

I love pesto, but there are two things that have gotten in my way to enjoy it lately.....it's winter, so I don't know where you are, but around here fresh basil is non-existent and the second 'problem' is that I am currently not eating dairy--hence no cheese (sigh...) and traditional pesto requires a generous addition of Parmesan or Asiago.  Limits fuel my creativity--and cravings even more so.  So recently I created my own version of pesto--that is nutty, 'cheesy', sharp and bien sur--green!

When summer returns, the same recipe can be adapted-back using basil, and of course you can use Parm or any cheese you like--but try this first without.  It's a perfect recipe to set aside in your recipe box for the next time you are entertaining your 'Vegan' friends!

• 4 large handfuls of Arugula or Rocket
• 5-6 large broccoli flowerettes, steamed to be very tender
• 1 cup ground blanched almonds or almond-meal
• 1 whole head of roasted garlic (I roast about 6 entire heads of garlic at time and store in the fridge.  I prefer using roasted garlic for this recipe, but you can use about 3 cloves of fresh instead--expect that it will be more 'sharp' and 'garlicky'.)
• sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
• Olive oil
• 1/2 lemon

In a food processor blend and chop the Arugula and broccoli with the almond meal.  Add the roasted garlic cloves and pulse until consistently smooth.  Slowly drizzle in olive oil until it is the desired thickness...about 3/4 cup total.  Squeeze in lemon juice and pulse to finish.

When I made it this week, I tossed it with grilled shrimp on egg-linguini. We have 'Pasta Night' every Thursday, even here in France--where family-style pasta dinners are less common.

It also works perfectly added to risotto, or spread on a baguette and put under the broiler for a minute.  I love having a little left-over in the fridge to throw together a last minute appetizer, too!  In a tightly lidded jar, it will last about one week....except at our house.

Enjoy mes amis! Bon weekend!

Quinoa & Rocket Salad

I have to admit, we are not great at eating salads in the Winter months.  Even though I know there are so many great options; baby greens with citrus, beets with walnuts and goat cheese.... but still, we tend to eat warm slow roasted vegetables and forget to eat raw greens and veggies... so today for lunch I made a big bowl of an old stand by -- Quinoa.  We eat quinoa more often than any other 'grain'.  In fact it is not a grain, but a high-protein seed.  It has all 9 Amino-Acids is naturally gluten-free and can be served warm or cold in hundreds of different ways.

So here is one to get you started--if you don't know Quinoa, it takes about 15 minutes to cook at a ration of 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water (or broth).  If you let it slowly bubble until cooked without a lid--it is lighter that way and the grains are separate and 'dry'... if you use a lid--it is more like rice and can actually get a bit gummy.

For the salad--cook 1 cup Quinoa with 2 cups water and a pinch of salt for 15 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

~ First, toss together:
 Cooked and cooled Quinoa
1 carrot- grated
1 cup cubbed ham
A few generous handfuls of Rocket (also known as Arugula).

~For the Viniagrette:
1 tbs red wine vinegar
3tbs. olive oil
1 small shallot finely diced

~ Herbs and Spices:
I use a mix of tumeric, paprika, dried chives, basil and onion....you can simply use just basil or Herb de Provence.  Curry or Garamasala adds an entire new twist to it....

A perfect all-season salad!  Try it!

Soup Days....

Soup days are here.  I could almost do a post a day about soup.  In the past it has been suggested that I open a soup-cafe...that serves nothing but soup--all day every day--only soup....okay, and maybe coffee...oh and chocolate.  That would cover the three most important food groups, non?

It's the last day of Christmas vacation.  Les enfants head reluctantly gleefully back to school tomorrow.  With our clean-slate for the new year, French Guy and I plan to organize, simplify, prioritize and schedule our entire family life for 2012....in one day--tomorrow.  Yep.

In the meantime, I am (as best I can on one foot--Christmas Eve injury---don't ask.) back in the kitchen with new inspiration--Winter comfort food--and the top of the list of never-fail best comfort food ever--is soup.  I don't have one favorite kind--not even one category I lean towards--I love variety--vegetarian soups, creamy soups, meat soups, seafood soups, spicy, broths, chowders, bisques, gumbos.....

The 'soup de jour' is Curry Cauliflower--thanks to the mammoth size chou-fleur mon mari brought home from the market...which could have fed a family of ten, with leftover.  So today the remainder became soup---with the stock I made from a chicken this past weekend.  Note about broth/stock when in France--you have to make it.  No Pacific-Brand, Swansons, or Imagine Brand boxed yummy broth--the choice here is little foil wrapped cubes or make it yourself.... so there.  Which sometimes makes soup creating a tiny bit less spontaneous. 

Oh, also in the picture is an attempt at a seedy, whole grain gluten-free bread--I am still working on it...will post recipe once it is perfected.

Here's the recipe for the soup:

1 large cauliflower (pre-steamed to be tender)
2 white potatoes (steamed and diced)
2 shallots diced
1 clove minced garlic
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/2 tbs. tumeric
2 tbs. sweet curry
1 tsp. hot curry (more or less to taste)
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper
1 cup full fat coconut milk

In a large pot in 2 tbs. olive oil, cook onions and garlic until soft--add spices and stir for one to two minutes.  Add broth, then cauliflower and potato and cook until completely soft.  Using a stick blender--puree until smooth.  As a finally step add coconut milk and salt and pepper to taste.  A big spoon of sour cream or creme-fraiche is lovely on the top if you can do dairy.

Lovely.  Happy 2nd day of 2012.  Bon Appetit!

Gifts of Food...

Sticking with the philosophy of handmade or vintage gift-giving this season, I enjoyed creating 'petits paniers' of holiday treats for my French family this year.  It took about a week of planning and creating in the kitchen and taking the leap into attempting some new things that I had never tried before (ie-candy making--le nougat chocolat)... but I have to say that this effort was so much fun for me and despite the time it took, spending that time in my tiny kitchen the days leading up to Christmas, listening to Christmas carols and chasing out the voluntary 'samplers' that were hoovering in the doorway--really instilled a joyful and happy holiday spirit in our home.

Here is how it turned out.  I made three flavors of whole grain mustard which were packaged with market-made fresh 'sauscisson' sticks, Italian 'Pignoli' cookies--chewy delicious (and as a bonus; gluten and dairy free!) Clementine Marmalade--sweet, subtly bitter, sunshine in a jar, and of course the decadent and rich 'Nougat Chocolat' which I have previously posted the recipe.

Recipes for the other items will follow shortly.  I think you are probably not in a rush to have the 'how-to's , if you are like me--maybe you are a tiny bit tired of cooking and baking.... for now.... or at least until next year. 

I hope you had an absolutely delicious Christmas!  Our family had a big dinner on Christmas Eve--my brother-in-law who is a chef--made a fabulous multi-course meal; smoked salmon and shrimp, pâté de foie de canard, Chapon with roasted vegetables..... Oh, I feel full again just writing about it!

Continue to enjoy the holidays mes amis!  Bon appetit!

Nougat ~ Chocolat ~

I would like to introduce you to my new obsession... food obsession...or maybe it's not a food--it could possibly be a drug.  It's that good.  Nougat Chocolat.  I found the recipe in a French magazine and I am now hooked for life--it is the perfect marriage of caramel meets chocolate and the result is a sticky, chewy chocolate-y ADDICTION.

I made a few changes to the recipe, once translated into English--the recipe called for almonds and hazelnuts (noisettes) and because in our family we have an allergy--I subbed in pecans for the 'noisettes'.... you can also add dried fruits--but I am a purest--chocolate and nuts for me....save the dried fruit for the trail-mix!

I have been making 'food' gifts this week and this seemed to be a perfect addition to the more traditional cookies and sweets..... 

One warning...no two warnings: It is a tricky recipe, and once you get going you need to see it through to the end--stirring the molten chocolate 'caramel' at the end could be an Olympic sport--and I suffered 'nougat-wrist' later that evening.  Second warning--as aforementioned--it is addictive--be warned.  Done.

Nougat Chocolat

*the recipe begins with 'pour 6 personnes'--- ok--ignore that--a serving size?  Seriously?

150 grams dark chocolate (70%)
80 grams almonds
80 grams (other nut--like pecans or hazelnuts)
100 grams honey
120 grams sugar (granulated 'raw' is best)
2 eggs whites

• Melt the dark chocolate in a 'bain marie' or double broiler.  Toast nuts until golden and crunchy in a separate pan.  
• Melt the sugar and honey in a pot, stirring constantly until frothy and until the temperature reaches 140 degrees on a candy thermometer or until it reaches 'hard-crack' stage.  
• Meanwhile, or at the same time, with your other arm, the one that is not stirring the honey and sugar, beat the egg whites until they are soft peak stage.  
• Once honey/sugar mixture is done drizzle it in 'threads' onto the still being beaten egg whites (a stand mixer is a good choice for this effort!--If you don't have three arms...)
• Return the now mixed egg whites, honey caramel mixture to the stove in the same pan used for the honey and sugar and heat while mixing in the melted chocolate and while continuously stirring, so that it doesn't burn--add the nuts.  
• Finally keep stirring--for about 20 minutes, until the nougat pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Spread the hot mixture into a lightly oiled pan and set to cool for 12 hours before cutting.  Avoid licking the spatula and pan--as this will surely send you into a Chocolat-Nougat-coma......

There you have it.  110% worth the effort.....It's the most divine chocolate thing I have ever eaten.....ever.

Duck with French Green Lentils

So yesterday--on a bone-chilling day here in Normandy, compelled by the extreme need to be cozy, creative and consume comfort food--I made a fabulous, albeit tres simple one-pot dish of lentils and duck.... so here it is!  

Give it a try--Bon Appétit!
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 Duck with Green Lentils

• 2 tbs. Olive Oil
• 1 large carrot
• 1 rib celery
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium leek
• chopped parsley
• 4-6 duck legs or thighs
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• Fresh thyme
• 2 cups green lentils
• 3 cups stock

Sprinkle duck legs with salt, pepper and thyme. Brown duck with one tbs. oil  in large cast iron 'dutch-oven'....until skin is evenly brown and then remove from pan and set aside.

Dice vegetables and cook all together in pot with remaining olive oil, allowing vegetables to 'sweat' but not fully cook.

Rinse and add lentils to pot and add white wine and stock and parsley.

Place duck legs in pot and cover.

Cook for 1.5 hours at 350 f. /175 c. degrees.

Serve with crusty bread.

Apple Polenta Cakes

This weekend I did a little cooking--I made duck confit legs (again!) and experimented with trying to recreate a desert that I had recently.  I am blessed with a very discerning sense of taste in that if I try something even just one time I can recreate it almost exactly, with few exceptions.

I hesitate to tell you where and when I had this 'desert'--in fact the way it was served to me I wasn't exactly sure if it was a side dish or desert, but what mattered was that it was so, so yummy and I wanted to have it again....so having a vague idea of how to make it, and based on the idea that it was a traditional French creation, maybe southern France-ish....and it had to be really simple, I nonetheless scoured the internet looking for a recipe just to confirm my hunch.  But alas either I had no idea how to call it or it was not at all French or common--I never did find a recipe.  So I just went on instinct and voila!  It turned out exactly how I remembered it--just as simple, sweet and comforting!  I jazzed up the idea by making it in pretty molds and garnished it with Anise and confiture de pommes....but pretty much--this is it!

Apple Polenta Cakes

• 1 cup Polenta (instant/5 minute polenta is the easiest to use)
• 4 cups apple juice
• 1/4 cup honey or 1/4 cup sugar (optional)
• 4 tsp. cinnamon
• canola oil for forms

In a large sauce pan bring apple juice, honey/sugar to a low boil.  Slowly add polenta while stirring.  Reduce heat and as it thickens stir in cinnamon and cook for an additional 5 minutes just below boiling. Brush pan or forms with oil and pour in thickened polenta.  Let cool about 10 minutes and then refridgerate until serving. Polenta will easily come out of forms or can be sliced in any shape and served cold topped with fresh fruit or warm with maple syrup or honey.

So simple it's almost embarrassing.  My boys love it and I have to admit I made a large quantity so I served it for breakfast this past weekend with some warm maple syrup pooled around it on a plate. 

Have fun with it!  ......if you really bug me I might even share with you where I had it--you wouldn't believe it--and maybe better kept a petit secret!

Warm Apple Muffins

On this cloudy and cold Monday after Thanksgiving I am cooking duck broth for soup, catching up on laundry (I know--how glamorous!) and decided to make some muffins to have with a friend who stopped in for coffee this morning.  As is most of my baking--the recipe was completely experimental--even more so because I am challenged now to bake and cook only gluten and dairy free for my family.  But don't be daunted by that.  I know it sounds limiting-- but quite the contrary--having to re-think a recipe to make it more convincingly delicious rather than 'without' sparks my creativity in the kitchen!

Apple Muffins

1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch (or Tapioca flour)
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup raw sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tbs. cinnamon
2 medium sized apples with skin on, grated
1/2 cup golden raisins
3 eggs
1/4 light oil
1 cup apple juice

Optional add-ins: chopped dates, pecans, or any other dried fruit or nuts.

Mix all of the dry ingredients and grated apple and raisins. Beat eggs and combine with oil.  Combine the dry ingredients with the eggs and oil and add the apple juice as you stir.  I used a silicon muffin mold which works great and I cooked the muffins for about 12 minutes at 375 degrees.  Best eaten warm (mais bien sur!) with a drizzle of honey!

I intend to create a new muffin recipe every Monday-- it starts the week on a comforting note when at times Mondays can be challenging...so hopefully some warm apple-goodness will help push the day into a sweet direction. 

Bon Semaine mes amis!

Paprika Rubbed Chicken with Spiced Root Vegetables

Last weekend we had a glorious chilly and gorgeously sunny October weather.  I can't express how thrilled I am to be doing fall cooking again!  The first thing I think of is roasted root vegetables.  While in the summer I might make roasted veggies like eggplant, zucchini, summer squash and tomatoes, I love the slow cooked carmelization of sweet potatoes, squash, onions and parsnips even more!

Roasting a chicken is one of the easiest and most satisfying family dinners I can think of!  A few minutes of prep and about an hour or so later you have not only a kitchen that smells amazing--but an easy dinner (or relaxing lunch here in France!)

For the chicken 'dry rub' here's my suggestion:

A mix of:

2 tbs. Sweet Paprika

1 tbs Herb de Provence

3 tsp. Salt  (I adore a pink Himalayan salt for this!)

1 tbs. Tumeric

1 tbs. Dry Mustard

Rinse and dry the chicken and rub with crushed garlic before you cover with the dry rub mix.  Then let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours or more.

For the roasted veggies--I toss them with olive oil, a small bit of tumeric, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, sweet curry and salt & pepper....and then drizzle a small amount of maple syrup which helps with the sticky sweet/spiciness (if you want)....all of these veggies have great flavor even without spice...so it's up to your taste.

Bon Appetit!

Pork Loin Roast with Creamed Sorrel

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Pork Loin with Roasted Vegetables and Creamed Sorrel

Pork Loin Roast

Shallots and Garlic

Rosemary

Olive Oil

Herbe de Provence

Salt and Pepper

Potatoes and Carrots

Parsley and Chives

Season the pork loin with olive oil, salt, pepper, herbs and crushed garlic. Let the roast sit in the fridge seasoned for 3 or 4 hours or overnight.  

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Wash and peel potatoes and carrots and slice thinly.  Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, chives, shallots, herbs and surround roast with vegetables, drizzle with more oil and add rosemary and fresh thyme.

Place roast and vegetables in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes and then reduce oven temperature to 375 and cook for 30 more minutes or until meat temp. is around 160 degrees.

Creamed Sorrel:

A quick word about Sorrel, which grows prolifically in the Spring in Normandy--it is somewhat like spinach or kale, but with a snappy-citrus 'bite'...my cher-father-in-law gave me about 2 pounds from his garden and this was my first go at making it!

2 pounds Sorrel, washed well, stems removed

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tbs. creme freshe (or sour cream--not 'lite')

1/4 cup diced shallots

2 cloves garlic, crushed

olive oil and 2 tbs butter

salt/pepper

Chop the cleaned Sorrel and blanch in boiling salted water for 30 seconds.  Saute to soften shallots, garlic, butter and a splash of olive oil,  add heavy cream and simmer just under a boil to combine. 

Add blanched, drained Sorrel, and gently add cream fresh--until blended.  Season to taste. Serve hot.

Bon Appetit - xx!