A Cullinary Journey Through France....part two
Weekday Menu Ideas
250g package of wild mushrooms (available at Woolworths food market)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup dry, white wine
2 tablespoons butter, divided
500g package of white button or Portobello mushrooms, chopped
4 large shallots, finely chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped thyme
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Heat a tablespoon of butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped button or Portobello mushrooms, as well as the wild mushrooms and let sit, without stirring, for about four minutes or until they have thoroughly browned on one side. Stir and let them cook on the other side - again, without stirring - for about four minutes. Add the shallots, garlic and thyme. Turn the heat to low, and cook until they are all fragrant and soft.
Add the second tablespoon of butter and, when melted, add the flour. Stir rapidly, letting the flour thicken with the butter into a paste. Have a whisk ready! Slowly pour in the chicken stock and white wine, whisking rapidly. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking, until the mixture thickens. It should thicken to the consistency of a thick gravy.
Add the chopped parsley, stirring until wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately over pasta with plenty of fresh Parmesan.
Tuesday
To make the crepes: Process all the ingredients in a blender until the mixture is smooth. Allow the batter to rest in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before making into crepes.
Melt a little butter in a crepe pan or large skillet over low-medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of batter to the pan and swirl until the bottom of the pan is covered with batter. Cook the crepe for 1 minute, or until the crepe is slightly moist on top and golden underneath. Loosen the edges of the crepe, slide the spatula under it, and then gently flip it upside down into the pan. Cook for 1 minute and transfer the cooked crepe to a plate to keep warm.
To make the salted butter caramel: In a saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt the butter in the heavy cream. Immediately remove from the heat and set aside.
Place the sugar in a separate saucepan set over medium heat. Sprinkle the water over the sugar and allow it to dissolve over the heat without stirring. As the sugar begins to caramelize, occasionally shake and swirl the pan to evenly distribute the color.
When the caramel is a rich golden color, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the hot cream and melted butter to the caramel. Take care to stand back during this process; the hot caramel will bubble up the sides of the pan.
Return the caramel to the lowest heat setting, whisking constantly. Cook and stir the salted butter caramel for 2 minutes over the low heat. Remove from the heat and season the sauce with the sea salt; stir until it is dissolved completely.
To assemble the crepes: Spoon 2 teaspoons of the caramel sauce down the center of a warm crepe and roll into a cylinder. Alternately, spoon 2 teaspoons of the caramel sauce onto the center of a warm crepe and then fold it into quarters. Enough said, now eat!
Wednesday
Ratatouille
This traditional vegetable stew originated as a poor man’s dish in Nice. My sister in law, who lives inFrance
5 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup loosely packed, chopped fresh basil
¾ cup loosely packed, chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 white onions, thinly sliced
3 red or yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 kg zucchini (courgettes), cut lengthwise and then into ½-inch slices
1/3 cup dry white wine
In a large saucepan, cook the tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, black pepper, basil, and parsley, uncovered, over medium heat.
In another pan, sauté the onions and bell peppers in olive oil over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very lightly browned. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the browned vegetables to the tomato mixture.
Add the zucchini to the tomato mixture. Cover the pot and cook the stew over low-medium heat for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the white wine and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Thursday
Quiche Lorraine
This recipe comes fromLorraine , the eastern part of France France
200g lardoons (diced bacon)
6 eggs
250 ml single cream
60g semi soft cheese, like a good cheddar
1 tomato, sliced
1 Tbsp ofDijon
salt, pepper & grated nutmeg
400g puff pastry
Preparation:
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. In a pan, fry the lardoons, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp.
In the meantime, beat the eggs in a bowl, and add the cream and seasoning.
Pour the lardoons in the beaten eggs, leaving the fat from cooking inside the pan; beat again to mix.
Butter the pie dish, and lay the rolled out puff pastry gently into the dish. To assemble your quiche, brush the case with theDijon
Pour the egg mixture on top, and bake for 25-30 min until golden brown and the pastry is cooked.
This is of course the traditional recipe for quiche Lorraine. Be creative and add your own flavorings. Think of ingredients like smoked salmon; asparagus spears; spinach; sliced mushrooms; etc. Your imagination is your limit.
Friday
MUSSELS STEAMED IN WINE
Whilst admiring the splendor of theBordeaux
1 tbsp onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp celery, finely chopped
1 tbsp carrots, finely chopped
2 medium shallots, sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped
1 1/2 tsp fresh, chopped thyme
1 1/2 tsp fresh, chopped parsley
1 1/2 tsp fresh, chopped sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/3 cup dry white wine
1 kg mussels, cleaned
Preparation:
In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil and sauté the onions, carrots, celery, shallots, and garlic until they are just tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the thyme, parsley, sage, salt, and pepper to the vegetables and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine to the skillet and bring it to a gently simmer.
Add the mussels to the wine sauce, turn the heat up a bit, cover, and steam the mussels for 4-9 minutes, until the mussels open. Serve the mussels hot with the wine sauce. Serves 4 people.
Saturday
Croque Monsieur
The Croque Monsieur, or “Crispy Mister,” appeared on Parisian café menus in 1910. The original Croque Monsieur was simply a hot ham and Gruyere cheese sandwich, fried in butter. Some believe it was accidentally created when French workers left their lunch pails by a hot radiator and came back later to discover the cheese in their sandwiches had melted.
Found all overFrance
4 ounces baked ham, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese, divided
4 tablespoons butter, softened
Tip: Add an extra layer of richness by spreading a bit of homemade Béchamel sauce over the finished sandwich.
Preparation:
Preheat a pan to its lowest heat setting. Evenly divide and spread the mustard on 4 slices of bread. Place a few slices of ham, followed by 1/2 cup Gruyere, on the mustard-side of the bread. Cover the cheese with the remaining slices of bread and spread the butter on the outside surfaces of the sandwiches.
Place the sandwiches in the pan and fry for about 5 minutes, turn them over, cover with the remaining cheese, and continue cooking until they are crispy and golden brown, about 5 additional minutes.
Sunday
Banana Tarte tatin
This is one of my absolute favorite desserts to make. You can play around with flavors and use different types of fruit, depending on what’s in season. I have used peaches, apricots, apples, plums and cherries in the past
3 bananas cut crosswise into ½-inch slices
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 200’C. Working on a clean surface, roll the pastry dough into an 11-inch circle and chill.
Melt the butter in a 10-inch ovenproof pan. Add the sugar and let it start to caramelise.
Remove from heat and arrange the banana slices in a single layer in the caramel.
Drape the pastry over the bananas, fitting the overhang up the sides of the pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes, until the pastry turns golden brown. Cool the tarte tatin in the pan for 30 minutes before inverting it onto a serving platter.
This banana tarte tatin recipe makes 8 servings.
I hope you have enjoyed my weekday menu ideas. I would like to hear from you if you have any questions or stories to share. It is always a pleasure hearing about other people’s experiences in the kitchen.
Next time you can look forward to my Restaurant of the month. Until then my readers, happy cooking!
Monday
Wild Mushroom Pasta Sauce
This dish brings back so many wonderful memories from my trip. It epitomises the freshness of the French produce, and the simplicity with which they approach the combination and preperation of flavours. For this sauce, we were fortunate to use a variety of freshly picked field mushrooms, but store-bought mushrooms will also do the trick!
250g package of wild mushrooms (available at Woolworths food market)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup dry, white wine
2 tablespoons butter, divided
500g package of white button or Portobello mushrooms, chopped
4 large shallots, finely chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped thyme
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Heat a tablespoon of butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped button or Portobello mushrooms, as well as the wild mushrooms and let sit, without stirring, for about four minutes or until they have thoroughly browned on one side. Stir and let them cook on the other side - again, without stirring - for about four minutes. Add the shallots, garlic and thyme. Turn the heat to low, and cook until they are all fragrant and soft.
Add the second tablespoon of butter and, when melted, add the flour. Stir rapidly, letting the flour thicken with the butter into a paste. Have a whisk ready! Slowly pour in the chicken stock and white wine, whisking rapidly. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking, until the mixture thickens. It should thicken to the consistency of a thick gravy.
Add the chopped parsley, stirring until wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately over pasta with plenty of fresh Parmesan.
Tuesday
Crepes with Salted Butter Caramel
1 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
125ml milk
125ml water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
For Salted Butter Caramel:
1/2 cup salted butter
1/2 cup double cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
A pinch of sea salt
Preparation:
To make the crepes: Process all the ingredients in a blender until the mixture is smooth. Allow the batter to rest in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before making into crepes.
Melt a little butter in a crepe pan or large skillet over low-medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of batter to the pan and swirl until the bottom of the pan is covered with batter. Cook the crepe for 1 minute, or until the crepe is slightly moist on top and golden underneath. Loosen the edges of the crepe, slide the spatula under it, and then gently flip it upside down into the pan. Cook for 1 minute and transfer the cooked crepe to a plate to keep warm.
To make the salted butter caramel: In a saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt the butter in the heavy cream. Immediately remove from the heat and set aside.
Place the sugar in a separate saucepan set over medium heat. Sprinkle the water over the sugar and allow it to dissolve over the heat without stirring. As the sugar begins to caramelize, occasionally shake and swirl the pan to evenly distribute the color.
When the caramel is a rich golden color, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the hot cream and melted butter to the caramel. Take care to stand back during this process; the hot caramel will bubble up the sides of the pan.
Return the caramel to the lowest heat setting, whisking constantly. Cook and stir the salted butter caramel for 2 minutes over the low heat. Remove from the heat and season the sauce with the sea salt; stir until it is dissolved completely.
To assemble the crepes: Spoon 2 teaspoons of the caramel sauce down the center of a warm crepe and roll into a cylinder. Alternately, spoon 2 teaspoons of the caramel sauce onto the center of a warm crepe and then fold it into quarters. Enough said, now eat!
Wednesday
Ratatouille
This traditional vegetable stew originated as a poor man’s dish in Nice. My sister in law, who lives in
1 can of peeled, chopped tomatoes
1 tblsp tomato paste5 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup loosely packed, chopped fresh basil
¾ cup loosely packed, chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 white onions, thinly sliced
3 red or yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 kg zucchini (courgettes), cut lengthwise and then into ½-inch slices
1/3 cup dry white wine
Preperation:
In a large saucepan, cook the tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, black pepper, basil, and parsley, uncovered, over medium heat.
In another pan, sauté the onions and bell peppers in olive oil over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very lightly browned. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the browned vegetables to the tomato mixture.
Add the zucchini to the tomato mixture. Cover the pot and cook the stew over low-medium heat for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the white wine and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Thursday
Quiche Lorraine
This recipe comes from
200g lardoons (diced bacon)
6 eggs
250 ml single cream
60g semi soft cheese, like a good cheddar
1 tomato, sliced
1 Tbsp of
salt, pepper & grated nutmeg
400g puff pastry
Preparation:
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. In a pan, fry the lardoons, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp.
In the meantime, beat the eggs in a bowl, and add the cream and seasoning.
Pour the lardoons in the beaten eggs, leaving the fat from cooking inside the pan; beat again to mix.
Butter the pie dish, and lay the rolled out puff pastry gently into the dish. To assemble your quiche, brush the case with the
Pour the egg mixture on top, and bake for 25-30 min until golden brown and the pastry is cooked.
This is of course the traditional recipe for quiche Lorraine. Be creative and add your own flavorings. Think of ingredients like smoked salmon; asparagus spears; spinach; sliced mushrooms; etc. Your imagination is your limit.
Friday
MUSSELS STEAMED IN WINE
Whilst admiring the splendor of the
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp celery, finely chopped
1 tbsp carrots, finely chopped
2 medium shallots, sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped
1 1/2 tsp fresh, chopped thyme
1 1/2 tsp fresh, chopped parsley
1 1/2 tsp fresh, chopped sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/3 cup dry white wine
1 kg mussels, cleaned
Preparation:
In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil and sauté the onions, carrots, celery, shallots, and garlic until they are just tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the thyme, parsley, sage, salt, and pepper to the vegetables and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine to the skillet and bring it to a gently simmer.
Add the mussels to the wine sauce, turn the heat up a bit, cover, and steam the mussels for 4-9 minutes, until the mussels open. Serve the mussels hot with the wine sauce. Serves 4 people.
Saturday
Croque Monsieur
The Croque Monsieur, or “Crispy Mister,” appeared on Parisian café menus in 1910. The original Croque Monsieur was simply a hot ham and Gruyere cheese sandwich, fried in butter. Some believe it was accidentally created when French workers left their lunch pails by a hot radiator and came back later to discover the cheese in their sandwiches had melted.
Found all over
2 tablespoons Dijon
8 slices sandwich bread4 ounces baked ham, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese, divided
4 tablespoons butter, softened
Preparation:
Preheat a pan to its lowest heat setting. Evenly divide and spread the mustard on 4 slices of bread. Place a few slices of ham, followed by 1/2 cup Gruyere, on the mustard-side of the bread. Cover the cheese with the remaining slices of bread and spread the butter on the outside surfaces of the sandwiches.
Place the sandwiches in the pan and fry for about 5 minutes, turn them over, cover with the remaining cheese, and continue cooking until they are crispy and golden brown, about 5 additional minutes.
Sunday
Banana Tarte tatin
This is one of my absolute favorite desserts to make. You can play around with flavors and use different types of fruit, depending on what’s in season. I have used peaches, apricots, apples, plums and cherries in the past
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
2 tablespoons butter3 bananas cut crosswise into ½-inch slices
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 200’C. Working on a clean surface, roll the pastry dough into an 11-inch circle and chill.
Melt the butter in a 10-inch ovenproof pan. Add the sugar and let it start to caramelise.
Remove from heat and arrange the banana slices in a single layer in the caramel.
Drape the pastry over the bananas, fitting the overhang up the sides of the pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes, until the pastry turns golden brown. Cool the tarte tatin in the pan for 30 minutes before inverting it onto a serving platter.
This banana tarte tatin recipe makes 8 servings.
I hope you have enjoyed my weekday menu ideas. I would like to hear from you if you have any questions or stories to share. It is always a pleasure hearing about other people’s experiences in the kitchen.
Next time you can look forward to my Restaurant of the month. Until then my readers, happy cooking!
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