The French Fork

Strawberry and Nectarine Rooibos Iced Tea

2009-08-24T17:00:00.002-05:00

La Vogue is a summer celebration very typical of my region - not every French person knows about it. It's basically a very small carnival, with a merry-go-round, bumper cars and a few target shooting game held on a village's square. La Vogue travels from one small town to another and stays for about two weeks in the same location. Sounds kind of hick doesn't it? Well I do come from a very small village in France, so I won't disagree.

During these festivities, everyone turning 18 - les conscrits - in the village organizes a big outdoor dance on the village's square on Saturdays. There's lots of loud music, dancing, flirting and drinking.

I wish I could go back to France more often during the Summer to show Juan (and Noah!) this part of my culture that I grew up with. I have some fond memories of it as a kid, trying to follow my older brothers while thinking it was so cool to stay up until 10pm!

Today, La Vogue also means another party that my parents and a bunch of their friends throw every year. They gather in the backyard of a beautiful old house and feast for a whole weekend. More often than not, they serve a delicious suckling pig, along with lots of different summer salads. My Mom, always known for making a delicious flan caramel, is usually in charge of the dessert part. The party goes on for days, until late in the night, as they sing old songs in Patois (with the help of a few drinks of Chartreuse). Yep! That's how we party in my family, and I miss it a lot.

Speaking of partying, a few weeks ago we invited friends over for a pool party at our place - and it was Noah's first swim. Our friend Ceci made a fabulous strawberry and nectarine Rooibos iced tea. It was incredibly refreshing, and the sweet flavor of the fresh strawberry and nectarine pieces really added a lot of flavor. I couldn't help but think about La Vogue that was going on that same weekend and how much everyone would have enjoyed this tea (they would spike it with rum though).

I'm happy Ceci let me share her recipe with you all (and incidentally, Ceci is a wonderful photographer, so I also asked her to take the pictures for me).

Strawberry and Nectarine Rooibos Iced Tea (makes about 6 tall glasses)

1 quart Rooibos tea leaves

1 quart lemonade (fresh squeezed or bottles but preferably organic)

1 carton frozen strawberries

2 nectarines, diced

Brew the tea and add the lemonade. Strain the tea leaves.

Place half of the strawberries along with the nectarines into the tea/lemonade and refrigerate.

Freeze the other half of strawberries to use as ice when serving.

Video "Julie and Julia" launch party cooking demo

2009-08-07T10:23:00.001-05:00

Tarte Flambée

2009-07-25T13:15:00.014-05:00

I was offered the opportunity to do a cooking demo for the launch party of the movie Julie and Julia earlier this week, at Cissi's Market.

In honor of Julia Child and Julie Powell, I chose to make a French specialty from the region of Alsace, called une tarte flambee. It's also known as une flammekueche, in Alsatian. I love it, it's basically a very thin tart with a cream and cheese base, covered with onions and bacon. So simple, you guys have to try it!

The ingredients are very simple, though I had to substitute a few because they're too hard to find in the US. The first one is cottage cheese, which replaces fromage blanc, a very soft cow cheese typically served with cream and sugar in France. The second one is sour cream, which replaces creme fraiche, a fatter and softer version of sour cream. Creme fraiche is great to use in sauces or on a tart, sweetened with sugar and vanilla for example.

The typical dough for a tarte flambee is a bread dough; but I have to be honest with you, I actually buy store-bought pizza dough for this recipe. Tarte flambee is a such a quick-fix meal, I sometimes don't want to have to make bread dough from scratch. The key, no matter which dough you use, is to roll it as thin as possible.

I love to serve my tarte flambee along with a simple green salad and eat it with a fork and a knife. However, the real way to enjoy it is to roll it and eat it with your hands.

My personal touch to this recipe is to let the onions marinate a little bit in white wine (preferably a white wine from Alsace like a Riesling or a Gewurztraminer). Once the tarte is baked, it gives a wonderful tangy bite and warmth. It's amazing!

TARTE FLAMBEE or FLAMMEKUECHE (serves 4)

1 bread dough or pizza dough, homemade or store-bought

1 medium yellow onion

½ cup of white wine (Riesling or Gewustraminer)

6 slices of bacon, ¼ inch thick

1 cup of 4 % fat cottage cheese, small curd

1/3 cup crème fraiche or sour cream

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

drizzle of vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 450 F degrees.

Cut the onion in half, peel it and slice it as thinly as possible. In a bowl, combine it with the white wine and let is sit for at least 15 minutes.

Cut the bacon into matchstick size, working with 2 slices piled at a time. Set aside.

In the food processor, combine the creme fraiche (or sour cream), the cottage cheese, the nutmeg, salt and pepper, until smooth. Set aside.On a floured surface, roll the dough as thinly as possible, so it fits onto a greased large baking sheet (about 12” x 17”).

Using a spatula spread the cream and cottage cheese mixture onto the dough, leaving a ½ inch edge all around. Pat the onions dry onto paper towels and spread evenly all over the dough. Spread the bacon evenly all over. Drizzle the top with oil.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp. Serve right away out of the oven, along with a simple green salad. Pair with an Alsatian white wine (the one you used in the recipe).

Carbonade de Boeuf

2009-07-13T20:34:00.001-05:00

I love motherhood! Noah just turned 1 month three days ago and already, I feel like he is getting used to a schedule. He absolutely loves the outdoors, despite this unbearable heat. I can't wait for cooler temperatures to take advantage of long walks with him - without feeling like you're living in an oven.

My parents flew over from France to meet him and come help us. My Mom treated us to some good old homestyle French cooking, which Juan and I took great pleasure in. There were MANY aperitifs and bottles of wine involved, along with introducing my Dad to Super Mario Kart on the Wii. That was fun!

As I seldom see my parents for either Mother's Day or Father's Day, I had planned to throw a nice dinner in honor of my Dad. When my parents arrived here, we got busy doing baby things and tried to use the stove as little as possible because of the heat and so I never got to making it - but Juan approves of it!

However, I still wanted to share the recipe of the dish I had selected with you. It's called Une carbonade de boeuf and it's a Belgian specialty. It's also very popular in the north of France. I thought it would be a wonderful choice for a Dad, as it involves beef and beer (and potatoes too!). How wrong can you get? It's a very simple and cheap stew, which I know you will all love at any time. It was my first time to make it and to me, it's a keeper!

Like any other stew, the dish gets better and better after a few days... I strongly advise to make it days ahead before serving!

BEEF CARBONADE - CARBONADE DE BOEUF

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 pounds of chuck roast, cut in big dices

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp vegetable oil (for onions)

2 big onions, sliced

2 cups of dark beer (preferably Belgian like Jenlain)

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp of Cassonade or just simple sugar

2 slices of white bread

1 tbsp of good quality Dijon mustard

1 tsp of dried thyme

1 good handful of chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the butter and olive oil. Pat dry the beef chunks, season with salt and pepper and toss in the flour. Brown the meat on each side over medium to high heat (work in 2 to 3 batches). Really allow it to get to a nice brown color, which will give wonderful flavor. Remove the meat and set aside on a plate.

Turn the heat down to low and heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add the onions and cook until brown and tender, about 15 minutes. Deglaze with 3 tbsp of beer, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Transfer the meat back into the onions.

Add the rest of the beer, the vinegar, the sugar and thyme to the pan. Spread the mustard on the bread slices and add on top of the stew.

Cover and allow to simmer for about 2 hours, stirring often or it will stick at the bottom! You want the meat to be extra tender. You must be able to break it down with a fork. Remove the lid and allow to cook down to a thicker consistency (reduce to half).

Adjust seasoning to taste (you might need to add more sugar if it's too bitter). At the end, throw in the parsley. Allow to sit for at least a day and up to 3 days before serving. It goes wonderfully well with french fries, steamed potatoes or noodles. Serve with a nice cold Belgian beer.

Roasted Bell Pepper, Basil and Mozzarella Salad

2009-06-30T12:35:00.003-05:00

I was an au pair in the suburb of London - in Barnes to be exact - during the Summer of 1998. Barnes is a charming little community along the river - and I fell in love with it. There's a beautiful little park with a pond and weeping willows, quaint little shops and pubs, beautiful houses and wonderful people, to name just a few things.

That 1998 summer was the beginning of a long story between me and Barnes. I came back to it in 2002 and worked there as a barista in the now closed French coffee shop Tatie Danielle, while I finished my studies.

Back then, I worked for a family who had two young boys. They lived in a really lovely semi-attached home, with a very picturesque British garden. I loved it! The green lawn, the shrubs, the roses, the little shed in the back, and me lounging in the shade of the trees with my best friend Lucie.

The mother of that family prepared food in its most simple way. I realized recently, while remembering the good old times, how much this fragment of my life reinforced the way I see food today: keep it basic and always use quality ingredients.

As much as French home cooking is indeed quite simple, we tend to overcomplicate things sometimes and forget how to make an ingredient the star of a dish, without much addition of flavor but rather complement it.

I remember one Sunday afternoon, when I was served this roasted bell pepper salad. It was lukewarm, sweet and accompanied with fresh mozzarella, basil and the finest olive oil. The ingredients, absolutely fresh and top quality, melted in my mouth.

I recreated this recipe just before Noah was born, when our friends Ceci and Meredith came over for dinner. And it was just right. I suggest serving it with a fresh loaf of bread, like a pain de campagne.

Roasted Bell Pepper, Basil & Mozzarella Salad (serves 4 to 6)

3 bell peppers, the color of your choice

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 ball of extra fresh Mozzarella

1 bunch of fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 500 F degrees. Cut the bell peppers in half, remove the seeds and the membranes. Place them in a bowl and coat them with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the bell peppers to the bowl you priorly used, cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes, allowing the bell peppers to steam.

With a small knife, or using your fingers, peel the skin off the bell peppers. Slice lengthwise - the longer the slices, the better, for visual effect. Place in a serving dish.

Right before serving, slice the basil thinly, tear the mozzarella cheese into small bits using your fingers and add to the roasted bell peppers.

Check the seasoning and add sea salt if you choose to. You may also drizzle some extra olive oil over the top. Serve right away, at room temperature. Do not place in the fridge.

Best if served the same day.

Mon Petit Bebe

2009-06-23T18:34:00.001-05:00

It's kind of hard to find the first sentence for this post. How can I find the right words to express how I truly feel? My heart is overflowing with love...

Without further ado, let me introduce you to our baby boy, NOAH CODY, born on June 10th. Juan and I have been over the moon since then. Nothing ever prepared us for the amount of love you can feel for your own child.

Apart from the inevitable lack of sleep and getting adjusted to our new life, Maman et Papa are doing very well. We're really trying to make the most of Noah's first weeks with us. As we all know, time flies by too quickly...

So I will be enjoying some time with my baby boy over the next couple of weeks (my parents will also be visiting from France), but be assured that I have not forgotten about The French Fork! I will be posting less, that's all (I do have some quite yummy recipes in store for you).

So Bienvenue Au Monde Noah!

Nutella Filled Yogurt Cupcakes

2009-06-05T09:16:00.006-05:00

Yogurt cake or gateau au yaourt was my number 1 thing to bake as a child. I think it is for a lot of French kids. That and crepes, really!

It's very popular among children because the measurements for the recipe are made in the yogurt pot, so it's kind of fun. The result is a moist cake, close to the flavor of a pound cake. The variations for it are endless, whether you decide to use a flavored yogurt, add lemon zest, coconut, chocolate...

With a jar of Nutella waiting patiently in my pantry (yes, can you believe it, I had not yet opened it!!! It was quietly waiting for me!!), I thought that the time had come for me to marry the yogurt cake of my childhood with the heavenliness of Nutella.

I decided to inject the Nutella in the middle of the cupcake, but truly, I could just as easily iced them with it. Only if you decide to do that, be careful not to put too much Nutella, or it will be too overpowering. I think that in the end, I prefered injecting the Nutella because you can control the amount of Nutella better this way and you can better distinguish the flavors.

No matter what you decide to do, these cupcakes will be a hit among children (and grown-ups), for breakfast or for a snack or dessert.

On the pregnancy / baby subject, here are quelques nouvelles: I am due exactly 11 days from today (!!) and am doing very well. I am truly and positively enjoying time off to pamper myself before our baby is here. I have been less diligent about blogging lately but I am excited to come back soon with stories of my new life as a Maman very soon. It's a life-changing moment, and I want to share it with you all. Stay tuned!!!

Now back to baking:

Nutella Filled Yogurt Cupcakes (makes 8 cupcakes)

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup plain yogurt (whole milk best)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 pot of Nutella

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Spray a cupcake pan, line with cupcake liners (I also quickly sprayed the inside of the liners, but I'm not sure if it's necessary).

Beat together the eggs and the sugar. One by one, add the yogurt, the oil, the vanilla and incorporate.

Sift together the flour, the baking powder and the salt. Slowly add to the batter, in three batches. Do not overmix.

With an ice cream scoop, fill the liners (about 2/3 full) with the batter and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Wait 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Then place on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely, then with a small paring knife, cut a small cone shape hole in the middle of each cupcake. Carefully remove and reserve (if you think the hole is too small, scoop out some batter with a melon baller).

Fill a piping bag or a ziploc bag (cut the tip) with Nutella, and fill the holes. Replace the "plug" that you reserved and pipe some more Nutella on top to hide the incision.

Alternatively, you could simply smother the top of the cupcakes with Nutella...

Crab and Orange Summer Duo

2009-05-26T18:02:00.001-05:00

Here's something different and fresh for your next dinner party.

I had already discussed verrines in a previous post a few months ago. They're appetizers and desserts served in a little glass, like a parfait. They've been very popular in France among homecooks over the past few years. You see them everywhere!

This crab and orange verrine recipe is the perfect answer to a warm day. They're wonderful served as an appetizer. I make them ahead of time and leave them in the fridge until ready to serve.

My personal tip is "don't forget the orange". It really makes the whole dish and adds absolute freshness. I've made it with pink grapefruit as well, and it's also wonderful.

If you're wondering what kind of glass to use, I personally found tiny glass prep bowls at Ikea (it's important to be able to see through to see the layers), but you could use anything small, narrow and small. The smaller, the better.

Crab and Orange Summer Verrines

(makes 6 individual verrines)

1 ripe avocado, cubed + 1 tbsp lemon juice

6 oz of good quality lump crabmeat, drained

1 orange, segmented

Sauce:

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp French mustard

1 tbsp ketchup

10 drops of Worcestershire sauce

1 drop of hot sauce (I use Cholula)

Salt, Pepper

Goat Cheese Whipped Cream:

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup fresh goat cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tbsp chopped chives

Measure the heavy cream for the Goat Cheese Whipped Cream, place it in a large bowl, along with the beater or whisk, and leave in the freezer until ready to use.

Segment your orange and reserve in a bowl, in the refrigerator.

Prepare the sauce by mixing together all the ingredients. Reserve in the refrigerator.

Prepare the goat cheese whipped cream. Take the bowl, the cream and the beater out of the freezer. Season with salt. Using an electric beater, start whisking at low speed until foamy. Switch to high speed, until you see very soft peaks (after about 2 minutes). Quickly whisk in the goat cheese, pepper and chives. Do not overbeat. Reserve in the refrigerator. (You could cut thin pieces of orange segments and incorporate it in at that stage to add some flavor. Just make sure to keep enough orange segments to decorate the top of each glass)

Peel and cube the avocado into a bowl. Pour some lemon juice over it and gently stir with a spoon. Add the crab meat and some of the mayonnaise sauce. Incorporate one tablespoon at a time, tasting every time, to make sure the consistency isn't too creamy and the flavors too strong. Less is more. Use only what's necessary.

Fill in the bottom of 6 little verrines or glasses with the crab/avocado combo, that's the first layer of the verrines. The second and last layer is the goat cheese whipped cream. Smooth out the top with the back of a clean tablespoon.

Decorate each glass with an orange segment and one or two chives. Chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!

One Dish Meal - Potato Criques

2009-05-18T10:22:00.003-05:00

Summer is around the corner, and it's time for salads, grilling and wonderful fruit and vegetables.

With our baby only 4 weeks away now and my energy slowly dwindling (in case you haven't noticed, I've been blogging less lately), I decided to write down a list of simple quick fix meal ideas to put on the door of my fridge, as a reference. No more long meditation moments when it's time to plan the week's meals ahead, if you know what I mean!

We all get tired of the same old recipes over and over again, so to me it's a good way to dust off some old forgotten ones. And it's towards France and my Mom that I turned for inspiration, once again... I have such wonderful memories of any Summer meals my mother prepares; as simple as it can be, from a freshly picked tomato from our garden - still warm - with salt, to melon and Aoste prosciutto.

The recipe for Criques de Pommes de Terre or Potato Criques (a cousin of hash brown and latkes if you will), is a specialty from Lyon. They're basically potato "crepes" prepared with onions and parsley. They make a complete meal, and they are wonderful served along with a green salad and a strong vinaigrette (with red wine vinegar and lots of garlic), and a glass of Beaujolais. My Mom's touch? Squeeze a good amount of fresh lemon juice directly on your plate, right before eating. To me, it makes the whole dish. Trust me.

Criques de Pommes de Terre / Potato Criques (serves 4)

2 pounds of potatoes (Idaho, Russet, Long White)

2 white onions

3 eggs

1 good handful of chopped parsley

salt and pepper

2 tbsp butter

4 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon cut in half or in wedges

Peel the potatoes, wash them and dry them carefully in a clean cloth. Grate them, using the "big holes" on the grater. Reserve in a bowl. Peel and finely slice the onions and add them to the bowl.

Beat the eggs in a separate little bowl and add to the potatoes and onions. Fold in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large pan (a cast iron works best here), heat half of the butter and oil. Once the pan is very hot, pour the preparation. Using a spatula or a fork, make sure everything is flat and even. Cook on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until brown and crispy. It might take less time, so keep an eye on it!

Place a large plate on top of the pan and turn it upside down, to flip over the crique or crepe.

Heat the remaining butter and oil in the pan. Once hot enough, slide the crique or crepe back into the pan and cook on medium heat for another 10 minutes, or until brown and crusty under.

Flip the crique back onto the big plate, cut in slices, like for a pizza and serve right away, along with a green salad and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Season with sea salt if necessary.

Baby Shower & Lemon Tart

2009-05-05T19:49:00.008-05:00

I survived my first baby shower! I thought I should print it on a tee-shirt and wear it! Our friends Stephanie and Phil threw us a shower last weekend, and it was just perfect.

I was reluctant to have a baby shower at first when I found out I was pregnant - I felt bad someone was going to go out of their way for me to organize something. But then I realized how it can be a good way to gather everyone I love before the big day.

There aren't any particular tradition in France when someone has a baby. Overall, French people don't buy gifts to the parents-to-be before the birth. Why? Superstition perhaps? Everything is done after the birth. Now I did read an article recently in the French Parents Magazine, that the American craze of "baby showers" is slowly making its way to France. And apparently, baby shower is how we call it in French too. Here's the article (in French).

Stephanie and Phil had prepared fantastic little tea sandwiches. They were simply wonderful. Cucumber sandwiches (those were my favorites), egg sandwiches, mini steak sandwiches with chutney and havarti cheese, just to name a few. It makes me want to throw a baby shower for someone now, so I can have the excuse of making miniature food like that!

I couldn't resist to contribute to the food table and decided on making une tarte au citron - a lemon tart - which was a success. What you might find different in my recipe is the crust (I made a Pate Sablee) and the filling (I used cornstarch and very little butter). If my lemon tart had to have a synonym, it would be decadent.

La Tarte Au Citron - Lemon Tart

(serves 6 to 8)

Pate Sablee:

2 cups flour

1 pinch of salt

9 tbsp cold butter, roughly diced

1 egg, previously beaten

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar + 3 tbsp

1/3 cup cornstarch

a pinch of salt

The zest of 2 lemons

The juice of 3 lemons

4 tbsp butter, cold

DOUGH - PATE SABLEE:

On a flat surface, or in a big bowl, combine together the flour, the salt and the butter using the tip of your fingers to "break" the butter. Rub the tip of your fingers together, until the butter and the flour blend in together and the consistency is coarse (butter should be pea-size). Add the egg in the middle, along with the sugar and the vanilla. Mix everything together using your fingers, until the whole thing comes together. It will be very sticky at first but as you knead, the dough should start forming somewhat of a ball. Flatten the dough with the heel of your hand once or twice (that's called fraiser in French), and transfer everything onto a plastic wrap. Wrap and shape into a ball. Flatten into a disc and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. I prefer to make it one day ahead. Take the dough out of the refrigerator 45 minutes prior to rolling.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9.5" inch tart pan, with removable bottom. Flour a clean surface and roll out the dough, making sure to keep moving the dough around; it will prevent it from sticking to the surface.The Pate Sablee dough is easily breakable, so be patient as you roll it out! Place the dough in the pan and cut off the excess. Prick the bottom of the shell with a fork, cover the bottom with wax paper (or foil) and fill with pie weights, or dried beans (that's what I use).

Bake for 25 mins, on the lower level of the oven. Remove the pie weights (or dried beans) and wax paper, move to upper level of oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes. The dough should be a nice golden color.

FILLING:

Beat the yolks and the sugar together. Combine the lemon juice and the zests. Whisk in the cornstarch and the salt. Transfer to a saucepan and heat up, until it all thickens, about 10 minutes or so. Keep stirring the whole time, using a whisk. When the consistency starts thickening, remove from the heat and stir in the cold butter.

Pour onto the baked shell. Allow to cool at room temperature. When cool, you may refrigerate it just a few hours before serving, along with fresh homemade whipped cream for example!

Tomato, Goat Cheese and Honey Pasta Salad

2009-04-26T14:52:00.001-05:00

Juan and I recently moved into a new place. It's been tough but we're slowly getting our place into order. I think what I hate the most is having to find a new place for every little thing. And that's what it's down to now... Thank goodness for storage baskets!

One of the first things I cooked for us in our new kitchen was a tomato, goat cheese and honey pasta salad. I don't know if it's pregnancy hot flashes or what, but it felt warm enough that I did not want to use the stove or the oven for too long.

I made up this recipe but I have also been inspired by the wonderful tomato and brown rice salad that my friend James made a few weeks ago, at a food blogger potluck. It reminded me of how much I love Spring and Summer cooking, for simple salads like these.

So I switched a few ingredients here and there, added a few more, and the result was a succulent, fresh, satisfying and just plain no-frills summer salad. I always like to change a few things when I make up a recipe, but I just love the combination of the sweet honey, the tart goat cheese and the oniony flavor of the green onions.

Tomato, goat cheese and honey pasta salad (serves 4)

about 2 cups of dry mini Fusilli pasta

2 tbsp champagne or white wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tbsp honey

4 medium Heirloom tomatoes, cut in large dices

4 tbsp chopped green onions

1 cup basil, chopped

1/2 cup goat cheese, cut in large pieces

1 tsp of Herbes de Provence (optional)

Bring some water to a boil, salt the water and add the pasta. Return to a boil and cook according to the package directions. Drain and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette by whisking the vinegar, the salt and the pepper together. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and whisk together. Whisk in the honey. Transfer the pasta into a bowl and stir in the vinaigrette.

Stir in the tomatoes, the green onions and the basil. Lastly, add the goat cheese (and herbes de provence if you choose to) and gently stir. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Adjust seasoning of necessary.

Happy Birthday to The French Fork

2009-04-19T20:54:00.006-05:00

Today is The French Fork first year anniversary! It's been a whole year now that I've been blogging. Wow! Such a great experience I surely do not regret to have ventured into...

Actually, I'm more wondering why I never started blogging before! I guess I was too shy... Now, I feel like writing has opened up a whole new world to me. Literally, it has allowed me to get in touch with people from so many different countries, who read The French Fork and share with me the same passion: French culture and homestyle cooking.

Thank you all so much for reading me and supporting me. A blog doesn't really exist without the people who read it and share their thoughts with the author. I hope to bring you many more years of French memories and cultural adventures.

Hmmm, that makes me think, I would like to ask you if there is anything you would like me to talk about, that touches on French food and culture. Please share! Any recipe you're curious about? A particular detail of everyday French life or culture you'd like to know more about?

Stay tuned for Part 2 of The French Fork 1st Anniversary, as I would like to work out a little surprise for you all. Please bear with me, I have been completely tied up in the past week since Juan and I are moving into a bigger place. And moving at nearly 8 months pregnant ain't fun, let me tell you...

But enough whining - and more THANK YOUs - to all of you, who keep me going and inspire me. And of course I could not end this post without thanking my beloved husband Juan, who is always supporting me and thanks to whom the design of this blog wouldn't exist.

Tale of a Pregnant Woman

2009-04-13T16:48:00.001-05:00

31 weeks pregnant... How time flies! In just 9 weeks or less, we'll be holding our baby boy. Something I can't wait for! I definitely "look" pregnant now -no doubt- and "feel" pregnant. Yep. I wobble, I hold and stroke my tummy. This is it! And what about cravings I hear you ask? Ah, see strangely enough, for someone who loves food and eating as much as I do, I thought I was going to send Juan on some crazy food search adventures; Like say to pick up the ingredients for one of my favorite combo: hard goat cheese, fresh baguette and dark chocolate with hazelnuts - yeah, that's what I'm talking about! But no! I've been going through this pregnancy without any particular cravings...

Until last Friday. I woke up with an acute case of banana-chocolate-walnut muffins! (note that you do not need to be pregnant to hunger for these little beauties)

Because that's right, I think I'd like to claim that I, Laetitia Bertrand have developed one of the best cure to [pregnant] women's sweet tooth syndrome.

My banana chocolate and walnut muffins are absolutely to die for. You have the flavor of the banana, combined with the crunch of the toasted walnuts and the bite of the chocolate. And not to mention how moist they are!

I absolutely love them with a cup of coffee or tea for breakfast, or even as a snack with a glass of milk. I can't get enough of them!

Banana Chocolate and Walnut Muffins

(makes about 18 muffins)

1 cup walnuts, whole

1 1/3 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

10 tbsp butter, left at room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 medium very ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup whole milk

1/3 cup vanilla yogurt (whole)

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 oz semisweet chocolate

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a muffin tin and line them up with muffin liners. Put the walnuts on a cookie sheet and toast them for about 8 minutes. Check often to make sure they don't burn! Set aside.

Stir together the flour, the baking powder and the salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix together the butter and the sugar, until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time and combine. Combine half of the dry ingredients. Add the bananas, the milk, the yogurt and the vanilla and mix. Add the remaining of the dry ingredients.

Chop the walnuts, then the chocolate (make sure the chocolate is finely chopped) and combine in a bowl. Add to the batter and combine.

Divide the batter among the muffin liners. Put in the oven and bake for about 18 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring the muffins on a cake rack. Allow to completely cool before serving.

My Top 5 Hotel Chains in France

2009-04-08T15:35:00.001-05:00

I'm often asked by friends to help organize their trip to France, and it's always such a pleasure for me to do it. After many years of playing travel agent, I decided to combine a few hotel tips here. (Sorry I know I haven't posted any recipes in a long time, but they're coming soon!).

I have chosen to focus on French hotel chains because they can be found all over France. Now, of course there are oh so many fantastic mom-and-pop hotels all over France, but it would have been too hard for me to combine it into one post.

Logis de France:

A French chain of hotels of great quality that are small (about 19 rooms) and most of the time family-run. Each hotel has to meet a very strict quality charter to be labeled Logis de France. They all have a restaurant, whose focus is always put on the discovery of local specialties, using local products. The food quality is always excellent. You will not be disappointed. Here's an example of the Burgundy region specialty menu: Starter-Crispy pike perch with Sainte-Foy red butter, and thinly-sliced caramelised chicory, Entree-Almond-coated pheasant supreme, marrow, fried forest mushrooms and grapes, Dessert-Lightly-cooked vintage chocolate cake with pistachio ice-cream.

What I love most about Logis de France is that you can select your hotel depending on what you like to do.

If you like staying at place that has a lot of charm and reflects the style or culture of the region, you can select a hotel under the category Logis de Caractere. You can then expect a hotel with lots of interesting local architecture and furniture, beautiful flowers, and a focus on overall perfect appearance.
If wine tasting is what rocks your boat, you will select your hotel under the category Logis Bacchus. The hotel will be located within 1.8 miles (3 kms) of vineyards. The wine list of the restaurant will reflect the local wines. The staff will be trained in wine tasting, the manager of the hotel will organize tours to wine cellars and tasting, etc.
Other categories include Logis Neige (if you like skiing), Logis Randonnee Pedestre (if you like hiking), Logis Nature Science (if tranquility, rest and well-being is what you need), Logis Peche (fishing), Logis Velo (cycling).

The cost for one night will depend on where you are staying (it will be more expensive in Paris for example, about 97 euros). I have found prices as low as 50 euros for one night in the French countryside. It does not include breakfast (usually 8 euros extra) or dinner. It is very reasonable for what you get, trust me!

Ibis Hotel:

Very affordable. Good for low budgets. I have stayed at these many times and they're good hotels for the money. One night for 2 will bring you to about 70 euros in Paris and about 50 euros outside of big cities (and sometimes lower). The rooms are clean and modern with flat screen televisions and the beds are comfy. Like most hotels in France, breakfast is extra, usually about 8 euros. But it will get you a wonderful breakfast buffet: fruit, yogurt, bread, croissants, pains au chocolat, ham, cheese and more! A lot of these hotels have a restaurant, simple and very decent. You'll usually find these hotels in most French cities and big towns.

Pierre et Vacances:

Rent a studio, an apartment or a home through Pierre et Vacances and live the French way! An apartment for 4 in the Mediterreanean in Argeles-sur-Mer for 6 days will cost you about 384 euros. There is a balcony with patio furniture. Bed linens are included and the kitchen is equipped. You can pay more and have house with a pool, or easy access to the beach, or in another location, close to the ski slopes. Great choice when you're traveling with friends - you can split the cost!

Hotel Campanile:

I stayed at many of these with my parents when I was younger when we were on vacation, and I have wonderful memories. A lot of these hotels have a pool (it depends on location), which is wonderful if you're traveling during the summer. They have a buffet type restaurant where they serve breakfast (a hearty one), lunch and dinner. One night in Juan Les Pins (on the French Riviera) for 2 in June will cost you about 75 euros. Campanile is great when traveling with kids and a good deal overall.

Relais Chateaux:

If you want to experience the finest of the finest without making your wallet explode, try Relais Chateaux. The actual hotels are set in stunning mansions, castles, manor or country houses. Want to live like a lord and sleep for one night in this 15th century castle? It's possible, for 130 euros (depending on the season of course). Each hotel offers wonderful culinary experience - really worth it. It might be a little too tight for a lot of budget but once in a while, there's nothing wrong in splurging.

How To Eat Raclette

2009-03-29T20:56:00.003-05:00

A little souvenir from France for y'all... A video on how to eat Raclette.

The video will look even more appetizing if you watch it in HD full screen and let it load fully before you watch it. Enjoy!

Eat Like a Parisian

2009-03-23T16:28:00.016-05:00

When my friend Anna from Cookie Madness asked us advice on a restaurant in Paris, I immediately turned to my brother David for recommendations. He's been living in Paris for more than 10 years and is a fine gastronomer. As a matter of fact, I think he's influenced me greatly on that part!

He put together a list of his favorite restaurants in Paris for me. He made sure to combine places that have an interesting decor (but always very good quality food) with places off the beaten path - tres parisiens! I can assure you that you won't be disappointed with any restaurants in the list below! They are affordable and you will have a true French food experience without being chichi.

I have linked all these restaurants to their websites (for those who have one) and included their hours of operation. Bear in mind that:

a lot of restaurants in France close on Sundays or Mondays but not all of them.
In big cities, restaurants stay open late (up to midnight or more) but it depends.
Restaurants start serving dinner in the evening at about 7pm. Most French people go later, around 8.30 / 9pm or even later, especially in Paris.
Service is included in France so tipping is not required. If you do want to add a tip, just leave 1 or 2 euros, but it is not an obligation at all.
Do order "menus". They include an appetizer (une entree), an entree (un plat) and dessert or cheese for usually a VERY reasonable price. I'd say for 20 euros, you can get a very decent meal! The menu usually gives you the choice between 2 to 4 appetizers, 2 to 4 entrees and 2 to 4 desserts. It depends. But take my word for it and ORDER A MENU! Restaurants usually offer from 2 to 4 different menus to choose from, from the cheapest to the most expensive.

La Fermette Marboeuf

Near the Champs Elysees. The interior of the restaurant is decorated art deco style. Gorgeous setting but noisy. Open until 11.30 pm.

La Gare

Located in an old railway station. Elegant old-world charm. Open everyday, Sunday included, until 2 am.

Le Procope

Oldest cafe in Paris with an "old Paris" feel. Near Saint Germain des Pres. Open until 1 am.

Le Polidor

Very authentic decor. Very traditional French food. Open until 12.30 am, except Sundays (11 pm)

L'aiguiere

One my brother has told me a lot about. Cheapest menu will cost you $25. Closed on Sundays.

Le Coude Fou

Very Parisian, very traditional, good food and good wine! Open until 2 am.

Chez Bofinger

Beautiful setting. Historical Parisian brasserie.

Chez Chartier

Another historical restaurant. Used to be a favorite for blue collars at the turn of the 19th century because it was cheap. Still very cheap today, they offer very homestyle French food like endive salad, shredded carrots with vinaigrette or leeks and vinaigrette. (I have never tried it myself but would be really curious to try it out next time I'm in Paris!)

Le Louchebem

Very good meat restaurant near Les Halles. "Louchebem" means "butcher" in the old Paris slang.

L'abribus

My brother told me to go check out their cheap but delicious couscous.

C Comme Cochon

Traditional food. Their pork shanks cooked in hay is a must.

Chicken Crawfish 30th birthday

2009-03-18T17:00:00.014-05:00

I have not forgotten about you all! Juan and I are back in the US now but I still have so much to share with you from our trip! I don't know where to start. I actually was not feeling good towards the end of our stay (I must have caught a cold), thus the slowdown in my blog entries. Pardonnez-moi!

Juan celebrated his 30th birthday while we were in France and my parents organized a big family get together for him. It was one of these long meals that my family does at least 2 or 3 times a year: a long aperitif, a very long lunch with 4 or 5 courses, a walk around my village and usually some board games bonding time - Belote anyone?

When my Mom asked me what we should serve for this occasion, I remembered the 20th birthday lunch she organized for me way back then... My parents had ordered a big dish of Poulet Aux Ecrevisses from an excellent local restaurant. They truly know how to make this dish wonderful. I thought Juan's birthday would be the perfect occasion to do just the same again.Why not make it yourself you wonder? Our family gatherings involve close to 3o people so we sometimes shamelessly decide to spend more time with our guests rather than in the kitchen. (We did bake a lemon tart, a very chocolaty cake and a flan though).

Poulet aux Ecrevisses or Chicken Crawfish is a dish from my region, in which the sauce is the star. A combination of white wine,tomatoes, cayenne, cream, slowly simmered with crawfish and farm raised chicken. C'etait exquis!!! We served it with rice, to soak up all the juices.

Pictures speak a thousand words so I leave you here...

Day 9: Cremieu's Market

2009-03-11T15:04:00.012-05:00

I love going to the market when in France. Around my region, there is one every day of the week in different small towns around my village. Today was Wednesday so the market was in Cremieu, a gorgeous medieval town. The market is set under a 14th century old market hall, the exact same spot where Juan and I celebrated our wedding a few years ago.

The weather was cold and rainy today, which gave the market a little charm but we didn't stick around for too long. Just enough time to buy some local honey, a scarole salad for lunch and a few clementines. My Mom and I didn't feel like cooking much so we bought a local dish called diots au vin blanc, which is a regional sausage cooked in white wine along with potatoes or polenta. Oh I can't tell you how good these were... Such a perfect meal for this kind of weather!

Day 5: La Raclette

2009-03-07T04:58:00.012-06:00

La Raclette is - another - typical dish from my region. It's a full meal of melted cheese (raclette cheese), boiled potatoes and regional deli meats: hams, saucissons... The kind of dish that will send you straight to bed because of how heavy it is!

Yesterday was the first time we were able to have dinner with both my brothers and my parents at the same time since we've been back. The weather was cold and snowy - perfect for a raclette!

There's a special machine that we use to melt the cheese: un appareil a raclette. We place it in the middle of the dinner table, plugged in and each person puts a slice of cheese in a little non stick mini pan. The mini pans are then placed under a heater that melts the cheese in less than a minute. It's a very cheap and common thing to have in a French houselhold, especially in my region. I wish I could bring one back to the US (damn you, European plugs).

If you think these photos look delicious, just wait for the video (coming soon)...

Day 3: Lemon festival in Menton

2009-03-06T02:52:00.013-06:00

I've been fighting jetlag for the first time in my life since in France. Not fun when you should be sleeping and you've been tossing and turning for the past 7 hours. I'm hopeful it will get better as the days go by though.

We took advantage of what seems to have been our last day of somewhat warm and sunny weather by going to the city of Menton, right at the border of Italy, after Monaco. They were celebrating Le Festival Des Citrons (the lemon festival), in an array of thousands of lemons and oranges. Quite a sight!

We did not want to miss tasting some Mediterranean fish. We stumbled upon a wonderful little restaurant nestled in a tiny little square around a fountain. For a very decent 20 euro menu, I enjoyed a salad served with goat cheese, warm lemon and honey vinaigrette and balsamic reduction, grilled rascasse (scorpion fish) served with a tomato concasse and a fantastic ratatouille. The fish was out of this world -somewhat meaty, crispy skin. Divine! To top it all, I finished the meal with a perfect homemade lemon tart.

I have a feeling I'll be telling you about the raclette dish I will be enjoying tonight (perfect for snowy weather!) in my upcoming post...

Day 1: Sights of Antibes

2009-03-03T02:32:00.016-06:00

The streets of the old Antibes are rudimentary and narrow -but quaint. After more than a year away from my home country, all the charms and characteristics of my surroundings seem to just pop out like a black dot on a white wall: the old entry doorways, the shop signs and displays. I couldn't stop smiling -and taking pictures.

We randomly happened upon La Villa Fontaine, a very old home nestled in the Saffranier neighborhood, where painter -and French Fork reader Ann Elizabeth Schlegel has been invited to stay by the city of Antibes to paint. Here's a snapshot of the little walk:

There's no place like home

2009-02-26T22:14:00.003-06:00

We had a little bit of a scare this week, after Juan hurt his back really bad. To make a long story short, we thought he had a bad herniated disc that would require him to have surgery and not allow us to travel to France to see my family. As it turns out, it is not as bad as we thought it was - and surgery is out of the question - and we will be on our way to Antibes in a few days.

It's always such an exciting time to go back to the country you grew up in. Going to France might sound like a vacation to a lot of people but to me it means going home. It means hanging out in my parents' home and not do anything. Wake up and help my Mom around the house. Go to the grocery store and make lunch with her. Watch the inevitable journal de 13 heures de Jean Pierre Pernaut after lunch, as we sip coffee. Mundane things yes, but that I miss oh so much.

Walking around our local grocery store in my village feels like being in a museum every time we go back. I cannot describe how much I love it. I love to check out food items that we don't see in the US, especially things like biscottes, cheeses, biscuits, prepackaged soups and sauces. And of course, I always end my visit in the toiletries aisle. Oh sure I find everything I want as far as face wash, body lotion and what not here in Austin, but I buy a bit of nostalgia when I bring back a Tahiti brand shower gel or several tubes of Labello chap stick.

It's the first time since I have been blogging that I am going back to France. I am really excited to actually be able to share this experience with you. If you haven't done so yet, you can follow me on Twitter or stay tuned to this blog, as I will post mini updates and pictures as often as I can.

The adventure will start on La Cote d'Azur on Monday, as we spend some time in our family home in Antibes. I'm back to packing. A tres bientot tout le monde!!

A taste of Provence

2009-02-17T14:52:00.015-06:00

Juan and I will be traveling to France very soon. I am beyond excited! I haven't been home in more than a year and no one in my family has seen me pregnant yet. I foresee a lot of baby talk...

We'll be lucky to spend a week in my parents' second home in Antibes on the Cote d'Azur. I am looking forward to the unique sunlight of the French Riviera and sitting at the terrace of our usual cafe, right on the beach. I want to walk to the librairie and boulangerie to buy the Nice Matin (the local newspaper) and some bread, enjoy some shopping (maybe buy baby a few French baby books)...

Of course, Juan and I are also looking forward to some good food. We will celebrate his 30th birthday with my entire family (that's nearly 30 people) so my Mom and I are already planning the lunch menu. Right now we're heading for a dish called poulet aux ecrevisses, which I absolutely adore. It's chicken and crawfish in a creamy tomato sauce with a touch of cayenne. I will definitely keep you posted on that!

I cannot wait to eat some of the fresh fish from the Mediterranean. It's some of the best food memories from vacationing there when I was a child. And I know there is so much more that I need to experience still!

Thinking about the South of France inspired me to share with you a recipe for Tomates a la Provencale. It's a classic side dish in France but they're just as good on their own, warm or cold. I try to give you measurements in my recipe but there is no right or wrong. Just use lots of garlic, lots of parsley and herbes de provence if you have some. A good quality olive oil and you're all set!

My favorite dish to serve them with is a simple roasted pork tenderloin, along with rice or steamed potatoes.

Tomates a la Provencale (for 2)

4 big Roma tomatoes

about 1/4 cup of chopped parsley

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or pressed (I count 2 cloves of garlic per tomato)

3 tbsp of plain breadcrumbs

1 tbsp of Herbes de Provence (optional)

Olive oil

salt & pepper

You may core the tomatoes if you prefer. Personally, I leave them. Cut the tomatoes in half, lengthwise. Using your finger, scoop out the seeds in each section of the tomatoes. Salt the inside and set them cut side down on a plate to drain for 15/20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a bowl, combine together, the finely chopped parsley and garlic, the Herbes de Provence and the breadcrumbs. You can use the food processor if you want.

Fill each tomato with mixture and cook in the oven for 45 min to 1 hour, until the top is cooked and brown. Serve warm or cold.

You can't go wrong with meat and potatoes!

2009-02-09T15:42:00.011-06:00

Me: "Hachis Parmentier".... Juan: "Bless you!". These words might be a mouthful for non French speakers to pronounce (go ahead try it), but don't let it scare you away! Nothing else than a meat and potato dish, Hachis Parmentier is the French version of the Shepherd's Pie.

Un hachis in French is meat or fish that has been finely ground. Parmentier refers to Monsieur Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, who (among other things) promoted the use of the potato as a food source in France and Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. Don't the words sound less scary now?

I was facing another night of pasta dinner (yet again), as I was staring into my fridge last week. I was definitely not in the mood to cook anything complicated. I had bought ground beef and wanted to do something a little bit different. The weather report was forecasting close to freezing temperatures (for once!) for the following day here in Austin, and so came to me the idea of making this comforting, and very classic French dish.

Commonly served in school cafeterias in France, Hachis Parmentier also always reminds me of THE ultimate frozen food dish sold in France. So there you go, cheap and filling, le hachis parmentier is a crowd-pleaser.

The version I made here is the classic one, with beef. But the beauty of this dish is how versatile it is; You could replace the beef with a mix of vegetables to make it meat-free or use duck meat (why not Confit de Canard?) instead of beef for example. I made enough to serve the both of us for nearly 4 meals, which truly feels good when you have a super busy week like we had last week...!

Le Hachis Parmentier (serves 4 to 6)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 big yellow onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 pound of ground beef

3 pounds of potatoes

2 tbsp of tomato paste

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (for the meat)

Up to 1 cup of milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp butter

salt and pepper

1/2 cup of grated Gruyere cheese or Swiss

1/2 cup Parmesan (for the mashed potatoes)

Boil water in a saucepan to cook the potatoes. Peel and cut the potatoes in quarters. When the water is boiling, add them and simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender (test with a knife: you must be able to cut through them very easily).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pan and saute the onions for 4 or 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Add the meat, season with salt and pepper and cook until brown. Stir in the tomato paste. When everything is all cooked, turn the heat off, combine the egg yolk, stir and add the parmesan cheese. Reserve.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Warm up the milk in a saucepan or in the microwave. Drain the potatoes and transfer to a bowl. Stir in the butter and the cream. Slowly add some warm milk, and mash with a potato masher, until you get a creamy consistency. You might not need to use all the milk. Season with salt and pepper.

Lay the meat at the bottom of an oven safe dish (like a lasagna dish) and cover with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with Gruyere cheese (or Swiss) and Parmesan. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Turn the oven temperature to broiler. Place the dish under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, until the top is brown. Rotate the dish when one side is brown enough (about halftime). Serve.

C'est la Chandeleur: let's eat crepes!

2009-02-02T15:33:00.005-06:00

February 2nd is Groundhog Day in the United-States, but in France, we celebrate La Chandeleur. Say the word "chandeleur" to a French person and they will think CREPES, bien sur! Yes, Chandeleur is the day we make crepes in France! Or as Juan and I like to call it, "Crepe Day".

Beyond being a day to make crepes, La Chandeleur (or Candlemas) is a very old celebration, dating back to the Celts and Romans. For Christians, it meant marching in a candle procession to celebrate the presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary - chandeleur is derived from chandelle, which in French means "candle". (I have to be honest, I had to look up the real meaning of La Chandeleur).

One tradition of eating crepes on La Chandeleur lies in flipping the crepe, carrying the pan in the right hand, while holding a coin (preferably an old Louis d'or coin) in your left hand. It is said to be a good omen for wealth for the coming year.

Now that we all feel smarter, we can move on to the crepe eating part. In an earlier post, I had told you about my love for crepes. It's that kind of thing that I usually make once a year (well I also treat myself to crepes from a cafe or a stand when visiting back home). I love making crepes. I make the dough ahead - it's better if it rests in the fridge first - then prepare my fillings on the table for everyone to help themselves to, and the flipping begins!

Let's talk hardware before we go any further. I have made crepes in a regular pan before but I strongly encourage you to invest in a small non-stick crepe pan, like this 8'' one. Your crepes won't stick and the whole process will go that much smoother. They do sell bigger crepe pan sizes, but I own a 8'' one, and to me it's just the right size for homemade crepes. The crepes you can buy on the street in France are usually much bigger but I can assure you the taste will be the same and it will be faster for you to make. I use my crepe pan several times a week and for many purposes other than crepes: individual omelettes, scrambled eggs, small sauteeing jobs...

Now as far as fillings, the classic ones are sugar (my favorite), Nutella (heaven on earth) and fruit preserve. You could flambe it (with Grand Marnier) and make it a crepe suzette, or fill it with bananas or strawberries and whipped cream, or even spread sugar and squeeze lemon juice over it. Honestly, let your imagination run wild. Juan made himself a peanut butter and jelly crepe this weekend. I thought it was okay but he loved it.

I wanted to introduce you to the savory version of crepes. There's no limit as to what you can put in a salty crepe either: ham, prosciutto, cheese (Brie, Camembert, Mozarella, Gruyere), mushrooms, spinach, bacon, chicken... I'm very simple when it comes to my crepe fillings - sugar or Nutella for the sweet ones, and ham and cheese for the savory ones.

When I make a batch of crepe dough, I usually put all the ingredients except sugar and rum and divide the dough in two. I keep 1/3 for the savory crepes in one bowl and the rest for the sweet ones in another bowl. I then add my sugar and rum to to the batch for sweet crepes.

Crepe dough (recipe for sweet and savory crepes)

Makes about 15 crepes (8'' diameter)

2 cups of flour, sifted

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups + 2 tbsp of whole milk

1 pinch of salt

1 tbsp sugar (for sweet crepes only)

1 tbsp rum (for sweet crepes only and optional)

Measure the flour into a bowl and add the eggs. Stir and add the milk and the salt. Make sure there aren't any lumps, cover with a plastic film and refrigerate for 1 hour.

When you are ready to make the crepes, prepare a small bowl with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, along with a piece of paper towel on a small plate, crushed in a ball or a heat safe silicon pastry brush. Take the dough out of the fridge and whisk.

Very lightly oil the pan and heat it on medium - and make sure it's really hot, that's very important! Pour 1/4 cup of the crepe dough into the pan and quickly lift it and swirl it to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook on medium heat, until very lightly tanned. Check every now and then by lifting a side. Flip it to the other side using a spatula and cook until tan / light brown. I usually know my crepe is done when I see small dark spots on the last cooked side (see photo above).

Repeat the same process and make sure you lightly oil the pan between each crepe.

Transfer to a plate and eat or cover with foil until all the crepes are done. To fold the crepe, either simply roll it, or fold it in half and then half again (closely resembling the shape of a triangle).

Ham and Cheese Crepes (serves 4):

2 tbsp of butter

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 pinch of nutmeg

1 cup milk

4 crepes (they can be made in advance, it's okay)

4 slices of good quality ham

shredded swiss cheese

shredded mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F degrees. Let's make the Bechamel sauce (white sauce). Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until combined. Cook for a minute. Add the milk and whisk constantly, until it thickens. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg. If you think that the sauce is too thick, add a splash of milk. Reserve.

Inside each crepe, lay a slice of ham, spoon 1 to 2 tbsp of the Bechamel sauce, sprinkle with swiss and mozzarella cheese, roll the crepe or bring two ends to the middle. Lay in an oven safe dish. Repeat for each crepe. Spoon some more Bechamel sauce over the crepes and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Put in the oven for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the ham is warm and the cheese has melted.

Serve along with a green salad. Enjoy!

Something Different: Tuna Quiche

2009-01-25T22:00:00.001-06:00

Everyone has heard of a quiche lorraine. But have you ever heard of a tuna quiche? In France, we conjugate quiches in many flavors: with goat cheese, leeks, salmon, zucchini...

Quiche lorraine (along with pizza) is a classic of many catering events in France. We serve them for cocktails or aperitifs for weddings, gatherings, and celebrations. It's very common to just order them from your favorite baker, who usually cuts them in 2 inch squares (easy finger food). That's what Juan and I did for the day following our wedding in France. Most of our friends and families from all over the world were still around, so my parents organized a low-key buffet-type get together in their backyard; the menu included wood-fire quiches (of course), pizzas, onion tarts, cheese tarts and sugar tarts. Have a big bowl of fresh lettuce and vinaigrette ready, wine, Badoit and Perrier (at least in my family) - and you have a party!

Quiche lorraine definitely is the star but I think most French familes have at least one other quiche recipe that they keep on hand. My Mom's is a leek and blue cheese quiche, which I must share with you one day - it's fantastic. This tuna quiche inspiration comes from my aunt, Brigitte. The first time she served it, I was skeptical as to how tuna would taste in a quiche, but all I needed was one bite and I was hooked!

My aunt's recipe included green olives and cheese (which is wonderful), but for mine I chose to add a hint of lemon and chives, which lightly flavors the quiche and goes so well with the tuna.

I made my own pie crust this time, but I typically buy ready-made ones. Let's be honest, it's convenient and there's no shame in taking some shortcuts.

I would suggest to completely let the quiche cool down before serving. It pairs wonderfully well with a simple green salad or with a dollop of savory lemon whipped cream (a squeeze of lemon juice can work too). All you need to do is beat 1/2 cup of very cold whipping cream (don't forget to keep the beaters and metal bowl cold too), 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper until you have soft peaks. Then stir in 1 tsp of lemon juice.

Tuna Quiche (serves 8)

1 store bought pie dough or your favorite pie dough recipe

3 eggs

1 cup of heavy cream

1/4 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of fresh ground pepper

1 tbsp of chopped fresh chives

1/4 tsp of dried thyme (optional)

1 tsp of fresh lemon juice

1 tsp of Dijon mustard

1 cup of shredded gruyere or cheddar cheese

2 cans of tuna

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Roll out the dough (thin so it cooks through but not too much) and fit into a fluted tart pan (mine has a removable bottom, which is very convenient). Trim the edges.

In a bowl, beat the eggs and the cream. Combine the salt, pepper, chives, dried thyme, lemon juice and mustard. Add the cheese and the tuna and pour into the crust and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the top of the quiche is golden brown.

Allow to cool completely before serving.

Food Goes High-Tech

2009-01-20T15:04:00.005-06:00

If you live in Austin, be sure to stop by the Austin Forum on Wednesday, January 21st at 6.30pm for a discussion titled "Food Goes High-Tech". Austin American Statesman food writer Addie Broyles and Taco Journalism blogger Armando Rayo will talk about how new technologies and social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, help connect people who enjoy food. The forum will be held at the UT Pickle Research Campus - details can be found, here. I myself will be there, so hopefully I can meet some of you!

Speaking of Addie Broyles, I'd like to thank her for choosing to feature The French Fork and my Gratin Dauphinois recipe in the Austin American Statesman, back in November. For a closer look at the article, go here.

Stay tuned for some more food and culture!

New Year, New Look

2009-01-18T22:28:00.004-06:00

I'm sure many of you will notice the new look of The French Fork. I am so excited! Big kudos to Juan for designing it. He did a fantastic job.

I'll also be adding more to the website as time goes on, so stay tuned! And if you're so inclined, and you happen to own an iPhone, you can now also add The French Fork as a button on your home screen: new posts will only be a click away...

Open Door to a French Fridge

2009-01-14T16:58:00.002-06:00

I don't know about you, but just like I'm curious to learn more about what other cultures eat for breakfast, I'm also eager to discover what a simple "no brainer" dinner is in these same cultures. What do the Italians make, on those nights when you don't feel like cooking much? What about the Chinese? The Moroccans? I know that for Thomas Keller, it's Progresso Lentil Soup. Anyway, you get my point.

Because that's a passion of mine -to find out more about food cultures around the world-, I get excited when people ask me about French people.

Let me open the door to mon frigo (or my fridge) for you... Here are a list of staple ingredients I always keep in my fridge / cabinets, for those lazy nights:

Good quality jambon (ham). I stay away from pre-packaged ham. I go to the deli and usually buy Madrange or Le Cochon d'Or.
Smoked salmon (and I usually always keep fresh lemons to squeeze on top)
Parmesan cheese and shredded cheese like Gruyere. And I always try to have at least one or two types of cheese to eat. I vary and try new things: Manchego, Crottin de Chavignol, any new cheddar cheese that tickles my fancy...
Avocados
Store bought pastry dough, for last minute quiches.
Potatoes
Lots of frozen vegetables (I buy the Bonduelle brand and/or the Central Market brand).
Butter (European style, it makes a difference in the taste and it's worth the price)
Cornichons
Fresh pasta and dry pasta, rice (I vary between Jasmine, Basmati but right now I also have the boil-in-a-bag kind for very last minute), couscous and orzo.I always keep peanut butter on hand (since living in America).
Eggs (Yes I know it's considered a staple, but see what I do with them below)
I like to keep a saucisson in the fridge sometimes too but I only do it occasionally. This thing goes way too fast...

So here are a few dinner ideas that I make on these lazy nights:

Croque-monsieur: it's nothing more than a hot ham and cheese sandwich. Some people add Bechamel sauce on top of it, I usually don't. I've tried it with and it's not bad either. I absolutely love croque-monsieurs!!!
A bowl of pasta with butter, salt, pepper and grated Gruyere cheese.
A simple omelet with nothing in it, served with a salad (omelets in France are considered dinner food). I like to splash my omelet with vinegar...
Grated carrots seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil, with a hard boiled egg and a tomato.
A bowl of dehydrated soup that I bring back from France (supermarkets have a wide variety of flavors that I really enjoy) . My favorite is the cauliflower cream.

I'm curious to know what YOUR secret weapon is on these lazy nights... What do you do?

The King's Cake - La Galette des Rois

2009-01-08T15:26:00.012-06:00

So easy to make with a unique but delightful flavor, this King's Cake can really be made anytime of the year.

In France, we refer to it as La Galette des Rois and it's a huge part of French culture. It is sold all throughout January in boulangeries all over France, to celebrate the Epiphany. The exact day to celebrate it is on January 6th but we like to enjoy this cake for as long as we can in France. In my family, we usually have it on Sundays and if we're ever invited at someone's house for lunch or dinner, we bring a Galette des Rois.

The fun part about eating this cake is that we hide a tiny king or queen figurine (which today, can really be anything from Homer Simpson to a boat), called "une feve” inside of it. The person who finds the “feve” in its slice of cake becomes symbolically the “king” or “queen”. In France, bakeries always include a paper crown with the cake that you purchase.

You might not find a paper crown or feve exactly like in France, but don't let it discourage you from making it; you’ll be amazed at how simple and delicious this cake is! Snuggled between two puff pastry sheets is an almond filling called frangipane, used in a lot of pastries in France. That's why sometimes you might hear French people refer to this cake as "une tarte a la frangipane". I made it for our New Year's Eve dinner and everyone enjoyed it a lot. It could even become a last-minute kind of cake, if you keep puff pastry in your freezer and almonds or ground almonds around the house... I was able to find ground almonds at Central Market in the bulk food section (anyone knows if it sold pre-packaged in the US? Let me know). In France, you can easily find ground almonds in the baking sections of supermarkets. Instead of rum in France, we often use kirsch in this recipe but I personally find rum to be more sweet and subtle. You could skip the alcohol part altogether if you prefer, but it really adds a nice warm background taste, without really tasting like alcohol.

If you make the cake in advance, I really suggest that you re-heat the cake before you serve it. For that, put it in a 240 F degrees oven for 5 minutes. Do not re-heat it in the microwave as it would make the dough too soft and less crispy. Serve with Champagne, a Clairette de Die or even a good quality cider.

Galette des Rois (a la Frangipane)

2 sheets of puff pastry

1 cup of ground almond (If you do not have any ground almond, pulse 4 oz of almonds to a fine powder in the food processor)

1/2 cup of sugar

4 tbsp of unsalted butter, at room temperature (it's very important that the butter is very soft)

1 egg, at room temperature

2 tbsp of rum

1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp of water, for the egg wash

2 tbsp sugar mixed with 1 tbsp water, for the simple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a tart dish. Prepare the frangipane by mixing together the eggs and the sugar until pale yellow. Combine the butter, the almond powder and the rum.

If the puff pastry you bought is rectangular, roll it out on a floured surface into a circle big enough to fit the tart dish. Lay the first puff pastry dough on the bottom of the dish and spread the frangipane filling all over, leaving a one-inch border all around. Cover with the second puff pastry sheet and seal the edges with your fingers or with a fork.

Draw simple straight line designs with the tip of a knife on the surface of the cake (without pushing too hard) and brush all over with the egg wash. Poke a tiny hole in the middle. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, prepare the simple syrup by bringing the water to a boil in a saucepan and completely dissolve the sugar into the water. Allow it to completely cool. Take the galette out of the oven, lightly brush the syrup all over (it will make it shiny) and put back in the oven for 5 minutes. Serve lukewarm.

Bonne Annee 2009!!

2009-01-01T17:49:00.014-06:00

New Year's eve dinner is another big food moment in France; One Juan and I never miss, no matter which continent we celebrate the new year on. After a big trip to Central Market and Mandola's (for some of their fantastic bread), we headed back home to start on my cooking spree.

Nothing makes me happier than preparing a big meal and putting a lot of effort into making it fantastic. Even though, I have to admit, I am less able to stand on my feet in the kitchen for as long as I used to, now that I am pregnant. But it was worth it! I believe the secret really is patience and good quality ingredients - one should never neglect that.

I prepared some cheese palmiers and some shrimp, ricotta and avocado mousse verrines as an hors d'oeuvre. Verrines are extremely popular in France; they are very small glasses filled with two or more layers of different flavors. Verrine in French means "little glass". They can be served as an appetizer or as a dessert. They can be cold or hot. There are no limits as to what you can put in them. The ultimate goal is to mix textures, colors, temperatures and flavors. Verrines are very slowly coming to America. I have mostly seen them sold for dessert (check out your frozen aisle). I love how versatile they are and best: they are prepared in advance, which makes them a number 1 choice for entertaining!

I also made a celery remoulade salad, which was not planned, but Central Market had a huge display of celery roots and I couldn't resist... I had never made it before because in France, we buy it at the deli. I'm not sure why, because it's very easy to make!! Celery root has a sharp and aromatic favor that really is unusual and wonderful. Think of celery remoulade as the French cousin of coleslaw, but stronger in taste. The remoulade part is nothing but a mayonnaise flavored with a lot of mustard, vinegar and lemon juice. It's truly wonderful and even better the day after!

My main dish was individual bay scallop gratin, sauce batarde. The sauce is a simple bechamelle with creme fraiche, to which you add fresh lemon juice and egg yolks as a liaison. My favorite part is the gratin part, for which you pop your dishes under the broiler after covering them with bread crumbs. That's where your fresh loaf of bread comes in handy to soak up all the wonderful sauce at the end. Divine!

Of course, we had a nice big plate of cheeses and for dessert, I made a King's Cake Frangipane tart. But I will not tell you too much about it since I plan to share the recipe with you all in my next post! So come back next week!

I hope you had a wonderful end of the year celebration. During 2009, I plan to share even more French recipes and memories with you, always in the same belief that French home cooking is easy. Thank you all for reading The French Fork and Bonne Annee a tous!

Holiday Dinner: Coq Au Vin

2008-12-22T16:25:00.013-06:00

My favorite way to celebrate the New Year on December 31st is to organize a fantastic 4 to 6 course meal that lasts forever... We usually start with a long aperitif with snacks and canapes, washed down with a Kir Royal or Muscat. I take the time to talk to my friends, prepare the next dish, dance, all in a relaxed candlelit mood.

This year, Juan and I will do just that, the two of us, before meeting all of our friends at a party. I have not yet set the menu, because it's just too hard to choose but I know for sure that it will involve mini individual scallop gratin, a duck and turnip dish and a big cheese plate.

The way we celebrate the New Year in France is not that much different than in America. Many small villages (and there are many!) around France organize a big party for villagers to come to. You usually have to pay between 50 and 100 euros per person and it includes a nice big meal, champagne and the entertainment.

The best memories I have of celebrating the New Year in France come from when I was younger. My parents would rent an apartment in the ski resort of Les Deux Alpes. We would spend the day skiing, then we would end the afternoon by going swimming in the indoor and outdoor pool (and roll in the snow before we dive in the hot water). The best part of the day was the big afternoon snack we'd treat ourselves to with hot cocoa, brioche and Nutella. Hmmm, makes me want to be there right now...! In the evening, we would usually have a big Raclette dinner, followed by a game of Trivial Pursuit. You can't go wrong with potatoes, melting cheese and a variety of ham and salami!

I wanted to share with you this fantastic recipe of Coq Au Vin, as a dinner suggestion for New Year's Eve. My Mom makes it very often during the holidays. It's a great menu choice because it can be made the day before and simply reheated before you eat. All you have to worry about is set the table and ask your guests to bring dessert!

Coq Au Vin clearly spells Winter and France. A coq is a rooster in French, which is what this dish is all about, but it's not uncommon, even in France, to use a chicken. In that case, I usually try to buy a big chicken (about 4 pounds). So no worries if you can't find a rooster at your local supermarket. It won't alter the recipe.

Do not be scared at the prospect of making this very classic French dish. I think too many people believe that French cuisine is not approachable or too hard. You might think Coq Au Vin? Well that sounds way too out of my league! But take my word for it: this dish requires little effort on your part for maximum effect on your guests! They will leave your table thinking you're the best cook ever.

Coq Au Vin will please everyone, even picky eaters. My favorite way to eat a Coq Au Vin is reheated (it only gets better after a few days), along with a plate of fresh tagliatelle. For presentation and color contrast, I do not mix the sauce of the Coq Au Vin with the pasta on the plate. I do it while I eat. My family's personal touch is to offer to the guests a bowl of grated Gruyere or Comte cheese to sprinkle on the pasta, while it's still hot.

Follow these rules:

Make sure you take the time to really brown the chicken, even if it means doing it in several batches to not overcrowd the pot. Your patience will be rewarded.
Do buy a good bottle of red wine, it makes a difference. Wine suggestions follow in the recipe. If you're not sure what to buy, ask for assistance. Look for a bold wine.
Add the mushrooms at the end. Cook them separately.
Bay leaf and Cognac are optional in the recipe.
Don't worry if the coq au vin looks too purplish when you pour the whole bottle of wine. The color changes as it cooks.
Do not overcook your chicken. You do not want it to fall out of the bones. Keep an eye on the cooking process.
Check the consistency of the sauce before serving. If it's too thick, thin it out with some low sodium chicken stock.

Coq Au Vin - Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large chicken, cut into 8 to 10 pieces

salt and pepper to taste

1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced in 1/4 inch slices

2 slices of pancetta (1/2 inch thick) cut in large cubes

4 tbsp of flour

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp of cognac - optional

1 bottle of red wine (bold and dry) like a Pinot Noir or Cote du Rhone or Cabernet Sauvignon

5 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf (laurel) - optional

1 cup low sodium chicken stock (to reheat the chicken)

About 1 cup low sodium chicken stock (to thin out the sauce if necessary)

1 tbsp of butter (for the mushrooms)

1/2 pound of button mushrooms

On Tuesday, December 30th - (overall cooking time 2 hours)

Pat dry the chicken and lightly season with salt and pepper. In a dutch oven or a big pot, bring the oil to a heat. When it is warm, put the chicken in and brown on each side, on medium heat. Work in batches is necessary. Take your time. It's very important the chicken gets a nice brown color. When ready, remove and set aside on a plate.
Add the vegetables to the pot, cover and cook for about 4 minutes. Stir often. Add the pancetta and cook for an extra 3 minutes. Add the flour, stir and cook for 3 more minutes, uncovered. Add the garlic, stir and cook for a minute then add the cognac.
Incorporate 1/2 cup of wine at first while stirring with a wooden spoon. Then add the rest of the wine. Add the thyme and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes on low heat. Stir often. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Remove the chicken, allow to cool and store in the fridge in its own container. Same thing for the sauce (in a container of its own). Refrigerate overnight.

On Wednesday, December 31st - (about 40 minutes before serving dinner):

The next day, pour the chicken stock in the dutch oven or pot and reheat the chicken, on low heat for about 30 minutes, covered. Pour the sauce and vegetables in a large saucepan and reheat on low, uncovered. Meanwhile, in a pan, melt the butter and cook the mushrooms for 10 minutes. Add to the vegetable and sauce. Stir. If you think there is too much sauce at the end, reduce the sauce to 1/3 for about 10 to 15 minutes, uncovered depending on how much liquid you have. If the consistency is too thick, slowly add chicken stock and stir, until you're satisfied.

Serve each person with a piece of chicken, vegetables and sauce over the meat. Serve with fresh tagliatelle pasta (or any wide pasta) or steamed potatoes, on the side, along with grated Gruyere or Comte cheese and fresh French bread.

Sweet Little Jewels: Chouquettes

2008-12-15T16:39:00.024-06:00

I can't believe I waited that long to share with you all the recipe for Chouquettes - such a flashback to my childhood, and I'm sure for many French people as well.

Chouquettes are basically like little cream puffs, but without the cream. They are decorated with little sugar pearls on top that make them look like beautiful little jewels. The dough that is used to make them is called a "choux dough" or pate a choux. It's also that same dough that is used to make eclairs, profiteroles, gougeres (on my list of French Fork recipes), choux a la creme...

Un chou in French is a cabbage, and you can see, by looking at them, that they resemble the shape of brussel sprouts. Chou in French also has another meaning since it's a term of endearment for lovers or from a parent to a child; we say "mon chou" or "mon chouchou" or "mon petit chou". Yes it does mean "my little cabbage" but it's the equivalent as saying "my sweetie pie" or "sugar" in English.

Chouquettes are sold in boulangeries all over France. They usually sell them in white paper or cellophane bags. I can't tell you how many times my grandma Meme would surprise me with a bag if these as a treat when she would come to our home. I was over the moon when she would hand me a bag. She would always tell me "tu aimes bien ca les Chouquettes, hein?", or " you do like Chouquettes, don't you?".

Oh boy do I like them?! I love them! The only thing that I was missing after making a few batches yesterday, was the coarse pearl sugar we typically decorate them with. It really gives it a lot of elegance and instantly turns them into little gems. But it also adds a little crunch that regular sugar cannot really replace. Oh well. I used powdered sugar instead, to add color and another layer of sweetness and it was absolutely perfect! The taste was exactly how I remembered it: sweet and sublime; The texture soft and moist. Most certainly a crowd-pleasing one bite dessert you will want to have on your Holiday table or make as a giveaway. Believe me, in France children devour them in minutes.

I was tempted to add chocolate before I baked them but I believe that we lack simplicity in our kitchens today. They are yummy jut as they are - there's nothing to add to them. I hope you enjoy them!

Chouquettes (makes about 25)

1 cup cold water

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

7 tbsp butter

1 cup 1/4 flour

4 eggs at room temperature

Glaze: 1 beaten egg yolk

Preheat the oven at 400 degrees. Prepare a parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet. Make sure the flour is measured and ready to be used.

In a saucepan, combine the water, the salt, the sugar, the vanilla and the butter. Let the butter melt and the water come to a boil on medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the butter is completely melted, remove the saucepan from the heat and, at once, add the flour. Quickly stir it in with a wooden spoon, until the consistency is smooth. The dough must be detaching itself from the saucepan. Allow the dough to cool for 3 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time. You must incorporate each egg very well into the dough before you move on to the next one. Use a wooden spoon to do that.

With 2 teaspoons sprayed with cooking spray, make balls of dough the size of a big walnut and put them on the parchment paper. Allow some space between the chouquettes as they will expand once they bake. Brush them each with some glaze and sprinkle with some extra sugar. Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden. When baked, allow the chouquettes to cool on a cake rack. When they're cool, sprinkle them with powdered sugar.

Enjoy warm or cool. The chouquettes will be better if eaten the same day.

French Aperitif: Ham and Olive Cake

2008-12-09T18:34:00.001-06:00

Holidays are such a wonderful time! With all the parties that Juan and I need to attend, I like to contribute something really French for each. This Ham and Olive Cake is traditionally served in France during an aperitif (drinks served before a meal, along with snacks). It's usually cut in thick cubes, arranged on a platter and served as a finger food. We call it "Cake aux olives et jambon".

In France, "un cake" is a sweet or savory rectangular-shape dish. Any other size, like a round cake would be called "un gateau". "Les cakes" are very popular in France. This ham and cheese one is the most basic one but there are many other variations possible: adding goat cheese, smoked salmon, chicken, rosemary... There really is not limit to your imagination. Fortunately, I have many "cake" recipes up my sleeves, so I can't wait to share more with you!

They are so incredibly easy to make and so versatile. I love them! This recipe has been my Mom's for decades. She always makes one or two versions of "cake" for Christmas, to serve during the aperitif, while everyone in my - big - family catches up around a glass of Kir Royal. I particularly love the addition of white wine to the recipe. It adds a subtle je ne sais quoi...

The weather was so nice this last Sunday that Juan and I cut a couple slices of my Ham and Olive Cake for ourselves and headed for an outdoor picnic (yes in December!). I put some fresh green salad in a tupperware and mixed a quick lemon and olive oil vinaigrette. It was absolutely perfect! No mess, no plates and delicious.

Stay tuned tout le monde .... I sense a French Fork "savory cake" series coming our way...

** Other French Fork Aperitif ideas**

Tapenade and Tuna Mousse

Ham and Olive French Cake (serves 8 to 12)

6 oz (or a little more than a cup) of pitted and non-stuffed green olives (Manzanilla or anything you like)

2 cups and 3 tbsps of all purpose flour

1 tsp 1/2 of baking powder

1/4 tsp of salt

4 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup of whole milk

1 cup of white wine

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

1/4 cup of olive oil

7 oz of smoked ham (like a smoked virginia ham or black forest smoked) cut in 1/2 inch thick

6 oz of Gruyere cheese (if you can't find Gruyere, you could use Emmental, Comte or Beaufort)

1/2 tsp of freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 375. Butter and flour an 11-inch long loaf pan. In a saucepan, boil 2 cups of water. Drain the olives, and when the water is boiling, drop them in for 2 minutes, to blanch them (it takes off that briny taste). Drain them and roughly chop them. Set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Transfer to a bowl. Combine the eggs, one at a time. Combine the milk, the wine and both the vegetable and olive oil. It gives a very liquid consistency, which is normal.

Dice the ham into 1/2 inch cubes and combine to the dough. Grate the Gruyere cheese and combine. Finally, add the pepper and olives, combine well and transfer to the loaf pan.

Bake in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Because there is so much liquid in the recipe, it will be very bubbly and the blade of your knife will be somewhat wet, but there should not be any uncooked dough. The top should be brown. Don't worry if the inside of the cake looks uncooked. That's exactly how it's supposed to be!

Resist the temptation to unmold right away and allow to cool for an hour. Serve cut in slices for lunch or dinner, along with a simple green salad and vinaigrette, or cut in thick 1 inch cubes, as an appetizer, along with drinks. Enjoy lukewarm or cold.

Food Find: Love Puppies Brownies

2008-12-03T21:13:00.000-06:00

In anticipation of Edible Austin Eat Local Week, here's an awesome food find I'm proud to be the first to blog about...

Like Thanksgiving feast was not enough! After relishing every bite of Juan's aunt's buttermilk pie (whoa! That's a mouthful), I was fortunate enough to be contacted by a local company called Love Puppies Brownies last week. They sent me a box of their brownies; a chocolate lover's dream conjugated in 4 flavors: "Make Mine a Double Chocolate", "Hunka Hunka Burning Love", "Peanut Butter Nutcase" and "You Mocha Me Crazy".

It was hard enough to just take a few bites to leave some for Juan. And they were that delicious that I had to go pour myself a big glass of milk to go along with it - now that's a stamp of approval in my book! My favorite has to be the Mocha brownie. It smelled heavenly of chocolate and coffee and had a wonderful balanced flavor. Definitely the kind of brownie I crave, on those days where I feel like giving myself up to indulgence!

Special thanks to Joel and Chris for their generous gift. You can call or email them to order some for yourself.

Well, I'm back to my ovens - after many weeks of pregnancy sickness - and preparing a French aperitif recipe for my next post. Stay tuned!

French Breakfast

2008-11-25T17:25:00.000-06:00

I'm in love with breakfasts from around the world. When I found my passion for the anglo-saxon culture when I was 10, I was always curious to know how the British started their morning. I specifically remember the day our English teacher told us about it: cornflakes, grapefruit, toast and marmalade was apparently the classic British breakfast! I will always remember my first Sunday breakfast when I was staying with a host family in Ipswich: fried egg, sausage, blood pudding, tomato, mushroom, beans and toast. It was a bit much but I've always been very open minded with food, so I happily devoured it (though the food coma that follows is never fun. I would not recommend it for every day).

I love a pretty table set for breakfast. Simple white china and lots of colors in my food. I'm not always able to do this every day during the week, but when I do, it always puts me in a good mood to start the day with a note of elegance.

Growing up in France, I would always start my breakfast or petit-dejeuner by squeezing the juice of an orange. For years and years, I ate bread (usually from a baguette) or biscotte (it's close to a Melba Toast if you like) with butter and jam along with a bowl of chicory coffee - my absolute favorite breakfast drink. Now I add plain yogurt to the menu and often replace the chicory coffee with a cup of Earl Grey.

In France today, most people still have a hot drink: coffee, tea or hot chocolate - a popular one among children. With the Anglo-Saxon influence, cereal has known a huge success, even though bread definitely still is at the center of the table along with butter and jam. Brioche is another item that commonly comes to mind when you think about breakfast in France. It's a rich and lightly sweet bread that we eat plain or along with jam.

So what about croissants you ask? They are most definitely the ultimate petit-dejeuner food, along with the runner-up, pain au chocolat. But because they are so high in fat, most people choose to keep them as an occasional weekend guilty pleasure. It's always a treat in France to surprise the person you live with, by going to the boulangerie to buy freshly baked and warm croissants and pains au chocolat for breakfast.

Saturday was one of these days, where I wished I was back home, to be able to do just that. Even if I can't find croissants as good as I would in France (or maybe I'm not going to the right places in Austin), I like to recreate a French breakfast once in a while. I just hop in the car when I wake up and go buy a fresh baguette and a couple of croissants. I usually always have some good quality butter in the fridge (I like President, an imported brand from France) and Bonne Maman fruit preserves, which I find everywhere now in the US. I try to bring back my favorite chicory coffee brand back from France but otherwise I use Cafe Du Monde in the US, which I serve with milk only (and sugar of course).

Needless to say, Saturday's breakfast hit the right spot. But I'm always curious to learn more about other breakfasts. So this is an open call to all you readers from around the world! Tell me what you eat for your petit-dejeuner, and feed my curiosity.

Meat Pilgrimage to Snow's BBQ

2008-11-17T21:11:00.008-06:00

Have you ever eaten BBQ for breakfast? I did, last weekend, at Snow's BBQ, just an hour away from Austin. Juan and I have been on a quest for the best BBQ places in Texas and Snow's had been on the waiting list for quite a while. Snow's opens at 8 am on Saturdays - and Saturday only (hence the "BBQ breakfast") - and closes when everything is sold out.

Snow's BBQ in 12 Seconds on 12seconds.tv

After a small bowl of cereal (just so we don't starve too much), at the wee hour of 8 am on Saturday, we headed for the town of Lexington, TX to meet our partners in crime, Lauren and Steven.

It's a drive, and some might think that it's way too early to eat anything, but Juan and I would drive far for good food. Plus it's always an opportunity to discover new places (I love day trips!). There wasn't too much traffic on the way there, but probably more road kills than I had ever seen before! Finally we arrived in the little town of Lexington. We spotted Snow's very quickly as it was the only place with a small concentration of cars parked around. It was 9 am and apart from Lauren and Steven waiting for us inside there were maybe a couple more people.

We didn't waste any time on ordering our meat: brisket (beef and pork), sausage and ribs. A cup of ice tea in hand, our butcher paper "plates" stacked to the max, we sat down at one of the few large tables inside (it was actually pretty cold on Saturday). I was wondering the night before, how I was going to be able to eat meat that early (especially with how nauseated I've been lately), but honestly I could not resist anymore.

The verdict: I loved how juicy and tender the pork brisket was. Really. And not to mention the sausages. These were my two favorites. I don't want to start a war here, but my favorite beef brisket still is at Black's BBQ in Lockhart, TX. Period. But Snow's is definitely worth the drive. It was unquestionably one of the best BBQ experiences I had.

Ten minutes into our meat feast, I turned around and saw a huge line of people. It was 9.30 am. The line went all the way to the back of the room, right next to where we were seating. Dozens of other hungry BBQ lovers from all over the country had converged in the same little place.

My only regret is that I did not try their chicken. Argh! I guess it means I have to go back...

** You can pre-order your meat if you don't want to get there too early, but I personally recommend just getting there at 9 am, and take advantage of the place before the rush.

Childhood Food

2008-11-11T17:33:00.000-06:00

French fries? I don't think so! Doughnuts? Please stop! How about some chips? Ok, now you're talking.

My food tastes have been so odd and random lately - not to mention the aversion; it's been hard to stand in the kitchen and cook. I don't feel so bad considering, and happy to say the least, but I am nonetheless not spared by the common symptoms of early motherhood.

I'm not too worried, I have a very healthy appetite and it should be back in no time. In the meantime, I have been thinking a lot about the guilty little snacks I used to have in France when I was little. I like to think (well at least I hope) that everyone has at least one of them.

I was told repeatedly about my favorite breakfast when I was 6 months-old. Apparently I could gorge on Roquefort cheese early in the morning without a problem. And so my love with cheese started. The butter tartines on fresh bread and crumbled blue cheese on top and what best accompaniment to that than dark chocolate! Oh the idea of it makes me salivate right now! Then my interest shifted from blue cheese to Camembert, and it became a love story, no, an affair. Every day at 5pm, my Mamie (grandma in French) would welcome me from school with a slice of baguette, Camembert, dark chocolate and a glass of Limonade. And I loved it!

Is there a link with pregnancy and hunger for food from our childhood? I wish I could be home right now to enjoy little pleasures like fresh bread and local cheese, and just in general the freshness that reminds me of my Mom's cooking. Of course fresh food is available in Austin too, but the idea of a plate of fresh sauteed "haricots verts" (or green beans) from our garden really tickles my fancies for example. I hope to be able to go home soon and take advantage of all that...

In the meantime I eat healthy (that's when I can eat) and enjoy this wonderful adventure. So patience, my friends, I promise I will be back with some recipes before you know it.

On my mind...

2008-11-06T18:57:00.001-06:00

Sorry I've been less present lately. My mind has been on other things. Here's a sneak view of what's been keeping me busy:

Joyeux Halloween!

2008-11-03T15:11:00.001-06:00

Growing up in France, the closest celebration of Halloween (costume-wise) we had was Mardi Gras, celebrated in February. Nothing like the celebrations of New Orleans or even here in Austin, Mardi Gras in France is more celebrated by children.

They wear a costume and basically go trick or treating (only we don't have a word for it in French), and I don't personally remember being given candies (maybe a few) but more money! The costumes are not necessarily scary ones, but just whatever you can make a costume with (at least that's how I did it) or can buy (I am not from a big town in France). I remember putting together a gypsy woman costume one year for example.

I think the big highlight of Mardi Gras for me was that I got to make and eat crepes. Usually, my grandma would come all day and make crepes in the afternoon - which is a common time to make crepes in France. Simple toppings: sugar or fruit preserves.

Even as a child, Mardi Gras was not anticipated as much as Halloween is, here in the US. I know today Mardi Gras is less and less celebrated in France. So it's no surprise that every year I get so excited during Halloween. I love all the decorations in the neighborhoods, all the parties organized, the children trick or treating and the fact that a lot of people, including adults, do actually celebrate it!

There was suddenly a surge of interest for Halloween in France in the 90s and people started celebrating it. But even though some people still celebrate it, French Halloween is not sticking. I guess you can't force a tradition onto a nation, especially one from another country.

I think I was lucky to be an exchange student at the university of Austin in 2001. It was my first Halloween and I got to go to some crazy student parties and the parade downtown. We were a big group of 10 friends and that's what made it real fun (I wore a French maid outfit).

This year, we have been invited to our friends Alison and Josh's party. They really go all the way and cook a whole Halloween menu. Juan always helps me get into the mood because he's always working on a crazy costume idea weeks before. And this year, he went all the way and created a fantastic "flux capacitor" costume (we both love Back To The Future).

These are the things that make me excited to live in the United-States. So, until we bring back Mardi Gras in France, you will find me celebrating Halloween every year.

Gratin Dauphinois

2008-10-27T15:37:00.001-05:00

I don't make a gratin dauphinois very often but when I do, it disappears quickly. The region where I'm from, Le Dauphine, is very famous for this dish. It's very basic and easy: potatoes are cut thinly, layered and cooked very slowly in a mixture of milk and/or cream. I made it once for a friend's potluck here in Austin and someone said: "Oh it's just scalloped potatoes", so I don't want to sound all French and snobbish here, but I simply want to share a recipe that is a HUGE part of my culture. So please, allow me to introduce the pride of my region.

Gratin Dauphinois is commonly served along meat entrees in restaurants around Le Dauphine. There are different version of potato gratins all over the region. Some put eggs in it, some put cheese, some think it's a sacrilege (the real Gratin Dauphinois does not contain any cheese). My recipe below is the gratin dauphinois of my childhood, and what the real gratin dauphinois really is to me.

My dear grandma -who I call Mamie- used to own a hotel/restaurant/cafe in my village and always told me that the secret of the delicious potato gratins like the ones served in restaurants is the fact that they pre-cook the potatoes in milk and then put them in the oven to become a gratin.

I always saw my mother and grandmothers making it the same way and that is:

Bake the gratin in a porcelain clay dish that has been rubbed with garlic.
Cut the potatoes thinly and stay consistent with the size so it cooks evenly.

You know you have a good Gratin Dauphinois when the top is grilled, brown and crusty. It goes wonderfully well with sauteed chicken or turkey (Thanksgiving dish anyone?) and it's even better the day after (what isn't?). I made it the other day with breaded chicken and lemon juice and it was a delight!

Gratin Dauphinois ( for 4 people)

4 large white potatoes

2 cloves of garlic

nutmeg

4 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp of butter

salt and pepper

Pour the milk in a saucepan, season with salt, pepper and a small pinch of nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and slice them thinly. Try to be consistent with the thickness of the slices. When the milk is boiling, add the potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 35o F. Slice a clove of garlic in half and rub it all over a 12 x 9 rectangular dish (type lasagna dish). Lastly, butter the dish. Chop another clove of garlic thinly and reserve. When the potatoes are cooked, strain them over a bowl to keep the milk. Arrange one layer of potatoes in the dish. Season with just a little bit of salt, pepper, nutmeg and some of the chopped garlic. Repeat and season until you have no more potatoes. Pour the heavy cream plus 1 cup of the leftover whole milk, until the potatoes are just covered. Scatter tiny dices of butter all over the top and bake for 1 hour 1/2. Turn up the oven temperature to broiler and allow the gratin to get brown and crisp for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it won't burn and rotate mid-time. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and enjoy!

Velvety Laughing Cow - Zucchini Soup

2008-10-20T17:39:00.010-05:00

This soup is amazing. Light, velvety, creamy and soft with a little kick. You will love it. Zucchinis are the star of this soup, and it definitely changes from the usual way we cook them. If I was a child, I would eat this soup for sure (maybe remove the red pepper flakes and garlic to make it kid friendly).

My Mom had told me many times about a zucchini soup she made with Laughing Cow cheese. And it always sounded delicious. The first time I made it, I followed her recipe and cooked the zucchinis in water, then blended them with the Laughing Cow and some water. It was fantastic (and it seems like most people on the French web do it this way). Today, I wanted to bring it to another level and decided to saute to zucchini. It was exceptional. So for a figure friendly version of the soup, choose the first version!

I'm glad I can find La Vache Qui Rit easily in my American supermarket now. I used to eat it a lot as a child in France and I've always loved the cow on the box (I want the same earrings!). My mom would always pack it for my school trip picnics.

In France, La Vache Qui Rit is very popular. They even sell it in mini cubes version, to be served for an aperitif. They're called apericubes. The flavors of apericubes range from blue cheese, to goat cheese and rosemary, olive, tomato or ham. I love them!

I hope you get to try this recipe, folks. Believe me, it's delicious.

Laughing Cow Zucchini Soup

(makes about 4 cups - for 2 or 4 )

1 clove of garlic (optional)

4 big zucchinis, peeled and sliced

1 tbsp of olive oil

a small pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup of water

1 tbsp of heavy cream

3 portions of Laughing Cow

Heat the olive oil in a pan. Peel and chop the garlic and saute quickly on low heat. Add the red pepper flakes. Make sure to not let the garlic brown, it would get too bitter (you could simply add the garlic and zucchini at the same time of you prefer). Quickly add the zucchinis and saute until lightly brown, about 5 minutes, on medium heat. Stir often.

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil (or heat in the microwave). Transfer the sauteed zucchinis and garlic to the blender. Add the heavy cream to the pan on low heat to deglaze and stir with a wooden spoon to detach all the bits of garlic stuck to the pan. Let is reduce by half for about a minute. Transfer everything to the blender.

Add the Laughing Cow and add half of the water. Blend. Add the rest of the water and blend more. Check the consistency. If it is too thick for you, add more water.

Serve and enjoy!

Apple Rum Spice Cake

2008-10-15T20:46:00.001-05:00

I was new to the seasonal flavors of Fall in America when I moved here. I found out that Americans like their cinnamon, pumpkin and cranberries, to name a few. And I just love it! Every year, I get so excited at the approach of October and November for that reason.

When our friend Steven said he was going to organize a birthday get together for his lovely girlfriend Lauren, I thought it was a great occasion to make my first Fall cake of the year.

One my favorite is apple spice cake, which is an incredibly moist dessert. You would expect a blend of ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon to give it a robust flavor but the addition of the vanilla, the applesauce and - my personal touch - the rum and orange gives a wonderful balance of sweet and subtle warm bite. Almost as if you could imagine eating a sweet mulled wine cake - hmm, that actually doesn't sound too bad!

I made this cake for the first time last year at Thanksgiving and I copied it quickly into my notebook of "recipes that will become a tradition".

Last weekend, the cake - besides Lauren's great pumpkin pie - capped a copious BBQ meal at the Salt Lick, in Driftwood, TX. Platters of succulent ribs, brisket and sausages traveled back and forth on our large table, until the inevitable meat coma. Fortunately, everyone seemed to have kept some room for dessert.

Apple and Rum Spice Cake (inspired from Real Simple magazine)

1/2 cup golden raisins + 1 tbsp rum

1 stick of butter

1 cup of sugar

1 2/3 cups jarred applesauce

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

pinch of nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp rum

1/2 tsp orange zest

1 tsp fresh orange juice

1 apple, peeled, cored and diced

2 cups of flour, sifted

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Heat the oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. Measure the rum for the raisins, place in a bowl and heat on high in the microwave for 10 seconds. Add the raisins and and let soak, covered. Melt the butter over medium heat, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Add the sugar, applesauce, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, orange zest, orange juice and eggs. In the same saucepan in which you melted the butter, saute the apple until soft, for about 2 minutes. Transfer the bowl. In another bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda and the salt. Combine to the butter and spice mixture. Measure 1tsp of rum from the raisin bowl, add to the mix and discard the rest of the rum. Drain the raisins, and add to the mixture. Stir well. Pour in the pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and allow to completely cool before serving.

The grandeur of Yellowstone

2008-10-12T16:14:00.010-05:00

It's always hard to get back into your daily life after a vacation, let alone a vacation in Yellowstone park! I had never felt as close to nature and looked at its wonders in such awe and respect. Observing the geothermal features and the wildlife will undoubtedly be the most extraordinary memory that I take away from this experience.

I know you will forgive my absence for the past few days. The French Fork is now back in the groove, with some more recipes on the way (I have a few soup dishes I need to tell you about).

But as the proverb says "a picture is worth a thousand words", so I leave you with this. (click to see larger)

Ski lessons, Herbie and Heidi

2008-10-05T17:15:00.001-05:00

It's a baby boom wave. Everyone around us is having a baby - welcome Daniel, Celeste, Paige and Tiago! Boy don't I start to feel older. Plus, my 30th birthday is approaching at a fast pace.

Of course, Juan and I want to have a family. We always have, but it really feels like the right time now. And with all this baby talk, I cannot help but think about the heritage that our child would have. A French mother and an American father. A foodie/writer and a producer/entrepreneur/filmmaker. A stubborn mother and a perfectionist father. Shake it up and what comes out?

Juan and I were raised 5000 miles apart, in different cultures but same ideals. One of the big difference between us comes from the fact that he grew up in American suburbia (big D, Dallas) and I, well, in a small French village (Bouvesse today has about 1000 inhabitants).

I really like to think of myself as a French Heidi, sans the orphan part. The woods were my friends, in which I dreamed to find some kind of secret waterfall. I built tree houses in which I hoped my parents would let me move in. I rode my bike everywhere, and I ate saucisson and pate as an afternoon snack. Yep, that about sums it up!

Maybe not the most ladylike image you can have of a Frenchie, is it?

Looking back, one of the best memories of my childhood in elementary school were the mandatory ski trips we would have every week during the Winter. Only 1 hour 1/2 away, all classes from CE1 to CM2 (which is the equivalent of 1st grade to 5th grade) would ride a bus to the ski resort of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse. Packed with the lunch my Mom made for me (usually a ham and baguette sandwich, a Vache-Qui-Rit or Laughing Cow, and an apple), I usually headed for the ski slopes with a knot in my stomach.

Ski lessons were imperative -with a licensed ski instructor from the Ecole du Ski Francais or ESF. Because I had a very good level thanks to my Dad and our many ski trips, I was assigned to the group of skillful skiers. And skillful I was, but I was never fond of the humorless old ski instructor who every so often hit us lightly on the head with his pole if we did something wrong. The morning always went better when I discovered that I wasn't the only one in the group who felt nervous with the man.

But just like anything else, the learning experience was worth the stress and the day was usually topped off with lunch in our half-open ski boots, stealing potato chips from one another and recounting our strenuous but fun morning. The movie series of La Coccinelle (that's Herbie in French) usually entertained our ride back home, in the most quiet school bus you had ever seen.

So sure, Juan never went on school ski trips, nor did he play in the woods, but we both value our rich and diverse childhood memories. It makes for interesting talks and I hope a well-rounded child. In the end, we really complete each other, and that's what I love about us.

What I love about France...

2008-09-30T20:56:00.002-05:00

I really love my life in Texas, but it would be a lie to tell you that I don't miss France. Some days more than others!

More than anything today, I feel nostalgic. And it's probably because my parents are on their way to the United-States as we speak. I am really excited to be able to show them my adoptive country once again (they came to Austin 5 years ago). Still, I cannot help but think about the things we would have done together in France. I can tell you it would have involved some big family reunions and probably a trip to our second home in the South in Antibes. And maybe, I think Juan and I might have gone on a short trip just the two of us, probably to Bretagne (the Brittany region).

But enough of my "rant", I know we are going to have a great time in Yellowstone with my parents - that's where we're meeting them. My Mom will make us laugh by trying to speak English - not the best English ever, but hey at least she tries! And I'm sure my Dad will take us on some crazy adventure.

So now, I leave you with a list of some of the things I love and miss about France:

I love all the small shops from the boulangerie (bakery), to the boucher (butcher's shop), the poissonnerie (fishmonger's) and the petite epicerie (very small grocery store) -particularly if you live inside a city or small town, like I did in Lyon. You can walk to pick up your daily baguette and maybe grab some meat for dinner.

All the different sceneries, from the Atlantic ocean, to the Mediterranean, to the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Loire valley. All the small villages, so unique in their own way, that I dream to discover. I vacationed around France every Summer with my parents and still feel like I have so much more to see.

The proximity to so many day trips and vacation spots. From where I grew up in Bouvesse, I am 1 hour 1/2 from Switzerland, 3 hours from Italy, 4 from Paris and Marseille. I remember driving from Lyon to Brest with my parents and it felt like an eternity (we slept around Paris to break down the kilometres). Even driving 1 hour away to Lyon felt longer than ever! Now I've lived in Texas for many years and I am not scared of driving distances. It's a big big big state, so you have to drive a lot to sightsee. We used to make a 7-hour drive to see Juan's parents in Brownsville quite often!

Last but not least, of course, I love the cuisine. I love to know how much of it is influenced from the rich history of France and its profuse and diverse regional cuisine. I miss the typical Bouchon restaurants of Lyon and the mom-and-pop restaurants found along the countryside roads.

Eat Your Soup!

2008-09-27T10:41:00.003-05:00

Coming from a rather low-income family who survived World War II, my mother was raised to watch her pennies and therefore cook on a budget. So it's not surprising that she has kept the habit of making vegetable soup during cold months -a peasant's meal back then. It's inexpensive, filling and very satisfying.

Even though my parents are living more comfortably than my grandparents, most of their dinners still start with a soup during the cold seasons. And that's how I grew up too. A simple dinner would be a bowl of soup, a boiled egg with "mouillettes" (thin and narrow pieces of buttered bread used to dip in the egg -"mouiller"/to wet), cheese and fruit.

Even though Juan has tried my Mom's soup many times while back home in France, from the seven years we have known each other, I have never prepared it for him. And that's pretty incredible, considering how much I cook. Go figure.

Poor Juan caught a cold last week, so I thought it was a great time to make him a comforting bowl of soup. I chose whatever looked good to me at the market, but the sky really is the limit! I do not get tired of eating it -and neither does Juan-. It's comforting, and undeniably good for you. It feels like a warm hug from the inside.

My mother's soup is a medley of vegetables from our garden. She always uses leeks, carrots and at least one potato but the rest is really depending on her moods. She always cooks her vegetables in her pressure cooker, then blends it.

One tip I can give to you for making this soup is to really check its consistency. I personally do not like my soup to be very thick -I don't find it very pleasant on my tongue-, so I make sure to blend the vegetables with very little liquid. That way, I can adjust the thickness by slowly adding ladles of the cooking liquid.

And here's how I eat it: with a very small piece of butter that I put directly in my bowl and a splash of milk (and I always check the seasoning). Try it, I can already hear you say: "hmmmm".

Vegetable Soup

(serves 6 to 8, or makes one big batch for 2 and serves over three meals).

1/2 green cabbage, sliced roughly.

2 medium carrots, peeled cut into 4 chunks.

1 big zucchini, cut into big chunks

1 medium white onion, peeled and cut into big chunks

1 big white potato, peeled and quartered.

Boil a big pot of water with some salt. Meanwhile cut all the vegetables.

When the water is boiling, immerse all the vegetables and cook for 40 minutes.

With a skimmer spoon or a ladle, scoop out the vegetables and put in the blender. Try not to put too much water to be able to adjust the thickness afterwards. Work in batches and be careful to not overfill your blender (only fill it half full). You are working with hot liquid (I hold the top of the blender with a towel in order to not burn myself)!

Pour each blended batch in a big saucepan. Stir the soup and add more cooking liquid if your soup looks too thick. Again, I personally do not like when it is too thick so I usually add about 3 ladles of liquid. Add slowly.

Add 1 tsp 1/2 of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper, stir and serve hot!

Farewell to Summer Salad

2008-09-23T17:00:00.003-05:00

Goodbye Summer, hello Fall! It's official now!

Even though temperatures have gone down in Austin and an autumnal air is slowly but surely settling in, we are still very much in an between weather stage. Before we enter this beautiful season, in which I predict lots of delicious and comforting dishes, soups and desserts, I thought it would be great to make a farewell to Summer salad.

I just cut two very good heirloom tomatoes, red onion, a cucumber and some good quality Feta cheese. I try to cut all three ingredients at the same size. I especially like big pieces of Feta, not crumbled. Chopped up some chives and dill. For a vinaigrette, I mixed fresh lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkled some fleur de sel and pepper.

It's very refreshing and full of flavors. I think I might make it again to take on a picnic this weekend, to enjoy the fact that we are finally somewhat able to stay outside and not melt! I will buy some mortadella and (excellent) fresh bread at Mandola's Market and head to a park with Juan (who I hope will feel better by then).

Stay tuned, for my favorite vegetable soup recipe, for all of you sick with a cold (and I know there are many of you) out there...

Apple Turnovers

2008-09-20T17:21:00.003-05:00

Apple turnovers or chaussons aux pommes in French, are found along with croissants and pains au chocolats (among other things) in French bakeries. If you enter a boulangerie early in the morning, when everything is still warm out of the oven, the heavenly scent of freshly baked everything is enough to put you in an olfactive coma.

When I am back home, my Mom sometimes welcomes us at breakfast, with a fresh baguette and croissants on the table. Croissants are certainly not the most nutritious breakfast item, but they’re pretty hard to resist when you live far away from home like me and you visit once or twice a year - and they're pretty hard to resist period. So let the feast begin! I warm up some milk in the microwave, take my favorite bowls out, scoop out some chicory coffee. The powdered chicory coffee dissolves into the warm milk, turning it into a beautiful café au lait color. Its smell, sweet, powerful and invigorating always wakes up my appetite. I squeeze an orange (my parents always squeeze fresh oranges every day for breakfast). Butter and jams (and occasionally Nutella) have been left out on the table after my parents' early breakfast. France Info – a French radio station- plays in the background. Nothing makes me feel more at home than this moment.

We do not typically eat apple turnovers for breakfast in France, even though, there wouldn’t be anything wrong with that! I would say that they’re more of a snack food. I remember sometimes sharing one with my Mom if we were shopping in the afternoon. Chausson aux pommes, which literally translates with “apple shoe”, are so easy to make (much more than croissants and pains au chocolat). I buy store bought puff pastry, a few apples and a lemon, and you're on your way to "yummy land". What makes a good apple turnover to me is how puffy and flaky it is. I like to use Granny Smith apples, to bring a little tartness to the applesauce.

Chaussons aux Pommes

4 apples (I used Granny Smith)
1 lemon
the juice of 1/2 an orange
1 tsp orange zest
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp butter
Puff pastry dough (store bought)
1 egg + 1 tbsp milk (for the egg wash)

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Prepare a bowl of cold water with the juice of the lemon. Drop the lemon in the water.

Peel and core the apples one by one and place in the water. When you're ready to dice them, dry them quickly on a paper towel, dice and place in a bowl. I cut small dices.

Pour the orange juice and the zest, stir and add the sugar and cornstarch. Mix together.

Let's make the applesauce! In a pan, heat up the butter and add the apples. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until soft and the consistency of applesauce. I use a potato masher at the end to make sure my applesauce does not have big chunks of applesauce. If you like your applesauce to have chunks, then skip this step.

Allow the applesauce to cool for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, roll out the dough just a tad, to make sure it's not too thick. Cut out 4 inches circles (I used a bowl as a guide) and place on a parchment paper covered sheet pan. Reserve in the fridge while the applesauce cools down (it's important that the puff pastry stays cold).

Place about 1 tablespoon of applesauce (or just enough so you can seal the circles) on one half of each circle. Brush one half of each circles with the egg wash and fold over the applesauce and press the edges together with your fingers or a fork. Make sure it is well sealed. Score small lines with a knife and poke one small slit on top of each. Brush the top with egg wash, sprinkle some sugar and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve lukewarm or at room temperature.

Sunday Meal - La Poule au Pot

2008-09-15T21:30:00.000-05:00

I treasure family dinners; Especially Sunday ones. There's just something about putting an effort into cooking something special for the ones you love. Everyone gets to roll up their sleeve and help. Nice dinnerware and tablecloth are set. We serve an aperitif. On met les petits plats dans les grands - we make an effort.

I fondly remember my dimanche lunches when I was younger. My Mom or my grandma Meme would cook a roast of lamb, or a roti (a roast) with greens beans or cardoons from the garden. More often than not, Meme would bake a dessert like a tarte aux pommes (apple tarte) or an ile flottante.

One of those Sunday classics in France is a dish called la poule au pot. It's a very popular French dish that is supposedly attributed to Henry IV who, concerned with the well-being of his subjects, wanted them to be able to mettre la poule au pot (put the chicken in the pot). The recipe cannot be easier. The whole chicken is cooked in a pot of water along with some vegetables. We traditionally serve a poule au pot along with some mustard and cornichons (French gherkins). Meme would always accompany it with rice that was cooked in the chicken broth. My personal touch? I grate some Gruyere cheese on the hot rice. It melts quickly and makes the rice very gooey and tangy. Unbelievable.

Poule Au Pot

1 whole chicken

1 bay leaf

20 peppercorns

1 onion stuck with 3 cloves

1 tsp salt

4 carrots, peeled

4 turnips, peeled

1/2 tsp of dried thyme

Rice

Cornichons

Dijon mustard

Gruyere cheese (optional)

Fleur de Sel

Put the chicken, the onion, the peppercorns and the bay leaf in a large heavy pot and cover with cold water. Add the salt. Bring to a boil (about 20 minutes) and scoop off the scum at the surface of the water. Simmer for 1 hour and add the vegetables and the thyme. Simmer for another 50 minutes.

Remove the chicken and vegetables and lay on a plate. Cover the chicken with foil. Add 1/2 cup of rice to the water/stock and cook for 20 minutes.

Sieve the rice through a colander into a big bowl, in order to keep the broth. Adjust seasoning to the broth if necessary.

Carve the chicken and serve it along with vegetables and rice. You may serve it along with some broth, Dijon mustard, cornichons and Fleur de Sel. I absolutely love to grate some Gruyere cheese on top of my rice. It's just wonderful.

Make sure to keep the stock as it can be re-used for soups and many recipes. Place in the fridge and the day after, remove and discard the top layer of fat. You may keep homemade chicken stock for 3 months in the freezer.

Where I'm From

2008-09-10T18:40:00.004-05:00

I am from Space Invaders and Pong, from Malabar bubblegum with tattoo and candy necklaces.

I am from linden and plane trees, geranium and vervain.

I am from the home on the hill, overlooking the mountains, from the old restaurant room.

I am from impromptu Wednesday baking and pretend kitchens, from treehouses and tap dancing.

From my father's stubbornness, and my mother's vivacity.

I am from Jean-Pierre and Ginette, from Bertrand, Carrier and Moret.

I am from the family hotel that my great-grandmother owned and from hard working jobs in factories and farms.

I am from France, from Bouvesse, from the Rhone river and the ruins of a medieval village.

From roasted chicory coffee and saucisson, from homemade preserves and peach wine.

But I am also from Texas, from unbearable heat and never-ending roads, from "y'all" and "fixin' to".

I am from all these places, that's where I am from.