French Entree Bacon Quiche An open pie crust filled with a cheesy custard and crumbled bits of bacon. 9” piecrust * Preheat oven to 350. Fry bacon till crisp, drain on paper towels, chop coarsely. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion into pastry shell. Combine beaten eggs with cream, salt and pepper and pour over bacon-cheese mix. Bake 45 minutes in oven. Quiche is done when knife inserted near edge comes out clean. Allow quiche to sit 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve hot or at room temperature. * Piecrust: store-bought versions are heaven-sent for those who have neither the time nor the know-how for good homemade piecrust. But for those willing to make their own, see Noel's Pie Crust under French Desserts: it's a winner. |
Tips & Glossary Bouquet Garni: (boo-kay gar-nee) bundle of herbs tied together with string or wrapped in cheese cloth square; usually parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Flavor is released during long cooking.Remove before serving. Chervil: (sher-vil) related to parsley but has a delicate anise flavor. Long cooking kills flavor, so add at the last minute. Cornichon (kor-nee-shon) teeny-tiny pickle, served with pates & smoked meats; found in specialty food stores. Fines Herbes: (feen-airb) mix of finely chopped herbs: parsley, chives, tarragon, & chervil. Not as strong as a bouqet garni. Buy it at most grocery stores. Fromage: (fra-mahj) Cheese! The French eat more than any nationality, 45 pounds per capita per year; and the country makes more cheeses than any other country, about 400. Herbes de Provence (airb-duh-pro-vonce): mix of dried herbs, usually thyme, rosemary, marjoram, basil, & bay leaf Can be found at most grocery stores. Mutarde: (moo-tard), mustard. Most famous: Nicoise Olive: (nee-swaz- oh-leev) small, purplish-black olive with a mellow, nutty flavor; used primarily in Salade Nicoise. The Picholine variety is a green, medium-sized olive with a light, nutty flavor. Roux: (roo) paste-like mix of melted butter and flour, into which liquid is gradually added. The basis of every classic French sauce.
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French Entree Beef Burgandy This dish requires marinating overnight—so leave plenty of time to make it. Best yet, make it all 2 days in advance, allowing a whole day for flavors to meld. Delicious!
Day 1: prepare marinade and marinate beef cubes, covered, overnight. Day 2: in a large pot, sauté diced bacon till crisp. Remove and pour off all but 2 T bacon fat. Drain beef cubes and reserve marinade (discard vegetables). Turn heat up high and quickly brown beef cubes, adding more oil if needed. Remove beef and set aside. In same pot, over medium heat, sauté onions 10 minutes till light brown (not burned). Add garlic, salt & pepper; cook 2 more minutes. Return beef cubes to pot and stir in flour; cook another 2-3 minutes, till flour is browned. Add reserved marinade (including bay leaves), beef and beef broth. Reduce heat, and simmer gently, uncovered, for 2 hours. Sauce should be reduced by half. Discard bay leaves. Stir in mushrooms, red currant jelly, and tomato paste. Cook another 30 minutes. |
Tips & Glossary Bouquet Garni: (boo-kay gar-nee) bundle of herbs tied together with string or wrapped in cheese cloth square; usually parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Flavor is released during long cooking.Remove before serving. Chervil: (sher-vil) related to parsley but has a delicate anise flavor. Long cooking kills flavor, so add at the last minute. Cornichon (kor-nee-shon) teeny-tiny pickle, served with pates & smoked meats; found in specialty food stores. Fines Herbes: (feen-airb) mix of finely chopped herbs: parsley, chives, tarragon, & chervil. Not as strong as a bouqet garni. Buy it at most grocery stores. Fromage: (fra-mahj) Cheese! The French eat more than any nationality, 45 pounds per capita per year; and the country makes more cheeses than any other country, about 400. Herbes de Provence (airb-duh-pro-vonce): mix of dried herbs, usually thyme, rosemary, marjoram, basil, & bay leaf Can be found at most grocery stores. Mutarde: (moo-tard), mustard. Most famous: Nicoise Olive: (nee-swaz- oh-leev) small, purplish-black olive with a mellow, nutty flavor; used primarily in Salade Nicoise. The Picholine variety is a green, medium-sized olive with a light, nutty flavor. Roux: (roo) paste-like mix of melted butter and flour, into which liquid is gradually added. The basis of every classic French sauce.
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French Entree Beef Fondue Like bell-bottoms, Fondue is back. The fun of serving fondue is communal eating and the variety of dipping sauces. We've got 5 here, but you can create your own. Let your imagination loose.
Beef: cube the meat shortly before ready to serve; otherwise, it will dry-out and toughen at the edges. Heat oil in a large pot on the stove till it begins to bubble. Carefully pour into a fondue pot, placed over an alcohol burner. The oil should fill the fondue half-way. Serve: give each guest a long fondue fork to spear the meat cubes. Dip beef into the cooking oil: 30 seconds for rare; 60 seconds for well-done. Serve with salad, sauces (below), cornichons (see sidebar), and a loaf of crusty French bread to mop up sauces. 1. Bearnaise Sauce In a small saucepan, heat first 6 ingredients. Continue cooking till reduced by half. Strain and cool. In a double boiler, beat eggs till frothy, add wine-vinegar mix, beating constantly. Make sure the upper bowl is not touching the water, and make sure the water is hot but not boiling. Begin adding butter, slowly, teaspoon by teaspoon, stirring vigorously to incorporate butter into a thick, creamy sauce. Pour into a warmed up bowl, sprinkle with fresh parsley or tarragon and serve hot or cold. 2. Horseradish Sauce Combine and chill till ready to serve. 3. Mustard Sauce In a small saucepan, heat first 3 ingredients. Stir constantly until it reaches a boil. Reduce heat and simmer. Shake flour and water together in a jar and add to mustard mix, stirring to incorporate. Simmer 10 more minutes. Stir in capers. Serve hot or cold. 4. Parsley & Chives Sauce Mix ingredients and served chilled. 5. Tomato Provencal Sauce Bring to a boil all ingredients, except capers, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add capers and serve hot or cold.
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Tips & Glossary Bouquet Garni: (boo-kay gar-nee) bundle of herbs tied together with string or wrapped in cheese cloth square; usually parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Flavor is released during long cooking.Remove before serving. Chervil: (sher-vil) related to parsley but has a delicate anise flavor. Long cooking kills flavor, so add at the last minute. Cornichon (kor-nee-shon) teeny-tiny pickle, served with pates & smoked meats; found in specialty food stores. Fines Herbes: (feen-airb) mix of finely chopped herbs: parsley, chives, tarragon, & chervil. Not as strong as a bouqet garni. Buy it at most grocery stores. Fromage: (fra-mahj) Cheese! The French eat more than any nationality, 45 pounds per capita per year; and the country makes more cheeses than any other country, about 400. Herbes de Provence (airb-duh-pro-vonce): mix of dried herbs, usually thyme, rosemary, marjoram, basil, & bay leaf Can be found at most grocery stores. Mutarde: (moo-tard), mustard. Most famous: Nicoise Olive: (nee-swaz- oh-leev) small, purplish-black olive with a mellow, nutty flavor; used primarily in Salade Nicoise. The Picholine variety is a green, medium-sized olive with a light, nutty flavor. Roux: (roo) paste-like mix of melted butter and flour, into which liquid is gradually added. The basis of every classic French sauce.
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French Appetizer Cheese Fondue Just like bell-bottoms, Fondue is back! The fun of fondue is the communal eating from a central pot. Cheese (like Beef) Fondue, is also served as a main course.
Prepare: grate or shred cheeses and set aside. Rub the inside of a heavy pot with garlic halves, then mince garlic and sprinkle in pot. Add wine and heat till not quite simmering. Gradually add cheeses, stirring constantly: back and forth is best, rather than a circular motion. Be sure not to let the cheese reach a boil. Combine cornstarch with kirsch and stir into cheese. Add nutmeg. Serve: when ready to serve, carefully pour into a fondue pot placed over alcohol burner. Stir occasionally; do not let fondue come to a boil. Give each guest a long fondue fork to spear the bread cubes. Dip cubes into the cheese, twirling before lifting the fork out of the pot (this helps to cut the cheese strands). Serve with salad and the same white wine that went into fondue. |
Tips & Glossary Bouquet Garni: (boo-kay gar-nee) bundle of herbs tied together with string or wrapped in cheese cloth square; usually parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Flavor is released during long cooking.Remove before serving. Chervil: (sher-vil) related to parsley but has a delicate anise flavor. Long cooking kills flavor, so add at the last minute. Cornichon (kor-nee-shon) teeny-tiny pickle, served with pates & smoked meats; found in specialty food stores. Fines Herbes: (feen-airb) mix of finely chopped herbs: parsley, chives, tarragon, & chervil. Not as strong as a bouqet garni. Buy it at most grocery stores. Fromage: (fra-mahj) Cheese! The French eat more than any nationality, 45 pounds per capita per year; and the country makes more cheeses than any other country, about 400. Herbes de Provence (airb-duh-pro-vonce): mix of dried herbs, usually thyme, rosemary, marjoram, basil, & bay leaf Can be found at most grocery stores. Mutarde: (moo-tard), mustard. Most famous: Nicoise Olive: (nee-swaz- oh-leev) small, purplish-black olive with a mellow, nutty flavor; used primarily in Salade Nicoise. The Picholine variety is a green, medium-sized olive with a light, nutty flavor. Roux: (roo) paste-like mix of melted butter and flour, into which liquid is gradually added. The basis of every classic French sauce.
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