French Cooking: Week 2

Saturday night: Poulet au Riesling (Sauteed Chicken in Riesling)

From Paris by Marlena Spieler

Unfortunately, this dish probably does not qualify as "quick and easy." But it was SO GOOD that I feel the need to share it anyway. It wasn't necessarily hard to do; it was just a rather long process - good for a special occasion. I also must confess that Chris thought the Riesling flavor was a bit too strong (though I loved it), so you may want to look for a milder bottle if strong flavors tend to overwhelm you. Finally, let me tell you that since I am only cooking for two people, the proportions when I made the recipe were a bit off, and it still turned out wonderful. Here's the recipe, but in the instructions, I have included my own comments and adjustments that I made.

1. Prepare the chicken pieces. In Paris, free-range birds are all the rage for fine cooking. They are given a special Red Label per government quality control signifying that they arepoulet fermier, or farm-raised. Being completely new to this, I boldly went to the market in search of a poulet fermier, and settle on a poulet jaune, a yellowish bird that was about in the middle price wise of the options. The volallieur assured me that the jaune birds were a little fattier (and therefore tastier) than the white ones. Anyway, they chopped off the head for me, burned the rest of the little hairs off (it had already been de-feathered), and tied it up... Quite the gruesome experience. So when I got home, I had to cut it up. I found a video on youtube to be the most helpful, so I won't go into detail, but I will say that half a chicken (one leg and thigh, one wing, two breast pieces) was plenty for two people. I have no idea how many pounds of chicken that was, but I simply cut the rest of the recipe in half, and the proportions turned out fine. I wrapped the other half of the chicken to use later this week. Be sure to wash your chicken pieces after cutting them up (especially if you cut yourself like I did while butchering it), though, and feel free to simply buy either a cheap whole chicken or pieces already cut; I just wanted the Parisian experience.
2. Preheat the oven to 350. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and olive oil, then brown the chicken in a large, heavy, non-stick pan (in batches, if necessary, so the chicken has room to brown). About 10-15 minutes per batch, then transfer to a platter.
3. Pour off all but 1 T of fat from the pan and return to medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Raise the heat to high, add the Riesling, bring it to a boil, and cook until reduced by half, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms*, stock, and half the tarragon. Pour the sauce into a roasting pan at least 4 inches deep (though for half a recipe, I just used a 9x13 pyrex and it worked just fine) and large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer. Arrange the chicken on the sauce. *Note: I actually used fresh chanterelle mushrooms (because it was all I could find at the market), and they were WONDERFUL. I used about double what the recipe called for, though, since they were fresh rather than dried, but I still cut them up very fine. It worked.
4. Bake the chicken until opaque throughout, 35-40 minutes. Raise the heat to 400 and continue baking until the edges of the skin are crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to your serving platter (leave the sauce in the roasting pan) and cover with foil to keep warm.
5. Spoon off any fat from the sauce. Place the pan directly on the stove over high heat, bring the sauce to a boil, and cook, stirring until reduced by about half, 7-8 minutes.
6. Stir in the cream* and then season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice (if desired). Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with the chives, chervil, and remaining tarragon. Serve at once. *Note: I've been using creme fraiche when recipes call for heavy cream. It's kind of a cross between heavy cream and sour cream, and it is AMAZING. But I'm sure heavy cream will be just as good.
7. I served it with haricots verts (I know, I use these a lot, but they're so beautiful at the market, and they are very easy to throw on the stove while I'm working on a more complicated main dish). I know this recipe is rather involved, but I do hope you'll try it sometime because it was delicious. And I don't think it would be nearly so complicated if your chicken was already cut. In fact, plain old boneless chicken breasts would probably taste great, too.

Sunday Brunch: Crepes with Various Fillings

From Paris by Marlena Spieler

These were SO fun to make. It was kind of a team-sport, as we played with fillings for the crepes. The crepe batter only took about 5 minutes to mix up, and then the fun began... I think having a non-stick pan that really works is probably the most essential thing. And be sure as you are trying to flip the crepes that you wait long enough for the edges to pull away a little on their own; that's the only way you'll be able to flip them without tearing them.

1. Whisk together the eggs, milk, and water. Whisk in the flour, sugar, salt, 1 T melted butter, and oil, whisking to remove as many lumps as possible.
2. Place a crepe pan or non-stick frying pan with low sides over medium heat. I used one about 11" across the bottom; anything close to 10" would be great. Let it heat up completely then brush with butter and ladle 1/4 c to 1/2 c of batter (depending on the size of your pan). Immediately swirl the pan around so the batter spreads into a thin layer covering the bottom, then pour any excess batter back into the bowl.
3. Cook until the bottom of the crepe is lightly browned in spots and the edges pull away slightly from the pan sides, about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully turn and cook for about 30 seconds on the second side. Turn the crepe out onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the crepes as you go and brushing the hot pan with melted butter between crepes.
4. Once you've used all the batter, get ready for the filling! To fill a crepe, place a crepe, browned side down, in the still warm (over medium heat) pan. You have two options: 1) spread 1/2 the crepe with the filling and let warm then fold the other half over to close the crepe. Then fold the entire thing again to make a triangle. 2) you can put the filling in the middle of the crepe and fold in the sides to make a little square. We tried a variety of fillings: eggs with herbs and cheese (you can technically cook these through the crepe, but I chose to cook in a pan them first since risking raw eggs when you're pregnant is not so wise), honey, butter with cinnamon and sugar, peanut butter, and nutella. I recommend them ALL, though save the honey for last, as it tends to run into the pan and make the rest of the crepes taste a bit like honey.

Butter, cinnamon, and sugar (pre-fold, obviously):

Egg, herbs, and cheese:

Nutella... yummm....

Unfortunately, the rest of the week was not as successful. We only attempted two more truly French recipes, and one was a complicated veal stew (Blanchette de Veau) which I thought was not nearly as good as a simple pepper pot stew. The other was a chicken dish accompanied by au gratin potatoes (which are always good, of course), but I didn't think the chicken was really anything special. It did look rather pretty, though:

I'll only have a few recipes for you this next week because I leave Tuesday for the US. Stay tuned, though, because so far the one I tried today was wonderful!!

Explore Paris: The Latin Quarter

Praise the Lord for new friends! I recently met a girl from my church who is also newly an ex-pat in Paris (her husband's job brought her here, as well), and she and I have decided to explore the city together. We've bought a book full of suggested walks in the city and another book with 20 recommended day trips from Paris. Our goal is to complete as many as possible before Mr. Baby arrives... We'll see. Although some of these places were review for both of us, we dutifully followed each instruction to see and learn as much of the city as possible... And we have had a blast in the meantime!

Our first walk was through one of the oldest parts of the city, known as the Latin Quarter. Paris was originally founded on the islands in the middle of the Seine River and spread quickly south across the river to the Left Bank and the Latin Quarter. In fact, many of the streets in this area are narrow, windy, medieval pedestrian lanes because not much has been changed for almost a thousand years.

A great highlight of the Latin Quarter and, for English-speaking ex-pats and visitors, of all of Paris is Shakespeare and Co., the English bookstore on the left bank of the Seine that was formerly a haunt of famous ex-pats such as Hemmingway and James.

Not only is it eclectic and impressively thorough in its selection, it's the kind of place where a book lover can feel invigorated simply breathing the air. Downstairs is packed full of books for sale, the stairs themselves acting as additional shelves.

Upstairs, however, is mostly their permanent collection, for on-site use only. Also upstairs are some fabulous reading nooks and old-fashioned typewriters free for "creative" use. Not to mention this super cool reading desk where Keeley was a good enough sport to pose for a goofy picture - talk about a real friend...

In addition to the vibrant (and, alas, rather tourist-driven) Rue de la Huchette, complete with Pita Grec (quality food for 4.50 euro, if you ask me) and a variety of crepe masters, the Latin Quarter is home to a beautiful Gothic church, Saint Severin. Similar to Notre Dame, St. Severin is a Gothic church, though it is much smaller than the famous cathedral, and it is known as "flamboyant" Gothic, due to the flame-like design on much of the stone work (which, unfortunately, we did not really capture in these pictures). Although much less awe-inspiring than the giant Gothic cathedrals, this smaller church allows you to see the actual stone work and craftsmanship much better than the cavernous ceilings of Notre Dame.

The Latin Quarter actually received its name because it has been the area of scholars and students in Paris for centuries, and therefore, Latin was often spoken. Even now, it is home to the famous Parisian university La Sorbonne.

Our official tour of the Latin Quarter ended with a visit to the Pantheon, a neoclassical church built in the 18th century and later converted into a secular temple in honor of great men and women of the arts, literature, and science. Buried here are Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, and Rousseau, among others. Chris actually knows a Frenchman who claims that when he needs inspiration, he looks out his office window at the dome of the Pantheon and it drives him to strive harder for success... Interesting, no?

In the shadow of the Pantheon is a beautiful little church named Saint Etienne du Mont.

And down the street from the Pantheon is the Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens), a beautiful public park where thousands of Parisians satisfy their need for outdoor green space. The Jardin includes a fabulous fountain atop a duck pond and a grand old mansion.

That was our Latin Quarter walk day... A total of about 3 miles probably, and a very good day. I promise to try to stay more up-to-date with our explorations (since we have since done three more walks that I still have not posted yet... I'm working on them!). But if you ever come to Paris, I have lots of recommendations. :-)

French Cooking: Week 1

As many of you know, I had a tough time for the first 5+ months of my pregnancy... Lots of vomiting and nausea... Not a good recipe for enjoying French cooking and food, or any cooking and food for that matter. Thankfully, although the nausea has not gone away completely, I can say that I feel well enough now to at least begin enjoying my situation: living in a culinary capital of the world and being a stay-at-home wife with the time to plan, shop, experiment, and enjoy. I also must admit that the local market (which happens every Thursday and Saturday around the corner from our apartment in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower - see post from December for more details) is becoming even more glorious to me as I am able to cook and enjoy the fresh foods I see there.

But I digress; let me get to the point: I have decided to try my own (MUCH less ambitious) form of Julie and Julia. Each Friday night or Saturday morning, I am hoping to sit down with my French cookbooks and find at least five recipes for the upcoming week, one of which must be appropriate for a Sunday brunch-ish meal that we cook together (since our church does not begin until 3:30 pm). This past week was our pilot run, and I found it a raging success. My hope here is not only to give you all a taste of our culinary experiences (and record them for myself), but also to give you suggestions/ideas for recipes you might want to try. Most of these are quick and easy, though the fresh ingredients are pretty important for the right flavors. I welcome questions via comments or email if you need help with the recipes. And please bear with me these first few weeks (as I intend to give you weekly, rather than daily, reports), as I explore the best format for this discourse. For now, I'm only going to give the full recipe for those that were a roaring success AND were quick and relatively easy; for the rest I'll will post a report and pics, and I'm happy to share the recipes if anyone is interested. Here we go!

Saturday night: Onglet aux Echalotes (Skirt Steak with Shallots)

From Parisian Home Cooking by Michael Roberts

This was quick, easy, and REALLY good. But, as a warning, I fear that skirt steak in the US (which is not a perfect equivalent to onglets) may not come out as good. Try your best to get a lean skirt steak that is thick enough to have a pink middle after being seared (the thicker, the better). And onions are technically a substitute option for shallots, but it will change the flavor a bit.

1. Cook the shallots in the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until soft buy not browned, about 5 minutes. Season with coarse salt and pepper, mix in the parsley, and transfer to a small bowl. Keep warm.
2. Return the skillet to the stove over high heat. When the skillet is smoking hot, add the steaks. Season with pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the steaks over and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 3 minutes for rare, up to 5 minutes for medium. Transfer the steaks to a platter. **Searing the steaks but not over cooking them is ESSENTIAL for this; be sure there is a little butter in the pan and scoot the steaks back and forth with a fork to keep them from sticking, if necessary, but don't turn down the heat!
3. Return the skillet to the stovetop over low heat, add the wine, and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the liquid in the skillet is reduced to a mere tablespoon, then mix the deglacage into the shallots. Spoon the shallots over the steaks and serve immediately. Not bad with a bit of Dijon mustard on the side, too.
4. Final result: Excellent and Easy. Great with fresh green beans (nice mild flavor to counteract the bold shallot sauce).

Sunday lunch: Omelette Aux Fines Herbes

From Paris by Marlena Spieler

As always, the pan you use and the proper heat are very important in determining the quality of an omelette. But, thankfully, by following these instructions very closely, I had no problems (and I'm not much of an omelette maker since I don't like eggs very much... but these were GOOD!). Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of these masterpieces. :-(

Special note: Any time you are using fresh herbs, there are two things to bear in mind - keep them fresh as long as possible (hence the herbs in water below), and use a VERY sharp nice to chop them or they'll just turn to mush.

1. Using a separate bowl for each omelette, whisk together 2 or 3 of the eggs just until blended. Whisk a quarter of the herbs into each bowl and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a 7 or 8 inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Put about 1 T of the butter into the pan. The moment it melts, tilt the pan to coat the bottom and sides. When the butter sizzles but has not yet begun to brown, remove the pan from the heat and pour in 1 bowl of the egg mixture. Immediately return the pan to the heat until the bottom of the omelette browns lightly but the surface remains runny; this should take no more than 15-20 seconds. When the centre is the consistency of very soft scrambled eggs, using a wooden spatula and tilting the pan as needed, roll the omelette toward you, a little at a time. Let the omelette cook for a few seconds longer once it is rolled - the bottom should be pale gold and the centre should be creamy - then, transfer to a warm plate by carefully sliding the omelette out of the pan. The whole cooking process should take no more than 2 minutes.
3. Serve the omelette at once, and repeat with the other three bowls of egg mixture. BEST served with freshly sliced tomatoes, salt, and pepper.

Monday night: Bifteks a la Minute, Sauce a l'Estragon (Minute Steaks with Tarragon)

From Parisian Home Cooking by Michael Roberts

Because this is a thinner piece of meat than the shallot steak above, it feels a little less like "fine steak." The flavor, however, was just as good, in my opinion, and quite unique without being overwhelming. Another Easy recipe with Excellent results. Note: You cannot really sear the minute steaks like the onglets above because they are too thin. Instead, nurse them in a moderately hot skillet with butter. Also, as above, you may not find it quite as rewarding unless you get your meat from a good butcher; but try the supermarket and see... It may turn out great!

1. Season the steaks with salt and press liberal amounts of pepper into one side (I just used the back of a fork to do so). Melt the butter in a large nonreactive skillet over medium heat. Cook the steaks for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet.
2. Add the wine and vinegar to the skillet and whisk in the mustard. Replace the steaks and cook for a minute or until the sauce smooths and thickens a bit. Add the tarragon and remove from heat. (Note: I used red wine vinegar because I didn't have any white; it turned out great.)
3. Arrange the steaks on a platter and scrape the sauce over the top. Serve immediately.
4. I served it with some fabulous small white potatoes which I steamed (per the instructions of the potato guy at the market who kept mumbling about "vapeur" and "seulement beurre et herbes" (only butter and herbs) while I was buying them. They like to tell you how to cook things, and I'm glad I listened to him; they were amazing!

Tuesday night: Bible Study Potluck... no new recipes

Wednesday night: Cotes de Porc a l'Aneth (Dilled Pork Chops)

While I enjoyed these VERY much, and I especially liked the fact that the chops (which I think can sometimes be rather dry) were wonderfully moist since they were cooked in a sauce of heavy cream, chicken broth, and fresh dill, I'm not sure it would be a favorite of many.

The dill flavor is different (but I happen to like it); the heavy cream is obviously not particularly healthy, and I know pork chops aren't everyone's favorite. But I'll give you the pictures, and I'd be happy to send on the recipe to anyone who is interested. On the side, I just made white rice which I mixed with some olive oil, sauteed shallots, and fresh parsley. Quick and yummy.

Thursday night: Dinner Date... didn't cook

Friday night: Soupe a L'Oignon (French Onion Soup... and yes, they just call it Onion Soup here)

The recipe I used was VERY yummy and not particularly difficult, but it did take just over 2 hours from start to finish. Much of that time was simply waiting while the soup simmered, so it was not labor intensive, but I would suspect, if you are really craving onion soup, that you can find a quicker recipe. I'll share pictures of my success anyway, though, because we thoroughly enjoyed it! Oh, and a quick note, the traditional recipes call for baking the soup with the bread and cheese on top in individual bowls. Unfortunately, I do not have oven-proof bowls, so I baked in a casserole dish and we spooned from there. Not as pretty on the table, but it worked.

Ok, that's week one. If you're bored, I'm sorry. If you're a foodie like me, then I hope you enjoyed. And if you have any requests/suggestions/etc. for my weekly post, let me know. I want it to be helpful, enjoyable, and interesting. Oh, and finally, if you have any tips on photographing food well, I welcome them. I realize my attempts are probably less than appetizing! Sorry!

The Barcelona of The Shadow of the Wind

In case you have not read the book, I will do my best NOT to give anything away. I will, however, give those who like me have the Zafon itch (and yes, I do consider it a strange kind of exotic disease) a chance to see the book through his eyes. Unless otherwise noted, the locations mentioned in the book are real places - real streets, real churches, real cemeteries, and real buildings. Although we could not always identify the actual building numbers of these locations, these are the actual streets where Zafon, Daniel, and Julian walked... Welcome to Barcelona.

"I still remember the day my father took me to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books for the first time... we walked through the streets of a Barcelona trapped beneath ashen skies as dawn poured over Rambla de Santa Monica... When we reached Calle Arco del Teatro, we continued through its arch toward the Raval quarter, entering a vault of blue haze...

...I followed my father through that narrow lane, more of a scar than a street, until the glimmer of the Ramblas faded behind us."

"Shortly after the Civil War, an outbreak of cholera had taken my mother away. We buried her in Montjuic on my fourth birthday."

"My father and I lived in a modest apartment [directly above the bookshop] on Calle Santa Anna...

...a stone's throw away from the church square."

"[Gustavo Barcelo,] the bookseller and his niece shared a palatial apartment in Plaza Real."

"'Are you all right?' asked [the beggar] in the shadow... He took me by the arm and led me to a corner under the arches [in the Plaza Real] where he kept a bundle of possessions and a bag with old, dirty clothes."

"[Clara's] father, a prominent lawyer linked to the Catalan president's cabinet, had had the foresight to send his wife and daughter to the other side of the border at the start of the Civil War... For a few months he wrote a letter to his wife and daughter once a week. At first he did it from his office on Calle Diputacion, but later his letters had no return address. In the end he wrote secretly, from a cell in Montjuic Castle, into which no one saw him go and from which, like countless others, he would never come out."

"Plaza de San Felipe Neri is like a small breathing space in the maze of streets that crisscross the Gothic quarter, hidden behind the old Roman walls. The holes left by machine-gun fire during the war pockmark the church walls...

... The address showed that Nuria Monfort lived in a building by the entrance to the square... Nuria Monfort lived adrift in shadows... The entire apartment was sunk in perpetual gloom."

"Dawn was breaking, and a purple blade of light cut through the clouds, spraying its hue over the fronts of mansions and the stately homes that bordered Avenida del Tibidabo. A blue tram was crawling lazily uphill in the mist."

"The Aldaya residence was on the opposite side of the street, guarded by a large wrought-iron gate woven with ivy and dead leaves...

...I tried to peer into the property from there but could only make out the angles and arches of a dark tower."

And for those of you who have read the second book (which I unfortunately do not have with me in Paris...), here are some views from the gondola above the city. You know what happens there...