Explore Paris: Salon de l'Agriculture

The largest event at the Paris Expo every year is the Salon de l'Agriculture: a livestock-show-and-rodeo meets garden-show meets international-festival. Many of the major Houston attractions, all in one place. Sort of. French style...

In the first building we visited (which housed horses, donkeys, mules, dogs, cats, fish...), there was a dog ring, where some kind of competition was being held:

And a horse ring with the same:

Unfortunately, the lighting in these warehouse-style buildings was horrendous, so the pics are rather crummy... But you can't miss the delight on Blaine's face:

In another building was the French regional cuisine: stands of specialty foods from all over France, divided by area. Very cool:

In the Delicacies of the World building, a Hungarian stand had fabulous dancing, while an Italian stand had this fabulous specimen:

The coup de grace of our sensory experience was the Livestock building (cows, sheep, and pigs, mostly):

Sweet baby lambs:

My sweet baby with some lambs:

Blaine expressing his delight (Oh to see the world again through the eyes of a child!):

And the cow who displayed the level of exhaustion I was feeling by this point:

No, really, I was rather enjoying myself. In fact, I was rather entertained by the fact that several of these cows reminded me of dogs. There was the Rhodesian ridgeback:

The brindle bulldog:

And the weimaraner (I promise it was gray - the photo makes it look a little brown, though, sorry):

Really, it was a fun day, full of gigantic cows named "Colette" and the like. How can you not have a blast?

French Cooking: Catch Up

Yes, I know, I am far behind... To catch up, here are the best recipes we've enjoyed since I last posted.

Pork Tenderloin with Blue Cheese and Olive Stuffing

So this one may not truly be traditional French, but I wanted something different... With fresh French roquefort cheese and olive tapenade from the outdoor market, this pork tenderloin was delicious! You can find the full recipe and instructions at the link above, but learn from my mistakes: pound the pork tenderloin as thin as possible and be sure to actually secure the roll with toothpicks or string.

The sauce is FABULOUS, so be sure not to skip that part.

Unfortunately, I think I left the pork too thick, and we did not have toothpicks or string, which is what led to the P-shaped medallions rather than rolls. Of course, since our name is Paxton, it worked out!

Tartiflette

This dish was easy and YUMMY! We made it for brunch, which was excellent, though I'm sure it would be wonderful as a dinner side dish, as well. Tartiflette is basically a potato casserole with Reblochon cheese and bacon... Very rewarding and quick to throw together (though I'm not sure how easy it is to find Reblochon in the US). You could probably substitute another cheese, if you like, though I think the Reblochon is essential for tartiflette's truly unique flavor. Speaking of the cheese, it was too soft to slice like the recipe suggested (linked above again), so Chris molded it into strips and decided to decorate the top of the casserole:

My initials in Reblochon cheese... how romantic:

Thankfully, the cheese melted to a beautiful golden brown (and the RP was no longer recognizable):

I highly recommend both. Enjoy!

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!!

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!