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French Cuisine, Among The
Finest In The World
Having spent so much time living and working in Europe, I had many
opportunities to travel and eat in many French Restaurants. A friend
of mine that was in the US Army had a French wife that he met in the
USA while she was attending college. While the two of
us traveled through France, we were able to visit his Mother-In-Law.
Of course, the conversation got into French cooking and telling her
how I love to cook, she offered to give me a French Cookbook that
belonged to her Grandmother.
On this page, I want to share some of these
wonderful traditional French Recipes. I hope you copy them and enjoy
them as much as I do.
CHICKEN CORDON BLEU
Note: This recipe is per person -
double it for each person.
2 1/4 tsp. bread crumbs
1 skinned chicken breast, pounded to 1/8 inch thick
1 sliced boiled ham
1 slice Swiss cheese
In skillet, heat half of the
butter over medium heat until bubbly and hot. Add chicken and cook
briefly on each side (just until no longer pink). Transfer chicken
to plate, top each with ham and then cheese. Starting from the
narrow end, roll chicken to enclose filling. Secure with a toothpick
and transfer to a shallow baking dish; set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In
the same skillet, heat remaining butter over low heat until bubbly
and hot; add crumbs and stir to combine. Sprinkle crumbs over
chicken roll and bake until cheese is melted (2-3 minutes for one),
remove toothpick and serve.
OPTIONAL MORAY SAUCE (Serves 4):
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1 c. milk
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper
To make optional Moray Sauce: In
small saucepan, melt butter. With a whisk, beat in flour. When
mixture bubbles, add milk all at once, stirring with a whisk to
avoid lumps. Stir in cheese, garlic powder and salt and pepper to
taste. Cook, stirring constantly until it's thick. Pour over baked
Chicken Cordon Bleu just before serving.
Quiche Lorraine
Serves 4 to 6 people :
Filling :
- 200 gr [7 oz] lardoons (diced
bacon)
- 6 eggs
- 20 cl [7 fl oz] single cream
- 60 gr [2 oz] of thinly semi soft cheese
- 1 tomato
- 1 Tbsp of Dijon mustard
- salt, pepper & grated nutmeg
Short crust pastry :
- 200 gr [7oz] plain flour
- 100 gr [31/2 oz]
butter (unsalted)
- 5 to 10 cl water [2 to 3 fl oz]
- 1 pinch of salt
If you chose to make your own pastry :
In an electric mixer, put the flour and the salt ; turn mixer on and
add the butter cut in small cubes while mixing for another 15
seconds ; still mixing, add the first 3 spoons of water and then one
by one slowly until the dough becomes a ball. Stop adding water
right away (the ball must not stick). Leave the paste in a salad
bowl for at least 30 minutes (with a bit of flour on bottom).
Make the Quiche :
1-Pre-heat oven 200°C/400°C ; butter the pie dishes ; cut the
tomato into thin slices.
2- Spread directly the pastry in the pie dishes with your fingers
(using flour to help, push dough from middle to sides of dishes).
Let the pastry stand a bit higher than the dish edge.
3- Bake the pastry for 5 to 10 minutes ; get them out before they
shrink, adjust sides if needed.
4- Fry the lardoons in a pan, stirring occasionally, until they get
brown and crisp.
5- In the meantime, beat the eggs with a fork in a bowl and add the
cream and seasoning.
6- Pour the lardoons in the beaten eggs, leaving the fat from
cooking inside the pan ; beat again to mix.
7- For each pie dish, brush the case with the Dijon mustard, cover
with sliced cheese, then with sliced tomato ; pour the eggs
mixture on top (divide equally the lardoons).
8- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes if unitary pie dish ; add 10 minutes if
you use a one single large dish.
Serve warm in the individual pie dish, ideally with a lettuce.
TRICK : you can chose to buy the crust or a puff pastry for a
gain of time and facility reasons. Your quiche will become much
easier and quicker to make, while staying a very good recipe...
"Pâté Brisée"
-
Short crust Pastry
This is very simple, it
contains no sugar, and suits any type of quiche or tart... ! But as
it is so simple, it has to be use with a "rich" quiche or tart... It
suits a filling with a rich flavor (like Salmon and Spinach).
It can be prepared as well with an electric mixer but let's try to
do it with our fingers !
Ingredients : 200 gr [7oz] plain flour / 100
gr [3.5 oz] unsalted butter / 50 cl [17 fl oz] water / 2 pinches
salt (never forget the salt).
Method : put the flour in a salad bowl, form
a well and put the salt and very small cubes of cold butter in it.
Work the butter and flour with your fingertips and add water in 2 or
3 times ; it should resemble crumbs quite quickly. Press the crumbs
and form a ball of dough (it should not look completely
homogeneous). If it does not form a ball, add a Tbsp water ; if it
is too sticky, add a bit flour..
Chill for 30 minutes at least.
Line normally by rolling out the pastry on a
floured surface ; when the size is convenient, wrap the dough around
the rolling pin and drape it carefully over the tin.
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Soufflé au
Fromage
Cheese Soufflé
Ingredients for 4 people :
- 70 gr [21/2 oz] Swiss cheese
(comté or gruyère type)
- 30 gr [1 oz] butter + some for dish
- 20 gr [3/4 oz] plain flour
- 25 cl [9 fl oz] milk
- 4 eggs
- salt, pepper & grated nutmeg
Recipe :
1-Pre-heat oven to 180°C / 350°F ; butter
the soufflé dishes ; thinly grate the cheese (thin wholes of
grater).
2- Separate the egg whites from yolk and beat the whites with an
electric mixer until they get thickly frothy.
3- Prepare the béchamel (white sauce) : melt the butter in a
saucepan, medium flame, and pour the flour on it while stirring with
a wooden spoon until well blended. On a more gentle flame, start
pouring a bit of milk and gently stir until it is incorporated ;
keep doing this way with all milk. Never stop stirring. Reckon about
10 minutes until the béchamel is ready (it must get thick).
4- Add enough nutmeg, salt & pepper, and remove from fire.
5- Add the grated cheese, then the yolks ; turn vigourously to
obtain a homogeneous mixture. Gently incorporate the egg whites with
a rubber spatula.
6- Pour the mixture equally into the 4 soufflé dishes ; fill them
about 3/4.
7- Bake in oven for about 25 minutes ; the soufflés must rise and
get golden brown. Do not open oven door for they would deflate.
You need to increase baking time if you use a large single dish, and
vice versa. It would take
around 40 minutes for 1 big dish...
Make sure all your guests are seated and
serve immediately for the soufflé will deflate very quickly
once outside.
TRICK : if you feel at ease and wish to skip a step, you
can avoid stiffing the egg whites and chose to directly incorporate
the whole eggs into the béchamel. In this case, do it egg by egg,
beating vigorously with a fork like an omelets ; then add the
cheese.
Filet Mignon aux Oignons
- Gratin Dauphinois
Pork Filet Mignon with Onions - Dauphiné oven baked
potatoes
Ingredients for 4 people :
- 800 gr [3 lb] filet mignon of pork
- 4 brown onions
- 20 cl [7 fl oz] dry white wine
- 5 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper
Side dish :
- 4 big potatoes
- 35 cl [12 oz] single cream
- 100 gr [4 oz] Swiss cheese
- nutmeg, salt & pepper
All steps of side dish must be done before main course (baking
time 1h15) ; start to prepare main course once the gratin is in the
oven...
1- Peel and mince the onions ; cut the
filet mignon in 3 to 4 sections.
2- In a non-stick stewpot, medium flame, heat the oil and brown the
onions in for 15 minutes (turn regularly with a wooden spoon).
3- Brown the meat in the onions for 5 minutes with salt and pepper,
then pour the wine, cover with a lid, and let simmer for 30 minutes
; turn from time to time.
4- Serve each of your guest cutting slices from the meat sections.
Side dish recipe :
A - Grate the Swiss cheese. Peel the potatoes
and cut them into
thin slices (with the slicer side of your grater or electric mixer)
; display them in an oven dish by layers, add salt and pepper
each time one layer is completed ; spread as well a pinch of grated
nutmeg and some grated cheese every other layer. Once all slices
are displayed, pour the single cream in the dish ; it needs to cover
exactly all potatoes ; complete with a little milk if it is not the
case (leave the extra cream if you have too much).
B- Spread the left
cheese (1/3) on top of the potatoes ; bake the whole in (pre-heated)
oven at 200°C / 400°F for about 1h15. The gratin must be golden
brown and the cream should be totally absorbed by the potatoes.
TRICK : verify that the potatoes are cooked by pricking
them with the tip of a knife which must penetrate softly and easily.
TRICK : if you do not have a grater or electric mixer to
slice the potatoes, use a peeler...
Terrine Rustique
"Country Terrine"
Ingredients for 8 people :
- 450 gr [1 lb] pork meat
- 300 gr [2/3 lb] veal meat
- 250 gr [1/2 lb] smoked lardoons (bacon)
- 5 cl [ 2 fl oz] cognac
- 2 eggs
- 2 blades of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- nutmeg, salt & pepper
Recipe :
1- Cut the meats into cubes ; .
2- In an electric mixer, with the blade accessory, put meat cubes
and crush them, but not too thinly.
2- Put the meat in a salad bowl, pour the cognac, add the thyme
leaves, the nutmeg, salt (not too much because of the bacon) &
pepper ; mix everything and leave for 15 minutes.
* Add the 2 eggs to the meat and mix to obtain an homogeneous
mixture ; put it into a paté terrine, smooth the surface and display
the bay leaves on. Cover with the terrine lid.
* Put the terrine on the oven baking tray in which you must always
keep some water during the baking time (this is called "Bain
Marie").
* Bake in pre-heated oven at 180°C / 350°F for 1 h 30.
* Let it cool down then keep in fridge for at least 12 hours before
serving.
Serve with French bread and Cornichons (gherkins).
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