French Recipes

With very few exceptions, these recipes are quick, easy and inexpensive. Bon appétit !

Salade verte au canard (green salad with duck)

Ingredients for 6-8 people

2 duck breasts, trimmed of fat

2 tsp. salt

freshly ground black pepper

4 seedless oranges, skinned and separated into wedges

2 T. red wine vinegar

1/3 c. olive oil or colza

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

2/3 c. tawny port or Beaumes de Venise

1/2 lb. arugula or greens of your choice

1/2 lb. red lettuce

2 shallots, minced

1/2 c. celery

Place the duck breasts skin side down in a small, low roasting pan. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper. Let sit for 1 hour (you can also refrigerate it overnight, but bring the meat to room temp before cooking).

Mix together the vinegar, oil, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and ground pepper. Set aside. 

Preheat oven to 425F / 218C.

Roast duck in center of oven for 10 minutes, till medium rare. Or sauté in a heavy skillet, over high heat, turning frequently. Remove the duck, set aside and let sit on a cutting board for 5 minutes.

Pour the fat from the pan. Add the port to the pan. Heat while scraping the pan to release drippings. Flambé with a match. Set aside.

Remove the layer of fat from the duck, then cut the duck on a slant, into 1/2 inch strips. Reheat the duck in the port for 1 minute.

Toss the salad greens with the vinaigrette. Add the shallots, celery and orange slices. Toss together and check the seasonings. Place some of the salad greens mixture on each serving plate. Top with duck  slices. Dribble some of the port over the top. Serve with crusty bread and red wine.

Rillettes (shredded rabbit, pork or goose pâté)

I like rillettes even better than pâté, with the possible exception of our butcher’s pâté with foie gras. Then it's a toss up. The meat used for rillettes depends on personal taste and region: around the Loire, the choice tends to be pork; southwestern Perigord and northeastern Alsace favor duck and goose; in Provence, rabbit rillettes are popular. However you can find all three all over France… plus a recent very good and somewhat healthier version that’s been in selected supermarkets for the past 2-3 years, made from chicken and with much less fat.

Ingredients for about 1 quart of rillettes

One 3-pound rabbit (or meat of your choice, bone-in weight)

1 lb. fresh pork fatback, ground (or fat of your choice)

1 large onion, quartered

3 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

4 tsp. salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Optional: a touch of cloves and nutmeg

[½ lb. lard (optional, it’s for preserving the rillettes, in case you're not planning on eating them within a week]

For serving the rillettes: salad greens, cornichons, pickled onions and bread; best with a full-bodied red wine.

Preparation: In a 9-quart or so Dutch oven, combine the meat, ground fat, onion, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and ½ cup water. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours over medium heat. Turn the meat pieces over from time to time.

When the meat starts to color and stick to the bottom of the pan, add a bit of HOT water. Continue cooking till very tender (till meat falls apart), about 30 minutes, possibly longer. Country-style French cooking is not a science. Eyeball it.

Discard the thyme sprigs (the leaves will have fallen off). Bone the meat.

Working in batches, put the mixture into a food processor. Pulse just till shredded. Pack the rillettes into a 1-quart terrine or glass loaf pan. Refrigerate till cold.

To serve: Take the rillettes out of the fridge about an hour before serving time. You can eat them right out of the fridge, but they’re much more flavorful and spreadable if you let the terrine sit at room temp for a while. You can unmold the terrine onto a serving dish for slicing or just dip into it with a knife.

To store rillettes for more than a week: melt the lard and pour over the cold rillettes in the terrine. They’ll keep, covered, for about 3 months. Scrape the lard off before serving (évidemment).

Salade de haricots verts et tomates

1 lb. long, stringless green beans, ends trimmed

2 scallions, minced

¼ cup olive oil

2 T. lemon juice

1 clove garlic

1 large ripe tomato, chopped (peeled and seeded as well if you wish)

or 2 Italian plum tomatoes, chopped

¼ c. Italian parsley, chopped

2 T. pine nuts (substitute hazelnuts or almonds if you can’t find decent pine nuts)

salt and pepper

Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a boil, add beans and cook until just crisp. Time depends on size and thickness of your beans. OR: steam the beans. When they’re done to your liking, drain (if boiled) and put them into a large glass or ceramic dish or bowl. An old Boston baked bean pot is perfect if you’re lucky enough to have one. Combine the other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour over the warm beans. Let stand at least 10 minutes, tossing occasionally. Serve at room temp. If you prefer the salad cold, no problem: just pop it into the fridge after it’s marinated awhile at room temperature.

Green Bean Puree with Pesto

4-6 cups green beans, ends trimmed

2 onions (preferably sweet)

6 garlic cloves

a handful or two of Italian parsley, chopped

a handful or two of basil leaves, chopped

2-4 cups vegetable bouillon or water

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil – anywhere from a few tablespoons to ½ cup

optional: thyme + a squeeze of lemon juice

The proportions are wide open on this recipe. Do what you want – just be sure to taste along the way. Boil the beans, onions and garlic in the bouillon until tender (or steam them). Taste and add salt if necessary. Add pepper, parsley and basil. Puree with a stick blender. Drizzle olive oil over the top and puree again to blend. Taste and adjust the flavor if necessary, adding more olive oil if desired. This is great alone or with a dollop of plain yogurt on top of each serving. You can prepare it well in advance and store in the fridge. I serve it as a first course either warm or cold, using about ¾ cup per serving.

 

Gratin aux aubergines (Eggplant Gratin)

Prep time: under 30 minutes.

Oven time: around 45 minutes.

Ingredients for a 3-quart baking dish (a pan with a larger surface area is better than a deep dish for this recipe). Adjust ingredients and baking dish size accordingly if you want to make a smaller amount.

-Vegetable oil (or olive oil if you watch the heat carefully and don’t care about calories)

-Flour for dredging the eggplant slices

-About 3 lbs eggplants, cut lengthwise into ¼ inch slices (no need to peel them)

-About 2 lbs fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped to make 4 cups (I use 3 cups of canned tomatoes, drained, when I don’t have tomatoes in the garden)

-½ c. fresh parsley or tarragon, minced (you can use dried but reduce the amount)

-4 large cloves of garlic, minced (fresh is much better than dry)

-2 T. olive oil

-1 ½ tsp salt

-Freshly ground black pepper

-Grated Parmesan, optional (I always add some to each layer)

-Fine breadcrumbs, optional (seasoned or not, as you wish)

Preparation

-Preheat oven to 350°.

-In a large, heavy skillet, heat the vegetable oil to 325°: I never check the temp; instead I heat the oil over medium heat for several minutes and often lower it afterwards. Just keep an eye on the eggplant: all you want to do is brown it lightly for flavor.

-Dredge the eggplant slices one at a time in the flour, shaking off the excess. Don’t give in to the temptation to dredge all the slices at once before frying; you’ll end up with a soggy mess. Dredge only the amount that you can fit into your skillet without crowding.

-Fry the eggplant slices briefly in the hot oil, occasionally turning them with tongs. When they’re a light golden color, drain them on paper towels: I often skip this step because I use very little vegetable oil, preferring to add a bit of oil to the skillet for each new batch of eggplant slices. It’s less messy, lower in calories and tastier. You can put the browned eggplant slices directly into your baking dish, topping them with the tomatoes and remaining ingredients before proceeding to dredge and brown the next batch of eggplant slices.

In an appropriately sized baking dish (meaning whatever you like or whatever is clean), layer the eggplant slices and tomatoes. Sprinkle with parsley (or tarragon), garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Repeat, finishing with a layer of eggplant. If you’re using the Parmesan, scatter it over each layer. For a delicious top layer, use a blend of grated Parmesan and fine breadcrumbs.

Bake for 45 minutes or so, checking from time to time. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil, shiny side down.

Serve warm or at room temperature, with crusty bread and a green salad. Also good with a side of fish, chicken, turkey or even sausages. And a robust red wine…bien sûr.

 

Tomates farcies à la marocaine (Moroccan style vegetarian stuffed tomatoes)

Ingredients:

4 ripe tomatoes: a variety of colors makes a lovely first course

1 charred bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 lb. zucchini, coarsely grated

1 onion, coarsely grated

1 garlic clove, crushed

Olive oil

Italian parsley or cilantro

Black olives

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 150° C / 300° F

Slice the cap off the tomatoes then scoop out tomatoes, saving the pulp and caps. Turn them upside down to drain while preparing the other ingredients.

Steam the grated zucchini and onion together for 4-5 minutes.

Combine the pepper, zucchini, onion, garlic and parsley or cilantro lightly together. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fill the tomatoes with this mixture.

Place the tomatoes in a small baking dish (preferably ceramic).

Cover with a bit of the reserved pulp. Drizzle with olive oil then top with the tomato caps.

Bake for about 2 hours.

When done, take the tomatoes out of the oven and add a bit more of the reserved pulp if you wish. Decorate with black olives.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

OR: Stuff the tomatoes then top with bread crumbs. Drizzle with olive oil before baking.

Tarte chocolatée aux poires (Pear tart with chocolate)

You can use fresh or canned pears. If using canned pears, skip the poaching part of the recipe.

Ingredients (for 6 people):

1 pie/tart shell, preferably feuilletée

4 pears

2 c. water

14 oz. sugar (1 ¾ c)

1 vanilla bean (or substitute liquid vanilla)

3 ½ oz. butter, softened to room temperature

1 packet vanilla sugar (if you can’t find this, make some or just use liquid vanilla)

2 eggs + 1 egg yolk

7 oz. cornstarch

3 ½ oz. finely ground almonds (flour-like consistency)

1 T. almond liquor

3 ½ oz. liquid crème fraîche

3 ½ oz. dark baking chocolate, grated

Line a tart pan with the pie shell. Prick the bottom with a fork and chill for 20 minutes.

Peel the pears, cut in half lengthwise, core.

Place the water in a saucepan; add the sugar and melt on stovetop. Add the split vanilla bean along with the seeds. Bring to a boil; let boil until mixture becomes syrupy.

Poach the pear halves in the syrup until tender. Cool slightly then cut into thin slices.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.

In a shallow bowl, beat the softened butter with the remaining sugar and the packet of vanilla sugar. Add the 2 eggs and egg yolk; incorporate the corn starch, the almond liquor and the ground almonds.

Pour this over the crust then cover with the pear slices (gently push them down into it).

Bake 25 minutes. Let cool.

To serve: melt the grated chocolate in the cream, pour it over the tart, making a smooth layer.

 

Raviolis aux cèpes (raviolis with mushrooms

This is a dish from the south of France, where Italian and French influences often merge. You can substitute dry mushrooms for fresh; reconstitute them first, adjust the amount accordingly.

Ingredients (to serve 4)

200 g. flour (about 1 cup)

2 eggs

pinch of salt

600 g. cèpes (about 1 ¼ lbs.)

2 shallots

1 T oil for browning the mushrooms and shallots

salt

freshly ground pepper

walnut oil, to drizzle over the finished raviolis before serving

Pulse the flour, salt, walnut oil and eggs together in a food processor until the dough is well-blended and pliable. Knead it rapidly on a floured surface. Shape it into a ball then cover with a clean dish towel. Let rest for 30 minutes in a cool place.

Chop the mushrooms and shallots. Sauté till golden in the oil (not the walnut oil). Salt and pepper. Set aside.

Working on a floured surface, roll the dough into a thin sheet. Fold in half. Re-roll and fold ten more times. Cut it into 2 equal rectangles.

On the first rectangle, place teaspoons of the mushroom filling, leaving a space between each mound. Moisten the edges of the dough then cover with the second rectangle. Seal the two layers together. Cut the raviolis with a notched cutting wheel. Flour them lightly then set aside to dry for 30 minutes. Plunge into boiling, slightly salted water; let cook 4 minutes. Drain.

To serve: Drizzle with walnut oil, salt and pepper.

Fennouil (fennel), marinated

Fennel (bulb) is delicious added to many stews and soups. I like it as a side dish. If you can't find fennel at your local grocery store, try a Mediterranean or Mid-eastern market.

Ingredients:

1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, 1 sprig rosemary, 4 sprigs parsely

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 fennel bulbs, trimmed and coarsely chopped

1/3 cup white wine

juice of 2 lemons

1/4 cup raisins

2 tsp peppercorns

salt

Preparation

Tie the bay leaf, thyme, rosemary and parsley together in a piece of cheese cloth... or do like I almost always do ('cause I almost never have any cheese cloth handy): toss them into the pot and take the stems out before serving the dish.

Heat the olive oil, sauté the garlic until it begins to color a bit. Add the fennel, sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir frequently.

Add enough water to cover the fennel. Add the wine, lemon juice, raisins, peppercorns and salt. Cover and cook until the marinade has cooked down to half the quantity. This takes around 30 minutes.

Remove the fennel to a serving dish and refrigerate it. Drain the marinade into a bowl and chill as well.

To serve: pour the marinade over the fennel, toss to coat. Serve at room temperature.

 

Sanglier en daube = wild boar stew (you can substitute pork shoulder) 

This dish is popular in the winter months, especially in the Cevennes, where the sanglier population has grown to a point where the beasts are considered an environmental threat.

Ingredients to serve (at least) 8 people

Marinade: 1 ½ bottles full bodied red wine (Languedoc or Côtes du Rhône), 1 cup  red wine vinegar*, 1 large onion (chopped), 2 carrots (chopped), 3 shallots (minced), 2 cloves, 2-3 sage leaves, a generous pinch of thyme, 1 bay leaf, 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled, crushed, 7 oz. dry cep mushrooms, 2 tsp. sea salt, ¼ tsp. cracked peppercorns, 1/8 tsp. allspice. [*Other similar recipes omit the vinegar, using only wine and Cognac or Armagnac, with different combinations and proportions of the other ingredients for the marinade.]

PREPARATION

The night before: put the pieces of meat into a large container. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade, stir in 2 tps. salt, then pour the marinade over the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day:

1. Strain the meat: vegetables in one container, meat in another, marinade in another.

2. Melt the lard in a large oven-proof dish, add the vegetables, cover and cook gently to sweat them for 10 minutes.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 400°.

4. Heat the bacon in a large skillet; when it begins to smoke, add the meat. When brown all over, add the meat to the vegetables. Sift the flour over and stir well. Let it cook a bit, then moisten with the marinade. Bring back to a boil, cover then put into the pre-heated oven for 1 ½ hours or more -- until tender. If using pork, I sometimes use a very low oven and much longer cooking time than for the sanglier: 225° for 4 hours. It's basically the same kind of preparation used for many Mexican pork dishes.

5. While the meat cooks, prepare one of these traditional side dishes: mashed/creamed chestnuts or potatoes with blueberry sauce (or cranberry sauce -- not traditional, but delicious with the sanglier); fresh pasta (tagliatelles); winter squash puree. [Braised greens are another good accompaniment.]

6. Remove the meat pot from the oven, take the meat out of the sauce, cover to keep warm.  Add the chocolate to the sauce left in the pan. Blend with a stick mixer then strain through a fine sieve. Put the meat back into the sauce. Serve warm, sprinkled with toasted pine nuts or pistachios, with the pasta, potatoes, squash or greens on the side...and good bread, for sopping up the sauce.

 

A special holiday cocktail, Cévennes style

Chestnuts abound in the Cévennes mountains of France; you can easily find chestnuts products in just about every kind of grocery store. This cocktail is a spin-off of the classic Kir, traditionally made with dry white wine  and crème de cassis.  Made with champagne, it's called a Kir royale. For the cévenol version, substitute chestnut cream (liqueur) for the cassis and you're all set. For yet another taste twist, try using cartagène instead of the cassis. It's similar to French muscat in taste, a bit richer and more velvety.

Ingredients

2 1/4 ounces champagne

1/4 ounce chestnut cream or chestnut liqueur OR cartagène

Pour the chestnut cream or cartagène into whatever kind of glass you like for champagne, slowly add the champagne and there you have it.

There's a chestnut cocktail recipe using whiskey and chestnut cream on the Cocktail Times web site, with instructions for making your own chestnut cream. Here's the address:

http://cocktailtimes.com/whiskey/   Click on "Chestnut tobby"

Riz au lait, au four / Baked Caramelized Rice Pudding

We recently had dinner with a couple from a neighboring village: the mayor and his wife, who runs the little post office adjoining their home. Everything was homemade, right down to the wine. We exchanged recipes for traditional baked rice pudding. A version of Madame La Postière's follows.

Ingredients

1 cup round rice (I use aborio when I have it, I've also used Japanese-style rice)

4 cups milk (whole is tastier, low-fat is better for you, life is short...)

1/2 cup sugar

3 T. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp. vanilla extract: if using the bean, be sure to cut it in half.

Preheat oven to 300°F / 150°C. Prepare a glass or ceramic baking dish by greasing it with a bit of butter.

1. Stir together the milk, rice, sugar, butter, and vanilla.

2. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Bake for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally if you wish (not essential). The pudding is good both ways. The sugar caramelizes to form a crust on top.

Serve warm or cold.

Pommes de terre au romarin /Potatoes with rosemary

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/3 inch thick

coarse sea salt

Heat oven to 425 F / 218 C.
Drizzle a baking dish with the olive oil and rosemary.  I like to use a dish that's large enough for all the potatoes slices to form a single layer only.
Add the sliced potatoes, turning them to coat with the olive oil and rosemary.
Salt lightly.
Bake until the potatoes are tender, anywhere from 30-45 minutes, depending upon the type of potatoes used.

Thinly sliced onions are a tasty addition to the dish.

Petites galettes de blettes ou d'épinards (Swiss chard or spinach galettes)

This is a recipe that's more typically Italian than French. However it's also found in some regions of France, probably brought in by Italian immigrants during the Mussolini years.

Ingredients

1 pound chard or spinach

water for boiling the greens

fine sea salt + ground pepper

2 large slices stale bread

2 scallions or small onions

1 garlic clove or the equivalent in dry, minced garlic

1 T. chopped fresh rosemary

1 T. chopped fresh thyme, sage, bay, or mint (or any combination you wish)

1 T. chopped parsley

2 eggs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

olive oil

Wash the greens; drain. Remove any thick stems. Boil in a large pot of salted water until tender (not long). Drain, run under cold water to cool, then squeeze the greens hard to remove excess water.

Soak bread in cold water to soften. Squeeze to remove water, then measure out 1/2 bread.

Chop scallions or onions, garlic, herbs, parsley. Mix together.

Put 2/3 of the greens in a food processor. Add scallion mixture and chop.

Add eggs, soaked bread, Parmesan, salt and pepper (to taste). Process to smooth paste.

Heat 1 T. olive oil in skillet over moderate heat (or whatever works best for your skillet). Place silver dollar sized mounds of mixture in skillet, flattening a bit. Cook until lightly browned on the underside (1-3 minutes), then flip over to cook other side. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm. We like them as appetizers, with yogurt, tzatziki or fromage blanc, but they're tasty by themselves, too.

A small slice of tomato on top makes the galettes a delicious side dish for a main course.

 

Ragoût de bœuf aux cèpes (Beef stew with mushrooms)

You can substitute other dried mushrooms for the cèpes if necessary.

Cooking Time = around 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients

2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2" cubes, with some fat left on

1 good-sized handful of dried cèpes

2 slices thick bacon

2 onions, thinly sliced

1/2 bottle of red wine

3 T. flour

2 cubes beef bouillon (adjust amount if necessary, depending on kind used)

water, thyme, bay leaves, butter, salt, pepper

You can substitute oil for the butter if you prefer.

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large dutch oven. Brown the beef in the butter, then add the sliced onions. Salt and pepper, add the flour and stir well. Slowly add the red wine and then the bouillon. Add one cup water.

Cut the bacon into small pieces, add to the stew along with some thyme and bay leaves (amount depends on your taste preference).

Next add the dried mushrooms. Let everything stew over low heat for at least 2 hours, adding water if necessary.

This dish is even better the next day, so you can prepare the night before  or in the morning in a crock pot before heading off to work.

It's traditionally served with small potatoes, but I prefer it with polenta... and a full bodied red wine!

Apple Tart (Tarte aux pommes)

A traditional French tart, lovely but nonetheless quick to prepare before spring and summer fruits are available at the market. You can use a purchased or homemade crust (instructions follow a pâte brisée).

Ingredients:

One 10-inch tart shell, partially baked

2-3 apples: washed, cored and very thinly sliced -- peels on if you wish (the French usually peel them)

1/4 - 1/2 cup jam or jelly: apple or plum are nice, but just about anything works

Raisins and/or nuts (both are optional)

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400°F (around 200°C).

If using a purchased pie crust, roll it out carefully onto a pizza pan or other large, flat baking surface. I like to use a cast iron skillet.

If using a homemade crust, choose your favorire recipe for a one-layer crust, or make the following dough (enough for one 10-inch tart shell):

8 tablespoons butter

1 cup flour

pinch of salt

2-3 tablespoons water

Cut the butter into small pieces and place in freezer for 5 minutes.

Put the chilled butter, the flour and the salt into a bowl or a food processor. Process or cut together until it like cornmeal. If not using a processor, don't be shy about using your fingers! It's more efficient than a pastry cutter and much more fun!

Pull the mixture together with the heel of you hand to mix the butter and flour smoothly together. Gather it all up into a ball and flatten. Wrap in baking paper or wax paper and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll the dough to about a 12-inch circle. Line your pan of choice with the dough. Prick the bottom of the shell and refrigerate or freeze for at least 2 hours...until you're ready to bake it. When I'm in a hurry, I skip this. Line the shell with aluminum foil or baking paper weighted down with beans or rice and partially bake in a 400°F (around 200°C) oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, removing the beans/rice and foil/baking paper.

Line the shell with the apple slices. If using raisins and/or nuts, sprinkle them over the apple slices. Melt the jam or jelly and brush atop the fruit.

Bake the tart in a 400°F oven (around 200°C) for about 30 minutes.

Alternative baking method: First bake the tart with apple slices (+ raisins and nuts if using) for around 30 minutes. Remove from oven and  brush on the melted jam or  jelly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Poached Eggs with Tomatoes and Herbs

Easy, inexpensive, delicious in all seasons – one of our favorites

1ngredients:

1 large can of peeled tomatoes or 6 fresh tomatoes

4 fresh eggs

salt & pepper

1 garlic clove, minced, or ½ tsp dried garlic

1 tsp herbes de Provence (or to taste)

Olive oil

Fresh parsley for garnish

If using canned tomatoes, break them up with your hands or the back of a fork. If using fresh tomatoes, core and chop them.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down, about 10-15 minutes. Add parsley if using. Stir.

Break the eggs one by one over the tomato mixture. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes, depending on how hard you want your eggs.

Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and serve with crusty bread and a green salad.

OR:  prepare the tomato mixture in an oven-proof skillet, crack the eggs over the tomatoes, top with some grated Parmesan or Gruyere, then bake uncovered at 350 ° until eggs are set and cheese melted. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the dish before serving with crusty bread and a green salad.