tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940583166073123187Wed, 06 May 2026 20:53:16 +000010 minutes flatmains5 minutescold startersveghot startersfishdessertchickenegg dishessoupsbeefslow cookeroffal/abatsporksaladshors d'œuvreshellfishroasted.Intro--FAQcheeselambleftoverssaucesMastering the Art of 10 Minute French CookingAn homage to Julia Child and Edouard de Pomianenoreply@blogger.com (About this blog)Blogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940583166073123187.post-7472015675745926777Fri, 06 Jul 2018 00:45:00 +00002018-07-05T17:45:37.748-07:00Lamb chops oak grilled, pattypan squash "steaks", purslane saladWelcome back to my blog. I read <a href="; target="_blank">Provence 1970</a>, about Julia's transformation, and have joyously followed Julia into France autre mer. Or wherever. The food is good.<br />
<br />
<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="; width="150" /></a>I got a "fire pit" and fired it up tonight for the first time. The oak smoke from the wood my guy cut for me just permeated the squash "steaks" and the lamb chops from <a href="; target="_blank">the Meat Lab</a>. Added purslane salad from Remy at the <a href="; target="_blank">North Grand Farmer's Market.</a> I was in fire heaven.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="; width="150" /></a>I found a perfect kindling--rolling five sheets of newspaper into a tight rope and tying them in a knot. With a little fire starter and the newspaper kindling under a 2 x 2 square of split oak, it was perfect. No tending necessary.<br />
<br />
It took only 45 minutes from lighting to grilling. And 10 or 12 minutes more to get the squash and lamb to table. I used my Tuscan grill. And plain tongs from the kitchen. My clothes are a little smoky. So much the better.<br />
<br />
Here are the recipes, if you nee them.<br />
<br />
<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="; width="240" /></a><b>Lamb chops</b><br />
Choose 1 inch rib chops. Season with salt and <a href="; target="_blank">piment d'Espelette</a>. Rub with garlic if you choose. Place on the coals for 5-7 minutes a side, turning as necessary until they are done to t<a href="; target="_blank">he face touch</a>. <br />
<br />
<b>Pattypan squash</b><br />
Slice into 3/4 inch "steaks," rub with olive oil, salt, piment d'Espelette. Place on the coals for 5-7 minutes a side, turning as necessary until they are marked by the grill and done to your taste.<br />
<br />
<b>Rosemary butter</b><br />
Chop some rosemary and mix it into 1/2 cup melted butter. Chill in a mold that you bought in Paris (<a href="; target="_blank">or Amazon.com</a>). Place a pat on each of the chops and the squash "steaks."<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Purslane salad</b><br />
Pull the leaves (and tender stems) from enough purslane to yield about 3/4 cup per person. Toss with vinaigrette.2018/07/lamb-chops-oak-grilled-pattypan-squash.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (About this blog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940583166073123187.post-5039951879210839362Tue, 07 May 2013 02:27:00 +00002013-05-06T19:28:02.949-07:0010 minutes flatfishFilets de poisson et asperges, grille<div>
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A springtime treat, with the asparagus and chives. And it is done in 10 minutes. Using the Silpat saves a lot of cleanup.</div>
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<div>
Serves 4<br />
<br />
4 four to six ounce fish filets, such as trout, ocean perch, tilapia<br />
1 pound asparagus--thinner is better--lower stems cut off<br />
Cajun seasoning<br />
Herbs de Provence<br />
sea salt<br />
pepper <br />
herbs for garnish, such as scallion tops chopped, chives, chive flowers, capers, thyme</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Preheat broiler. </div>
<ol>
<li>On a baking pan (half sheet) place one pound thin asparagus, lower stems cut off, and the fish filets, skin side down. </li>
<li>Drizzle all with olive oil, toss the asparagus in the oil, and dust the asparagus and the fish with sea salt. </li>
<li>Season the filets with Cajun seasoning and herbs de Provence. </li>
<li>Broil the fish for three minutes on top or until they are lightly browned. Turn and broil for one or two minutes more, tossing the asparagus as you turn the fish.</li>
<li>[OPTIONAL:] Nap the fish with Hollandaise or herb butter</li>
<li>Garnish with scallion tops, capers, chopped chives, and/or chive flowers.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
2013/05/filets-de-poisson-et-asperges-grille.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (About this blog)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940583166073123187.post-6572047798117022933Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:39:00 +00002013-05-01T18:20:20.733-07:005 minutessoupsvegRoasted pepper soup -- Soupe Catalane aux poivrons<br />
<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="; width="400" /></a>Sitting in the dentist's office--the dentists who inspired Jane Smiley's novella <i>Age of Grief</i>, about a husband-wife dentist practice--I found a recipe that I dictated into my phone while sitting in the waiting room. And it is really 1 minute.<br />
<br />
<b>Roasted pepper soup shots </b><br />
one 16 ounce jar fire roasted red peppers with your juices.<br />
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar.<br />
1 fourth cup olive oil.<br />
Salt and pepper.<br />
Blend and serve in shot glasses.<br />
<i>Bon Appetite</i> October 2012 page 104<br />
<br />
I wondered if there is anything like this in Julia or de Pomaine. Turned out <br />
there is: MAFC II p. 21, Soup Catalane aux poivrons, which I adapted and served last week to Rich and Julie.<br />
<br />
Serves four as a first course<br />
<br />
1 large garlic clove <br />
one16 ounce jar fire roasted red peppers with their juices<br />
1/4 cup cocktail onions <br />
2 tablespoons
sherry<br />
1/2 cup chicken stock <br />
1/4 cup olive oil<br />
1/2 cup cooked rice, preferably brown basmati <br />
Salt and pepper <br />
<ol>
<li>Peel the garlic and chop it in a food processor. </li>
<li>Add everything but the rice and blend until smooth.</li>
<li>Pour into a small sauce pan, add the rice, and heat. </li>
</ol>
2013/04/roasted-pepper-soup-soupe-catalane-aux.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (About this blog)13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940583166073123187.post-4802816371412033408Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:54:00 +00002013-04-21T10:54:33.952-07:005 minutescold startersfishTartare de saumon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Easter brunch 2013 continues, with salmon tartare. This is a sort of French ceviche, where lemon juice "cooks" raw fish. It's really really good. It made a nice little starter for us, before the quiche.<br />
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This is another lightning dish if the fishmonger (butcher here in Iowa) dices or minces the fish, as the friendly folks at Fareway did for me. Don't dare use a food processor, as it mangles the fishie's tissues. <br />
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I suppose verrines are really supposed to have layers. That's easy to do, such as <a href="; target="_blank">Thomas Keller's with a layer of red onion crème fraiche</a>, or one I did yesterday with capers. A red layer of marinated roasted pepper, drained from the jar and chopped would be nice too.<br />
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These "verrine" glasses are actually votive candle holders from Walmart, 88¢ each. <br />
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Serves 4<br />
<br />
8 ounces of salmon filet (belly if possible) cut into 1/8 in dice or minced<br />
10 chive spears or 2 green onion tops<br />
2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, preferably Maille<br />
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil<br />
3 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)<br />
salt and pepper<br />
<ol>
<li>Chop the chives or green onion tops very finely</li>
<li>In a bowl, beat the chives, mustard, olive oil, and lemon juice into an emulsion.</li>
<li>Toss the salmon into the dressing and season.</li>
<li>Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. </li>
<li>Serve in small "verrine" glasses, garnished with chives or green onion tops.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />2013/04/tartare-de-saumon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (About this blog)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940583166073123187.post-6923029397328169243Sun, 14 Apr 2013 19:27:00 +00002013-04-14T12:30:54.149-07:005 minutescold starterssoupsMelon and champagne soup<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="; imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="325" src="; width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The bubbly is <span id="internal-source-marker_0.4053701265171241" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Segura Viedas Brut Reserva 2011 cava</span></span></span></td></tr>
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We had a champagne brunch for Easter, just the three of us. Salmon tartare, Maddie's quiche. And to start this melon soup. It's lightning fast. I bought some melon cubes (Chilean) at the store, popped them in the blender with the juices and bubbly, and -- ZAP! -- summrery froth.<br />
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I found some little airplane bottles of bubbly, so it's possible to make an ordinary day special by making this speedy soup. This is a another dentist waiting room special, adapted from Shape magazine. But it's really elegant, and it sort of tickles the nose. Or maybe that's my imagination. <br />
<br id="internal-source-marker_0.37217460644142386" />
Serves 4<br />
<br id="internal-source-marker_0.37217460644142386" />
2 cups cantaloupe chunks<br />
1/4 cup orange juice<br />
1 tablespoon juice<br />
1/4 cup champagne<br />
fresh mint<br />
<ol>
<li>In a blender, puree all the ingredients except the mint until frothy. </li>
<li>Garnish with chopped mint</li>
</ol>
<br />2013/04/melon-and-champagne-soup.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (About this blog)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940583166073123187.post-2756738269323584178Sat, 13 Apr 2013 12:36:00 +00002013-04-14T13:30:55.558-07:00egg disheshot startersmainsSavory souffles<a href="; onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544701052996605554" src="; style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 214px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Souffles are pretty easy to do once you've got the hang of separating eggs and whipping them into stiff peaks and folding them in (MAFC I 157). Once you have the trick of this, it's possible to vary this infinitely by adding leftovers to the bottom of the dish before turning in the souffle mixture, or putting half the mixture in and then the leftovers, and then the rest.<br />
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And of course you can vary the condensed cream soups many, many ways. Campbell's Cream of Celery is a good base for fish souffles, as is Cream of Shrimp (MAFC I pp. 166-171). The Campbell's Cream of Chicken and Herbs is a good base for poultry souffles. Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic is good too. These taste less like, well, canned soups!<br />
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Serves 4 as a starter<br />
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Preheat the oven to 425<br />
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<div>
1 10oz can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken, cream of broccoli, etc.)<br />
4 egg yolks<br />
4 egg whites<br />
OPTIONAL: grated cheddar cheese</div>
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<div id="directions_slide">
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<ol class="directions" id="directions"><div>
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<br />
<li>In bowl combine soup and yolks.</li>
<li>Beat egg whites until stiff.</li>
<li>Fold into soup mixture.</li>
<li>Turn into a buttered one-liter souffle or casserole dish (olive oil spray is fine) or individual souffle dishes. The mixture should fill just over half of the dish.</li>
<li>Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.</li>
<li>Bake at 425 for 25 minutes (15 minutes for individual ones).</li>
<li>Serve immediately.</li>
</div>
</ol>
<a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="; width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
/>
2 <a class="ingredient" href="; <br />
1 can <a class="ingredient" href=" of mushroom soup</a> <a class="to_shopping_list to_list " href="; rel="1 can cream of mushroom soup" title="Add to shopping list"></a> <br />
1 <a class="ingredient" href=";>small onion</a>, chopped <br />
1/8 tsp. <a class="ingredient" href=";>garlic powder</a> <a class="to_shopping_list to_list " href="; rel="1/8 tsp. garlic powder" title="Add to shopping list"></a> <br />
1/2 tsp. <a class="ingredient" href=";>salt</a><br />
1-10 oz. pkg. <a class="ingredient" href=";>frozen spinach</a>, thawed and drained<br />
1/8 tsp. <a class="ingredient" href=";>nutmeg</a><br />
<ol>
<li>Heat oven to 350</li>
<li>Put eggs, soup, onion, garlic powder and salt into blender and blend for 30 seconds</li>
<li>Add spinach and nutmeg and blend for 30 seconds</li>
<li>Pour into an ungreased casserole dish</li>
<li>Bake 50-60 minutes</li>
</ol>
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2013/04/savory-souffles.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (About this blog)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940583166073123187.post-5717565456266221931Sat, 06 Apr 2013 19:16:00 +00002013-04-06T12:16:20.073-07:00beefhot startersoffal/abatsOs à moelle grillés: Marrow bones<br />
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<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="; width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">On <a href="; target="_blank">Rue Dauguerre</a> last fall, the night the Beaujolais Nouveau was released, I sat at the banquette at <a href="; target="_blank">Le Plan B</a>, next to a well dressed gentleman who was diving into a plate of marrow bones. Cross cut ones, like in the picture below. With a tiny spoon. Very much enjoying himself. </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Julia has a recipe of sorts for marrow bones (MAFCI p. 19), but it's for poaching them<span style="font-size: small;"> quickly</span> to get the marrow for sauces, like <span style="font-size: small;">sauce <span style="font-size: small;">Bordelaise</span>. (<span style="font-size: small;">You can pull the marrow from stewing bones for this as well, like Osso <span style="font-size: small;">Bucco.) </span></span></span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The <a href="; target="_blank">fleur de sel</a> is crucial<span style="font-size: small;">. I got some when I was in La Rochelle<span style="font-size: small;">--raked from the Atlantic salt flats nearby<span style="font-size: small;"> (and very expensive<span style="font-size: small;">, for<span style="font-size: small;"> salt). </span></span></span>When J first had it, she was <span style="font-size: small;">skeptical, b<span style="font-size: small;">u<span style="font-size: small;">t<span style="font-size: small;"> one taste and she became a believer.<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">You can eith<span style="font-size: small;">er split the bones len<span style="font-size: small;">gth<span style="font-size: small;">-<span style="font-size: small;">wise or crosswise. <span style="font-size: small;">But because I buy dog bones at Fareway, <span style="font-size: small;">they are always cross-wise<span style="font-size: small;">. And they are not a<span style="font-size: small;">s long as I would like<span style="font-size: small;">. <span style="font-size: small;">The longer they are, the longer th<span style="font-size: small;">ey take to roast. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">There's <a href="; target="_blank">a great video</a> of the master, <a href="; target="_blank">F</a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="; target="_blank">ergus <span style="font-size: small;">Henderson</span></a>,</span> roasting th<span style="font-size: small;">em at Saint John's Bread and Wine. </span>I ate there <span style="font-size: small;">a couple of <span style="font-size: small;">times when I was in London, but never <span style="font-size: small;">had the marrow bones. Next time. J<span style="font-size: small;"> bought me his classic cookbook, <a href="; target="_blank">The Whole Beast: Nos</a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="; target="_blank">e to Tail </a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="; target="_blank">Ea</a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="; target="_blank">ting</a> some years ago. Often she does not much li<span style="font-size: small;">k<span style="font-size: small;">e</span> the <span style="font-size: small;">offal<span style="font-size: small;">/abats, but <span style="font-size: small;">she lapped up the marrow bones. <span style="font-size: small;">And <span style="font-size: small;">the<span style="font-size: small;">n it occurred to me<span style="font-size: small;">: She's <span style="font-size: small;">a <span style="font-size: small;">rancher's daughter. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Photos of Le plan B, Paris" height="239" src="; width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo of <a href=" plan B</a> is courtesy of TripAdvisor</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Serves two as a<span style="font-size: small;"> first cours<span style="font-size: small;">e</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Preheat oven to 450º</span> </span><br />
<div class="crayon article-ingredients-358 p">
<ul class="spip">
<li class="ingredient"> 8 beef shank bones cut crosswise, 2 to 3 inches. Or two bones cut lengthwise, 6 to 8 inches long</li>
<li class="ingredient"> fleur de sel</li>
<li class="ingredient"> <span style="font-size: small;">pepper from a mill</span></li>
<li class="ingredient"> toast made from good French bread </li>
<li class="ingredient">Parsley<br /><br /><ol>
<li>Put the bones in a half sheet pan and roast. Begin checking in 15 minutes until a paring knife inserted penetrates easily. Don't overcook or the marrow will melt away. </li>
<li>Serve with fleur de sel, pepper in a mill, and slices of grilled bread garnished with a chiffonade of parsley.</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="texte surlignable entry-content" id="preparation">
<div class="crayon article-texte-358 instructions">
<a href="; style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="; width="308" /></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Photos of Le plan B, Paris" src="; /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo of <a href=" plan B</a> is courtesy of TripAdvisor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<a href=";><br /></a>2013/04/os-moelle-grilles-marrow-bones.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (About this blog)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940583166073123187.post-6269149536745713572Mon, 01 Apr 2013 02:05:00 +00002013-05-23T17:05:44.832-07:0010 minutes flatcold starterssaladsSpinach, pear, roquefort & walnut salad<br />
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I had this sweet salad first in <a href="; target="_blank">a little restaurant</a> in Edmond, Oklahoma, my home town. It was in the space where I had my first job, a clerk in a doughnut shop. We clerks got all the doughnuts and ice cream we could eat. Great perks. I lost the job when my hair got too long and I refused to cut it. Ah the Sixties! The restaurant is now kind of shishi. Like Edmond now. Now I eat sweet salads instead of doughnuts. Ah, my sixties!<br />
<br />
If you have the walnuts and bacon ready, this is five minutes to put together. If you don't--and have an oven on for something else--you can cook the bacon and the walnuts while other things are going.<br />
<br />
Sugared walnuts are kind of a pain to make, and messy gooey to clean up. So an easy (and easy
clean-up) method is to simply put eight ounces of walnuts (whole or
pieces) on a <a href="; target="_blank">Silpat</a> in a baking pan, spray with cooking spray, and toss with two
tablespoons of sugar. Bake in a 370 to 450 degree oven (depending on
what else you are cooking) for five to ten minutes, shaking once or
twice. Check them after 5 minutes. They will be crisp and only slightly
sugary. Slide the Silpat out of the baking pan and cool. You can add salt or a bit of cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning.<br />
<br />
5 minutes<br />
Serves 4<br />
<ul>
<li>3 tablespoons vinaigrette</li>
<li>1 tablespoon honey</li>
<li>8 ounces spinach leaves, from a bag--or if not, washed! (romaine works too)</li>
<li>4 strips oven-cooked bacon, crumbled or minced (place bacon on a sheet in a preheated 400 oven for 15-30 minutes)</li>
<li>1 cup crumbled Roquefort or other good blue cheese, such as Maytag</li>
<li>1 pear, cored and cut into eight sections. (An apple corer will help here.)</li>
<li>1 cup toasted or sugared walnuts (or pecans or almonds) </li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li>Combine the vinaigrette and honey and microwave until warm. Start with 10 seconds on high. OR if the honey is too cold to pour, microwave the honey jar until it is warm (start with 15 seconds) and pour the warm honey into the vinaigrette, stirring with a fork to combine. </li>
<li>Chop the pears sections, crumble or mince the bacon, and toss with the dressing.</li>
<li>Add the spinach, the Roquefort, and the walnuts and toss again. </li>
</ol>
2013/03/spinach-pear-roquefort-walnut-salad.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (About this blog)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940583166073123187.post-2763605055418614728Tue, 26 Mar 2013 01:32:00 +00002013-04-06T07:36:33.972-07:00dessertCoeur à la creme<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I used to love to make this for the kids. We had a little heart-shaped wicker basket, which I would fill and let drain overnight. The kids loved this like cheesecake. And it's so much healthier.<br />
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<a href="; style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="; width="200" /></a>The basket fell apart. So Amazon.com came to my rescue with a purpose-made dish that drains neatly. It's just enough for two, really, 12 ounces. Very romantic as a dessert to share. With proper prior approval by the sharee, of course. <a href="; target="_blank">(Ms Manners has the final word</a> on people who expect one to share when one does not want to).<br />
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Edouard de Pomaine (<i>French Cooking in Ten Minutes</i> p. 140) has this in a much faster form than mine, above. "Beat some heavy cream into farmer's cheese or soft cream cheese. Stir in some sugar and a little powdered cinnamon. This is <i>a super-quick dessert and it's excellent</i> [italics mine!]. You can serve it either with or without vanilla wafers."<br />
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1/2 package of Neufchatel (low fat cream cheese)<br />
1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream<br />
1 tablespoon honey<br />
[Optional: 1/4 teaspoon vanilla or 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur]<br />
Strawberries, cherries, or other fruits<br />
<ol>
<li>Line a coeur à la creme mold with cheesecloth or paper towel.</li>
<li>Beat the ingredients with a fork and then a whisk until smooth.</li>
<li>Pour into the mold and refrigerate until chilled and set, about 1-2 hours.</li>
<li>Unmold, remove the cloth or paper, and serve with fruit.</li>
</ol>
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<br />2013/03/coeur-la-creme.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (About this blog)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940583166073123187.post-7850355833698008148Mon, 18 Mar 2013 02:01:00 +00002013-03-17T19:01:10.679-07:0010 minutes flatbeefmainsoffal/abatsporkSauteed liver: Abats 101<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are all kinds of 'abats'--organ meats. (French for slaughterhouse is <span style="font-style: italic;">abattoir</span>.) But liver is the easiest and fastest and healthiest and, well, easiest to take for many people.<br />
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<a href=" has liver</a> exactly right when she says it<span class="recipe_structure_headnotes"> "cooks hardly more than a minute on each side. Overcooked liver is gray, dry, and disappointing—perfectly sautéed, it is a rosy pink when you cut into it.</span>"<br />
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The photo shows pork liver, my favorite, cut by the Meat Lab into lamelles, a little thicker than the usual. So it took about two minutes a side.<br />
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A lot of paper towels or newspaper will help--to blot the liver and dredge it. If you put it on the counter it makes a huge mess.<br />
<span class="recipe_structure_ingredients"> </span><br />
<ul class="recipe_attr_text">
<li><span class="recipe_structure_ingredients">4 slices (about 1 pound) calf's or pork liver sliced about ½ inch thick</span></li>
<li><span class="recipe_structure_ingredients">Salt and freshly ground pepper</span></li>
<li><span class="recipe_structure_ingredients">½ cup or more seasoned breadcrumbs or flour in a plate</span></li>
<li><span class="recipe_structure_ingredients">3 tablespoons butter and olive oil combined, or <span class="recipe_structure_ingredients">clarified butter</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span class="recipe_structure_ingredients"> </span><br />
<ol>
<li>Heat the butter and/or oil over high heat. Season the liver on one side with salt and pepper.</li>
<li>Dredge the liver in the bread crumbs or flour. Knock the excess of each slice and put each in the skillet. </li>
<li>Cook about a minute on each side, or until it's springy to the touch, golden on the outside and pink on the inside (poke and peek until you can feel the doneness). Be sure to remove the slices in the same order you placed them, so they cook evenly.</li>
</ol>
Julia has <a href=" nice variations</a>. But the best for me is the simplest: plain with Dijon mustard. But it takes only a couple of minutes to chop a bit of that precooked bacon that's always in the frig, adding some scallion and stock or wine and mustard to the drippings to make a sauce (which thicken quickly with the crumbs or flour).<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>2013/03/sauteed-liver-abats-101.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (About this blog)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940583166073123187.post-4836212179385069761Mon, 11 Mar 2013 02:21:00 +00002013-03-10T19:37:23.651-07:005 minutescold starterssaladsvegSalade de tomate ou/et concombre / tomato/cucumber salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a> The best things are the simplest. I write this in early March, when
there is a lot of snow on the ground. And it is barely above freezing
days. And I hate Iowa. Next pic, please.<br />
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And I do dream of summer tomatoes. Heirlooms, sure. But also just Burpee garden variety tomatoes. With some basil. No vinaigrette. Maybe some salt and pepper. Maybe not.<br />
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And then maybe some cucumbers. On the deck. (next pic please). Overlooking the miserable tomato vines that I try to grow almost every year, from the glorious smelly young plants the farmers at the market sell before there's anything else to sell, except maybe rhubarb or greens.<br />
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And then, about the fourth of July, I realize, again, that I am no farmer, nor even a vegetable gardener. I am just a tomato eater. And a pretty good one.<br />
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I am, however, an excellent tomato slicer. And that is really all it takes. Some say it doesn't even take that. Some eat tomatoes like apples, whole, just biting into them, and letting the juice go where it goes.<br />
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Not me. I am civilized. See the pics?<br />
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<br />2013/03/salade-de-tomate-ouet-concombre.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (About this blog)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5940583166073123187.post-8184099637706549697Wed, 06 Mar 2013 02:01:00 +00002013-03-05T18:06:20.361-08:00chickencold startershot startersoffal/abatsTimbales de foies de volaille -- Chicken liver custards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is very much a Ladies Who Lunch kind of thing. 1950s hats and white gloves. I love it. Definitely a <i>Madmen</i> thing. But then MAFC is really an early 60s thing: published in 1961 (vol. 1 p. 174).<br />
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It reminds me of when we went to this time warp French restaurant in midtown Manhattan called <a href=" Périgord</a> a couple of years ago, with my daughter-in-law. Founded in 1964, it looked like it had the original carpet and the original waiters. I loved the dessert cart, with classics never seen today, like floating island. The fixed price lunch menu had a dish very much like this one.<br />
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Just rich enough to whet the appetite yet light; easy to make; stays warm well; inexpensive ingredients; elegant presentation. And less than 10 minutes into the oven. It also has a million variations, with (and I quote from Julia, p. 174) "ham, turkey, chicken, sweetbreads, salmon, lobster, crab, scallops, mushrooms, asparagus tips, or spinach." <br />
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Serves 4 as a first course<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350º <br />
<br />
1 tablespoon butter<br />
1 tablespoon flour<br />
1/2 cup boiling milk<br />
1 cup chicken livers, pressed down (about 8 ounces)<br />
2 eggs<br />
3 tablespoons heavy cream or crème fraiche<br />
1 tablespoon port, Madeira, cognac, sherry, etc.<br />
cooking spray <br />
<ol>
<li>Heat water in a kettle </li>
<li>In a small saucepan, make a béchamel sauce by melting together the butter and the flour, stirring until they foam, without coloring, about 2 minutes. Off heat, beat in the milk and seasoning. </li>
<li>In a food processor or blender on high, puree the livers, eggs, and seasoning for 30 seconds.</li>
<li>Add the béchamel sauce, the cream, and the wine and blend for 15 seconds.</li>
<li>Spray four 1/2 cup ramekins and place them in a skillet or baking pan. Divide the mixture into them and pour boiling water around them, so it comes at least half way up the sides of the ramekins.</li>
<li>Place in the oven for 25 minutes or until a needle or knife comes out clean and the timbales have just begun to shrink from the ramekins. </li>
<li>Run a knife around the edge of each ramekin to loosen the timbale. Invert a serving plate over each and invert to unmold. </li>
<li&