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With a little prep, tarts are surprisingly easy, and this version even skips the need for eggs or cream instead using creme friache to make it even easier and to highlight the fresh tomatoes. Delicious.
For this year’s French Gran Prix we made Coq Au Vermouth, Carrot Tarte Tatin, and Fennel and Grapefruit Salad with Warm Goat Cheese.
This adaptation of the classic French stew, Coq Au Vin, plays with the traditional flavors by using a brighter fortified wine— dry vermouth — to simmer the chicken and vegetables in.
How can anyone resist something quite so pretty? With store-bought puff pastry, this dish is surprisingly simple for such a fun presentation!
A composed salad with a delicious combination of textures and flavors.
Here a few gems from Rebekah Peppler’s new book: À Table. I would recommend any or all of them for any future dinner party, or picnic, or Tuesday night for that matter.
This cocktail tastes like summer and sunshine in a glass.
This salad has many of my favorite attributes: bright, hearty, easily made ahead and rested in the fridge until ready to serve, and surprising! The lime and honey tang and sweet with the earthy beets is such a great combination, but one that is unexpected.
Served along with some herby olives, these were a perfect afternoon treat.
I often think of French food as delicate, refined, and frankly… finicky. This is none of those things. It is hearty, warming, and hard to mess up. It does take some time and patience, but you are rewarded with deep flavors, wonderful textures, and with a light side salad a wonderful meal.
A simple salad with a bright vinaigrette, perfect alongside a hearty dinner of gnocchi and mushroom ragu.
Though complicated and a little scary they were completely worth it for the steaming soft interior and the shatteringly crisp exterior. With a hot cup of cafe au lait and a French Grand Prix to watch, these were heavenly.
A few of my favorite cocktails have french origins. Simple, refreshing, and elegant.
Crunchy, creamy, tart, and sweet, a perfect foil to buttery rich dishes.
This gratin is very rich and creamy. It would be especially good along side any bright salad or light fish dish. Topping it with prosciutto is optional if you want a vegetarian option, but if you do eat meat it adds a nice salty umami to the dish.
The main meal consisted of Almond Sole Meunière, Leek Gratin, and Endive, Apple, and Roquefort salad. I gathered all my French cookbooks and supplemented with another tall stack from my local library. I think I marked over a hundred recipes and read about French cooking and culture to my hearts content. I chose these to complement each other and because they kept catching my eye each time I flipped through the books.
Roasting radishes brings out a sweetness that compliments the inherently spicy and slightly bitter nature of the root vegetable. Roasting them in butter, just makes them all the more delicious.