Cooking in France

A few months ago we made a trip to France.  After spending a few days in Paris we made our way to Antibes, a small town in the French Riviera nestled on the coast of the Mediterranean.
Surrounded by some of the best food and ingredients I've ever seen I couldn't resist doing a bit of cooking.

La Marche' Provencal is the largest market in region.  The food was simply amazing; purveyors selling spices, veggies, cheese, sausage, butter, olive oil....  Everything was amazingly fresh and the quality is something we don't even come close to here in the States.  Every purveyor was so proud of what they had produced and was eager to tell you all about where it came from.

After acquiring some cheese, sausage, butter and veggies we went next door to the fish market (poissonnerie).  We marveled at the array of fresh seafood and eventually settled on the item I knew how to order, fresh Mediterranean shrimp.

For an appetizer I simply cut-up the tomatoes and topped with garlic.  We also had the fresh cows milk cheese and some of the garlic and boar sausage (saucisson) we purchased.

The shrimp were sauteed in butter & white wine and served with some roasted potatoes.

Chili & Biscuits

The leaves are turning and it's getting cold outside, that means one thing, Chili.  I made big pot and some homemade biscuits.
I still can't quiet make a biscuit that will impress a southern grandmother but they are getting better with every try.

Creole Cream Jambalaya

I came up with a creamy version of Jambalaya.  The tradition with Jambalaya is that it doesn't have set ingredients, so for mine I decided to used shrimp and sausage.

The base is very similar to a classic Jambalaya; the difference is that I made a creole-cream sauce and mixed that into the rice before mixing everything together.

Doughnuts

Decided to make homemade Krispy Kreme style doughnuts.

The dough recipe was borrowed from a fellow blogger; it turned out great.  The yeast dough is cut and fried up.

I made plain glazed, bavarian cream filled and cinnamon sugar doughnut holes.

Bavarian Cream recipe:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 (3 1/2 ounce) packages instant pudding mix
• 3/4 cup milk
• 12 ounces whipped cream, from whipping cream

Mix together cream cheese and dry pudding mix. Slowly beat in milk.  Fold in whipped Cream.

I'll definitely be making these again; keep an eye out for the hot doughnut sign outside the house

Avocado Soup

Put together a quick chilled Avocado soup.  Just fresh Avocados with some chicken broth, lime juice and water.

Garnished with creme fraiche, lime zest and habanero Tabasco.

Seared Scallops w/ Lemon-Butter Sauce & Tarragon Oil

Pan seared scallops served atop a lemon butter sauce with a drizzle of tarragon oil.  It's basically like scallops atop a decontrcuted bernaise sauce.

I usually shy away from somewhat pretentious food but sometimes I do like to challenge myself.  I'm usually all for food that's rustic and big flavors but I think there is a place for food being pretty and interesting.  As long as it taste good and makes everyone smile after that first bite.

Veal & Buffalo Meatballs

On my latest trip to the farmer's market I decided to try something a little different.  Rather than going for the traditional pork or beef meatball I went with a combination of veal and buffalo.  The buffalo is very lean but has a lot of meaty flavor; so the veal is a good compliment as it adds the needed fat and is a bit more delicate.

Veal & Buffalo Meatballs

1/2 lb. Buffalo

1/2 lb. Veal

1 clove Garlic

1 Egg

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

8-10 leaves of fresh Basil- cut into ribbons

salt

pepper

1 cup ground bread

1/2 cup water

The bread just needs to be plain white or french bread that is chopped up finely (cuisinart).  The water is kinda of a strange ingredient but it really helps keep everything nice and moist.

The meatballs were covered with a quick fire-roasted tomato sauce and placed atop homemade fettucini.

Sausage Sandwiches

I found some interesting lamb & mint sausages on my latest trip to the Dekalb Farmers Market.

I grilled these up along with red onion and red pepper.  Everything got cut up, covered with havarti cheese and served atop a fresh roll.

I finally learned the trick to cooking sausages on the grill is to keep them away from the fire and let them cook slowly at a lower temp; then just before removing, move them over to the high temp area and let them get a bit of color.  They turn out much better this way (thanks Jamie Oliver!)

Roasted Tomato & Asparagus Pizza

A simple summertime pizza with asparagus and roasted tomatoes.

The sauce is just a mixture of olive oil and roasted garlic.  Mix it together to form a paste and lightly coat the dough before adding the other ingredients.

The tomatoes are sliced, seasoned and slowly roasted at 350 until they dehydrate a bit and the flavor is concentrate.  Asparagus is blanched so it will be soft and retain it's color.  Last, top with some slices of fresh mozzarella.  Simple but delicious.

Bananas Foster

There are a handful of things that make me nostalgic about where I grew up, the food of New Orleans being one of them.  From my early childhood, yearly trips to the Big Easy were a chance to explore all the culianry delights the city had to offer.

As I've grown older and geographically farther away, I'm constantly trying to recreate these classic dishes that I love so much.  One of these is Bananas Foster; one of the most popular desserts in the city.  It's truly a New Orleans creation as it's genesis can be traced back to Brennan's on Royal Street

It's an incredible fun and easy dessert to make; especially if you have an inner pyro like me.  And, keeping with the Brennan's tradition it's just as much about the show as the taste (they still prepare the dessert table-side).

All you need are

1 Ripe Banana (the more ripe the better) - split in half length-wise then cut into small chunks

1/4 cup Brown sugar

1 Tbsp. Butter

Cinammon to taste

1 oz. Rum (or banana liquer) -use a decent quality

Vanilla Ice Cream

Lighter or Open Flame

a fire extinguisher in the vicinity is also probably a good idea

The above will make a small serving for 2 people, adjust accordingly.

Allow a shallow skillet to heat up, then add in the butter.  Once the butter is melted add in the bananas and brown sugar and allow to cook/soften for 1-2 minutes.  Season with cinnamon to taste.

Now comes the big finale, remove from the heat and add the alcohol and add the flame; be sure to have you and your guest stay back from the pan as it will ignite and make culinary fireworks.  For a beginner, I recommend using a stick lighter, however with experience you can just use the open flame from a gas stove.

Once the flame subsides you can spoon it over the ice cream and enjoy.  Serve immediately because the warm mixture will melt the ice cream quickly.

Tilapia Meuniere

Tilapia done meuniere style.  This most French of dishes is one of my most favorite to cook and eat.

Tilapia is dredged in wondra and then pan fried.  You can't be afraid to let it go a little brown; that's when you really get great flavor.

The sauce is a lemon butter sauce with capers.  I have to be honest I went most of my life disliking capers after I tried them when I was young and had a bad experience.  However, after hearing my brother go on-and-on about them I thought I would give them another shot.  Turns out, I really like them; I guess it's one of those taste you have to grow into.

The sauce is made by reducing white wine (or Vermouth) in a pan until the volume is half.  Then add capers and lemon juice and let simmer for about a minute.  Finally, whisk in softened butter (use good quality) until the sauce is emulsified and smooth.  I would love to give you more exact directions but it's really something I've learned to do by feel.  If your looking for measurements I would recommend Julia's book; like I said this is truly classic french.

The Tilapia was accompanied by roasted Brussel sprouts.  These were simply tossed with oil, salt and pepper and roasted until soft and brown.  These turned out great and I'm planning to create a roast brussel sprout salad that I will detail later.

Marscapone Ravioli w/ Pork Belly & Sweet Pepper Chutney

I'm continually trying to perfect my pork belly & pasta recipe; the latest interation being marscapone ravioli w/ pork belly and sweet pepper chutney.

I prepared the pork belly as usual:  It gets a light sear on each side and is then added to a cast-iron pot where it's braised with a little water in the oven very slowly (275 degrees) for a few hours.  When the pork belly is done it will simply fall apart at the touch.

Next, for the sweet pepper chutney, about a half a jar of sweet peppers are needed (8-9 peppers).  Any type of pepper can be used as long as they are not spicy, however, if your peppers aren't slightly pickled then a small of amount of vinegar or lemon should be added to the chutney.  Next, one of the most important steps is removing all seeds from the peppers.
Once the peppers are prepped they can be added to the blender with the other ingredients:
1/3 cup of tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. oregano
salt
pepper
Everything is then blended to as smooth as possible; but,even with the best blender the mixture will still be a little chunky.


Finally, the ravioli.  Homemade pasta is filled with a mixture of marscapone, parmesan and chives.  Once the raviolis are boiled they are then tossed in a light sauce of crème fraîche, garlic and mushrooms.  The ravioli and sauce were great the filling however was not a success.  It definitely needs something to bind it so it doesn't turn so liquidous during cooking.



All in all a successful dish.  The chutney with the pork belly is defintely worth making in the future.

I must give credit to the Iberian Pig for inspiration of this dish (The Castellucci's new restaurant in Decatur).

Refried Black Beans

Homemade refried beans are amazingly easy and take about as much time as opening that can of pre-made beans.
Simply add about a tablespoon of vegetable oil to a pan and heat on medium.  Add some minced garlic and stir for a few seconds.  Before the garlic begins to brown add a can of black beans (beans and liquid).  While the mixture is bubbling about use a masher and mash up the beans until you get the desired consistency.  Turn off the heat and season to taste with salt.

Once you get the basic beans you can expand by adding onions or chipotle peppers.  I also recommend getting the low-sodium beans and seasoning them yourself with salt, chili powder and cumin.

Shrimp Tacos

I picked up some homemade tortillas at the new farmers market up the street and decided to make grilled shrimp tacos.
The seasoned grilled shrimp are served up with cilantro, creme fraiche and a roasted tomatillo and avocado sauce.

Roasted tomatillo and avocado sauce:
4 Tomatillos
1 poblano pepper
handful of cilantro
1/2 an avocado
2 Tbsp. Lime juice

Dry roast the tomatillos and poblano pepper in a cast iron skillet until charred and softened.  Let cool and add to blender with cilantro and lime juice, puree until smooth.  Cut the avocado into small chunks and add to the blender, continue blending until creamy and smooth.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.  Chill for about an hour before serving over the tacos.

Specialty Ingredients

I have quiet a few specialty ingredients that I often use so I thought I would start a new section to highlight some of these (and supply links for acquiring them).  On the right you'll notice a NEW PAGE for specialty ingredients; I hope to keep this section as an archive and periodically update it.  To kick it off I've included three great items I use all the time.

BLT

Sometimes the simplest things are the best.  A simple BLT can be extraordinary with high quality ingredients.

The summer really is the only time of year to have a BLT as having great tomatoes are crucial.  Also, you have to use great bacon; this was thick-cut, applewood smoked.  The tomato and bacon were put on top of sourdough with some Bibb lettuce.  Finished off with some NY cheddar and Dijon mustard (I'm not a mayo guy).

Spread the Word!

So we've had a bit of an increase in traffic lately and I hope to keep everyone coming back with more post and less gaps.
A couple of things you can do to help:

Spread the Word on Facebook and Twitter.  You'll notice new links on the right side (under the favorite food sites links) that allow you to share the blog on facebook and twitter.  So please help spread the word.

Flank Steak Stir Fry

Stir fry is easy enough but I have a couple of tricks to take it out of the realm of the ordinary.

I like flank steak in my stir fry and my secret is I don't cook the steak in the pan/wok. I like to marinate my steak overnight in soy, lemon juice and worcestershire then grill it. I let it cool and slice it up before adding it to the veggies. You get a much better char and flavor from the grill you can't get from a pan.

Also, I like to cook my broccoli separate as well. I saute it then add a little broth and let it steam until done. This allows it to be cooked correctly and the steaming helps it maintain it's bright green color.

My last trick is one that makes it look great on a plate. One of the main differences in the 5 buck chinese buffet down the street and $15 an entree Asian joint with the Feng Shui decore is presentation. To make it look a little better stuff your serving of rice inside a ramekin and then invert it onto a plate. Remove the ramekin and you have a nice mound of rice that is not all over the plate.