French Cuisine Friday

I have decided to start a series called French Cuisine Friday where I will show you a French cuisine item I made during the week. I will post pictures as well as the recipe and some background on the item and possibly including some French vocab in the process.

This week, I am reposting items that I have made in the past :
Upside Down Apple Pie / Tarte Tatin
Crepes
Mussels / Moules
Fish / Poisson

so try one of these out this week and let me know how it goes!

Next week, is a famous French dessert that my mom was dying to have when she was here and kept complaining about how much she wanted to eat it until I finally made it. What do you think it is ?
 

Little Paris Kitchen

The other day, I wrote paris and food in google trying to find some food blogs on parisian cooking. The first thing I stumbled upon was this : An English woman's take on Parisian cooking. She has her own television series, Little Paris Kitchen.

I think that I am going to try her recipes soon, and I will post the result afterwards. Or maybe I just need to create a blog series on my take on Parisian cooking without the diploma from the cordon on bleu.

Have you seen this series ? What would you like to see me cook ?
 

Picture of Week USA Style : Ice cream

One of things that I really miss from home, besides the obvious my family and friends, is ICE CREAM.
Particulary Graeters. Graeters is for the moment ( I heard through the grapevine that it may be going national) a Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati chain. It was known for being irrestible and french pot ice cream, so maybe that's why I love it so much.

Double Scoop : Coconut Chip and Mocha Chip

As you can see, I sure ate a  lot of Graeters while I was there too !

 One day in Paris, I did get creative and made ice cream from scratch without a machine, thanks to this wonderful webpage kevinandamanda.com ! Only it still didn't taste like Graeters, it was missing some of the creamy goodness of Graeters, but it will have to do for now.

from top to bottom : pistachio, coffee, strawberry banana

Now only if Kentucky can send hot weather our way I will be able to enjoy it !

Where's Waldo in France

The other day, I had some time to kill before meeting up with friends near Notre Dame. So I went to Gibert Jeune to do some book-looking, I had told myself in advance that I am not allowed to buy new books, because I still have not touched the ones I bought a month ago !

Obviously they all are about cooking, I am obsessed if you didn't already know. I always love to try out a new recipe and tweak it into my own. At the time, I thought "I need some cookbooks in French to learn new vocab and cook with friends who speak French" but that still hasn't happened. I am determined to make some bread this afternoon, we will see how that goes

For those of you don't know, Gibert Jeune are the bookstores that have yellow signs at Saint Michel. Mainly it is a used bookstore. They have a nice variety of used English fiction books as well, I have bought a few Mary Higgians Clark that I love to reread and reread. So, as I was strolling along the rows of used books.

  I stumbled upon "Where's Waldo?" but in French it is"Où est Charlie"/ "Where's Charlie?" My first reaction was why is it Charlie, is Waldo just too weird for them ?

So I decided to do a little research and I stumbled across this blog. Even though it doesn't have a really good explanation, I didn't think I could trust the Wikipedia version, their "you know you are American when..." are pretty funny.

Try to find Waldo !

 

Turkish Recipe : Köfte

Another staple of Turkish cuisine is köfte : usually a meat-based or grain-based dish that can be from hamburgers to meatballs to vegetarian ones eaten with salad.


This recipe is really easy to make.

Ingredients :
Ground Beef
3 eggs

3 tbs tomato sauce
and as many spices you would like
flour

Mix all the ingredients except the flour well. And then add enough flour that the meat will be able to stay together.  Put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Then form in little round hamburgers

cook in a little oil, until brown all the way through. And enjoy !

Turkish Recipe : Stuffed Grape Leaves

These are better than the ones in the can or those found in a restaurant. And most of the ingredients can be found right in your pantry.

The only ingredient that might take some time to find our the grape leaves, but if you are in Europe, these will not be that hard to find. A pack of 50 can be found in any Turkish grocery story for about 2,50 euros or you can pick them fresh while in Turkey. My mother-in-law sent me home with a bag of 200.

The term sarma derives from Turkish verb "sarmak," which means to wrap or to roll. It can be prepared with rice and spices (vegetarian) or with rice and ground meat. Both are delicious. To find a recipe with ground meat check out this one. I prefer to make my grape leaves the vegetarian way, because I usually make dolma (stuffed peppers, another interesting recipe to come) the same night.

There are no set ingredients to this recipe, I usually just eyeball and pour in the ingredients and taste it before "stuffing them."

1-2 cups of rice washed

1-2 onions grated

1/2 tomato grated

2 tbs. tomato and/or pepper paste - I usually add lots

parsley chopped finely

salt

mint and other spices

1. Mix well all of the ingredients

2. Boil the grape leaves for 10 minutes to clean off the excess salt. Then cut off the stems and "hang" them to dry around a strainer

3. Put one leaf (the shiny side down) and a little of the rice mixture in the leaf and fold tightly.

 

Put in a pot, until they look like the picture above, I usually line the pot with parsely stems or lettuce. Fill the pot with water about half-full and then cover with a small plate and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Feel free to post your pictures or comments on any recipes that you try out!

Turkish Recipe : Mercimek Corbasi

or better known in english as Red Lentil Soup.

Lentils are a turkish staple, everytime I go to someone's house for dinner we eat this soup - because it is good and easy to make.
At my house, we eat this soup at least once a week, it is perfect for when feeling a little under the weather or when looking for a filling soup. Usually goes perfect with a salad or köfte (little hamburgers) which I will post later in the week.

Red Lentils

This recipe is based off the recipe found here :
for the soup: makes 6 servings
1 cup red lentils
1 medium size onion - I usually grate the onion but finely chopped works well too
1 carrot - as with the onion I grate the carrot. if you don't like carrots you can substitute one small potato as well
1 tbsp tomato or pepper paste - Sauce biber or pepper paste is very difficult to come by in the usa so
1 tsp salt - I usually give my husband
4 cups of water

spices to add : mint, basil or paprika
--With a regular pot: Sautee the onion with 1 tbsp oil for 3-4 minutes. Add the paste and cook for a couple of minutes, and add the rest of the soup ingredients. Put everything for the soup in a big pot and cook on medium heat until the lentils are soft and mushy, for about 20-25 minutes.
Then enjoy!

I Spy : Pumpkins!

Yesterday as I walking to the bus from the doctor's office I stumbled upon a garden full of pumpkins or a citrouille as they say in French.

There were also tomatoes in this garden. I was almost tempted to ring the doorbell and ask the woman if I could buy one of her pumpkins. As I was waiting for the bus, which turned out to be 10 minutes late, I thought about all the recipes I could use pumpkin : muffins, pie and cheesecake. Is it October / November yet?
I guess I will just have to find a pumpkin patch soon to fulfill all of my taste bud desires!

Un Dîner Presque Parfait

One of my favorite French TV shows besides the reruns of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple en français, is Un Dîner Presque Parfait (translation : an Almost-perfect Dinner), which for those of you who live in France is on M6.

Basically, it is a game show with 5 contestants and all of the contestants come from the same city but they do not know each other. On Monday is the first contestant who cooks for the other 4 and on Tuesday is another one for 4 (etc.) each creates their own menus, their own activities and their own table settings. Each day the contestant who served an aperatif, appetizer, dinner and dessert is graded on the food, the atmosphere and the decorations and on Friday the winner is revealed.

Here is a sample video from La Rochelle en français :


Every single time I watch the show, I always think about my perfect menu. Will it be a Northern Kentucky menu (Skyline Chili, goetta, and Graeters)? or will it be a Turkish American inspired ( hamburgers, baklava, and lentil soup? I have decided that some day I am going to try out for the show and see if I have a chance at the 1000 euros prize!

Would you do Un Dîner Presque Parfait if you had the chance?

Turkish Bread

This past weekend, my husband and I made Turkish bread. We made one batch which didn't turn out that great, because the flour wasn't good. So, we went out and bought a 10 pack of flour and made more. We made at least 8 round breads for 1.78 euros! And a baguette these days costs 90 cents!

How you can make your own Turkish bread
1 packet of yeast mixed with one coffee cup of warm water

2 bags of flour (we used pastry flour)
and 5 cups of water and a little salt

Let the yeast sit 15 minutes, create a well in the flour and then add the water slowly and not all at once. And knead for 15 minutes adding water when necessary. Cover for 1-2 hours.

Then take small pieces and roll them out. We cooked them on the stove.

And then voila! bread! and it's great with feta cheese

From the French Kitchen: Crepes

Today, I was flipping through the Carrefour ads and saw a picture of a skillet to make crepes. I knew that we had one somewhere, so I raced off to find it. Then, I searched the internet to find a recipe. I did find one here.

I had to make changes, I didn't have butter or real all-purpose flour. But, they tasted awesome and not too sweet.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour - I used whole wheat bread flour and ground up hazelnuts
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups milk - I used skim
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted - I used olive oil

Directions

1. Sift together flour, sugar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together in a food processor Beat in flour mixture until smooth; stir in melted butter.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible. Brown on both sides and serve hot.Sprinkle with cinammon and sugar or add some nutella.

Share your crepes and recipes!

From the French Kitchen: Mussels

Mussels are a French staple: they are cheap, easy to make, filling and good for you.

We usually eat them once a week. A few days ago, I experimented and made two different kinds. They are so easy to make, so do not complain that you cannot do it.
1. Heat oil in a pan and cook onions.
2. Put the mussels in the pan and add water. The water should at least be semi-covering the mussels.
3. Add any spices in whatever amount. I usually make 1/2 crushed red pepper and 1/2 indian ( curry, paprika and ginger).
4. They are perfect with fries or bread.
5. Enjoy!

Changes

Hello Adventurers,
My posts are going to change just a little, because I would like to write more about my personal adventures and thoughts about Paris and France than a what-to do and what -not-to do.

I am thinking about starting a couple of series, the exact days for the week have not quite been determined, but I hope they interest you.

The Series:

• French Phrases
• Thoughts from the metro
• Confessions
• Walking in the footsteps...
• From my kitchen to yours.

If you have ideas, please contact me or would like to read about something in particular do not hesitate to ask!

A+ (A plus tard, see you later en français)

Thanksgiving in Paris

For all my American adventures, this one is for you!

Are you in Paris for Thanksgiving? Or are you looking to celebrate Thanksgiving in Paris?


Check out the grocery store Thanksgiving near St. Paul M°1! It has all of your "Thanksgiving needs". I first discovered Thanksgiving a few months ago, and would recommend it to anyone who is looking to satisfy their cravings.

It is a southern grocery store, they have Cajun mixes and sauces, definitely a nice reminder of Kentucky comfort food! Baking products, pancake mix and syrup, Cream cheese ( it exists in France, but never the same), peanut butter (you never realize how much you miss it), pop tarts, dr. pepper, etc etc etc. Also, there is a Cajun restaurant as well, reservations are recommended because it is small, but it is all home cooking!

They are even supplying turkeys for Thanksgiving, the farm fed kind that come from France (no they did not ship a Butterball, haha).

Check it out on your next visit to Paris, especially for those cravings of anything spicy, yummy, or sugary!

20, rue Saint Paul 75004 PARIS Tel: 01 42 77 68 29

store hours: Tues-Sat 10:30am to 7:00pm, Sun 11:00am to 6:00pm

restaurant: Saturday brunch 12:00 to 2:30pm, Sunday brunch 11:00 to 3:30pm reservations recommended

From the French Kitchen to yours 1

As requested by Kirsten Watters from Texas! :)

I found all sorts of recipes for Curry Chicken, and I am going to share two. The first is a creamy version and the second will really bring the spice. Enjoy and then share which one you liked better!!

Creamy Chicken Curry with Lemon Rice   serves 4

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast; cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 large onion, grated
• 2 fresh green chiles, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves; grated
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 10 fl oz. coconut milk
• 9 fl oz. canned chopped tomatoes
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• salt
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

 Rice

• 1 3/4 cups basmati rice, rinsed
• 5 cups water
• juiced and grated rind of 1 lemon

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5-8 minutes, turning frequently, until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they start to darken and sizzle. Stir in the onion, partially cover, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until soft and golden. Add the chiles, garlic, ginger, turmeric, ground coriander and cook for 1 minute
2. Return the chicken to the pan and stir in the coconut milk and tomatoes. Partially cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt.
3. Meanwhile cook the rice. Put the rice into a pan and cover with the water. Add the lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and let simmer over very low heat for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all the water has been absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the lemon rind. Let the rice stand, covered for 5 minutes.
4. Serve the curry with the lemon rice, sprinkled with fresh cilantro.

2 - How to Cook French in the States

Its fish night.
Directions:
1. Go to the market, or the local place to buy good fish and buy trout or another kind similar.
2. Make sure that its cleaned and slit in the middle. because if not it will take awhile.
3. Find a large baking sheet or casserole dish, put olive oil in the bottom
4. Then put the fish in the pan and in the slit of all the fish place butter (butter with salt if possible) and a small amount of herbs de provenance.
5. Then cut up one large onion and place the onions on top.
6. Put a few pieces of butter on top of the fish, along with some more herbs.

Then put it in the oven @ 200°F or 110°C and cook for about 30-45 minutes.
Serve with rice and green beans with garlic sauce.

How to cook French without leaving the states

Tarte Tatin - the French apple pie


 5 to 6 pounds tart apples (I like Braeburns, Jonathans, Honeycrisps, Jonagolds, or Fujis)
25g unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Pâte Brisée, chilled  I didn't make the homemade crust  and instead I bought it at Carrefour
Crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream for serving
cinnamon (optional)


I usually cut the butter and sugar in half because the apples are usually really juicy.

1.in an oven-proof skillet, place the butter and the sugar
2. Peel, core and cut the apples with the round part facing up and place in the skillet forming a circle
3.  When all the apples are in the skillet, start on med-high heat. If the juices from the apples becomes too much, boil it into caramel in another bowl.
4. Cook the apples for 20 minutes until soft
5. Roll out the pate brisée and place on stop of the apple mixture, creating openings with a fork.
6. Bake at 425 or 220 for 45 minutes

7. When turning it over,  becareful as the juices are boiling hot.
Then eat while warm with creame fraiche, yogurt or ice cream. It also makes a good breakfast.