A croque-monsieur is a French sandwich made of ham, Gruyère cheese, French bread, and Dijon mustard. Croquer means “to crunch” in French, so the name literally translates to “crunch-mister.” Ingredients Béchamel sauce 12 g (1 tablespoon) butter 12 g (1…
Pot-au-feu is a typical and rustic French dish made of low-cost beef pieces and vegetables. There are many variants in France and other countries. Ingredients Vegetables 2 ea. (~380 g) onions 4 ea. (~500 g) carrots 2 ea. (~600 g)…
Ingredients 6 shallots, chopped 1 clove of garlic ¼ cup butter ¼ cup dry sherry ½ a bay leaf 3 quarts scrubbed, bearded mussels ¼ cup chopped parsley Salt Pepper Procedure Sauté the shallots with the garlic clove in ¼…
Lobster thermidor is a dish created by stuffing an empty lobster tail with sautéed lobster meat that is cooked with butter, a light wine (often sherry), and cream. The resulting sauce is stuffed into a lobster shell then topped with…
Ingredients 1 ½ cups cooked lobster tail meat 2 cups chicken broth 2 cups heavy cream 12 sprigs fresh dill ¼ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice 1 tbsp olive oil ¼ cup finely-diced celery 1 large onion, finely diced 1 tbsp…
Flammkuchen or tarte flambée is a well-known Alsacian speciality. It is like pizza in that a thin crust of dough is baked in a very hot oven, but its topping is primarily crème fraîche, onions, and bacon. Like many traditional…
Ingredients 1 lb filet of pike 1 lb filet of carp ½ lb eel 1 lb filet of perch 6 crayfish 2 shallots, finely minced Salt Heads and tails of the above fish to make a broth 1 cup Riesling…
Many French regions claim coq au vin, or chicken stew, as their own, but legend has it that the recipe originated with Caesar’s chef. Different variants exist throughout the world. Note that you can also use capon. Ingredients 1.5 kg…
Traditionally, a beurre blanc consists of nearly equal parts white wine and good white wine vinegar reduced dramatically with shallot, held in emulsion with quite a lot of butter. Once the basic technique has been mastered, don’t be afraid to…
This is a simplified recipe for pain au levain, a white crusty French sourdough bread. The traditional method of making pain au levain is a long seven stage process. It begins with the sourdough starter saved from a previous batch…
Ingredients Procedure In a small bowl, soften yeast in warm water. Combine salt and lukewarm water in large bowl. Beat in 2 cups flour. Blend in yeast, and stir in enough flour to make stiff dough. Turn out dough on…
The following recipe, taken from The Cook’s Decameron: A Study In Taste, apparently dates from the late 19th century. It bears no relation whatsoever to the classic espagnole, as it is not thickened except for a tiny amount of flour…