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Collection of the ‘french’ Category
Cherry Chocolate Clafoutis… Oh Yeah – Recipe
If you want that little indulgence without too much fat, check this Food Nation Radio Network dessert out. It’s not too sweet, I promise. Cherries in season are one of my favorite things and combined with a little semisweet chocolate, it’s “over the top” good! Read the rest of this entry »
Flourless chocolate pecan tart
It’s rich and for serious chocolate-lovers only.
Lots of people have gluten concerns or other concerns about too many carbohydrates over the holidays. Here’s a relatively guilt-free dessert. This tart (which is really a take on a sponge cake) still contains sugar, but compared to most desserts on Thanksgiving, this is less than you’d find in a pie or cake.
Ingredients
7 oz semi-sweet chocolate
2 TB butter
6 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of sea salt
1 cup whole pecans
ice cream (optional)
Method
Over a double-boiler, melt the chocolate and the butter. If you don’t have a double-boiler, place a heat-safe glass bowl over a saucepan filled with an inch of water. Make sure the bowl cannot touch the bottom of the pot.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9 inch cake pan with cooking spray.
Whip eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla until very frothy.
Allow the chocolate mixture to cool slightly and gently fold the egg mixture and chocolate mixture together in a large bowl. It will deflate a little and that’s okay. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and bake for ten minutes. Remove from oven and place whole pecans in a decorative pattern gently over the top. The tart will be very soft, so be gentle.
Return to oven for 25 minutes, or until the sides just start to pull away from the pan. The center will still be soft-ish, but no liquid will be present. It should look like a cooked sponge cake throughout. Allow to sit for ten to fifteen minutes before serving in wedges, with ice cream, if desired.
Sweet potato souffle with pecan caramel sauce
I get a little bored with the same old sweet potato dishes on Thanksgiving, don’t you? Instead of the sweet potato pie or casserole you have every year, try this recipe. It’s elegant, not hard to make (although it takes a little love and a little time) and your guests will be thankful you did.
It takes maybe 30-40 minutes to roast your own sweet potatoes rather than using the canned puree and there is a marked difference in the flavor. I didn’t add any seasoning to them before roasting. I put them on a sheet pan that was sprayed with cooking spray and roasted them flesh-side down at 400 degrees F until a fork could pierce them all the way through.
Ingredients
2 cups mashed sweet potato
5 TB butter
5 TB flour
5 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
5 large eggs, separated
1 oz sugar, plus one cup
1/2 cup water
1 cup chopped pecans
1 TB cream
Method
In a 2-quart saucepan, add the butter and flour over medium-high heat. Whisk until the butter is melted. It will be bubbly. Add the milk and whisk to incorporate well. Add salt and cinnamon and continue whisking until the mixture thickens. It will thicken further upon standing. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In another 2-quart saucepan, add one cup sugar and water. Heat over medium heat, without stirring. Do not walk away from this! When the sugar turns a carmel color, add 1 cup of the white sauce and pecans. Whisk to combine. Allow to reduce until thickened somewhat. It will thicken further upon standing. Add the cream and stir in when you remove the pot from the heat. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
Prepare a 6-cup souffle dish or a medium glass bowl by spraying with cooking spray. Whip egg whites until frothy, add the 1 oz sugar and continue whipping until firm peaks are achieved.
In a large bowl combine the sweet potato with the egg yolks and 2 cups of the white sauce. Slowly fold in the egg whites.
Place mixture in the baking dish (souffle dish) and bake for 10 minutes. Turn down the heat to 375 F and bake for another 30-35 minutes until it only moves VERY slightly (not loose at all) when you take it out of the oven. It will continue to cook upon standing.
Using two forks back-to-back, gently open the center of the souffle and pour the caramel sauce into and over the top of the souffle. Serve immediately.
Buche de Noel (Christmas Yule Log)
For our Christmas dinner menu, we are going to start with dessert first. Your family will love this traditional French Christmas dessert!
Potatoes Dauphinoise – Part 3 of Christmas Dinner
In theory, dessert would be made by now and the Prime Rib would be roasting in the oven. Now it’s time to do the side dishes. You can also do this ahead of time, wrap it up and keep in the refrigerator until ready to bake. This is a classic dish and I have never met anyone that didn’t love it. Enjoy!
Luxurious Steak Tartare
This is a classic, so nothing about this recipe is original on my part. I don’t even measure the ingredients and you won’t need to either. It is blissful pleasure on toast points in about 10 minutes.
Crepes are Easier than You Think
I think it is safe to say I have made thousands of crepes. They are so versatile. From Crepes Suzette to Shitake mushrooms and Boursin cheese; there are many options for sweet as well as savory crepes. Here’s a recipe you can mix in five minutes, or so. They only caveat is you have to use a crepe pan for this. Mine is not French (surprise), it is from Germany and it is a non-stick crepe pan. I purchased it at Williams-Sonoma years ago.
Boeuf Bourguignon – A Simple, Classic Dinner
You don’t have to go to a French restaurant to have amazing food. You can make it right at home! I’ve been making variations of this recipe since I was about 20 years old. What I’ve come up with is a user-friendly version that keeps things simple. Serve this with a good quality French Bordeaux or a hearty California Cabernet.
