Friday, December 17, 2010
Food that bring back memories of our ACP, Paris and France
Glenda mentioned "Baguettes! Stinky cheeses, ham sandwiches, Escargot, roasted chestnuts, etc." and Barbara brought us back to "...all the bread, les Parisiennes, Pain au Chocolat, crepes with butter and sugar from those little street crepe stands, a warm potato salad that I think was called Pommes a l'huile, Pate de la compagne, almost all the cheeses with Saint Andre, Brie and... Montrachet being among top choices, Bearnaise sauce (still have my recipe from a little French cookbook I bought over there), Escargots which I used to make frequently in NYC, Bouillabaisse which I made the night I met my husband on a blind date and have never made since!, onion soup gratinee of course ... yes carbs are a challenge! Am sure more will come to mind ... and favorite Paris restaurant meal memory: "Taverne du Sargeant Recreuteur" on the Isle St. Louis...", and more. I think both my pocket book and palate trained on boiled potatoes, cabbage and bread and dripping limited my exploration, but I do remember well the Crepes Grand Marinier (from the same stalls as Barbara probably), Eclairs au Chocolat, Pain Chocolat, Brioche and Croissants hot from the Boulangerie, the steak hache that I cooked up on my Camping Gaz with some onions and steamed white rice. The mini-bottles of Courvoisier, Armagnac, Grand Marinier, and other liqueurs to round out my cuisine. The muck we were served in the college Cafeteria, the Petit Suisse that we loaded with crunchy sugar down at the student cafeteria during orientation down by Porte d'Orleons, that I still love to this day. Many tastes bring back memories of more than the food but also of the places and events coupled with them. I remember well the cafe on Ave. Rapp where I first tried espresso and cafe creme. I had been feeding myself Nescafe in my room. Never again! I can see the thick cup and saucer, the cubes of sugar and the stamped metal spoon for stirring it in. I can picture the chair with the colorful plastic webbing that left its mark on the back of thighs but never absorbed water to leave the back of your legs itching after a spring shower. The waiter bringing my receipt in a little black plastic saucer and tearing it half across on payment and throwing it in the air if my tip was not to his satisfaction (no "service compris" in those days!) The big, wide leaves of the "Platane Commun" trees that lined the boulevards but were black skeletons during most of the low season. The Soupe à l'Oignon that we burned our lips on when we went, usually it seemed in the rain, to Les Halles at midnight to consume with the Pommes Frites as we ogled the pour souls on display in doorways, windows and on the streets. I remember a butcher waving around a huge, erect bulls penis as he came into a cafe for some coffee with eau de vie to the guffaws and hoots of his fellows. So now my mind pictures that image as I dig into a rich Soupe à l'Oignon where ever it eat it. So many memories come alive with just a whiff of a dish from our past. Do share yours including any recipes you may have or still serve and any photos you have too of dishes you enjoyed there, then or anytime in the subsequent years. Peter
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Here's a recipe modified from a French dish that I had back in the day. (And, sorry, Peter I think I posted some recipes earlier today on the wrong section of this blog. It's a learning curve!)
ReplyDeletePat’s Stuffed Sole
1 lb thin sole fillets
Half n half
Marinated artichokes, drained and chopped finely
Spinach, minced
Mayo
Parmesan or gruyere, grated, mixed with some breadcrumbs
Grated nutmeg
S&P
Combine artichokes and spinach with mayo for filling. Wrap each fillet around a tablespoon or so of filling. Place small bundles of fish next to each other in a baking dish to fit. Pour over cream until it comes up halfway on the fish. Top with S& P and nutmeg. Top with grated cheese and breadcrumb mixture and dot with butter.
Bake uncovered in 350 oven for about 25 minutes.
Serves 4
Note: you can substitute a crab or shrimp filling for the artichokes/spinach or work a little of the crab/shrimp into the vegetable filling.
Was unable to use link to Peter's 'Chevre' salad so will post one from the former Boxing Cat Grill restaurant in Old Greenwich, Connecticut ... along with my Bearnaise Sauce recipe from a cookbook called "Simple French Cookery" I bought as a student in Paris and a roasted vegetable side dish. Will post separately some favorite soup recipes...
ReplyDeleteWALNUT GOAT CHEESE SALAD
1 bunch arugula
1 Belgian endive
1 head radicchio
Vinaigrette:
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
1 shallot
2/3 C extra virgin olive oil
pepper to taste
6 oz Montrachet style goat cheese
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp finely chopped rosemary
1/2 C dried bread crumbs
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
chopped walnuts
Remove the stems from the arugula and wash and dry the leaves. Remove the endive core and cut the vegetable into 1 inch pieces. Remove the radicchio core and tear the vegetable into small pieces. Toss the arugula, endive and radicchio leaves together in a salad bowl. Combine the vinaigrette ingredients and pour enough of this mixture to coat the salad greens lightly. Cut the cheese into 8 pieces. Stir the thyme, rosemary leaves and bread crumbs on a plate. Coat the cheese pieces with 1 TBSP of the olive oil, then dredge the cheese in the herbed bread crumbs to coat the cheese pieces completely. Heat a saute pan and add the remaining 1 TBSP of olive oil. Saute the cheese pieces until they are golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Place on top of the dressed greens. Scatter toasted walnuts on top. Serve immediately.
BEARNAISE SAUCE (for six filet mignons, preferably grilled)
from "Simple French Cookery" purchased while at ACP
1/4 C wine vinegar
1 tsp onion, chopped
1 tsp parsley, chopped
1/8 tsp black pepper
3 egg yolks at room temperature
3/4 C butter (12 TBSP) - at room temperature
pinch of salt
1 TBSP (1 tsp each) chopped chives, tarragon and parsley, mixed together (I use dried herbs - increase quantities to taste if using fresh)
Prepare Bearnaise Sauce by boiling vinegar, onion, parsley and pepper until reduced to 2 tablespoonsful of liquid after straining. In a double boiler over simmering water, place egg yolks, 1 TBSP butter and pinch salt. Add strained seasoned vinegar and cook, beating constantly with whisk, until thick. REMOVE FROM HEAT and, while whisking constantly, add remaining butter, 1 TBSP at a time. When all butter has been incorporated add mixture of chives, tarragon and parsley.
PROVENCAL BAKED VEGETABLES (for 4-6)
from Nick Stellino's "Mediterranean Flavors" - this is a very aromatic and colorful red and green dish to serve for the holidays...
4 TBSP olive oil
1.5 pounds (700 g) onions, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch (6-mm) slices
1 pound (450 g) Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch (6-mm) slices
1 TBSP coarsely ground mustard
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (200 degrees C). Heat 2 TBSP of the olive oil in a large saute pan set on high heat until sizzling, about 2 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, 1/2 tsp of the salt and 1/8 tsp of the pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown. Spread over the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking dish. Arrange the slices of zucchini and tomatoes in alternating rows over the onions. Overlap them as much as you need to in order to use all the vegetable slices. Mix the remaining olive oil with the mustard and brush the vegetables with the mixture, using all of it. Sprinkle with the remaining salt and pepper and bake until the vegetables are lightly browned and wrinkled, about 1 hour. Serve hot or warm.
A few of my favorite soup recipes ...
ReplyDeleteTUNISIAN CHICKPEA SOUP
(slightly modified recipe from Nick Stellino’s Mediterranean Flavors cookbook)
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stalk of celery
5 garlic cloves
3 TBSP olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 TBSP ground cumin
1/8 tsp saffron powder or turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 TBSP flour
1 3/4 cups dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) soaked in water overnight and drained OR 4 16 oz (or 450 g) cans chickpeas,rinsed and drained
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 TBSP chopped fresh mint
3 TBSP chopped fresh basil (or 1 TBSP dried basil)
juice of 2 large lemons
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup (or more, to taste) chopped roasted red bell peppers
Cut the onion, carrot and celery into chunks. Transfer to a blender/food processor, add the garlic, and process until finely chopped but not smooth. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a small stockpot or Dutch oven set on high heat until until sizzling, about 2 minutes. Add the finely chopped vegetables, red pepper flakes, cumin, saffron OR turmeric, salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes, until the onion is oft. Stir in 4 TBSP flour and cook 1-2 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. (If you use canned chickpeas, simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.)
Process the soup in a food processor or blender in batches until viscous but not smooth. Return the soup to the pot and add the mint, basil, lemon juice, red peppers and feta cheese.
Best when eaten warm, but can be eaten cold. Can be frozen in serving size containers to later thaw and reheat. Serves 6 to 8.
RIDGE ROAD ROASTED TOMATO BASIL SOUP OUT OF THIS WORLD SOUP
a recipe given to me by Beth Ann Guina Aldrich, ACP '66
3 lbs ripe plum tomatoes cut in half lengthwise
¼ C + 2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP kosher salt
1 ½ tsp pepper
2 C chopped yellow onion
3-6 cloves garlic minced
2 TBSP butter
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
28 oz can plum tomatoes with juice
4 C fresh basil leaves packed
1 tsp thyme
1 quart chicken stock or broth
(optional: 6-12 oz tomato paste – I like an intense tomato flavor)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss tomatoes with ¼ C oil, salt and pepper. Spread in one layer on baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, in large stock pot, sauté onions and garlic in 2 TBSP oil, butter and pepper flakes for 10 minutes over medium heat – until onions begin to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme and stock. Add the oven roasted tomatoes including liquid on baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes. Pass through foodmill on coarse blade or blender in batches to desired consistency.
PUMPKIN & BLACK BEAN SOUP
recipe from my South African friend Barbara de Lacy
1 Tbs oil, 1 Tbs butter
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 can chicken or veg broth
1 can diced tomatoes in juice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup cream
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Coarse salt to taste (in fact all the above spices can be adjusted to taste)
Heat oil and butter in a deep pot, add onion and saute 5 minutes or till tender. Add broth, tomatoes, beans and pumpkin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and stir in cream and spices, simmer 5 minutes (or until desired viscosity, adjust seasonings and serve.