French
Definition: Dragée
French for "to dredge," a dragée (pronounced "dra-zhay") traditionally refers to a colorful covered candy with a hard outer shell and softer center, often used for decoration in addition to eating.
These days, the word is used loosely for most small coated candies, from Jordan almonds to candy- and chocolate-coated sunflower seeds.
Dragées can also describe the tiny metallic sugar spheres used to top holiday cakes and cookies.
Escargot: Love It or Hate It?
Recently I had dinner at Grand Cafe, a great old-school French restaurant here in San Francisco. The meal was excellent and I ate far too much. One of the things I enjoyed is the dish pictured here.
Ready in a Flash: Craveworthy French Bistro Sandwiches
When PartySugar wrote about heading straight to the store after a Barefoot Contessa episode, I couldn't help but laugh and think of a recent instance when the same thing happened to me. Sometimes, all it takes is a momentary glance at a picture, and I develop a sudden, pressing need for a particular dish.
Said craving occurred most recently when I was flipping through an old magazine, and happened upon a 15-minute recipe for oven-toasted egg, pâté, and gruyère sandwiches.
Fast & Easy Dinner: White Bean and Sausage Cassoulet
Traditionally, cassoulet is a slow-cooked dish that requires duck confit and dried beans. However, this recipe simplifies the technique and streamlines the ingredients. Hearty sausage replaces the confit, and canned white beans stand in for their time-consuming dried cousins.
Name That Cooking Technique!
Below is a picture of a popular way to roast fish. Do you know what the cooking term is?
Ditch the Gingerbread Men in Favor of Gingersnap Palmiers
I enjoy croissants, appreciate brioche, and have been known to eat a madeleine or two. But, the one French pastry I'll never, ever turn down is a good palmier. It's that weightless flakiness, caramelized crust, and buttery end note that get me every time.
Duck Breast a l'Orange Two Ways — Beginner and Expert
Around December, so much focus gets put on edible gifts and Christmas cookies that it can be easy to forget about the star of the holiday meal. If you want to impress without going through too much trouble, don't discount duck breast: it has all the exotic cachet of a game bird, without any of the fuss.
Regardless of how little you know about duck, you can't go wrong with its à l'orange preparation; the acidity of a sweet-tart orange glaze cuts through the fowl's robust flavor.
Taste Test: Starbucks Macarons
I mentioned before that 2010 will be the year when cupcakes take a backseat to the ethereal, candy-colored French macaron. The macaron — not to be confused with the dense, coconut-flavored macaroon — has spread far and wide beyond Ladurée, the Parisian pastry shop where it was first created nearly 80 years ago, to Japanese patisseries, American bakeshops, McCafés, and, now, Starbucks.
From Dec.
Fast & Easy Dinner: Steak Frites With Red Wine Sauce
Tonight, enjoy a classic Parisian bistro favorite, steak frites, in the comfort of your own home. Since it's the end of a long week, don't be afraid to take some major help from the store and serve up frozen French fries like the recipe recommends. The pan-seared tri-tip is rubbed with black peppercorns, and the quick sauce is a mixture of red wine, water, and butter.
Definition: Mornay Sauce
Mornay sauce is a classic French white sauce. The compound made from adding grated hard or semi-hard cheese — typically, Parmesan, Swiss, or a 50-50 ratio of each — to the Mother Sauce known as béchamel.
The cheese sauce is often served with eggs, vegetables, chicken, and seafood and is a key component in the Kentucky Hot Brown.
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