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French Recipes
Reader's Recipes: Creme Brulee French Toast
You guys are doing a fantastic job of posting your recipes. I went to look for a recipe that caught my eye and ended up spending over two hours drooling at all your posts! And, to make things worse, there were so many great sounding recipes that I had the most difficult time deciding on a recipe to highlight.
Healthy Breakfast Idea: 5-Factor French Toast
Harley Pasternak, who is credited for getting Jessica Simpson super toned with his 5-Factor Diet, has given In Touch this yummy recipe for 5-Factor French toast that uses Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread. While I like the taste (and the nutritional packed goodness) of Ezekiel Bread, it's often too hard for me so this is a great way to use it as it will get less hard when you soak the bread. For the recipe just read more
Mother's Day Gift Guide: Personalized Recipe Box, French Wine & Rose Cupcakes
Yesterday I brought you the first part of our Mother's Day gift guide and today I'm finishing it off with a few more great ideas. This first one is for the mom with all the recipes in her head. Don't you think it would be a nice gift for her (and you) if you helped her get them put on paper?
Fast & Easy Dinner: Pissaladière
Tonight, think like the people of Southern France and serve your family a crisp, flavorful, and classic pissaladière. With its flaky crust and savory toppings, pissaladière is similar to a pizza without cheese or sauce. Instead the puff pastry is covered with sweet caramelized onions, fragrant fresh herbs, and nutty, salty anchovies.
The Basics: Béchamel Sauce
Calling all home cooks: if you haven't been acquainted yet with béchamel sauce, it's time you learned a thing or two about it. Chances are you've eaten this white sauce more than a few times in your life, whether layered in moussaka, drizzled on a croque monsieur, or as a component in other classic courses. Béchamel is over 300 years old, and is such a key element of traditional French cuisine that it actually serves as the base for many other sauces (see variations after the jump).
'Wich of the Week: Pan Bagnat
Nicoise salad buffs, meet the pan bagnat. This classic French sandwich also hails from Nice and features the same signature olives, plus oil-packed tuna (I prefer Genova), hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, and anchovies, among other yummy ingredients.
Since I've been somewhat obsessed with all things French, I recently lunched at San Francisco's Cafe Claude to satisfy my pan bagnat craving.
Summer of Salads: Nicoise Salad
Since PartySugar and I have been infatuated with salads this Summer, I thought it would be appropriate to pay homage to the French national holiday today with a specialty native to the Côte D'Azur region of France.
Salade Niçoise, or Niçoise salad, originated in the town of Nice, and is made with boiled new potatoes, steamed haricots verts (baby green beans), boiled eggs, local olives, cured anchovies, and tomatoes, tossed in a Dijon mustard vinaigrette and topped with tuna. I selected a recipe that uses some classic ingredients, but also incorporates a few unconventional flourishes — like seared tuna and caperberries — for a current twist.
Five Minutes of Effort Yields a Rustic Tomato & Bread Gratin
At his seminar in Aspen, French cooking authority Jacques Pépin had a lot to say about boiling the world's most perfect eggs. While doing so, he also managed to make six stunning tomato dishes, using a number of in-season varieties, including a stacked Greek tomato salad, tomato-laced spaghetti with anchovies, and a tomato-bread gratin.
I just so happened to return from the neighborhood farmers market bearing a loaf of fresh-baked bread and vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, so I combined those with Parmesan to make Jacques's gratin.
Happy Hour: French 75
In honor of Bastille Day, which celebrates the start of the French Revolution, mix (or order!) a French 75 cocktail. Named for a type of gun, this drink was originally created by a World War I, French-American fighter pilot. The combination of gin and champagne packs such a potent kick that people believed drinking it was like being shot with the powerful gun.
Come Party With Me Movie Night — Drinks
Deciding what drinks to serve at my French-themed Movie Night was surprisingly trés facile! Besides sparkling and still water, I'll pour one signature cocktail and offer guests a tasting of French wines.
A French martini, made with pineapple juice and chambord, will be served with the baked brie appetizer.
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