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What Do You Know About Beaujolais Nouveau?

YumSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:50:36 -0800

As the French like to proclaim: Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! Raise your glass, because Beaujolais Nouveau - the first wine of the harvest season in the Northern Hemisphere - has finally arrived. Yesterday was the annual release date for the wine, which is welcomed on what's called "Beaujolais Nouveau Day" with a colossal celebration across France each year.

Since the wine - which certainly isn't for snobs - makes such a splash each year, I thought I would throw out some questions and see if you can, ahem, arrive at the answers. What do you know about Beaujolais Nouveau? Let's find out.

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Name That Dish!

YumSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:15:02 -0800

If you prefer to entertain this season with dainty, bite-sized desserts like these pumpkin brownies, chances are, you'd also flip for the small, custardy French pastry, flavored with rum and vanilla, pictured below. Can you identify it?

The Basics: Béchamel Sauce

YumSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:15:28 -0700

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). The white sauce begins with a roux, and then scalded milk is gradually added, until the consistency is smooth and thick. Once you've mastered the recipe, you can use it to make a filling for white lasagna or to mix together a cheese sauce for nontraditional nachos. What are you waiting for? Get the recipe when you read more.

Definition: Gastrique

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:00:15 -0700

A thick sauce in classic French cuisine that consists of a reduction of vinegar, wine, sugar, and sometimes fruit that has been caramelized over heat.

A gastrique is employed to round out flavors in a dish, and is either served with meat or seafood, or used as a base for other sauces, such as one with tomatoes.

It can also be used to add complexity to fruit-forward cocktails.

Source: Flickr User finna dat

Fast & Easy Dinner: Provençal Rack of Lamb

partysugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:50:41 -0700

Lots of nights, I crave roast chicken because it's simple and intensely comforting. However, I live alone, and unless I have someone over, cooking an entire chicken seems a bit wasteful. That's why I've taken to roasting rack of lamb instead. It's available in smaller quantities, and when I'm by myself, it feels like a special treat. In this recipe, the lamb is rubbed with a fresh-herb garlic paste before being roasted with tomatoes and potatoes in the oven. The resulting meal is delicious, rewarding, and, with a glass of red wine, wonderfully luxurious. To look at the recipe, read more.

Provençal Rack of Lamb
From Gourmet

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 medium tomatoes, halved
1 (1-pound) frenched rack of lamb (4 to 8 chops, depending on size), cut in half
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced (1/3 cup)
2 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir together with herbs and 1 tablespoon oil.
Put tomatoes cut sides up in an oiled small baking dish and drizzle with a third of garlic mixture. Roast until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, pat lamb dry and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown lamb on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer lamb to a cutting board and discard oil from skillet.
Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over medium heat and cook shallots and potatoes, stirring occasionally, until edges are browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in water and half of remaining garlic mixture and remove from heat.
Rub remaining garlic mixture on fat side of lamb racks. Arrange lamb over potatoes and roast in oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat (do not touch bone) registers 130°F for medium-rare, 20 to 25 minutes.
Let stand, loosely covered, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with tomatoes.

Serves 2.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Pissaladière

partysugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:00:31 -0700

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. Ripe tomatoes and briny olives, traditional ingredients native to Nice, finish off the tart. Serve this dish with a mixed green salad and a glass of chilled Chardonnay. For the recipe, read more.

Pissaladèire
From Everyday With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 sprigs thyme, plus 1 tablespoon leaves
1 sprig rosemary
Salt and pepper
One 2-ounce can anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained and coarsely chopped
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water
16 pitted small niçoise olives, halved lengthwise
16 grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Directions

In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and the thyme and rosemary sprigs; season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and browned, about 25 minutes. Discard the herb sprigs and fold in the anchovies and thyme leaves.
Meanwhile, place the puff pastry on a 1-foot-long sheet of parchment paper and roll out to form a 10 1/2-inch square. Transfer to a baking sheet. Using a fork, prick the pastry all over, leaving a 1-inch border. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
Preheat the oven to 400°. Brush the pastry border with the egg wash. Spread the onions evenly over the center of the pastry and sprinkle with the olives and tomatoes. Bake until the edges are golden and the bottom is browned, about 20 minutes. Slice into quarters; serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

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Know Your Ingredients: Orange Flower Water

YumSugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:00:52 -0700

Now that Party's cleared up the mystery around one foreign spirit, Pimm's, I'm going to attempt to demystify another mixer - orange flower water.

A delicate flavoring used in desserts, drinks, and other dishes, orange flower water is a natural extract made from distilling orange blossoms from bitter orange or Seville orange trees. Sometimes known as orange blossom water, it has a delicate yet powerful, jasmine-like scent. The flavoring can be categorized into two different genres - French flower water and Middle Eastern flower water. The French version (like the venerated Provençal brand A. Monteux pictured here) is perfumed and floral, while the Middle Eastern kind is brighter with citrusy notes.

Orange blossom water can be used to enhance the flavor of cocktailsm such as the Ramos Gin Fizz and is an ingredient in true orgeat. It's also a key component in some madeleines, cakes, and cookies. Drops may be used to flavor hot water, a common practice in the Middle East, or other desserts like fruit salad and ice cream. How do you make the most of orange flower water?

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Top Chef Quiz: Vivre Las Vegas

partysugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:35:01 -0700

Last night's episode of Top Chef season 6 was a celebration of all things French. The chefs cooked with proteins popular in France, a bunch of French chefs made special appearances, and it was even French contestant Mattin's birthday! Did you pay attention to all of the delicious details? Find out now and take the quiz.

Photo courtesy of Bravo

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Top Chef Vegas: Episode 4

partysugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:30:10 -0700

This week's Top Chef was all about classical French cuisine. First, the cheftestants had to show what they could do with escargot, then they partnered up to prepare several different traditional French dishes. The star-studded lineup of judges included Daniel Boulud and Hubert Keller. Want to talk about the episode? Well you know what to do, keep reading!

Definition: Terrine

YumSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:00:03 -0700

A terrine can be one of several things. Its original definition refers to an oblong, earthenware pan with straight sides, used for cooking and serving food.

The word has also evolved to mean the various dishes prepared in the loaf pan, most commonly a type of country-style pâté made with finely chopped pieces of meat.

Terrines aren't limited to meat, however, and may refer to other courses like frozen desserts. Often, ingredients are layered into the pan and the loaf is served sliced, revealing a pattern.