France Archives - International Cuisine

Escargot Bourguignon

July 9, 2015 By Darlene at International Cuisine

Escargot Bourguignon is a classic French delicacy. I know that snails do not appeal to everyone, but for those of you who are squeamish, you will still love to soak up the sauce on a lovely French baguette. The Bourguignon simply means from Burgundy, and this recipe is a traditional preparation.

If you haven’t had the pleasure to try them, they are super easy to make. Typically, you buy the shells separately which can be washed and reused. You can get the shells here and the can of snails here. I had to get little escargot plates like this one and tongs for serving. Every time I see the escargot tongs I think of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman when she tried to use them for the first time and the escargot went flying. “Slippery little suckers”.

Even if someone was afraid to eat the snail, the dipping of the baguette in the garlic butter sauce, well that may be equally wonderful. The snail itself has a light flavor and the texture is similar to a mushroom. A perfect way to begin our French International Cuisine meal Bon Appetit!

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A dozen french escargot in a garlic butter sauce

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5 from 2 votes

Escargot Bourguignon

A true French Delicacy that you can enjoy at home.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine France, French

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings escargot

Calories 63kcal

Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

1 can Extra large French snails 24 in a can
Snail shells enough for the number of guests you will be serving. I figure 6 per person.
1 stick butter melted
1 tablespoon shallots minced
1 1/2 tablespoon garlic minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 French baguette for dipping

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
open and drain the snails from the can
put one snail into one shell and stuff it toward the inside to allow for plenty of the butter mixture to get inside the shell.
Mix all together the butter, shallots, garlic, parsley and add salt and pepper to taste
spoon mixture into each shell.
Place shells on a escargot tray and place in oven.
cook until the butter is nice and bubbly.
Remove and serve with escargot tongs and small forks.
Slice the baguette and serve with any leftover butter sauce.
To eat, grab an escargot with the tongs, use a small fork to remove the snail and put it onto a baguette slice. Eat, YUM!!!!

Nutrition

Soupe a l’oignon (French Onion Soup)

July 9, 2015 By Darlene at International Cuisine

Soup a l’oignon or French onion soup is another classic dish. It is very rich and is often times served as a meal by itself. I made it as part of our International Cuisine meal but just served a small portion.

This recipe takes time to make and patience is a virtue. To get it right, you need to caramelize those onions SLOWLY. The result is totally worth the effort. You can make this several days in advance and it freezes well. If you make it in advance, do all the steps up until making the croutes (toasted bread) and cheese and save that for the day of serving.

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5 from 2 votes

Soupe a l'oignon ( French Onion Soup)

A true French classic that is totally worth the effort.

Course Soup

Cuisine French

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Servings

Calories 626kcal

Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

6 cups sweet yellow onions thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons flour
6 cups beef stock preferably homemade
1 cup dry red wine
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
salt and pepper
12 ounces swiss gruyere cheese grated
4 ounces parmegiano regiano cheese grated
1/2 raw yellow onion
2 -3 tablespoons cognac
8 slices French bread about 1 inch thick
4 tablespoons olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

Place heavy bottom stock pot or dutch over over medium-low heat.
Add cooking oil and butter to pot.
Add sliced onions and stir until they are evenly coated with the oil.
Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until they are very tender and translucent.
To brown or caramelize the onions turn heat under pot to medium or medium high heat.
Add 1/2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt and continue to cook uncovered, stirring frequently until the onions have browned and reduced significantly. (note this requires patience it can take up to 1 hour for them to caramelize, please do not turn up the heat to hurry them, they will burn)
Once caramelized, reduce heat to medium-low and add 3 Tbs flour to the onions.
Brown the flour for about 2-3 minutes trying not to scorch it. (If the flour does not form a thick paste, you can add a bit more butter here).
Stir in about 1 cup of warm stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all of the cooked-on bits.
Add the rest of the stock, wine, sage, and bay leaf to the soup.
Simmer for 30 minutes.
To make the "croutes" (toasted bread), heat oven to 325 degrees F.
Drizzle each side of the bread slices with a bit of olive oil and place on baking sheet.
Cook the croutes for 10 minutes in oven on each side (20 minutes total).
Check the soup for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
Remove the bay leaf (if you can find it).
Transfer to a casserole dish.
At this point you can add the 2-3 Tbs cognac or good French brandy and grate the 1/2 raw onion into the soup.
Add a few ounces of the swiss cheese directly into the soup and stir.
Place the toasted bread in a single layer on top of the soup.
Sprinkle the rest of the cheese in a thick layer on top of the bread making sure to cover the edges of the toast to prevent burning.
Drizzle with a little oil or melted butter.
Place in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
Turn on broiler and brown cheese well.
Let cool for a few minutes.
Bon Appetit!

Nutrition

Sole Meuniére (Pan fried Dover Sole)

July 9, 2015 By Darlene at International Cuisine

Sole Meuniére is just one of hundreds of spectacular French recipes. I chose it for our International Cuisine meal because it was Julia Child’s Epiphany! Her first meal in Rouen that changed her, and the world because of it. Julia Childs made French cooking accessible to the rest of us.

This is what she said about her first experience eating Sole Meuniére. “I closed my eyes and inhaled the rising perfume. Then I lifted a forkful of fish to my mouth, took a bite, and chewed slowly. The flesh of the sole was delicate, with a light but distinct taste of the ocean that blended marvelously with the browned butter. I chewed slowly and swallowed. It was a morsel of perfection.” She later said, “that lunch in Rouen….. It was the most exciting meal of my life.”

My husband concurs and thinks it just might be the best fish he has ever had, I agree! A super simple recipe that is delicious, I would highly recommend you make it!

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5 from 2 votes

Sole Meuniére (Pan fried Dover Sole)

The dish that Julia Childs fell in love with that changed both he,r and the world.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine French

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 13 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 200kcal

Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

8 fllets sole boneless and skinless
1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons clarified butter or ghee
1 stick unsalted butter
1 lemon juice of
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Layout and pat dry the fillets.
Season with salt and pepper
Heat a tablespoon of clarified butter in a skillet large enough to hold two fillets over medium heat. (Julia Child loved an oval frying pan for this dish and it is on display in the Smithsonian along with her entire kitchen.)
Dredge the fillets in the flour on both sides and gently shake to remove any excess.
Place the fillets in the clarified butter and brown about 1-2 minutes per side. Taking care when you flip them, use a spatula, they are very delicate fillets.
Set on warm plate and repeat until all the fillets are cooked. Adding in clarified butter and wiping out the pan as necessary.
Melt the unsalted butter in the pan and just as it is browning, Add in the fresh lemon juice. (note this will splatter quite a bit.
Plate the fillets and pour the lemon butter sauce over the top.
Garnish with parsley
Bon Appetit!

Nutrition

Carottes Glacées (Glazed Carrots)

July 9, 2015 By Darlene at International Cuisine

Glazed Carrots or Carottes Glacées as they are called in France, are a perfect side dish to the Sole Meuniere. They are sweet and savory. They look beautiful on the plate and are so easy to make. I used baby carrots straight from the garden so cooking time is a bit less than the recipe calls for. Whatever carrots you use, just cook them until perfectly tender.

Bon Appetit! Note: If you want a vegetarian version you can use vegetable broth instead of beef broth.

These glazed carrots would make a lovely side dish for just about anything. We loved them and hope you do too.

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5 from 2 votes

Carottes Glacées (Glazed Carrots)

Glazed carrots are both sweet and savory, a perfect side dish!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine French

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings

Calories 138kcal

Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

1 lb. carrots peeled, quartered and cut into 3 inch strips (or use baby carrots whole)
1 cup beef stock or broth
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley chopped to garnish

Instructions

In a stock pot bring the beef broth or stock to a boil
Add in the butter, sugar and pepper.
Add in the carrots and continue boiling about 20-30 minutes or until the carrots are tender and the liquid has been reduced to a glaze.
Enjoy!

Nutrition

Salade Nicoise (Nicoise Salad)

July 9, 2015 By Darlene at International Cuisine

Niçoise salad or Salade niçoise as it is called in France is a delicious and beautiful dish to serve. It would make a perfect light lunch any day.

Sometimes anchovies are added to this but it gets its name Niçoise salad from the small black olives that come from Nice. If you want to try the real thing (which I highly recommend) you can get them here. If you can not find them you can substitute a kalmata but get the kind in the brine to be more authentic. Of course add what you like and eliminate what you don’t.

This recipe was awesome and the dressing really made the salad. Light, simple and refreshing. Bon Appetit!

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A display of the ingredients of an authentic nicoise salad

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4.67 from 3 votes

Salade Nicoise (Nicoise Salad)

A beautiful and delicious French classic salad.

Course Salad

Cuisine French

Prep Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings

Calories 472kcal

Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

For the Nicoise Dressing

1 clove garlic
Kosher salt to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp's fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 shallot minced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Salad

1 lb. small new potatoes boiled until tender
8 oz. haricot verts blanched
12 oz. cherry tomatoes halved
1/2 cup black Niçoise olives
8 oz. marinated artichoke hearts
8 salt-packed anchovies rinsed and drained (optional)
4 hard-boiled eggs halved lengthwise
1 small cucumber thinly sliced
3 4 oz can oil-packed tuna, drained
1/2 red onion sliced thinly

Instructions

Make the dressing: Mince garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle heavily with salt; using a knife, scrape garlic and salt together to form a smooth paste. Transfer paste to a bowl and whisk in oil, lemon juice, mustard, shallot, and salt and pepper; set aside.
Make the salad: Arrange all ingredients in separate rows on a large serving platter; drizzle dressing over all ingredients, season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition

Plateau de Fromage (France Cheese Plate)

July 9, 2015 By Darlene at International Cuisine

A France cheese plate called plateau de fromage can be made with any number of French cheeses. They make over 1000 different types. The earliest cheese is the Roquefort the type with the blue of green vein that was ripened in caves as early as the 17th century.

It is simple to put a France cheese board together, get creative and add some fruit like apples, figs or grapes and some jams and honey for a wonderful treat. Often times a France cheese plate is served as dessert. Why not use an artist’s palette for a fun little cutting board.

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an artists palette is topped with cheeses and jellies

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5 from 2 votes

Plateau de Fromage (Cheese Plate)

A cheese plate makes a perfect dessert

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings

Calories 3kcal

Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

3-4 Assorted French Cheeses Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, Brie w/ mushrooms etc.
a variety of jams strawberry, fig, grape etc.
a variety of fruit apple, figs, grapes etc.

Instructions

Place your cheeses on a cutting board and arrange with your jam and fruit varieties and serve with a french baguette.
Bon Appetit!

Nutrition

Crème Brûlée (Vanilla Bean Custard with caramel top)

July 9, 2015 By Darlene at International Cuisine

Crème Brûlée (Vanilla Bean Custard with caramel top) is one of my all-time favorite desserts. Choosing one for France was not easy as there are hundreds of amazing choices. This however won the contest. It is so delicious.

Crème Brûlée actually means burnt cream. The top is covered with sugar and then burnt with a torch to make a hard caramelized topping. This is also great because you can make it ahead of time and just brulee the top before serving. Enjoy this traditional french specialty. Bon appetit!

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3.8 from 5 votes

Crème Brûlée (Vanilla Bean Custard with caramel top)

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings

Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean split and scraped
1/3 cup plus 6 teaspoons granulated sugar divided
4 large egg yolks

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 300°F. Add heavy cream, vanilla bean seeds, and pod to small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until little bubbles form around sides of the cream in the pot.
Combine egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar in bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until pale yellow and yolks fall off of whisk in ribbons, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. With mixer running on medium-low speed, slowly add hot cream mixture. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
Place a folded kitchen towel (or a few paper towels) on the bottom of a roasting pan or glass baking dish large enough to hold six 6-ounce ramekins. Place ramekins on top of towel and ladle custard base evenly between them. Pour hot water into baking dish until it comes 1/2 way up sides of ramekins.
Bake until custard is set but still jiggles in center, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature without removing ramekins from water bath. Once cool, cover ramekins in plastic and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours, and up to overnight.
To serve, sprinkle each ramekin with 1 teaspoon sugar. Brown with kitchen torch, and serve immediately.