Charley and I are having some new friends over for dinner next Saturday. We have connected with these two couples through a shared interest in France. We had dinner at one couple's home about two months ago before the four of them traveled to Paris and Burgundy. Now we are getting together at our house to share trip stories (and some wine we brought home).
So I feel I need to cook French, due to the French connection and recent travels. I want to fix something that can just cook away in the oven or on the stove while we visit before dinner and require little kitchen-work at the last minute. Plus, our house has a great room (kitchen/dining room/living room/library all one big room), so there's no privacy in the kitchen at all... and any kitchen mess detracts from the nearby dining table.
I am thinking of perhaps a simple roast lamb or maybe blanquette de veau. We had beef burgundy when we got together before (which I took). I can ask the other two couples to bring something for the meal, but I'd like to do the main course. I will probably ask someone to bring dessert, since that's not really my thing.
I have had success with Julia Child's classic Coq au Vin. You can do it up in advance and it is really a lovely recipe. I would be happy to type it up if you like.
Oui, oui, Kaydee! I am French. I love coq au vin, but often find US chickens too young to make it good. I buy rooster to make it. Big, old, mean and tough. Have you thought of boeuf bougignon? It would be hard to overcook that! You could get your slaves to carve potatoes into those perfect little ovals and roast them crisp with oil. My absolute favorite is rack of lamb, for which I have a great and easy recipe, but it cooks fast and last minute, so perhaps another time.
One of my favorite French cookbooks is Ecole de Cuisine by Jill Prescott. Plenty of recipes that are fantastic. I might try a steak au poivre, dauphinoise potatoes and haricots verts for a nice dinner. If you want recipes, I'll post in a later message.
Posts: 341 | Location: Philadelphia | Registered: 04 November 2004
My favorite beef bourgignon recipe is from "Julia Child Cooks" a fabulous cookbook. If you think guests might like beef as opposed to chicken - let me know and I will forward the recipe.
Janel
Posts: 240 | Location: Chicago | Registered: 12 February 2005
Whenever I think of a nice French meal, I think of either lamb or duck breasts. I like the idea of a rack or leg of lamb which can go in the oven while you have apertifs, but Dennis' idea of steak au poivre is good too. I have a great dauphinois recipe. Simple, roasted baby red potatoes would be nice too.
How about a salade du chevre chaud to start or a salad with some lardons and mustardy vinaigrette?
Sandra
Posts: 799 | Location: Near Chicago, IL | Registered: 03 May 2004
Kathy, Or how about something from Provence like Bouillabaisse? I was invited to a grown up dinner party when I was in college and they served Bouillabaisse, along with just a salad and crusty bread. I thought it was just the height of sophistication! A classic French Onion Soup also works well with just a salad and bread as a meal.
And one more meal type soup that comes to mind is a vegetable soup au pistou - though you might want to save that one for when basil is prolific in the garden.
Keep us posted on what you decide to make.
-Krista
Posts: 1694 | Location: Santa Barbara, California | Registered: 21 May 2004
I am leaning toward the chicken or potentially lamb, mainly because we had beef the last time we were with this group. But I will also talk with Charley about the Bouillabaise. (He is not a big seafood person-- but I sure am!)
Sandra, I definitely do want your dauphinois recipe, if you wouldn't mind posting it. I have also been thinking about a salad with goat cheese to begin... unfortunately the goat cheese I can get around here just isn't the same!
And so many of these other ideas sound wonderful... if anyone is inspired and doesn't mind typing a bit, maybe we could use this thread to collect a couple of great French recipes.
In the meantime, anyone have a great recipe for roast lamb? (I will also check my Patricia Wells books and a couple of others...)
Kathy, what about the chicken w/40 cloves of garlic? It is Ina Garten's recipe on the food network and its orgin are French, it would be great for guests as its a one pot meal and you can leave it in the oven until your are ready to eat. It was a REALLY good recipe and you are totally NOT overpowered by the garlic.
Posts: 1399 | Location: Seattle - next is Isla Mujeres,MX in December, then its Paris in March, then hopefully England! | Registered: 02 May 2005
Kathy - do you have a Trader Joe's near you? If so, their frozen marinated rack of lamb is hard to beat -- it has been beautifully trimmed, is oven ready, and cooks in about 20 minutes. I have found one package serves 2-3, and per pound it is usually less expensive than at your local supermarket or butcher. This has become (shh, don't tell anyone) one of my standards when I want to serve something impressive without any effort on my part. Serve with oven roasted little red potatoes (with rosemary and garlic) and asparagus - or haricots verts if you can get them, and VOILA! a lovely french meal.
Posts: 2061 | Location: Berkeley, CA | Registered: 22 March 2005
Motherjudy gave me another idea. I don't know if it is the same thing as she is talking about, but Trader Joe's has a Marvelous (yes, with a capital M) boneless leg of lamb roast in the fresh meat case. It is marinated in burgundy and pepper and is awesome! My kids love it. It is around 2-1/2 lbs and all you do is throw that baby into a pan with a little water and wait.
I know the chevre isn't the same but if you get the one that comes in the pyramid shaped container (Chavrie?), this is what I do: Spread some thickly on good multigrain bread, drizzle heavily with honey, and bake/broil until the cheese starts getting melty. Put each slice on a nicely dressed salad plate (frisee or even baby greens) that has toasted pine nuts sprinkled around it. You can put a few bits of 1/4d cherry or grape tomatoes around the plate or even a few thin cuke slices.
If you can get the log variety of goat cheese, can do same as above or cut into 1" slices, dip in egg, then dip in panko crumbs (lighter than regular bread crumbs), heat in a lightly greased frypan, and serve on the greens (1 or 2 slices a person).
Will have to go find the dauphinois recipe. Sandra
Posts: 799 | Location: Near Chicago, IL | Registered: 03 May 2004
Sadly, we don't have a Trader Joes-- which is really sad, because now I want that leg of lamb. I'll have to see what I can figure out. Before I get too far down this path, I need to confirm that our guests eat lamb.
And great plan for the salad, Sandra. I like the idea of the little haricot verts and I think I can get them. Now I just need my potatoes...
Here's the Dauphinois recipe I use. It's one of my favorite things ever.
Gratin Dauphinois 8 servings
- 7 medium Yukon Gold potatoes - 1 cup heavy cream (I end up using more) - 1-½ cups half-and-half - 5 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled, divided - ¼ teaspoon dried thyme - 1 sprig rosemary, about 4 inches long - 2 sprigs Italian parsley - ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg - 2 teaspoons kosher salt or to taste - ¼ teaspoon ground white or black pepper - 1 tablespoon butter - 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes and cut lengthwise into quarters; cut crosswise into slices about ¼-inch thick. Place in a 6-quart pot with cream, half-and-half, 4 crushed cloves garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper. (You may need more milk or cream to cover potatoes.)Bring to a high simmer over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently 5-6 minutes. (Stir often to prevent potatoes from sticking to bottom of pot.) Remove pot from heat and discard garlic and herb sprigs.
2. Use remaining clove garlic to run around the inside of a 2-½-quart gratin or baking dish. (I tend to use a glass lasagna pan)Butter the inside of the dish well so that it's evenly coated. Transfer potatoes and cream to the dish. Add more cream if needed to just cover the potatoes. Sprinkle top with the Gruyere cheese. Bake about 45 minutes or until browned and bubbling. (You may want to put a baking sheet underneath to catch bubbling over drips!!!) Remove from oven and let rest 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Originally posted by suncoast: Oh My God AMY could it be any more decadent??!
There's a reason why I only make it for dinner parties when I'm sure there won't be leftovers. I often joke that there should be a cardiologist in attendence when it's served. Not the sort of thing you want to see calling to you from the fridge!
Well, here's my version of Pomme Daupinois. My daughter (actually, everyone) loves this dish. She, however, is the dauphinois princess. When we stayed in Mercurey, in the Burgundy region, she ate dauphinois every night with dinner. Ended up pronouncing the restaurant "on the square that was a triangle" the best ever. Mind you, she was about 9. Anyway, she loves this version a lot.
Amy, it sounds yummy, but I'm not sure if true dauphinois has cheese in it. Maybe because it is called "gratin".
Pommes Dauphinois
1-1/2 c. whipping cream 1 c. milk 1/2 tsp. each: dried thyme, salt Freshly ground pepper 6 russet potatoes, peeled 3 cloves garlic, minced
1. Heat oven to 400. Combine cream, milk, thyme, salt and pepper to taste in large pot. Cut potatoes into 1/8" slices, dropping into pot as they are sliced. cook over med. heat, stirring occasionally until potatoes are evenly coated and cream mixture thicken, 10-15 min.
2. Sprinkle garlic over bottom of buttered 8X8 baking dish. Transfer potatoes to dish, making layers. Pour any extra sauce over potatoes. Bake until golden brown and tender, about 30 min.
If you want to get fancy, you can cool the pan and then refrig overnight so it gets firm. Then cut the potatoes with 3" round ring mold. Put on parchment lined baking sheet and bake 400 for 10 min. or until they start to bubble. But frankly, this is a pain to do. Did it once; won't do it again. I've made this lots of times since (even doubled for a bigger baking dish) and no one gives a fig about whether or not the potatoes are in a cute stack. And then you are just forced to stand in the kitchen and eat all those leftover potato scraps anyway...
Bon Appetit! Sandra
P.S. Any decision on the lamb, Kathy?
Posts: 799 | Location: Near Chicago, IL | Registered: 03 May 2004
Both of these recipes are getting printed out and going into my personal cookbook of all-time-favorite-recipes! I just finished eating dinner, and now I'm salivating again!
Okay, on the lamb-- both couples have responded that they love lamb. Today Charley and I went down to the store we love called the Fresh Market (closest thing to a European-style market) and talked with the butcher about a leg of lamb. He highly recommended a leg of lamb that is sealed in a bag marinating in rosemary and red wine. It sounded very much like the Trader Joe's that several here have suggested. So... now I have two already in my fridge!
Our friends are bringing a proxima projector to show their photos from Burgundy and Paris and we'll show ours from Provence. Anyone else want to join us?!
Thanks again for all this help and these wonderful recipes--
Kathy - I don't know if you've already confirmed your menu yet, but something we really enjoyed in France one night was artichokes. We ate in, and had roasted little hens and cooked up some artichokes and "plucked and dipped" them throughout the meal in a tangy dipping sauce. They are in season now that it is spring, and I've seen them in several supermarkets. I can't really give you a dipping recipe, but I'm sure I could find one for you if you're interested....
Originally posted by suncoast: Can you brine lamb??
Ginger
Ginger, in my opionion there is absolutely no need to brine a lamb, a good marinade does the job as far as flavoring but I have also just salt and peppered a leg of lamb. Its kind of like good beef you don't have to mess with it too much. I have never had a dry lamb roast unless you cook it to death of course, we prefer ours medium rare, and it always moist and juicy.
Posts: 1399 | Location: Seattle - next is Isla Mujeres,MX in December, then its Paris in March, then hopefully England! | Registered: 02 May 2005
Our dinner Saturday was a success-- thanks to all of you.
I actually ended up making both of the potato recipes and had a second dish that Charley and I had for dinner last night. (And leftovers for later this week.) Absolutely wonderful! I'm not sure which I enjoyed most. These are definitely going into my repetoire-- thanks Amy and Sandra.
For our entree, I fixed a salade de chevre chaud and there was not one bit of salad left on anyone's plate. I basically used this recipe as my starting place.
I'd also like to recommend a French cookbook that a friend gave me recently as a gift: My French Kitchen, co-authored by Joanne Harris, who wrote Chocolat, Blackberry Wine etc. This book has 120 classic French recipes and absolutely wonderful photos. I've made several things from this book, and never been disappointed. It's a great addition to a cookbook collection.
Topic Closed
but if you get the one that comes in the pyramid shaped container (Chavrie?), this is what I do: Spread some thickly on good multigrain bread, drizzle heavily with honey, and bake/broil until the cheese starts getting melty. Put each slice on a nicely dressed salad plate (frisee or even baby greens) that has toasted pine nuts sprinkled around it. You can put a few bits of 1/4d cherry or grape tomatoes around the plate or even a few thin cuke slices. 
That's what I'm making for dinner this weekend.