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French Food Archive
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Potato Dauphinoise
Posted on August 26, 2010 | 2 CommentsTweetI absolutely love this way to prepare potatoes. I know it’s not the healthiest way to eat them, but I firmly believe it’s better than eating a bag of chips. It’s way more refined too. The creamy, garlicky flavours are out of this world. I’d be happy with a bowl of this to myself without anything else. In-fact, I think I’ve done that at some point. I did make up for the less-than-healthy-serving by accompanying with a huge bowl of vegetables – quite a memorable dinner.
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Rabbit with Mushroom and Smoked Speck
Posted on August 4, 2010 | No CommentsTweetI love rabbit. It’s a great, cheap alternative to chicken with a delicious, rich and slightly gamey taste all of its own. This recipe is fabulous! A lovely combination of tastes and textures with a wonderful creamy sauce. It looks impressive when plated up too.
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Pomme Puree
Posted on August 2, 2010 | No CommentsTweetThere’s mashed potato, and then there’s pomme puree. I love ordinary mashed potatoes at the best of times, but this classic French recipe takes it up a million notches. Light, creamy, buttery and rich – there’s nothing quite like it. Left to my own devices I would have sat and eaten the whole bowl on my own – as it happens, I ate 3/4 of it myself. I did need a little lie down afterwards.
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Potatoes Parisienne (rustic version)
Posted on July 5, 2010 | 2 CommentsTweetDecadent is not the word for it. These little potatoes are absolute heaven. If I could, I would eat them all by themselves with nothing more than a loaf of bread. Why would anyone want chips when they could have these!! I kid you not, they are fabulous. The French call these Parisienne Potatoes – but the French being the French they have to make things difficult. Before cooking they carve up the potatoes into perfect little balls using a melon baller. Now, while I like aesthetics, the thought of faffing about with a melon baller and a potato is not my idea of fun. I, instead, just cut the potato into thick cubes and the results are exactly the same in flavour, if not a little more rustic in appearance. Next time you’re considering mashed potatoes, try these instead – like me, you’ll be a convert after the first mouthful.
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Potatoes Cooked with Wine and Olives
Posted on May 28, 2010 | No CommentsTweetThis has to be one of the most delicious things I’ve cooked in a while. I had no idea that it would turn out so well, and lift the humble potato to new flavour heights. I used Kipfler potatoes as they have a good waxy texture and hold their shape during cooking, but any small waxy potato will do.
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Tartare Sauce
Posted on May 14, 2010 | No CommentsTweetTartare sauce is one of those things that should ONLY be eaten if you’ve made it yourself. I cannot begin to describe the rankness of the shop bought, jarred variety. It’s beyond foul. I wouldn’t feed it to a cat. That said, the home made variety is utterly delicious, creamy, slightly tart, salty and sour all in one burst of flavour. I love it with fish of course, but it’s also great with boiled potatoes hot or cold. Don’t be tempted to buy shop bought, make your own instead -it’s easy.
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Smoked Ham & Sweetbread Terrine
Posted on January 1, 2010 | No CommentsTweetTerrines are a mystery to me. I don’t often eat them and I have never made them before this recipe. I had always assumed they were beyond fiddly, but after closer investigation, discovered they’re no more of a challenge than some of the curries I’ve been making for years. This terrine is very easy to prepare, once you’ve found all the ingredients that is! Sweetbreads are deceptively titled and not the easiest things to track down. The pancreas of an animal is not everyone’s idea of a cracking meal, but I urge you to give them a try – they are sublime! I’ve eaten them a few times and really must say, they’re delicious. This recipe used lamb sweetbreads but you can also use veal. The overall dish is absolutely delicious – savoury, smoky and a lovely texture all-round. We ate it as part of a larger cold buffet but it works well as a substantial starter course too. It’s an impressive little dish to pull out of the bag, but secretly not that hard to make!
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Spicy Prawns in Garlic & White Wine
Posted on December 21, 2009 | No CommentsTweetSometimes the simplest dishes are the best. Prawns and garlic work amazingly well together, especially with a little dash of white wine and a drizzling of good quality olive oil. Perfect for a summer’s afternoon in the garden. When I made this I ate SO many prawns I had to have a little lie down to sleep them off. I wish I wasn’t so greedy sometimes.
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Salad Niçoise
Posted on October 5, 2009 | No CommentsTweetThere are many schools of thought as to what goes into a salad Niçoise, some camps becoming pretty animated and heated as to the correct combination of ingredients. One book BEGGED me not to add any cooked vegetables while another added as many as five. It would seem the French can’t make up their minds so, I am giving you Salad Niçoise as I have always made it. A truly filling and satisfying salad, packed with interesting texture and flavour – perfect as a meal in itself or as part of a larger buffet style affair.
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Cherry Tarts
Posted on August 20, 2009 | No CommentsTweetI had some pastry leftover from the delicious Lemon Tarts I made and was bizarrely craving something sweet again. I’m not really a big cake eater, and prefer something quite tangy over down and out sugar so opted for a happy medium in these lovely cherry & frangipane tarts. They are so easy to eat!
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Lemon Tarts
Posted on August 18, 2009 | No CommentsTweetTangy and delicious. 2 words which sum up these little delights perfectly. I love the sourness of lemon – that combined with the buttery sweet pastry is delicious. Now, you can serve these as a desert with some cream, raspberries or a drizzle of warm chocolate, but personally you can’t beat them with a cup of coffee as an afternoon treat. This recipe makes four 12cm tarts which quite frankly is pathetic and won’t last 2 minutes. It’ll also make one 12″ tart which may fair slightly better.
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Scallops with Saffron Vinaigrette
Posted on August 10, 2009 | No CommentsTweetThis was delicious starter course for a dinner I cooked. Scallops are clever, because they don’t take much cooking so can appear on the plate as quick as a flash. This lovely, bright dressing to accompany is sweet and sour with a hint of saffron flavour. It was very tasty indeed.
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Cabbage with Garlic & Cream
Posted on July 29, 2009 | No CommentsTweetI happened upon some Tuscan Cabbage at the supermarket. It sounded sufficiently pretentious enough for me to purchase a bundle to accompany my steak that I’d been thinking about all day. I knew a great recipe for creamy cabbage that would fit perfectly with the rich, dense steak. This is it. The cabbage keeps all its flavour but is enhanced by a lovely creamy coating flavoured simply with nutmeg – a great partner to the earthy cabbage. You’ll enjoy it.
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Pork Medallions with White Wine & Mustard Sauce
Posted on July 15, 2009 | No CommentsTweetThis pork fillet was in and out of the freezer about 10 times. Every time I decided to cook it I would change my mind and throw it back into the deep freeze. Finally I defrosted it fully so as to leave me no choice but cook it. Tonight’s dinner was a winner. Lovely moist meat with a rich, creamy sauce just perfect alongside the crunchy vegetables I served alongside. Thank god I finally defrosted it! Now I just need to tackle the problem of the frozen mackerel at the back of the freezer that’s been taunting me for the last few weeks…
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Braised Rabbit with Dijon Mustard & Rosemary
Posted on May 12, 2009 | 3 CommentsTweet I hadn’t had rabbit in a while so snapped one up at the local butcher’s this morning. It was cheaper than chicken so seemed like a good buy all round. After an hour long debate on what to cook we settled on this French casserole. It’s very easy to make. However, a word of advice – I would ask your butcher to joint the rabbit. I didn’t and therefore spent a while trying to decipher the best way to chop it up – needless to say, it looked like roadkill by the end and I narrowly avoided adding the tip of my finger to the ingredients with my unwieldy cleaver skills. The casserole itself is a rich, slightly sweet/sour gravy with a soft, melting meat. Truly delicious!
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Chocolate & Lime Mousse
Posted on April 28, 2009 | No CommentsTweet I don’t know what came over me today. I had a real craving for chocolate. I can’t remember ever having had it before as I’m not normally one for eating much of it. Anyway, I really wanted a mousse for some reason. So I made this. A lovely rich zingy mousse. Zing courtesy of a lime which I had hanging round the kitchen. It was deliciously light. The only criticism was that I divided it between 3 glasses and not 4 and subsequently had to have a little lie down such was my bloatedness.
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Slow Roasted Pork Belly
Posted on March 25, 2009 | 1 CommentTweet I adore pork belly, mainly as it gives me an excuse to eat the worst, but best part of the meat – the fat! Belly pork is to my mind the best cut of pork as when it cooks the thin layers of fat keep the meat moist and juicy as they’ll self baste in the tin. If the crackling is right, crunchy but not tough, then this is one of the finest dishes there is!
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Pan roasted Guinea Fowl with Cumberland Sauce
Posted on January 26, 2009 | No CommentsTweet I picked up some Guinea fowl at the farmers market before Christmas and had buried them with other stuff in the freezer. Once they’d been uncovered and identified I was intrigued to give them a go. I didn’t want to braise them as I thought they deserved to be simply cooked to bring out the natural flavour, I also wanted a sweet sauce to accompany and settled on cumberland. Turns out it’s perfect for the slightly gamey Guinea fowl. Who knew!?
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Sausage with Fava Beans
Posted on January 14, 2009 | No CommentsTweet I’d bought some gourmet lamb sausages a few weeks ago and have been meaning to use them ever since. I love the combination of sausages with grains and pulses so knew this dish would be delicious. It’s a really simple dish to make. You don’t have to hunt out lamb sausages, it would work equally as well with pork sausages, as long as they’re good quality. Instead of rosemary you could use any herb you like such as sage, thyme, oregano or marjoram whatever you think will compliment your variety of sausage the best.
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Steak with Roquefort Sauce
Posted on January 12, 2009 | No CommentsTweet I love blue cheese and I especially love the pungent taste of a roquefort sauce. It works excellently with meat, especially a good quality steak, which is just what I needed today. I was salivating at the mere thought of this all day, so when it came time to cook I couldn’t wait any longer. I served mine with some delicious potatoes roasted in duck fat which just upped the ante, making it quite a decadent evening all round.
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Saffron Roast Potatoes
Posted on October 10, 2008 | No CommentsTweet The distinctive, yet subtle flavour of saffron makes this delicious side dish really stand out in both taste and colour. The vibrant yellow of saffron does it’s magic on the potatoes and will guarantee a ripple of applause from either yourself or your guests when it comes out the oven. Just make sure nobody’s looking when you applaud your own dish – it’s a tad camp.
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Eggs En Cocotte with Asparagus & Mushrooms
Posted on October 3, 2008 | No CommentsTweet What a triumph this was. I was feeling particularly pleased with the weather today, lovely and sunny so decided to have this dish as a delicious breakfast outside. The dream didn’t quite live up to the reality however, our back yard has no view, is overgrown with weeds and currently has a building site right next to it. Still, this lovely baked dish was really tasty. Very simple too. You can pre-prepare right up to the point of breaking an egg over too for those who have the foresight.
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Chocolate & Almond Tart.
Posted on August 13, 2008 | No CommentsTweet The dessert! By this point we were pretty full. I knew this would tip us over the edge. But I also knew it was totally delicious. A real chocolate lovers treat. It’s luxurious, rich and incredibly fattening, but I simply don’t care. It’s too tasty to worry about.
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Poussin Stuffed with Fois Gras & Pistachio
Posted on August 11, 2008 | 1 CommentTweet This was a fabulous high point to the meal. The delicious flavour imparted by the fois gras and pistachio is perfect. It’s rich but not overly so. Together with the Asparagus Risotto it made for a really delicious main course.
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Chicken in Brandy & Mustard Sauce
Posted on June 17, 2008 | No CommentsTweet I am beginning to take an interest in French food. It was cold outside today so wanted something hearty and warming. I found a lovely recipe for rabbit in mustard sauce but on visiting the butcher was disappointed to discover that they’d all gone, so instead I bought some good quality grain fed chicken supremes instead. I modified the original recipe to include brandy instead of white wine and the end result was magnificent. The sauce has a hint of sweetness but enough depth to satisfy the palette. It was really rather good!
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Potato Gratin
Posted on February 2, 2008 | No CommentsTweet • Share on Facebook • Add to Del.icio.us • Digg It! I sometimes go to one of those canteen style carveries at lunch time, the woman serving is beyond miserable and stingy with the portions (I say stingy, the food is always spilling over the plate). They do a great potato gratin with cream which is really rich and delicious, but I know that it’s terribly fattening so often avoid it. There’s an alternative to the cream laden gratin however. This French recipe from Nice uses stock instead of cream and the results are mightly tasty. Depending on what you’re eating it with you can chop and change the type of stock. Or if you’re vegetarian, use vegetable.
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Baked Tomatoes
Posted on January 29, 2008 | No CommentsTweet • Share on Facebook • Add to Del.icio.us • Digg It! I have a tonne of tomatoes in the house. Every time I go to the supermarket I forget that I already have a mass and put another bag in my trolley. It’s like a nervous tick. I am terrified that I may go the fridge one day and have less than 3kg. Normally, the tomatoes I cook with either go into a salad or into a pasta sauce but here’s a great little recipe for baking them. It intensifies the flavour and is a great side dish for meat or fish. This recipe was adapted for 2-3 people, but just double it up and it’ll work for 4-6 people.
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Leek & Chorizo Gratin
Posted on January 24, 2008 | 1 CommentTweet • Share on Facebook • Add to Del.icio.us • Digg It! A Spanish take on a French recipe. I added a touch of chorizo to this simple dish to go with the Fino Sherry Roasted Pork. It was really tasty and didn’t last long in the serving bowl.
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Bearnaise Sauce
Posted on January 11, 2008 | No CommentsTweet • Share on Facebook • Add to Del.icio.us • Digg It! There is a sauce that when teamed with a well cooked steak will just take it to another place. Bearnaise sauce is one of these. It’s a sauce often found on restaurant menu’s yet not something attempted often at home. Here’s a surprise, it’s very easy…
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Cauliflower Cheese
Posted on December 19, 2007 | No CommentsTweet • Share on Facebook • Add to Del.icio.us • Digg It! This is something I would always turn my nose up at, as I universally hated cauliflower. But I must say, I’ve done a 360º on this and it’s now one of my top 10 hangover cures. It’s fanstastic on it’s own and even better with roast meat. It may not be the most exotic of dishes, but that doesn’t stop it being incredibly satisfying. This will serve 4-6 people.
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Mushrooms with Goat’s Cheese
Posted on December 6, 2007 | No CommentsTweet • Share on Facebook • Add to Del.icio.us • Digg It! A delicious way to have mushrooms as either a side dish, a topping for Italian bruschetta or as I had it, a topping for the biggest sirloin beef steak I’ve ever eaten. It’s seriously delicious. This should serve 2-3, depending on how you’re serving it.
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Mushroom & Goats Cheese Soup
Posted on August 25, 2007 | No CommentsTweet I love mushrooms, and even more so when combined with delicious goats cheese. I ate two mansize bowls of this and really regretted it. I was beyond full, having to lie down for an hour until I was through the worst of it. It takes a while to cook, but it smells nice so can’t be all bad.
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Cheese & Paprika Souffle
Posted on May 18, 2007 | 1 CommentTweet I had this in a restaurant recently, and decided that it was so nice that I’d have a go myself. The results were better than the restaurants effort. Souffe’s are actually much easier than I’d thought. Either that or I’m a technical genius in the kitchen.
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