Gratin Dauphinois
3 pounds russet (Idaho) potatoes of uniform size
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 medium garlic clove, crushed through a press
1 1/2 to 2 cups half-and-half or milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
4 tablespoons crème fraîche (optional)
1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1. Peel and wash the potatoes and slice them into rounds 1/8 inch thick,
using a mandoline, the slicing disk of a food processor, or a sharp
knife.
3. In a small saucepan, bring the half-and-half to a simmer with the remaining garlic and season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the potatoes in one overlapping layer on the bottom of the dish. Season the layer generously with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Arrange two more layers on top, seasoning each layer liberally. You might not need all the potatoes. Press the layers down to compact them. Pour in enough half-and-half to come up just a little below the top layer of potatoes. Set the baking dish on a larger baking sheet, cover with foil, and bake until the potatoes feel tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.
5. Raise the oven temperature to 425°F, remove the foil, and bake until the top begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Pour just enough cream to cover the top, dab it with crème fraîche, if using, and sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan. Bake until the top is brown and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let the potatoes stand for 10 minutes to absorb the cream. Cut into squares and serve.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Short crust pastry
¾ cup flour
6 ounces (1 ½ sticks) butter, cut in pieces
½ tsp salt
½ cup water
Filling
½ pound (about 15 slices) streaky bacon or ham
2 cups sour cream
3 eggs
salt & pepper
To prepare the crust: combine flour, butter and salt and mix thoroughly by pressing and rubbing in between the palms of your hands. Add water to the pastry. Knead well. Let the dough rest for several hours. Roll into a circle and line a 9-inch pie pan.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Dice the bacon into small cubes. Plunge cubes in boiling water. As soon as the water begins boiling again, remove it and drain. Sprinkle the diced bacon onto the crust.
In a bowl, stir together the sour cream, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the bacon. Bake at 400°F for approximately 30 minutes. Serve hot.
4 lb lean beef, cubed
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
8 slices bacon, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion diced
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup flour
Marinate beef in oil, thyme and pepper 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. In large pan, cook bacon until soft. Add garlic and onion sautéing until soft. Add mushrooms and cook until slightly wilted. Drain beef reserving liquid. Place beef in slow cooker. Sprinkle flour over the beef stirring until well coated. Add mushroom mixture on top. Pour reserved marinade over all.
Cook on low 8-9 hrs.
half a coq, cut into portions (about ½ kg)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ cup of olive oil
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
½ kg of baby (stewing) onions
2 potatoes cut into quarters
some clove
1 stick of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic
1 glass of white wine
salt, pepper
Sauté the pieces of meat in olive oil; add the finely chopped onion and the garlic cloves. Pour in the wine, add the tomato paste, clove, cinnamon, bay leaf, and add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 1/2 an hour then add the baby onions. Cook for a further 1/2 hour and then add the potatoes. Cook for another 30 minutes. (Total cooking time, 1 1/2 hours).
1 1/4 lb zucchini
1 1/4 lb eggplant
1 1/4 lb tomatoes
3 green peppers
3 onions
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 c olive oil
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper to taste
Peel zucchini and eggplant; cut in bite-sized pieces. Cut tomatoes and onion in bite-sized pieces. Remove seeds and membrane from green pepper and cut into bite-sized pieces. The vegetables are browned separately, sautéed in oil over medium to high heat. Start with the onions and peppers. Once each is browned, combine them together into one pan and continue to cook slowly, covered. Add bay leaf, salt and pepper at this time.
Cook eggplant next, followed by the zucchini, then the tomatoes with the garlic. In a large pan, combine all ingredients and cook for 10 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
1 c. diced pancetta or thick-sliced bacon, cut into lardons (small rectangular pieces)
1 small white onion
2 cups cream
2 lb. russet potatoes, sliced
A nicely ripened Reblochon cheese, crust removed
Preheat oven to 450°. Generously butter a 14" oval gratin dish. Finely slice the onion and lightly sauté with pancetta or bacon. Layer half of the potato slices in the bottom of the gratin dish, then add the lardons and onions. Cut the cheese in rough pieces, and layer half of them on top. Add the remaining potatoes, then top with the remaining half of the Reblochon. Pour cream in gently so that it comes just under the top of the tartiflette. Bake for 1½ to 2 hours. If gratin is browning too quickly, you can lower the temperature or cover it with foil. Serve with a salad.
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 (3/4- to 1-inch-thick) rib lamb chops (1 lb total), bones frenched if desired and fat trimmed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
Coarsely crush peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or wrap in a kitchen towel and press on peppercorns with bottom of a heavy skillet.
Pat chops dry and season with salt. Rub one side of each chop with peppercorns, pressing peppercorns into meat to adhere.
Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook chops, peppered sides up, 2 minutes. Turn chops over with tongs and cook, pressing down on each chop with side of tongs to help pepper adhere to meat, about 2 minutes more (for medium-rare). Transfer chops with tongs to a plate and let stand while making sauce.
Pour off all but 2 teaspoons of fat from skillet if necessary, then sauté shallot, stirring, until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add broth and balsamic vinegar and boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and swirl in butter. Add any meat juices that have accumulated on plate and season with salt. Serve sauce over lamb.Makes 1 serving.
Why Madame? Because it has an egg, of course.
8 slices white or whole-wheat sourdough bread
8 ounces Gruyère cheese, sliced into 24-32 1/16-inch-thick slices
12 ounces smoked ham, such as Black Forest, sliced into 12-16
1/16-inch-thick slices
4 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Fleur de sel or kosher salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
To assemble the sandwiches: Set half of the slices of bread buttered
side down, and cover them with the cheese slices, folding them back in
toward the middle if they extend past the edges of the bread. Place 3 or
4 slices of the ham in an even layer over the cheese, and place the top
slice of bread over the ham, buttered side up.
Grill the sandwiches in a two-sided grill or on a heavy-bottomed pan, using clarified butter and turning once. Place on serving plates.
To fry the eggs: Crack two eggs into two separate bowls to check that
the yolks aren’t broken. In 2 6-inch non-stick skillets, melt half of
the butter over medium-high heat, until it starts to bubble. Pour 1 egg
into each pan, being careful not to break the yolks. Add a teaspoon of
water to each pan, sprinkle the eggs with fleur de sel, and cover the
pans with lids. Cook the eggs for about 3 minutes for a soft-cooked egg
and 5-6 minutes if you like your eggs firm. Wipe out the skillets, and
fry the other 2 eggs in the remaining butter in the same manner. Center
a fried egg over each of the grilled sandwiches and sprinkle with
pepper.
Makes 4 sandwiches.
CROQUE-MONSIEUR
Offer a plum-tomato salad with the sandwiches. Round out the meal with
sliced strawberries drizzled with crème de cassis.
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf
4 slices firm white sandwich bread
4 ounces thinly sliced Black Forest ham
4 ounces sliced Gruyère cheese
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour
and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Add nutmeg and bay leaf.
Increase heat to medium-high and boil until sauce thickens, whisking
constantly, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat broiler. Place 2 bread slices on work surface. Top each with
half of ham and sliced Gruyère. Top with remaining bread. Heat heavy
large skillet over low heat. Brush sandwiches with 1 tablespoon melted
butter. Add to skillet and cook until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes
per side. Transfer to small baking sheet. Spoon sauce, then grated
cheese over sandwiches. Broil until cheese begins to brown, about 2
minutes.
Makes 2 servings; can be doubled.