Moules Marinière # French Fridays with Dorie

    I impressed myself yesterday by preparing Moules Marinière ..

only to realize soon after that I wasn't very fond of them. I had tasted mussels once before and it was at a buffet. It did not leave an impression and I attributed that to the zillion other things that I had served myself at one go.

Anyway for those who like mussels, this recipe might actually be a keeper. It is very easy and the sauce that you make is quite nice. Provided you have a pack of de-bearded well-scrubbed mussels in hand, you can prepare this traditional French dish in no time. Simply saute some onions, shallots and thinly sliced garlic in olive oil; add dry white wine, bit of chicken bouillon cube and some herbs, and when the sauce begins to boil add the mussels, cover the pot and cook for a few minutes... Switching off the heat, keep the pot of mussels covered for another minute.. and viola you are done. Moules Marinière is ready to be served ! 

And as Dorie says... have it as soon as it is ready..  Speaking from my experience, I say "cold moules marinière does not taste very good..."

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about this dish.

Here is a recipe of Moules Marinière by Emeril Lagasse which is close to Dorie's. However for Dorie's original recipe order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.  

Christine's simple party soups - cream-topped asparagus, red pepper and broccoli # French Fridays with Dorie

This week the Doristas were scheduled to cook "Christine's simple party soups" for French Fridays with Dorie.. To be more specific we were scheduled to cook three simple soups... asparagus, red pepper and broccoli and top them each with a flavored cream.. Because they are so easy to make I made all three simultaneously and sampled them in my 'cutting-chai' glasses.....

Cutting-chai glasses ? Well they are little glasses in which tea is served in the roadside tea stalls, known as dhaba, in India. These glasses hold 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of chai and according to my husband, are perfect for the likes of me who love the idea of chai more than its flavor. At my request my father-in-law sent a set of these inexpensive glasses from India with my sister-in-law and I thought these little glasses were perfect for sampling all three soups at a go...

O.k. now about the soups... Attracted by the pretty picture alongside the recipe, I had tried the broccoli and asparagus soup before. The ease of preparation and the simplicity of the flavors made me like them instantly. Just simmer broccoli/asparagas and zucchini in water seasoned with chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes, salt and pepper until the vegetables are cooked, puree the mixture and serve with a topping of flavored whipped cream. Husband too had liked the soups, so I often make them whenever the respective vegetables are in season. And every time I garnish the broccoli soup with curry powder and the asparagus soup with dill and mustard. We enjoy them that way... 

As for the red pepper soup, I tried it for the first time last week. Unlike the other two, I only had to simmer chopped red pepper in seasoned water for this one and then puree the mixture. We both liked it with a garnish of crushed red pepper, though we thought that a roasted tomato and perhaps a clove or two of roasted garlic would make the soup more interesting.. Anyway on the whole it was nice and I'll probably make it with or without the adjustments again.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about the soups.

You can the recipe here . For Dorie's original recipe and more such delicious ones order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.  

Baked Apples filled with Fruits and Nuts #French Fridays with Dorie

This week we were assigned to prepare Baked Apples filled with Fruits and Nuts 

for French Friday with Dorie.

I had been waiting to try this recipe for sometime and I think I got a little overboard with it. While I liked it, I wasn't overly impressed. The reason however is not the recipe...its just me. I over-complicated the flavors by mixing in raisins, prunes, dried cranberries, dates, hazelnuts and pecans. I should have kept things simple and filled up the apples with just one fruit and one nut. I thought the scoops consisting of just the baked apple and a fruit or a nut tasted lovely..  

I will probably make these again but next time a simpler and a lovelier version.... Also next time, I will tent the bowl of filled apples with a sheet of aluminium foil from the very beginning so that I do not have to bake them for that extra 30 minutes beyond the recommended 75 minutes.. 

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about the pasta.

You can the recipe here . For this one and many such delicious recipes order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.

Shared these at Hearth and Soul Blog Hop at Zesty South Indian Kitchen.

Dressy Pasta Risotto # French Fridays with Dorie

This week the Doristas  were assigned to make Dressy Pasta "Risotto." With ingredients like cream and mascarpone cheese, nothing could really go wrong with this dish. It turned out exactly the way I had imagined it, dressy, creamy and gorgeous. 

What I liked best about this preparation was the fact that it is a one-pot-pasta. 

Contrary to most pasta preparations, the pasta does not have to be cooked separately. It is cooked in chicken broth in the same pan in which the onions have been sauteed.. much like a risotto.. and finally finished off  with a stir of heavy cream and a dressing of Parmesan and Mascarpone cheese. I added a handful of peas into the pan just to brighten up the dish and had half a mind to add some precooked bacon too.. But I am glad I didn't .. for the pasta was perfect by itself.  

I served it with some sauteed mushrooms and chicken... and thought they paired up well.. but had I been lunching alone I wouldn't have bothered for a side. I liked it just as it was... 

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about the pasta.

You can find a version of the recipe here . For Dorie's original recipe and more such delicious ones order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.  

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Mme. Maman’s Chopped Liver # French Fridays with Dorie

I like salmon. I had a slab in the freezer and until I turned to Pg 30 of the book (Around my French Table) this morning thought that I was having salmon for lunch. But then I read the recipe and  realized that the salmon had to be cured for at least 48 hours... Oh no ! Only last week I had promised myself not to miss any more French Fridays with Dorie and try to catch up with the rest of the Doristas and here I was... unprepared to cook the dish scheduled for this Friday. I decided to start the process anyway while I caught up on a December recipe that I had missed....  Mme. Maman’s Chopped Liver.

This one was fairly simple to prepare and reminded me of my mother's chicken liver recipe. Only hers has some fried potatoes and eggplants in addition to the browned onions and sauteed well seasoned chicken livers. Also  she finishes her dish with a sprinkle of black pepper instead of allspice.. and serves it right away with rice and lentils. 

Since I am used to having my chicken liver piping hot, in spite of the recipe, I couldn't wait for the chopped livers to chill. I served it at room temperature with a helping of sour cream and sister-in-law and I enjoyed it over steamed rice with a side of lentils.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about onion carbonara.

You can find a version of the recipe here . For Dorie's original recipe and more such delicious ones order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.  

Recipe Swap "Onion" Carbonara # French Fridays with Dorie

Cooking French on alternative Fridays seems to have become a norm with me. Though last week was different. I was travelling and there was no way I could have cooked or shared my review of Mme. Maman's Chopped Liver. The mixed reviews by Doristas are however making me curious about the dish, so you'll probably hear my opinions about it soon. For now let me tell you much I enjoyed Onion Carbonara...

Dorie describes this recipe as a variation of chef Michel Richard's play on the classic spaghetti carbonara. Since I have never tried the latter I cannot comment how the two compare in taste. All I can say is that onion carbonara is a very easy and tasty dish. All you need to do is steam the onions until they are just "al dente". Then saute the steamed onions with bacon bits and cream and finally dress it up with a yolk and cream sauce and a drizzle of Parmesan cheese. The process takes less than 10 minutes (provided you have bits of precooked bacon in your freezer) and the dish tastes amazing when served as a side with spicy chicken and plain rice.

I had cooked half of the recipe and immediately afterwards had a small portion for lunch. I liked it but was not overly excited. But when I had the chilled version for dinner, I realized why Dorie spoke so highly about it. Funny Dorie suggests serving it as soon as the yolk and cream dressing is added... I really enjoyed the chilled version better. 

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about onion carbonara.

You can find a version of the recipe here .  As I mentioned I cooked half of the recipe and used fat free sour cream in place of cream. For Dorie's original recipe and more such delicious ones order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.  

Orange-Almond Tuiles # French Fridays with Dorie

I have to say, Orange-Almond Tuiles are one of the most elegant tea-time cookies I have ever tasted..

I got introduced to Tuiles recently and was pretty excited about baking them for French Fridays with Dorie. Though a little delicate and somewhat finicky, tuiles are always a delight to serve with tea. In the past I have tried Dorie's Translucent Maple Syrup tuiles and until Friday we thought that those are the best cookies we've ever had. But these tuiles are even better. They were simply delicious. Even the little one couldn't stop at one.

Salty-Sweet Potato Far # French Fridays with Dorie

Bacon, Eggs & Potato baked into a cake with prunes and raisins.... 

now what can there be not to like about this dish... I had thought while reading the recipe... but somehow it did not appeal to me much. It was different and tasted nice with the simple chicken stew I had prepared to go with it.  However it wasn't great. Definitely not as good  as Dorie has described it to be. 

I had halved the recipe but did not adjust the baking time. Neither did I tent the far with a foil while it was baking. All that might have contributed to its browned surface and crusty edges... but that part did not bother us at all. The only complain my husband had was about the raisins. Though I had put the full measure of bacon in half the measure of batter, my husband thought that the raisins were overpowering the taste of bacon. He said that he would prefer the far with less or no raisins. I did not mind the raisins or the prunes... they were okay.. though I think I might like them better in this sweet version of potato far.

Overall this dish was a bit too French for us. I had been intrigued by the name and the list of ingredients in the far and I am glad I tried it once... but I will probably not bake it again.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about this "savory far".

 For the recipe order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.

Pear Chestnut Soup # French Fridays with Dorie

Delicious and Sublime !!  that is exactly what I thought about this Pear Chestnut soup.

Had it not been for French Fridays with Dorie, I would have never known how delicious this combination can be. And the likes of my husband and son, who prefer to eat their fruits and nuts as fruits n nuts and not cooked and pureed into a soup... will probably never know how good this combination is. 

Being well aware of their preferences, I cooked only a sixth of the recipe for lunch today and really enjoyed it with a slice of bread slathered with butter. I generally have very high regard for Dorie's recipes and this one did not disappoint me. In fact I could get used to having it for lunch every single day of fall.. or till the flavors begin to tire my taste buds. 

I guess by habit I cooked the onions, leeks  and celery to the point of caramelizing the onions. My soup therefore looks browner than it should be. However  it tasted brilliant with the hint of thyme lurking in the background and that slice of pear on top. The flavors came across just right and I loved it. I'll probably cook it the exact same way next week when I make a bigger batch for my lunch. 

So much today. Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about this soup.

You can find a version of the recipe here .  I almost used the same measures except that I used roasted chestnuts instead of vacuum packed ones and a slice of pear as garnish instead of a dollop of cream. For Dorie's original recipe and more such delicious ones order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.

Compote de Pommes # French Fridays with Dorie

My son loves apples. He also loves applesauce and occasionally likes to have some with his morning toast. Toast and applesauce ? Though the combination might sound a little weird, it works for him.. So we always have a supply of Musselman's Applesauce at home. But I guess making applesauce the French way  is as easy as opening a jar of store-brought applesauce. well almost...  Just peel the apples, chop them, simmer them in a container with water, sugar, vanilla extract and some butter. 20 minutes later mash the contents and spoon out a bowl of fresh and delicious applesauce. YUMMM....

As a member of french friday's with Dorie I am not supposed to post the recipe on the blog. You can however find the recipe here. I almost used the same measures except that I used 3 tablespoonss of sugar instead of 1/4 and 1 tablespoon of butter instead of 2. For more delicious recipes order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.

Cheese Souffle # French Fridays with Dorie

They say 'third time's a charm.' Probably that is why it took me a three trials to get the souffles right. After the first two trials I had given up but all the FFwD posts kept nagging me to try one more time.... and look I got it right this time :) 

I almost followed Dorie's instructions... just that I used Swiss Cheese and not Muenster for that is all I had in hand. Also I whipped up two third of the recipe. Since I did not have a lot of time to cool the bechamel before adding in the egg whites,  I simply let the bechamel sauce rest while I was beating the egg whites and soon after folded in the egg whites. The souffles rose in 17-18 minutes. I let it stay in the oven for another couple of minutes and then took it out. 

The tops had browned nicely and the souffles was light, fluffy and cotton soft. Though my husband really liked it and was more than happy to eat off most of the toddlers portion, like my toddler I did not enjoy it too much. I found it a bit bland and after a while slightly boring. I blame the Swiss Cheese for it and plan to try this recipe again with a tastier variety of cheese. Also since the souffle was an impulsive inclusion for dinner i had not prepared the recommended tomato pepper salad to go with it. I guess the souffle would have tasted less flat had I accompanied it with a perky salad. Anyway the texture was impressive and I plan to make it again soon with better cheese and a salad by the side and probably serve for lunch.

As a member of french friday's with Dorie I am not supposed to post the recipe on the blog. However you can find this particular recipe here. For more delicious recipes order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.

Poulet à la mode aka Chicken Pot Roast in Port # French Fridays with Dorie & Our Week's Menu

Its been weeks since I have done a French Fridays with Dorie post. The thing is the recipes that the Doristas chose for September were mostly fishy or sweet. so i decided to skip them all together. I was about to skip this weeks recipe too but then changed my mind and adapted it cook Chicken Pot Roast in Port ..

this is not quite what the Doristas had scheduled for this week. The French recipe they chose is Boeuf à la mode. but since we do not eat beef, i adapted it to cook Poulet  à la mode. I followed the recipe in spirit simplifying it a bit was convenience. also i added some veggies just to make it more colorful and visually appealing. the result was a great pot roast. husband, toddler and i loved it.  the toddler usually does eat too much chicken but even he finished his portion of this great roast. We enjoyed it with noodles for dinner and the following day toddler and I had the leftovers for lunch along with mashed potatoes. it tasted good either way.

now my adaption of Dorie's  Boeuf à la mode...  

Chicken Pot Roast in Port  Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Boeuf à la mode recipe in Around the French Table

Preparation Time : 15 minutes                                                                                             Serves : 2-3   Marination Time :  Overnight   Cooking Time : 15-20 min on stovetop + 50 min in the oven                       ingredient to be marinated 1 1/2 pound chicken, cleaned and cut into 4 big pieces 1 onion halved and thinly sliced 1 carrot, trimmed, peeled and cut into chunks 1 celery stalk, trimmed and cut into chunks, the leaves separated and chopped finely the marinade  1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp dried rosemary 1 bay leaf 10-15 stalks of coriander, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, grated 7/8 cup of Ruby Port 1 tbsp olive oil salt and pepper  for cooking and baking 2 cups chicken broth 3 tbsp canola oil 3 tbsp Cognac or brandy (I used brandy) 3 anchovies 1 tbsp tomato paste 1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed 1/3 cup french fried potatoes (I used frozen) -  instructions Give the chicken pieces a salt and pepper massage and put it in a casserole, or bowl or sturdy  zipper-lock plastic bag, big enough to hold the vegetables and the marinade. Put all the ingredients of the marinade in a bottle, shake it well. Toss the onion, carrots, celery in the marinade and add the veggies and the marinade into the container containing the pieces of chicken. Mix everything as best as you can, cover the container or seal the bag and put it in the refrigerator to marinate overnight. Next day, an hour before you start cooking, take the container out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Once you are ready to cook, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Strain the marinade. Reserving the chicken pieces and vegetables, pour the liquid into a medium saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced to half. Now add the chicken broth. When the liquid begins to boil remove the pan from heat. Meanwhile heat 2 tbsps of canola oil in a iron skillet. When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces to the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer the pieces to a plate and keep it covered with a foil while you cook the vegetables on stove top. To cook the vegetables, add the remaining tbsp of oil and all the vegetables except the potatoes to the skillet. Cook them until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, pour in the brandy, stir and scrape to loosen any bits that might be sticking to the pan. Add 1/2 cup of the port-broth mixture to the skillet, stir in the anchovies and tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes until the anchovy melts.  Now, switching off the heat, add the chicken pieces and the remaining port-broth mixture to the skillet, cover it  with a foil and transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. 30 minutes later, take the skillet out of the oven, add the fried potatoes, cover the skillet with the foil again and bake it for another 15 minutes. Then pulling off the foil cover, bake for another 5-7 minutes. Taste the sauce, adjust the salt and pepper and serve with noodles or mashed potatoes or steamed rice and enjoy.

Though the recipe is a bit long, this dish is actually pretty simple to prepare and can be easily pulled off on a weeknight. And once you've tasted it you'll probably keep coming back to it over and over again.

Visit here to know what the other members of french fridays with Dorie have to say. For many more delicious recipes such as this one order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book

So much for today. Since i could not post my weekly meal plan earlier this week, thought I'll include it here.

	Our Menu this Week
Sunday	Escarole and White Beans with Bread
Monday	Butternut squash pudding Souffle, Chickpea Panzanella
Tuesday	Moong Dhal, Baked Potato Fries sauteed with steamed Green Beans, Beet Root Khichadi, Steamed Rice
Wednesday	Poulet à la mode and Noodles with Broccoli sauce, Steamed carrots
Thursday	Breaded Baked Tilapia, Colcannon, Steamed Green Beans
Friday	Pasta with Butternut squash Parmesan Sauce and scrambled eggs
Saturday	Holiday

Take Care and have a good weekend !

Sharing this with Meal Plan Monday @ Organizing Junkie

I shall be sharing the Pot Roast Recipe at the following parties...

Monday Food : Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Inspiration MOnday Party, Sharing Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Maniac Monday Linky Party,Mix it up Monday, The Scoop

Tuesday Food:  Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations,  Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home,  Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings, Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles, Tasty Tuesday, Hearth and Soul blog Hop

Wednesday Food : What's Cooking Wednesday @ Buns in my Oven, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain , Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Home Take 2

Thursday Food: Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive, Creative Thursday @ Michelle's Tasty Creations, Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity, Freedom Friday @ My Turn, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage  

Friday Food: Foodie Friday @ Home Maid Simple, Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home, Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes,  Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm , Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts , Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club,  The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog  Recipes

Chicken Breast with Garlic-Rosemary Butter # French Fridays with Dorie

This week the Doristas were scheduled to make Veal Chops with Rosemary Butter for French Fridays with Dorie. But since Veal is expensive and my picky husband couldn't assure that he would taste a veal-dish, I had first decided to skip FFwD for thrice in a row. then remembering how amazing the Lucinda 's recipe of Veal Piccatta had tasted when replaced by Chicken Breasts I decided to try the recipe with chicken. and I am so glad that I did. it tasted really good... specially the butter. it was lovely.

since i was already deviating from the actual recipe by cooking chicken instead of veal, i decided that a little more addition or subtraction of  spices wouldn't harm. so i added a clove of garlic to the marinade along with olive oil and the herbs and also added some grated garlic into the herbed butter. not sure if it was because of the extra garlic or it was just the rosemary and thyme that made the butter so delicious. and with time the butter seems to have acquired more flavor. tonight i sauteed some steamed green beans in some of the remaining butter and served it to my son. to my surprise he had his portion and then asked for more. so yes. the butter was a winner as our place and i'll definitely be making it a lot irrespective of whether I make the chicken or not..

Herbed Butter  Adapted from Around the French Table (Pg 268)

ingredients 4 tbsp of unsalted butter at room temperature 1/2 tsp dried rosemary 1/4 tsp dried thyme 1 clove of garlic, grated generous pinch of Mediterranean salt  -   the method beat the butter in a bowl until smooth and creamy. stir in the remaining ingredients and turn the butter out onto a piece of plastic wrap. using the plastic shape the butter to a log. wrap it and chill for at least 2 hours. well wrapped, the butter can be refrigerated for a a week or frozen for upto 3 months.

saute some steamed green beans in this butter or serve it with roasted corn and be prepared to be impressed ! have a great weekend !

Visit here to know what the other members of french fridays with Dorie have to say. For many more delicious recipes such as this one order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book

Boulevard Raspail Corn on the Cob # French Fridays with Dorie

I love a corn on the cob. Back in India I would always buy myself one whenever fresh juicy corns were in season and a "bhutta-wala," (as we refer to the street vendors selling corn) was in sight. here, my favorite way of cooking corn is to grill it on stove-top and then spice it up with chilly, lime juice and salt. my husband does not enjoy this stove-top grilled corn much so i usually cook it for lunch. but yesterday things did not work out as I had scheduled  and i ended up roasting the corn in the evening. husband agreed to have some, may be because the recipe was Dorie's... and much to my amazement, he really liked it. yeah !!  

Thanks to Dorie for sharing the recipe of the vegetable lady selling corn in Boulevard Raspail. Had it not been for her I would have never thought of roasting unhusked ears of corn in the oven and delighting over it hence. It is certainly a wonderful and easy way of cooking the corn. just put the whole corn with husk and all in a 400 degree F oven, roast it for 40 minutes, turning it once at 20 minutes mark, remove the husk, butter the corn, sprinkle salt and pepper and enjoy ! 

try this recipe while corns are still in season and be prepared to be impressed ! happy Friday !

Visit here to know what the other members of french fridays with Dorie have to say. For many more delicious recipes such as this one order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.