Kir à la Maison

A specialty in Lyon cuisine is an aperitif drink called, 'kir'.  This is our simple version.

Categories:  Cocktails, Drinks, Lyonnais

Frenchman Rating:  9.5/10,  "Can't go wrong with cocktails."

 

Ingredients

• 1 bottle well chilled white wine, sweet... like a muscadet or a sparkling wine
• 1 bottle chilled 'liquer de cassis' or 'crème de cassis'

Instructions

1. Pour about 1 shot of the cassis crème into a champagne flute
2. Pour white wine or sparkling wine to the lip

Serve fresh!  I often will freeze my glasses first, really typical Lyonnais and really good!

Potato Crust

Weird, right?  Well I had like 1/2 a cup of leftover potatoes and I thought, 'I'm gonna make a quiche and totally make up a pie crust using this.'  Here goes.. no picture on this one.. because well frankly I got lazy!

Categories:  Baking, Low Cost

Frenchman Rating:  9/10, "Supremely crispy, hint of the potatoes"

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup potatoes
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 130 grams butter, chilled, spooned into pea-sized pieces (using a 1/2 tsp spoon) and WELL CHILLED
• 3-5 tablespoons ice cold water
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Start by placing the potatoes, flour and salt into the food processor.  Blend until the potatoes have incorporated into the flour, very finely.  (while butter is chilling in freezer)
2. Then drop the butter in and pulse 6-8 times until well blended.
3. Start by adding tablespoon of water at a time, pulse, add more until it sticks together.
4. Put into plastic, refridgerate for 1 hour
5. After an hour, roll out on some wax paper dusted with flour and use as you would other crusts.

I made a quiche with green beans, mushrooms and onions... delish!

French Toast.. in France!

French toast is really an American breakfast treat- here in France it's more for dessert.  Frenchman accepts my American-ness and so I made this for breakfast.  Yum.

Category: Breakfast

Frenchman Rating/Comments:  8/10,  "More sugar on the raspberries!"

Cost per Serving: €2.00 each(ish)

Ingredients

• 5 slices 'pain au miel', which are small slices.. be warned.
• 1 cup frozen raspberries (available at Picard)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons sugar for mix, 1/2 cup for raspberries
• 2 tablespoons 'creme légère'
• sprinkling of 'sucre en poudre'
• dash of salt (weird, but it works)

Instructions

1. Begin by mixing the egg with milk, vanilla, 2 tablespoons sugar and the dash of salt.  Whisk with a fork or whisk until mixed.
2. Heat up on medium sized frying pan and another smaller sized sauce pan to medium heat.
3. Drop the frozen raspberries, a small amount (1/3 cup) water and the sugar into a shallow pan. Stir over medium heat.
4. While the raspberries are becoming saucy (you tell them who's boss!) Dip the bread slices, both sides, and cook two at a time.  Place aside, covered.
5. Continue to cook/stir the raspberries (about 5-8 minutes) over the heat until it resembles a syrup.
6. Finish all the slices, serve the raspberries with a tablespoon of the crême served over the slices.
7. Sprinkle the powdered sugar.

Delish!

Peasant Beef Stew (Great for Poor Students too!)

I imagine in the 'peasant' era that once in awhile they would get some beef... and make a stew!  Stews are filling and warm.  This stew is inspired by those people and while it turns out colorless and unattractive, it's so delicious with a crusty bread.  Plus it's really fun to pretend you're a peasant in France.

Category: Beef, Dinner, Stew

Frenchman Rating/Comments:  8.5/10,  "It's good but it's missing something.. like a deglaze or more wine."

Cost per Serving: Serves around 4 people.. so.. €3.00 a serving.

Ingredients

• 1 lb stew beef (500g) (Basically ask, 'boeuf pour un boeuf bourginion a deux'), cut in chunks
• 2-3 tablespoons flour, seasoned w/ salt and pepper
• 1.5 cups carrots, sliced in rounds
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 onion, quartered & separated
• 2 cups potatoes, chopped
• 2 cups beef stock (homemade or from instant)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup red cooking wine
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon rosemary
• 2 tablespoons 'herbes de provence'
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• Salt/Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Begin by placing the seasoned flour into a bag or plastic container and add the beef.  Shake until completely covered.
2. Heat a small amount of oil in a stock pot to medium-high, once hot, add the beef.  Stir around and flip around until all sides of the beef are cooked.
3. Add the beef stock, all vegetables (EXCEPT POTATOES), rosemary, herbes, parsley and bay leaves.  Season with salt (like 1 teaspoon) and some pepper.
4. Stir the mixture until all coated, add the wine and the 1/2 cup water.  Bring to a boil on medium-high, cover, then reduce to a medium-low and cook for 1 HOUR, add in the potatoes, cook for another 45 MINUTES.
5. Adjust seasonings, I added more salt at the end, some more herbs, depending on your taste buds.
6. Serve hot with crusty bread!

Salmon in a Packet

At the marché I found a fish-seller that was selling the most incredibly fresh Salmon I'd seen in awhile.  I nabbed two of the filets- a little higher in my average grocery price at €9 total.  This recipe was delicious.

Category: Fish, Dinner

Frenchman Rating/Comments:  9.5/10,  "The fish was perfect and the seasonings went really well!"

Cost per Serving: €5.00 each

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized Salmon filets
• 3 small lemons
• 1 teaspoon capers
• 1/2 cup white wine
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• pinch of rosemary
• tin foil

Instructions  (PREHEAT TO 200)

1. Begin by placing the salmon filet in the center of the tin foil.  Place thinly sliced lemons on top of the fish and 1/2 teaspoon of capers.
2. Add the salt/pepper and rosemary.
3. Begin pulling up the sides and wrapping, like a bag, and pour in 1/4 cup of white wine.  Close tightly.
4. Repeat with the second fish.
5. Place both wrapped filets onto a baking dish and into the oven for about 15-20 minutes until flaky but not overly cooked!

Serve directly out of the packet... Goes great with a white wine!

Tarte aux Moutarde

One of my favorite savory pies, the tomatoes/mustard work really well together and make for a delicious lunch or dinner.

Category: Savory Pies, Tomatoes, Dinner, Lunch

Frenchman Rating/Comments:  8/10,  "The mustard was not strong enough, next time use 'extra fort'."

Cost per Serving: The entire pie came to about €4.00... so very minimal.

Ingredients

• Pastry shell or enough pastry dough for one open-faced 'pie', ensure the dough is not sweet, but is salty
• 3 Large House Tomatoes sliced thinly, or 6 medium size roma tomatoes sliced thinly
• 6 slices swiss cheese (3x5 inches is good, with a width of 1/4 inch)
• 1/3 cup mustard with seeds (like a rough mustard or a brown mustard- better flavor), 1/4 cup Dijon mustard (yellow and kinda spicy) extra strong.
• 2 tablespoons Herbes de Provences, or just plain old oregano and basil (one tablespoon of each, mixed)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Pie Dish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F or 200°C
2. Lay out the pastry dough into the pie pan, if it's a pastry shell with a pie pan attached skip to step 3.
3. Poke holes all over the bottom of the crust, this will ensure the pie will not bubble up.
4. Spread the mustard evenly over the bottom of the crust, if need more add more, ensure the pie crust does not show through.
5. Place slices of swiss cheese along the bottom on top of mustard, it will resemble a pizza
6. Layer tomato slices clockwise starting from the outside edge swirling to the interior until the bottom is covered. If there is extra, continue to layer to cover spots.
7. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil and about 2 tablespoons of the seasoning, plus salt and pepper to taste
8. Place in oven, cook uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are curled on the edges, the outside crust is brown, like the photo below:
    

 

Serve with a chilled wine and a tossed salad!

Easy Pancakes

We were left with a craving for pancakes, and so I rummaged in my mind for that simple pancake recipe..

Category: Breakfast, American

Frenchman Rating/Comments:  8/10,  "needed something more... more sugar?"

Cost per Serving: very minimal

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (levure de chimique)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• dash salt
• dash nutmeg

Instructions

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, make a little hole in the center and break the egg/pour the milk.  Stir with a non-stick instrument (I use a spatula) until all combined.
2. Heat a pan over medium-high heat, cook first side at medium-high, lower the heat after a minute or so to medium and flip.  Continue till all batter is cooked.
3. Serve with warmed butter, maple syrup (if someone loves you in America enough to send it) or jelly!