Quiche Lorraine

One of the most simple things to make- an absolute requirement to know for living with a Frenchperson!

Categories:  Eggs, Quiche, Bacon, Dinner

Frenchman Rating:  Alright, a little truth- this was actually made BY him.. but STILL!  I gave it 9/10.

Ingredients

• 1 pâte feuillité
• 3 eggs
• 1 package lardon fumé
• 200g emmenthal, shredded
• 20 cl of crème
• 1 cup of milk
• salt/pepper to taste
• dash of nutmeg

Instructions

1. (PREHEAT TO 220c) Begin by speading the pâte feuilleté onto a pie dish, it's simple by just rolling it onto it.
2. Heat a pan and flash cook the lardon fumé- don't cook all the way through just for a few minutes on high heat, lay on a paper towel to drain.
3. Beat the eggs, cream, milk and seasonings together.
4. Lay the bacon and the emmenthal in the pie crust.
5. Pour the egg mixture over the top.
6. Season the top.
7. Place in over for 25-27 minutes until crust is crisp and inside is cooked... brown on top

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!

Taco à la France

Tacos, a thing I used to eat.. well.. a lot in the US.  Here in France it's a little bit of a different thing... but hey, still absolutely delicious!  I present, to all expatriates suffering, the 'Taco a la France'

Category:  Dinner, Complete Meal, American, Good for Dinner Parties


Frenchman Rating: 9.5/10, "Amazingly delicious, the 'native american flatbread' was like a chalupa, the ingredients meshed really well.. and the yogurt tasted really good!"

Cost per Serving:  Around €2.50 a serving (2-3 tacos), if bread is made at home, and €3.50 if tortillas were bought.

Ingredients

• Either 'Lavish Flatbread' available from Bhadourian or tortillas (available in Marche U near the 2eme) or 'native american fry bread'
• 2 medium roma tomatoes
• 1/2 sac mache lettuce or butter lettuce or romaine lettuce chopped thin
• 1 medium to large onion (sliced in rings)
• 1 medium green pepper
• 3-4 frozen steak hache patties, defrosted, set aside  (or 400 gr hamburger meat)
• 1 packet taco seasoning, or 'tex mex' seasoning (available at Carrefour in Part-Dieu) or homemade taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups shredded emmenthal
• 1/2 cup yogurt OR creme fraiche 

Equipment

• One medium skillet
• One small skillet
• Vegetable or Olive oil

Directions

1. Begin by chopping/cutting all cold ingredients and setting aside.
• Chop the tomatoes in small cubes
• Chop lettuce in thin strips
• Slice onions into thin rings
• Slice green pepper into thin strips
• Shred emmenthal, if not preshredded
2. Place ingredients not for immediate use in fridge (tomatoes, lettuce and cheese)
3. Heat up a small skillet over medium-high heat and add in 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil; heat the larger skillet after the first skillet is hot.
4. Once the small skillet is hot, toss in the onions and peppers; add a dash of salt and a 1/2 tablespoon of the taco seasoning- cook rapidly, tossing and turning.  Turn heat to medium after about 2 minutes.
5. Add the ground beef to the larger skillet, sans oil, and stir fry until browned.. usually about 2 minutes.  Add the 1/2 cup water and seasonings, and allow to bubble and boil for 3 minutes, reduce heat to medium-low.
6. Let both skillets cook over a medium to medium-low heat for about 3-4 minutes.. watching to ensure it does not burn.
7. Turn the heat down after 4 minutes, to a low heat, cover.
8. If using yogurt, mix the yogurt with about 1/2 tsp salt.  It should be 'yaourt nature' which is the natural flavor.  If using creme fraiche, add 1/2 tsp salt to every cup.  Set aside.
9. Serve all parts separate, to be made alone.. you can serve the meat directly at the stove.. keeps it warm.  I usually start with the cheese, layer some meat, add the sauce, vegetables... and enjoy.

Finished Product.. so delicious!

Happy with Taco Night!