Madeleines

I made my first batch of Madeleines. They are perfectly cooked with a crisp brown edge and spongy yellow middle. My next attempt will involve a citrus flavoring! yum!

Canette

I bought a canette at the beginning of summer thinking it was another bird called pintade. Pintade is French for Guinea Fowl. It is a dry meat and it is important to add cream or water when cooking it. So, when I bought my first canette I cooked it with butter, shallots, water and seasonings. But, canette is actually a female duck. This meat is best cooked with citrus and served with a sweeter sauce.

Last night I tried again. I visited the epicurious site for a Duck A l'Orange recipe. I was thrilled with this recipe and I am so happy with my results. I had a beautifully cooked duck and a delicious orange gravy to accompany it.

I also understand that once one knows the basics of cooking a duck and its sauce one can try other things. My next experiment will be a berry sauce with my duck!

Macaroons

These are delicate little cookies that one can sink her teeth into. The outside is smooth and shiny. As one bites into it the cookie cracks and becomes cake-like. In the middle is a creamy filling packed with flavor. And those flavors are intense and delicious. I have tried chocolate, vanilla, rasberry, pistachio, lemon and coffee. These are some of my favorite French treats: macaroons.

Tears and Triumph

Today was a special day for a few reasons. First, to be sure about a recipe I had to call my mother in law. The tricky part of calling her is that my French is so-so and she is fluent and fast (she is French after all!) I did it though! And, I managed to get the amounts and ingredients for an onion tart.

The tears were because of the 5 onions I cut for my onion tart. My mother-in-law recommended 10 because she loves to fill up her tart.

Today's triumph was speaking French and then recreating my mother in law's delicious onion tart.


Onion Tart

1 pâte brisée (pie crust)
5-10 yellow onions - peeled and cut into semi-circles strips
60 grams of butter
60 grams of white flour
30 centiliters of whole milk
grated Gruyere cheese
(cooked bacon and apples are a nice addition to this tart as well)

Place the pâte brisée in a round baking pie dish. After peeling and cutting the onions, dry your tears, and then place the onions and butter in a pan on medium-heat. Slowly cook the onions until they are soft and sweet. This might take up to 30 minutes. It is important to cook them slowly and not brown them too quickly. Once the onions are softened add the flour. This will thicken the onions. Then, add warmed whole milk to the pan. Mix until all the ingredients have come together. Place the onions into the crust. Top with Gruyere cheese. Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes. Bon appetit!

A Picnic Lunch

I have two young children. To go to the market means that I strap my 18 pound baby to me and have my toddler ride in the cart. This isn't so bad, until I start lifting water bottles, milk, diapers...it is practically impossible to leave the store without a cart-full. On the other hand, I still prepare a nice lunch and dinner daily for my family. It requires creativity to get essentials once a week and to produce edible and good looking meals each day.

One lunch I checked my pantry and fridge. I was pleased to find boxed couscous (already flavored), a red onion and some frozen shrimp. I added water and onion to my couscous, boiled my shrimp and in the end had an anchor for a delicious lunch! I was so pleased. A baguette and slice of Camembert rounded out my plate.

This salad was easy, refreshing and would also be perfect for any picnic. Now, when it comes to my on-hand items, I am always keeping frozen shrimp around.

Brownies, Frostings and Cupcakes, Oh My!

I really like Barefoot Contessa's recipes. In my search to make potato chips I stumbled on new products by Barefoot Contessa. She is selling brownies, condiments, and other delicious goodies. There is even a cute tote bag! I found these at the Stonewall Kitchen site. If anyone would like to know what I want for Christmas, take a look at the products here! I am hungry just browsing!

So Simple

This salad represents my first "a-ha!" moment as a cook. My mother-in-law prepared it for us one night. I was amazed by its simplicity. I realized that excellent food can be really simple and the key is fresh ingredients.

Tomato Salad:
3 cups of tomatoes (any kind cut into bite sized pieces)
fresh basil (chiffonade about 5 leaves of basil)
red wine vinegar (about 2 tablespoons)
olive oil (also about 2 tablespoons)
salt
pepper
not pictured, but delicious: chopped garlic (1-2 cloves)

stir the vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic to make the vinaigrette . Add the tomatoes and basil. Stir and voila! You have a simple, delicious and healthy salad. Serve before dinner as an entree or with your main dish as a side salad. The vinaigrette is also delicious soaked up with a baguette.