Cooking from "My Paris Kitchen"

[gfweb]

IMG_1782.jpgI made the Chicken with Mustard, Butternut Squash Crumble, and the Green Beans with Snail Butter last night. I followed the recipes but did garnish the beans with chopped almonds. We liked the chicken, the skin does tend to stick a bit to the pan, so wait a good long time to turn it and use a strong metal spatula. I was concerned about the uncooked cornmeal in the squash dish, and the topping was more grainy than I like. Next time I'll either use cornbread crumbs or crumble cooked polenta in place of the cornmeal. 

Tell me more about the butternut squash crumble please.

[Pallee]

Tell me more about the butternut squash crumble please.

Like I said, the topping was quite grainy, almost gritty because of the raw cornmeal. I also wonder about the cooking time on the squash itself. By the time I sautéed it, it was pretty much cooked, then you bake it covered for half an hour, steaming it. Then put the topping on and bake it some more. If the squash was as cooked as mine was after the sauté, I'd just top it and bake it uncovered. And used cornbread crumbs instead of raw cornmeal. 

I took the leftovers and turned them into a soup. Added water, cooked out the cornmeal, hit it with a touch of cream - was delicious.

[SobaAddict70]

Roast lamb, braised vegetables, chermoula.

[Anna N]

.........

Roast lamb, braised vegetables, chermoula.

How was the lamb? Are you being diplomatic in not mentioning the taste of the final dish?

[SobaAddict70]

How was the lamb? Are you being diplomatic in not mentioning the taste of the final dish?

Oh, it was absolutely divine.

I only wish I'd had bone-in lamb as opposed to boneless lamb shoulder.

It exceeded my expectations in just about every way and the aroma while it was roasting in the oven should be bottled and sold. I'd make a mint off of that alone.

Chermoula is a nice twist on the usual lamb with mint sauce.

The vegetables in the pic above differ from David's recipe. My version contains: carrots, heirloom potatoes (Russian Banana specifically), peas, Jerusalem artichokes, salsify and shallots. It's a great way to clean out the vegetable crisper and use anything you've got lying around.

[Anna N]

I tackled three recipes yesterday.

The green beans with snail butter. Green beans are steamed until tender then briefly sauteed with butter, garlic, parsley and finished with salt, pepper and lemon juice. What's not to like? I had no issues with this recipe. It's an interesting take on "snail butter" but it won't push my tiny mushrooms in snail butter aside.

Caramel pork ribs

I had my heart set on some tasty pork ribs and these left me wanting. The ingedients seem to offer possibilities (beer, bourbon, cider vinegar, ketchup, ginger etc.) but nothing really came together. The recipe was easy to follow but again, I find 350 F a high temp for what is essentially a braise. Still this time I went for it. Ribs should have been meltingly tender in my view but they were on the dry side. I so want to like this book but yesterday was a loss.

The third thing I made was the pissaladiere.

The challenge here was in stretching the dough to cover a half-sheet pan. Eventually I had to resort to a rolling pin. I hope others give this recipe a try and report on it. This was my first pissaladiere so I have nothing to compare it to. I bought high quality (or at least high-priced) anchovies at Whole Foods but the bottom line is that these are nasty, smelly little fish that I just don't like! Stripped of the anchovies the tart was quite pleasant. But then it was no longer what David intended. Sorry David.

[chefmd]

I do not have the book.  Placed a hold on it at the library, want to look at it prior to buying it.  Meanwhile I looked up his blog and made salad nicoise.  I am sorry to say that my previous versions of this dish included grilled tuna and cooked items such as potatoes.  According to David, all veggies are fresh, canned tuna or anchovies are OK but not at the same time.  

 

New version was so much better and fresher, made with tomatoes, fava beans, cucumbers, olives, scallions, parsley and simply dressed with olive oil.  Here it is and the old version for comparison.

[SobaAddict70]

I've got a lot of leftovers this week, so it'll be a while before I make anything new from the book.

Tomorrow's menu and Tuesday's are going to be decidedly NOT LAMB, however.

My boyfriend arrives in town next week and will be staying with me for quite a while. He's a Francophile, so I have a few ideas in store such as the sardine rillettes, the aioli plate, salade lyonnaise and soupe au pistou (but with ramps subbing in for the basil). In the meantime, I'm hoping some folks will take a stab at the book and post. I'm looking forward to reading more.

[Smithy]

Ramps for basil.  That's quite a switch in flavor profiles, isn't it?  I'll try it sometime if I ever lay my hands on ramps at the right time.

 

This topic is great fun!  I look forward to reading more, and savoring the recipes from afar.  

 

Afar, I said.

 

I. Do. Not. Need. To Buy. Another. Cookbook.  

Yet.  

[SobaAddict70]

Basil is available at my supermarkets, like out-of-season tomatoes, but I prefer to limit myself to seasonal ingredients from my farmers' market. I view that as more of a "summer" herb, and so act accordingly. Your mileage may vary.

For the pistou, the ramps would be subbed for the basil and I'd omit the garlic. *shrug*

[Anna N]

Chicken pot Parmentier (think shepherd's pie but using chicken or in my case turkey)

You will note the absence of the peas that the recipe calls for. There are those in my family who would consider finding a bug in the food far less objectionable than finding a pea. Also I had to forgo the tarragon as there was none to be had.

It occurred to me that the chosen dish was a bit too shallow to accommodate the filling AND the potato topping. I divided the filling between two dishes which proved most propitious as one fed me and son Number 2 (with lots of leftovers for him to take home) and one fed my daughter's family.

I had no issues with this recipe. It won't replace shepherd's pie but it does make good use of leftover chicken or turkey.

[rotuts]

Wow  !

 

thanks AnnaN

 

I like to use my left over vertical roast Weber'd chickens for a corn tortilla casserole w green chili sauce.

 

Ill put this item on reserve for the same sort of thing !

 

My library copy is on Reserve.

 

for me !

Edited April 24, 2014 by rotuts (log)

[gfweb]

You will note the absence of the peas that the recipe calls for. There are those in my family who would consider finding a bug in the food far less objectionable than finding a pea. Also I had to forgo the tarragon as there was none to be had.

 

 

I agree with your family member(s). Finding a pea (or a raisin for that matter) in a dish is akin to a cockaroach in my soup.

[fvandrog]

I tackled three recipes yesterday.

image.jpg

The green beans with snail butter. Green beans are steamed until tender then briefly sauteed with butter, garlic, parsley and finished with salt, pepper and lemon juice. What's not to like? I had no issues with this recipe. It's an interesting take on "snail butter" but it won't push my tiny mushrooms in snail butter aside.

 

I made these the other day, and I have to admit that they tasted great. I missed out on the lemon juice part though, the only lemon we had left could compete with the average baseball in terms of firmness. Unfortunately, an average baseball could have competed with that lemon with regards to juiciness.....

[fvandrog]

Boneless lamb shoulder.

I wasn't able to get bone-in lamb shoulder, but I imagine that's not going to be a huge issue. This was stuffed with slivers of heirloom garlic and oil-packed anchovy fillets, then rubbed with sea salt and black pepper.

Out of curiosity, why (and how) would you use a shoulder with bone for stuffing?

(We spend 45 minutes last Sunday de-boning a gigot in order to stuff it. Got to admit, most of those 45 minutes were spend looking for a sharp knife without success and then running the grinding stone).

[SobaAddict70]

Out of curiosity, why (and how) would you use a shoulder with bone for stuffing?

(We spend 45 minutes last Sunday de-boning a gigot in order to stuff it. Got to admit, most of those 45 minutes were spend looking for a sharp knife without success and then running the grinding stone).

Because that's what the recipe calls for.

As for how, you'll have to buy the book.

Edited April 25, 2014 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[fvandrog]

Because that's what the recipe calls for.

That's a clear cut answer   

 

As for how, you'll have to buy the book.

It's almost near the top of my wish-list.

[SobaAddict70]

Crudités plate -- French breakfast radishes, asparagus, hard-cooked farm egg w/anchovy.

The mayonnaise is leftover herb mayonnaise from the oeufs mayo.

The aioli plate (pages 145-147) calls for a garlic aioli, which this is not. That being said, I'll be making it again when my partner comes to town because it's an excuse to eat anchovies again. We're both anchovy freaks. I've never had eggs paired with anchovy in this manner, and I have to say, I like the idea very much.

[LindaK]

OK, I’m on board. I hesitated to buy the book because I have dozens of French cookbooks so I’ve become choosy.    But I went ahead and am so glad that I did.  The writing and photos alone are worth the price of admission.  If you enjoy David’s blog, this book is a joy.  If you’ve spent any time living and cooking in France, it will bring back memories that will make you weep. Or at least jealous.

 

My first effort was tasty but not a home run: Panade de Butternut (Butternut Squash Bread Soup).  Though it’s spring, I had a squash hanging around and this seemed right for current cold, wet evenings.  It’s basically a savory bread pudding with layers of sourdough bread, butternut squash, sautéed onions, and cheese.

 

Plus:  great flavors, simple to assemble, no special equipment or ingredients (except for homemade chicken stock, absolutely necessary). Leftovers tasted even better. 

 

Con:  The bottom bread layer was heavy as lead, I think because the recipe has you add a lot of chicken stock to the final assembled dish before baking, even AFTER you’ve already moistened each layer.  Clearly it did not need that much stock.  I’ll try this recipe again, next time skipping the extra stock at the outset, and instead checking the panade during baking, basting with stock as needed.

 

Following the recipe as written ends up with a final dish that doesn’t look remotely like the photo in the book.  That could also explain my results.  The book photo shows what looks like separate, individually assembled panades, with layers of well-toasted bread slices filled to overflowing with the squash and onions, like a soupy sandwich. See photo:

 

 

By contrast, the recipe has you layer the bread in a baking dish to cover, breaking the bread slices if necessary.  So you end up cutting the final panade into squares or wedges, and the bread doesn’t have the toasty crustiness that’s so appealing in the photo, and maybe prevents the soggy lower layer.  My result:

 

 

I have some other small quibbles with the recipe but nothing major.  I will make this again when butternut squash is back in season, not only adjusting assembly but also upping the amount of herbs.

 

 

[LindaK]

Two more recipes to report on--

 

Rillettes de Sardines.  Very simple and very tasty.  I was out of capers so subbed some finely minced cornichons.  Served with toasted whole wheat bread with dried cranberries and walnuts. Excellent combination. This will make it into my regular rotation.  Though in the Appetizer section of the cookbook, and I can easily see it as part of a light supper with some soup.

 

 

 

I also tried the Pissaladiere. While I was able to cover the pan with the dough in a thin layer without much problem, I'll admit that I prefer the bready style dough I'm used to.  The topping is classic and simple.  As for the anchovies, I don't like big bites of the little guys, maybe I just can't get good ones. But do like the hint of brininess they offer, so what I did was toss a few of them in with the onions towards the end of their long cooking so that they just dissolved into the topping. Good olives are a must.

No picture of this one, sorry.

 

[SobaAddict70]

Rillettes de sardines ("sardine spread").

The recipe for this is from pages 78-79 of "My Paris Kitchen".

B remarked that it was quite delicious and addictive. It's also somewhat rich and best consumed over time, or at a dinner party. I halved the proportions David calls for in the original recipe, and subbed lemon juice for lime juice, but otherwise it's as written.

[SobaAddict70]

I'll be attempting the chicken with mustard sauce tonight.

I had wanted to make this while B was visiting me, but we never got around to it. Lots of heavy meals around the time of our dinner at Gramercy Tavern put the kibosh on those set of plans. Oh well.

I'll try to remember to take lots of pix while I'm preparing things. Might have enough material for a blog post in the next few days.

It occurs to me that this thread is just like an eG Foodblog...hmmm....maybe there might be another one in the near future....

[Anna N]

I'll be attempting the chicken with mustard sauce tonight.

I had wanted to make this while B was visiting me, but we never got around to it. Lots of heavy meals around the time of our dinner at Gramercy Tavern put the kibosh on those set of plans. Oh well.

I'll try to remember to take lots of pix while I'm preparing things. Might have enough material for a blog post in the next few days.

It occurs to me that this thread is just like an eG Foodblog...hmmm....maybe there might be another one in the near future....

Food blogs are the best. Do consider it!

Edited to make sense.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Anna N (log)

[scamhi]

Oh, it was absolutely divine.

I only wish I'd had bone-in lamb as opposed to boneless lamb shoulder.

 

Soba- go to the International Meat Market in Astoria, they have bone in shoulders at about 1/3 to 1/2 price to the Eataly product. they are open Saturdays.

[SobaAddict70]

Thanks scamhi.
 
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I halved the amount of bacon -- this is roughly 1/2 cup diced thick-cut bacon (4 rashers).






 







 

 

Browning the chicken took a little longer than usual, probably because I slathered on too much mustard.  I don't think that's a shortcoming of the recipe, just my own inexperience.

 

I skipped the mustard seeds he calls for in the penultimate step, and used 1/4 less tsp. sea salt in the beginning.  Otherwise it's as written.

 

Definitely a keeper.