French Provincial hors d'oeuvres

[Rebel Rose]

Well, here I was googling around for recipes, and what do I find? A reference to eGullet, of course. Duh.

I'm in charge of appetizers for a December progressive dinner, and the theme is French Provincial. Rather than post in the food forum, I thought I'd ask here first, since you guys are the gustatory experts, for your most memorable pairings with Rhone wines. I can offer a floral viognier (not the one you tried, Brad, but it's still pretty big), a grenache-based blend, and a smoky syrah. I'm leaning toward the viognier and the blend, since syrah will be served with the main course.

[markk]

I'm in charge of appetizers for a December progressive dinner, and the theme is French Provincial...  your most memorable pairings with Rhone wines. 

Is your dinner "provincial" or "Provençal" ?

[Rebel Rose]

The theme is "Provincial," which could certainly include Provençal, but I think the idea is to keep it simple. Three artisanal wineries will be sponsoring a progressive black-tie dinner focused on Rhones. A group of forty will gather in our home for the kickoff, and I need to plan my offerings and set a budget this weekend. The main course, served at Pipestone Winery, will be steak and morels prepared by Claude Chazalon. Dessert, at Linne Calodo, will be a chocolate cake stuffed with truffles. Dan and I like to cook, so we're looking for suggestions that we can prepare ourselves. I'm leaning toward finger food, with selections plated up ahead of time, simply because to me, eating with a fork makes me feel full, even if it's a tiny serving. I want to entice the appetite. Tease. Leave them begging for more. I'm thinking . . . tiny quiches prepared in madeleine tins, along with maybe, a nice cheese with candied lemon and fig, but I need . . .

[RobInAustin]

I love Tapenade on croutons. Take slices of french bread and toast in the oven, when golden, take them out and rub a fresh clove on garlic on top.

Tapenade:

2 cups olives, pitted (small olives are preferable; oil-cured is fine)

1 clove garlic

1 fillet anchovy (if salt-packed, rinse well and dry; if oil-packed, pat dry)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup capers, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pepper to taste.

Place olives into a food processor; process until roughly chopped. Add the garlic, capers, anchovy and lemon juice, and begin to process, slowly adding the olive oil until you have reached the desired consistency; season with pepper. serves 12

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Another easy favorite:

Belgian endive leaves, left whole, with a dab of the best Roquefort cheese smeared onto it.

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Mushroom caps, filled with bay shrimp or crab meat tossed in home made mayonaise and fresh dill

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Feeling adventurous? My very favorite is Brandade of Salt Cod, a favorite winter dish:

1.5 lbs boneless dried salt cod

1 lb potato

2cups milk

1 large bay leaf

1 small onion thinly sliced

2 cloves

1.5 Tbl minced garlic

pinch fresh grated nutmeg

pinch cayenne pepper

1 cup ex virign olive oil

1.5 cups cream

soak the cod in cold water for 12 hours, changing the water every 3-4 hours. (do this a day or so in advance.) Bake the potato until tender. drain the cod and put the cod in a cassarole and put more water in to just barely cover the fish, add the milk, bay leaf, onion and cloves in, bring to a boil and simmmer 4-5 minutes. Drain the fish well, take the fish (when cool enough to handle) flake it with a fork and put in food processor along with the flesh of the baked potato, garlic, salt , pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. heat the oil and cream (separately) gently until hot but not boiling and start blending the fish while gradually adding each alternately. Serve as a dip/spread with toast points. YUMM. serves 12

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Roast asparagus spears in the oven with a little olive oil until just cooked. When cool, wrap with a very thin slice of air dried ham/proscioutto.

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Tell me when to stop...could keep this up for a while.

[carswell]

Viognier gets me thinking of white food (fish, shellfish, sweetbreads, pasta, chicken breast, etc.), especially when prepared with fresh herbs and cream. Pacific Rim preps can work too, provided the heat, sugar and spice are kept in check. Some first-course pairings I've enjoyed: fettucine with sweetbreads, mirepoix and cream (<Chez Panisse Cooking); halved new potatoes stuffed with dill or chive-spiked salmon tartare (all smoked salmon or half fresh half smoked) and endive leaves piled with fresh crab seasoned with lime juice, fish sauce and cilantro; shrimp and cherry tomato brochettes with basil butter; langoustines wrapped in basil leaves and filo, deep-fried and served with a runny pesto (<Robuchon); pike quenelles in a Nantua-style cream sauce; curried chicken/shrimp/scallop brochettes; scallops seared in butter; and lobster and potato salad dressed with a fines herbes mayo. Quiche usually has me reaching for pinot blanc, riesling, unoaked chard or maybe a chenin blanc; if you gussied it up with herb and seafood flavours, I guess it might work with viognier, though the wine's low acid would worry me. Cheese and viogner aren't soulmates in my experience, exception made for Rigottes de Condrieu, of course.

Grenache-based Rhone-style blends are often as close as you can get to an all-purpose red. For finger food, I often serve squares of warm grilled country bread spread with pesto rosso and garnished with a caper or two. A few other ideas: stuffed meat rolls (thin slices of lamb spread with pesto rosso or tapenade, for example); cumin-rubbed grilled quail half on couscous studded with dried figs and currants; cherry tomatoes stuffed with niçoise-style tuna; seared tuna slices on wholewheat crackers with wasabi mayo (<Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home); bastilla; crostini di fegatini (chopped chicken/duck liver on toasts); and wild mushroom bruschetta.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like more detailed descriptions or (in some cases) recipes.

Edited October 3, 2004 by carswell (log)

[aliénor]

if you are looking for a provencal appetizer, you might try panisse. i just returned from our family in nice, france and it is a favorite appetizer. the recipe consists of using chickpea flour, water and salt. this gets cooked till thick and then it is poured onto a saucer and allowed to cool and set. then slices are cut a la french fries (pommes frites). these are then fried in oil. the "frites" /panisse are served warm with a dusting of freshly cracked pepper. um, um good and very authenitic provencal.

if you are interested i can send the exact proportions.....

[Brad Ballinger]

I'd skip viognier altogether. Go with a rose and a grenache-based blend. Just my two cents.

[arielle]

Pissaladiere: basically a french version of pizza, it is topped with caramelised onion, good olives, sea salt, and a healthy dousing with olive oil (sometimes rosemary and/or anchovies are also added). It's meant to be very simple, but executed well, and using good ingredients, it is wonderful. Furthermore, it makes for good finger food (easy to slice, hold etc)

PS - Good luck! Wish I could go!

[joey madison]

Don't forget the duck liver! A nice terrine with toast... mmmm....

[Marco_Polo]

How about some socca, piping hot out of the oven, broken into pieces and passed around on platters for your guests to enjoy with their fingers while milling around, the chickpea flour 'pancake' washed down with nice chilled tumblers of gutsy Tavel rosé. Or, if your guests are already seated around a table, how about great informal feast of crudités, beautiful fresh and varied produce, whatever's available - raw fennel, celery, beautifully ripe tomatoes, organic carrots, yellow, red and green peppers, plus country bread toasted over a wood fire - to dip into bowls of pungent, garlicky anchoïade. This garlicy feast would go well with any number of southern Grenache based Côtes du Rhônes, young and fruity but still with enough body to stand up to the robust flavours of the sun-drenched South of France. Perhaps a Gigondas or a Vacqueyras?

MP