the constant hunger

La Bergamote

I'd been listening to the soundtrack of Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain all week long and reading and re-reading my most favorite blog ever. Composed by Yann Tiersen, the soundtrack of Amélie adds even more charm to this little jewel of a movie. I can watch this film anytime, anywhere. And that's exactly what I decided to do this weekend. 

Being in a French state of mind, I decided the only thing that would make watching Amélie even better would be if I was snacking on something delicious, something sweet and French. I headed over to La Bergamote. It was my first time going to this particular patisserie so I decided to sample a few desserts. Here were my picks:

 {tartelette aux fraises}

 

{framboisier}

 

{bergamotier}

 

{bergamote citron}

Amélie and French patisseries. Sometimes a girl needs to indulge. 

Coq au Vin

The scent of a bouquet garni, peeled garlic and reducing wine fills the air. Sinatra is singing about his woes. I am back in my kitchen, the place where I am at peace, at peace enough to create without thinking "Will this be good enough?" Even after a day in SoHo searching for the perfect pair of black pants (seriously, how hard is it to find a pair of flattering black pants? I'm considering made-to-measure clothes), the only thing I can think about is "I can't wait to go home and make coq au vin."

I've been reading My Life In France by Julia Child. Her charm and passion oozes off of every page. It's absolutely infectious! Not only has she inspired me to get back in the kitchen and cook, but she's made me revisit one of my favorite cusines. French! Who am I kidding? It's my most favorite. The complexity of certain dishes and the simplicty of others, I just can't get enough. 

I used this recipe since it seemed simple enough, but next time I will try Julia's. Oh, Julia, je t'adore! Pair the dish with a bold red wine and enjoy in the company of loved ones.

Happy cooking! 

Champagne and French Food

Back a few weeks ago, I met up for drinks and dinner with an old friend of mine. We had lost contact when I moved out of LA many, many years ago and recently re-connected. We hadn't seen each other in about 15 years and it was like I had seen her yesterday. 

Any time friends or family come to visit, I always feel a little pressure to find the perfect spot to eat. New York has a certain culinary reputation and I want to make sure that I choose a restaurant that will wow our guests. For this particular occasion I thought some pre-dinner drinks at Flute would be perfect. Flute is a champagne bar in Gramercy that I went to with friends the day before my wedding. I have been wanting to go back ever since. My friend and I ordered a couple of glasses of champagne and then headed off to dinner. We were both starving! I need to go back to Flute on Tuesdays for their champagne happy hour. 

For dinner I thought a bustling restaurant with a lively crowd would be ideal. I love French food, and so does my friend, so we headed to SoHo for dinner at Balthazar. I have never had a bad, or even mediocre, meal at Balthazar. It took us a while to get a table, but once we started ordering and eating, we were in heaven. I ordered the duck shepard's pie and my friend opted for the trout served over a warm lentil salad. Both of our dishes were out of this world. 

My friend's dish looked easy enough to recreate at home. I did a little online searching and came across this recipe. It was pretty easy to make and you can serve it warm or cold. It also keeps well in the fridge for at least a week. Though the recipe doesn't mention this, make sure to properly rinse the lentils before adding them to the rest of the ingredients to avoid a mushy salad.

I opted for salmon in my recipe instead of trout. Simply season salmon filets with salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Serve the salmon over a bed of lentil salad. This is a light and tasty dinner. 

Happy cooking! 

French Bistro Classic: Steak au Poivre

There is something soul-satisfying about throwing a steak in a hot saute pan and frying it up for a few minutes on each side. Just keeping it on enough to form a golden brown crust, yet maintaining a pink interior. It's quick, easy and satisfies my carnivore desires. The only way to improve upon the simple pan-fry method of steak cooking is by creating a pan sauce with all the lovely bits of flavor left behind by the meat. Here is how the French do it.

Steak au Poivre adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

1 tbs. coarsely ground pepper

2 New York steaks, about 10 to 12 oz. each

Salt, to taste

2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs. minced shallot

1/4 cup cognac

1 cup low-sodium beef stock

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

 

Method:

Let steaks reach room temperature. 

Season the steaks on both sides with a generous amount of salt. Season with pepper and press the pepper into the steaks, coating both sides. 

In a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Arrange the steaks in the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, a little longer for well done. Transfer the steaks to a platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil. 

Pour off the excess fat from the pan and set the pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until translucent. Add the cognac and cook, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the pan, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add the beef stock and cook until reduced by half. Reduce the heat to low and add the butter one piece at a time, whisking constantly. 

Spoon the sauce over the steaks and serve immediately. 

I enjoyed these steaks au poivre with an onion and garlic rice and made sure to spoon some sauce over the rice.

Well, this wraps up this week's classic French recipes. Next week I'll be attempting to tackle a Mexican dish. Hopefully, the results will be better than the last time. 

Happy cooking!

French Bistro Classic: Moules Marinière

There is a restaurant in Montreal totally devoted to serving up this wonderful mollusk in a variety of sauces, each more delicious than the other. La Moulerie, located in the charming and laid-back neighborhood of Outremont, does one thing and they do it well. In fact, it's not uncommon for diners to order a second and third bowl of mussels in an attempt to taste all 10 of their preparations.

If you don't live in Montreal, then I suggest you try out this easy recipe. It's the best known way to prepare mussels, to my knowledge. White wine, butter, parsley, done! I have shared another mussel recipe with you in the past. Read that post here.  This recipe requires even less prep work, if that was even possible. 

A little word on food safety... Remember to buy mussels that are properly displayed, i.e. over or buried under ice. Make sure all the mussels are tightly closed. If there is one that is open, lightly tap it and do not buy it if it does not close. You don't ever want to cook a dead mussel. While transporting them, make sure you don't put them in a plastic bag and close it. They need to breathe. Store them on ice when you get home, never submerged in water. Nowadays, mussels are pretty clean when you buy them, but I would suggest giving them a quick scrub. Cook them right away. And once cooked, never eat any that have not opened.

 

Moules Marinière adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

1 cup dry white wine

2 shallots, minced

3 tbs. unsalted butter

2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 bay leaf

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 lb. mussels, well scrubbed and debearded

Baguette slices for serving

 

Method: 

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, combine wine, shallots, butter, parsley, bay leaf and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the broth is aromatic, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the mussels, discarding any that do not close to the touch. Cover the pan tightly and steam the mussels until they open, about 5 minutes. You can shake the pan occasionally to ensure even cooking. Discard any mussels that did not open.

Serve in a big bowl and make sure you have a couple of empty bowls to discard the shells. And remember the baguette. Dipping bread in the rich, buttery sauce may be the best part of the experience, one of life's little pleasures. I also made some fries since they go so well with mussels.

Happy cooking!