Kitchen Conundrum

Boeuf a la Ficelle (Beef on a String) – French Fridays with Dorie

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This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe is a bit extravagant. Dorie says Boeuf a la Ficelle is her choice for New Year’s Eve dinners. I would have to agree- it’s quite elegant and celebration worthy. Which is perfect as I am celebrating taking a new job. I’ve been home with my little people for nearly five years after working in the tv ad industry for the whole of my adult life. It’s been a truly wonderful, extended sabbatical, I am extremely grateful for the time and experiences I have had,  (I still worked- could never not – designing websites and handling social media for a few small businesses) but it will be fantastic going back to full time out of the house, work. I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity (this one in particular, actually) and am so happy I did, as it finally arrived.  When I met Dorie a few months ago and we talked about the job I wanted, she had a saying for being unemployed-  “in between chairs” and now, I thrilled to say, I have a chair again!

So we are celebrating with a bottle of wine, and this lovely filet with vegetables and broth.

The dish takes quite a bit of time to prepare. But it is so worth it! First you make the bouillon, which is a beef stock accented with vegetables. According to the recipe, the bouillon takes an hour or so to make. However, we wanted more than just bouillon and wanted to have more of a flavorful stock so we made it the traditional way- roasting the bones in the oven and simmering for eight hours (or overnight as we did). This long, slow simmer really extracts all of the flavors from the bones, vegetables and herbs. The result is a deeply infused bouillon.

Next, a melody of  vegetables- carrots, turnips,  potatoes, leeks and shallots- are cooked in the broth and set aside while you make the filet.  The filet is tied with butchers string leaving a long loop of string so you can easily lower the meat into the boiling liquid and remove it minutes later.  It emerges from the pot quite bleu (rare), but with a douse of hot broth, it cooks even a bit more in the “soup”. Any reservations about poaching the filet that I had was quickly extinguished with the first bite. Everyone, including the kids (even the picky one!)  loved it.

It’s a hearty, rich dish, soothing with it’s broth, luxurious with the filet and very fulfilling with the vegetables. A perfect celebratory meal.  We served it with a warm, fresh baguette which we used to soak up every last bit of broth.  A dollop of horseradish sauce (or mustard) and a sprinkle of fleur de sel is all it needed!

Beouf a la Ficelle-2

I also found this terrific interview with Dorie discussing this very dish… check it out!

While I cannot share the actual recipe, you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. It’s great fun! Every Friday we make a new recipe. Looking forward to next weeks! For details and to see how others are recreating the dishes from this awesome book, check out the FFWD site.

Buy the book:

greenspan

frenchfridayswithdorie16

 

 

Paris Brest- French Fridays with Dorie

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They say in bicycling, that when you fall off your bike, you get back on and ride again. That’s exactly what I did this week with this Paris Brest for French Fridays with Dorie. Hence, my Friday post became a Saturday post!

This circular pastry was created in 1891 to commemorate the  Paris–Brest bicycle race. Its shape is representative of a wheel- and I am thinking the almonds must be the little, sharp pebbles that you ride over that deflates your tire. My first choux pastry arrived out of the oven only slightly puffed. And it fell flatter than a pancake as it cooled. The éclairs I made with the left over dough were impeccable though! I don’t know exactly what went wrong but I have an idea.

Regardless, there was absolutely no way to slice it horizontally, and I thought of cutting it vertically in half and using one side of the circle for the top and one for bottom but decided a semi circle just would not do. So I made the dough again. This time, the second time was the charm.

I believe the key is to begin with a super hot oven. The higher heat gives the pastry a crust and once the crust forms and puffs up, this crust is what helps the pastry keep its inflated shape. So when making this, keep that in mind.

Filled with pastry cream that has been infused with caramelized almonds, topped with more almonds  and sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar, this Paris Brest, is a truly delightful and delicious treat. And I am even eating my mistake. Not a bad deal at all. But I actually should get on a bike after that! Paris Brest-6586

While I cannot share the actual recipe, you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. It’s great fun! Every Friday we make a new recipe. Looking forward to next weeks! For details and to see how others are recreating the dishes from this awesome book, check out the FFWD site.

Buy the book:

greenspan

frenchfridayswithdorie16

Moules Mariniere or Fisherman’s Mussels – French Fridays with Dorie

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Last Spring while travelling in England on the drive up to Cley Next the Sea, my friend Michael and I had stopped for lunch at the White Horse Inn  in the tiny village of Brancaster Staithe. This inn has gorgeous views across tidal marshes and sandy beaches and their food and locally brewed Oyster Catcher beer are excellent. Here, we had a mega portion of mussels each, literally a bucket full, and they were probably the very best mussels I have ever eaten. They were done simply- with a white wine, cream and garlic sauce and hunks of bread on the side.

There must have been a hundred mussels in my pot that day and I ate every last one of them.

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Needless to say, I love mussels.  But I must confess, I have never made them at home.  I’ve never even thought to make them at home.  It was always one of those things you order in a restaurant- like lobster or steak tartare.  An indulgence and something you splurge on!

This recipe was incredibly easy. Once I got over the thought of cleaning them at home, soaking and rinsing and taking the beard off, it really was a simple process.

Moules Mariniere or Fisherman’s Mussels is actually a quick, easy and inexpensive dinner that only seems extravagant.

Here’s a few tips I learned about buying, storing and cooking mussels-

1. Buy fresh mussels from a reputable seafood counter. The mussels should close when tapped or should already be closed. If they are broken or chipped  or don’t close, they might be dead. Discard any that may be dead. They should always be alive when you buy them.  (For a tip on when to find fresh Mussels, just remember the “R Rule”.  Shellfish are generally harvested in any month that has the letter “R” in it.*)

2. You really should cook mussels the same day you buy them to ensure freshness, but if you do have to store them, if even for a few hours, place them in a bowl. Don’t store them in a plastic bag. Remember, they are alive and you really want to keep them that way. A bag would suffocate them.

3. To clean mussels, soak them in a bowl of fresh water for 15 minutes, scrub any barnacles or dirt off the shell and rinse them.  Remove the “beard”  (a long dark frizzy string) by pulling it towards the hinge.  It may be hard to do, and you may have to use pillars or brute force!  Drain the dirty water and sand from the bowl and add fresh water and let them soak again for another 15 minutes. Rinse and they should be ready to go.

4. The key to cooking the mussels is steaming them in a broth or wine or a combination of the two. They cook very fast and with the lid of a pot securely on, it takes only about 3-5 minutes.  After 3 minutes, all the mussels should be open. If not, replace the lid for another 2 minutes to see if any unopened mussels will open. Throw away any that didn’t open.  (These are the ones that will make you sick!)

I did make a few minor adjustments to Dorie’s recipe. Right at the end I added a bit of cream to the broth and I left out the lemon peel. I was trying to recapture the flavor of those mussels from Brancaster. These didn’t quite compare, but they sure were good nonetheless and I am excited to make these again very soon!

Mussels 2- FFWD-5473

* The R Rule, while it may folklore nowadays with suppliers from all over the world providing shellfish to stores and fishmongers, it’s still practiced in some parts where shellfish are locally harvested.  Basically, in warmer months- May-August – the water temps rise and red tides, vast blooms of algae that collect along coastlines in warm weather, can spread toxins that are soaked up by the shellfish.  Also, summer is a time when shellfish spawn. As any oyster lover (not me!) can tell you, a fertile oyster apparently turns thin, milky and soft — kinda more gross actually!  So unless it’s been shipped in, avoid the local oysters in the summer. And of course, shellfish can spoil easily on a hot day if not stored properly. This won’t really make them toxic but it will make them stinky and might cause some serious tummy troubles.

While I cannot share the actual recipe, you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. It’s great fun! Every Friday we make a new recipe. Looking forward to next weeks! For details and to see how others are recreating the dishes from this awesome book, check out the FFWD site.

Buy the book:

greenspan

frenchfridayswithdorie16