French Fridays with Dorie Archives - Page 2 of 9 Kitchen Conundrum

Green as Spring Veal Stew and Baby Bok Choy en Papillote- French Fridays with Dorie

May 3, 2014 by Renee

I don’t eat tuna, thon, atun, tonno or however you want to call tuna- unless I have to. I try to avoid it as much as possible and even have a separate can opener for those rare cans that are opened in my house. I don’t understand why, when you order a salad abroad, that they must toss a can of tuna on top. All across Spain as I hiked the Camino and even in Italy, when I just wanted a nice bowl of greens, when I craved greens, it would arrive topped with a can of tuna-much to my dismay, as though the greens the needed something. They don’t. I would prefer them to be plain or with just a bit of a oil and vinegar and a dash of salt would have been sufficient, thank you. So, I am skipping this week’s tuna rillettes for French Fridays with Dorie (duck rillettes, on the other hand, are a favorite!) and since I actually made these recipes the weeks they were assigned but never had the time to post them, I thought this week, I’d play catch up.

I present Green As Spring Veal Stew:

Veal stew as green as Spring, who’d ever heard of such a thing?

Brown, and white I’ve enjoyed before, but green, that’s one I had never seen.

Herbs and leaves I mixed and blended, till my sauce was greener than green

My blender pulsed and pureed, and from the lid it did spray.

A Springier green I had never seen, it was bright,and vivid and oh, the veal was incredibly lean.

I poured the sauce onto my plate and took some pictures before I ate.

I picked up one piece with my spoon and took a bite and started to swoon,

I am keener than keen to eat veal that’s greener than Spring.

I was pleasantly surprised with this one. While it doesn’t look so appetizing, (I find stews and sauces like this hard to photograph!) the sauce- a combination of mint, parsley, spinach and thyme was delightful and bright. It made for a terrific Spring dish. And veal, of course, is quite apropos for Spring as well. The sauce would be excellent over chicken or fish as well. And a lighter version would taste great with grilled vegetables.

Speaking of vegetables, there was also Baby Bok Choy, Sugar Snaps and Garlic en Papillote. A simple mixture with baby onions and orange zest, steamed in little pouches in the oven. A lovely and light side dish for any meal. I would definitely make both of these again, or at least the sauce from the veal, and vegetables in papillote happens quite a bit around here- it’s quick and easy! Which is what I need these days!

For details on creating these recipes, check out the FFWD site and see others who are also cooking the book-

You can also buy the book here:

Quiche Maraîchère- French Fridays with Dorie

April 11, 2014 by Renee

Quiche is synonymous with Spring and Summer eating. This Quiche Maraîchère is actually the second quiche I’ve made in a week. The weather is finally turning warmer and thoughts of lighter fare with fresh vegetables and greens are quickly replacing the heavy sauces and meat and potato laden stews that were sustaining through this extremely long, cold winter.

I am looking forward to the delicate Spring asparagus and the crisp, sweet summer tomatoes to be in season. We are not quite there yet, but getting much closer. In the meantime, it’s great to try some new recipes in anticipation of those long summer days where you want to eat something a bit brighter and fresh.

This week’s French Friday’s with Dorie does just that. This delicious Quiche Maraîchère has a lot more vegetables than custard and is not too heavy at all. With celery, leeks, bell peppers and carrots, you certainly get your fill of fresh vegetables. I am sure you can even toss in some broccoli and/or asparagus and spinach and it would still have been quite good.

The only modification I made was that I ran out of Gruyère (Quelle horreur!)and used cheddar instead. (Side note: Did you know that when you vacuum pack shredded cheese that it turns back into a solid hunk of cheese? It does! I bought a huge bag of shredded cheese from Costco and knowing that we can’t possibly eat that much (we do eat a LOT but not that much at once) it was divided into a few bags that we vacuumed packed. Well, fast forward a few months- we go to open the shredded cheese and it’s a solid brick of cheese shreds! Who knew!?!)

It made for a few terrific lunches and even a quick dinner one night when I just didn’t have the will (or desire) to make anything at all.

For the crust, it was the standard Pate Brisee. It’s the crust that I live by. Perfect for sweet and savory. It’s no fuss and comes out perfect every single time. You can find it here with a more summery dish- and one of my favorites- Tomato Tart and Pate Brisee recipe.

I’ll definitely make this one again. But I think I may even add more vegetables next time.

If you want to make this yourself, you can find the recipe here. But you should buy the book (and cook along with us). It’s great fun! Every Friday we make a new recipe. For details and to see how others are recreating the dishes from this awesome book, check out the FFWD site.

Buy the book:

Visitandine – French Fridays with Dorie

April 6, 2014 by Renee

This week for French Friday’s with Dorie we made a Visitandine cake. A Visitandine cake is a delightful short crumb cake that is probably the precursor to the shortbread cakes we eat today and it’s quite similar to financiers, though not quite as spongy. This very simple cake originated in the convent of a community of French nuns called the Sisters of the Visitation, or the “Visitandines.” I wonder what it would have meant to be visited by the nuns. I would guess that upon being served this cake, they would have easily won over whomever they visited for whatever purpose they wanted.

Normally, a very white cake, it suddenly takes on a deep, nutty flavor and brown hue when you take the opportunity to brown the butter. The scent alone of the cooking butter is enough to make you want to devour the cake the moment it emerges out of the oven. But if you are patient and take a little time to macerate your berries with a bit of sugar and lemon juice and drizzle them over heaps of whipped cream sitting on top of layers of this cake, you will be most pleased with the result. It’s incredibly simple to make. And yet, it’s scrumptious and will be a huge hit with everyone you serve it to. Those nuns knew what they were doing. The table was cleared and ready for dessert in no time flat.

I will definitely be making this cake again (and not just to bribe the kids into submission) and will be sure to double the recipe as it disappeared quickly. Everyone really enjoyed it. And despite the butter and whipped cream, it’s really a rather healthy dessert. (Ok, maybe not, but it feels healthier!) It would also be delicious with so many different toppings, not just berries, but lemon curd, apples, caramel, chocolate, peaches and even plums. It is a great base that would let you be very creative with it. I already have too many ideas for it!

While I cannot share this delicious 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: