Meat Archives - Kitchen Conundrum

Feeling a bit devilish and a lot carnivorous, I was so glad to see the sidebar for this recipe in Dorie Greenspan’s, Around My French Table states that the Chicken Diable dish could be made with Filet Mignon. Given the choice between chicken and Filet Mignon, it’s a no brainer- BEEF! (It’s definitely what’s for dinner!)

When I was in Paris last year I stocked up on mustard. And when I say I stocked up, I could have easily been mistaken for a doomsday prepper. There was a Monoprix (similar to a Target but with much, MUCH better food) right around the corner from the apartment where I was staying. I wandered the aisles several times a week filling my cart with coffee, cornichons, sauces, wine, cheeses (Watch two minutes of French cheese!), pates, rillettes and mustard. I am pretty sure I bought every type of Maille mustard they had to offer. And not just one jar of each, but several.

Yes, you can get Maille mustard here in the U.S., but somehow it’s not the same. Spicy, sweet, tangy, bitter… Old Style Whole Grain Dijon, Dijon with Honey, Mustard with Chablis, Moutarde Aux Fines Herbes and so many other varieties are available. I found one in a beautiful white crock, a green one, a red one, one in a stemmed “wine” glass, one in a juice glass and of course many jars of their regular Originale Dijon… it doesn’t matter the variety, they all ended up in my suitcase. Which was the real devil to carry through the airport and ended up being, not surprisingly, “overweight”.

For this recipe, Moutarde a l’Ancienne was chosen just because it was open. It’s a very traditional grained mustard with white wine and large, whole mustard seeds. It’s not as sharp or hot as Dijon Originale and it adds just the right amount of tang without masking the velvety smooth, rich flavor of the meat. It was a perfect combination! I am looking forward to trying this again with Chicken. Perhaps I will venture to use a different jar of mustard too!

Pureed carrots made a terrific side dish, simply done with butter and salt.

So sorry, but I cannot share this wonderful recipe- but you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. It’s great fun! Every Friday we make a new recipe. And I can’t wait for next week’s challenge! For details and to see how others are recreating the dishes from this awesome book, check out the FFWD site.

Click on and buy the book:

I love a good hamburger and I have to say that in Paris, I’ve had the best burgers. I think it’s because the meat is just so much better there than it is here in the US. The lack of hormones and other byproducts that are mixed in just leaves you with pure, unadulterated meat.

It’s meat like that, that produces for a good base for a great burger. Add a freshly baked bun and you’ve suddenly got the makings of a spectacular burger.

At Blend, the newest burger joint in Paris, the meat, either beef or veal, comes from Yves-Marie le Bourdonnec , a Paris butcher who just happens to be a consultant to Alain Ducasse and other three-star French chefs. So you know it must be good.

As with most trendy newcomers, we had to wait outside (in January on a very cool day) until there was room inside to stand and wait. But we then had ample time to look over the menu and figure out exactly what we wanted. When it came time to seat us, we ended up sharing a table with three other people, squeezing inside each side of a table by the wall. Even though this setup is a bit awkward for those who prefer to enjoy their present company alone, it did make for some fun conversation with our tablemates, who, luckily, were very nice folks. It’s certainly intimate and cozy, just not with your own party.

(It was packed when we first arrived!)

But don’t let the small space fool you. The burgers are tops. The menu consists of four meat versions and two veggie options. Each meat burger comes on a freshly baked buttery, brioche bun and the vegetable burgers sit atop either a spinach or tufu bun of equal delight. They are juicy and messy and really hit the spot like a good burger, craved, should.

The hand cut fries, either regular or sweet potato are lightly salted and are the perfect complement to the burgers.

(The Cheesy with it’s delectable barbeque sauce and The Champ, a mushroom burger with a lovely mint sauce on a spinach bun. MMMM Burger is right!)

If you should still have room after you’ve finished your burgers, the cheesecake and the homemade cookies are not to be missed!

I’ll definitely stop in here again and get my burger on!

BLEND
44 rue d’Argout
75002, Paris
M° Sentier/Etienne Marcel

Filet Mignon Diable – French Fridays with Dorie

Blend, A Paris Burger Haven

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