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| I was so happy to see the first few days of the month turn out to be sunny and bright, that I wholly expected to skip June Gloom altogether this year! Unfortunately, the clouds have come out to play. But I'm not letting it take my smile away! Instead, I think I'll make my own version of this delicious French Farmhouse soup and imagine sipping it inside of a quaint cottage next to a roaring fireplace. Aaahhhh... Much better! |
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| Just about every part of me is ready for winter to wrap up and for spring to come — except for my appetite! Yes, spring veggies are bright and delicious, but I'm just not ready to say goodbye to hearty soups, stews and casseroles. So I've made it my goal to make a rich and comforting cassoulet (which is a French slow-cooked stew) over the weekend. So many recipes call for expensive, hard-to-find meats, so I've chosen this simple wine, bean, sausage and ham cassoulet, which I think will be the perfect medley of salty ham, velvety beans, rich wine and herbs. Fingers crossed! |
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| In my house, we usually serve a salty breakfast on Christmas morning to counterbalance all the sweets we get in our stockings. But there's something so special about holiday morning pain perdu (aka French toast), so I try and serve it on Christmas Eve morning, especially if I have guests in the house. My favorites are French toast with figs and mascarpone cream (so sophisticated!) and French toast with almonds and strawberries (crunchy and oh-so-sweet). But there a million different recipes to try. Here are some that sound intriguing to me: Pain Perdu with Almonds and Strawberries French Toast with Figs and Mascarpone Cream Pear Stuffed French Toast Baked Orange Pecan French Toast Chocolate French Toast with Strawberries |
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| Okay, I wouldn't really suggest you serve puppy dog tails. But a lot of people equate escargot with being just as yucky as the popular children's saying, believing that the scrumptious little snails are icky slimy buggers pulled out of garden soil. But trust me when I say that the delicious delicacies are no more or less "disgusting" than eating a lobster, shrimp or crab from its shell. And they taste just as yummy! They may be difficult to find, but if you can track them down — either fresh or in a can — we suggest this fabulous escargots a la bourguignonne recipe from Emeril Lagasse. Très chic. |
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| Oysters don't generally scream "holiday time" in my house, but I know they're quite popular on the East coast when it comes to stuffings and side dishes for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. And believe it or not, oysters are a very traditional addition to holiday feasts in France! It's a little outside of the box for my family, but I think I'll give this herbed oyster stuffing recipe a whirl for myself this week and see if all the hype is worth it. I do love slurping cool, briny oysters from their shell, and I'm thinking the addition of crusty French bread, herbs and veggies can only heighten the appeal! |
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| When I was growing up, I remember being so excited when my mom would bake frozen Swanson pot pies. The creamy vegetable and meat filling was the perfect hearty meal, but the flaky and sweet pie crust almost made it double as a dessert. My taste buds have definitely grown up since then, and I prefer a more sophisticated pot pie (my favorite is one at a little French restaurant inside the Denver airport; it’s made with a variety of fall vegetables and Pernod, yum!). But even though I love the traditional flaky crust usually associated with the hearty pies, I recently stumbled across this impressive recipe made with a homemade potato bowl, and I can’t wait to give it a try! |
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| Is it just us, or is fall the best thing that ever happened to the planet? The trees look so beautiful, pumpkin lattes hit the streets, fashion is at its best and cooking sounds much less like a chore and much more like the most comforting, fun activity to ever have been invented. I'm a sucker for any recipe featuring pumpkins, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and savory meats like roast and pork chops. In fact, my daughters swear because of that, fall is the second time of the year I put on my bi-annual extra 15 pounds (the first being when Sheri's Restaurant features their yummy strawberry pies!). But in all my revelry for fall, I've never tried tackling one of the most basic, popular French comfort foods: boeuf bourguignon. I'm really excited to give the classic dish a whirl this year, but I'm inexplicably a bit intimidated. Have any of you ever successfully given it a try? I'd love to hear some words of boeuf bourguignon wisdom and get some gentle encouragement before traversing the yummy waters! Or you can just help me channel Julia Child. That will work, too. |
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| Nothing says spring like asparagus, and nothing says France like cheese. Let them rendezvous together in a bed of pastry, and you've got yourself one amazing dish! We suggest you don a cute apron like this from the French Charmed boutique and substitute Comte cheese, which is a sweeter French version of the popular Swiss Gruyere, to make this one Frenchtastic kitchen adventure! oxox |
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| As anyone who's been recently wandering the cities of France will tell you, the street markets are bursting with fava beans. Not only are these buttery little nuggets of goodness a spring staple in the country, they're also packed with iron, fiber and vitamins A and C. So make like the French and try your hand at a fava bean recipe! Here are a few links to some that made our mouths water. Oh, and don't forget to check out our shopping totes in the French Charmed boutique. They're perfect for those springtime trips to the market! |
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| Spelt Salad with Fava Beans |
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| Rigatoni with Fava Beans and Pecorino |
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| Seared Scallops with Fava Beans, Bacon and Mint |
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| Fava Bean Crostini |
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| Red Snapper with Fava Bean Puree |
