Salade au Chèvre Chaud

One of the simplest and most pleasing things in life is to eat this salad. As a person known to be suspicious of all things lettuce-y, it took me awhile to warm up to the idea of this salad since I was also skeptical of goat cheese. It shows up on almost every café menu and Paul always ordered it so I thought I'd give it a try last year. Having pleasantly discovered that goat cheese is one of the finer things in life, I can now recommend to you this oh-so-French salad. If you've ever thought French titles sound more elegant than English ones, Salade au Chèvre Chaud vs. Salad with Hot Goat Cheese is a fine example.

This salad consists just of mixed greens in a light mustard vinaigrette, topped with small rounds of goat cheese that have been placed on bread slices and broiled until warm. Think of it as a green salad with goat cheesy croutons. A delicious first course and one I crave.

Salade au Chèvre Chaud

4 (½-inch thick) slices goat cheese, from a log (or individual crottin de chèvre, cut in half horizontally)
2-3 cups mixed greens, something sturdy
4 slices country bread or baguette
handful of walnuts, toasted and broken in pieces
3 Tbsp olive oil or walnut oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (or partly balsamic vinegar)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 shallot, minced
salt and pepper

Place slices of goat cheese on the bread slices and broil just until the cheese start to melt. Do not let it melt completely. Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk in the oil and add the shallots at the end. Drizzle the greens with the dressing and sprinkle walnuts around the plate. Top the salad with the goat cheese toasts. Et voila. Serves 2.

Last night for this dressing I used ½ sherry vinegar and ½ balsamic vinegar, mustard, shallot and oil, which was delicious. I think any basic vinaigrette would work. I had also intended to place the goat cheese on slices of olive bread, but alas, there was no olive bread to be found, so I'll have to get back to you about that. Also scattering one of the following on this salad would be tasty variation: dried cranberries, sun-dried tomatoes, or chopped fresh herbs like basil, tarragon or thyme.

The Miracle Worker: Chicken Pot Pie

As the weather has turned a bit warmer, I have tried to take advantage of being outside in the sun and feeling all excited about Paris again, as one usually does come April. Alas, there's this little voice in the back of my head distracting me with mournful thoughts about never cooking that Tartiflette and wondering if it’s too late to indulge in fondue one last time? The season has perhaps ended, but I can’t help but feel a loss for meals gone by. Will I have to wait almost another year before I can indulge in a dinner of solely cheese and starch? Say it won’t be so. To delay the inevitable salad-eating season from enveloping me in a pit of despair (perhaps an exaggeration…) I made something last weekend that helped me feel better about things.

Paul and I have both been sick this past weekend but I’ve been a trooper and pushed through my hacking cough and snotty nose to prepare some great meals, if I may say so myself. I was a woman on a mission and couldn’t be distracted from my comfort food. After all, once I got it through my foggy, medicated brain that -- if I was going to eat some delicious home cookin', I would have to do it myself -- I was sufficiently motivated to get in the kitchen. I don’t care if it’s 55 degrees and sunny outside. I have a stuffy nose and we're gonna eat this chicken pot pie!

Chicken pot pie is one of those meals where I don’t want any surprises. I just might cry if I cracked the crust on a pot pie only to see the likes of broccoli or zucchini within. I like my pot pies à la façon de Swanson. A saucy chicken stew with the comfy combination of carrots, peas, potatoes, and onions baked under a puff pastry crust. I feel better already.

Chicken Pot Pie

Buy a roasted chicken, shred about 3 cups for this recipe
1 puff pastry crust (pâte feuilletée)
4 small Yukon gold or white potatoes, peeled and diced into ½-1 inch pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 small white onions, chopped
1/3 cup frozen green peas
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
3 cups good quality chicken broth
Splash of brandy or sherry
1/3 cup cream
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
½ tsp dried sage

Amounts are approximate. Here is the method:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Sauté the onions, carrots, diced potatoes and dried sage for 5 minutes over medium heat. Cover the pot and let the veggies cook until tender, stirring frequently. The potatoes are done when a knife goes into them easily. You want all the vegetables fully cooked at this point. (You can boil the potatoes and/or carrots separately if you prefer them in larger pieces. I found it easier this time to just dice everything on the small side and sauté until fully cooked, stirring frequently and adding a little broth to keep it from sticking to the bottom.)

Sprinkle the flour over the veggies; stir and cook 2-3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the brandy or sherry, stirring to incorporate the flour, over medium heat. Add enough broth to achieve the desired gravy-like consistency and bring to a simmer. Stir in the shredded chicken and frozen peas. You want there to be gravy covering the chicken and veggies but not so much that it is swimming in it. Stir in the cream and fresh herbs. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed.

Pour this mixture into a greased 9-inch pie plate. Place the puff pastry crust over the top and fold in the edges, creasing and pressing it to the pan as you go. Use a fork to poke some holes in the crust before placing it in the oven to let some steam escape. (You can also use a regular pie crust.) Bake for about 30 minutes at 350-375 degrees F (180/190 degrees C). If you were a better planner than I, you could double the filling and freeze one portion for the next time you’re craving pot pie. Serves 6.

Strawberry Clafoutis

I knew I could trust Clotilde's recipe for Strawberry Clafoutis, but I wasn't expecting it to be quite this good! This was really delicious and I will use this recipe for all future clafoutis, I'm sure. Try it! You won't be disappointed. You can check out this and her other NPR submissions here.

I think I'm such a fan of this clafoutis because it was a bit lighter than my previous version, although really just about the same. Recipes don't vary all that much for this traditional French dessert, but Clotilde's addition of ground almonds and cornstarch add great flavor and a little more puff to this baked custard. Since I can buy ground almonds in the grocery store here, this was even easier for me to throw together by hand, but her food processor version seems really quick, too!

This is best served warm from the oven or at room temperature, sprinkled with some powdered sugar. My husband definitely gave me the "you're a goddess!" look after his first bite of this delicious dessert. I'm posting her recipe here to simply make it easier for me to look up in the future, but please do read her wonderful NPR article.

Strawberry Clafoutis

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 cups strawberries
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup whole blanched almonds, ground (I used 1/3 cup already ground almonds)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
pinch of salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp light rum, optional

You can read Clotilde's food processor or blender directions here.

Grease an 8x8 pan with a bit of the butter, or 6 individual 1-cup ramekins. Melt the rest of the butter in the microwave. Spread out washed and cut strawberries in the pan or ramekins. You can cut them however you like; I halved the small ones and quartered the larger ones. Combine almond powder, flour, salt and cornstarch in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Add the milk, rum, and melted butter, whisking until smooth. Pour 1/2 of the egg mixture into the flour mixture and whisk to incorporate the liquid. Add the rest of the liquid, whisking until you have a smooth thin batter. Pour over the strawberries and bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or 30 minutes for ramekins. Serves 6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Baked Italian Sandwiches

Fulfilling a request from my good friend Emily is always a pleasure and I hope this sandwich will do the trick for her. Italian sandwiches can take many forms, but I was always a big fan of Italian subs back in the States that were loaded with salami, pepperoni, cheese and spicy peppers among other things. I was craving something like that when I made this sandwich the other night. Salami, Ham and Chorizo were my meats of choice (no pepperoni here) layered with fresh mozzerella slices and an olive, artichoke and red pepper salad I whipped up. Wrapped in foil and popped in the oven until the cheese melts, these will surely satisfy your spicy cheesy food lust.

The Olive Salad:
1/2 cup mixed marinated green and black olives (with herbs, if available), chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and chopped
2 red bell peppers, roasted and chopped (can use canned roasted red peppers)
splash of balsamic vinegar
splash of olive oil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil, or pinch of dried
pinch of dried oregano (can leave out if olives are marinated with herbs)

To roast the bell peppers: Drizzle peppers with a bit of olive oil and put under the broiler and broil until the skin starts to turn black. Rotate peppers until all sides are black. This takes maybe 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and place in a ziploc bag or paper bag for 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Remove blackened skin from peppers, it should slide off fairly easily. Chop the peppers and place in a bowl. Combine the chopped artichokes and olives with the red peppers and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

This makes enough for maybe 6 sandwiches, so leftovers could be served as a side dish or antipasto. Mix in some small cubes of fresh mozzerella and combine with arugula for a tasty salad. I used the leftovers as a pizza topping the next day. I love all the uses for this!

For the Sandwich:

1 Tbsp pesto
sliced ham
sliced salami
sliced chorizo or pepperoni
sliced fresh mozzerella or provolone, or combo of your choice
bread of your choice, I used a baguette, as usual.

Spread some pesto (or just a little oil and vinegar) on the bread. Layer on the meats and cheese. Top with large spoonfuls of the olive salad, pressing down with the top slice of bread to secure the sandwich. Wrap the sandwich in foil and bake for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) or until the cheese is melted and bread is a little crunchy.

Simple but heavenly, I assure you.

A Parfait? C'est Parfait!

It's springtime in Paris and how do I know? Strawberries invaded the markets last week and who am I to resist such temptation? After spending too many euros at the open market near the Ternes metro, (marché Poncelet-Bayen) Paul and I returned home with our loot, lusting after those perfectly ripe berries.

It's rare when you actually get to buy produce at its peak, and therefore, eat it at its best. For those occasions, you don't need to embellish your ingredients very much and this recipe worked perfectly for a simple dessert last week.

Strawberries with Honey-Vanilla Mascarpone Cream
recipe by Ina Garten

3 cups strawberries (any berries work, of course)
1 cup mascarpone cheese
4 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
3-4 Tbsp heavy cream
1/2 cup whipped cream (I didn't do this, just added more cream)

Cut up strawberries however you like. In another bowl, combine the cheese, honey, vanilla, and cream until smooth. Taste and add honey if you prefer something sweeter. Layer berries and mascarpone cream in a short goblet or other pretty glass. Grate some good chocolate on top and serve with a nice square of dark chocolate on the side, or perhaps a cookie. This and a short espresso will surely round out a lovely meal, even if it does get you a few Bree Van de Kamp comparisons. Screw 'em, you're a goddess. Serves 4.

A few notes: I remember mascarpone cheese being ridiculously expensive in the US. In France, any sort of cream cheese is expensive, but mascarpone is cheaper than other American-style cream cheese. Of course, the texture of mascarpone is luscious, but I think regular cream cheese would work fine. I'm sure you could even make this almost fat-free if so inclined. Also, I cut up the berries and made the mascarpone mixture in advance, keeping them separate in the fridge, then assembled the parfaits at the last minute.

More to come for these strawberries...stay tuned!