Grandma's Kitchen Table

FFWD: Around My French Table - Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans Cream

      The 41st recipe I made this week for French Fridays with Dorie from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, is Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans Cream, found on page 68.  

      Ingredients: olive oil, butter, onion, garlic, celery, thyme, salt, pepper, cauliflower, chicken broth, and sour cream, walnuts, and parmesan cheese to serve.

      Soup making has been on the rise here with these cold and rainy spring days, nothing makes me happier for lunch on a cold and rainy day than a bowl of warm soup. I’ve been thumbing through my cookbooks looking for soup recipes and coming up with some really delicious ones, this one no exception, it is delicious.  All the ingredients are easily ones that I have on hand each week anyway, so putting this together mid-morning for lunch was fast and easy. The little toppings were fun and also added a welcome bit of flavor, which is always nice as cauliflower is not much of a thing without flavorings.  Absolutely delicious and repeat worthy. 

       Recipes owned by their authors are not published here in honor of their work. However, many recipe authors have been very generous, their recipes can be found online with a quick search. 

 

French Fridays with Dorie: Mushroom and Shallot Quiche

      The 40th recipe I made this week for French Fridays with Dorie from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, is Mushroom and Shallot Quiche, found on page 162.  

      Ingredients: butter, shallots, mushrooms, thyme, salt, pepper, cream, eggs, scallions, and Gruyère cheese for the tart filling; flour, salt, sugar, butter, egg, and water for the tart crust.

      Looking for another recipe for a Friday in Lent (meatless), I came across this one and knew it would be just great as we both love mushrooms.  The recipe is simple, easy, and quick, especially if you make the dough for the crust ahead and have it parked in the refrigerator ready to go. It takes the longest bit of time to sauté the mushrooms for the filling, but nothing difficult or too time consuming. I made a third size recipe in a 6” tart pan as that’s about enough for 3 people, meaning the 2 of us and a leftover piece for lunch another day. Absolutely delicious and repeat worthy.

      Recipes owned by their authors are not published here in honor of their work. However, many recipe authors have been very generous, their recipes can be found online with a quick search. 

 

 

French Fridays with Dorie: Quiche Maraîchere

      The 39th recipe I made this week for French Fridays with Dorie from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, is Quiche Maraîchère, found on page 158.  

      Ingredients: butter, celery, leeks, carrots, red bell pepper, salt, pepper, cream, egg, and Gruyère cheese for the tart filling; flour, salt, sugar, butter, egg, and water for the tart crust.

      Looking for a recipe for a Friday in Lent (meatless), I came across this one and knew it would be just the thing served with a small lettuce salad.  The recipe is simple, easy, and quick.  There isn’t anything too difficult in the preparation, and it doesn’t take very long, especially if you make the dough for the crust ahead and have it parked in the refrigerator ready to go. I made a little third size recipe in a 6” tart pan as that’s about enough for 3 people, meaning the 2 of us and a leftover piece for lunch another day for one of us…a full size tart would be way too much of a commitment around here.

 
    The taste is so creamy and delicious, just what you want from a quiche, and the vegetables give it enough of a flavor kick that you feel like you are having a main meal and not something borrowed from a breakfast menu.  Definitely worthy of repeat status, and not just for Lent.

 

French Fridays with Dorie: Sugar-Crusted French Toast

      The recipe I made this week for French Fridays with Dorie from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, is Sugar-Crusted French Toast, found on page 418.  

      Ingredients: eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, salt, Challah bread, butter, and confectioner’s sugar for dusting, if desired.

      We make French Toast occasionally.  When I was growing up we abstained from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent. Wednesdays were always called Batter Night as my mother would serve something made with batter…pancakes, waffles, French Toast, etc.  I’ve always loved French Toast, plain and simple, with, as Dorie suggested just a sprinkle of powdered sugar.  Mark eats his with butter and sugar, we are not syrup people. So, when I saw this recipe and I knew I would have Challah at hand (I made it for another blog recipe earlier in the week), I marked it for just the thing to make. I am so sorry I did that…I will never be able to look at plain French Toast again in the same way, I will always want THIS French Toast. 

      The recipe is simple, easy, and quick.  There isn’t anything too different in the batter, but the way it is cooked is everything.  The instructions say to melt butter in the pan, sprinkle some sugar on it, put your batter soaked bread onto the pan, cook until nice and toasty, sprinkle sugar on the top of the pieces, flip them, cooking them until nice and toasty, and plating them.  Simple, but oh my goodness the sugar gets caramelized in the pan and it has a deep nutty buttery crunchy flavor that makes this the best French Toast.  We didn’t even add anything to the top, it didn’t need a thing as it was perfect as it was when it came out of the pan.  Mark had a side of bacon with his and pronounced it wonderful.  I was originally going to make this for Ash Wednesday but it seemed a little too decadent and Mark suggested having it when it could be accompanied by the bacon, of course.  He thinks Batter Night is a good idea but that it should not be in Lent as it needs some bacon or sausage on the side.  This French Toast recipe didn’t need a single thing in my mind, it is absolutely delicious. 

 

 

French Fridays with Dorie: Boeuf a la Mode (aka Great Pot Roast)

       The 37th recipe I made this week for French Fridays with Dorie from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, is Boeuf a la Mode (aka great pot roast), found on pages 252-253. “What?” French Fridays with Dorie...the group finished cooking the book a few years ago, right?  Well, yes that’s true. I sort of fell off the wagon and haven’t gotten over the feeling of disappointment with myself as I did want to do a better job of making the recipes in this book. I made 36 of them before the hiatus. So, now I’m back with renewed interest and zeal hoping to do justice to the book. I think Margaret might be joining in occasionally as well.  

       Ingredients: chuck roast, onion, carrot, celery, bouquet garni, red wine, olive oil, beef broth, canola oil, brandy, anchovies, and tomato paste.

       It is cold and wintery here, also known as Roast Season, as we tend to cook a few roasts over the winter, so this seemed like a fine place to jump back in. Roasts are easy, especially if you put them in the crockpot for the day with some potatoes and carrots and just walk away from it all. This is not one of those roasts. That said, this one is far superior in flavor and texture and might just have spoiled me for all other roasts from now on. The recipe is fussy (you know, like only the French can take something simple and complicate the heck out of it with the process). But, oh, do those French know how to make food taste so superior with their techniques and ingredients…it is so worth it in the end. 

      Follow the recipe, do as she says.  Don’t question it, just do it and I promise you that you will have the most delicious roast you have ever tasted. It’s so tender and juicy, the sauce is the perfect accompaniment, and the leftovers are even better. It will spoil you for all other roasts for the rest of your life.

 

FFwD: Endives, Apples, and Grapes

      The recipe for this week for French Fridays with Dorie from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, is Endives, Apples, and Grapes, found on pages 338-339.  You can also find the recipe on Dorie's blog, here.

      Ingredient list:  endives, apple, butter, grapes, rosemary, salt, and pepper. 

      More new things to do with vegetables and fruits, what a deal!  Pan roasting all these ingredients intensified their flavors and caramelized their sugars, giving them whole new flavor profiles, especially the endive which is rather bitter on its own.  I love roasted apples and grapes, so I figured this dish would be a hit, and it was.
      The rosemary was nice...I think I will give sage a go next time just for fun to see how that does with these ingredients.  Definitely a repeat, not much trouble, lots of flavor, and with just the tiny amount of butter, healthy for the most part.

      If you would like to see more recipes from this book, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Eggplant "Tartine" With Tomatoes, Olives, and Cucumbers

      The recipe for this week for French Fridays with Dorie from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, is Eggplant "Tartine" With Tomatoes, Olives, and Cucumbers, found on pages 144-145.  

      Ingredient list:  eggplant, olive oil, fleur de sel, freshly ground pepper, cucumber, grape tomatoes, celery, onion, garlic, green olives, capers, fresh oregano, red wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes. 

      Another salad-type recipe without the lettuce that usually accompanies my thoughts of salads.  Mark was happy...he thinks lettuce is highly overrated. He also doesn't like eggplant...or so he has told me numerous times throughout the years.  That said, he loved this salad and thought it was all very tasty.  His original plan was to eat all the topping and leave the eggplant behind but there was absolutely nothing left on his salad plate at the end of the meal...the eggplant was delicious baked and then topped with the tomatoes and such.  And, now that he will eat eggplant, let's see what else I can do with it...happy days as I really like eggplant. 

      This recipe has the added advantage, besides being tasty and good for you, that it can all be made ahead and assembled when ready to serve it.  The assembly only takes seconds and it looks very impressive on the plate. Definitely worthy of a repeat.

      If you would like to see more recipes from this book, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

FFwD: Minted Zucchini Tagliatelle with Cucumbers and Lemon

      The recipe for this week for French Fridays with Dorie from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, is Minted Zucchini Tagliatelle with Cucumbers and Lemon, found on page 124.  The recipe is also here as Dorie contributed it to Bon Appetit magazine.

      Ingredient list:  zucchini, cucumber, sweet onion, lemon zest, mint leaves, lemon juice, and pistachio oil.  (I thought this was going to have tagliatelle pasta in it when I first read the title, but the tagliatelle bit refers to the way the zucchini is cut into pasta-like ribbons, which was a whole lot of fun in itself.)

      This time of year we all have access to a lot of zucchini, cucumber, and mint so the recipe makes good use of what's on hand now. It looks innocent enough, doesn't take a lot of preparation, and requires only an hour in the frig to chill. The recipe says it makes 6 servings so I made a third of it, figuring I would taste a little to report on its goodness or not, take a photo as proof I made it, and keep the rest to serve with dinner, but then I kept tasting until all of it was gone. I ate both servings (shown on this plate in its entirety so you won't think I ate half a salad bowl or anything, but I maybe could have), all by myself. 

      What a great little salad! I was scouting around reading some of the other "reports" and people weren't all that excited about it, but I am here to tell you that I loved, loved, loved this salad. It's fresh and light, and the mint and onion add a zing that peps everything up to the next level.  The pistachio oil has that lovely nutty fruitiness.  It just all works so well together.  I will make it again and again.  I will even share it with Mark next time.  It's that good...make it and judge for yourself.

      If you would like to see more recipes from this book, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Peach Melba

      The recipe for this week for French Fridays with Dorie from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, is Peach Melba, found on page 477-478.  The recipe is also Here as Dorie herself linked to it on her site.

      Ingredient list:  peaches, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla bean,Chambord (or Creme de Cassis or Creme de Framboise), lemon juice, raspberries, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and toasted almonds (optional, I didn't want to use these as quite frankly, I just didn't want this dessert to crunch). 

      This is more than just peaches tossed in a pretty glass with some ice cream, raspberries, and whipped cream.  (Although you could do that and be a happy camper as well.)  One has to poach, peel, and again poach the peaches, make a syrup for them to rest in, make a raspberry sauce, strain it, add a little of the peach syrup, cool everything down in the frig, and then assemble it. 

      I highly recommend going this route...the taste is truly wonderful, tossing peaches, raspberries, ice cream, and whipped cream in a pretty glass just can't compare.  At all. Time well spent.  Of course this cannot in good conscience be a daily or weekly thing, but during peach season, I think one can make a case for at least once, maybe twice.  Delicious. Definitely a treat for fresh peach season!

      If you would like to see more recipes from this book, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Cafe-Style Grated Carrot Salad

      The recipe for this week for French Fridays with Dorie (I am tentatively saying that I am hoping to be back cooking somewhat regularly with this group each week for the recipes that fit in here with us) from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, is Cafe-Style Grated Carrot Salad  found on page 107. 

      I had most of the ingredients out for making Dorie's Bill's Big Carrot Cake from her Baking From My Home to Yours book and remembered that I had seen this recipe on one of my many search and seek recipe jaunts through the book, so decided that the time was right for making it today.  

      Ingredient list:  carrots, Dijon, honey, cider vinegar, canola oil, salt, pepper, raisins, and walnuts. 

      This is a great tasting little salad.  While it had many of the same ingredients as the carrot cake, the carrot cake combines them in a totally sweet way while this salad had a nice sour/sweet tang going on with the combination of the raisins/honey and the Dijon/cider vinegar. 

      It all comes together very quickly and can be made and parked several hours before serving, always a good deal.  Definitely a repeat for this carrot-loving family.

      You can find the recipe for this posted here.  If you would like to see more recipes from this book, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

More Dorie: Around My French Table - Chicken Breasts Diable

 

      The thirty-third recipe I made from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Chicken Breasts Diable found on page 217.

      Phyl and I were tweeting back and forth late one afternoon a few weeks ago when the discussion turned to what we were making for dinner.  One thing led to another and we both decided to make this recipe as it looked easy enough to pull together on a week night and the mix of ingredients sounded wonderful. 

      Ingredient list:  skinless, boneless chicken breasts, butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, shallot, garlic, white wine, cream, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. 

      This is just basically the cooked chicken breasts we all make with a little sauce to make it something a little more special for a week night.  The sauce is delicious, creamy, mustard-y, wine-y, butter-y...in small doses we all need this in our lives, right?  Right.  Easy, delicious, give this one a try soon, you'll impress everyone with taste alone.   

      I am no longer officially cooking with the French Fridays with Dorie group as I just could not keep up with everything going on here cooking-wise, but I did want to keep cooking from this wonderful book, so if you would like to see more recipes from the book, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

More Dorie: Around My French Table - Roasted Rhubarb

 

      The thirty-third recipe I made from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Roasted Rhubarb found on page 397.  The FFwD group made this back in rhubarb season but I didn't quite get to it then, so I used frozen rhubarb and it worked out very nicely. 

      Ingredient list:  rhubarb, sugar, orange zest.  We love tangy things here at the house, a little zip is always appreciated, so I didn't use the optional honey in the recipe as I didn't think it needed it. 

      The recipe is very simple, just put it all in a glass pie plate, cover with foil, and roast for 20 minutes, uncover, roast 5 minutes more and you have a wonderful cooked rhubarb ready to eat plain by itself, or maybe with its little friend, ice cream.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      Definitely will make this again, I like putting it in the oven to let it cook and not needing to stand over it like on top of the stove.  Delicious and tangy.  

      I am no longer officially cooking with the French Fridays with Dorie group, but if you would like to see more recipes from this book, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

More Dorie: Around My French Table - Cafe-Style Grated Carrot Salad

 

      The thirty-second recipe I made from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Cafe-style Grated Carrot Salad  found on page 107. 

      I had most of the ingredients out for making Dorie's Bill's Big Carrot Cake from her Baking From My Home to Yours book and remembered that I had seen this recipe on one of my many search and seek recipe jaunts through the book, so decided that the time was right for making it today.  

      Ingredient list:  carrots, Dijon, honey, cider vinegar, canola oil, salt, pepper, raisins, and walnuts. 

      This is a great tasting little salad.  While it had many of the same ingredients as the carrot cake, the carrot cake combines them in a totally sweet way while this salad had a nice sour/sweet tang going on with the combination of the raisins/honey and the Dijon/cider vinegar. 

      It all comes together very quickly and can be made and parked several hours before serving, always a good deal.  Definitely a repeat for this carrot-loving family.

      I am no longer officially cooking with the French Fridays with Dorie group, but if you would like to see more recipes from this book, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

More Dorie: Around My French Table - Corn Soup

 

      The thirty-first recipe I made from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was  Corn soup  found on page 60.  I'm all about the soup recipes every day and I figured this was the time of year to be making corn soup, when you can get the fresh corn on the cob to use in the soup.  

      Ingredient list:  corn, milk, butter, onion, salt, celery, carrot, garlic, water, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, white pepper, scallion, chile pepper, and bacon. 

      This was a good soup, not a great soup, but a good soup.  It was a little mild for me, not exactly boring, but sort of just so-so in taste satisfaction, so the next day I added leftover chicken, adobo chile, and sprinkled a little pepper jack cheese on the top.  It made another lovely lunch with just a little more punch.

      I am no longer officially cooking with the French Fridays with Dorie group, but if you would like to see more recipes from this book, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

More Dorie: Around My French Table - Deconstructed BLT and Eggs

 

      The thirtieth recipe I made from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was  Deconstructed BLT and Eggs, found on page 133 (Everyday Vinaigrette, page 484). 

      This is a BLT in salad form with a few additions to make it a little more "whole-lunch worthy." I must admit that I am not really into the whole "deconstruction" trend that seems captivate the foodies these days, but this was a nice salad with traditional BLT ingredients, so in this case, I am a fan.

      Ingredient list:  arugula (Mark does not care for this so I used a combination of romaine and spinach), bacon, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, grape tomatoes, salt, pepper, olive oil, wine vinegar, Dijon, hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, and bread to make croutons. 

      I have made salads like this before, probably never with all these exact ingredients at the same time, but definitely with all the ingredients at various times, so while this was nothing really new in the preparation or the tasting, it was a great tasting salad and one I could make time and again.  It made a lovely lunch.

      I am no longer officially cooking with the French Fridays with Dorie group, but if you would like to see more recipes from this book, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

More Dorie: Around My French Table - Goat Cheese and Strawberry Tartine

 

      The twenty-ninth recipe I made from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Goat Cheese and Strawberry Tartine found on page 44. 

      Around our place, Mark is the one who grills.  I wouldn't have a clue as all these years he has enjoyed sitting out with the grill on summer evenings or on the weekends, reading, having a beverage and a little snack, while he grills dinner.  He does not cook or bake in the kitchen, but he is absolutely wonderful with the grill.  (Just one of the many reasons he is such a great husband.) 

      Ingredient list:  baguette, goat cheese, strawberries, pepper, and Balsamic vinegar (optional).  I did not use the vinegar this time as I was out of the really good one, but will try it the next time as that sounds delightful. 

      The little snack was easy and quick to prepare, a nice mixture of textures and tastes...the strawberries, pepper, and goat cheese were wonderful together.  Definitely a repeat, definitely trying it with different fruits as well, i.e. peaches, apples, berries...the list goes on and on.

      I am no longer officially cooking with the French Fridays with Dorie group, but if you would like to see more recipes from this book, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

More Dorie: Around My French Table - Cafe Salle Pleyel Hamburger

 

      The twenty-eighth recipe I made from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was  Cafe Salle Pleyel Hamburger found on pages 240-242. 

      In this book, Dorie's explanations of the origins of recipes preface each recipe, making the book a fun and educational read as well as one with delicious and wonderful recipes.  This hamburger was created by the owner of a little cafe within the Salle Pleyel concert hall in Paris and was designed to give Americans (and others) a hamburger menu choice while creating something new and delicious to fit more in with the French taste palate.  I have to say, she did an excellent job as the ingredients in this burger made it interesting, different, and delicious. 

      The ingredient list for the Onion Marmalade:  red onions, water, coriander, butter, salt, and pepper.  The ingredient list for the burgers:  ground beef, oil-packed sundried tomatoes, capers, cornichons, tarragon, parsley, salt, pepper, and Parmigiano Reggiano. 

      Whatever you sub or change, don't change the Onion Marmalade until you have made it once exactly as she says because (despite the rather pale mushy look of it) this is really wonderful.  I taste-tested it way more than absolutely necessary while making it, and I can think of other things this onion jam is going to grace around here in the future.  So good, and perfect for the burgers.  

      When I made the burgers, I used ground sirloin as that was her first suggestion, but in the future, I will use a less lean mixture to give the burger just a little more moistness.  That said, it was absolutely delicious with the ground sirloin alone as well.  Definitely a repeat, the combination of flavors is fun and very French, loved it.

      I am no longer officially cooking with the French Fridays with Dorie group, but if you would like to see more recipes from this book, you can click here.   Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Salmon and Tomatoes en Papillote

 

      The twenty-seventh recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was  Salmon and Tomatoes en Papillote found on pages 302-303. 

      When the Whisk Chicks were doing Whisk Wednesdays (Le Cordon Bleu French cooking) I learned all about en Papillote and discovered how easy and satisfying this method of cooking can be, so I was very happy to see this recipe appear as one of the choices for the group.  It's just such fun to put these little packets together, shove them in the oven, and ten minutes later: dinner!  Best of all, they can be made several hours ahead, what's not to love about that, especially if you are going to serve them when you have dinner guests.
      Ingredient list:  salmon filets, grape tomatoes, lemon, olive oil, salt, white pepper, fresh basil leaves, and fresh thyme springs.  I know, I know, Dorie said to use foil to make the little packets but I just couldn't do it.  I always have parchment paper on hand, learned how to make the classic heart shape, how to fold the edges just so, and I love the look of it's little self when it is all finished.  Foil just doesn't give me the same pleasure.
      And truthfully, there is something about the way acid reacts with foil (from the tomatoes and the lemons) that always seems to impart a tin taste to me in the food cooked in it.  It's probably just me, but the foil thing was not happening. 

      Other than that, I stuck to the recipe as written and the results were excellent.  The salmon was nicely steamed, juicy, tender, cooked through, the herbs scented the packet and the salmon nicely, and the lemon gives just a nice little tang to the salmon, not to mention that the thin slices cook and are tender and sweet so you can eat them as well if you are a lemon lover like me.  The tomatoes were easy to roast a little in a saute pan before including in the packet, as Dorie recommends to bring out a roasted flavor in them...those were great and I will do that again as that made a huge difference in the enjoyment of the little tomatoes in the packet.  Nice to learn these new techniques, isn't it? 

      Will this be a repeat?  Absolutely...Dorie has all the right ingredients in all the right amounts and it couldn't be easier.  Delicious!  Definitely a repeat.

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Cola and Jam Spareribs

 

      The twenty-sixth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was  Cola and Jam Spareribs found on page 280. 

      All the ingredients in this recipe sounded interesting and for that alone, I figured it was worth a try.  I marinated the ribs for 9 hours, baked them in the oven, and basted them for about 2 hours. 

      The results were amazingly wonderful and delicious, just look at them, aren't they wonderful?  The ribs were tender, flavorful with a sweet apricot/citrus/spicy tang to them. 

      Mark and I think they are worth a repeat.  One of Matt's favorite things to eat are barbecued ribs, so he was "happy to have eaten these once, they are very good, but they won't replace my favorite barbecue ones, right?"  Enough said...we'll have these again sometime after Matt goes off to college, and in the meantime, I love Dorie's method so I am thinking I can use the same method with the barbecue recipe.  Definitely a repeat.

      Ingredient list:  apricot jam, orange juice, lemon juice, Chinese five-spice powder, ground ginger, salt, pepper, spareribs, and Coca-Cola. 

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Bacon and Eggs and Asparagus Salad

      The twenty-fifth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was  Bacon and Eggs and Asparagus Salad found on pages 130-132. 

      All the ingredients in this recipe are things that I knew the guys would enjoy eating, so I made the recipe as written, except for one small change:  I knew there was not a way in the world these guys would eat a runny egg yolk so I boiled the eggs longer than the recipe calls for, resulting in solid yolks, not runny ones.  Sometimes one just has to do what one has to do to make things fly around here. 

      Such a great salad, I know I will make this one every now and again.   It's easy and quick to make, the ingredients can be varied if you so desire, but absolutely wonderful as written (well, except for the runny yolk bit and all).  Definitely a repeat.

      Ingredient list:  salad greens, eggs, asparagus, walnuts, bacon, Dijon mustard, sherry vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, walnut oil, salt, and pepper. 

     

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Bistrot Paul Bert Pepper Steak

      The twenty-second recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Bistrot Paul Bert Pepper Steak found on pages 238-239. 

      This was a wonderful recipe, very easy to execute and delicious.  The steaks are quickly cooked, having first been encrusted with peppercorns.  Dorie's directions are for rare steaks, which is exactly how we like them.
      The sauce is made in the same pan and comes together while the steak rests on a warm plate.  It is all finished in a matter of 20 minutes or less.  Did I mention how lovely the sauce is?  Well, the sauce is lovely.  It has just a hint of the Cognac in the background, not overpowering at all.  This is definitely a repeat.

      Ingredient list:  peppercorns, filet mignons (Dorie also suggests using rib-eye steak as an option), canola oil, unsalted butter, Cognac, heavy cream, and salt. 

     

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Pancetta Green Beans

      The twentieth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Pancetta Green Beans found on page 333. 

      It isn't exactly fresh green bean season here, but I did manage to find some that were passable, and made better by Dorie's treatment of them in this recipe. 

      Usually we just like green beans steamed with barely a whisper of a pass of a teeny bit of butter on them before they hit the dinner plate, and we like the ones that are young thin and tender...oh, yes, I am fairly picky about fresh green beans.  That said, these were delightful. 

      I made two changes, I used bacon instead of pancetta as it is much friendlier on my weekly budget and I can always find good bacon whereas I can't always get really good pancetta, and I steamed the green beans rather than toss them in water and boil them.  I think the essence of what Dorie intended was still present in the finished product. 

      Delicious!  This is definitely a repeat.

      Ingredient list:  green beans, pancetta, unsalted butter, pepper, walnut oil, and salt.  If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Garlicky Crumb-Coated Broccoli

      The nineteenth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Garlicky Crumb-Coated Broccoli, found on page 334. 

      I wasn't going to make this one, not because we don't like broccoli, but because we do.  We love broccoli.  Broccoli is a guest at our dinner table three nights a week, maybe more often than that actually.  Broccoli is something I can count on to be a hands down, no fuss, no mess healthy item that everyone will be happy to eat and I know we are all getting great nutritional benefits from it.  We might slide a teeny tiny bit of butter on it occasionally, but not always, we love it just plain steamed, still vibrantly green with just a touch of resistance when pierced with a knife. 

      Yes indeed...nothing I wanted to mess around with is what I was figuring.  Why spoil a perfectly good thing with something they might like better that has more fuss, more mess, and definitely more calories?  Butter and breadcrumbs with a bit of garlic thrown in there sounded too good to resist. 

      So I didn't.  I made it.  And it was so good!  Absolutely dangerous stuff...dangerous to eat and easy enough that it would be dangerously easy to keep making it that way all the time.  So, I did what any mother would do:  I only made enough for myself to try it out and I am not telling the guys a thing about it...it will be our little secret. 

      It's that good...if I made this and served this to them, I would be making and serving this to them this way for the rest of my life, steamed broccoli would lose favor and my feel-good attitude about serving it 3-4 times a week would be a thing of the past.  I will make this for holidays and swear on my life that it is a holiday-only dish.  Shhhh...don't tell.

      Ingredient list:  broccoli, garlic, breadcrumbs, butter, lemon, and parsley.  

     

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Quinoa, Fruit, and Nut Salad

      The eighteenth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Quinoa, Fruit, and Nut Salad, found on page 138.  Easy, delicious, and healthy, what more could you want in a recipe? 

      It all comes together fairly quickly as you can work on gathering up all the other ingredients in the time it takes the quinoa to cook, which is only about 20 minutes.  After it is all assembled it sits at room temperature for an hour to let the flavors come together a bit.  Definitely a repeat. 

      Ingredient list:  quinoa, dried fruit (I used cranberries, apricots, raisins, and golden raisins), nuts/seeds (I used sliced almonds, pine nuts, and sunflower seeds), fresh herbs (I used parsley), freshly squeezed lemon juice, ginger, extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper, walnut oil, mixed salad greens, and plain yogurt.

 

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Scallops with Caramel-Orange Sauce

      The seventeenth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Scallops with Caramel-Orange Sauce, found on pages 317-318.  I am actually posting this recipe in a fairly timely manner as it was this past week's recipe for Friday's post. 

      Oh my were these delicious, the sauce is just lovely with the scallops as the caramel and orange together are perfect with the sweetness of the scallops.  It's all very simple and goes together quickly, no reason not to make this recipe often. 

      I made double the sauce so that I could try it with chicken this week as well.  I already know it's going to be great.  Definitely a hit, definitely a repeat, definitely a reason to buy the book so you can enjoy Dorie's recipes any time you want!

      Ingredient list:  scallops, butter, olive oil, sugar, white wine, and freshly squeezed orange juice.  

     

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Salted Butter Break-ups

      The sixteenth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Salted Butter Break-ups, found on pages 400.  I am actually posting this recipe in a fairly timely manner as it was this week's recipe for Friday's post. 

      Before I even knew we were making these, Phyl and Di were Twitter-baking them and raving about them, so I figured it was a "must."  When I did not yet have them completed mid-week, Phyl sent me an email emphasizing that if I didn't have time to make any of the recipes in the next little while, that I should definitely NOT skip this one as it was wonderfully good.  Okay, okay...enough said, I figured I could not skip this week, if for no other reason, than to see if he knew what he was talking about.  He did.  I don't know why I even doubted as he's usually fairly attuned to good things in the kitchen.  (I say "usually" because Phyl's latest venture is learning to cook what we are all affectionately calling "road kill" and he is calling "exotic meats."  I could be changing my mind in the near future.)

      Ingredient list:  flour, sugar, sel gris or kosher salt, unsalted butter, cold water, and egg yolk. 

      Doesn't sound like anything unusual, but I dare you to make these and then try to describe to someone what exactly they are...a cracker, a cookie, something else altogether?  Let me know what you come up with when you do it.  Whatever they are, they are delicious and worthy of repeating every now and again.  Actually, I would venture to say that they are a bit addicting.  Super easy to make, too.  

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Spiced Butter-Glazed Carrots

      The fifteenth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was  Spiced Butter-Glazed Carrots, found on pages 335. 

      I know, I am in no way posting the recipes for this group in order or on time, I'm just sort of doing my own thing, sometimes I am timely, and sometimes I am not, thank you for your patience while I try to get caught up in this group. 

      These carrots are a simple side dish that elevates the lowly carrot (so often just simply steamed or glazed around here) to new and interesting heights.  An enjoyable experience deserving of repetition.  I especially love the onions and garlic with the carrots.

      Ingredient list:  carrots, chicken broth, butter, onion, ginger, garlic, cardamon seeds, salt, and pepper.  Simple enough, and there was nary a carrot left at the end of the meal...praise enough.

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Friday's with Dorie: Beggar's Linguine

      The fourteenth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Beggar's Linguine, found on pages 370-371. 

      This is so good!  Who knew these ingredients cooked together and tossed with pasta would make something taste so wonderful that I may actually have a dream about it...oh, yeah, make this one for sure!

     

      Ingredient list:  linguine, butter, pistachios, almonds, dried Mission figs, golden raisins, salt and pepper, freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, orange zest, and minced chives. 

     

      Easy directions, takes a minimal amount of time, and it's delicious!  I know, I said that about the Savory Cheese and Chives Bread, but ditto for here as well.  So very good!  I have never tasted anything like this one before...it's amazing/unique/my new favorite from this book.

     

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Savory Cheese and Chive Bread

      The thirteenth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Savory Cheese and Chive Bread, found on pages 34-36. 

      Yesterday Tracey and I were tweeting and decided to just dive into a recipe from this book so Tracey could get her feet wet and finally make something from it and I could finally get another post up for FFwD as I tend to be a bit behind in this group, not sure why as I love the book and recipes, so I am just going to blame it on finding enough time to get it all done. 

      We settled on this recipe as it was easy, we both had the ingredients on hand, the photo of it in the book is gorgeous, and from all reports, everyone who already made this recipe just loved it.  We dove in, baked together while tweeting, and in no time we had a loaf of Savory Cheese and Chive Bread cooling and ready for snacking or dinner.  Oh, my is this good bread!

      Ingredient list:  flour, baking powder, salt, white pepper, eggs, whole milk, extra-virgin olive oil, grated cheese (I used Cheddar), cheese chunks (I used Emmenthal), chives, and toasted walnuts.   Easy directions, takes a minimal amount of time, and it's delicious!  If you need an incentive to just get going in making recipes from this book, this one would be it.

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Chicken B'stilla

      The twelfth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Chicken B'stilla, found on pages 222-224. 

      Mary got up one morning and said on Twitter, "Do you want to make this with me?"  And so we did...each in our own kitchens, but commiserating together just how much we don't really like working with filo dough...yet.  We both had issues with it tearing and crumbling, a bit of a frustrating experience.  That said, it all tasted wonderful when we poked it all here and there and came up with something that actually resembles what the photo in the book looks like.  I love filo (phyllo) and the idea of it always, so definitely need to make a date to just grab a box of it and play around until I feel comfortable working with it in the future.  Think of all those Greek recipes I could be making that include phyllo!

      Ingredient list:  chicken thighs, onions, garlic, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, saffron, chicken broth, lemon juice, eggs, honey, pepper, cilantro (I left it out), parsley, filo dough, butter, almonds, and cinnamon sugar. 

      The filling is made (you can actually make it ahead and even refrigerate it until you are ready) and then placed into the filo crust.  (I made half a recipe which fit nicely into a six inch cake pan.)  After it is baked, it is unmolded and cut into slices for serving.  I'm a little messy on that part, so please be charitable. 

      It was all delicious, very much like a chicken pot pie actually, and Mark enjoyed taking it in his lunch the next day as well.  

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Friday's with Dorie: My Go-To Beef Daube

      The eleventh recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was My Go-To Beef Daube, found on pages 243-245. 

      This recipe transforms the lowly chuck roast into something very special in taste alone...it looks like a bunch of meat and vegetables thrown together, but it all melts on your tongue and the flavors are better than anything you can imagine, you will need to make it to see for yourself just how good it is.  Oh, and when you make it, don't be substituting this or that or changing that or this because it won't be the same thing, and you definitely want the same thing, the recipe is perfectly wonderful as written, I didn't change a thing, so I speak from experience.

      Ingredient list:  beef chuck roast, bacon, salt & pepper, oil, onions, shallots, garlic, carrots, parsnips, cognac, wine, and bouquet garni as specified in recipe. 

     

      Yes, that's quite a few ingredients to line up but none of them are difficult to find, all of them absolutely work in symphony together.  This takes the better part of an afternoon to orchestrate, but it is so worth it when you sit down to eat it, especially on a cold dark wintery night like we had here this evening. 

     

      Since there are no potatoes in the recipe, and guys here love potatoes, I decided to make some mashed potatoes for them to have with the daube as I knew they would enjoy that...and indeed they did.  The daube is good just by itself, but if you want to see guys really smile, give it to them over mashed potatoes which soak up all that wonderful juice!

     

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Friday's with Dorie: Paris Mushroom Soup

      The tenth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Paris Mushroom Soup, found on pages 72-73. 

      The Soup Queen again found herself swooning at this one, oh, yes, it was that good.  This is no Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup in a can, in fact, there is not a drop of cream in the soup at all.  Okay, I did put some creme fraiche on the top, but only because I thought the photo needed a little something extra, so that and chives was it today.   

      Ingredient list:  butter, onions, garlic, salt & pepper, mushrooms, white wine, parsley, rosemary, and chicken broth.  (I also used chives and creme fraiche from her topping options list.)  Everything listed is easy to find (well, if you can't find creme fraiche, you can always sub in some sour cream) and the recipe directions are very simple, so there is no reason at all to buy anything in a can ever again. 

      If you love mushrooms, you will love this soup, it's very fresh tasting and delicious...okay, in looks alone it doesn't win a beauty contest, but it gets exceptionally high marks from the tasting panel.  

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Friday's with Dorie: Leek and Potato Soup

      The ninth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Leek and Potato Soup, found on pages 66-67.  The Soup Queen herself swooned at this one, oh, yes, it was that good.  And, just so you know, it's not easy making The Soup Queen swoon as she is very particular about her soups. 

      Ingredient list:  butter, onion, garlic, leeks, potatoes, fresh thyme, fresh sage, chicken broth, and milk.  I also used chives and croutons from her "optional toppings" list. 

      These seem like lowly, mundane, common, everyday things, don't they?  Well, I agree...but Dorie magically transforms them into a wonderful, wonderful soup that leaves you anticipating each spoonful...something a good soup will do down to the very last one in the bowl.  Don't believe me?  Give it a try...and this cold weather just screams "soup season!"   

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

 

French Fridays with Dorie: Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Flan

      The eighth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Flan, found on pages 146-147.  I wasn't going to make this...in fact, I told pretty much everyone that I wasn't going to make this one as I am not the biggest pumpkin fan in the world, and it did not seem to me that pumpkin and Gorgonzola (an Italian blue cheese, which I do love) went together in the marrying kind of way in a recipe. 

      I firmly resolved to sit this one out...until I made pumpkin muffins this weekend and ended up with a half a can of pumpkin left over and no place to really go with it.  Gorgonzola was sitting in the fridge, along with eggs, cream, and walnuts.  And, then, well who doesn't have salt and pepper hanging around? 

      So I made the recipe.  Combine the pumpkin, eggs, cream, salt & pepper and whirl it about in the blender.  Pour into ramekins, and dot with cheese, sprinkle the walnuts on top.  What could possibly be easier? 

      It baked, it cooled to room temperature, I took my blog photo, and we ate it.  Well?  It was good, I'm happy I made it.  Skeptic no longer.  Now you can all say, "I told you so!"  Because you did.  And you were right.  Lesson:  Probably best not to doubt Dorie.

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Roast Chicken for les Paresseux

      The seventh recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Roast Chicken for les Paresseux, found on pages 200-201 (photo on page 198).

      This recipe is for an easy roast chicken, translating as "for lazy people," which means that it is simple to make, requires no fuss, and is done in time enough that you can make it on a busy weeknight.

      Ingredients include: Olive oil, baguette slices (for resting the chicken upon while it cooks, and while Dorie might enjoy eating the bread at the end of the cooking time, I found it unappealing as it was soaked with chicken fat/juice, etc., and was part of that whole "wet bread" thing I don't care for, it's just a personal thing, no reflection on the recipe/Dorie), whole chicken, rosemary, thyme, oregano, garlic, dry white wine, baby potatoes, carrots, and shallots. It all went together in a flash and cooked for 90 minutes in a 450 degree oven.
       The chicken turned out wonderfully moist and delicious. Can't think of a reason not to make this over and over again...it's easy, has simple ingredients, and tastes delicious.

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

      The sixth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup, found on pages 98-100.  This group started in October with the first five recipes chosen by Dorie herself.  I had completed four of them, so here is the last one for October, a little out of order, but nonetheless sincere as this was a really great soup! 

      Ingredients include:  Star Anise, coriander seeds, white peppercorns, onion, garlic, fresh ginger, dried red chiles, chicken broth, unsweetened coconut milk, brown sugar, salt, chicken breast meat, Chinese noodles, lime juice (and I left out fish sauce, replacing it with soy sauce as we do not care for fish sauce, and I replaced the cilantro with chives for the same reason).  There were also some "optional garnishes" so I dotted Hoisin Sauce on the top, delicious! 

      I just love really good soup for lunch, and this would be a really good soup to make time and again.  It has a spicy fun kick to it that feels refreshing and fresh.  The flavors together are excellent. 

      It looks complicated with all the ingredients, but it definitely is not, just took a bit for me to get all the ingredients located in the same place at the same time.  Definitely worth it, definitely a repeat.  

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here.  Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially.  The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Pommes Dauphinois (Potato Gratin)

      The fifth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Pommes Dauphinois (Potato Gratin), found on pages 360-361. 

      Ingredients include:  Idaho potatoes, heavy cream, garlic, salt, pepper, and Gruyere cheese (or your cheese of choice), as well as optional herbs, which I forgot to add so I didn't have any of those in there this time. 

      The garlic gets infused into the cream and warmed, the potatoes are thinly sliced, it all comes together very quickly, mine took about an hour to cook, and while I thought the amount of cream would make it too thin, it did not, it all soaked into the potatoes for a lovely, lovely, "One really can't be eating this too often for health reasons" taste.   Definitely a repeat, your discretion as to how often.  

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here.  Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially.  The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Marie-Helene's Apple Cake

      The fourth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Marie-Helene's Apple Cake, found on pages 431-433. 

      Ingredients include:  flour, baking powder, salt, apples, eggs, sugar, rum, vanilla, and butter.  This was an extremely easy recipe to put together, I followed the instructions exactly.  That said, her photo in the book and mine look slightly different to me.  It looks like she has more batter portion than apples, so I am thinking that either my eggs were not as large as the ones she used or that my apples were larger than the ones she used because mine turned out to be more apples than batter, not really looking like a cake.  I will try it again with a full-size version as we have had quite a few baked items around lately, so I just made two small mini cakes (4" springform pan size), using half the recipe.  Maybe my results will be different doing it that way.        Then again, the taste was wonderful and we all enjoyed it very much just as it was...very moist and full of apples!  Although the guys are not much into cakes, they loved this dessert.  Definitely a repeat either way.     

 

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here.  Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially.  The group posts weekly on Fridays. 

French Fridays with Dorie: Hachis Parmentier

       The third recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Hachis Parmentier, found on pages 257-259, which is really just a fancy French way of saying Shepherd's Beef Pie. 

        Ingredients include:  Boneless beef chuck, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, salt, peppercorns, water, beef bouillon cube for the making the beef.  For the filling:  olive oil, sausage, tomato paste, salt, and pepper.  For the topping:   potatoes, milk, cream, unsalted butter, salt, pepper, and grated cheeses. 

       Although the recipe instructions took two entire pages of the book, it was easy to make following Dorie's step-by-step instructions.  Dorie has a way of making all recipes user-friendly.  It seems a bit fussy, in the French way, just to make a beef pie, but trust me, the extra fussiness is what makes the depth of flavor, something the French are very good at with their cooking. 

       I followed the recipe exactly, had wonderful results, and the guys voted it a definite return, Mark even setting aside a portion to take in his lunch the next day.   

       If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here.  Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially.  The group posts on Fridays.

French Fridays with Dorie: Gerard's Mustard Tart

The second recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Gerard's Mustard Tart, found on pages 154-156. 

Ingredients include:  Leeks, carrots, rosemary, eggs, mustard, salt, pepper, cream, and a tart shell made from the recipe on page 498 (flour, salt, egg, sugar, butter, and ice water).

The tart shell was easy enough, but for some reason, it didn't hold its shape while baking, so I must have goofed something up.  It tasted just fine, however. The filling was quick and it all cooked in the pre-baked shell for about 25 minutes.  We all like mustard, so I figured this would have a nice flavor, I just didn't expect to like it quite as much as I did.  Mark ate almost half of it, he liked it that much.  Absolutely delicious.   Definitely a repeat.

If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here.  Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially.

For the first month only, Dorie graciously picked the first five recipes and included the recipes for them on the FFwD site here.   You can try it before committing to book or blog.  We post weekly on Fridays. 

French Fridays with Dorie: Gougeres

A new blog-along group formed at the beginning of the month, called French Fridays with Dorie, Dorie, of course, being Dorie Greenspan, who is the author of the first blog-along I joined, Tuesdays with Dorie, using Dorie's Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook. 

Dorie recently published a new book called Around My French Table, which features both savory and sweet French cuisine recipes.  Laurie, who started the TWD blog-along group, was quick to seize the opportunity to start up a new blog-along group which will be cooking/baking from this book, one recipe at a time, through the entire book.  If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here.  Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially.

For the first month only, Dorie graciously picked the first five recipes and included the recipes for them on the FFwD site here.   You can try it before committing to book or blog.  We post weekly on Fridays.  Okay, I know what you are thinking, and yes, you are right, I'm a bit behind, but have no fear, this is a loose group and I can follow along as fits in my schedule. 

The first recipe Dorie chose for us is Gougeres and can be found at the site link or on pages 4-6 of the book.  It is, in fact, the very first recipe in the book. 

Gougeres are little cheesey pillows of goodness.  My choice of cheese was a sharp cheddar as it was readily available. The recipe came together quickly and easily, baked nicely, and tasted nice warm or at room temperature.  (I had to test both for you, right?)  Delicious.  Definitely a repeat.