Cooking in France

 Travel ain’t for sissies. I should be sitting in a lounge chair in the sand on the French Riviera right now. Instead I’m at an uncomfortable table drinking forgettable coffee at the substitute airport when apparently the first flight didn’t work out and the people who are hell-bent on filling the planes to overflowing combined our flight with another. And it was only a stroke of luck at the last minute we noticed that our new flight was out of Gatwick airport and not Heathrow. Oops. Mad dash with luggage across London involving an Uber and two train rides proved to be the fastest solution—because trains don’t get stuck in traffic. 

So our original plan for the day exquisitely honed to a perfectly serene arrival in paradise turned into the reality of what travel is in fact:  Travel, boys and girl, is a drudge. It is the art to getting from point A to point B along with fifty thousand other people, none of whom know what they are doing- not even you  

Elizabeth called me over six months ago to say she had found a cooking school on TV that is held in Julia Child’s house in Provence. Did I want to go?

Oh, yeah, did I want to go!  In every way you can think of I wanted to go. Sign me up:  spend time with my oldest daughter that I don’t get to see enough?  Spend time with her alone with no distractions where it’s just us against the world the way it was for the first three years of her life when I was at home all day with her?.  Spend time traveling to my favorite places:  England and France? Where you are surrounded by a delicious mixture of humanity?  Spend time cooking and eating? And last but the absolutely the best part: spend time in Julia’s kitchen.  Sleeping in HER house, the place she perfected coq au vin for Americans to feel French. For four days?  Did I want to go?   Yes, indeedy—sign me up!

But we have to get there first  

By the time we got to the hotel in Nice I was numb. The delicious mixture of humanity had turned into faceless cattle who were just in my way. Pulling my bag upstairs to the second floor (third really because the hotel is a flight up) I didn’t even want to talk to anyone. The customs officer was warning of Romanian pickpockets and I didn’t even care. I was missing an earring and my pockets were filled with receipts and crumpled napkins I stuffed in there when I couldn’t find a trash can  

I had signed us up for separate rooms for these two nights. Elizabeth may have shared my body for nine months but I had a feeling that she and I would both appreciate more space as adults 

Back in the hotel I calmed down and unpacked knowing we had nothing planned for tomorrow   

I can feel myself relax enough to reflect on the best find of the trip so far….the one thing that has brought me such unexpected delight that I have no words to adequately describe it in a way to make you understand. All I can do is show you a picture and a brief description and hope you accept my joy. Out of all the expense and time and trouble of this trip here is what has made it all worthwhile::

This pen. It was part of a packet of freebies in the plane. It measures about 3” and has a cardboard body. It writes perfectly. Fits in my pocket. It’s all I need. No more and no less. Isn’t that just what we’re all looking for if we were really honest??

Blueberry Dutch Baby

 

Most of these ingredients I keep on hand except for the blueberries and lemon zest.  The blueberries are usually sold in a quantity that ends up being two cups so I need to buy two lemons.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/2 cup  whole or 2% milk
• 1/2 cup  all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• the zest of one lemon

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• 1 cup blueberries
• Confectioners sugar for dusting

Maple Syrup

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet over low heat on your stovetop. Keep it over low heat while you prepare the batter. 
2. Melt two tablespoons of the butter in the cast iron skillet, then transfer to a blender. Add the milk, flour, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest, and blend until smooth. (Do not skip this step — the batter will be lumpy if you do.)
3. Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into the cast iron skillet. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the butter melt, add the blueberries, and give the skillet a shake. Immediately pour the batter over the blueberries and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until the pancake is puffed and golden, about 15 minutes.
4. You might be tempted to open the oven to check on things-especially if your oven glass door is dirty like mine and you can't see.  Resist this temptation and trust your oven temperature.  It will be ready in 15 minutes; no sooner and no later.  If you open the door you run the risk that it will fall and maybe you have invited guests that you want to see the dramatic tall dish that will then fall right before them and not in the depths of your oven.  
5. Remove pan from the oven, and dust with confectioners sugar, if you wish. Cut and serve immediately with maple syrup. Yes, it will fall.  You have not failed.  And if you can't serve it immediately, that's OK, too.  Hot blueberries can be overwhelming. But nobody is going to want to wait.  This is tasty. 

Orange Mustard Sauce

 

Here's a easy and flavorful way to dress up a sandwich for something special like a party or just making your lunch seem special.  

Equal parts of Grey Poupon mustard to Orange Marmalade.  Mix them together.  That's it.  No more, no less.  You can spread it on or add to each bite.  Put it on the plate or add to the buffet table in a small bowl.

Cranberry Salsa

This is the color of Christmas.  It makes you glad you live in Texas so you can add jalapeno peppers and cilantro to something this color.  It just LOOKS like Christmas.  And if you're gonna live in Texas this is the thing to eat for Christmas.

And I will caution you to taste as you go.  Don't blindly add a bunch of jalapeno peppers to anything or you will be sorry, especially if you have a bunch of Yankees amateurs eating your stuff.  I also advise against cutting it into coarse chunks.  Really.  As nice as the green color is, you really are in it for the taste more than the color.  You can let the cilantro be your color.  You don't want to abuse your guests.  

In order to do this, I cut the jalapeno separately up in a food processor after cutting out the membrane and seeds, add an orange in while you are processing it (otherwise there's not enough to process one measly little pepper).  Set the pepper and orange aside in a small dish.  

chop the cranberries in a food processor 

one 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries washed.

bunch cilantro  (go slow...chop and add 3/4....taste and see if you want more)

1 bunch green onions, sliced thin and chopped....

juice of 2 limes

pinch of salt

3/4 cup sugar

after you get everything all mixed together add the jalapeno and start tasting.  

If you don't use all the jalapeno at first, save it and wait until the next day to see if you want to add more.  Sometimes you get a little more brave.  Just remember you can always add more later but you can't take it out once it's in there.

You might even be one of those people to add a second pepper.  Go for it. 

Now, you can add this to a chunk of Cream Cheese or slices of Brie and crackers or whatever else you want.

Merry Christmas.  

Donut Souffle

 3 large glazed donuts....from that morning or the day before

1 cup of milk

3 eggs

2 TBSP sugar

1 TBSP vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

grated nutmeg

+++++++++++

slice the donuts into discs and lay flat in a dish

blend rest of ingredients well and pour over donuts

get the donuts submerged into the liquid until it starts soaking up the liquid and cover it with plastic wrap.  Put into the refrigerator and let set for a while until it soaks up all the liquid.  It might be ready in a couple of hours.

Heat the oven to 375 and cook for about 30 minutes until it is puffy and set--not jiggly.

You might make a carmel sauce for it.  

Mushroom Soup

 

I got this recipe from Linda Terpstra who got it from a cookbook.  I think she said it might have been one of those Dallas classics like the Arboretum or such.  But it's such a basic I figure it's in every cookbook in America.  I loved the mushroom soup at Monk's Oven restaurant and when they closed the restaurant, I told Shannon Monk I wanted her to give me the recipe.  But she said it was in another cookbook and I could find it there.  So apparently, it's not any big secret. 

Linda and I use 4 tablespoons of flour.  I also only use 1 cup of whipping cream so that it's slightly thicker.  I also throw in a dash of sherry.  

It freezes well so when I make it, I always freeze the leftovers in 1-pint Ziplock bags.  It's great for an impromptu fancy lunch.

Chocolate Tart

 This is so rich that I cut it into much smaller slices than this calls for. Serve it with whipped cream on the side. 

Ina Garten’s Dark Chocolate Tart

This is inspired by a recipe in Erin French’s cookbook The Lost Kitchen.

• For the crust:
• 1 (9-ounce) box Nabisco chocolate wafers….if you can’t find this, take 24 or 25 Oreo cookies and separate them, discard the filling and use both halves of the cookie.
• ¼ cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• For the filling:
• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (6½ ounces) (see note)
• 1¼ cups heavy cream
• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• For the glaze:
• ½ cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (3 ounces)
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon coffee granules
• ½ teaspoon flaked sea salt, such as Maldon....*I use Kosher salt and it works.  I don't have any kind of specialty stores out here in the country.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  It really does help if you make this in a springform pan. I made it once in a pie pan and it worked but it wasn't nearly as impressive.

Place the chocolate wafers and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until finely ground. Pour the mixture into a bowl, add the butter, and mix until well incorporated. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Place on a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, for the filing, place the 1 cup of chocolate in a medium glass bowl. Heat the cream until it just comes to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate, allow it to sit for 1 minute, then stir gently with a whisk until smooth (see note). Stir the eggs and vanilla into the chocolate until smooth and pour into the tart shell. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the chocolate is set on the edges but still jiggly in the middle. Set aside to cool.  

Jane's note:  she is serious about the "jiggly in the middle and set on the edges".  The jiggly-ness will set in about two-five minutes.  Don't fear the jiggly.  It's OK.  Go with the jiggly.

For the glaze, put the ½ cup chocolate and the coffee in a glass bowl. Heat the cream to simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Gently pour over the chocolate filling (not the crust) and spread to the inside edge of the crust with a knife or offset spatula. Sprinkle with the salt and set aside at room temperature until set. Remove the rim of the tart pan and place the tart on a flat serving plate. Cut in wedges (don’t worry if the crust crumbles) and serve at room temperature.