This salad would be ruined by throwing on creamy ranch or something. You want this vinaigrette. Trust me.

Ah, before you even think it, don’t you dare try and say that America has already perfected this and Kraft sells it by the bottle at the grocery store. What you are thinking of is “French Dressing”. That stuff is as French as apple pie and baseball. You aren’t fooling anybody. I’m not even sure what is in that, but I think ketchup is one of the ingredients… and maybe some kind of red or yellow food dye. Look, bottled dressings may have their place (emphasis on may) and I do know you can get pre-made dressings and vinaigrettes in France, but I have never seen the equivalent of American “French Dressing” in the stores there.

And they all soundly beat Grey Poupon.

I’m always a fan of good quality ingredients, but here I must really emphasize one ingredient: mustard. A good Dijon mustard is required for this. I always bring some back in my suitcase, usually a brand like Amora which is inexpensive and tasty. Not everyone has the luxury of bringing their own mustard back from France–I know that. It shouldn’t stop you though, some decent brands are available here. Maille is certainly available at most grocery stores. Grey Poupon will even work. If you can find it, get Maille though, it may be the most authentic of the easy to find brands here in the US. Amora may be available in some import or gourmet shops, but any good quality Dijon will suit you well.

The French have a much greater selection of mustard than we do. Good for them, bad for us. Many grocery stores do have quite a bit of mustard, but that “Yellow Mustard” is hardly worth eating. That doesn’t even exist in France. (I once made the mistake once of picking up “French’s Mustard” thinking it would be French… boy was I wrong.) The image to the right here was taken in a grocery store (Carrefour Market) in Paris (a second photo here). You can find more variety at the full size Carrefours and higher quality mustards are not difficult to find in many specialty or gourmet food stores. Thanks for the pic, Alistair.

Here is the brand I use.

Now that you have your mustard situation straightened out, you’ll need some vinegar. Red wine vinegar is my first choice. I’d never use balsamic in a French vinaigrette, too sweet and syrupy. It can be good, but it’s not what is needed here.

The rest of the ingredients I’ll be less picky about. Get a small shallot, some decent extra virgin olive oil, a bit of sea salt, and some fresh ground pepper. (Good quality olive oil is important, but I’d rather insist on the mustard here.)

chop chop chop chop chop

It’s not quite mix-and-serve though. I’ve found that the vinaigrette improves if you let the ingredients sit together for a while. My mother typically makes this vinaigrette before the meal and just leaves it on the counter until the salad course. The acid from the vinegar seems to mellow the oniony bite of the shallot a bit. If you have enough foresight let the vinegar and shallot macerate for a while before adding the rest of the ingredients. Honestly, I almost always forget to do this. Don’t worry though, no one will complain if you just whip it up moments before eating.

Letting the shallot soak in the vinegar (or even with the rest of the ingredients) seems to take the edge off.

You aren’t limited to just dressing up your leaves with this though. I’ve used variants of this with lentils, chickpeas, and several other things.

Ingredients
Again, as appears to be the tradition in French recipes, I’ve almost never seen actual proportions written out in France. It’s a matter of habit and just tasting the final result. Here are the typical proportions for a salad course for 4 though.
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
dash sea salt
dash fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil

This is what real French dressing looks like.

Directions
1. Combine the vinegar, shallot, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
2. Whisk in the mustard and olive oil.
3. Give it a taste. Feel free to add more vinegar, mustard, or oil to your liking. I often add a dash more mustard or vinegar. You should see how you like it though.

Note: You can let sit for a while after either step one or two. I’m not sure that it makes much of a difference when you let it sit, but I do find that the shallot is somewhat tamed.
Don’t mix in the salad until you are ready to eat. Mixing too early will cause the leaves to wilt.

Oh, and use decent salad. No iceberg please. Get some mixed greens. Salad de mache is what I used here. Good stuff.

This could belong to you.

You will need:

• 100g (3/4 of a cup) of shredded Parmesan
• Two eggplants
• A pack of cherry tomatoes
• A soup spoonful of flour
• A small spoonful of sugar
• Olive oil
• Salt
• A small clove of garlic

Now go wash your hands, and let’s begin.

1) First up, the eggplant.  You’ll be using the oven, so preheat it to 350°F (180° C ). Cut the eggplants lengthwise.  Place them fleshy-side up on a cookie sheet or pan.  Here, we are going to dress them up with some salt and oil, but wait, because there is a problem. The oil is just going run off the eggplant and onto the pan.  This is why you’ll take your knife and cut grooves into the eggplant in a grid-like pattern.  Just like in the photo. Now, you put the salt and a generous amount of oil on it.  Good.  Ok, into the oven they go for 35 minutes.  35 minutes later, you will take them out, and scrape out their insides with a spoon into a bowl.  Then you’ll finely mince a clove of garlic, and add it to the eggplant.  Do you have a blender?  If so, dump everything in there and blend slowly.  If not, just mash everything together with a fork in that bowl.

The eggplant 35 minutes from now.

2) Next, the parmesan tiles.  In a bowl, mix the flour and the Parmesan together.  Put a nonstick skillet for on your stove-top, and let it heat up under medium heat.  Take a small handful of your powdery mix and place in the skillet, sprinkling the mix to form a flat disk.  Aim for something that has the same diameter of a small apple.  Let them take some heat until they become golden brown, then take them out of the skillet (with a flat spatula if you like) and place them on a paper towel to cool.  What once was a powdery mix of flour and cheese, has cooked together to form the tiles of our mille-feuille.

Parmesan disks browning in the pan.

3) Finally, we are going to bake these tomatoes.  Cut all of them in half, right through their prime meridian.  On your favorite cookie sheet place them all on their backs, and sprinkle sugar all over them and then hit them each with a dash of oil.  They are ready for the oven (at 350° F / 180° C), but keep on an eye on them, and take them out when they look like they do in photo, let’s say for 10 minutes.

That was easy.

The rest is going to depend on your plating ingenuity.  We went with some eggplant cavier, a Parmasen tile, a layer of tomatoes and another Parmesan tile.  Then we drizzled balsamic vinegar and olive oil on top.  How you do this step is entirely up to you, you can put the tomatoes and eggplant in a bowl and use the tiles as chips if that’s the kind of thing that you’d be in to.  Or break the tiles in halves and them stick out of a layer of eggplant.  You’ll figure it out.

There’s photos of the entire process on Flickr. Bon appetit.

Every year as the weather started getting colder, my mother would start boiling away vegetables in a large pot to make this soup. As I started to develop an interest in cooking, I tried to pay attention to what she was putting into the pot but I could never figure it out. Just when I thought I understood, I realized that the recipe was different than the previous ones! She seemed to say something about potatoes, leeks, and “n’importe quel légume frais”. This always baffled me. Not because I didn’t understand French (I did, she was saying “any fresh vegetables”), but because it seemed impossible to consistently make the same soup over again.

A potage soup.

Of course, her reply was that you wouldn’t want to make the same soup! I insisted that you could make a good recipe and remake it for yourself or guests if needed. “Oh, mais c’est toujours bon,” she would say, proclaiming it is always good.

If it was so seemingly straightforward, what was there to worry about? Honestly, I was afraid that I would end up with baby food. Isn’t that what you think of when you think of blended, boiled carrots? It seems that the French don’t automatically think that. Instead, they think that it would probably taste good in a soup. You know what? They are right. Again.

When I got over my fear of accidentally making baby food, I finally gave it a try. I forced my mother to give me some guide lines. There was a lot of “I don’t knows” and “Just try its” but after a lot of cursing and yelling in French, I was able to find some consistencies. My biggest tip is using leeks and potatoes. Root vegetables usually work spectacularly, but broccoli, cauliflower, and even spinach work well too. Myself, I am fond of adding lots of carrots.

Don’t let this limit you though, make any additions you want or increase any of the quantities. Change it up, try other combinations. Look at what is on sale in the store and try those. This can be a deliciously cheap soup.

Ingredients
Makes enough for six good servings. For extra richness, cream or creme fraiche can be added either at the table or in the last 30 seconds of heating (don’t boil it after the cream is added).
3 large carrots
3-4 leeks
3 big potatoes
1 onion
2 turnips
water
salt, pepper to taste

Directions
1. Wash and peel all the vegetables and cut into approx. 1 inch chunks.
2. Put them in a large pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. I season very lightly. Fill the pot with just enough water to come to the top of the vegetables. Heat on medium high and bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cover. Cook for 30-45 minutes, until the vegetables are all soft and tender.
4. Blend in batches using a stand blender to directly in the pot with a stick blender.

Tarte aux Poires

This tart is a simpler version of those commonly found in French patisseries. The elaborate versions are sometimes made with almond paste, custards over a double boiler, tempered eggs, etc. Though very much worth the effort, sometimes simple is best. With family coming in town, organizing meals, and arranging visits with old friends, an easier, quicker version was very appreciated.

The tart was so good that I had to have a go at making one myself after Thanksgiving. This recipe is very appealing not only because of the ease it comes together, but also because of the great, satisfying taste. A touch of almond extract or orange extract lends a nice aroma to the dough and custard without having to make any major changes to the recipe. Using extracts is a great method for including subtle aromas without having to seek pastes or zesting fruits.

Even making the dough for the crust was fairly simple–almost less complicated than the crust for American pies. All in all, it was surprisingly easier than I expected.

If you have made American pie crusts before, you may notice a few differences in this dough recipe. The ingredients are very similar, but changes in technique result in a very differently textured dough. American pie crusts are generally crumbly and flaky (in a good way) whereas this dough is softer and much more tender. Personally, I find this version to be easier to make with more consistent results.

No pre-baking of the crust is required and the custard filling is simply whisked together before it is filled into the pan. Peeling and cutting the pears was the most time consuming part.

Dough
Makes enough for one 10-inch tart. Use a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. The lip should be about 1/2 to 1 inch tall.
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut in to small pieces and allowed to soften
2 cups flour (250 grams)
2 Tbsps sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup cold water (replace about a tsp of the water with almond extract if desired)

Directions
1. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add the egg yolk, sugar, salt, and water. Quickly incorporate everything with a wooden or silicone spoon. Mix only enough to combine everything into a rough ball, try not to over-work the dough.
2. Form a ball and wrap with wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
3. On a lightly floured counter, or between two layers of plastic wrap/wax paper, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch and fold into thirds like a business letter, then fold that into thirds to form a small package. Repeat this two more times, with a light dusting of flour only if necessary.
4. Roll out one last time to 1/4 inch or slightly less and transfer to the tart pan. (Prepare the tart pan first by rubbing lightly with butter then dusting with flour, shaking the excess dust off afterward.) Press the dough into the pan, trimming off the excess, then prick the base several times with a fork.
5. Place in the freezer or fridge until you are ready to use. (Can be made ahead.)

Put the dough over the rolling pin to move it.	Place it over the prepared tart pan. Be careful not to tear the dough.
Press the base and edges of the dough into the pan.	Roll over the top to cut excess dough.

Filling
Makes enough for one tart. Creme fraiche will lend a richer flavor than cream alone, but cream can be used instead.
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream, crème fraîche , or a combination of the two
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
4 large ripe pears
2 tsp orange or almond extract (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In a medium or large bowl, beat the eggs together. Then add the crème fraîche or cream, cornstarch, sugar, and extract.
3. Peel, quarter, and remove the cores from the pears then cut into thin slices. Arrange the sliced pears in the pastry pan in a spiral pattern, overlapping them slightly.

Layer the first spiral in one direction using the larger pieces.

Then add the second spiral facing the opposite direction.

4. Gently and evenly pour the egg mixture over the pears until it fills the tart. Depending on the pear placement you may have some batter left over, this is fine.

Tart ready to bake.

I only recommended allowing it to cool completely before serving because it gives the crust and filling a chance to set. If you manage to get a piece while it is still warm, it is delicious. As I was taught to let it cool completely before serving, I follow the advice of my maman and put a slice in the microwave for a few seconds just to warm it through.

Chocolate filled crepe.

Outside of France, I often see the crepe batter used as a galette batter. This, while not strictly traditional, is not necessarily a bad thing. Making a crepe savory is as simple as stuffing them with what you would expect to find in a galette. I’ve done this myself a few times–it’s one less batter to make. Just remember that while a crepe can generally fill the role of a galette as a savory dish, the galette cannot normally make the leap to be a dessert. The buckwheat flour contributes earthy, wheat flavors that meld better with savory foods than with sweet ones.

As I mentioned before, the crepe is the refined version of the galette. The crepe uses much richer ingredients (milk/beer, eggs, white flour) and yields a much less dense dish.

My favorite fillings for crepes generally keep it simple. Lemon juice and sugar, butter and sugar, and dark chocolate are my top three favorite. And Nutella. Definitely Nutella. I eschew the many American recipes that adorn their crepes with whipped cream or ice-cream in favor of the simple, traditional application of flavors. I rarely get more complicated than pouring a bit of warmed Grand Marnier and lighting it on fire (which looks awesome, by the way).

I’ll repeat a few things from the galette recipe here as the preparation and cooking methods are very similar.

Using a non-stick skillet is key to good crêpes and galettes. If you try this in a regular skillet, your success rate will probably be very low.

Ingredients
3 eggs
2 cups unbleached flour
2 1/2 cups milk (or 1/2 beer, 1/2 milk)
2 tbsps oil
up to 3 tbsps Grand Marnier (or use a tiny bit of orange extract)
unsalted butter (for cooking)

Batter Directions

1. Make a well in the center of the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs and combine gradually with a whisk until it comes together. DO NOT just mix everything with a spoon. Gradual mixing is key to avoiding a lumpy batter.
2. Keep mixing until it nearly forms a dough. It should be thicker than brownie batter and most of the flour will still be on the edges of the bowl. Slowly add beer/milk to thin it and to work in the rest of the flour. Once as it comes together, add the salt, oil, and Grand Marnier. Whisk well.
3. Allow the dough to rest at least two hours in the fridge. Remove from fridge half an hour before use.

When you are ready to cook, the batter may need a little more liquid added to thin it, especially if allowed to sit in the fridge over night. It should have the consistency of a thin pancake batter (or like heavy cream).

Cooking Directions
Use the largest skillet you can get your hands on!
Tip: Put a pad of butter in a small plate and keep a paper towel folded to smear butter into the skillet between cooking. Keep using the same paper towel. You could use a non-stick spray, but any Frenchman worth his salt would insist on using real butter.

1. Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When hot (a drop of batter will sizzle), add butter to the skillet and wipe with the paper towel to coat the pan.
2. For a 12 inch skillet pour slightly under one half cup of liquid into the center of the skillet and swirl the pan to spread the batter evenly. I find it helps to shake the pan as you rotate. If you need to patch any holes, do it quickly so the crepe cooks evenly.
3. After 30-60 seconds, flip the crepe. If you aren’t afraid to drop one, go ahead and try to flip it in the pan. Otherwise just slip a spatula under and flip.
4. Cook for 30 seconds more, add whatever filling you need and cook for 30 more seconds. Some fillings, like syrups, are best to add once the crepe has been plated.
5. To plate, fold the crepe in half to make a semi-circle, again to make a quarter-circle, and one last time to make eighths.

Dark Chocolate Sauce
If you have a chocolate sauce you like, you can use that instead of making your own. I like a rich, dark chocolate flavor that is not too sweet. This simple recipe takes only moments to make and allows you to easily control the flavor.

Ingredients
2 parts cocoa powder
1 part sugar
2-3 parts hot water

Directions
Start with 2 parts cocoa powder and one part sugar in a bowl. Add just enough hot water to mix it in a thick paste. Starting out with a paste will make sure that all the chocolate and sugar dissolve without leaving lumps in the sauce. Once the chocolate and sugar are mixed in the paste, taste it. If you like a sweeter sauce, add more sugar, for a richer chocolate flavor, add more cocoa. Slowly incorporate more hot water until it reaches the consistency of a thick sauce.

Butter Sugar or Lemon Sugar
You could probably figure this out yourself. The ingredients are already listed for you…
For the butter-sugar crepe, while the open crepe is still in the hot pan, spread some butter over the crepe with a spatula. Then sprinkle on some sugar to your liking. Fold. Serve.
For the lemon-sugar crepe, replace the butter above with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

I mentioned a bit of the history when I reviewed La Crêperie Bretonne from my Paris trip. Crêpes and galettes are a traditional Breton dish from the north-west of France. Today, crêperies can be found all over France (and the world) and have become a well known example of French food. One thing that is commonly overlooked (at least in the US) is that the traditional drink with galettes and crepes is a dry cider served in a bolée (a kind ceramic cup).

Galette with onions, tomato, cheese, ham and egg.

Galettes began their life as the peasant’s crepe. Buckwheat was imported to the north of France because it could be cultivated in the poor growing soils. This flour was used instead of white flour–the refined flour was for the rich. Only one egg and water, instead of three eggs and milk in my crêpe recipe, are used to bind the flour into a dough. Simple, whole wheat ingredients make for a very frugal, yet filling dish.

Speaking of filling, what can you put in a galette? Anything, nearly. Asparagus, tomato, onion, ham, cheese, egg, turkey… My favorite “galette complete” is a combination of grated Emmental (or Gruyere) cheese, a slice of ham and a scrambled egg, cooked on the galette.

One more note before I get into the recipe: Using a non-stick skillet is key to good crêpes and galettes at home. If you try this in a regular skillet, your success rate will probably be very low. Of course, you can get a real, cast iron crepe pan if you want to, but non-stick is easier. And easy is good.

Galette with ham, cheese and egg.

Ingredients
2 cups buckwheat flour
2 tbsp regular flour
1 egg, separate yolk and white
2 1/2 cups water
salt & pepper
2 tbsp oil (vegetable, canola…)

Batter Directions

1. Combine the buckwheat and white flour in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the egg yolk. Combine gradually with a whisk until it starts to come together. DO NOT just mix everything with a spoon. Gradual mixing is key to avoiding a lumpy batter.
2. Slowly add water to thin it and to work in the rest of the flour. Add enough water to make it about the consistency of a thick sauce, about two to two-and-a-half cups. As it comes together, add the salt, pepper, and oil. Whisk well.
3. In a small mixing bowl, whip the egg white to just under stiff peaks. Fold the whipped egg white into the batter.
4. Allow the dough to rest at least two hours in the fridge. Remove from fridge half an hour before use.

When you are ready to cook, the batter may need a little more liquid added to thin it, especially if allowed to sit in the fridge over night. It should have the consistency of a thin pancake batter (or like a heavy cream).

Cooking Directions
Use the largest skillet you can get your hands on!
Tip: Put a pad of butter in a small plate and keep a paper towel folded to smear butter into the skillet between cooking. Keep using the same paper towel. You could use a non-stick spray, but any Frenchman worth his salt would insist on using real butter.

1. Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When hot (a drop of batter will sizzle), add butter to the skillet and wipe with the paper towel to coat the pan.
2. For a 12 inch skillet pour about a third of a cup of liquid into the center of the skillet and swirl the pan to spread the batter evenly. I find it helps to shake the pan as you rotate. If you need to patch any holes, do it quickly so the crepe cooks evenly.
3. After about 60 seconds, add any fillings you want. Most fillings can/should be constructed directly in the hot skillet. See below for specific instructions.
4. To plate, most galettes are not folded into triangles like crepes, but are folded into a square or rectangle. I like to fold the left and right sides into each other and allow the filling to show at the top and the bottom.

Fillings: I’ll describe how to do an egg, ham and cheese galette. You can substitute any of the ingredients you need want.

When adding the ingredients in step three, I have found it’s best to do it in this order. First lay a slice of ham flat onto the galette. Wait a few seconds for the ham to heat, then break an egg over the ham. If you want scrambled egg, run your fork through you yolk a few times to mix it up. Once the egg begins to set, sprinkle cheese over the galette. If doing sunny-side up, the presentation is nicer if you don’t put cheese directly over the yolk. Fold the edges toward the center and serve.

Heath tip: There are not really many changes to make. It’s already pretty much whole wheat, you can leave out the white flour. Use a non-stick spray instead of butter in the skillet. Go light with the cheese. Throw some thinly sliced vegetables in the galette and you’re set.

After being tipped off to this one place that might still be serving, le “Passionément”, my friends and I hurried a few blocks over to find it. Success! The kitchen was still open. Even better, the place was awesome.

There was an instant charm to le Passionément that made you feel comfortable and welcome. There was a small paved courtyard behind a wrought iron fence and stairs leading up to the entrance. The restaurant, painted in shades of ruddy browns, was divided into a front lounge/bar and a back dining area. We walked past the bar into the front lounge toward the (very comfortable) couches and tables.

We sat on the couches (it had been a long day) and looked through the menu. Some standard bistro fare, steak frites, and … wtf, is that kangaroo on the menu? I had to order it. I’m an adventurous eater, so unusual things on a menu tend to get ordered.

The kangaroo was actually really good. Like a very tender, less fatty steak. Wikipedia actually has a pretty good article about it. Apparently the meat of the “australus,” as its supposed to be called, is much healthier than most other meats.

Kangaroo Steak.

The preparation was similar to steak. The kangaroo filet was seared, served medium-rare, with a sauce of choice on the side. I choose frites (aka French fries) as my side dish. They were slightly sweet and pretty good.

The verdict? I’d definitely order it again. Extremely tasty and very healthy, nothing bad about it. In fact, I’d love to go back to that restaurant and get it there. It was a fantastic find and I think it was definitely a more interesting option than the crêperie. (I’d have my fill of crepes in Paris later.)