French Fridays w/Dorie - Ispahan Loaf Cake

I feel like I start every blog post lately whining about how I haven't been blogging much.  But here I am again, this time participating in French Fridays with Dorie where it has been forever since I've completed a recipe.  

The Ispahan Loaf Cake is something I have been wanting to make since the book came out.  My desire to make this was on the name only.  It sounds so exotic.  When I read the recipe and saw that it called for not one, but two, difficult to find and expensive ingredients, I had second thoughts but was determined to make the cake.

Rose syrup and rose extract are both used here.  I looked at several stores here locally, including a couple of middle eastern grocers (hard to believe that Lexington, Kentucky has two middle eastern grocery stores but it's true) and couldn't find the rose syrup.  I ended up buying a rose raspberry syrup at Williams-Sonoma that worked fine and just left the rose extract out.

This cake is full of texture from the almond meal.  Raspberries dot the interior providing a lovely splash of color and more texture.  It was very good and not overly sweet.  A hint of floral flavor is in the background and I'm sure this flavor was more prominent for those that used the real deal rose syrup and the extract.

I'm glad I joined along this week as I have missed this group.  Please visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what the rest of the group did this week!

Lyonnaise Garlic & Herb Cheese

I wasn't planning on making this one and hadn't really paid much attention to it when reading Around My French Table.  My curiosity got the better of me and after reading the recipe I couldn't pass it up.

A spinoff on boursin cheese, Lyonnaise Garlic & Herb Cheese starts with fromage blanc or ricotta.  Attempting to turn something as ordinary as ricotta cheese into something else proved too tempting, and too easy, to pass up.  Ricotta is strained for as little as a couple of hours or overnight to remove the excess liquid.  Garlic, shallot, vinegar, olive oil, and herbs are then gently folded into the mixture to create a delicious little surprise.

I made a few substitutions, red wine vinegar instead of sherry vinegar (which I can never find), thyme instead of tarragon but I think part of the fun of this recipe was the freedom to use whatever you have on hand to jazz it up.  Except for garlic, I think it is a non-negotiable ingredient here.  

I was super surprised at how good this was.  I couldn't walk by the bowl without scooping up the garlicky, herb-y flavored cheese with a cracker.  I'm sure it would be equally delicious with any variety of crudities.  I also found it to delicious when smeared on a toasted baguette and topped with thin slices of grilled steak.  Oooh, I just had an idea.  This would be a fantastic addition to any lasagna!

The recipe can be found here.  Please visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what my fellow Doristas thought of this one!

FFWD - Double Chocolate Banana Tart

I have wanted to make this Double Chocolate Banana Tart since I first spied it on Around My French Table!  I can't really say why, it just looked so pretty.

I was incredibly pleased that my tart looked almost as pretty as the one on the book.  That rarely happens!  I was also surprised at the relative simplicity of this recipe.  The crust doesn't require any rolling so it's super simple.  I made a last minute decision to eliminate the caramelized banana layer so I can't comment on that but I'm sure it was easy enough and delicious.  And the ganache.  Ganache is nothing short of magic as far as I'm concerned.  Chocolate, cream, and butter whisked until you have a gorgeous bowl of shiny, decadent chocolate.  Love it.  A crown of bananas tops off this beauty.

Bananas and chocolate are a natural pairing and work great together here.  The chocolate crust and ganache are rich and play off the sweetness of the banana beautifully.  The tart would be great alone but begs to be topped with everything from flavored whipped cream, to berries, to coconut.  A definite go-to recipe for sure.

Please visit French Fridays with Dorie and the rest of our group to see their take on this beautiful dessert.

Saint-Germain-des-Pres Onion Biscuits

Lovely little recipe this week for French Fridays with Dorie!

As I was reading through the recipe for Saint-Germain-des-Pres Onion Biscuits from Around My French Table I was reminded of a recipe that I received at an event about pairing bourbon with food.  Onion Walnut Muffins were one of the first of many treats we received from one of our rock star chefs here in the Bluegrass, Ouita Michael.  The recipe she shared with us dated back to the 1700s and bears a lot of resemblance to Dorie's recipe.

I loved the recipe shared that day and loved this one too.  Of course anything that includes caramelized onions makes me deliriously happy.  These little gems were wonderful warm from the oven, the next day as a snack, plain, or with some local pecan honey.  A keeper of a recipe!

I invite to visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what other members of our group thought of this recipe.

Saint-Germain-des-Pres Onion Biscuits Around My French Table, Dorie Greenspan

6 1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 small onion, peeled, trimmed, and finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold whole milk

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Have a biscuit or deep cookie cutter, one that's between 1 and 2 inches in diameter, at hand.

Put 1/2 tablespoon of the butter in a small skillet or saucepan and cut the remaining 6 tablespoons butter into 12 pieces.

Set the pan over low heat, melt the butter, and add the onion.  Cook, stirring, just until it softens, about 3 minutes.  Pull the pan from the heat.

Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk the ingredients to combine.  Drop the butter pieces into the bowl and, using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour mixture until you've got a bowl full of flour-covered pieces, some small and flakey and some the size of peas.

Scatter the cooked onions over the mixture, then pour over the cold milk and, using a fork, toss and turn everything together until you've got a soft dough.  If there are some dry bits at the bottom of the bowl, reach in and knead the dough gently a couple of times.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour, turn the dough out, and dust the top of the dough very lightly with flour.  Pat the dough down gently with your hands (or roll it out with a pin) until it is about 1/2 inch thick.  It doesn't have to be an even square or round; it doesn't even have to an even 1/2 inch thick.  Just do the best you can and do it quickly.

Dip the biscuit cutter into the flour bin and cut out as many biscuits as you can--cutting the biscuits as close to one another as possible - and transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one.  Gather the scraps of dough together, pat them down, and cut as many more biscuits as you can; put these on the lined baking sheet too.  

Bake the biscuits for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are puffed and lightly browned.  

FFWD - Nutella Tartine

tartine: n.  A French open-faced sandwich, especially one with a rich or fancy spread.

Without a doubt, Nutella Tartine is the easiest recipe in Around My French Table.  So easy, it's hard to even call it a recipe.  

Dorie tries to make harder by suggesting that readers make brioche bread to use but I couldn't pass up the chance to do it up easy this week.  There is an adorable bakery a block from my office so I walked down there on my lunch break in hopes of finding a freshly baked loaf of brioche or challah.  Not finding any, I spied the croissants and decided that would be perfect for a nutella sandwich.

Wow, was this good!  The slight bitterness of the orange marmalade against the chocolate was divine.  Chopped hazelnuts casually strewn across the top and a tiny sprinkle of salt were the final garnishes to this delightful treat.  
I'm pretty sure most of my fellow French Friday with Dorie participants didn't take the lazy route like yours truly.  You can see their creations by visiting, here.

FFWD - Broth-Braised Potatoes

These potatoes may look boring but they are anything but.  Broth-Braised Potatoes are one of my favorite recipes to date from Around My French Table to date.  

I've actually enjoyed recipes for side dishes from Dorie most of all.  Maybe because side dishes often feel like an after thought and don't receive the attention they deserve.  Sometimes it's hard to get the creative juices following with only broccoli as an inspiration.  But Garlic Crumb-Coated Broccoli proves that it can be gussied up with little effort.  Spiced Butter Glazed Carrots are crave worthy and have graced my dinner table numerous times.  And now these Broth-Braised Potatoes.

Why didn't I think of this?  Simply cooking small potatoes in an aromatic chicken broth full of herbs, garlic, and my favorite part, a strip of lemon peel, results in potatoes that are so full of flavor you will be hitting yourself on the head for not coming up with this one your own.  (If you are already cooking your potatoes in this manner, I bow to you and your genius.)

More technique, than recipe, these lovely little potatoes will be a regular around my dinner table.

Be sure to check out what the rest of our group thought of this recipe at French Fridays with Dorie.  Run to get the recipe,here.

FFWD - M. Jaques Armagnac Chicken

M. Jacques Armagnac Chicken is the perfect dish to represent the the intent and beauty of Around My French Table; food that pairs the elegance and technique of French cooking with the comfort and warmth we enjoy sharing food with those that we love the most.

This is as simple as throwing a chicken into a pot with some vegetables and wine, slapping a lid on and then letting it cook for an hour.  In re-reading the last sentence, the visual I paint is of one rushed/possibly angry cook.  A self-portrait, perhaps?  Dorie would have written something like: A well-seasoned bird is lovingly nestled on a bed of vegetables that have been gently tossed in oil and kissed with herbs.  Cover the pot with a lid and place in a piping hot oven for an hour while the flavors marry and mingle.  Oh-so-carefully remove the lid and stare in wonder at the terra cotta color of the chicken as you breathe in the lovely aroma from the sauce that was magically created.

Please, please know that I'm not making fun of Dorie.  Nor do I think I could write as beautifully as she does.  Her incredible ability to write recipes that give the reader the feeling that she is standing there beside them is why she is my absolute favorite cookbook author.

The wine here is armagnac but I wasn't willing to shell out $$$ for a bottle of booze that I may never use again and used Dorie's option of brandy.  I don't particularly like prunes, but wanted to try using some here.  As luck would have it, earlier in the week a co-worker was walking around offering up individually wrapped prunes as a snack (so many jokes there but I'm going to leave it). I took four and used them here.  They didn't melt into the sauce as Dorie said they may, but they did impart some sweetness.

My chicken didn't brown up as well as I had expected but was tender and juicy.  I have a terrible time skimming fat (again, using incredible self control to leave the obvious jokes alone) and just left it in.  The vegetables and the sauce were the best parts of dish.  Perfectly cooked, the veggies were super flavorful, especially when scooted around in the sauce.

Easy, elegant, and French.  Like I said, the poster child for Around My French Table and Dorie herself.  You can find the recipe here.

To see the lovely creations prepared by rest of our group, visit French Fridays with Dorie.

FFWD - Bubble-Top Brioches

I can honestly say that I never thought I would make brioche rolls.  But pushing myself to try new things is one of the reasons I joined French Fridays with Dorie and this seemed like just the recipe to do that.

Recipes requiring yeast and I have a complicated history full of fights, breakups, breakdowns, and the occasionally glimmer of hope that this relationship may work out after all.  This recipe didn't bring about a full reconciliation, but certainly got us talking again.

Honestly, I have had more success with yeast recipes recently and do much better with instant yeast than the type that requires proofing.  I recently attended a workshop where a rep from King Arthur Flour discussed bread baking and by following her tips, I have seen a lot of improvement in the limited bread baking I do. 

This recipe has a lot of steps and takes time and patience.  Two things I don't have a lot of at any time and certainly not in the middle of the week.  I felt okay about things after mixing the dough, but I don't think I got the initial rise that I was supposed to (out of the dough, not me.)  And I was too busy sleeping to 'slap' the dough down as Dorie instructed.  Lastly, I had a kid that needed to be taken someplace and the last rise was far puffier than it should have been.

After all of my missteps with this recipe I was expecting it to be a failure.  They smelled great, but I was convinced that I would end up with dense hockey puffs and not a light and airy interior.  To my surprise, I pulled out rolls that certainly didn't have bubble tops, but were beautifully golden with a soft, spongey interior and a crisp exterior. 

I know the French traditionally eat brioche for breakfast, but I think these would be perfect along side a steak dinner.  If you are feeling brave enough to tackle this one, the recipe can be found here.  To see how the rest of our group did with this one, visit French Fridays with Dorie.

Cauliflower-Bacon Gratin

Wow.  It has been forever since I've participated in French Fridays with Dorie.  But the Cauliflower-Bacon Gratin is one of the recipes I had been wanting to try since I received the cookbook.  And, it seemed like a perfect addition to my Christmas spread.

More of a crustless quiche than a gratin, this was very good.  Rich and decadent are hallmarks of many of the recipes in Around My French Table and this one falls into those same categories.  Cauliflower is cooked and then combined with bacon.  A whole bunch of eggs, cream, milk, and cheese are poured over the top and the whole thing is cooked until puffed and golden.

Finding the cauliflower a bit bland, I wish I had roasted it instead of boiling it.  This would have resulted in better texture and flavor of the cauliflower itself.  I used Swiss cheese instead of Gruyere not out of preference, but because I am often cheap and I already had some Swiss in my massive drawer of cheese.  Stronger, nuttier cheese is better here but the Swiss worked fine.  

I have to admit this wasn't the over-the-top, out-of-this-world delicious casserole I was expected.  But that's not a bad thing.  My initial disappointment turned to appreciation for a dish that highlights an under utilized and under appreciated veggie.  I plan on making this again but will roast the cauliflower, add lots more salt, and probably cut back on the cream.  

Please visit the French Fridays with Dorie site to see what other bloggers did with this dish and other fun stuff.

Cauliflower-Bacon Gratin
Around My French Table, Dorie Greenspan

1 cauliflower
1/4 pound bacon, cut crosswise into slender strips
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup whole milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
3 ounces Gruyere (you can use Emmenthal, or even Swiss in a pinch), grated

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.  Generously butter an oven-going pan that hold about 2 1/2 quarts.  (It's not elegant and it's a tad too big, but a 9-by-13- inch Pyrex pan is fine.)  Put the dish on the baking sheet.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.  Pull or cut the florets from the cauliflower, leaving about an inch or so of stem.  Drop the florets into the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.  Drain, rinse the cauliflower under cold running water to cool it down, and pat it dry.  (Alternatively, you can steam the florets over salted water.  When they're fork-tender, drain and pat dry.)

While the cauliflower is cooking, toss the bacon strips into a heavy skillet, put the skillet over medium heat, and cook just until the bacon is browned but not crisp.  Drain and pat dry.

Spread the cauliflower out in the buttered pan, and scatter over the bacon bits.

Put the flour in a bowl and gradually whisk in the eggs.  When the flour and eggs are blended, whisk in the cream and milk.  Season the mixture with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and stir in about two thirds of the cheese.  Pour the mixture over the cauliflower, shake the pan a little so that the liquid settles between the florets, and scatter over the remaining cheese.

Bake the gratin for about 25 minutes, or until it is puffed and golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  If the top isn't as brown as you'd like it to be, run it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.  

FFWD - Corn Soup

I can't believe how long it's been since I participated in a French Fridays with Dorie! I even made a couple of the recipes, but just didn't post about them.

But I couldn't pass up the chance to use fresh corn. I have gotten some fantastic corn this summer and as much as I love just grilling it up, I have been looking for different ways to prepare it. This soup was a great vehicle for this summer staple.

I loved steeping the milk in the corn cobs. Such a simple idea, but genius. The soup was lighter than I expected, but was a nice contrast to the heavy corn chowder I frequently make during colder months. I used chicken stock instead of water to add a bit more flavor and a leek instead of an onion since I somehow managed to not have an onion in the house. For as much grocery shopping as I do, it amazes me that I often run out of basics like flour, butter, and onions.

Dorie suggests pureeing the soup in a blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender. I opted to use my immersion blender because I wanted the soup to have some texture, it's easier, dirties fewer dishes, and it's fun. An immersion blender feels like a power tool for the kitchen. Blending the veggies added a bit more body to the soup but I still had a lot of texture from the vegetables.

Soup in summer? Absolutely!

You can find this recipe, here.

FFWD - Tilapia and Tomatoes en Papillote

Simple, fresh, easy, delicious. All the boxes you want to check off when looking for a quick meal in the dead of summer.

This week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe is for Salmon and Tomatoes en Papillote. Salmon is too fishy in flavor for me, so I substituted the much milder tilapia. Cherry, or grape, tomatoes are quickly seared in a skillet to enhance their flavor. I am only starting to eat any tomato that is not cooked to mush and sliced mine in half and cooked them a bit longer than the recipe called for to make them more palatable to me. I have to say I actually enjoyed the tomatoes quite a bit!

Freshly plucked basil leaves are placed on sheets of foil as a bed for the fish. The fish is then dressed simply with olive oil, thyme or rosemary, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Slices of lemon and more basil leaves lie atop the fish. The seared tomatoes are placed alongside the fish and the package is bundled up and tossed in the oven for a quick ten minutes or so.

This recipe is really quite lovely. Simple and elegant. I liked cooking en papillote and think you could try it on the grill as well. If I were serving this for guests I would use parchment paper for a prettier presentation. Tres parfait!

FFWD - Cola and Jam Spareribs

This is the first French Fridays with Dorie recipe I have been really excited about in a while. Initially because I had read rave reviews for it. My excitement grew when I read Dorie's intro because her recipe was based on a dish made by a chef that had spent time here in my home state of Kentucky and while here developed a fondness for barbecue and cola. I hadn't expected to see any mention of our lovely state in her cookbook and was thrilled when I did.

The recipe comes together easily enough, but does need some babying while cooking. Chinese five-spice powder is a new ingredient for me and I was eager to try it. The remaining flavors; orange, lemon, apricot, and cola are all favorites of mine so I expected to love these ribs.

It wasn't love, but like for me. My husband thought they were really good which I was surprised by but for me, they were just OK. The ribs weren't as tender as I had hoped and the Asian flavor was a bit off-putting for me. Not bad, just not great either.

PS - Sorry for the bad picture! It is so hard to get good photos of meat!

FFWD - Warm Weather Vegetable Pot au Feu

French Fridays with Dorie and her book, Around My French Table, have taught us that the French will put dried fruit and nuts or a runny egg in just about anything.

This week's Warm Weather Vegetable Pot au Feu includes yet another runny egg. I love eggs, especially poached eggs, but did not want one floating around in a bowl of soup so I left it out. I also love soup and it is one of my favorite things to cook, but it took some effort to muster up any enthusiasm for making a pot of soup when it was 90+ degrees outside. But I did.

Dorie encourages cooks to use whatever veggies they want in this soup and her version featured what's-in-season now selections such as asparagus. I kept it simple with onion, leeks, carrots, and potatoes. I love a hint of lemon in soup and threw in a piece of lemon peel as suggested too. Let it simmer until the vegetables were fork tender and then threw in some thyme after ladling it into a bowl.

I made this on an evening when everything I was making was a flop so I only tasted a few bites straight from the pot. My daughter loves soup and she ate a bowl full, commenting that it was pretty good and tasted light for summer. So the soup is appropriately titled. I was surprised at how complex the flavor was and especially enjoyed the flavor from the garlic and the lemon. This would be lovely for a semi-formal, warm-weather affair such as a bridal shower.

FFWD - Cardamom Rice Pilaf

I love using cardamom so I was excited about trying Dorie's Cardamom Rice Pilaf. I love it in both in savory and sweet dishes and find it adds that little bit of something extra to a dish.

I rarely make rice and when I do, it's usually Uncle Ben's quick cooking rice in a bag. Pasta or potatoes are my family's preferred starches but I do enjoy eating it. Cooking it, not so much. I bought jasmine rice from the bins at the co-op and made sure to rinse it throughly before cooking. I caught it just before it was about to stick and ultimately, scorch. The rice was fluffy and cooked perfectly so I'm sold on Dorie's technique.

My daughter and I both grabbed a bit as soon as I plated it up and our first reaction was 'mmmm, yummy.' After a couple more bites my daughter decided she did not care for the cardamom seeds and I felt the flavor was a bit strong as well. I used cardamom pods in another dish I made that evening and we both noticed the cardamom flavor was strong there as well so maybe I just picked up some really potent pods. I thought the lemon zest was lovely in the rice. So this one was a hit for the cooking method, but a miss on the overall flavor for us.

I do plan on cooking rice more often using this quick recipe!

FFWD - Bacon, Egg and Asparagus Salad

This is one of those cooking group picks I was sort of ambivalent about before. I really don't like asparagus but really love bacon and eggs. And, I have been wanting to try a salad where the egg is a main player and not just an extra, chopped up and scattered about.

While simple, this dish is one of those that has lots of little steps and results in quite a few dirty dishes. Bacon is fried and then set aside. I always chop my bacon before frying because I can get more in the pan and more bacon is always a good thing. Eggs are soft boiled for exactly six minutes, left to cool and then painstakingly peeled. Does anyone have any tips or tricks for making peeling boiled eggs easier? The last few times I have boiled eggs, I have ended up with the saddest looking eggs because I have so much difficulty removing the shell.Asparagus is cooked in a shallow pan of water and a vinagarette made. The most interesting step in this recipe involved taking the boiled eggs and lightly cooking them in the warmed bacon grease. I have to say that the end result was less interesting. The bacon fat added some more flavor to the salad, but really didn't enhance the egg much in my opinion. I vaguely remember Dorie saying to toss the asparagus in the vinegarette but I just drizzled it directly over the greens.

I'm glad I tried this recipe to verify I still don't like asparagus and to try the runny egg over a salad thing, but overall I wasn't impressed.

FFWD - Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Wow! This was delicious!

I skimped a bit on the spinach, okay, a lot but it didn't matter. This is a perfect flavor combination and the custard portion is perfect.

This will be a regular around here!

PS - A couple of weeks ago, I made three dishes that used a rolled crust. I used this handy-dandy item I picked up from King Arthur Flour and found it great for rolling out crusts. I used less flour and had less cleanup!

FFWD - Tourteau de Chevre

I love goat cheese. So it was no surprise when I ended up with three packages of goat cheese in my refrigerator. Not three of the same brand of cheese. Not even three of the same type of cheese. One was a small log of standard grocery store goat cheese. The second was one I picked up from the clearance bin at the cheese counter, and the third was a local goat cheese that I regularly buy at the farmer's market.

Dorie's Tourteau de Chevre couldn't have come at a bettter time. I gathered up my various packages of goat cheese and started baking. I chose to make the sweet tart crust because I wanted this to be more dessert than appetizer. This comes together rather easily and after baking in the oven for a while (I had to bake it longer than Dorie suggested before it set) I was anxious to give this unique tart/torte/cake a try.

It was good, not really sweet yet not really savory. After a couple of bites I decided to drizzle some honey across my slice and could definately see this as a dessert with some fruit. I could also see this as an elegant appetizer alongside some nuts and maybe some chutney.

While I enjoyed it, this is not something I think I would make again. A bit too complicated for an appetizer and not sweet enough for dessert maybe?

FFWD - Bistrot Paul Bert Pepper Steak & Steak Frites

Lately I've been holding cooking marathons on the weekends where I knock out several recipes. Cooking is relaxing for me so it's a perfect weekend activity, but with three cooking groups, it's also a way for me to stay ahead of schedule.

The downside is that I cook a dish, and then have trouble remembering much about it when I go to blog about it a few weeks later. That's kind of the situation with the Bistrot Paul Bert Pepper Steak for this week's French Fridays with Dorie.

I remember that I wanted to buy filet mignon, but it was way too expensive. Ribeye steaks were my second choice, but they were too pricey as well. So I picked up a couple of strip steaks. Still not inexpensive, but reasonable.

The steaks are started by sprinkling the steaks with ground peppercorns. My husband is extremely sensitive to any kind of heat, including black pepper, so I used a light sprinkle of ground pepper on his and a more generous rough and tumble sprinkle of peppercorns that I ground with my mortar and pestle on the steak my daughter and I would share.

Cooked in a butter and oil mixture over high heat in a cast iron skillet, the steaks cook very quickly. The perfectly cooked steaks, tender and juicy inside and nicely crusted on the outside, are removed from the skillet to rest. A pan sauce is made by removing the fat from the pan and then adding Cognac or brandy to the pan. I cook on an electric stove, so making a flame with the alcohol is really not an option. Instead, I let the brandy cook down a bit. Cream is swirled in, and you are done.

I had issues with the cream cooking too quickly and ended up with a thick paste like gravy instead of a smooth, delicate sauce. My second attempt was slightly more successful, but I still don't think it worked as well as it should have. I used a very large skillet, and that may have been the problem - too much surface area. The flavor was wonderful though and a great addition to the steaks.

Steak frites seemed like a natural with this dish, so I made the les frites that Dorie wrote about in a sidebar next to this recipe. While this method of par boiling the fries in oil and then doing a second fry at a higher temperature resulted in a delicious fry, it was a bit too much work for french fries at home.

Guess I actually remembered plenty! My family and I truly enjoyed this deceptively simple recipe!

FFWD - Mustard Batons

Another quick and easy French Fridays with Dorie recipe.

Mustard batons are simply dijon mustard on puff pastry that is finished with a dusting of seeds. Dorie's recipe called for poppy seeds but I decided to use some black sesame seeds. I went easy on the mustard but would have been happy with more.

These were delicious and would be perfect for a fancy cocktail party or a casual get together. I loved this technique and immediately started thinking of other combinations; honey and mustard, mango chutney, pimento cheese... The options are endless.

Around My French Table is full of easy recipes like this that make cooking accessible, and more importantly, joyful. Check out the rest of the French Fridays with Dories group, here.

FFWD - Vanilla Eclairs

Vanilla Eclairs, or as I like to call them, French Pastry 101.

When I saw Vanilla Eclairs on the French Fridays with Dorie list for April I thought to myself, "Holy crap, we are getting serious now!"

Reading through the instructions it struck me that this really three basic French pastry basics; cream puff dough (or pate a choux), pastry cream, and ganache. I have successfully made all three of these individual recipes before so there wasn't any reason I couldn't do it again and smoosh them all together to create a classic pastry.

The cream puff dough came together beautifully. I didn't have the correct pastry tip so I just used the pastry bag sans tip to create the eclairs. My eclairs cooked more quickly than Dorie indicated they would and I had to pull them out before using the wooden spoon to wedge the oven door open trick.

The pastry cream was a breeze to make and I had a tray full of filled eclairs in no time. I opted to make a chocolate ganache frosting to finish the eclairs. Consisting of only two ingredients, the ganache should have been the easiest component to execute. Lesson learned: you can't use milk, even whole milk, in place of cream when making ganache. I knew it was a long shot but finding myself out of cream and preparing to leave for a trip the next morning, I decided to take a gamble. My frosting was more glaze than frosting and sort of seeped into the delicate pastry. The taste was fine but the end result was less attractive than I had hoped for and quite messy to eat.

All in all, this was a fun recipe to try and I feel quite fancy saying I can make eclairs! To check out how the rest of the Doristas did this week, visit French Fridays with Dorie.