This version of Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic is easy because you put all of the ingredients in a casserole dish, bake it in the oven and forget about it. The end result is a rich, comforting meal. If the thought of forty cloves of garlic frightens you, there is no need to worry. The garlic flavor mellows as the cloves cook and when they are done, they are rich and buttery, perfect for slathering on your favorite bread or even the chicken itself.
This hearty soup can be a satisfying main course or a filling side dish. It is simple to make, just allow up to an hour to properly caramelize the onions. {Although I have to admit that I recently made it when I was short on time and I cooked the onions at a higher temp for only about 30 minutes and the soup still turned out great.}
I used a recipe for vanilla tuiles from The Bon Appétit Cookbook to make homemade ice cream cones. Though they are delicate cookies, they have a rich buttery, vanilla flavor and they complement any flavor of ice cream.
This recipe comes from my Great Aunt Gladys, and my mom has been making it since before I was born. I love the fact that it is filled with fresh, uncooked strawberries. My aunt traditionally made it with an easy coconut pie crust but I like to use my Coconut Macaroon Tartlet Shells for a chewier (and butter-less) crust.
Kids typically don’t like salads but you might find this one to be different. A Niçoise salad is kind of like the French version of a Cobb salad. It is loaded with such a variety of ingredients that your kids might actually have fun trying all of the different toppings. And it is a great way to use up leftover Easter eggs!
Herbes de Provence is a mixture of dried herbs from Provence, a region of southern France. It is often used when grilling fish and meats and makes a great combo with these pork chops. We like to serve the pork over a spinach salad or with garlic mashers and roasted veggies.
If you thought the Crôque-Monsieur was as deluxe as a grilled ham and cheese sandwich could get, think again! Put a fried egg on top and you have a Crôque-Madame.
The crôque-monsieur is symbolic of French fast food and is a deluxe grilled ham and cheese sandwich. “Crôquer” is French for “to crunch” and “Monsieur” is “Mister.” So literally translated it would be something like “Mister Crunchy.” Call it what you will, this grilled ham and cheese sandwich topped with a creamy white cheese sauce is rich and hearty and surprisingly easy to make.
Mornay sauce is essentially Béchamel sauce with cheese and some seasonings. French sauces have a mystique about them and trying to make them has always seemed like a daunting task to me. However, I have recently discovered that at least the roux, béchamel and mornay sauces are surprisingly simple to make.
Béchamel Sauce is a basic French sauce used as a thickener and base for many other sauces and dishes. It is essentially a roux (equal parts fat and flour) with milk. Just because it’s a French sauce, don’t let it scare you away. It’s actually simple to make and can be incorporated into non-French meals, such as Macaroni and Cheese.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
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