In honor of Notre Dame, a French themed dinner April 27, 2019

Hosted by Lauren

Aperitif: Sparkling Rose
With Dinner we also had a French Cider, some White Bordeaux, and San Pelligrino water.

Started with French onion Soup from Christiane

So delicious we ate it all before we took a picture!

I found a picture, though, of one portion I had prepared at home ;)

The recipe I used is from Epicurious. Copying it out here for easy access.

Ingredients
2 lb medium onions, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced lengthwise
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 Turkish bay leaves, or 1 California
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 tsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp black pepper
6 (1/2-inch-thick) diagonal slices of baguette
1 (1/2-lb) piece of Gruyere, Comte, or Emmental
2 tbsp finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cook onions, thyme, bay leaves, and salt in butter in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, about 45 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in wine and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in broth, water, and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

While soup simmers, put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Arrange bread in 1 layer on a large baking sheet and toast, turning over once, until completely dry, about 15 minutes. [I simply toasted the break in the toaster. It worked just fine.]

Remove croûtes from oven and preheat broiler. Put crocks in a shallow baking pan.

Discard bay leaves and thyme from soup and divide soup among crocks, then float a croûte in each. Slice enough Gruyère (about 6 ounces total) with cheese plane to cover tops of crocks, allowing ends of cheese to hang over rims of crocks, then sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until cheese is melted and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes.

For a main, Lauren made  crepes with Black Forest Ham and Gruyere Cheese.

Crêpes 

• 1&1/2 c. flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1&1/2 c. milk
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 stick butter (melted)
• 1 c. cold water

With a large whisk, mix flour, sugar, salt, eggs and about half the milk in a large bowl until blended. Add remaining ingredients, whisking vigorously until batter resembles a thin syrup. You can use the batter immediately or allow it to chill in the fridge for up to a day. Some argue that this allows an imperceptible fermentation to occur that improves the end product.

Pour about 3-4 tablespoons of batter into a hot, buttered pan. Lift and rotate pan until the batter coats the bottom. Cook over medium-high heat until the edges start to curl and brown. Flip the crêpe and cook the second side briefly. Place finished crêpes on a plate.

Put a crepe in a pan on medium  heat. Add thinly sliced ham and sliced Gruyere,  fold over and heat until cheese melts. 

Bechemal Sauce

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg (or more!)

In a saucepan over low heat. melt butter, add flour and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring with a whisk, do not brown. Add the milk and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, then simmer over low heat for 1 minute. Add the salt, white pepper, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.

Katherina made Haricot Vert al Provencale

This was from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I halved the recipe, and I used frozen green beans, as the introduction mentioned that this recipe is well suited to frozen beans.

1 cup thinly sliced onions
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large ripe firm tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Herb bouquet: 2 parsley sprigs, 1 small bay leav, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1 clove, tied in cheese cloth
1/2 cup liquid (squeezed from the tomatoes, with added water to make 1/2 cup)
1.5 pounds frozen green beans, de-frosted (at least partially)
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and pepper

To prepare the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Drop in one tomato at a time, leave for 10 seconds, then remove and rinse under cold water. Cut out the stem end and peel the tomato. Halve the tomato horizontally, and squeeze out the juice and seeds over a strainer set over a bowl. Chop the tomato flesh. Use the juice in the recipe.

In a large pot, cook the onions slowly in the olive oile until translucent but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, herb bouquet, liquid, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove the herb bouquet.

Add the beans to the pot. Cover and simmer slowly for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until they are tender. Most of the liquid should have evaporated by now. If not, uncover, raise heat and boil it off rapidly, tossing the beans. Correct seasoning, add parsley and serve



Kim made a Chocolate terrine with Ginger Creme Anglais.

Chocolate Terrine with Fresh Ginger Crème Anglaise
Terrine au Chocolat, Crème Anglaise au Gingembre

from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz
Serves 8

Terrine:
10 ounces (285g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
8 tablespoons (4oz/115g) unsalted butter, cubed
4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
pinch of sea salt or kosher salt
4 tablespoons (50g) granulated sugar

Fresh Ginger Crème Anglaise:
2 ounces (60g) unpeeled fresh ginger, sliced
2 cups (500ml) whole milk
1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
pinch of sea salt or kosher salt 
5 large egg yolks

1. To make the terrine, melt the chocolate and butter in a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  Remove from the heat, and let stand until the outside of the bowl feels tepid.

2. Whisk the egg yolks into the melted chocolate mixture, one at a time, until well blended.

3. Line a 9-inch (23cm) loaf pan with a sheet of plastic wrap and smooth it to remove as many wrinkles as possible.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment, or by hand, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt on high speed, until they start to hold their shape.  Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to whip until the egg whites are stiff and shiny, about 2 minutes more.  Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest, just until there are no streaks of egg white visible.

5. Scrape the chocolate mixture into the prepared loaf pan.  Rap the pan a few times on the counter to remove any air bubbles.  Smooth the top.  Refrigerate the terrine for at least 4 hours.  The terrine can be made ahead up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated.

6. To make the crème anglaise, combine the ginger slices with just enough water to cover them in a saucepan over medium heat, and simmer for 2 minutes.  Drain the ginger, discarding the liquid.  Put the blanched ginger slices back in the saucepan.  Pour in the milk, and then add the sugar and a pinch of salt.  Heat until the milk is steaming.  Remove from the heat, cover and steep for 1 hour.

7. Make an ice bath by nesting a metal bowl inside a larger bowl filled with ice and a little cold water.  Set a mesh strainer over the top.

8. Rewarm the milk.  In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks.  Whisk in some of the warmed milk mixture, and then scrape the warmed yolks into the saucepan.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom, sides and corners of the pan, until the custard is thick enough to coat the spatula.  Don't let the mixture boil.

9. Immediately strain the custard through the mesh strainer into the chilled bowl.  Discard the ginger in the strainer, and stir the crème anglaise with a clean spatula to help it cool down.  Once cool, refrigerate until ready to serve.  The crème angalise can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

10. To serve, unmold the terrine onto a plate and remove the plastic wrap.  For best results, dip a sharp knife into very hot water before cutting each slice.  Serve with a pitcher of very cold crème anglaise.

Variation: add 2 tablespoons of espresso or a favorite liquor, such as dark rum, Cognac or Grande Marnier, to the chocolate once it's melted in step 1.



Christiane will host next.