Browsing Tag

french

French Onion Soup

Autumn has arrived in full swing and we find ourselves betraying our favorite summer foods like a wicked adulteress. We’ve been ditching salads, ignoring the barbecue, and even walking away from one of our best friends, sushi. Instead, our fickle appetites have found a new love, warm and hearty comfort foods. This week our new love is soup, and today, we have a crush on French onion soup.

Made of beef broth, onions, croutons, and cheese, this ancient soup has enjoyed a rebirth beginning in the 1960’s when French food came into vogue in America (I believe we were late to the party!).

Where did it come from? Although onions have always been a staple among poverty stricken diners since ancient Roman times, ironically French onion soup was presumed to have been invented by French royalty, King Louis the XV. The story is that, in his hunting lodge, alone with only onions, butter, and champagne (poor thing), he created the world’s first French Onion Soup.

We love this version by Chef John in this video, and you may find his full written recipe here.

French Onion Soup from Foodwishes on Vimeo.

Do you have a favorite version of French onion soup? Do tell! Post your link or recipe in the comment section below!

Dessert Recipes

Crème brûlée, overrated?

Overrated, too popular, too trendy, so over. Such are the harsh words brought up by creme brulee, or crème brûlée properly written in French.

Au contraire says Savory Tv! Besides the fact that we are hopeless romantics and love this creme brulee screenshot from the film Amelie , here are our reasons:

Creme brulee is a classic, perfect, delicious french dessert. So classic, in fact, that it dates back to the year 1691, when the recipe was first displayed in the cookbook by François Massialot. François was a talented Parisian chef who cooked for several members of the French royal circle. Translated to “burnt cream” in French, creme brulee’s rich vanilla custard contrasts beautifully with it’s crispy caramelized topping, making it a perfect ending for your meal. And here’s the best part, you now have an excuse to buy a Crème Brûlée Torch!

Choose a classic recipe such as this one from Canadian Chef Michael Smith, or mix it up with a creative version using butternut squash as shown in this video and recipe by our friend Chef John Mitzewich. Either way your friends will adore you. As they should.

Caramel Crème Brûlée
Chef Michael Smith

* 1 cup plus 6 tbsp of sugar
* 1/2 cup of water
* 2 cups of milk
* 1 cup of 35% whipping cream
* 1 tablespoon vanilla
* pinch of salt
* 8 egg yolks

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Make a caramel with 1 cup of sugar and the water by placing them in a large saucepot and bringing to a boil without stirring. The sugar will dissolve and begin to bubble. Let it boil for about 5 minutes, watching carefully as the water boils off and it begins to turn yellow. Gently swirl until the sugar turns an even golden. Take it off of the heat before it gets brown. Quickly pour the milk and cream into the caramel along with the vanilla and salt and whisk until incorporated.
3. Whisk eggs and then slowly pour the caramel mixture into them, a little at a time, whisking constantly.
4. Pour into 6 ramekins or crème brulee dishes and bake in a hot water bath in the oven for 30 minutes, or until edges are set and centre is slightly jiggly.
5. Just prior to serving, sprinkle with the remaining sugar and caramelize with a blowtorch.

Appetizer Recipes French Recipes

Cheese ambrosia! Chef Jacques Pépin shares a favorite family appetizer

Author and Master Chef Jacques Pépin and his daughter Claudine show us their family French recipe of fromage fort, meaning “strong cheese” in English. This creative appetizer utilizes all of the random small pieces of cheese that you may have stashed in your fridge! Use camembert, swiss cheese, goat cheese, brie, or whatever you happen to have available. Combined with white wine, garlic, and pepper, the end result is a warm cheese blend that may be served on baguette toast or crackers for a heavenly appetizer or snack.

Watch the video for the details, and visit the Food and Wine Magazine site for more delicious recipes.

Fromage Fort
Chef Jacques Pepin

1/2 pound cheese pieces
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup dry white wine
Black pepper
Salt

Put 1/2 pound of cheese pieces in the bowl of a food processor, add 1 garlic clove, about 1/4 cup of dry white wine and a big grinding of black pepper. Salt is usually not needed, but taste the mixture and add some if it is. Process for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is creamy but not too soft, and then pack it into small containers. The fromage fort is now ready to use. You may serve it cold or spread on bread and broiled for a few minutes. Broiling will brown the cheese and make it wonderfully fragrant.