BEAUX VOYAGES
FRENCH RECIPES
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Click here to find the following French Recipes
Quiche Lorraine
Provencal Beef Stew
Salade Nicoise
Mousse au Chocolat
Ratatouille
Moules Marinieres (Seaman’s Mussels)- Mussels in
Wine Sauce
Easy Peche Melba (Peach Melba- Peche rhymes with
mesh)
Paella- (This one's from Spain)
FISH TAJINE A LA FRANCAISE
Coq au Vin (Chicken in Red Wine) Pronounced-
"coke o vanh"
Choucroute Recipe- pronounced- "shoe' croote'"
Recipes from the Hostellerie Berard in Provence
Quiche Lorraine
Provencal Beef Stew
Salade Nicoise
Mousse au Chocolat
Ratatouille
Moules Marinieres (Seaman’s Mussels)- Mussels in
Wine Sauce
Easy Peche Melba (Peach Melba- Peche rhymes with
mesh)
Paella- (This one's from Spain)
FISH TAJINE A LA FRANCAISE
Coq au Vin (Chicken in Red Wine) Pronounced-
"coke o vanh"
Choucroute Recipe- pronounced- "shoe' croote'"
Recipes from the Hostellerie Berard in Provence
French Onion Soup- Below is our
effort as it came out of the oven.
Scroll down to find recipe for Tarte
Flambee on this page.
effort as it came out of the oven.
Scroll down to find recipe for Tarte
Flambee on this page.
FRENCH ONION SOUP
Purists would insist that the beef broth be made from scratch. Since we’re not purists, we
suggest you simply buy ready made beef broth. With that this is an easy and good tasting
recipe. The croutons add a little more flavor, or one could just use toasted baguette slices.
SOUP:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 large or 6 medium sized yellow onions
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup brandy or cognac
1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard
½ teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons flour
2 quarts beef stock
1 ½ cups dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
CROUTONS:
12 thick slices French bread
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
CHEESE GRATINEE:
6 ounces Gruyere, shredded
6 ounces mozzarella, shredded
3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
For the soup:
1. Melt the butter in a large stock pot and add the olive oil. Add the onions and cook over
medium high heat, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. Add garlic and sugar, then
reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden brown,
about 40 minutes.
2. Pour in brandy, add the mustard and thyme. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring frequently for
3 minutes.
3. Gradually stir in the beef stock and wine (one could use half beef with half chicken stock if
preferred). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 1
hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (about 175 degrees C).
5.To make the croutons, spread one side of each bread slice with butter and olive oil. Sprinkle
with the garlic. Toast the prepared side only on a baking sheet until crusty and golden. Keep
a close eye on this so it doesn’t toast too much and burn.
6. Combine the 3 cheeses for the gratinee
7. Preheat broiler
8. Ladle the hot soup into 6 oven-proof soup bowls to three quarters full. Float two croutons in
the center of each bowl. Top each bowl lavishly with the cheeses. Broil 6 inches from the heat
until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Serves 6. We served this with small ham and cheese sandwiches. One could also serve with
a salad. This is hearty soup, so it can go with a red wine, such as a cab or merlot, or a pinot
noir. We had it with an Australian wine called the Stump Jump. I call it “poor man’s
Chateauneuf du Pape”. Pretty good for about 8 bucks or so.
Let us know how you liked the recipe by making a comment on our blog. If you made changes
that worked well, let everyone know about them.
Tarte Flambee (pronounced: tart flahm-bay)
Alsatian Tart
This tart used to be baked in the ovens of bakeries
where it would be licked by the flames- hence its name.
2 tablespoons peanut oil or olive oil
1 onion (about 3 oz/l00 g), finely chopped
1 cup (8 fl oz/250ml) creme fraiche
(Note- if you can't find creme fraiche use 4 oz. heavy cream and 4 oz. sour cream mixed
together. The heavy cream alone is not thick enough)
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 pinches of freshly grated nutmeg
5 oz (150 g) bacon (Note- If you use thick sliced bacon, it's more like the bacon in France)
13 oz (400g) bread dough (recipe this page-below)
Heat half the oil in a nonstick l0-in (26-cm) skillet. Add
the onion and cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes
or until golden.
Combine the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the
onion. Cut the bacon into thin matchsticks. Heat the remaining oil
in the skillet and fry the bacon until lightly browned,
about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Drain on paper towels and set
aside.
Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Oil a 14 x 9-in (35 x
22-cm) baking sheet. Roll out the bread dough until slightly
smaller than the baking sheet; place it on the sheet. Spread
the onion mixture over the dough and dot with the bacon.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the tart is lightly browned.
Serve hot.
SERVES 6 as an appetizer (starter) or 2-4 as a main course.
Serve with white wine or beer. The Alsatians use both. This is a country dish, not
haute cuisine, so one needn't get too uppity about the wine.
Pate a Pain- Bread Dough
A word about making this dough- You can just buy a prepared bread dough and use that.
We made this ourselves, however, to check out the recipe. If you've never made bread dough
from scratch before, it's an experience. When you first mix the mixture with your hands, it
sticks like crazy to your fingers. You just have to keep working the dough in your fingers and
try to stretch it out (the kneading process) for the 10 minutes. It will then hold together much
better and not be so sticky. It turned out to be very good. It did not stick to the pan, and the
center was done as well, not just the sides. It's a good recipe, just a bit of work.
For approximately 1 1/2 lb (750g) dough:
1 teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons (3 fl oz/100 mI) lukewarm water
1 envelope (1/4 oz/7 g) dry yeast
1 lb. (500 g) all purpose (plain) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup (5 fl oz/150 mI) lukewarm milk
Place the sugar in a cup. Add the lukewarm water and
stir until the sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle on the yeast, stir
in, and let rise in a warm place for about 10 minutes, or
until the mixture reaches the edge of the cup.
Sift the flour onto a work surface or a bowl and sprinkle with salt.
Mix in the salt and make a well in the middle. Pour
in the milk and the yeast mixture.
Mix all ingredients together, using the fingertips in a
quick movement from the center to the edges, then roll the
dough into a ball. Knead it by stretching out the dough in
front of you, then folding it in two, giving it a quarter turn
in a counterclockwise direction and repeating the operation. Continue to knead the dough in
this way for about 10 minutes, or until it is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky.
Place the dough in a floured bowl and cover with a clean,
damp towel. Let rise in a warm draft-free area until doubled
in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
Turn the risen dough onto a floured work surface and
flatten with the palm of the hand, then knead as before for
about 3 minutes. The dough is then ready for use.
Note- if you do this beforehand and put the dough into the
refrigerator, take it out an hour before use and let it
warm to room temperature.
Purists would insist that the beef broth be made from scratch. Since we’re not purists, we
suggest you simply buy ready made beef broth. With that this is an easy and good tasting
recipe. The croutons add a little more flavor, or one could just use toasted baguette slices.
SOUP:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 large or 6 medium sized yellow onions
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup brandy or cognac
1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard
½ teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons flour
2 quarts beef stock
1 ½ cups dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
CROUTONS:
12 thick slices French bread
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
CHEESE GRATINEE:
6 ounces Gruyere, shredded
6 ounces mozzarella, shredded
3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
For the soup:
1. Melt the butter in a large stock pot and add the olive oil. Add the onions and cook over
medium high heat, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. Add garlic and sugar, then
reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden brown,
about 40 minutes.
2. Pour in brandy, add the mustard and thyme. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring frequently for
3 minutes.
3. Gradually stir in the beef stock and wine (one could use half beef with half chicken stock if
preferred). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 1
hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (about 175 degrees C).
5.To make the croutons, spread one side of each bread slice with butter and olive oil. Sprinkle
with the garlic. Toast the prepared side only on a baking sheet until crusty and golden. Keep
a close eye on this so it doesn’t toast too much and burn.
6. Combine the 3 cheeses for the gratinee
7. Preheat broiler
8. Ladle the hot soup into 6 oven-proof soup bowls to three quarters full. Float two croutons in
the center of each bowl. Top each bowl lavishly with the cheeses. Broil 6 inches from the heat
until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Serves 6. We served this with small ham and cheese sandwiches. One could also serve with
a salad. This is hearty soup, so it can go with a red wine, such as a cab or merlot, or a pinot
noir. We had it with an Australian wine called the Stump Jump. I call it “poor man’s
Chateauneuf du Pape”. Pretty good for about 8 bucks or so.
Let us know how you liked the recipe by making a comment on our blog. If you made changes
that worked well, let everyone know about them.
Tarte Flambee (pronounced: tart flahm-bay)
Alsatian Tart
This tart used to be baked in the ovens of bakeries
where it would be licked by the flames- hence its name.
2 tablespoons peanut oil or olive oil
1 onion (about 3 oz/l00 g), finely chopped
1 cup (8 fl oz/250ml) creme fraiche
(Note- if you can't find creme fraiche use 4 oz. heavy cream and 4 oz. sour cream mixed
together. The heavy cream alone is not thick enough)
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 pinches of freshly grated nutmeg
5 oz (150 g) bacon (Note- If you use thick sliced bacon, it's more like the bacon in France)
13 oz (400g) bread dough (recipe this page-below)
Heat half the oil in a nonstick l0-in (26-cm) skillet. Add
the onion and cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes
or until golden.
Combine the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the
onion. Cut the bacon into thin matchsticks. Heat the remaining oil
in the skillet and fry the bacon until lightly browned,
about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Drain on paper towels and set
aside.
Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Oil a 14 x 9-in (35 x
22-cm) baking sheet. Roll out the bread dough until slightly
smaller than the baking sheet; place it on the sheet. Spread
the onion mixture over the dough and dot with the bacon.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the tart is lightly browned.
Serve hot.
SERVES 6 as an appetizer (starter) or 2-4 as a main course.
Serve with white wine or beer. The Alsatians use both. This is a country dish, not
haute cuisine, so one needn't get too uppity about the wine.
Pate a Pain- Bread Dough
A word about making this dough- You can just buy a prepared bread dough and use that.
We made this ourselves, however, to check out the recipe. If you've never made bread dough
from scratch before, it's an experience. When you first mix the mixture with your hands, it
sticks like crazy to your fingers. You just have to keep working the dough in your fingers and
try to stretch it out (the kneading process) for the 10 minutes. It will then hold together much
better and not be so sticky. It turned out to be very good. It did not stick to the pan, and the
center was done as well, not just the sides. It's a good recipe, just a bit of work.
For approximately 1 1/2 lb (750g) dough:
1 teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons (3 fl oz/100 mI) lukewarm water
1 envelope (1/4 oz/7 g) dry yeast
1 lb. (500 g) all purpose (plain) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup (5 fl oz/150 mI) lukewarm milk
Place the sugar in a cup. Add the lukewarm water and
stir until the sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle on the yeast, stir
in, and let rise in a warm place for about 10 minutes, or
until the mixture reaches the edge of the cup.
Sift the flour onto a work surface or a bowl and sprinkle with salt.
Mix in the salt and make a well in the middle. Pour
in the milk and the yeast mixture.
Mix all ingredients together, using the fingertips in a
quick movement from the center to the edges, then roll the
dough into a ball. Knead it by stretching out the dough in
front of you, then folding it in two, giving it a quarter turn
in a counterclockwise direction and repeating the operation. Continue to knead the dough in
this way for about 10 minutes, or until it is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky.
Place the dough in a floured bowl and cover with a clean,
damp towel. Let rise in a warm draft-free area until doubled
in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
Turn the risen dough onto a floured work surface and
flatten with the palm of the hand, then knead as before for
about 3 minutes. The dough is then ready for use.
Note- if you do this beforehand and put the dough into the
refrigerator, take it out an hour before use and let it
warm to room temperature.
