"The recipes that you have as a child are very powerful, they are very visceral. They stay with you, too. I remember many recipes, but certainly one of them, when my mother used to go to the garden just before we ate, and unearthed those tiny potatoes we called grenaille in France, which are like a fingerling potato."
A great and very traditional bistro cut is the bavette steak, also known as flank steak here in the U.S. You'll see it all over Paris, and in more and more American restaurants. Sometimes called a flap steak, the bavette steak is cut from the bottom sirloin. This makes it relatively lean, but it has a looser, more tender texture, and it is considered very flavorful.
Fashioned after a traditional French gateau Breton, the gateau Basque and even the galette des rois—all cakes made of sweet or quick puff dough doubled up and filled with fruit or cream or nuts—this cake, uniquely Louisianan and lovingly called gateau nana, takes inspiration from each.
The story of poule au pot starts in Pau, in southwestern France, a city famous for this chicken dish and as the birthplace of its alleged originator, le Bon Roi Henri - otherwise known as Henry VI, King of France for 21 years bridging the 16th and 17th centuries. Good King Henry has gone down in history for his benevolence.
"You used to have to dress up to go out to lunch," says the fashion designer, cabaret singer, and foremost man-about-town Isaac Mizrahi. "I really liked the idea of having a reason to put on a coat and tie. But over the years, everything has become much more casual. Now you go in a sweatshirt, and it's okay because everybody around you is dressed like that."
Suddenly, a strange, loud, rhythmic, prolonged noise, like the dying moan of an organ, then the dying wail of the breeze sighing in the cloisters, struck the indignant ears of the nuns with astonishment. The nuns all turned to stare at Sister Agnès, who in her embarrassment, tripped and let fly a spoonful of her chou pastry dough into a pot of boiling fat, and the doughnut-like pet de nonne, 'nun's fart' was born.
Of the five mother sauces, velouté is extremely under-appreciated and not talked about enough. It's what we as Americans call gravy, which we know has so many various uses. Velouté, which means velvety in French, is made with a light roux (or a mixture of flour and fat, like butter), stock or broth, and some seasoning like salt and pepper, and a bay leaf.
The traditional French cassoulet of white beans and confit duck is considered to be an ultimate comfort food, and we think this vegetarian version is equally as satisfying. This mixed mushroom cassoulet recipe, from the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye, yields a comforting and nourishing dish, perfect for those choosing to cut down on their meat consumption (or for those who just really love mushrooms).
Proper homemade mac and cheese, with tender noodles swimming in a creamy, cheesy sauce, is already about as good as it gets. The culinarians of the internet, however, have a simple one-ingredient change that will take your next round of baked mac and cheese to the next level: lobster base. This product, like Better Than Bouillon's Premium Lobster Base, is essentially lobster concentrate, used to whip up a quick lobster stock for things like lobster bisque.
Heavy whipping cream is one of those things that pops up in a lot of recipes, but for some reason, it's never sold in exactly the amount you need. Instead, you're always left with some odd amount of heavy cream left over and no real idea what to do with it because, well, the recipe you bought it for is done now. That's where these recipes to use up heavy cream come in handy.
Starting with the tortillas and a piece of aluminum foil (shiny side down), Pépin drizzles olive oil on the foil, to grease both the foil and tortillas (rubbing them into the oil and flipping to coat the other side). Next, he slices ripe, fresh tomato, and covers his tortillas with the slices, along with a "bit of mild onion," followed by salt and pepper, and a few hand-torn pieces of fresh basil.
Don't be intimidated by fresh mushrooms. They are prized for their flavor and versatility. Look for firm mushrooms that are free of soft spots or mold. Wash them just before using them but be sure to store them unwashed. Never submerge in water to wash them because mushrooms absorb like a sponge and become mushy. Wipe with moist paper towels. Some prefer to clean them with a soft-bristled mushroom brush. If extremely dirty, they can be very briefly dunked into cold water and wiped dry.
