Recipes: Flavors of France Cooking Class

Serving for 4

1 T distilled white vinegar
4 large eggs
2 T olive oil
4 oz thick cut bacon, cut into 1⁄2 inch strips
1 shallot, finely chopped
1⁄2 cup red wine vinegar
2 large heads of frisee lettuce, torn into bite size peices
2 T fresh chives

Poaching Eggs
1. Pour water into a large saucepot to about 3⁄4 of the way up and turn on high.
2. Once water is at a simmer, pour in white vinegar.
3. Create a vortex by swirling a whisk in a clockwise motion. Crack the eggs one by one into the pot.
4. Cook the eggs until the white is set, but the inside is still runny, about 3 minutes.
5. Immediately place in an ice bath to cool.

Bacon Vinaigrette
1. Heat oil in a large sautepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan,until the bacon is starting to brown, about 6-7 minutes.
2. Add the shallot, and cook until transulent.
3. Add the red wine vinegar and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce by half.
5. Season to taste, and once cooled slightly drizzle over the frisee, and top with a poached egg and chives, and serve immediately.

Serving 4

1⁄2 cup EVOO
1 onion, medium diced
1 large eggplant, quartered lengthwise, and sliced into 1/3 inch slices
Salt and Pepper
1 1⁄2 red peppers, large diced
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise, and sliced into 1/3 inch slices
8 oz canned tomato, crushed
1 T chopped oregano
1 tsp red wine vinegar

1. In a large saucepan, heat 1 T of the olive oil.
2. Add the onion, and cook over moderate heat until softened.
3. Add the eggplant, and 3 T of the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the red peppers, zucchini and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and cook until softened, 7 minutes.
5. Stir in the tomatoes and oregano and cook until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is thick, about 20 minutes.
6. Stir in the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and let cool.
7. Once cooled, fill in tart shells and serve.

Tart Shell

Servings of 4

1 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 # butter, cold and cut into 1⁄8 inch pieces
3 T ice water

1. Put flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor. Add butter and quickly cut it into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. Add ice water and mix briefly, about 30 seconds, to form a soft dough. Remove dough, shape into a thick disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. Bring to cool room temperature before rolling.
3. To roll, lightly flour dough and counter. Roll out gradually, periodically letting dough rest for a moment before continuing. This makes rolling easier and will keep dough from shrinking back during baking.
4. Roll dough to a thin round approximately 13 inches in diameter, then trim to make a 12-inch circle (refrigerate and save trimmings for patching). Lay dough loosely into a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom, letting it relax a bit. Fold overlap back inside to make a double thickness, then press firmly against the pan so the finished edge is slightly higher than the pan. Refrigerate or freeze for 30 minutes before pre-baking.
5. Put a sheet of parchment over shell, and place “pie weights” in the pans, most commonly used is dried beans, but pennies can be used as well.
6. Bake using the weights for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan, and remove the weights, then bake for another 5 minutes. Let cool.

Serving for 4

8 chicken drumsticks
Salt and Pepper
3 T all purpose flour
2 T blended oil
2 slices of bacon, sliced
8 baby carrots
8 pearl onions
1 1⁄2 cups chopped mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1⁄2 cup brandy
1 T tomato paste
1 bottle dry red wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 thyme sprigs

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and dust with 2 T of flour.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the chicken and cook over moderately high heat, turning until golden brown in color, about 5 minutes each. Remove chicken from the pan.
3. In the same pan, add the bacon and render until crisp. Add the carrots, mushrooms, onions, and garlic then cook over moderate heat, stirring until golden.
4. OFF HEAT, add the brandy to the pan, and put it back on the stove top. IT WILL FLAME UP, so BE CAREFUL and AWARE EVERYONE AROUND YOU!!!
5. Reduce by half, and stir in the tomato paste and the remaining 1 T of flour until incorporated. Add the wine, stock, and thyme and bring to a boil.
6. In a large deep hotel pan, places the chicken legs and the liquid in the pan together. Cover with foil, and cook at 350 degrees for 1 1⁄2 hours.

Serving for 4

6 Yukon gold potatoes
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 T peeled truffles (or 1 T truffle oil)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Peel and boil the potatoes until fork tender, about 25 minutes.
3. Drain and place the potatoes on a baking sheet.
4. Bake the potatoes for 5-7 minutes to draw out moisture.
5. While the potatoes are baking, heat the cream, butter, and truffle together on low heat to make sure it doesn’t boil over.
6. Once the potatoes are out of the oven, immediately rice the potatoes.
7. Mix the riced potatoes with the cream mixture and season to taste.

Serving 4

1⁄2 cup butter, cut into pieces
1⁄2 cup water
1⁄2 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large eggs, beaten
Egg wash – 1 egg plus 1 T milk

1. Combine the butter, water, milk, salt, and sugar together in a medium saucepot over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted.
2. Bring mixture to a simmer, and once simmering reduce heat to low, and add the flour all at once.
3. Stir until the flour is completely incorporated and a thick dough clumps into a ball. Cook the ball of flour for one minute.
4. Remove from heat and place in a kitchenaid mixing bowl. Allow to cool down briefly.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs in 3-4 seperate additions mixing for 30 seconds between each addition. The last addition of egg POUR IN VERY SLOWLY just in case not all the egg needs to be added.
6. The desired dough will look shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipeable consistency.
7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two large sheet trays with parchment, and lightly brush with water.
8. Transfer choux dough to a piping bag, and pipe dough into 2 inch mounds about 3 inches apart. Using a moistened finger, smooth down the peaks and lightly brush each with egg wash.
9. Bake for 20 minutes then keep the pastries in the oven, and reduce oven to 350 degrees, and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

***DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING THIS PROCESS, AS COOL AIR WILL PREVENT THEM FROM PROPERLY PUFFING UP****

10. Allow to cool then split open the pastries, and fill with the orange creme. Top with lavender honey and crushed pistachios if desired.

Serving for 4

1 cup whole milk
3 T + 1 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt
2 medium oranges
3 large egg yolks
1/2 oranges, zested
1 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Pour the milk into a medium sauce pot and add the sugar and salt.
2. Grate the zest of the 2 oranges into the milk and gently warm, remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes covered and off heat.
3. In a Kitchenaid mixing bowl, beat the cream and vanilla together until thickened and set.
4. Whisk the egg yolks in separate bowl.
5. Gently rewarm the milk, and add 1⁄3 of the mixture to the egg yolks, and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture into the remaining milk, and place back onto the heat, stirring constantly to ensure curdling doesn’t happen. Cook until the custard begins to thicken
and coats the spatula.
6. Immediately strain the custard into a bowl, and place in an ice bath pressing the zest in the strainer to extract as much flavor out.
7. Stir the custard until cool. When the creme anglaise is cooling, grate the orange into the custard.
8. In the bowl with the whipped cream, add in one cup of the orange creme anglaise. Add more anglaise until desired taste, but making sure it isn’t too runny. Chill until needed.

Serving 4

1/2 cups honey
1 T dried lavender

1. Pour the honey into a medium heavy saucepan, and place over medium heat. Use a large pot large enough just in case honey boils over.
2. Add in the dried lavender and let the honey come to a boil.
3. Let the honey boil for about 5 minutes to infuse, then remove from heat.
4. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, and let cool for an hour before use.