FFwD - Chicken Liver Gâteaux with Pickled Onions

Chicken Liver Gâteaux with Pickled Onions

When I went to Napa last September I had dinner at Bouchon.  I had the best paté I've ever tasted.  It was so creamy, rich and delicate.  They served it in a terrine with a thin layer of delicious (duck?) fat over the top.  I've fantasized about that paté...yes, it was that good!

Since then I've looked for the recipe but can't find it on line and I've vowed to not buy a new cookbook until I use more of what I own but it just now occurs to me to check the library and YES they have it.  I've added my name to the reserve list.

This paté is good.  More of a slicing paté than a spreading paté but quite delicious.

 I'll admit to being squeamish about the liver when I thought about it but once I started working with them I was okay.  My liver was fatty which caused me to wonder about my chicken's diet and the fat surrounding my own liver but that's another topic!  Raw liver in the food processor had me reliving Rosemary's Baby and I wondered what my sleep/nightmare's might be.

My mother was a farm girl so I grew up watching and helping mom handle all kinds of meat and various innards.  She even MADE mince meat when that involved cooking a hog's head!...and she loved to pull me into her food projects:)

Anyhow, I've been wanting to make paté but was intimidated and I thank Dorie Greenspan and this group for pushing my comfort zone!    Oh yes, the pickled onions are quite good too and I'm looking for other ways to use them.

Check out the rest of the group at French Fridays with Dorie.  We're cooking from her book Around My French Table.

FFwD - Long and Slow Apples + Herb Speckled Spaetzle

I was in Memphis for last week's French Fridays Herb Speckled Spaetzle (say that 3 times quickly) and just didn't think my in-laws would enjoy it.  Well, that's kind of true but its also true to say I was afraid...yes, I feared the spaetzle.  I just couldn't visualize how this was going to work.  I finally got my courage up and made it when I got home.  I used my mom's old ricer and a lot of things I visualized happening happened!  The herbs didn't go through the little holes.  Some of the dough/batter stuck together and fell into the water in globs creating what I was sure would be gelatinous masses of goo.  After boiling the spaetzle goo I almost tossed it figuring I could boil pasta and combine with the butter, onions, mushrooms for a delicious dish.  But I pushed on and somehow the gelatinous goo globs became delicious spaetzle!  And it was Gary approved!

Herb Speckled Spaetzle does not photograph well:(

This week's recipe, Long and Slow Apples was as good and as easy as I expected.  The mandoline makes short work of the slicing.  I can't wait to read everyone else's post and see if the plastic wrap melted for them.  I checked the P&Q section and Mardi said hers melted.  Since mine was in the oven I quickly replaced my Glad wrap with parchment.  The apples turned out great!

Long and Slow Apples

I served mine with vanilla ice cream topped with a sprinkling of orange zest and toasted walnuts with a splash of Harlequin Orange Liquer.  Delicious, elegant and oh so easy!

All of the French Friday cooks can be found here!  Read about our adventures as we cook through Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table. Happy 2013 to one and all!

FFwD - Go With Everything Celery Root Puree

Celery Root

I was skeptical about this one from the get go.  Not because of the celery root but because of the mashed potatoeness.  Mashed potatoes are kind of sacred around here.  I don't mess with mashed potatoes.  They should be loaded with butter and salt and pepper and be plentiful!  Additions, unless its bacon, are not appreciated by any of the men in my family!

Having said that I was interested in the celery root.  I've seen it in the grocery store but never tried it.  When I was checking out the grocery clerk wanted to know all about what I was doing with it and my cooking group.  Another convert for Dorie?  Maybe!

I went with another unknown, turbot, to serve with the celery root.  The fishmonger described it as a pretty mild, fatty fish that was very fresh.

Celery Root Puree and Pan Fried Turbot
It looks so good, I liked it, Gary didn't.

The conclusion - don't put celery in the mashed potatoes and leave the turbot at the market!

For Christmas I got a Krups citrus juicer.  If you don't have one of these you need to get one!  How did I live without it for so many years?  I found a recipe for a Citrus Tart and used all orange instead of a combo of citrus.  This tart is creamy and custardy with just the right amount of orange.  Gary says its the best custard he's ever had and it saved the meal in his eyes!

Citrus Tart

I'm still visiting everyone's blog all the way back to the chicken a la Normande!  I hope to get caught up soon:)  Happy New Year to everyone!  I have a good feeling about 2013 and look forward to cooking with each and everyone of you!  AND I resolve to use the title Around My French Table more often!  Here's where you can find all the French Friday results

FFwD - Cheez-It-Ish Crackers

Cheez It Ish Crackers

These didn't work for me.  Since I'm running late I peeked at what other French Friday cooks were saying on the FF website and it looks like I am in the minority!  Where did I go wrong?  The dough did NOT come together in the food processor or after kneading a few times so I added a tablespoon of water.  Maybe 2-3 tablespoons would have been better but I squashed and pushed and shoved it together, wrapped it in plastic and hoped for the best.

The next day I couldn't get the dough to stay together long enough to roll out so I kind of squished it together to form little crackers.  I guess no one will be surprised when I say the crackers were kind of tough.  The flavor was good though!  I don't know what went wrong for me.  Maybe some of the Doristas have suggestions.  I topped each cracker with either Red Sea Salt or freshly ground pepper.  I thought they just needed something!

It was an entire day of cooking today.  Pumpkin bread, eight loaves...yes I said 8 loaves!  And caramel corn.  Now I have my neighbor gifts ready to deliver tomorrow.

My time with my grandson was wonderful!  He is so much fun, you know that point between baby and little boy?  He's right there.  Starting to play and talk and show his own little personality but still cuddly and needy.  Love it!

Every year I think I will have a Christmas Party.  So many of the French Friday cooks have their act together and do amazing things.  I'm not one of those:)  BUT I did have a little cocktail party of my own with Cheez-It-Ish Crackers, herbed olives and the Barefoot Contessa's Chipotle and Rosemary Roasted Nuts.  And Sofia!  Love me some Sofia:)  I haven't given up.  Next year I'll have that party:)

Thank you to all who participated in the Christmas card exchange.  They have been such a bright spot in this holiday season.  So much sadness in the world lately.  I look at my cards and think of the wonderful bonds formed in our little community of cooks and feel more hopeful for the world.

FFwD - Chicken, Apples and Cream á la Normande

Less than two weeks before Christmas.  I imagine all the French Friday cooks are rushing around like crazy trying to make a happy holiday for their families.  So much to do so little time.  All of the wonderful Christmas cards are helping to keep my spirits bright:)

Chicken, Apples, and Cream á la Normande

Luckily for us this week's recipe was easy and delicious!  When my husband heard what the dish would be he said "Noodles!".  "I want noodles!"  Not one to stand between anyone and a pasta product I cooked noodles and I have to say it was a great call.

I followed Dorie's serving suggestion and made Lemon-Steamed Spinach.  Delicious pairing! 

The next time I make this (and there will be many next times) I will either chunk the chicken or pound it (gently of course) into thinner pieces to help it cook faster.

I'm off to visit my grandson for a few days.  I know I'll be there for Christmas in just over a week but I need a visit NOW:)  Love that sweet baby!

FFwD - Creamy Cauliflower Soups sans Cream

How is it possible for a few vegetables and chicken stock to produce something so creamy?  So velvety?  So smooth?  So delicious?

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

We love cauliflower.  We love it in a gratin, boiled, mashed, roasted or fried.  I can't believe it never occurred to me to blend it into a soup.  That's why I need French Fridays.  That's why I'm thankful for Dorie's cookbook Around My French Table.

I topped my soup with bacon, thanks to a heads up from Cher and some fried thyme leaves.  I'd never fried thyme before but it is actually quite good with a bit of salt.  Just be sure its really dry before dropping the leaves into hot oil!

I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season.  My out of country Christmas cards went out yesterday.  The rest will go today.  Thank you to everyone participating in the card exchange.  I LOVE Christmas cards:)

TwD - Baking with Julia - Gingerbread Baby Cakes

I'm back!  Its been a couple of months since I participated in Baking with Julia but I've been missing the baking lately so decided to jump back in this month.

Baking with Julia - Gingerbread Baby Cakes

While I really like these little cakes I think they should be called molasses cakes instead of GingerBread Cakes.  I love the dense, chewy texture and the spicy bite provided by the fresh ginger and pepper make for a very sophisticated taste combination.  This is NOT a children's gingerbread cake!

Alas they were not a hit with my husband but that's why there are so many different recipes, right?  So everyone gets what they like!  I paired this with a little scoop of Starbucks Chocolate Chip ice cream and it was divine.

All I had on hand was sorghum and I'm not going to get into the whole sorghum vs molasses debate.  If you're a southerner you know what I mean!  I had sorghum.  I used sorghum.  It was good.  End of story.

Sadly my mustard yellow hand mixer that I received as a shower present from a dear neighbor 41 years ago died recently.  While she was a work horse and wonderful kitchen companion my new mixer is amazing!  Technology has indeed changed!!!

I'm happy to be back and I'm planning some catch up baking.  Karen at Karen's Kitchen Stories was the host for Gingerbread Baby Cakes and you can find the recipe on her site.  You can find all the bakers at Tuesdays with Dorie.

FFwD - Cheekless Beef Daube with Carrots and Macaroni

No beef cheeks.  No Le Creuset.  This week's French Friday was chuck roast in a crock pot!  But oh what Dorie can do with chuck roast.  And now I can do it too!!!

Beef Daube with Macaroni

I would love to try this with beef cheeks sometime but not even our butcher shop can get them.    Chuck roast makes a delicious substitute though and this was probably the best pot roast I've ever made.

Since I'm not feeling well (head cold, ugh!) I decided after browning the meat to use the crock pot and it worked out perfectly.  My husband gave it two thumbs up, then added two toes:)  AJ tried it out and also gave his approval...and wanted more:)

AJ asking for another bite!

The secret ingredient, bittersweet chocolate, added depth and just a touch of sweetness.  Or maybe the sweetness came from the wine.  Or a little of both.  I had a zinfandel and a cabernet on hand and decided the cab might be too heavy.  The zin was a tad sweet which is odd because it was also dry but worked out well and was delicious served with the daube.

This was one of the best French Friday recipes so far and will definitely be made again at my house!

A couple of weeks ago we made Goat Cheese Mini Puffs but I didn't blog them.  I just didn't love them and for me they weren't worth the effort.  Maybe for a party they would be nice just because they are different but I'd rather have the goat cheese spread on a crunchy cracker.

Goat Cheese Mini Puffs 

Oh yeah, I've made my olives from last week but we haven't tried them yet!  I'll let you know.

Herbed Olives

Check out all the French Friday results!  Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

FFwD - Top Secret Chocolate Mousse

Some things cause me to pause.  The first leaves falling in an autumn wind.  My grandson making eye contact with me.  Eating raw eggs.  Call me an impaired gourmand if you choose but that's who I am.

Top Secret Chocolate Mousse

I thought about whether to skip this recipe but I wanted to make it.  Thanks to a new Whole Foods I was able to find pasteurized eggs.  End of dilemma right?  Nope.  Pasteurized egg whites will not whip up into a light and airy meringue!  Will not!  The picture below shows egg whites that look more like...I'm not sure what.

Pasteurized egg whites whipped for 3 minutes

So I switched to regular egg whites and voila...after 1 minute look what I had!

Egg whites whipped for 1 minute!


We loved it!  An easy and elegant dessert!  Its great eaten immediately but the next day its kind of like a chocolate truffle.  Nothing wrong with that!  Oh yeah...I would like to report no illness as a result of eating raw eggs.  I didn't expect there would be but we all have our phobias

There has been much cussing and swearing as I write this!  See how I can't get out of the photo box!  I give up!  ANNOYING!

Check out all the French Friday cooks!

FFwD - Mushroom and Shallot Quiche

Many of the blogs I've read over the years talk about Nick Malgieri's pie crust so I decided to try it for this quiche. It worked great but it is quite different from a traditional flaky crust. It's more like a cookie crust which might seem odd with a mushroom quiche but somehow it goes together beautifully.

Mixing the quiche I was thinking it was a bit fussy with the sprinkle the thyme then the mushrooms and top with scallions and cheese so while I'm thinking about it being fussy I forgot to spread the mushrooms! Yes I forgot the mushrooms for the mushroom quiche! Luckily I wondered what was in the bowl on the counter...duh! I sort of dropped them on top and all was well.

I'll definitely make this again. I brought it to my daughter's in law house to share with her and we both enjoyed it. My son, the non mushroom eater wonders why I didn't substitute tomatoes... Maybe next time:)

I've just written my first post on my ipad. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one! Sorry but I don't know how to link back to the French Friday page. If anyone knows how I'd appreciate the info.

Happily so far all our NE Doristas seem to be in good shape. So sorry for all the folks with no power. Hope it will be back soon!