FFwD - Citrus Berry Terrine

I love grapefruit jello!  Let me rephrase that...I love jelled grapefruit juice...especially if you put in a few pieces of fruit.  Who knew jelled stuff could taste so good?

Served with a dab of whipped cream it makes a cool, refreshing and delicious dessert on a hot summer's evening.  Something different and delicious.  I can't wait to jell lots of juices!  And I halved the recipe because I didn't think we'd be that into it!

Check our all the French Friday cooks!

FFwD - Coconut-Lemongrass-Braised Pork

I'm late posting and can't think of anything to say about food.  I have this little distraction visiting me!  How am I to think about food, write about food when all I can think of is this little monkey, our first grandbaby?

Luckily for me this week's recipe is easy and delicious.  Dorie suggests using pork butt and I was tempted to use a leaner cut like a pork loin but I had just heard Dr. Zorba on NPR talking about eating fat and how the French eat foods higher in fat than we Americans do.  He said the French eat smaller amounts of good food while Americans eat
large amounts of bad food.  My plan was to use the fatter cut of pork and eat less.  Good plan but I don't know that I ate less.  What can I do?  I am American!  Just have to work out a little more I guess.

The French Friday website is temporarily down but should be back up and running by Monday.  Stop by to see what the other cooks have done.

FFwD - Cold Melon Berry Soup

I liked this......I'm just not sure what to DO with it!  Does that make sense?  I tried this recipe a couple of different ways and like it best without the berries and melon balls called for in the recipe.  That way its more like a slushy than a soup.  I tried no topping or topping it with a slightly sweet white wine as Dorie suggests and then I tried topping it with a bit of Sofia Blanc de Blanc and decided that's my favorite.  This is flavorful and refreshing but maybe my palate isn't refined enough for this soup.  Next time we're invited to our friend's house for an afternoon of sun and swimming I think I'll take this and some cheese straws and see how it works.  That might be the perfect serving setting for this cold soup!  Don't forget to check out everyone else's efforts. French Fridays with Dorie

FFwD - Tomatoes and Salmon en Papillote

This is a good and simple recipe and I ruined it!  First I was running behind so when the closest supermarket didn't have fresh salmon I bought frozen.    I've successfully used frozen fish in the past but this was not one of those times.  The fish was bland, dry and over cooked.  I'm still trying to figure out how salmon (package said fresh caught so it should have been flavorful), basil, rosemary, lemon, tomatoes and onions could be bland!  And I think 8 minutes would have been long enough.  Do you see those potatoes, though?  They were to die for.  I had a couple of new potatoes left over from my warm weather vegetable pot au feu (still playing catch-up) so I boiled them then sauteed them in olive oil and butter.  To Die For!  Stop by the  French Friday site to see what everyone else is doing.

Blackberry Buttermilk Cake - Bon Appetit

I have a goal!  Cook at least one recipe from every cooking magazine that comes through my house.  I'm not at 100%.  I'm not at 30% but I'm getting better.

July's Bon Appetit, one of my favorite magazines, especially since Gourmet is gone (sad).  We loved this cake just as it is but I'm eager to try it with frosting.....maybe orange marmalade cream cheese....and with other fruit.  Its easy to mix up but one word of caution, the recipe says bake 1 hour and 25 minutes.  I used a 9 inch springform pan and it was done in just over 60 minutes.  Watch it closely!

The nice folks at Bon Appetit very kindly make this recipe available on their website. Blackberry Buttermilk Cake

FFwD - Chunky beets and icy red onions

I've added several new recipes to our regular meal rotation since joining FF but the past part is the techniques I've learned and icy onions is one of them.  Icy onions on chicken burgers takes them from good to oh la la!

This salad is simple and delicious.  The earthy flavor of the beets and the crunchy mildness of the icy onions blend perfectly with the slightly sweet/slightly tart dressing and oregano accents and marries all the flavors into a perfect bite of deliciousness!  If you think you don't like beets try this salad.  You might change your mind.  Be sure to check out all the french friday cooks at french fridays with Dorie.