A Sunday Afternoon of Comfort Food

The first snow has fallen, the tree is up, and it's time for warm, comfort food.   Cooking on a Sunday afternoon is a great way to warm up the house, try new recipes, and prepare great food... and future leftovers.

In a previous enty, I mentioned Around My French Table, by Dorie Greenspan.    Gary, my husband,  came home late last week and asked if I had ever heard of the book.   Well!  I pulled it out, and he immediately flipped to the recipe he had heard about while listening to a podcast in the car.  The recipe was for Hachis Parmentier, the French version of Shepard's Pie.   I suggested we try the recipe, so off he went to the grocery to pick up a few ingredients. 

The vegetables were chopped and ready to start simmering with the beef.  Here's the pan ready to start.  It was just what we had hoped for.  The house smelled great, the kitchen was warm, the Packer's were winning. 

About three hours later, here's the beef, minus the vegetable, ready for the potato topping. 

The mashed potato topping the beef was imbibed with a little cream, butter, and warm milk.  Here's the final prep ready for the oven.

I started cooking around 3 and pulled the steamy, puffy dish out out the oven about 7.  The gruyere was melted and golden brown. 

If you have some time to chop, simmer, mash and bake, this is a wonderful, warm winter treat.   I have to admit that it did use several  pans and utensils.  It's not a one-pot wonder, but it's worth every pan.  Thanks Dorie, but a great book and delicious afternoon.

As you're looking for holiday gifts, I would put this book high on the list for your cooking friends.  
In the words of Julia Child,  Bon appetit!

Our Dear Julia

Over the past few weeks I've been thinking and referencing the great works of dear Julia Child.   Her personality radiates through the pages of her books. 

At the recent demo day at Bekah Kates, a kitchen store in Baraboo, I used Le Crueset cookware to demonstrate its wonderful uses.  The recipe I made was Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon.   I made it three times, actually.  Once at home before the store opened for tasting during the morning, and another while people shopped.  The smell of the deep, rich sauce greeted shoppers as they entered the store.   Several times people asked me, "it that "HER" recipe?", or, "did you see the movie?"   We all knew who we were talking about.   It just wasn't right not to make it just one more time the next day while spending time with friends.   Julia would have insisted!   As the leaves fall, give it a try!

About a month ago, I had a surprise arrive in the mail.  I had pre-ordered a cookbook and it arrived.   Not just any cookbook.  One of the best I've seem in a long time.   Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking With Julia, just wrote another amazing book,  Around My French Table.   Each recipe is well written and looks delicious.   While it's a beautiful book, it will be used and will be marked with the little sauce here, and a drip or two there.   Ms. Greenspan has a great blog if you're interested in learning more.

Another piece of Julia news!  In late October, ahead of schedule, As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto is being released.   I can't wait!   It's hard to imagine a book being better then her My Life in France but it will be fun to see. 

My most recent Julia moment was on Friday.   I made a wedding cake with spice cake and apricot lekvar filling.   The lekvar recipe was Julia's from Baking with Julia.  It's a delicious apricot paste with almonds and hint of brown sugar.  It's similar in consistence to thick applesauce.   The color is a deep pumpkin color which makes it a wonderful topping for scones, too.

Here's my recipe:
1 bag dried apricots (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cups slivered almonds
1/4 - 1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp.  grated lemon or orange zest
dash of lemon juice
2/3 cup water

Simmer the apricot, water and zest until the apricots are soft.  Combine apricots, brown sugar and almonds in a food processor and mix until smooth.  Spread in a pan, and cool, covered with plastic wrap.  Enjoy on scones, muffins or even as a cake filling.  Will keep 7-10 days in the refrigerated.

Enjoy autumn baking, cooking and entertaining.  Until next time, Bon Appetit!

Everyone is Successful in a Cooking Class

Cooking classes have been part of The Little French Bakery for over ten years.  The age of students has ranged from seven to seventy plus.  Topics have covered the food gamut.  The one thing they've all had in common is everyone has been successful.   As the class unfolds, I learn about the people and why they've decided to spend the day at The Little French Bakery.   I've learned it's not always about the food...

Students sign up for a class for many reasons.  Some want to gather with friends and family for a day together.  They laugh, talk, eat, eat some more, and learn a little about pastry or bread along the way.  I love these classes because for that day, I'm part of a new family or group of friend.   A not-so-invisible fly on the wall.  I learn of family dynamics, old family secrets, and share the bond that brought the group together.  Success!

Others come to pursue the art of bread baking.  They've tried at home, and are ready to master the techniques for great breads.  We talk a lot about ingredients and the role that each ingredient plays in the concert of final loaf.   My favorite part is the moment when the light bulb goes on for each person.   They realize when they may have been going wrong, and how to improve the bread they've been making.   We mix, knead, shape, bake and produce warm, wonderful loaves at the end of the day.   We've bonded with each other and the big hunk of dough we've spent the day with.   Another day of success.

Children arrive for a birthday celebrations.   They walk into the building unsure of exactly why they're there, and enter the world of pastry.  We wash hands, tie on the aprons and create frosting masterpieces around little cakes.   You can't use enough sprinkles.   Each child leaves with a unique cake and a memory that will last a lifetime.  I learn the latest in pre-teen pop culture.  Success!

Last weekend, I had a group of co-workers spend the day making soups.   They divided into groups of two and created three delicious soups, and six variations of scones.  Each person had different skills in the kitchen.  Some cooked often, some rarely.   They shared an interest in being together.  At the end of the day after the recipes, were complete I realized that each person felt successful, each for a different reason.

I can't wait for the upcoming classes this fall to see what new lessons my students bring me!

Time for Apple Pie

Welcome to The Little French Bakery Blog!

It's such a great time of year. Perfect for starting new projects and trying new recipes.

As many of you know, Gary and I just returned from Italy. We attended an amazing cooking class on wood-fired cooking. It was so fun to get up every day and fire the oven with the residual heat from the day before. We roasted, baked, grilled and learned many great new recipes. One of the best days was learning to remove all the bones from a chicken and roast it under bricks in the oven. I did it! A few years ago, I was wearing gloved to remove the neck from a chicken if there was a little left. Now... ta da! It's hard to believe that a whole chicken can be roasted in just 12-18 minutes, and be so delicious.

Another of my favorites was an apple crostada. A simple tart crust filled with apples and set on on the oven floor to bake. The first half of the baking was on parchment paper, then 2nd half directly on the oven floor. Wood fired cooking adds such a great dimension to food. Not smoky, but just moist and flavorful.

We arrived back at home just in time for fall and the start of apple season here in Wisconsin. I love apple pie! I've picked up some Cortland and yellow Delicious and am ready to start baking. This time, I'm going to try a new recipe, and bake in the outdoor oven. I'll give it a try and post the recipe if it turns out!

As you bake your apple desserts this fall, try adding some creme fraiche as a topping. It goes so well with apples. Another tip for a new taste is to omit the cinnamon and "usual" spices. Just add vanilla. The French aren't crazy about cinnamon and only use it sparingly. Once you try an apple dessert without cinnamon, you might be hooked.

To make creme fraiche: 2 cups heavy cream
1 T buttermilk
Stir together and allow to rest overnight (not refrigerated).
In the morning, stir the thickened creme fraiche and refrigerate, covered. It will continue to thicken and sour over the next few days. It can be kept up to 10 days or so. It can be whipped slightly for topping, or added to warm dishes as you would cream/sour cream without separating. Enjoy!