Category: France

Pressure Cooker Mushroom Bourguignon

Note: I was sent a copy of The Big Book of Instant Pot Recipes: 240 Must-Try Dishes for Your Multi-Function Cooker for review. Opinions are mine alone.

I’ve mentioned many times before how much I love my multi-cooker. I tend to use it a lot on weekends to help prep meals for the week, but it’s also a life saver on weeknights — you can get a delicious meal that tastes like it’s been cooking all day on the table in 45 minutes or less!

So when I heard about a new cookbook that is going to be published soon (September 24, 2019 to be exact) that has a ton of awesome multi-cooker recipes, I was excited to check it out.

The Big Book of Instant Pot Recipes: 240 Must-Try Dishes for Your Multi-Function Cooker (paid link) by Kristy Bernardo, Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri, Amy Rains, and Stefanie Bundalo contains 240 recipes for every occasion that the authors have adapted for the Instant Pot, and the vast majority of these recipes take less than 45 minutes, making home-cooking and family meal time simple, fast, and delicious for readers of all levels of cooking experience.

Divided into eight thorough chapters, Breakfast, Lunch, Soups and Stews, Pastas, Mains, Sides, Desserts, and Condiments and Sauces, The Big Book of Instant Pot® Recipes offers readers a plethora of healthy dishes that will take less than 45 minutes to prepare and are great for every occasion. Moreover, nearly all the dishes are either vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, or paleo-friendly, accommodating all dietary needs.

I think most people know how great pressure cookers can be for tough cuts of meat, so I wanted to try one of the meatless options in the cookbook. This Pressure Cooker Mushroom Bourguignon is a simplified (and meatless) version of a French classic — typically a beef stew braised in red wine / beef broth.

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or margarine to make dairy free)
  • 1 (8 oz) container sliced mushrooms
  • 1 (8 oz) container whole mushrooms, cut in half
  • 1 (4 oz) container gourmet mushroom blend
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
  • 1 celery rib, chopped (or kept in larger pieces if you intend to remove)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1 cup water
  • 3/4 cup beef or vegetable stock, divided
  • 1 oz dried mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • cooked egg noodles (optional, substitute mashed potatoes for gluten free)
  • fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

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Pressure Cooker Coq Au Vin

When I first began learning to cook, Coq Au Vin was one of the first recipes I attempted to make. And boy, did I fail miserably. So I’ve stayed away from the recipe since — I haven’t tried to make it in over a decade!

I figured it was time to finally try making it again, and use my trusty multi-cooker to make it fail-proof!

This one-pot-wonder for Pressure Cooker Coq au Vin takes about 80 minutes to prepare, so I’d suggest saving this for a weekend. I made this on a Sunday and saved it to eat during the week.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed
  • 4 ounces pancetta, diced
  • 2.5 lbs chicken, assorted pieces (I used bone-in and boneless chicken thighs and legs)
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 (8 oz) container sliced mushrooms
  • 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
  • 3 garlic gloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup brandy
  • 1/2 (375 ml) bottle dry red wine
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 10 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
  • buttered egg noodles, cooked (optional)

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French Onion Soup

 Note: I was sent a box of Vidalia onions to make this post. Opinions are mine alone.

When I first received a box of Vidalia onions, I knew I had to make French Onion Soup. The sweetness of the onions, especially after caramelizing, is perfect for this recipe.

French Onion Soup is a favorite of mine. Who doesn’t love comforting soup with a bunch of bread and cheese goodness on top?

My version below is adapted from a recipe I found on Food Network.

Ingredients:

  • 6 Vidalia
  • 4
  • 1/4 cup sherry
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

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Freezable Ratatouille

This Freezable Ratatouille is another recipe my friend and I made last weekend during our cooking marathon. This time of year is perfect for making a huge batch of ratatouille and freezing it!

Ratatouille is a produce-heavy dish, using eggplants, zucchini, onions, and peppers. My friend doesn’t really love eggplant, so I used fairy tale eggplants which are smaller, with thinner skins and are a bit sweeter than regular eggplants.

This Freezable Ratatouille also allows you to do a lot of the prep work ahead of time. The vegetables are cooked separately, so prep work does go into a bunch of bags, but it makes the cooking process much easier. We used a recipe from The Kitchn as our base.

Ingredients (makes 8 to 10 servings):

  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 3 medium green bell peppers, chopped
  • 6 to 8 medium zucchini, cut into bit sized pieces
  • 4 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 fairy tale eggplants
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1/4 cup basil, sliced into ribbons, plus more for garnish
  • salt and pepper, to taste

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Brandade (Whipped Salt Fish Spread)

One of my favorite parts of this blog is challenging myself to use new and different ingredients and/or new and different techniques. So when I was contacted to participate in CFE’s International Saltfish Blogger Recipe Challenge, I jumped at the chance.

So what exactly is saltfish? It is fish, typically cod, pollock, or other white fish cured with dry salt to preserve it. This method of preservation dates back centuries, as it helped preserve fish without refrigeration.

CFE International offers a number of brands of salt fish: Buena Ventura, Cristobal, BacalaRico, and Isla Brisa. For this challenge, I was sent some Isla Brisa Salted Alaska Pollock Fillets to use in a recipe. (You can find these brands of saltfish in your local Cousins, H-Mart, Jetro, Price Chopper, and Price Rite supermarkets.)

I decided to do a spin on Brandade (Whipped Salt Fish Spread), a salt fish spread popular in Mediterranean countries. It’s also known as Brandada in Spain, and Baccala Mantecato in Italy.

The spread is whipped salt fish, potatoes, olive oil, and cream with seasoning and is served with crusty bread. My version below adds in some roasted garlic, caramelized onions, and horseradish to add new layers of flavor.

Ingredients:

Roasted Garlic:

  • 6-8 peeled garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Caramelized Onions:

  • 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • salt, to taste

Brandade:

  • 12 oz Isla Brisa saltfish
  • 2 medium potatoes
  • roasted garlic, recipe below
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half
  • 1 tablespoon horseradish
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, plus more for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons dill, plus more for garnish
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • sliced baguette,

 

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Tapenade

Last weekend, friends of mine invited us to an awesome Scotch tasting. They had recently visited Islay and brought back some for us to try as well! Each Scotch was paired with a bite of food to bring out some of the flavors, including oysters, lamb kofta, pheasant sausage and so much more.

I naturally didn’t want to come empty handed so I brought this simple olive tapenade along with me.

Tapenade is a pureed mixture of olives, anchovies, capers and olive oil. Salty foods always pair nicely with spirits, so this recipe was an easy choice to bring to the party.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (9 oz) jar pitted kalamata olives, drained
  • 1 (9 oz) jar pitted green olives, drained
  • 3 anchovy fillets, patted dry
  • 2  garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons capers
  • 3 fresh basil leaves
  • the juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • crusty bread or raw vegetables

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Slow Cooker Boeuf Bourguignon

I have somehow never even attempted Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon. I must have skipped over that week during JC100. This dish is easily adapted for a slow cooker because it is a stew recipe that takes quite a long time to cook. This Slow Cooker Boeuf Bourguignon is a classic French comfort food, which cooks chunks of beef in a red wine-beef broth with garlic, onions, and carrots. The recipe I used is adapted from a new cookbook called The 163 Best Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes (100% Gluten-Free) by Judith Finlayson. I personally do not follow a Gluten-Free or Paleo diet (something that is probably glaringly apparent with my dairy and gluten filled posts) but have friends that do for various reasons. I wanted to learn more about Paleo and what exactly it entails so that I can hopefully post some Paleo friendly and Gluten-free recipes in the future. So what is Paleo? The general idea behind it is to eat like hunter-gatherers from the Paleolithic Age,or basically eat things in their natural state. So it is a protein-rich diet that limits carbs that are low in starch (fruits, veggies). Grains, legumes, refined sugars, and other processed foods are all not consumed on the Paelo diet.  The diet also favors organic foods and meats that have been grass fed.   Boeuf Bourguignon is honestly mostly Paelo to begin with. Only a few minimal changes have to be made (no traditional butter, sorry Julia). And instead of serving the stew with pasta, potatoes, or rice, the dish is just enjoyed as is. I kept to the recipe in the cookbook for the most part but did edit it ever so slightly to include the lovely mushrooms I picked up at the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival this weekend. I also substituted in Herbes de Provence because I couldn’t find my thyme anywhere. Ingredients (Serves 4):

  • 1 tbsp clarified butter (Ghee) – make sure its organic and comes from grass fed cows (or olive oil to make dairy free)
  • 4 slices uncured bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 lbs grass fed beef, cubed
  • 1 lb assorted mushrooms (I used beech, oyster, and trumpet)
  • 2 white onions, thinly sliced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp Herbes de Provence
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
  • 2 cups organic dry red wine
  • 1/2 cup beef stock (make sure there is no sugar added)
  • parsley, chopped, for garnish

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Scallops Gratineed with Wine Garlic and Herbs

I am on a butter kick. Darn you, Julia Child, and your deliciously simple but butter-filled recipes. There are few things that change the taste of a meal as easily as really good butter. I’m talking full-fat, salted, hand-churned butter. Keep in mind, meals like this should not be a weekly staple. But my goodness are they fantastic as a treat. This recipe for Scallops Gratineed with Wine Garlic and Herbs is no different. I am obviously on a bit of a Julia Child kick at the moment as well which is well timed because her 100th birthday is coming up on August 15. Might I suggest making this lovely (but amazingly easy) recipe to celebrate? I made this as a meal for two, with a salad on the side. It would also make a wonderful appetizer, or just multiply as you see fit.

 

Ingredients:

  •  1/3 cup minced yellow onions
  • 1 tablespoon butter (I’m talking good butter, no substitutions here!)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 4 washed dry scallops
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup flour in a dish
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2/3 cup dry white wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc)
  • 1 small bay leaf
  • 1/8 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese (I used gruyere)
  • 1 tablespoon butter cut into 6 pieces
 Excerpted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Copyright © 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.
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Hake Meuniere over Spaghetti

.With Julia Child’s 100th birthday fast approaching, the food blog world has been celebrating in the best way we know how: honoring Julia Child through her recipes.  I am currently reading a book about her life called Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz. (I will have a review of this book when I’m finished reading). I just got to the chapter which describes Julia’s first encounter with French food. Her first meal in France was Sole Meuniere, a simple but absolutely delicious dish. I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so I made a slightly altered version of Julia’s version over spaghetti. I wanted to make it with sole, but my market was all out. Hake is a similar fish, so I substituted it for the sole, so I bring you Hake Meuniere over Spaghetti.
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound fresh spaghetti
  • 3 skinless and boneless hake or sole fillets, 4 to 6 ounces
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 4 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges
 
Excerpted from The Way to Cook by Julia Child. Copyright © 1989 by Julia Child. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

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Ratatouille

With the influx of vegetables in my life from my CSA, I am swimming in quite a large amount of highly perishable produce. So to preserve (and use) a bunch of my CSA veggies, I decided to try my first hand at Ratatouille. I looked at a bunch of recipes online and they can get really quite complex! There are some that cook each vegetable separately to bring out the flavor of each, some that layer the ingredients into a beautiful casserole. Well, I’m making this on a weeknight after work. So this is one of the easier versions, a one pot wonder if you will. One day, I will make the other version, but tonight, I just want a delicious meal that I can freeze for later.
So what is ratatouille, besides a really cute kids movie? It’s basically a stewed vegetable dish, usually served with bread, or maybe egg noodles or polenta (something to sop up all the deliciousness). There are many different recipes for the dish, but most include eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and onions. The spices can range from thyme or marjoram to herbes de Provence.
I found this recipe on MarthaStewart.com and kind of messed with the ratio of ingredients, so be sure to check out the original recipe to see if that is more to your liking.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil (or enough to cover the bottom of your pot)
1 medium onion, chopped (I used a sweet onion)
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 small eggplants,  cubed
2 large zucchini, cubed
Salt and ground pepper, to taste
2 yellow or bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, cubed (use any color pepper you want)
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
Chopped fresh basil, for garnish

To make, add the olive oil to a Dutch oven or other large pot that has a lid. Heat over medium heat. While waiting to heat, chop your onions, garlic, eggplant, and zucchini.
I want to take a minute to discuss a method of cutting eggplant. I googled this just as I was about to make the recipe so it was new to me too and it worked quite well. I found the method on recipetips.com.
To cut the zucchini, remove the skin using a knife by cutting the zucchini into a square shape (or close to a square.)
Slice the zucchini into smaller square disks.
Stack a few of them, and cut into fours to make smaller squares. This doesn’t have to be uniform, you just want them to be the same general shape so they cook evenly.
Add the onions to the pot and stir occasionally. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the eggplant and zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Add 3/4 cup of water, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring once half way through. While waiting for the 5 minutes to pass, chop your peppers.
Add the peppers to the pot and simmer, covered, for another 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and thyme and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. The recipe said to stir often. I didn’t. I got distracted and walked away. Oh well.
Remove from heat and serve.  Top with a few slices of basil.
If freezing, leave the basil out and freeze.
For being vegetarian, doesn’t this look fabulously hearty?
I paired mine with day old bread which was a perfect amount of crispiness to go with the veggies. It may not be terribly pretty, but it was comforting and really flavorful.
I ate one serving and froze the rest for nights when I don’t have time to cook. I’m glad I did or I’d still be sitting here eating it!

Vichyssoise (Cold Leek & Potato Soup)

I figured it was about time I posted another Julia Child recipe. I have to admit, the past two weeks recipes intimidated me quite a bit, so I didn’t even make them. Although I have to say, Coq au Vin is not even close to being a weeknight friendly meal. Vichyssoise, or cold leek and potato soup, is more my speed. I’m pretty “skilled” at throwing things into a pot and letting time do the work. This isn’t a meal you can make and eat within one night, unless you have the luxury of beginning your meal much earlier in the day. I cooked this one night, chilled it overnight, and served it for dinner the next night. The original recipe is quite simple. I added crumbled bacon on top because, well, what isn’t better with bacon?
Ingredients: (I didn’t want a ton of soup sitting around so I scaled the recipe down. This makes about 2 hearty bowls)
  • 4 cups of chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian)
  • 2 cups of sliced leeks, white part only
  • 2 cups of peeled and chopped potatoes
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 piece of cooked bacon, crumbled
  • Chives, for garnish
Excerpted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Copyright © 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

Continue reading Vichyssoise (Cold Leek & Potato Soup)

Flounder Meunière

I was hoping to make Sole Meunière, but the supermarket decided otherwise. (Not only did they not have sole, they had no idea what it was). I substituted flounder, but if you can find sole, go for that instead. I found this classic recipe from Bon Appetit and I’m pretty sure I’ve made this recipe on many occasions and had no idea it had such a spiffy name. “Meunière” just means “miller’s wife.” So to cook something “a la meunière” means to cook it after first dredging it in flour. The sauce is really easy (and again, I’m pretty sure I’ve made it a million times before) and is made of brown butter, chopped parsley and lemon. Despite how easy the recipe is, this makes one tasty dish.

Ingredients for fish:
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 flounder fillets (get Pacific sole if you can)
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

Ingredients for sauce:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Lemon wedges
Pour flour into a shallow bowl. Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper to taste.
Dredge fish on both sides with flour shaking off excess flour.
Heat olive oil in a saute pan big enough to fit all the fish. Add butter and swirl to coat. It should bubble up a bit. When it stops bubbling, add fish and cook until golden on bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn fish over (carefully, it’s a pretty delicate fish), and cook until golden on bottom, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Place fish in tin foil and wrap loosely to keep warm.
Pour out excess drippings from the saute pan and wipe down with paper towels. Chop the parsley (as finely as you like).
I did a pretty rough chop
Heat the saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter for the sauce and cook until it begins to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and lemon juice. It may splatter a bit, so be prepared for that. Spoon over the fish and serve with lemon wedges.
Who doesn’t enjoy a recipe that takes 10 to 15 minutes, and only requires 8 ingredients (including salt, pepper, and olive oil)? On top of that, it really is tasty. The fish crisps up nicely in the butter which adds a nice texture. This would be good with a light salad or a side of rice.
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