The Best Boeuf Bourguignon You’ll Ever Devour….et Gâteau de Carottes

This month’s posting – a little late, but it does come from the southwest of France – will hopefully answer two requests which come frequently. I will also try to redeem myself and recommend three cookbooks for all of you faithful. This one is for you Marcia Ellis.

 The Boeuf Bourguignon of the Auberge has many fans, especially amongst those of us who adore to ‘mop’ gravy with bread. I’ll be the first to admit, not very elegant, but…. For the ‘mop-up’ follow the old time habit of the region, faire chabrol, and pour a tablespoon of red wine into your plate and give it one more swipe with bread. Technically reserved for the last of the bouillon of a soup, but the effect is as yummy. 

Recipe, Serves 10: 

3 lbs of round steak or eye of round or chuck

Salt and pepper

Cut your beef into cubes no less than 1 inch in diameter. Salt and pepper lightly.

 3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp goose fat or very good nut oil

Heat your butter and oil until the limit of burning.

Sear your cubes of beef, perhaps no more pieces at one time than the stew pot will hold comfortably.

4 large onions sliced

In the remaining fat gently cook your 4 large onions, sliced

Bouqet Garni, Parsley, thyme, bay leaves and two cloves wrapped in a layer of leak

1 quart of wine or mixture of wine and beef broth (increase quantity to just cover your meat)

 The more the beef is ‘browned,’ the more you have closed off the outer pores and the subsequent long slow cooking will keep the meat juicy and will ensure maximum flavor. Cover the meat with a good red wine, the quantity depends on your casserole, minimum of a quart. You can also dilute the wine with some good beef stock. No less than half/half. Add your bouquet garni for beef, parsley, thyme, bay leaves and two cloves wrapped in a layer of leak. In Provence they add an orange peel to the bouquet.

 THE STEW POT MUST HAVE A WELL SEALING LID.

Place on the lowest fire you have and let it cook for about 4 hours. Next day: cook for another 4 hours. For those of you who do not have enough flame control try setting your stew pot in a low grade oven. With a bit of trial and error you’ll achieve the same result. If any of you have a crockpot in the cupboard, it will do for the longing stewing NOT the browning.

Before serving gently take out the meat and the onions, remove the bouquet garni, and then thicken sauce with a light flour/water paste.

Cooked carrots sticks and pearl onions or mushrooms can be added just before serving. Boiled Potatoes are a must!

 The second most common request from our Bistro menu is for our carrot cake. Shannon pioneered the tryouts for the recipe and the French love it, just don’t tell them it is carrot cake until they have tasted it. It comes from the GOURMET COOKBOOK, Ruth Reichl, p. 276.  The book is brilliantly researched and offers such a variety of recipes and information, and the recipes are well tested and idiot proof.

I can only think its lukewarm reception is due to the fact that at the moment fusionists dominate the culinary scene. Never mind, give it as a gift to anyone who likes to or needs to cook.

Our in-house changes are two and simple; we put the pineapple and carrots through the robot mixer and drain well, and we omit the coconut and the salt.

2 cups all purpose flour

2  tsp baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 cups granulated sugar

1 ½ cups good quality vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1    8 oz can of crushed pineapple

½ cup chopped walnuts

2/3 cups raisin

 

“To die for Frosting”:

2     8 oz packages of cream cheese

1 stick butter (softened)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar

 

Oven at 350°/middle rack.

 

Shred the ¾ pound carrots, drain the pineapple, place both briefly in a robot mixer, drain well.

Sift together flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon. Stir in sugar, oil, eggs, carrots, pineapple,

 walnuts and raisins.

Use your preferred baking pan, two round or one rectangular.

Bake until pick comes out clean from the center.

About 35 – 45 minutes.

Beat together cream cheese, butter vanilla extract, first at low than at higher speeds. Gradually add the icing sugar; beat until uniformly smooth. Ice the cake when it has cooled down.

 

My last plug is for Kitchen Secrets by Raymond Blanc. The best of French bistro cooking well explained and commented. It is a must!! You’ll find a divine chocolate mousse recipe, a chocoholics dream, and done in ten minutes. 

Wild Mushroom Soup with Lemon Grass, Ginger and Coconut Milk

 

This wonderful soup similar in preparation to a consommé, has spectacular flavors that one would normally not expect in just a soup-even at your old stand by Asian take out restaurant. With 4 different mushrooms including the French chanterelles, oyster, button, and shiitake the earthy and rich qualities paired with the fat of the coconut milk is an amazing taste all in one spoonful.

The first step to this amazing recipe is to saute all of the mushrooms in a bit of corn oil to release some of their flavor and water within the mushroom before adding the chicken stock, ginger, garlic, and of course the full fat coconut milk…(Don’t use the ‘light coconut’ milk for this….you’ll miss the extra flavor, believe me!!!)

 

One may ask…”Why would I make a mushroom soup??” Well, my answer to that is if you like mushrooms-their earthy, and rich quality, and you adore asian flavors or even just a really good won ton soup from your local chinese delivery try your take at this and then tell me what you think. The recipe only takes an hour…about the same time it would take to call, and deliver a soup that most likely also has additives and non organically grown ingredients.

 Prepare to amaze with this wonderful mushroom soup…recipe serves 18-20 so freeze some for two months or refrigerate for up to a week!!

Wild Mushroom Soup

Servings 18-20

Equipment Needed:

Large Sauté pan, knives (all), Large stockpot, 8 oz ladle, cutting board, large glass bowl)

29 dried shiitake mushrooms

20 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms

20 fresh oyster mushrooms

8oz chanterelle mushrooms

18 oz corn oil

9 shallots

4.5 TBSP Ginger root, peeled and grated

5 QTS Chicken Stock-use my 2 QTS and 3 QTS Store Bought

24oz unsweetened coconut milk

2.25 tsp white pepper

5 tsp cornstarch

5 TBSP Water

5 scallions + more garnishes

5 TBSP Lemon Grass

5 lemons

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

2 baguettes, sliced thin on bias and made into crostini by toasting with butter. (Optional)

Melted butter for baguettes

Place the dried mushrooms into a bowl. Add 4 qts of warm water and soak for 30 minutes, or until softened. Remove the mushrooms from the water and squeeze dry. Discard the water.

Remove and discard the stems. Thinly slice the mushroom caps; set aside. Use a damp cloth to wipe clean all of the fresh mushrooms, keeping the button mushrooms separate. Remove the stems of the shitakes only; discard. Cut all of the mushrooms into thin slices. Heat 1 cup of the corn oil in a large stockpot. Add the shallots and cook until lightly browned about 2 minutes.

Add the ginger root and the dried and button mushrooms and cook stirring often over med heat for three minutes.

Add the chicken stock, coconut milk and white pepper to the stock pot. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly and put into the soup. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.

 Cover and cook 30 minutes.

Meanwhile….if you have not cut the baguettes for the crostini, slice on the bias at 1/4 inch thick and then brush with meted butter. Place on a sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees 5-6 minutes per side until golden brown.

While the soup is cooking, heat the remaining oil in a skillet. Add the sliced fresh shitakes and oyster/chanterelles and cook over high heat until soft about 2-4 minutes.

Keep warm until ready to use. Add the scallions; lemon grass and lemon juice adjust the seasonings.

Divide the reserved mushrooms into the 18 bowls. Ladle the soup into the bowls, garnish with the scallions and a piece of crostini on the side of the plate.

The Rich and Delicious Consommé

 

The Auberge is closed for the month of February. This is a precious month; I can spend more time with my children, my granddaughter and see friends. It is also a time when kitchen issues – past and future menus, new cookbooks, can get the attention they need. My first thoughts went back to our New Year’s Day menu, which was particularly successful this year. When I asked for ‘starter’ ideas, Jean Denis immediately put forward “Consommé de Giscard d’Estaing”. What bliss! In 1975 Paul Bocuse was given the much coveted Légion d’Honneur by the then head of state, Giscard d’Estaing. For the subsequent banquet Bocuse served the consommé which came to bear the name of d’Estaing.

For the consommé, pick your favorite recipe, either chicken or beef. If you do not have one, go to Julia Child’s, The Art of French Cooking. 

Time out here….two thoughts are about to be shared with you: First, I would say about 80 per cent of all cook books are enticers and their recipes are destined to inspire you. If you can read and follow instructions, The Art of French Cooking can only lead to culinary successes. Her recipes work, in fact, I often say jokingly in the kitchen: “the Old Testament is the Larousse Gastronomique and the two volumes of Julia Child’s are the New Testament”. Needless to say, there are many others that merit a good read.

Secondly, imagination is good, but it does have its limits!! Don’t reinvent the wheel…..certain recipes work and that is it! Changing a tried and true recipe demands a lot of time and effort, short cuts seldom work.

Back to bliss, this recipe calls for bouillon, chunks of foie gras and shavings of truffle and puff pastry.

We chose beef bouillon which Jean Denis nursed for two days.

Sometimes certain concessionss  are necessary, the foie gras may be replaced with some julienne vegetables or use the foie gras and omit the truffle. We ladled our own hot bouillon over the truffle shavings and the vegetables placed in little cups. With a pastry brush treat the outside rim of each cup and place the cut out puff pastry over the cup and press firmly to the sides.
 

Bake at the temperature demanded by the puff pastry. I have not had much luck with individual soup cups with a diameter of over four inches. The puff pastry tends to droop into the soup.
 
Give it a try you’ll not regret the experience of cooking it and will certainly enjoy eating it! -Dorothee Alexander

The Quintessential Seafood Dish in the United States? The Oyster Shooter!

The Quintessential Oyster Shooter

To follow Dorothee’s post on the seafood platter, I thought about a seafood dish that is truly something you would not find in France. The Oyster Shooter came to mind, with its name alone unable to be literally translated in French, or even explained with the exception of how it tastes. Many restaurants and oyster lovers alike to start with a shot glass, and layer flavors in the glass until all you do is shoot it down in one bite. It’s in a way similar to an ‘amuse bouche’ however not quite as elegant!

The layers usually consist of cocktail sauce, or basically tomato puree and horseradish with a bit of salt, lemon juice, and sometimes cilantro or other herbs depending on your liking, celery and sometimes even vodka. I have used these little beauties as conversation starters at parties and they always get rave reviews. The most important part of the shooter is the type, and freshness of the oyster you use. If you do not have fresh oysters, forget about it! My personal favorites are oysters on the pacific side of the country, although you will find these in many parts of the gulf and the atlantic coast as well.  Whatever your heart desires whether it is spicy, salty, acidic or even sweet you can make the Oyster Shooter your own and serve as a starter to any seafood themed meal.

Below is a basic recipe for an Oyster Shooter:

Serves 6

12 shot glasses

12 fresh Oysters

The juice of 3 lemons, and use 12 lemon wedges (from 2 lemons) for garnish if desired.

4 TBSP of cocktail sauce

3 tsp chopped cilantro

kosher salt and black pepper to taste

2 tsp of vodka in each glass (optional)

Line up each shot glass and place an oyster in each one. Place 1 tsp of cocktail sauce on each oyster, follow with a touch of salt and pepper, 1 tsp of lemon juice in each, and garnish with chopped cilantro as well as the lemon wedges if desired. If you use vodka in each, follow the vodka after the lemon juice and proceed as directed.

Plateau de Fruit de mer with an exceptional aioli recipe

 I am often asked, “What is your hotel and restaurant like in winter? What do you do? What do you eat? Is there life here in the village?”

The answer to all of these is weather dependant. December to March can be very cold with blue skies and sometimes snow; it can also be sunny sweater-only weather and when the temperatures vary greatly between night and day, Puycelsi becomes a veritable Brigadoon waiting to be discovered by errant passers-by. On such days we cannot see the church door, only 75 meters from the hotel entrance. The cold is warded off with cassoulet or sauerkraut or hearty stews, and the ever present soups. Too many consecutive foggy days mean that the spirits of all who come need to be lifted. 

We usually do our ‘experimental cooking’ on these occasions and invite the guests to comment and get involved with the recipes and new products. When that perfect sweater only day comes, the Auberge buzzes with activity much like a day in August.
 In anticipation of a perfect weekend, I called the fish wholesaler at Toulouse on Wednesday and ordered for an early Friday morning pick-up Oysters n° 2 ( the n° 1 are bigger, but dear) Marennes Oléron, near La Rochelle; large clams, large sea snails (bulots), shrimp from Madagascar and small sea snails (bigorneaux) as well as gorgeous crabs for those who might want a bit extra, I ordered all the elements for a ‘plateau de fruit de mer’. This dish is as French as it gets, holds a special place in people’s in psyche, why – it just makes them feel good. Not a bad goal for January, when taxes, fees, and all sorts of deadlines loom.

The plate is served with aioli, Provençal garlic mayonnaise, fresh lemons and bread/butter.

Here’s the Auberge’s recipe for aioli:
 
Aioli:
 
Aioli is a garlic mayonnaise used in this region to complement a variety of dishes – fish, snails, cold meats and fresh vegetables. It differs somewhat from the aillade, mentioned in Rabelais’ Pantagruel of 1592 and used in other parts of southern and south-western France.  Aioli is made with crushed garlic paste prepared with a mortar and pestle to which mayonnaise is added.
 
            4 large cloves of garlic – peeled
            I egg yolk
            pinch of salt
            1 cup of oil
 
            1/4 tsp mustard seeds (optional)
 
 
1. Pound the garlic, and if so desired the mustard seeds, into a paste in the mortar with the  pestle.
2. Add egg yolk to paste and continue to pound the mixture. When well mixed and smooth transfer to a bowl if the mortar is not big enough to hold the cup of oil.
3. Add the oil by drops while stirring the mixture vigorously.
4. Salt to taste
 

 We made a classic bouillon and first cooked the crabs, then the clams and  then the sea snails. The sea food is then arranged on crushed ice and eagerly devoured.

Bon Appétit!  Dorothee Alexander

Croque Monsieur in France…Grilled Ham and Cheese in the United States

 

Shannon’s post on the Croque Monsieur, translated into an American Version of the recipe:

The name ‘Croque Monsieur’ translates in English as “To crunch” (croquer) and “Mister” (monseiur). While the origin of the name is unknown there are many speculations. While I certainly wouldn’t want to “crunch a mister” I certainly would want to crunch my teeth into grilled to perfection white bread, Gruyère cheese, and ham. The photo seen below was from my recent dining experience at a French/Belgian restaurant in San Antonio, TX where I ordered the croque monsieur. They served their version of the sandwich with a salad and I ordered the bechamel sauce on the side. I have not always had the bechamel as an accompaniment, and honestly find it to be rather too rich with the cheese, ham, and butter. There was really no need for the sauce, as the sandwich did it’s job on its own. Although my version is not especially “American” it certainly is with the deletion of the bechamel and our availability of the same types of Gruyère cheeses and ham here.

Simple Recipe for a Croque Monsieur…American Style:

Serves 2

4 Pieces of Good White Bread, about 3/4 of an inch thick

1 cup grated Gruyère cheese

4 Tbsp unsalted butter + additional for frying

4 slices of good quality deli-ham

Arrange 2 of white bread pieces on a clean cutting board. Fill each with 1/2 cup of the cheese, and follow with the ham slices on each. Top each with the remaining 2 slices of bread. Pre-heat a large saute pan big enough to hold both sandwiches to med-high heat. Add two Tbsp of the butter and then add both sandwiches. Fry to golden brown on that side, about 3 minutes, taking care to watch the temperature so that the bread doesn’t burn. Before flipping each take one up first and add the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter and then flip so that each sandwich receives equal butter amounts, use more if the pan becomes too dry. Fry until the cheese is melted and both sides are golden brown, about 6 minutes total. **NOTE** You may also add additional grated cheese to the top of the sandwich for more richness, just pop under the broiler until melted to a golden brown on top. Serve with a light green salad or matchstick french fries.

Chef Dorothee Alexander’s post on the Croque Monsieur, and her sought after vinaigrette recipe:

The first croque monsieur was served in a café on the Boulevard des Capuchines in Paris in 1910. It was two slices of bread with Gruyère & ham fried in a pan with butter.

Proust describes these in ‘A la recherche du temps perdu’, vol II, vol 2.

Our version is the original, we take two slices of ‘white bread’, it has to be rather finer than coarser. This avoids over absorption of butter in the pan , each side slightly covered with our house mayonnaise, grated Gruyère on one slice, melted in the oven, ham on the other, place one on top of the other, and slice and fry in butter until golden brown. Anything else is an adaptation or a misuse of the name. A croque madame is simply a monsieur topped with pan-fried eggs. We serve this with a tossed green salad, seasoned with our house dressing, which is the most sought after recipe.

 

Vinaigrette Recipe:

1 part apple cider vinegar, 3 parts olive oil, honey and Dijon mustard – not the grainy – to taste. Well blended.
The mustard without seeds binds the dressing. I use acacia honey, I find this the best for cooking.
The amount of honey/mustard really depends on the intensity of either. The right balance does not need salt or pepper for taste.
The dressing holds its own on all types of greens.
Like with the croque NO substitutions of ingredients.
Escoffier’s motto “Keep it simple has inherent in it…. “get it right”.
‘Simple’, not ‘simplistic’ recipes tend not to do well with substitutions….

Introductions

 

 

Two women chefs cooking nearly 6,000 miles away from each other meet.  The meeting was not a chance occurrence but arranged by the non profit  group in the United States, The Women Chefs and Restauranteurs. Dorothee Alexander, chef and owner of the restaurant and hotel L’Ancienne Auberge, gave the 3 month stagiaire opportunity in 2010 to American Shannon Kimball, a long time foodie, culinary student, and catering chef. Neither of them knew at this time whether the marriage of a Texas chef and a French chef would work well in the kitchen, but each were willing to try.

In the months that followed they both learned that they could apply French techniques, recipes, and ingredients to recipes from around the world.  A delicious culinary relationship and friendship began. Shannon blogged in France about her experiences and created a  following of Americans wanting more information about how they can make French food or using French cooking techniques at home with the ingredients available to them in their cities. This gave birth to the idea that French cuisine and versions of recipes could easily be duplicated in the states in a  multitude of different methods. With Dorothees’ tried and true techniques and Shannon’s interpretation…. Taste in Translation is born.

Our goals collaboratively are to inspire, create, and interpret even the most uncommon dishes into simple and creative recipes that anyone can recreate at home or in their own cafe. We both use organic and fresh ingredients whenever possible, and will also give tips on where to find ingredients or lofty substitutions in your area. We welcome questions and comments and hope that our journey in food together will bring you sustainability, warmth, nutrition, and most of all…love to your table.