Julia Child has a way of taking classic French techniques and turning it into something outstanding. I have not done any real Julia Child dessert baking for while. I have been watching a lot of episodes of "The French Chef with Julia Child" lately. I have watched this episode a few times and it just made me want to make this cake more each time I watched it. So this morning I got up and headed straight for the kitchen...well... I did make a quick pit stop first! Feel free to laugh! Just kidding! This cake has so much flavor. It is a chocolate cake flavored with almonds and lightened with beaten egg whites. Before you even make this, just like Julia advises, I urge you to read the entire recipe through first. The reason being is that once you start the recipe, you cannot stop and run to the store. You must get it in the oven as soon as you can. Also, before you start mixing the batter you should get all of your preliminaries done first. For example, get the chocolate melting, measure out all of the ingredients, and getting your cake pan prepared. Also, this recipe uses cake flour. If you do not have cake flour, you can make your own. I explain how in the recipe at the bottom. With melting the chocolate, it is melted with rum or coffee in a bowl over simmering water. Now, to begin, you cream butter, sugar, and egg yolks in a mixer or bowl with hand mixer. You then set that aside. Then, in a separate clean and dry bowl you beat the egg whites with cream of tartar, salt, and sugar until they are soft and shiny but not stiff. It is crucial that you do not over beat them. Then, you add your melted and smooth chocolate to the butter, sugar, and egg mixture. Then, you add pulverized almonds (just skinless almonds ground in a food processor), almond extract, and cake flour. The French use pulverized almonds in a lot of desserts. Then, quickly you stir in one-fourth of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Once the batter is lightened, you then delicately but quickly fold in he remainder of the egg whites until the batter is well incorporated but you don't want to deflate the egg whites as much as possible. There is no baking powder in this cake so the egg whites are what is going to make the cake rise. Once the batter is made you immediately pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. You then must swirl the cake pan by tilting it to allow the batter to run up all the sides of the pan. This allows the batter to be distributed evenly and prevents there from being a hump of batter in the center. You then bake the cake for about 25-35 minutes. The cake is done when you prick a toothpick around the outside and it comes out clean, and when inserted in the center it is slightly wet. There will also be a faint jiggle when you shake the pan slightly. You then allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes and then remove it and allow it to cool on a cake rack for at least two hours! Once the cake is cool, you then have to ice and decorate it. Julia also provides a recipe for a Chocolate-Butter icing. It is basically just melted chocolate, melted in the same way as the cake and whipped with softened butter. Then all you have to do then is ice it any way you would like and then to decorate it just make a pattern with almonds on the top or sprinkled chopped almonds as I did in the picture above. The flavors of this cake are unbelievable. The flavor or the almonds on top and in the cake matches so very well with the chocolate. This is (like Julia says on her show) truly one of if not the best chocolate cake I have ever made and tasted. I will now tell you what I have below for you. This recipe is the one Julia uses on her show "The French Chef". It is also in her cookbook that goes with the show, "The French Chef Cookbook". She has the same recipe in her very first cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. I", although that recipe has slightly different proportions. I have typed the recipe up and slightly condensed the steps so it is easier to read. If you would like, you can also watch Julia make it herself and it will make understanding the steps a little easier. The recipe looks daunting but, it truly only took me about 20 minutes to prepare the batter. Give it a try. The steps can ease you into the world of French Patisserie! In Julia's words..."Bon Appetit"!
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I have not made a food post for a while so I thought this would be a great recipe to start back up with. This is a very nice autumn dish. It has some great autumn flavors: butternut squash, cranberries, cider, etc. Apparently you will find this at a lot of French Bistros in Paris. It is very easy to prepare. You very carefully cut up a butternut squash into one inch pieces and throw it onto a sheet pan. Drizzle it with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Toss together and throw it into a 400 degree oven and cook until tender. While the butternut squash is cooking you make a vinaigrette by combining apple cider, apple cider vinegar, and shallots in a sauce pan and boil until sufficiently reduced. Then, you whisk this with some Dijon mustard and olive oil. I personally am not fond of the strong taste of Dijon so I substituted it for Country Dijon which is like a whole grain type of mustard. The flavor is very delicious. The shallots add a nice sharpness in taste to the sweetness of the cider and mustard. When the squash is done cooking, allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. To assemble the salad, combine arugula, dried cranberries, walnuts and the slightly cooled squash. Toss with vinaigrette and serve. The flavors are incredible. Try the recipe below. Ina Garten continues to please our palates.
This dish is both comforting and high-class. I absolutely love it. Ina Garten certainly knows how to take classic flavors and put them to a new/old comfort dish. She took the classic flavors of Beef Borguignon(wine, garlic, herbs) and paired them with a good old fashioned pot roast. The result is a delicious yet elegant meal that will easily serve 6 people. I think the best part is the leftovers. When I first made this, I made it for a few of my family members. Most of it was gone, but there was enough for me to reheat the next day. I am so glad there was, because it was just as, if not more delicious the next day. When it comes to side dishes, she chose to add a baked potato with sour cream and yoghurt. Those are absolutely delicious, but I am partial to herb roasted potatoes. However, if you are on a time schedule, you can of course opt for the baked potatoes which are less strenuous. Bottom line is that this is another Ina Garten specialty that I will always promote. Bon Appetit!
I always try this dish whenever I see it on a menu somewhere. If I am in the mood, I make it myself. I have always loved this soup but I never thought about making it myself until I saw Julia Child make it on her original show, "The French Chef". In this episode she also explains the proper ways of holding and using a knife. After watching this great episode, I decided to rewrite the recipe to my own specifications. Attached below is my result. I hope you enjoy it. I also urge you to watch the attached Julia Child episode. It is a great episode to watch if you are just beginning to cook. It shows some great kitchen skills. Bon Appetit!
Cooked correctly this can be one of the most satisfying French dishes. Chicken on its own doesn't have a lot of flavor. But, the wonderful flavor of Marsala wine penetrates into the chicken. Mixed with the freshness of the mushrooms and parsley, it is truly satisfying. It can be fattening to some, but delicious none the less. You start by seasoning and flouring the chicken. You then saute it until browned and cooked through. Remove and cover the chicken with foil. Next, in the reserved drippings you saute some shallots and sliced mushrooms. Then comes the Marsala. Now, you want to use dry Marsala, NOT SWEET! The sweet has a different taste. Also,if you don't wish to spend a lot of money or you are under 21 like me, you can opt to use cooking Marsala. The brand I use is Holland House. Another good thing about using this, is that there is already salt added to it. You won't have to worry about adding salt to your dish. Then, once you add the wine, you want to bring it to a boil and reduce to simmer. Since the chicken was breaded with flour, this will thicken the sauce as it boils. For an added touch of richness, I like to add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream. Once the sauce has thickened, you add back the chicken and add parsley. Just let the chicken warm through and serve. When it comes to serving this, the classic method is to serve it over rice. But, you know me, I can't stand to serve something as elegant and rich like this over something as boring and simple as rice. I would prefer to serve it with a side of roasted potatoes or noodles. Ultimately it is up to you how you serve it. Bon Appetit!
This is without a doubt, my all time favorite dish I have ever made and eaten. Ever since I saw the movie "Julie and Julia" and watched Julia Child make it on her first television show, I knew I was hooked. To the French this is a peasant dish, but to me its the best dish ever invented. I make this when ever I can. I have made it at least 4 or 5 times for all of my friends for lunch at school. When you have made it for 35 people it gets easier to make a single batch of the recipe. It is so simple (after the first time making it) and yet so divine. It is a beef stew with Red Wine, Bacon, Carrots, Mushrooms, and braised onions (which are cooked separately and added later). In the original Julia Child recipe you use a good red wine. But unfortunately for me, you have to be 21 to buy wine, so I have discovered cooking wine is sold in most grocery stores and you don't have to be 21 to buy it. It is a mix of different blends of wines with salt already added. The brand I use is Holland House. They make red, white, Marsala,and sherry cooking wines. Most chefs will probably call for my execution for this, but I prefer to use this cooking wine when making this because, I have found that the salt level and flavor of the dish is spot on every time because the wine has salt already in it. That way I don't have to worry about adding salt to it. But you can of course use a good red wine from your local liquor store. That is just my personal preference. The actual cooking of the dish is relatively simple. As I said above, it gets easier each time you make it. I could now make it in my sleep. You start out by rendering bacon lardons in a dutch oven or oven safe casserole. Remove the bacon and brown the stew meat in the bacon fat. Remove the meat and saute the carrots in the fat. Return everything to the pot and add your wine, beef stock, and herbs and seasonings. Cover and place in a preheated oven. When meat is cooked about 2 hours later. Strain the sauce into another saucepan. Place sauce over moderate heat and thicken it. You correct seasoning if you need. You then add back the meat and carrots. What I recommend now is to let it cool, cover it, and refrigerate overnight or a day or two. The stew gains in flavor the longer it sits. You then just have to reheat it slowly. Once reheated or ready to serve, you add your braised onions and sauteed mushrooms. You don't add the mushrooms until just before serving, otherwise they will sort of dissolve. It is now ready to serve. When it comes to serving it, the traditional way to serve it is over rice or buttered noodles. I personally view this as a cheap way to serve it and is a waste of such a delicious dish. I like to make some herb roasted potatoes and serve the stew over this. I feel if you are making a rich and gourmet dish like this, don't serve it over something healthy and boring like rice. But again, it is up to you how you wish to serve it. As a matter of fact you don't have to serve it over anything. For example, on the day after eating it, I just eat the leftovers in a bowl with a chunk of french bread. If you make this dish and you say you don't care for it, you obviously have no taste for good food whatsoever. I will warn you, the cost for this dish is around $30-40 for all of the meat and veggies and spices. It is for special occasions. They way I feel, I would have this every week if I could. So please make this as fast as you can. The recipe for the Beouf Borguignon, braised onion and Sauteed Mushrooms is below. As Julia Child says..."Bon Appetit"!
For a quick yet elegant steak dinner, turn to a delicious Steak au Poivre. It is a very popular French steak dish. It is a steak of your choice, yet I would prefer a filet mignon steak. You coat it in roughly cracked peppercorns. The longer you let it sit, the better flavor the steak will have. You then sear it on each side for about 4-5 minutes until browned and cooked to your desired done-ness. You then make a sauce from the pan drippings. You saute some minced shallots or onions. Then, degrease the pan with beef stock and French Cognac. Be careful when you pour the cognac. Turn the flame or heat down or off to prevent flare ups. After you boil it for a few minutes, you swirl in some butter to give the sauce a little bit of body. You then serve this sauce over the steaks. For a side dish, I would suggest some sort of potatoes. A classic would be some matchstick fried potatoes. They are excellent with the sauce.
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