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Tag Archives: french fridays with dorie


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Cardamom Rice Pilaf

This week’s French Fridays with Dorie was Cardamom Rice Pilaf.

I have never used cardamom before.
I bruised the 7 pods like Dorie said and inside were little seeds!
The smell was familiar.
I threw them into saucepan with olive oil and a finely chopped onion. A few minutes later, as the onion turned a translucent shade, I added the Basmati rice, two cups of vegetable stock and a bit of grated lemon rind. About 10 minutes later the water was absorbed and the rice was ready. My 10 year old said it was “the best rice he had ever eaten!”
I served it with broccolini and teriyaki chicken.
It was an incredibly easy and satisfying meal.


And the kids actually asked if they could have the leftovers for  their school lunch the next day!

We really enjoyed last week’s recipe as well but my little helper was in hospital getting his tonsils and adenoids out so didn’t get around to posting it!

But it was well worth it, he’s finally sleeping through the night.
He can now sleep flat on his back without any gurgling noises!

Can’t wait to get back to the French Fridays with Dorie website to check out what others did with this week’s and last week’s recipe!


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Quiches and Tarts – and everything in between!

It has been another busy week.
At home there’s school, soccer, band, karate, dancing, netball, get togethers, parties, homework, assignments, fights, tears… mostly mine!

Netball Gala Day to raise money for Cancer Research

Band Workshop

Helping out at school

At work there’s more tears, lots of them, but at least there the tears are from clients trying to cope with their own lives.

In all the madness I tried to foster a sense of control so I went on a cleaning and purging binge!
I cleaned everything! Including my iphone… and all the photos… including the one’s of this week’s recipe.

Probably how I looked when I realised I wiped the photos!
(Don’t you love the pics the kids think are hilarious to take!)

Anyway…

I can tell you Dorie’s Spinach and Bacon Quiche was amazing.
Everyone loved it, from the 3 year old to my 70 year old dad.
Absolutely amazing!
To see actual photos of Dorie’s Spinach and Bacon Quiche from the talented French Fridays with Dorie cooks, click here. 

I made this quiche on the weekend, so I was going to be really good (after missing last week’s recipe) and get my post ready nice and early.
When I discovered I’d wiped my photos I was bummed but ready to make another quiche.
Everyone loved it after all…
But then, as I was flicking through my copy of Around My French Table, I noticed the recipe for Gerard’s Mustard Tart.
I joined after the group made this and I happen to love mustard so I thought I’d make this instead.

Dorie uses the same tart dough recipe for both recipes and I had my trusty sidekick helping…

The dough is so easy to make…

The filling for both quiches was even easier to prepare…

As I said I love mustard.
I also love leeks and pasty.
The taste was unusual and unfamiliar, but in a good way.
It left us with a quizzical but appreciative look on our faces.
I definitely recommend stepping out of the familiar and giving this tart a go.
And the spinach and bacon quiche will definitely be made again and again!

A very comprehensive and detailed recipe of Dorie Greenspan’s mustard tart can be found here. 


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Pepper Steak with Potato Gratin and Green Beans

This week’s Bistrot Paul Bert Pepper Steak recipe had so many things going for it!
It had steak, which my husband loves.
It was quick and easy, which I love.
And it included standing back and setting a match to Cognac to make a flame!
(Which sadly my husband talked me out of, knowing full well I’d most likely burn the kitchen down!)

I made simple green beans and a potato gratin which I put into my cupcake pan?!

I mixed a kilo of sliced potatoes with an egg, two cloves of garlic, a cup of heavy cream and some grated cheese.
Then pushed the mixture into a well greased muffin tin.
They turned out great!
It made all the slices and injuries on my fingertips, from preparing them, worthwhile!
(And reminded me why the flame, as enticing as it was, was not a good idea for me!)

The sauce I wasn’t that crash on.
And the whole family loves scotch fillet steaks so I went with that cut of meat.
But I love pepper…

So, next time, and there will be a next time, I will reduce the amount of Cognac and add some mushrooms!
To see what others thought check out French Fridays with Dorie! 


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Puff Pastry Breadsticks and Twists

“Why did they have to taste sooo good?!”
My husband moaned as he sat there clutching his stomach, feeling sick from overeating (again)!
But wait it gets better…
I was trying to come up with a title for my post and he suggested ‘sex on a stick’!

What can I say? He really did like these… his favourite was the sweet chilli twist.

I really wanted long puff pastry straws however the puff pastry sheets that are readily available from Woolworths would have been barely finger length once folded so I decided to use two sheets.

I had three different fillings, so divided the 24cm sheets into 8cm thirds…

 I wanted to try the recipe as Dorie intended with Dijon mustard.
However I was in the mood to play so I also tried an olive tapenade which she suggested as a ‘Bonne Idee’ and the hot sweet chilli sauce we bought at this year’s Sydney Easter Show made by the Chilli Factory.

I smeared on a generous dollop of each topping…

Then topped them with the other pastry sheet.
Since each strip was 8cm long and I was going for long and lean sticks I decided to cut each portion into 2cm strips.

My gorgeous boy wanted to help so he got the job of ‘painting’ each strip with the beaten egg “just like at school!”

Next we topped the mustard strips with poppy seeds, the tapenade sticks with sesame seeds and the sweet chilli one’s with cheese…

The we got real fancy and decided to twist the sweet chilli straws…

After 25 mins in the oven, rotating the trays half way, the final product was truly amazing!

I really liked the mustard and tapenade straws. They tasted so satisfyingly good!
(And I already mentioned my husband loved the sweet chilli one’s!)

I made the gourgeres as well, I joined the French Fridays with Dorie Group a few weeks late and really wanted to make these.

I took the left overs to my parents to save my husband from himself!

To have a look at a range of fillings and techniques used by the other members of French Fridays with Dorie, just click here!


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School Holidays and Vanilla Eclairs!

It’s school holidays in Australia! Yay!
I missed the last two challenges of French Fridays with Dorie. The first week I was sick with the flu and the next we were in Melbourne.
I was determined I was not going to miss another week!
So I decided, despite having 6 of my 10-year-old son’s friends over for the day, I would make this week’s recipe!

The Vanilla Pastry Cream came together perfectly over arguments discussions about why they can’t watch Sucker Punch or Red Riding Hood at the cinemas.
It chilled in the fridge as I stood out in the middle of the street directing traffic so the boys could scooter and skateboard out of our steep driveway at full speed.
It was all good! I was in control and feeling pretty chilled!

Next, the Cream Puff Dough!
I went through a phase some years back when I made profiteroles on a regular basis so I was feeling pretty confident.
Now somewhere between chasing running after the angels as they moved like lightning between our house and the oval at the end of our street
and more ummm… ‘debates’ as to why they can’t play knock and run or go into the National Park surrounding the oval by themselves,
my Cream Puff Dough didn’t… puff!

Hard as I tried, there was no way these babies were going to be filled. They tasted pretty good, but were flat as pancakes!
I learnt something from my house full of tenacious and relentless boys, don’t give up, cos you’ll eventually get what you want if you keep pestering trying!
The second time around I cut a hole at the end of a sandwich bag, filled it with the dough and squeezed out the eclairs!
Yes! This time it worked!

I was pumped! I managed to complete the recipe!
I piled the boys in the car and met a friend who had the rest of their friends waiting for us at the cinemas.
We settled on ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2’.
We sat them all into their seats and just as we started to think okay! They are in a contained space and we can relax for the next 90 minutes or so, we realised we had taken boys, that already had the resources and stealth of seasoned ninjas, to watch a movie that turned out to be an instruction manual on how to get away with absolutely anything!
We sat and watched in helpless terror!

To see more versions of this week’s recipe and read more stories visit French Fridays with Dorie!


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Scallops with Caramel-Orange Sauce


I love scallops!
But I have to say, I was not off to a good start with the orange-caramel sauce.
One minute, the sugar was in the saucepan over medium-high heat, just starting to melt.
The next minute, it was a deep brown and I was yanking it off the stove convinced I had burnt it!
I quickly scanned the recipe and the words “deep caramel colour” stood out to me.
Yay! It was going to be okay! Just keep going!
But while I was doing a little victory dance, my melted sugar started to harden, so in a panic I threw it back on the stove and poured the wine and orange juice on top.
Dorie was right! This caused a lot of bubbling and spattering.
So now I had a mixture of frothy, orange liquid with a hard mangled chunk of caramelised sugar floating in it.
It’s okay, just keep going! It’ll melt! …I think…
And slowly it did! Phew!!!
By the time I had it reduced by half, it even smelled good!

The scallops cooked perfectly and I picked at them as I went along.
Cooked in a bit of oil with some salt and pepper, they were amazing!
The sauce was nice, drizzled lightly over the scallops.
I had a few bites of scallop doused in the sauce and really did not like it.
But a light drizzle added a really nice flavour.

Such an elegant result for so little effort!
I was very impressed.
(I served mine with pumpkin & potato mash and broccolini)

Can’t wait to see what the others at French Fridays with Dorie thought!

 


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Salted Butter Break-Ups

Salted Butter Break-Ups plus Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Last week I had to wheedle and cajole my family to try the “muesli” pasta.
This week I struggled to take photos of the finished products!
They broke bits off the Salted Butter Break-Up.
They picked at the melted cheese covering the cannelloni.
They actually had everything dished out while I was still taking the clothes off the line!

Salted Butter Break-Ups

How incredibly easy were these to make?
Process the flour, sugar, sea salt, butter and a touch of water.
Shape the finished product into a square, wrap in plastic and refrigerate…

After an hour or so in the fridge, roll out between wax paper to 1/4 inch thick.
Then brush on egg yolk and decorate!

After baking for 30 or so minutes, I noticed my break-up was a bit browner than I would have liked on the bottom.
Even though it looked… well… burnt.
It didn’t taste burnt. It tasted amazing!

But then I had to listen to my husband complain about feeling sick from eating so much of it!
(As he went back again and again for more).

Check out the French Fridays with Dorie to see a whole bunch of salty butter break-ups!



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Beggar’s Linguine

A basic skill every therapist learns early in their career is how to “roll with resistance” that client’s put up when touching on issues they may not want to deal with.

This week I used every trick in the bag to deal with the resistance I felt towards this recipe!

From simple reflection, “So you don’t think you’d like to try this recipe.”

To double-sided reflection, “I can see that you’re not wanting to do this recipe but you’re not willing to give up either.”

From reframing, “So this is an exciting opportunity to try something you would never have tried before!”

To agreeing with a twist, “Yes, trying this recipe will be a waste of time because you know they won’t like it, but they will be excited about trying something authentically ‘French’!”

You get the gist…

I actually decided early in the week I wouldn’t even bother with this one. It was just too weird and I would skip it!
I mean, it’s not like it’s compulsory or any thing… right…?

But, (sighing), I knew the key thing to resistance is to not provoke it and to steer its energy towards creating positive change! So…

As I boiled the pasta…I rolled with the resistance…

As I chopped the walnuts (we are allergic to all other nuts!), figs and raisins… I rolled with the resistance…

But them something interesting happened…
As the butter boiled and bubbled and the colour intensified and changed…
I felt the resistance… melting…

At the last minute, I decided to add only half the pasta to the buttery sauce. The whole packet felt too much.
I fried up the left over pasta with some eggs.

By this point, all my resistance was gone and I felt great!
I had completed this week’s recipe and made a last minute switch that I knew the kids would like and eat!

As the resistance eased, I could feel my energy return and myself open to new possibilities!

I started to feel excited by the flavours in front of me…

I eagerly bit into the linguine and… I liked it!
I couldn’t eat too much as it was far too rich and buttery! But the taste was good.
My husband on the other hand felt a bit disturbed with the combination. He said it tasted like muesli and called it “breakfast” food!
The kids took a few bites each and said it was ok, but they couldn’t eat much more than that either.

(I felt incredibly satisfied! I “rolled” with my resistance and instead of getting stuck, I opened my self to new experiences and possibilities. And that felt fantastic!)

If you’re interested in trying this recipe for yourself, and see where it takes you, you can go straight to Dorie’s website and view the full recipe here.

To get a great cross-section of views on this recipe I encourage you to click here and see what other’s who participated in this week’s French Fridays with Dorie thought!

 

 

 


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Ham, Cheese & Chive Muffins and Bread

I decided to make a kid friendly version of this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe!

Actually, I made the bread to start with and was a little hesitant about the cheese. I used Gruyere and Emmenthal.
The smell that greeted me when I opened the packets was… well… bad!
But I’m glad I persevered.
Once the bread was in the oven, the smell changed and it really surprised me that something that started off so stinky could change so much!
I really did think that there was no saving this baby and had written it off, but suddenly, as the new smell filled the kitchen I felt hope!
I couldn’t wait to taste it and see if it was as good as it smelled.

And you know what? It was really, really good…
I swapped Dorie’s chives and walnuts for ham and shallots in an attempt to make it more tempting to the kids.
But I was enough of a realist to know that while the kids were encouraging, they would like it way more with a good dose of cheddar cheese.
So back to the kitchen and this time I dumped the Gruyere and Emmenthal for a packet of “4 cheese blend”! (It’s a mix of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses).
I know what you’re thinking… Classy!
Hey, it worked! The kids loved them!

If you want to see many more exciting and varied versions of this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe click here!

 


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Short Ribs In Red Wine and Port

I admit it! I have (until recently) been one of those people who thought creativity meant being able to paint or decorate!
It was something that involved a lot of drawing and knowing which colours went together.
So, given this definition, I routinely described myself as “the least creative person you were to ever meet!”
Then, my 10 year forced me to re-evaluate my beliefs.
I had his future clearly planned for him in my mind. Studying economics at university and then working for one of the major banks! Done!
Then something weird happened. He started to develop a real creative streak!
I started to get nervous.
He enjoyed it and others noticed he had a knack for it.
My banking dreams were being threatened and replaced with visions of him painting portraits at Circular Quay!
How could he do this to me!!!
Just as I was beginning to think I had to do something drastic to save my child from a life of artistic poverty, he said to me “Jack (his friend) and I have been talking and we decided we are going to work for Disney making graphics for their movies!” I wanted to cry! Working for Disney! That was a real job? Right? And he would be making money!

He forced me to re-think my ideas on creativity! It was the best gift he could have ever given me!

Today I see creativity everywhere I go.
Take this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe. It took creative genius to pull this baby off!

Juggling work, three kids at three different schools doing three different after school activities, a father coming out of rehab after a massive heart attack and stroke and me deciding to go back to uni, I was sure these ribs were going to fall by the wayside!

But the sadist in me wouldn’t let go of the satisfaction I knew would be waiting for me at the completion of this week’s recipe! So after buying a wheelchair and mobility scooter for my dad, I ducked into the fabric shop nearby and bought the cheesecloth for the bouquet garni.

After driving to uni to pick up my time-table with my 3 year old I realised it was ‘O’ week (orientation week) so I put off my grilling plans and we joined the celebrations!

A few lollipops and some one on one time with my baby was worth the delay!
Back home and the grilling…

…chopping and cooking were finally under way!

Before long the ribs, vegetables and a tonne of booze were all tightly snuggled into the oven for a few hours and we were on our way to pick up the others from school and meet friends for a catch up.
While the kids ran around and the grown ups chatted, the ribs bubbled away at home. We came home to the most amazing smell! Everyone was so excited about dinner till I told them it was for tomorrow night! Ha!
The next day the fat was scooped off and the ribs were ready for the final grilling!

They were pretty amazing!
If I didn’t join French Fridays with Dorie I would never have cooked these!
I would have flicked through the book and came back to it on the odd occasion and maybe even made a handful of recipes I felt comfortable with.
How much I would have missed out on!

The creativity of the other members inspires me, check out their takes on this recipe here.