The advantages of working full-time

So I recently started a new full-time gig. Despite the obvious bonus of a regular paycheck, I haven't had as much the time as I'd like to experiment with recipes, find new ingredients, and so forth. C'est la vie right?

One unexpected advantage however is that the girl has really stepped up to the plate so to speak in the dinner department. An occasional cook, mostly she's infamous for her specialty of cold pasta sauce on capellini. Originally I thought I was being clever when I challenged her to make 3 consecutive meals in 'pie-form' (basically hoping to secure 3 nights of dinner). Not only did she do it, but she's continued to cook a few times a week... without incitement!

Although it's pretty sweet to come home to a cooked meal once in a while, I fear that if I don't get back in there that I'll soon be writing for her. Here's a streamlined coq au vin she whipped up last week. I know, I don't get it either.

Here's what you need:

- 1 bottle of red wine (Burgundy)

- 1 medium onion, chopped

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- A handful of button mushrooms, chopped

- A piece (or 2) of chicken per person - thighs or drumsticks, with skin

- 5 or 6 pieces of bacon, chopped

- All purpose flour

- About 1/2 a liter of chicken stock

- Thyme, parsley (fresh if possible)

- Tablespoon of butter

- Olive oil

- Salt and pepper

* In a plastic bag, marinate the chicken in enough wine to cover the meat. This can be done overnight or even a couple hours before cooking

* In a large pan or dutch over, saute the bacon until crispy, set aside

* In the same pan, cook the chicken skin side down until browned, set aside

* Saute the onion and garlic until translucent, add about a tablespoon of flour and brown lightly

* Deglaze the pan with a good splash of wine, and add pinches of thyme, parsley, salt and pepper

* Once simmering, add the marinating liquid with equal parts chicken stock, return the chicken to the pot, and simmer until the sauce thickens. Like with boeuf bourguignon, if you find that the liquid is evaporating too quickly, reduce the heat or cover the pot

* In a separate pan, saute the button mushrooms with a bit of butter or olive oil and set aside

* Towards the end of cooking, add the mushrooms and bacon to the mix and simmer further

* You'll probably need to simmer for an hour or so, turning the chicken occasionally

Not bad for a Wednesday night!

GG

Mashed Potatoes à la Française

Mentioning Aligot in my last post really got my thinking about it. When people ask me what about French cuisine they should experience, Aligot is definitely right up at the top of the list. It's also one of the dishes that I insist on my visiting friends trying. In the Auvergne region of France, Aligot often prepared in huge pots and sold in town.

So what is Aligot exactly?

It's basically mashed potatoes, but with a delicious twist. These potatoes are pureed with crème fraiche, garlic, and Tomme cheese to become dense, silky, and flavorful. Aligot is the right consistency when it can literally be cut with a knife.

Here's what you need:

- 2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cut

- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, mashed or minced finely

- 1/2 a stick of unsalted butter

- 2 cups of crème fraiche - thicker and less sour than sour cream - can be made at home with buttermilk and heavy cream

- Tomme cheese in thin slices, about half of the amount of potatoes - can be substituted for Cantal, or other semi-hard strong cheeses

- 1 cup, approximately, of skim or 1% milk

- Salt and pepper

* Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork tender, drain and return to the pot

* Mash the potatoes on low heat until fluffy with the butter, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste

* Incorporate the crème fraiche and mix evenly

* Raise the heat slightly and add the Tomme, a little at a time, until it's all mixed and melted evenly

* Stir regularly while trying not to break up the cheese strands. If the mix becomes too thick, add milk, a few tablespoons at a time

* The final product will be smooth like mashed potatoes and slightly stringy, serve immediately!

For a traditional Auvergne dish, pair it with sausage, duck confit, or steak, and garnish with parsley or chives.

GG

Know your French cheeses!

France has long been synonymous with cheese, and with good reason. It's serious business here. Many cheeses carry the AOC designation, or 'Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée'. Like Italy's DOC and Canada's VQA, this designation specifies that the product has been prepared in a traditional way and in a traditional region (think Champagne, Dijon, and Chianti). Here's the skinny on a few French cheeses I've learned to love - in alphabetical order as not to offend the French. Being the wine snob at the dinner party is overrated. Be the cheese snob.

Bleu - Classic blue cheese is well known. Various cheese can be called 'bleu' after the right culture has been added to the mix, often Roquefort, Gorgonzola, or Stilton. Known for their pungent flavor, creamy texture, and of course, color. Great with salads or melted on a burger.

Brebis - Named for its origin, Brebis can be any cheese made from sheep's milk. Brebis is often buttery, smooth and pungent.

Brie - From the region of Brie, Brie is a soft, creamy, white cheese, cut into rounds.

Camembert - Similar to (but not the same as) Brie, Camembert is from the North of France. Traditionally made with unpasteurized milk, Camembert is also soft and creamy with a slight hint of ammonia. The classic apéro cheese, it's a good one to learn to like! 

Cantal - Cantal is a harder cheese, from central France. Almost like cheddar, Cantal has a strong creamy taste (depending on its age). Old Cantal can be pretty strong tasting so maybe opt for a fresher one. Cantal is great for recipes too.

Chèvre - Creamy goat's milk cheese, Chèvre is another French classic. Various kinds exist in France. One of my favorites, tart Chèvre is great on crackers with a sweet onion confit.

Mimolette - Probably the closest thing to Cheddar that the French have, Mimolette is a hard orange cheese from the North of France. It tastes somewhat like Parmesan.

Saint André - Like a very strong Brie, Saint Andre can take a bit of getting used to. It is also very creamy and rich.

Saint-Nectaire - A more nutty flavor, Saint-Nectaire is another common addition to a cheese board.

Tomme - From the French Alps, tomme is fairly dense and dry. Tomme is also the key ingredient in one of my favorite French dishes, Aligot.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, go try them!

GG

The Jamaican Side Dish

As rich and delicious as French food is, I can't help but miss the things I can get back home that I just can't find here. A big one for me is Caribbean food. Unfortunately, the fact that France has several Caribbean departments doesn't contribute to the availability of said food. As if by divine intervention, just when I thought I couldn't bear it any longer, a bottle of jerk sauce and a recipe for rice and peas miraculously appeared at my door... or maybe it was the girl coming back from a trip to Toronto. Either way, I now had the means to satisfy my craving.

Here's what you need for some real rice and peas:

- 1 1/2 cups dried kidney beans (soak them for at least 4 hours)
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1/2 cup of coconut milk
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper, whole
- 3 sprigs of green onion
- 1 large teaspoon of thyme
- 1 1/2 cups of white rice

* Drop the beans into a pan with the crushed garlic, and add enough water to cover them by a centimeter or so
* Simmer until they're cooked - they're done when they break easily between your fingers (1 hour)
* Once the beans are cooked, add the coconut milk, green onions, whole pepper, rice, thyme, and bring to a boil with the pot covered
* Once most of the liquid is absorbed, the rice should be nicely cooked (if you're having trouble getting the liquid amount right, you can always drain off some of the excess, or add water)
* Remove the pepper, sprigs of onion, and serve

The only thing more difficult to find in Paris than Caribbean food is a barbecue, but the marinated chicken still turned out pretty well in the oven.

GG

The French Press

My good friend Michaela and I were chatting recently about the French press. She told me that not only did she have one, but that she'd been really wanting to master it. I suggested that she not only master it but write about it. Here's the result:

On the day that this piece goes to press, coffee drinkers nationwide (that nation being the USA) will raise their lattes, macchiato, and drip brews in celebration of National Coffee Day. From truck stops to college cafeterias, highbrow baristas to amateur home brewers, Americans are crazy about their coffee. In light of this fact, I wish to share with you my recent experimentation with the French press.

For months (years?) this inconspicuous little device has had a home on my kitchen counter. Pushed aside for an opening microwave door, or placed on top of a recipe printout as a paperweight, my French press was more ornamental than functional. Living in the heart of New York City, I am surrounded by amazing coffee shops from which to get my caffeine fix. Until recently, it hadn’t even crossed my mind to actually MAKE a cup chez moi.

After discovering that my single-cup coffee maker from college had met its maker, I turned my attention to the French press - to test it out and share the results. Thus, armed with some basic instruction, I set out to brew some chicory coffee that I had picked up on a trip to New Orleans. Like the press, this coffee had served more of an ornamental purpose (love that retro, yellow tin!).

Then it began. Carefully measuring 3 heaping tablespoons of grounds, I added 12 ounces (4 ounces for each tablespoon) of pre-boiled water (part direction-instructed and part my own know-it-all-ness) until the grounds were saturated. Next, I poked the mixture down with the back of a wooden spoon (fancy equipment keep back!) until a rich froth-like substance formed. I left it to steep with the top in place, the knobbed handle pulled straight up (don’t even think of pressing those grounds yet!). I paced in my kitchen for the suggested 3-5 minutes, however after 3.5 minutes, I was ready to press - the smell was too tantalizing. I steadily pressed the knobbed handle down and watched the grounds separate from the brew. Then, I poured. “Potent!” was what I labeled the creation, even for black, dairy/soy free coffee. “Ground free,” was my next observation, as I wasn’t initially convinced that the stopper would work. “Delicious,” I then remarked, noting both the taste and the smell that mildly engulfed my kitchen.

I felt triumphant, as though I had grown and harvested the beans myself. The physical, hands-on nature of French pressing is infinitely more satisfying than punching a few buttons on a coffee machine. After my second attempt a few days later with some awesome Italian coffee, I found myself equally enthusiastic about the process. This time, I lightened it up with some fresh heavy cream, which made for a cup more suited to my taste.

There you have it, dear reader, my foray into the world of the French press. So dust off that statuesque beauty (it makes for a lousy bookend) and get to brewing. CHEERS!

Michaela Johnson currently lives, eats, and works in New York City.

The Perfect Grilled Cheese!

Grilled cheese is the classic American sandwich. Of course in its original incarnation, composed of wonder bread, cheese slices, and cooked in a pan, the grilled cheese contained neither cheese nor bread and wasn't even grilled. The beautiful thing about the grilled cheese is that its simple nature makes it super customizable. It's no surprise that like so many other cheap dishes, the grilled cheese has joined the gourmet ranks with restaurants using all manner of fancy cheeses, breads, oils, and ingredients.

For me, the grilled cheese will always remind me of the occasional Sunday lunch as a kid. My mom's were always perfect in my mind, nothing special, just good. Today they're still the perfect Sunday lunch, especially after a particularly long Saturday night.

A perfect grilled cheese really is an art form, and if not done right, it's a little too easy to end up with a cold cheese and carbon sandwich. Here's how to get it right every time.

* Start by warming your pan to just over MEDIUM heat

* Liberally butter (no margarine!) both the pan and one side of one of the pieces of bread all the way to the crust. Let the butter come up to room temperature for easy spreading, or warm it slightly in the pan

* Place the first buttered piece of bread in the pan, and immediately top with cheese. If you're using a lot of hard cheese, it might be a good idea to get a lid on it, but I find that this is usually unnecessary unless you're using too much heat

* As the cheese melts, butter the other piece of bread and assemble your sandwich

* By the time you're ready to flip, it should be almost the perfect color on the bottom

* Continue to cook until golden on both sides! 

Some tips? A grilled cheese shouldn't be healthy. Save the brown bread for turkey sandwiches because it just doesn't caramelize like white. If you want to switch it up, I find that thick challah or brioche work particularly well. You can also try sourdough, but nothing beats a fresh croissant or even French toast grilled cheese if you're feeling particularly gluttonous. Experiment with cheeses, but always remember to grate them or cut them thinly. Soft cheeses will melt faster, so a combination of soft and thinly cut hard cheese is great. Think about flavor too - if you're using a strong cheese like blue or chevre, it might be nice to balance it with a milder cheese like Camembert or brie. In my mind though, nothing works better than a good sharp cheddar. If you're looking to add some other ingredients (basil, bacon, spinach, etc), it's best to cook both pieces of bread at the same time with a little cheese on both. That way the sandwich will stick around the ingredient and wont fall apart when you bite it.

Happy 'grilling',

GG

La Grande Epicerie

It's no secret that I've got a weakness for upscale markets - one stop shops for superior local artisanal products and hard to find imports. New York is a haven for these, and Toronto's got a few good ones too. 

In France, the prevailing culinary dogma is one of quality and local freshness - something North Americans are willing to pay extra for. For the most part, 'farm to table' isn't anything special, it's just the way it's done.

That being said, the French love American culture (though they'll never tell you that). Therefore, it goes without saying that in the wealthiest areas of Paris, you're bound to find some pretty amazing shops.

Le Bon Marché, or 'The Good Market', is known as the World's first department store. Officially starting around 1850, today it's a main attraction for shoppers looking for a little something by Louis Vuitton or Chanel. Obviously that can work up quite an appetite, so the natural thing to do is to go next door to the Grande Epicerie.

La Grande Epicerie is the very definition of the upscale market. Being so very French, everything is about image. The store features beautiful displays, which often mirror the theme of the window displays at Le Bon Marché. Special products are one of a kind and often very whimsical - Coca-Cola bottles featuring the silhouette of Karl Lagerfeld, Orangina bottles sold in limited edition bags by Antik Batik, a range of condiments made to look like hair products, Eiffel tower noodles, and Swarovski-encrusted water bottles are not uncommon. Part of the store is dedicated to products of the World, and the American section is comprised of molasses, maple syrup, chocolate chips, barbecue sauce, popcorn, peanut butter, and marshmallow fluff.

Karl Lagerfeld Coca-Cola

Got water?

Selection of jams

Balsamic vinegar - I snapped this after being told to put the camera away or leave

While you're not likely to be doing your weekly grocery shopping there, as many normal products are available elsewhere for a fraction of the price, it's a great place to get gifts for the foodies in your life. To me, the value lies in their mouth-watering prepared foods, beautiful pastries, hard to find ingredients for your dinner parties, and not to mention the browsing potential of the place. After all, who doesn't get some sick pleasure out of checking out bottles of champagne worth thousands of euros and bags of dried morel mushrooms that cost as much as a normal shopping trip.

GG

La Grande Epicerie de Paris

38 Rue de Sèvres

Paris, 75007
01 44 39 81 00