FFWD: garbure from the supermarket

I was so excited for this week's recipe, garbure from the supermarket, from Dori Greenspan's "Around My French Table".  I read through the recipe, bought everything I needed.  This is going to make a perfect fireside dinner or as a weekend lunch.  I couldn't wait.  Plus, this recipe should make for a lot of leftovers for my husband and I.  OK, Everything goes in the pot!

There are a few ingredients listed as "optional", “1 duck leg, Piment d'Espelette or red pepper flakes,
1garlic sausage, cut into ½-inch-thick slices”.  I did not add the duck, however, thinking back maybe I should have.   Hmmm.

This was not bad, but it was not awesome!  I wish I could say, "just add salt", but I found this a bit bland.
So, after one serving each, this went straight to the freezer.
To see all the different versions of this recipe, click here to see what the other Dorista's have to say!

FFWD: butter and rum crepes, plain and fancy

A good friend of mine gave me a crepe pan as a wedding gift almost 22 years ago.  When I received the gift, I hope I didn't roll my eyes, because I am sure at the time I never thought I'd actually make crepes in that pan.  I have to admit, I have used the pan for pancakes and French toast, but today, finally, CREPES!!!  I have been waiting all week to make Dorie Greenspan's "butter and rum crepes, plain and fancy" from  her cookbook Around My French Table, with the other Doristas.  I have to admit, this recipe is awesome, super easy and delicious.  A hint of lemon and orange in the batter is genius and the citrus honey sauce is light, sweet and silky.  just the perfect combination.  Until now, I have only enjoyed crepes either in French restaurants or in Paris.  I'm not kidding.  I have saved the batter for tomorrow so we can enjoy the crepes again.  To check out other versions of this recipe, click here.

As a side note, I am still trying to catch up with all the recipes and I made the “Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux” for dinner tonight...Delicious!

FFWD: Catching up with Chicken

I did not make the assigned recipe for this week, Helen's All White Salad from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table, however, if you want to see how all the other Doristas did with this recipe, click here.  I'll be heading over to check them all out when I complete this post.
Ok, so what did I do with all my free time since I did not make the All White Salad?  In my attempt to catch up with the other Dorista's, I made Mme. Maman's Chopped Liver and Hurry-Up-And-Wait Roast Chicken.

I have to say, I loved the Chopped Chicken Liver!

I have attempted to make chopped chicken liver before, without a recipe, how hard could it be, I thought.  Well previous attempts have been boring and bland.  Well, Dorie's recipe is fantastic.  The addition of caramelized onions made such a big difference...yum. Even better than my favorite deli...shhh.  Click here to check out the other versions of Mme. Maman's Chopped Chicken Liver.

So what did I make to go with my chicken liver, ha, ha, roast chicken of course.

I started with organic chicken.  Ok, weird way to make chicken, especially since I was so skeptical that the chicken was not going to be cooked through.  The end result was not pretty, but tasted delicious.

FFWD: Catching up...fresh orange pork tenderloin, broth-braised potatoes and lemon-steamed spinach

I've decided to make this week's recipe, “Boeuf à la Ficelle (Beef on a String)”, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table, when my son is home from school.  My furnace has gone out, the temperature outside has been around 28-32 degrees, and I am in no mood to cook in my cold house...brrrrr.  Fortunately, I have been trying to catch up with the rest of the Doristas at French Fridays with Dorie and today is the day I have decided to share how things turned out.
Fresh Orange Pork Tenderloin was a nice alternative.  I loved the idea of using orange zest.  I had fun peeling the orange too!

Broth-Braised Potatoes were DELICIOUS!  We often roast potatoes with similar flavored, but braising them kept the potatoes so creamy.

To round off the meal, I made Lemon-Steamed Spinach.  OK, I have to admit, I cheated! I tossed all the ingredients in a bowl and microwaved the spinach...the horror!  I hope Dorie doesn't find out, but I have to say, it was pretty good. To see what the rest of the Doristas were cooking this week, click here.

Homemade Pho

I love pho!  No joke.  I always order the house special at pho places.  I'm not afraid of raw beef, tendons or tripe.  I love, love pho!  Ok, so a year ago, I suggested to my, then, assistant, "Let's have pho for lunch".  She is half Cambodian and half Thai, and her response was, "I'm really picky about pho, my mom makes it homemade".  All of the sudden, I did not feel like the authority on pho...insert sad face.  We ended up at a vegan Thai place and I never suggested pho to her again.
There are many recipes out their for pho, actually, I just saw a Martha Stewart episode where she featured pho.  The broth is key!  Water, meaty beef bones, the right spice mix and a lot of simmering. A couple other items that I noticed in several recipes, charred onion and ginger.
 
I followed the recipe at Steamy Kitchen, click here.  This recipe includes the authentic spices and you can use a slow cooker.

However, a super easy version is available at Martha Stewart, click here.
After straining out the beef bones, onions, ginger and beef bits, you are left with a great tasting broth. I did not add fish sauce to the broth until I was ready to serve.  To be honest, the smell can be a little overwhelming.
So I texted a picture of my finished product to my former assistant! she responded, "mmmmm. My mouth is watering. Looks delicious,". Yay, I feel much better now! Again I can proudly say, "I love pho!". Waiting patiently for the Super Bowl. Go Hawks!