Gluten-Free Pancakes
This afternoon, I had a hankering for PANCAKES. A old family weekend favorite, I can’t remember the last time I had pancakes, so I was glad to find this recipe for GF on GlutenFreeGirl.
France isn’t big on GF but I have been successful with a Schär patisserie mix that I found at L’Eau Vive. I used 1 cup of this instead of the 1/2 cup of sorghum, sweet rice, and teff flour called for in the recipe and served it all with baked cinnamon apples - delish.
Also, just because I’m so proud of finally getting and hanging our lettres en bois, here’s a pic of our kitchen!
Moelleux au Chocolat
Ah oui, le moelleux au chocolat… The perfect chocolate cake that oozes melted chocolate when you cut into it. I used a new tin (on sale from Williams Sonoma - FTW) that made my extra-large cupcake-sized cakes into perfect cups for toppings like strawberries and whipped cream…
The recipe I followed as from an amazing Lyonnaise, Marion Chapsal, but it’s very similar to others you can find online. The trick is not to put in too much flour or to bake it too long… If it still looks wet, it’s perfect. :)
Bon appetit!
**PS, these ones, believe it or not, are gluten-free! I found an awesome GF patisserie mix at a bio store in town. They didn’t taste GF at all. Love!**
Summer Soup de Jeanne
This super easy recipe for a summer soup with cucumber, goat cheese, and mint comes from Marmiton, a French recipe site. For those anglophones out there:
- 1 cucumber, peeled
- 8 ounces of fresh goat cheese
- 8 ounces plain yogurt
- Handful of mint leaves
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed (optional)
- Salt and paper to taste
Blend ingredients together and chill for 1-2 hours before serving. Bon appetit!
Merguez in Two Parts
This summer I admittedly went a little marguez-happy. There’s something about spicy lamb sausage that I just can’t say no to, especially when it’s mixed in with yummy sweet goat cheese. The first venture was a recreation of the endive boats we made for my “going to France” party in August 2010. The recipe is completely made up on the spot:
Remove the merguez from the packaging and brown it in a pan like hamburger meat. Let it cool completely and mix in goat cheese. Spoon into endive leaves and voilà:
Very tasty!
The second go-around was a bit more time intensive, but still not a serious undertaking: Summer Squash Stuffed with Merguez and Goat Cheese. The website has some great video recipes (think Food Network but less corporate-feeling). Anyway, the frustrating bit is that I had been seeing summer squash all over town and then as soon as I needed to use up the rest of the merguez, I couldn’t find any - sooo I substituted eggplant. Still Very Tasty:
Roasted Carrots with Feta and Parsley
Usually Ina Garten is my go-to-girl, but here I’ve gotta hand it to Martha. These are amazing. Sweet and tart and amazing.
(Dill? Really, Ina? Come on now.)
Brie en Croûte
Last August, in preparation for my move to Lyon, my parents threw me a France-themed going away party. The highlights included abundant French wine, Frenchified games and trivia, and, of course, loads of French food. One party favorite was the Brie en Croûte, the recipe for which we stole from Paula Deen.
Browsing through Les Halles, a gourmet marketplace in Lyon, you might think that “things en croûte” is super common. You’ll find various cheeses en croûte, saucisse en croûte, pâté en croûte… it’s everywhere. When I whipped up this tasty treat for my French fiancé (<- I love this new title!) and his French friend who was visiting for a night, though, neither of them had ever tried it before. Apparently, yours truly, the expat in France, was introducing a French food to a French audience! Quel privilège!
