Soupe Au Pistou (French Vegetable-Leek Soup) What you’ll need: For the soup 1 leek, washed carefully and diced 1 onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces 2 stalks celery, sliced 2 cups uncooked fresh green beans 2 cups large-diced potatoes 2 cups sliced carrots 2 cups seeded, diced […]
French
Dee’s Gratin de Chou or Cabbage Gratin
Everything sounds better in French! For example the lowly cabbage is elevated to new heights solely by calling it “chou”. I was surprised to learn that there many variations of this dish. Unfortunately, most of them use heavy cream. I decided to make mine with a lighter béchamel (white sauce). […]
Peach Clafoutis
Clafouti is a French dessert made of fruit and a flan-like batter. It’s kind of like a pudding-cake. It’s not overly sweet, but very satisfying. Clafouti is traditionally made with black cherries but can be made with other fruits as well. It can be made in a cast iron skillet […]
French Apple Cake
There are many versions of this delightful cake out there. I have experimented with many recipes and found this one to be my favorite. Most recipes call for dark rum, but I have substituted with apple brandy for its subtlety. Easy to make, not too sweet and fun to eat! […]
Steak Diane al la Dee
Dee’s Steak Diane There are many recipes out there for Steak Diane. If you have never tried it, you’ve missed something! I have adapted my recipe through the years to suit my tastes. A splash of Madeira wine or Port puts it over the top. If you’re going to eat […]
La Ratatouille de Dee
If you have a garden, you likely have lots of great veggies in mid to late summer. Here is a rich, delicious way to use them that’s also healthy. The fresh herbs really make the flavors pop! Ratatouille is a French veggie stew – things always sound better in French!! La […]
Baby Greens with Herb Crusted Cheese Rounds and Orange Vinaigrette
Mixed Baby Greens with Herb Crusted Chevre’ and Orange Vinaigrette What you’ll need: For the dressing: 1 ½ cups fresh orange juice 1 shallot, finely minced 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar ½ cup red wine vinegar 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup […]
Blender Béarnaise Sauce
Blender Béarnaise Sauce What You’ll Need: 1 cup butter 4 egg yolks 2 teaspoons finely minced shallot 1 teaspoon dried French tarragon OR Fresh tarragon leaves, about 1 Tablespoon, chopped Salt to taste ½ teaspoon white, tarragon or champagne vinegar And of course, a blender! Steps: Place shallots, butter and vinegar […]
Mussels in Wine & Broth with Garlic, Fennel & Herbs
Mussels in Wine & Broth with Garlic, Fennel and Herbs Serves 4 as a main course What you’ll need: 4 pounds fresh live mussels 4 large shallots, chopped 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh fennel bulb 8 large cloves garlic, chopped 2 cups good quality dry white wine, such as Pinot […]
