For no particular season or reason, why not try a couple of
French classics next time you're having friends for dinner?
Neither the Soup Entree nor the Main are clever, fussy dishes...
Rather they are of the "campagne" - the countryside -
but very tasty
and admirable in their simplicity.
To follow, not a rich French dessert¡
Instead we suggest
an equally simple but satisfying coffee cake.
ENTREE Leek & Potato Soup with Croutons Serves
2
What
you need
* 1/2 cup of butter
* 3 nice leeks
* 6 cups of veal or white stock
* 7 or 8 potatoes
* Salt and freshly ground white pepper
* 1/2 cup of heavy cream
* Day old French bread
How
to do it.
# Clean leeks well and chop.
# Brown in half of the butter, being careful not to burn them. (It will discolour your soup.)
# Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks.
# Add seasonings, stock, leeks, and potatoes to a soup pot and boil for an hour or until the potatoes are extremely soft.
# Meanwhile, make the croutons by frying pieces of bread in reasonably hot foaming butter.
# In a blender, process the liquid and potatoes, then whisk in heavy cream reserving a few tablespoons of cream.
# Serve soup in bowls.
# Swirl in remaining cream and sprinkle croutons on top.
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MAIN
French Chicken Stew with Black Mustard Seeds Serves
2
What
you need
* 4 tablespoons of spice mixture
(Mix, in equal parts, each of the following: black mustard seeds, brown mustard seeds, black pepper, hot paprika, rosemary, marjoram, basil, sage, hot pepper.)
* 2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
* 7 small new potatoes, halved
* 4 carrots cut into chunks
* 2 parsnips cut into chunks
* 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
* 3 cups of chicken stock
* 1 teaspoon of flour
* A few more tablespoons of butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
How
to do it.
1. Coat the chicken in the spice mixture.
2. Sear in a small pot with the butter.
3. Then add the rest of the ingredients (except for the flour) and cover.
4. Simmer for 20 - 25 minutes, until the potatoes are done.
5. Strain out the chicken and the vegetables and put the liquid back in the pot.
6. Reduce on high heat until the liquid is halved.
7. Next, mash the flour and a little butter and whisk in to thicken the sauce.
8. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with sourdough bread.
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DESSERT
Old Fashioned Sour Cream Coffee Cake Serves
What
you need
Crumb Topping:
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup caster sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 14 tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ¾ tsp. almond extract
Cake:
• 8 tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
How
to do it.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Butter two 9-inch round pans or one 9-x13 pan.
Make the crumb:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
2. Melt the butter in the microwave and stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
3. Pour the butter over the flour mixture and stir to combine until the flour is uniformly moistened and you have a sandy, moist crumb.
4. Set aside.
Make the cake batter:
1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
3. Beat in the vanilla and sour cream, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder.
5. Add flour mixture to the sour cream mixture and beat on low to medium or stir with a large spoon until evenly combined.
6. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan/s.
7. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the batter with your fingers, covering the batter completely.
Cook:
1. Bake for 20-25 minutes for 9-inch rounds or 30-35 minutes for a 9 x 13 pan.
2. Cake is done when a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean and the sides are light gold and slightly pulling away from the edge of the pan.
3. Cool cakes in their pan/s on a wire rack.
