Tag Archives: lunch

May5

Bouillabaisse–Quick and Delicious

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quick bouillabaisseBouillabaisse-Quick and Delicious

Serves 4

 

 

 

 

OK—if you don’t like sea food, don’t even bother looking at this recipe. But if you do—well, here’s an uncomplicated (don’t let the 20 listed ingredients scare you) and delicious way to make what many consider the Cadillac of fish stews. There are so many different versions and recipes for an original and good bouillabaisse; many take hours and a huge amount of various ingredients to make. However, the following recipe results in my opinion in a delicious dish that is not complicated, particularly if you can procure all of the few ingredients that I have mentioned. Please know that you can use fresh or dried seasonings but if you use the fresh variety, it’ll take twice as much of the recipe’s called upon amount as it calls for the dried variety. Fish wise, this dish can be a bit pricey to make if you get fresh non-farmed fish from the fish monger, however if you get the frozen variety (and some of it is wild caught) it can be a lot less expensive. So, here’s a dish that you can make fast, fast for guests, for your family or just for your lonesome and then have some delicious left-over’s.

Ingredients:

  1. 1-2 Tblsp. olive oil
  2. 1 medium yellow onion peeled and cut into eighths or if you wish, rough chopped by hand or food processor.
  3. 3 large peeled garlic cloves, rough chopped either by hand or in a food processor along with the onions.
  4. 2 celery stalks fine chopped by hand or food processor along with ingredient # 1 and #2.
  5. One 15-oz. can of whole tomatoes rough chopped if you want bigger chunks or even a can of commercially chopped tomatoes. Whatever, be sure to save the liquid to include in the recipe.
  6. 1-2 ears of unshucked corn, priorly soaked in water for about 1/2 hour and then microwaved for 2 minutes (for each ear) and then shucked and kernels cut off cob. Now you can use frozen corn or even rinsed canned corn. (optional)
  7. 3-5 baby red or white potatoes—cut in 2 inch pieces. (optional)
  8. 2 -8-oz bottles of clam juice and/ or seafood stock or a combination of both and actually you may want a bit more if you want a “thinner” potage.
  9. 2 Tsp. ground fennel
  10. 1/2- 3/4 Tsp. ground thyme
  11. 1-2 Tsp. dried parsley
  12. 1 Bay Leaf
  13. 1/2- 3/4 Tsp. dry basil
  14. 1/4 to 1/2 Tsp. Saffron powder
  15. S&P to taste
  16. 8-oz. combination of monkfish, swordfish, halibut, snapper or sea bass cut into large pieces.
  17. 8-oz. clean squid bodies, cut into rings and threads cut in large sections when unfrozen. (I found fresh frozen squid and they were delicious.)
  18. 10 to 15 whole unfrozen cooked medium sized or could even be small deveined shrimp with or without tail on. Sometimes I think it’s fun to present a dish which people have to actually participate in, ie, taking the shrimp tail off. And actually, some people like to munch on the tail.
  19. For last minute topping, freshly chopped parsley or even cilantro.
  20. Crusty French Bread to dip into your fish stew. If you wish, you could broil the bread spread with a bit of butter or olive oil and garlic.

 

easy bouillaibaisse

Directions:

  1. If your fish, squid and shrimp are frozen, unfreeze them per package instructions.
  2. In a large deep pot heat the 1-2 Tbslp. olive oil over medium heat. Then add the garlic, onion and celery and sauté till they are soft and slightly golden (about 5 minutes.)
  3. Then add ingredients # 5 to # 15. Also add in the potatoes if you are using them. Stir well and bring to a slow boil. Place a top on the pot, turn the heat down to medium and simmer with a top on for 30 minutes.
  4. Add the cut fish when the sauce is ready and cook covered for an additional 5 minutes or till the fish is fork ready.
  5. For your very last minute or two of cooking over medium heat and with a top on, add the squid and shrimp and the optional corn.
  6. You can top this all, when serving, with additional freshly chopped parsley or even cilantro.
  7. And don’t forget the crusty French bread and wine, like a rose(accent over the e).

 

Apr29

One Very Easy and Healthy Complete Chicken Casserole

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breasts ready for oven corn unshucked and breasts dish ready to eat plated

One Very Easy and Healthy Complete Chicken Casserole

Serves 4

Very often I don’t have any specific plan or recipe in mind however one always seems to pop up.  Atkinsons’ had some very delicious looking and well priced whole (with bone and skin) chicken breasts which I had bought. That was my main ingredient.  I also had bought some fresh California corn (2 ears for $1), fresh organic red chard and for an additional side goodie, some huge CA artichokes (2 for $5).  At home I had some garlic heads, yellow onions, and one red and one white new potato.  So, there you go————I took out my 13 X 9 Pyrex dish and below is what I came up with.  I made it just for myself, but it’s a nice complete dinner for 4 and I envision a busy mother or dad being very happy to make something so healthy but yet so easy for the family—or even for guests because it did look very pretty.   Also, it’s a fun dish to eat because part of it entails just using your hands.  Be sure to have some extra bowls set on your table for discarding the artichoke leaves and corn husks.

 

Ingredients:

  1. 2 large whole chicken breasts, with skin and bone—rinsed and pat dried
  2. 1 large bunch of red or white chard, washed and rough chopped
  3. 1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced
  4. 2 or 3 large new potatoes, thick sliced
  5. Olive oil and/or olive oil spray
  6. Fresh ground pepper to taste and salt if you wish
  7. Several generous squirts of one of your favorite hot sauce—I used a hot mango sauce
  8. 1 C. vegetable or vegetarian broth
  9. 4 whole heads of garlic
  10. 2 ears of corn, soft end slightly cut off, left in most of its shucking and soaked in water for 10 to 15 minutes.

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375.
  2. Spray your 13 X 9 Pyrex dish with olive oil and layer first with the onion slices, then the potatoes, and last the chopped chard.  Sprinkle some hot sauce over it and then pour the broth over it all. Then place one chicken breast at each end—on top of the greens, etc.  Sprinkle the chicken with fresh ground pepper/salt and some more of your favorite hot sauce and place the whole garlic heads at each corner.
  3. Put the dish on the middle rack in your preheated oven for 30 minutes.
  4. After the initial 30 minutes, take the dish out, turn the oven down to 350, and place the two un-husked presoaked corn ears in the middle of the dish.
  5. Cook for half-hour more and everything should be done just perfectly.
  6. Take the corn out with gloved hands and remove the husks.  Break each ear into two and place back on top of your dish.  If you wish place a small pad of butter on each corn ear.
  7. As I said, I served this with a side of artichoke.
  8. As always, bon appetit
Apr10

Rick’s Slow Cooked Pork

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slow cooked pork roast

Pork with spinach and potatoes

spinach pork and top

spinach on top pork

Rick’s Slow Cooked Pork

Serves 6-8

Two of my guests at my bed and breakfast inn decided that they wanted to move from Tahoe to Paso.  So, they resided in my cottage for well over a month.  They were a lovely young couple and I loved their company.  Christy eventually became the manager at an exclusive winery; Rick though always loved to cook and he ended up working at an exclusive restaurant.  This is one of his recipes and I love the ease and simplicity of it.  It is sort of a pulled pork recipe so if you look at comparable recipes, you can also add vinegar, etc. but honestly, I think that Rick’s way is the best.  So here it is:

Ingredients:

  1.  One 3-4 lbs. Shoulder/butt (NOT LOIN) I used a 3.44 Lb. Fresh Boston Butt Pork Shoulder Roast that was priced very nicely.
  2. Olive oil—I used at least 1/2 C.
  3. S&P
  4. Fresh thyme

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 275.
  2. LIBERALLY, and I mean that, spread olive oil over the whole roast. I sprayed with olive oil a large Pyrex dish first and placed the roast in it.
  3. Salt and pepper the roast to your taste.
  4. Spread fresh thyme, as much you would like, over it all.
  5. Cook the roast, uncovered, for 6 hours.
  6. That’s it and believe me, moist and delicious is what you get.
  7. Now, I had some freshly washed spinach waiting to be cooked and I thought, well, why not about 1/2  hour before the pork is done to pile it on top of the pork, sprinkle some red pepper flakes and Parmesan on top of the greens, place a top (or aluminum foil) on top and put it back in the oven. But even before that since I also had a left over cooked baked potato,  I had cut that up in small bits and had added that around the roast before I did the spinach bit.
  8. When I took the roast out, I arranged the spinach and potatoes nicely around the roast and it looked gorgeous.
  9. Of course, this kind of pork also goes very well with potato salad and/or beans.
  10. Rick also said that you can cook very thick pork chops like this as well.  He said to cook them for 1 ½ to 2 hours the slow way.
Mar29

Shrimp a la Dijon

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shrimp dijon 2Shrimp a la Dijon

Serves 4

 

For my taste, this recipe results in a truly delectable dish.  It’s a quick and easy one to serve however looks and tastes like you might have spent hours on it.  The sauce in particular is divine.  You can serve it over rice, pasta or with crusty French bread and a nice light green salad.  It’s perfect for last minute guests or just for last minute family dinners or even just for your lonesome.  Just make sure that you have some dried mushrooms or frozen pre-cooked mushrooms and uncooked peeled and devinne with tail on shrimp in the freezer.  You can even substitute for the shrimp left-over chicken.  You also can add chopped light tasting veggies like chopped yellow squash (not broccoli, Brussel Sprouts and such), when sauteing the onions and mushrooms.

Ingredients:

  1. 12 Oz. Shrimps with tail defrosted per package instructions
  2. Butter and/or olive oil to amount to 3 Tbls. (I use a bit of both)
  3. 1 ½ C. sliced mushrooms
  4. 1/4 C. finely chopped onions and/or 3 finely chopped garlic cloves
  5. 1 Tblsp. flour
  6. 3/4 C. very warm chicken broth
  7. 1/4 C. dry white wine (I used dry vermouth)
  8. 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  9. 1 Tsp. crushed dry tarragon and/ or a heaping 1/2 Tsp. fennel seeds
  10. 1/4 Tsp. paprika
  11. 1/4 Tsp. ground pepper
  12. 1/4 C. heavy cream (you can use ½ and ½ or milk if you wish to lighten the load)

Directions:

  1. In a large measuring cup, combine the chicken broth with the white wine, Dijon mustard, and tarragon or fennel seeds, paprika and ground pepper.  Let sit while you do the rest of the steps.
  2. In a large skillet, heat the butter and/or oil till it is hot.  Add the mushrooms and onions/garlic and over medium heat, sauté till the mushrooms and onions/garlic are soft, limp and glistening. Stir in flour till all is well mixed and no more flour white remains.
  3. Add the chicken broth mixture and stir till thickened and the mixture bubbles.  Reduce heat to medium low.
  4. Stir in the cream and shrimp.
  5. Cook covered for 2 minutes or till shrimp is done.  Don’t overcook or shrimp will become tough.
  6. Garnish individual plates or platter with lemon slices and sliced tomatoes and top with parsley or herbs.
Mar23

Warm Sausage and Potato Salad

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warm saussage & potato salad #2

Warm Sausage and Potato Salad

Serves 4

The following may sound complicated and seem time staking, but honestly, it’s not.  It’s a breeze to make and delicious.  It’s great for anytime of the year.  So give it a try and enjoy.

 

Ingredients and directions in Four Parts:

 

For the potatoes:

  1. 1 Lb. tiny boiling potatoes unpeeled and cut in 1/4 inch slices or the slightly larger white Yukons or something similar, peeled, cut in half and then cut cross wise in 1/4 inch slices.
  2. 3 Tblsp. chicken broth
  3. 1/4 Tsp. salt
  4. Directions: Boil until potatoes are JUST tender (maybe 10-15 minutes). Drain, put in stainless or glass bowl and add the broth and salt.  Let set while you do the rest.

 

For the dressing:

  1. 2 Tsp. Dijon mustard
  2. 1 ½ Tsp. red or white wine vinegar (I used sauvignon blanc vinegar)
  3. 1/4 Tsp. ground pepper
  4. 1/3 C. olive Oil
  5. 1/4 Tsp. salt
  6. (I doubled this delicious recipe so as to have left over dressing for other use)
  7. 7.       Directions: Place ingredients in a blender or processor and process till smooth or if you wish, you can just whisk it all.

 

For the Sausages:

  1. 1/2 Lb. smoked sausage such as Kielbasa, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise in 1/2 –inch slices.  French garlic sausages are the best if you can find them.
  2. Directions: In a large non-stick skillet, place sausage slices and over medium heat cook, stirring occasionally, until the slices are brown and warmed through—about 3 minutes. Remove the slices and drain on a paper toweled plate.  Place aside.

 

For the Salad:

  1. 1 head of Romaine (torn into small pieces and well rinsed)
  2. 1/2 C. chick peas—if not freshly cooked, canned drained and well rinsed.
  3. 2 Tblsp. green Spanish sliced with pimento olives
  4. 2 Tblsp. chopped parsley

 

To Serve:

  1. Toss the potatoes with 2 Tblsp. of the dressing and the parsley.
  2. Toss the romaine with the remaining dressing.
  3. Put the lettuce on plates, top with the chick peas, potatoes, and olives and finally the sausage slices.
  4. Serve with fruity Beaujolais.

For easy access and printing of this and past recipes, visit Margot’s blog http://blog.tempinnkeeper.com  Call Margot for personal cooking help or hosting

 @ 721-3551.Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.

Mar23

Southern Steak and Milk Gravy

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Southern Steak and Milk Gravy (just in case you are not familiar with this easy and economical dish)

Serves 4

 

Every now and then, I think that it’s nice to give a heads up on an easy and relatively inexpensive family dinner to make. This recipe is for the busy Mom or Dad; it even is easy enough for a carefully adult observed youngster to make. I also think that kids in particular like this dish. It’s nice to serve with mashed potatoes and a side of some good fresh vegetable.  You can also saute some sliced mushrooms and place those in the gravy or as a topping for your plated steaks.

 

Ingredients:

  1.  4 pieces of cubed steak
  2. 2 Tblsp. olive oil
  3. 1 C. flour or plain bread crumbs (I use crumbs) that you have seasoned with S&P to taste to coat the steaks
  4. 1/4 C. more flour to make the gravy
  5. 1 beaten egg with a splash of water in it (if one egg doesn’t seem like enough, use two)
  6. S&P to taste
  7. 1 ½ C. milk

 

Directions:

  1. Place the flour or bread crumbs on a platter. Place the platter by your frying pan.
  2.  In a wide enough bowl to hold the steaks, beat the egg and the splash of water. Place this by the frying pan.
  3. Put the oil in a frying pan and heat it over medium heat till a drop of water will sizzle in it.
  4. Dip your steaks first into the egg mixture and then dip it in the flour or breadcrumb mixture until it’s well coated.
  5. Place your coated steaks in the frying pan and sauté until nice and brown on both sides.  Remove steaks to a pre-warmed platter and place aluminum foil over to keep them warm—or place them in a slightly pre-warmed oven.
  6. Still over medium heat, in your frying pan, place 1/4 C. flour and some more S&P to taste and stir until the flour is SLIGHTLY browned.  Slowly pour the milk stirring constantly with a wire whisk (to get rid of the lumps).  This will happen quite quickly.  If you prefer thinner gravy, add a bit more milk.  To this mixture you can also add some chopped parsley.
  7. Now, return your steaks to the pan and turn them to coat both sides.
  8. Place the steaks and the gravy in a pretty serving bowl or if you would rather plate them, you can place them individually with a side of mashed potatoes and serve the gravy in a gravy boat.
  9. Don’t forget your fresh veggies!!!

 

For easy access and printing of this and past recipes, visit Margot’s blog http://blog.tempinnkeeper.com  Call Margot for personal cooking help or hosting

 @ 721-3551.

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.

 

 

Mar23

Civet of Eggs (Stew of Eggs)

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civet of eggs

civet with avocado Civet of Eggs (literally Stew of Eggs)

Serves 2IMG_3491

 

 

 

I’m going back to my French heritage which includes memories of eggs cooked in France lightly based on the same idea of our possibly original American popular brunch dish featuring Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce; only the civet has the French twist of including red wine. So, I was hungry for a lighter dinner one night and I thought of this recipe on which to dine.  It was delicious.  Give it a try for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

 

Ingredients:

  1. 4 eggs
  2. 2 Tblsp. olive oil
  3. 3 onions, thinly sliced
  4. 2 Tblsp. water
  5. 4 pinches of sugar
  6. 1 Tblsp. balsamic vinegar or any aged vinegar you have
  7. 3 Tblsp. red wine
  8. S&P to taste

 

Directions:

  1. Heat the oil in a nonstick sauté pan.  Add the onions, stirring, over high heat till they are nice and brown. Turn heat to medium-low, add the water and sugar and simmer the onions for 15 minutes.
  2. Add the vinegar and cook till it evaporates.
  3. Add the wine and some S&P to taste.
  4. Break the eggs, one by one, in a cup and slip each one individually on top of the onions.
  5. Place a cover on the pan and still over medium-low heat cook until eggs are done to your taste.  Watch carefully to see that they don’t get overdone. S&P if you wish the tops of the eggs.
  6. Divide the egg stew between two plates and serve immediately with some crusty French bread.

 

I added some Parmesan on top (an Italian addition) and placed some sliced avocados on the side, but you can also add some sautéed mushrooms as a topping and freshly sliced tomatoes as a side garnish.  This is a very versatile dish and is fun to serve and eat.

 

In conclusion, I would like to tell you of another truly excellent French egg dish called “Oeufs en Meurette” (eggs poached in a red wine sauce). This is a timelier dish to make; however you can make it, including the poaching of the eggs, the day before serving.  It is so delicious, that I feel that it’s worthwhile spending the time making it in a proper fashion.  However, the recipe I gave you is in essence a bit of a quickened version of the Oeufs en Meurette.

 

For easy access and printing of this and past recipes, visit Margot’s blog http://blog.tempinnkeeper.com  Call Margot for personal cooking help or hosting

 @ 721-3551.

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.

Mar15

Minestrone–Good Anytime of the Year

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minestrone

Minestrone-Good Anytime of the Year

4-6 servings

I love this kind of soup—full of veggies, tasty besides and beautiful to look at.  No meat necessary here because the pasta and the chickpeas make for a perfect protein.  It’s also an inexpensive way to feed a group.  If you wish to add a larger variety of veggies, feel free.  Zucchini, crookneck and leaks always make a nice addition.  Sometimes, when serving in pretty shallow bowls, I’ll even float a tablespoon or so of sherry and then top with the shredded Parmesan or Romano.   A nice light desert for this dinner is some poached pears.  Look for the recipe on the blog.

 

Ingredients:

  1. 2 Tblsp. olive oil
  2. 1/2- 3/4 C. diced pancetta (optional)
  3. 2 carrots-peeled and chopped into ¼ inch slices or diced if you wish
  4. 2 stalks celery-chopped into ¼ inch slices or diced if you wish
  5. 2 dried bay leaves
  6. 3-4 peeled garlic cloves-minced
  7. 1 large red onion finely chopped
  8. S&P to taste
  9. 8 oz. sliced mushrooms or 1 oz. dried wild mushrooms, chopped
  10.  One cup cherry tomatoes or 1/2 C. thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes
  11.  1/4 C. chopped parsley
  12. 1 small bunch purple (or green) organic kale, washed and chopped
  13.  1 C. dry DeLucco small shells pasta—cooked
  14.  5 C. chicken (or veggie) stock
  15.   2 C. chickpeas—if canned, well rinsed
  16.   Romano or Parmesan for topping and possibly Sherry

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
  2. When the oil is hot, add the pancetta and cook about 3 minutes. Then add the carrots, celery, bay leaves, garlic, onion, parsley and S&P. If you want a thicker soup, now’s the time to add a tablespoon or two of flour.
  3. Stir until the veggies are glistening and soft—about 10 to 12 minutes.
  4. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, kale and 5 C. chicken stock; bring to a boil. You can also add at this point a favorite dry seasoning of yours.
  5. Turn down heat to medium-heat and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes.
  6. Add the cooked pasta and the chickpeas and cook about 10 more minutes.
  7. Remove the bay leaves and serve accompanied with crusty French bread and topped with Romano or Parmesan cheese.

 

 

Mar10

Spinach Stuffed Eggs and the Dr. Seuss Effect

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Spinach Stuffed Eggs and tgreen eggs close uphe Dr. Seuss Effect

(I think for hors d’oeuvres/appetisers, most people might eat two halves so this recipe might serve 4)

 

This is a very delicious filling for left over hard boiled eggs (Easter) or for St. Pat’s (think green) or really anytime. For fun I sometimes combine this recipe with some ham filled eggs so as to duplicate the Green Eggs and Ham from that famed Dr. Seuss tale so many of us read to our wee ones.

 

Ingredients:

  1. 4 Hardboiled eggs
  2. 2 Tblsp. cooked well drained spinach (I use fresh)
  3. 2 Ounces whipped crème cheese
  4. 2 Tblsp. grated Parmesan
  5. A dash of freshly grated nutmeg
  6. S&P to taste
  7. A dash of cream
  8. Sliced black olives and some slivered pimentos for topping

Directions:

  1. Cut the eggs length wise.
  2. Scoop out the yolk and put into a food processor or blender along with the cream cheese, spinach, parmesan cheese, S&P and nutmeg. I actually mashed everything with a fork so that it came out not quite so smooth and I thought more tasty and interesting looking.  It’s up to you and if your filling is not as smooth as you wish, add a bit of whole milk or cream.
  3. Fill egg whites with the spinach filling and top with a sliced black olive and a sliver of pimiento.

Ham and gherkins egg filling for the Dr. Seuss effect:

Directions:

  1. Mash 6 hardboiled egg yolks with 4 Tblsp. finely chopped cold cooked ham, 1 Tblsp. finely chopped gherkins and enough mayonnaise or whipped cream cheese to make a firm paste.
  2. Fill the eggs with the ham mixture and garnish tops with more chopped ham and paprika.
Mar6

Pommes de Terre a la Provence

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Pommes de Terre a la Provence

One medium sized one will fill two 4 inch ramekins and will serve 2

Many of you may already know this, but Pommes de Terre in French literally means apples of the earth—and so what would that be?—a potato of course.  I just have always thought that’s such a cute name.  This is a very delicious dish and so easy to fix.  I’m sure it’s not light in calories or cholesterol, but every now and then a splurge is OK.

 

Ingredients:

  1. 1 medium sized baking potato (Idaho of course), peeled and sliced relatively thin.
  2. Crème Fraiche- 1/2 C. total will do.  *see below for recipe you can make yourself–much better and more economical however you have to start making this the day before making this dish.
  3. S&P to taste.
  4. Chopped Italian Parsley for topping.

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Pam oil or butter spray the ramekins
  3. Place some of the potato slices on the bottom layer. It’ll probably be around 3 slices.
  4. Spoon the Crème Fraiche over this layer, sprinkle lightly with S&P and continue doing this for however many layers will fit in the ramekin. You might need to make some more Crème Fraiche.
  5. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour.
  6. Top with chopped parsley.
  7. If you wish to add a cheese to this mixture to accompany a meat or fish dish that has no sauce involved so that it wouldn’t conflict with a more complicated potato sauce, that would be very easy to accomplish.  You might think of Parmesan, Cheddar or Blue Cheese mixed in with the Crème Fraiche. You don’t need much to make a culinary imprint.  Also, spread a little on the top before putting in the oven.

 

You can also make this dish with other types of potatoes and/or just using  one large dish.  You will have to adjust your cooking times of course and I think for a larger dish, it could be as long as 2 hours or until tender.

  • Creme Fraiche-homemade: Easy but start making it the day before you make this dish. In a small bowl whisk 1/2 cup heavy wipping cream with 1/2 cup sour cream.  Cover well and leave out in a warm place for 12 hours.  Then stir and place in the refrigerator for another 12 hours.  At this point it should be perfect–thick, creamy and delicious.
  • Fresh Herbed Cream Sauce: No cooking here — simply blend 1/2 cup creme fraiche with 1 teaspoon each finely sliced chives and fresh tarragon. Add about 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serves up to 6 people. Streak a little over pieces of grilled, baked or poached salmon, sole, or scallops. Herbs could be pureed with a little shallot and stirred into the cream for a pale green color.
  • Pan Sauces: Stir a generous tablespoon into defatted pan sauces after pan grilling poultry, fish or vegetables. Bring to a simmer, taste for balance, and pour over foods.
  • Soups: Reduce the amount of cream called for in your favorite creamed soup by half and substitute creme fraiche.
  • With Fruits: A few spoonfuls of creme fraiche lift fruit flavors. Try over berries, ripe peaches or nectarines, or on sauteed pears. The cream could be lightly sweetened, flavored with a little lemon, orange or vanilla.
  • Imagination is everything. Try creme fraiche in other dishes as well. Streak it over mousses and jelled sweets or savories. Finish an appetizer plate of marinated leek or grilled scallions and asparagus with a zig zag of creme fraiche. It is classic in Beef Stroganoff instead of sour cream.

 

Bon Appetit