Apple and sausage dressing

1 loaf French baguette bread
2 cornbread muffins
1/2 pound Country sausage OR chipolatas
1/2 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 apple, chopped
1/6 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chicken broth
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp sage seasoning mixture
dash pepper

Cut the bread into small cubes and place in baking dish. Crumble the muffins on top.

Cook sausage over medium-high heat, then set aside.

Melt the butter over medium heat, then add onions and celery. Cook until just softened. Add mushrooms and apple. Cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in cranberries and sausage. Combine this mixture with bread in baking dish. Mix until evenly distributed.

Mix broth, egg, and seasonings. Pour over bread mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until browned.

Brussels sprouts with bacon

3-4 big handfuls of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
1-2 slices bacon
3 Tbsp raisins
1/3 cup chicken broth
salt & pepper

Cook the bacon in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once fully cooked, set bacon aside on a plate covered by a paper towel.

Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and toss to coat with bacon 'glistener'. Cook, stirring often, for about five minutes. The Brussels sprouts will start turning bright green.

Add the broth and raisins. Cover and let cook 10-15 minutes or until the Brussels sprouts are just getting soft. Crumble bacon on top and season with salt and pepper.

Carrot soufflé

This tastes just like sweet potato soufflé, but uses carrots which are cheaper in France. Surprisingly, sweet potatoes were considered an “exotic” food here up until recently. This recipe serves 6-8.

2 lbs carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped (opt)
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
nutmeg and cinnamon to taste
3/4 cup pecans or walnuts (opt)
1/3 cup coconut (opt)

Boil the carrots and potato until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain well. You can either use a hand mixer and large bowl or a food processor from here on out. Purée the carrots and potato. Add eggs, 3-4 Tbsp butter butter, 3 Tbsp sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon then mix very well on high. Pour this mixture into a greased baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. In a bowl, mix the nuts, coconut, and remaining sugar and butter. Sprinkle over carrot mixture and cook until topping is crunchy.

Rosemary roasted butternut squash

1 large butternut squash
1/2 tsp fresh snipped rosemary
salt
olive oil
lemon wedge

Rinse squash. Cut into large chunks, removing seeds and stringy centers. Brush squash with olive oil and place in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with rosemary. Roast at 425° for about 30 minutes or until soft. Brush lightly with more olive oil if it begins to dry out. Before serving, sprinkle lemon juice and salt over the squash.

Deviled eggs

6 hardboiled eggs (directions here)
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 tsp mustard
2-3 sweet pickles, chopped
1 Tbsp sweet pickle juice
paprika

Cut eggs in half. Put the yolks in a bowl. Mash well with a fork. Add mayo, mustard, and pickle juice, mixing until smooth. Stir in chopped pickles.

Spoon the mixture back into the yolks. Sprinkle with paprika, and voila!

Tip: For transporting deviled eggs, try mini-muffin tins!

Cornbread dressing

2 cups Southern Girl's cornbread, crumbled
1 cup day-old bread, torn into small pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup celery, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp parsley
3/4 tsp sage
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients until consistency is soft and moist. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until browned on top.

Pumpkin pie filling from scratch!

It doesn't take long to figure out that bringing cans of Libby's over in your suitcase isn't a light-weight option. There's really no need to as we have great pumpkin and winter squash options in France. (And for those outside of France, consider using carrots. Just don't tell your guests and they'll never know!)



1 large wedge of pumpkin (or winter squash), about 1 kilo
1 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup cream (15% or more)

Cut peel off pumpkin then cut into 1 inch pieces. Microwave on high for 5-10 minutes or until soft. Check often to be sure it's not drying out. Sprinkle with water if needed. Drain off liquid. Puree with stick blender or food processor.

Add seasonings.



If you're making this ahead of time, pour mixture into a Ziploc bag and freeze until needed.

Beat eggs, then add to pumpkin mixture. Stir in cream. Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until set. Test by sliding a knife into the center. If it comes out clean, your pie is ready.

Serve warm or cold, with whipped cream.

Sweet potato casserole with coconut topping

A little note about finding sweet potatoes in Lyon, France: In the old days, you had to go the African or Asian markets at the Guillotière or the 'exotique' section of Carrefour to find them. But as of 2008 you can find them easily in most grocery stores (Monoprix, Ed, Casino, Intermarché...) in the produce section. Thay are called 'patates douces' and often come from Israel.

4 cups sweet potatoes (cooked, peeled, and mashed)
2 Tbsp butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
3 tablespoon butter, melted

In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed sweet potatoes, margarine, eggs, milk, vanilla and sugar. Mix well. Spread into a greased 1 1/2-quart casserole.

Prepare the topping by mixing the coconut, brown sugar and butter. Sprinkle over the potatoes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until potatoes are set and toppings browned and crispy.

Green bean casserole in France

All these ingredients are available at local grocery stores in France:

- fried onions (look for oignons frits near apéro foods)
- canned mushrooms
- instant mushroom soup mix OR boxed mushroom soup
- French-cut green beans

Happy Thanksgiving prep!

The 10 days of Thanksgiving!

Starting tomorrow I'll be posting a recipe each day until Thanksgiving. But these aren't just any recipes - they're tried and tested American recipes using ingredients you can get in France! Green bean casserole, sweet potatoes two different ways, deviled eggs, buttery yeast rolls, two kinds of dressing, pumpkin pie filling from scratch...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gâteau aux noix (walnut cake)

I topped this traditional French walnut cake (recipe from a friend in Lyon) with a very American cream cheese frosting - well, Franco-American to be accurate. The idea of sweetened cream cheese in incredibly American, but I made it by mixing fresh French cheese (Petit Suisse) with powdered sugar.

1 1/4 cup very finely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup flour
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
pinch of salt



In a bowl, mix together chopped and nuts with half of the sugar. In a second, larger bowl, beat together the butter and other half of the sugar. Mix in the nuts and sugar, then the eggs one by one, followed by the salt and flour.

Pour into a 9-inch round pan. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350° for about 30 minutes. Cake is done when browned and knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve cooled, with cream cheese frosting if you'd like. (I like.)

Warm beet & carrot salad

Leave your preconceived notions about beets at the door (enough with the fake gagging already) and just try this recipe. It's delicious. I promise. And very, very nutritious. But more importantly, it's delicious. (I found the original recipe on this site, which I love.) The recipe says to serve warm, but I enjoyed a couple chilled helpings later in the day too.

2 roasted beets, grated
3 carrots, grated
2 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup apple juice
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Melt the butter in a large sautee pan on low heat. Add the garlic and cook until it is soft, but not yet brown. Add the beets, carrots and cider and cook for about five more minutes, stirring occasionally. Finish with salt and plenty of fresh ground pepper and the lemon juice.

Honeyed pear tarte tatin

Tarte tatin is one of my absolute favorites, and as far as desserts go - pretty healthy! Traditionally it's made with apples, but we like it with pears too.

1 prepared pie crust (pâte feuilletée)
4-5 large pears (I use Williams)
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp butter
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
sprig of rosemary (opt)

Slice each pear into wedges and cut out the core.

In a bowl, melt the honey and butter on lowest microwave setting or in a skillet. Stir in cinnamon. Pour into a ceramic or glass pie pan, spreading evenly to coat bottom. Place rosemary sprig in center.

Place the pear slices on top of the butter and honey mixture. Start in the center and work around in a circular shape.

Roll out pie crust and place gently over the pears. If there is any extra crust, just fold it back so that it just reaches the edge of the pan.



Bake in preheated oven at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until browned.

Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes. Run a knife around pastry to loosen it from pan, and flip tart out onto a serving platter.

Guatamalan baked sweet plantains

I grew up eating plantains as a savory starch, but many cultures like them sweet. This recipe is from Guatamala.

4 very ripe plantains, black and even a little moldy is good!
1 tsp oil
4 Tbsp brown sugar
cinnamon (opt)

Preheat your oven to 450° F. Oil a baking dish.

Cut the ends off of your plantains and peel them. Cut each on the diagnonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange in a single layer in baking dish and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until the plantains are golden brown and very tender. Careful - they'll be very hot!

Green beans and carrots

3 handfuls fresh (or frozen) green beans, broken into bite-sized pieces
1 handful sliced carrots
1/2 tsp beef bouillon
1/8 tsp rosemary
2 dashes garlic powder
salt and pepper
sprinkle of water

Put all ingredients in a skillet. Cook over medium heat. If needed, add water one spoonful at a time to prevent sticking. We like ours crunchy and brightly colored.

Eggplant parmesan, direct from the Italian sister-in-law

This recipe came from my sister-in-law's grandmother. It's so rich and... wonderful. The marinara sauce is fantastic with fresh chopped tomatoes rather than canned. And fresh basil is a must. Buon appetito!

Eggplant

Peel 2 eggplants and slice thinly.

Beat eggs and milk (quantity depending on how much you are making – but about 2 eggs and 1 cup milk for 2 eggplants). Add a little salt, pepper and garlic powder to egg mixture.

Put a few cups of flour in a bowl. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture and then in flour.

Fry eggplant in hot oil. Brown eggplant on each side and let eggplant sit on paper towels.

Tip: The fried eggplant freezes well. If you are not ready to make parmesan, place eggplant on cookie sheet to freeze (so they don’t stick) and then store in container or plastic bag.

Sauce
Cover bottom of large pot with 4 Tbsp olive oil and 6 cloves garlic. Brown garlic in oil and add 2 large cans crushed tomato and almost one can of water. Be careful – oil spits! Add a large handful of fresh basil, 1 Tbsp oregano and a little bit of salt and black pepper. Simmer one hour.



Putting it together in a casserole dish:
Layer of sauce on bottom
Layer of eggplant
Thin layer of sauce
Sprinkle oregano
Layer of fresh basil
Thin layer of mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese
Layer of eggplant
Thin layer of sauce and a little bit of oregano and grated parmesan cheese

Bake for approximately 30 minutes in preheated oven at 350°. It's ready when the eggplant browns and some of sauce gets absorbed (but don’t let it to get too dry).

Serve with pasta or, as we did, garlic bread.

Sweet-n-sour sea bream

2 sea bream filets
1 tsp flour
2 tsp butter
2 yellow peppers, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, sliced into 8-12 wedges
1 can pineapple chunks or rings, with juice
oil for frying
hot white rice

Sweet and sour sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice from can
1/4 cup ketchup

First, make the make sweet and sour sauce. In a large frying pan, mix vinegar, sugar, salt, orange juice, pineapple juice and ketchup. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until it has evaporated to the consistency of maple syrup. Add pineapple chunks to the sauce and set aside.

Heat a dash oil in a large frying pan. Stir fry peppers and onions for three minutes. Add to sweet and sour sauce and keep warm.

Pat fish dry. Sprinkle with 1 tsp flour. Melt 2 tsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fish to pan, and cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Carefully turn fish over. Cook 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Serve the fish over hot white rice, with sweet and sour sauce pour over the top.

Lakh - millet & soured milk

My husband used to make lahk every night in Senegal. I like to think of it as the Senegalese answer to Swiss muesli (oats, dried fruit and yogurt). Swap out the oats for millet and the yogurt for soured milk.

1 liter lait caillé (soured milk)
fresh coconut, chopped
handful golden raisins
1 apple, peach or mango chopped
2 bananas, chopped
1 packet vanilla flavored sugar
a few drops of fleur d'oranger flavoring (called orange blossom water in English)
2-3 cups cooked millet, warm or cooled
sugar to taste

Mix. Eat. Simple enough, right?


Lait caillé, available in French and Middle Eastern grocery stores


Yum, yum!


Authentic Senegalese millet!


Cooked millet, ready to be stirred in


Fresh coconut

Grandpa Masson's pickled green tomatoes

Grandpa Masson is not my grandfather, but my husband's. I never had the chance to meet him, but this weekend I decided to tackle pickling green tomatoes in the way I'd been told that he used to. Based on the description, he would pickle green tomatoes with dill, garlic, hot peppers and some sort of pickling brine. So that's what I set out to do (minus the hot peppers). Having never tasted his pickles, I don't know if these are an accurate reproduction - but we sure liked them!

10 very green tomatoes (enough to fill a large jar)
5-10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp pickling salt (I used kosher I had on hand)
10 sprigs fresh dill



Cut the tomatoes in half or quarters. Cram them into a sterilized jar, along with the garlic cloves and dill sprigs.

In a saucepan, heat the water, vinegar and salt to a boil. Pour slowly into the jar, leaving 1/2 inch at the top. Screw the sterilized lid on tightly. (Watch out - glass will be HOT.) Carefully flip the jar upside down until cooled. Flip back over and store in fridge.

Taste after a week. If not 'dill-ed' enough, wait another week or two. (We tried ours after four days. They were delicious! But we both agreed they'd be even better in a week or so.)

Lavash tostadas

This was the result of an attempt to clean out the fridge. I used lavash Armenian flatbread instead of tortillas - and we actually liked it better! (You can buy lavash at Bahadourian in Lyon.)

lavash bread, heated in a cast iron skillet until soft and browned
chicken breasts, sautéed and cut into bite-sized pieces
yellow squash, sautéed and cut into bite-sized pieces
refried beans (kidney beans, puréed and mixed with taco seasoning and a bit of lemon)
shredded Gouda or Colby Cheese
avocado, chopped
tomatoes, chopped
onions, chopped
crème fraîche or sour cream
cilantro, snipped
lime wedges

Chex mix, à la française

As the holidays approach, my cravings for American treats grows. I really wanted to make Chex snack mix the other day, but we can't buy Chex here. So I called my parents, experienced in these matters, compiled a modified shopping list from a recipe online, and went to Monoprix (corner grocery store).


If you live in France, these are the items you might buy at Monoprix for this recipe

While I wouldn't say that it came out just like Chex Mix back home, it was pretty darn good.

So here's the recipe!

Chex Mix à la francaise

1 small bag pretzel sticks, broken in half
1 bag frites croustillantes (fried potato sticks)
1 bag soufflés tomates et ail (puffs flavored with tomato and garlic)
1 sleeve biscottes (melba toast) broken into bite-sized pieces
2-3 cups salted peanuts
4 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder (opt)
1/2 tsp Creole seasoning (opt)

Heat oven to 250°F. Pour Melt butter over low heat. Stir in all seasonings. Pour the contents of the bags and the peanuts into a (new!) garbage bag. Pour the butter mixture into the garbage bag. Shake gently until well mixed and coated. Pour into ungreased 13x9-inch pan.

Bake 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Pizza bianca with spinach

1 batch favorite pizza crust
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese or fresh goat cheese
1/2 cup crumbled mozzarella
3/4 cups frozen spinach, drained
1 small tomato, thinly sliced
3-4 Paris or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
salt

Roll the dough out onto a baking sheet or pizza stone. Mix together the garlic and ricotta, then spread over the crust, going almost to the edges. (If the ricotta is too thick, stir in a little milk to thin it.) Top with veggies and then crumbled cheese.

Bake in preheated oven at 400° for 25 minutes or unitil crust is just browned. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Baked HOT wings

I am so, so, so happy. That's happy three times over: 1) hot wings for the first time in 7 years, 2) baked, not fried, 3) they are HOT. I miss spicy food, and I had really missed wings. These are quick and easy, and they go great with Cheryl's blue cheese dressing

3 Tbsp butter, melted
5 Tbsp hot sauce (I found some at Bahadourian in Lyon)
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or more!)

Clean chicken wings to make sure there are no stray feathers. Cut wings into portions through the joints, discarding wingtips.

Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, then pour into a large ziploc bag. Add wings and coat in mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.

Cover a baking dish with aluminium foil. Spread wings over the foil, brush liberally with marinade. Roast for 30-35 minutes in 400° oven until golden brown. Turn the wings half way through the baking, basting again with marinade.

Apple tarte tatin

This is a traditional French recipe for an upside-down apple tarte that I've adapted. It's great for fall!

1 prepared pie crust (pâte feuilletée)
3-5 large apples (I love Melrose - state apple of Ohio)
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp butter
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Slice each apples into 16 wedges and cut out the core.

In a bowl, melt the honey and butter on lowest microwave setting or in a skillet. Stir in cinnamon. Pour into a ceramic or glass pie pan, spreading evenly to coat bottom.



Place the apple slices on top of the butter and honey mixture. Start in the center and work around in a circular shape.

Roll out pie crust and place gently over the apples. If there is any extra crust, just fold it back so that it just reaches the edge of the pan.

Bake in preheated oven at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until browned.

Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes. Run a knife around pastry to loosen it from pan, and flip tart out onto a serving platter.

Eggplant and zucchini lasagne

This could have been called 'cleaning out the fridge', but I thought 'Eggplant and zucchini lasagne' sounded better. Instead of lasagne noodles, it uses thinly sliced vegetables. It was very rich and delicious - definitely worth a remake!

1 eggplant
1 zucchini
3 Tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup crème fraîche (sour cream)
1 round fresh goat cheese
1/4 cup grated mozzarella
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
olive oil

Cut the ends off the eggplant and zucchini. Slice them thinly into 1/4 inch slices. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large frying pan over med-high heat. Cook the eggplant for 2 minutes on each side, then the zucchini. Set cooked slices aside on a plate.



In a bowl, mix together crème fraîche, goat cheese, garlic, Italian seasoning and salt.

In another bowl, mix pesto and tomato paste. Thin with 3 Tbsp water.



In a baking dish, place a layer off eggplant on the bottom. Spread a spoonful of cheese mixture on top. Next layer the zucchini. Spread a thin layer of pesto mixture on top. Repeat layers, ending with cheese mixture.

Bake in preheated oven at 350° for 25-30 minutes.