Typical French meal for Christmas day please?!
Here is a typical menu with recipes:
Champagne or Kir Royal
Foie Gras Mousse
Blinis with Caviar and Creme Freche
Chicken in Hard Cider Sauce
Roasted Sage Potatoes
Cardamom Coffee Mousse
Foie Gras Mousse
8 Ounces Fresh Foie Gras - Grade B, cut into 1 inch pieces, vein removed
1/4 Cup Pomme de Vie (Apple Brandy)
8 Ounces Unsalted Butter, room temperature (soft)
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Heat up a non-stick pan until it is very hot. Add the foie gras and saute for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Put the foie gras into a food processor fitted with the chopping blade.
With the processor running on a low speed, slowly add the brandy and softened butter.
Continue to mix until it is a smooth consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking.
Put the mixture into a serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Serve with small slices of toast and tart apple wedges.
For a more elegant presentation, use a cake piping bag ahead of time to swirl portions onto individual toasts.
Blinis with Caviar and Creme Freche
2 Cups Heavy Cream
4 Tablespoons Buttermilk
1/4 Cup Lukewarm Water
1 Teaspoon Dry Yeast
1 Cup Buckwheat Flour
1/2 Cup All-purpose Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Egg Whites
1 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Buttermilk
Caviar (any type will do, you may even use salmon roe)
Crème Fra?che
Combine the heavy cream with the 4 tablespoons of buttermilk in a glass jar. Mix well and cover. Let stand at room temperature for 18-24 hours. Mix again and refrigerate.
Will last for up to one week.
Blinis
In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water and let soften (about 5 minutes). Whisk the milk and melted butter into the yeast mixture.
In another bowl, sift together the buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic and leave the mix to rise in a warm place. Let the batter double in size, about 2-3 hours.
Whip the egg whites util stiff peaks form. Add the 1/4 cup buttermilk to the risen batter and gently fold in the egg whites.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add some butter to the pan. Pour the blini batter into the pan to form 3-4 inch pancake. Cook until light brown, flip, and do the same for the other side.
Place a small amount of caviar on the center of a warm blini. Top with a small dollop of crème fra?che
Chicken in Hard Cider Sauce
8 chicken tenderloins
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons butter, divided
? cup chopped white onions
1 cup hard cider
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Preheat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt and black pepper. Carefully avoiding spatter, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the hot skillet, and then brown the seasoned chicken for 3 minutes on each side.
Transfer the chicken to a small roasting pan.
Add the remaining butter to the pan, and allow it to melt. Sauté the chopped onions over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become soft and slightly brown around the edges. Add the hard cider to the skillet and bring it to a boil for 4 minutes, making sure to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Pour the thickened cider over the browned chicken and roast in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes. The chicken is done when the juices run clear and it registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Serve the chicken hot with cider sauce poured over it.
Roasted Sage Potatoes
5 large white-skinned potatoes, cut into large chunks
1 cup chopped onions
? teaspoon salt
? teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
3 tablespoons butter
? cup water
Preheat the oven to 375F. Toss the ingredients together in a shallow roasting pan, cover with foil, and cook, stirring twice, for 90 minutes
Cardamom coffee mousse is a sophisticated version of a classic French dessert recipe. Make it up to 36 hours in advance; the extra chilling time will allow the flavors to develop.
Cardamom Coffee Mousse
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 cups evaporated milk
2/3 cup strong coffee
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 egg yolks
1 envelope unflavored gelatin, softened in 3 tablespoons cold water
1 ? cups heavy cream
In a medium saucepan, combine the cardamom, evaporated milk, and coffee; cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it just starts steaming. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and brown sugar.
Add ? cup of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Add the warm egg-milk blend back into the hot milk in the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 165 degrees on a digital candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and stir in the softened gelatin. Chill the cardamom coffee custard thoroughly.
Beat the 1 1/2 cups of cream in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Thoroughly stir ? cup of the whipped cream into the chilled cardamom coffee custard, and then gently fold in the remaining cream. The mousse is ready when the custard is thoroughly incorporated into the whipped cream, and no marbling shows. Serve chilled
Answers: Traditionally, the French eat the big Christmas Meal on Christmas Eve, a late supper after church or mass.
Here is a typical menu with recipes:
Champagne or Kir Royal
Foie Gras Mousse
Blinis with Caviar and Creme Freche
Chicken in Hard Cider Sauce
Roasted Sage Potatoes
Cardamom Coffee Mousse
Foie Gras Mousse
8 Ounces Fresh Foie Gras - Grade B, cut into 1 inch pieces, vein removed
1/4 Cup Pomme de Vie (Apple Brandy)
8 Ounces Unsalted Butter, room temperature (soft)
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Heat up a non-stick pan until it is very hot. Add the foie gras and saute for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Put the foie gras into a food processor fitted with the chopping blade.
With the processor running on a low speed, slowly add the brandy and softened butter.
Continue to mix until it is a smooth consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking.
Put the mixture into a serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Serve with small slices of toast and tart apple wedges.
For a more elegant presentation, use a cake piping bag ahead of time to swirl portions onto individual toasts.
Blinis with Caviar and Creme Freche
2 Cups Heavy Cream
4 Tablespoons Buttermilk
1/4 Cup Lukewarm Water
1 Teaspoon Dry Yeast
1 Cup Buckwheat Flour
1/2 Cup All-purpose Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Egg Whites
1 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Buttermilk
Caviar (any type will do, you may even use salmon roe)
Crème Fra?che
Combine the heavy cream with the 4 tablespoons of buttermilk in a glass jar. Mix well and cover. Let stand at room temperature for 18-24 hours. Mix again and refrigerate.
Will last for up to one week.
Blinis
In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water and let soften (about 5 minutes). Whisk the milk and melted butter into the yeast mixture.
In another bowl, sift together the buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic and leave the mix to rise in a warm place. Let the batter double in size, about 2-3 hours.
Whip the egg whites util stiff peaks form. Add the 1/4 cup buttermilk to the risen batter and gently fold in the egg whites.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add some butter to the pan. Pour the blini batter into the pan to form 3-4 inch pancake. Cook until light brown, flip, and do the same for the other side.
Place a small amount of caviar on the center of a warm blini. Top with a small dollop of crème fra?che
Chicken in Hard Cider Sauce
8 chicken tenderloins
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons butter, divided
? cup chopped white onions
1 cup hard cider
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Preheat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt and black pepper. Carefully avoiding spatter, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the hot skillet, and then brown the seasoned chicken for 3 minutes on each side.
Transfer the chicken to a small roasting pan.
Add the remaining butter to the pan, and allow it to melt. Sauté the chopped onions over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become soft and slightly brown around the edges. Add the hard cider to the skillet and bring it to a boil for 4 minutes, making sure to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Pour the thickened cider over the browned chicken and roast in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes. The chicken is done when the juices run clear and it registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Serve the chicken hot with cider sauce poured over it.
Roasted Sage Potatoes
5 large white-skinned potatoes, cut into large chunks
1 cup chopped onions
? teaspoon salt
? teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
3 tablespoons butter
? cup water
Preheat the oven to 375F. Toss the ingredients together in a shallow roasting pan, cover with foil, and cook, stirring twice, for 90 minutes
Cardamom coffee mousse is a sophisticated version of a classic French dessert recipe. Make it up to 36 hours in advance; the extra chilling time will allow the flavors to develop.
Cardamom Coffee Mousse
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 cups evaporated milk
2/3 cup strong coffee
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 egg yolks
1 envelope unflavored gelatin, softened in 3 tablespoons cold water
1 ? cups heavy cream
In a medium saucepan, combine the cardamom, evaporated milk, and coffee; cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it just starts steaming. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and brown sugar.
Add ? cup of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Add the warm egg-milk blend back into the hot milk in the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 165 degrees on a digital candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and stir in the softened gelatin. Chill the cardamom coffee custard thoroughly.
Beat the 1 1/2 cups of cream in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Thoroughly stir ? cup of the whipped cream into the chilled cardamom coffee custard, and then gently fold in the remaining cream. The mousse is ready when the custard is thoroughly incorporated into the whipped cream, and no marbling shows. Serve chilled
go here
http://www.ehow.com/how_11736_prepare-fr...
1. Smoked salmon with creme fraiche and lemon
2. Foie gras
3. A roast (lamb, beef, pork, turkey), with much fewer trimmings than in the uk (no roast potatoes, maybe one vegetable
4. Green salad with french dressing (served on it's own)
5. Cheese (that's where the French score highly!!)
6. A chocolate roll / some sort of frozen desert / sorbet maybe
7. A nice Armagnac / Cognac / Calvados with expresso coffee
An awesome response from Cabingirl!
I would only add that the French do eat Turkey at Christmas but in our local market (La Rochelle) there is greater interest in lobster, venison, pheasant and wild boar as the main dish.
It is also traditional to have your foie gras "avec son verre" - with a small glass of sweet dessert wine. A good Sauternes or Muscat Beaumes de Venise would do nicely.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Overnight Blueberry French Toast
INGREDIENTS
12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup fresh blueberries
12 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon butter
DIRECTIONS
Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.
In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast
======================================...
Pork Pie
INGREDIENTS
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie shells
2 pounds lean ground pork
1 pound lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg white
DIRECTIONS
Brown ground beef and ground pork over medium heat until thoroughly cooked. Drain off grease.
Mix together cooked meat, potatoes, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Line a 9 inch pie dish with pastry. Spoon pork mixture into pie crust, and top with second pie crust. Brush top crust with egg white. Shield crust edges with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Remove foil for final 15 minutes of baking to brown edges.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@