Bifteck Sauté Marchand de Vins and Gnocchi Gratinés au Fromage

This weekend I took the blog on the road 1,000 miles from Alabama to Minnesota to cook for my boyfriend, Michael. Kitchen space and utensils required a bit of improvising, but the assistance in photography made the process easier to document. In my exploration of French cooking, I've decided that some dishes will be similar from week to week as I learn the subtleties of these techniques. The mushrooms from last week's sauté were so excellent that I decided to replicate them again (ok, I'll admit, they were supposed to go in the gnocchi but I forgot to include them so just jumped on the opportunity to sauté them again). These mushrooms accompanied simple steaks which Julia describes as such: "pan-broiled steak is very French and also a very nice method for cooking small steaks. None of the juice essences are lost, and it is easy to tell when the steak is done." The Marchand de Vins is a red wine sauce with minced shallots, butter (of course), salt, pepper, and a bit of minced parsley. I sautéed the steaks as directed for a few minutes on each side. Mine was a little thicker than Michael's and was perfectly silky and rare on the inside -just how it is supposed to be. Topped with the red wine sauce and eaten with the juicy mushrooms, it was delicious. Despite what my recent blog posts may indicate, I really do not eat much meat and am roughly 90% pescetarian now. But, when I do eat meat, I want it to be prepared like this steak was. Yum.

The real effort this week was making gnocchi, "a useful addition to one's cooking repertoire." Julia describes in MAFC that these little ovals are made of a simple batter called pâte à choux that can be used as a base for many dishes. The cookbook includes two master recipes of gnocchi, one with potatoes and one with the addition of semolina flour. As a potato lover, I obviously used the first. These little dumplings took a number of steps. First, the potatoes were pealed, boiled, and mashed. Then, they were combined with the pâte à choux which is a paste of water, butter, salt, pepper, nutmeg, flour, and eggs. The batter was then combined with a good Swiss cheese and rolled into oblong balls "on a lightly floured cutting board." However, the batter was extremely sticky and required a great deal of flour to get off my hands let along keep their shape on the board. Here they are stick-free...

Raw gnocchi

The gnocchi balls were then supposed to be simmered for about 15 minutes. Against Julia's directions, I let the first batch of water come to a boil, which, as she stated, made most of them disintegrate. I kept the slush and made a nice fried potato cake the next morning, but they were gnocchi no more.

Boiling gnocchi = no no

The second batch was kept on a much lower temperature with a closer watch and it came out whole. They were then dried on a towel for a few minutes before entering the oven with more cheese on top to make it a golden brown gratiné.

Drying gnocchi

The final plate was a lovely twist on steak and potatoes. We enjoyed it with a Chianti that brought out the rich flavors in the steak and mushrooms and the creaminess of the gnocchi. I was surprised to find a gnocchi recipe in a French cookbook as I've always considered it an Italian dish. These turned out much softer than the dense, al dente, gnocchi I've had before. We both liked them and I think they were worth the trouble. Lesson learned on watching water simmer!

Sauté de Boeuf à la Parisienne

"This sauté of beef is good to know about if you have to entertain important guests in a hurry." How right you are, Julia! While she says it can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, it took me an hour and a half but was well worth the time and effort. The dish includes slices of filet of beef browned on the outside and accompanied by browned mushrooms and shallots in a creamy broth sauce. It is described as "a French version of beef Stroganoff," but it was much better than any Stroganoff I've ever had.

The authors of MAFC give exact directions on browning mushrooms that I found very helpful and turned out to be delicious! The tricks of sautéing and browning that I am learning are to make sure that the pan and oil are hot before adding food, dab the ingredients very dry, and do not to crowd the pan. I mentioned in my previous post that my hesitance to use the massive quantities of butter called for in the recipes was interfering with the goal of following the recipes exactly. I decided this week to follow my gut (no pun intended) and not feel guilty for using a reduced amount of the directed butter quantities. This decision was first applied to the mushroom and shallot sauté that was perfectly delectable with one instead of two tablespoons of butter. The beef was also browned in a similar fashion, but I thought it turned out a little tough. While it was still rosey on the inside, I wondered if I cooked it too long or on too high of heat.

Besides being very proud of the result of the mushrooms, the sauce for the beef dish was also spectacular. Vermouth, beef stock, whipping cream, and cornstarch were all that were needed to tie together the beef and mushrooms into a rich and flavorful compilation. French cooking is noted for its sauces and this one was outstanding!

Beautiful mushroom and beef sauté oozing with a creamy sauce.

Based on the authors' recommendations, I also served Pommes de Terre Parisiennes and Haricots Verts à la Maȋtre d’Hȏtel. The cute little Dutch potatoes were peeled into little balls and browned (also in much less of the called for oil) for 20 minutes on the stove top and then tossed with parsley. This was my second favorite dish in the meal - slightly crisped exterior with a perfect give to the inside. I have always been a lover of potatoes but cooking these Dutch potatoes was new to me, although this certainly will not be the last time I make them! As far as the green beans, I thought I was on the right track in following the MAFC directions for blanching, but I think they ended up slightly over cooked. Furthermore, per the recipe, I tossed them in a hot saucepan with a dab of butter, lemon juice, and parsley before serving and they became browned in places and did not keep their bright green color. The flavor was fine, but they did not have the texture I was hoping for. More work to be done with learning blanching techniques!

Look at those glistening potatoes!

My "important guests" for the week were Caroline, Scott, and Ernest. Ernest brought a spinach salad to add crunch to the plate with a lovely Asian Sesame dressing. Caroline and Scott brought the (much needed) wine and fresh fruit to finish the meal. I had also made an orange cake, not from MAFC, and it was a flop - we won't go into that... Overall, this meal with two dishes of Parisian influence was the perfect setting for my friends and I to discuss Caroline and Scott's upcoming honeymoon to the City of Lights and Love! I can only hope that my cooking comes a little close to the wonderful food they will be having. However, Ernest in all his humbleness, reminded us that even simple road trips can create the most memorable time when you are with the one you love. 

There was only a little of the Sauté de Boeuf and sauce left over after we had had our fill. I used it the next day to make this fabulous pasta dish for lunch. There may or may not have been plate licking...

Just added linguini!

As promised, I worked on my photography skills this week. I've still got a ways to go to get good "bokeh," but I think the photos are much improved with more thought to lighting. The first two photos were taken in the evening with a lamp to light the food. The pasta dish was photographed near the kitchen window mid-day and has the wonderful natural lighting effect. 

Next week, the blog goes on the road! Stay tuned!

Gâteau de Crêpes à la Florentine

Welcome to Exploring the Art of French Cooking! I was inspired to refine my cooking skills after reading Julia Child's My Life in France. The autobiography chronicling her journey to become one of the most iconic TV cooks and cookbook writer of all time focused mainly on her early learning experiences and the labor of love that became Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This first in a series of subsequent cookbooks is detailed in her memoir as a masterpiece in and of itself with each recipe requiring many trials to be perfected for the American home cook. It is much more than a recipe book as Julia and her coauthors explain techniques, ingredients, and cookware that make French cooking what it is.

Beyond an appreciation for MAFC, My Life in France combined two of my passions, France and cooking, and reminded me of how happy I have been during the times when these two things were central in my lifestyle. I've been thinking a lot lately about my priorities in life and the importance of consciously including activities that feel like time well spent. I love cooking. I love French food. I love my friends. And thus this blog will serve as a record of my journey this summer exploring the recipes and instructions of MAFC and the friends who share the experience with me. My goal is to cook one dish per week from the cookbook to share at dinner parties with my closest friends. I don't expect to master french cooking in one summer, I can only be humble enough to say I am exploring the art.

Last night was my first dinner of this project. I made a Gâteau de Crêpes à la Florentine, a mound of crêpes layered with creamy mushrooms and spinach and topped with a Sauce Mornay (béchamel with cheese). For copyright reasons, I will not reproduce recipes in full, but you'll get the idea of the dish. 

The mound with a mushroom layer pre-baking

The mound post baking

I learned a few general things right off the bat:
1) I need to give myself enough time for each component of the dish and not try to do everything at once. If I want to focus on the technique, I need to focus on one step at a time.
2) I need to stop and take pictures as I go. 
3) My food photography skills need work (as you'll see below). 
I am also grappling with the enormous amounts of butter called for in these recipes. While I want to stay true to the instructions given Julia's extreme attention to detail, my 21st century conscience (and waistline!) just doesn't agree. 

Last night's dinner was shared by my dear friends Jaime, Martha, and Zach. Jaime brought a great deal of wine (and did not leave with any extra I might add) and Martha brought a yummy pear gorganzola salad. Here is the finished product! 

Gâteau with salad

Look at all those creamy layers!

We also made some crêpes sucrées - some with strawberries and some with lemon - but we ate them too fast and forgot to take pictures... 

Overall, I believe my first attempt was quite the success and everything tasted wonderful. The challenge will be to continue to maintain quality and also work on presentation of the dishes. Look for a new posting next week!

Becca