and luxurious tastes from the French countryside are endless. The list of great French dishes could fill volumes of books. We often think French cuisine is complex and “froufrou,” as a friend of mine often says. But the truth is, they are often rustic and clean and only seem complex because great care goes into each dish, giving a need for kitchen time to be invested. These dishes take a little time as well but bring great reward to the palate in the end. It’s not black-eyed peas and cornbread, but it is country cooking … French style.
– Chef John Strand
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
1 pound ground quail meat (approximately 6 to 8 quail)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 leaves of fresh basil cut into fine strips
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
Wine sauce
1 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon unsalted butter Extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, minced
2 pounds assorted mushrooms, such as crimini, oyster, shiitake, chanterelle or white, trimmed and sliced Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs Sea salt
Ground black pepper
1/2 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
1/4 cup reserved quail broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon minced fresh chives
For the meatballs: Bone the quail then place meat into the freezer for one hour.
Remove meat and run through a meat grinder. (If you do not have a grinder, you can pulse meat in a food processer six to 10 times and gain a similar effect.) Sautee onion and garlic for three minutes on high heat in the vegetable oil then remove from heat. Transfer the ground meat to a bowl and mix by hand with salt, pepper, basil, breadcrumbs and beaten egg. Then add the sautéed onion and garlic. Mix well by hand then shape into small meatballs, wetting hands as necessary. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for approximately 15 minutes. Reserve the drippings and remove meatballs to a paper towel.
For the wine sauce: Place a clean skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and a twocount drizzle of oil. When the butter starts to foam, add the shallots and sauté for two minutes to soften. Add the mushrooms and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together for a few minutes. Add the red wine, stirring to scrape up any stuck bits; then cook and stir to evaporate the alcohol. When the wine is almost all gone, add the reserved quail juices. Let the liquid cook down and then take it off the heat. Stir in the cream and chives, and season with salt and pepper.
MAKES 4-6 SERVINGS
2 rock lobster or 12 langoustine Lettuce leaves such as red leaf
4 Tablespoon olive oil The juice of 1 small orange
1 Tablespoon freshly chopped mint
1 large Granny Smith apple cut into juliennes
Cook 2 rock lobster or 12 langoustines for 6 minutes in boiling salted water. Remove and refrigerate for two hours. (If using the rock lobster, remove meat from shell and cut into bitesize chunks.) Place the salad leaves in a salad bowl. Shake the oil, juice, mint, salt and pepper in a screw-top jar and toss over the leaves. Top with the apple and lobster or langoustines and serve at once.
MAKES 4-6 SERVINGS
1 pound carrots, roughly chopped
1 ounce grated Beaufort cheese
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
Salt
Boil the carrots until tender, and pass them through a potato ricer while still hot. Blend in a food processor with the cheese, eggs, heavy cream and a pinch of salt until smooth.
Spoon the mixture into seven small buttered ramekins. Place in a roasting pan with enough warm water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before unmolding and serving.
MAKES 4-6 SERVINGS
1 pint fresh raspberries
½ cup sugar
10 ounces high quality vodka
2 pints good quality raspberry sorbet Fresh mint sprigs for garnish Unsweetened chocolate powder
Place the raspberries and sugar into a large glass or plastic container. Pour vodka over the raspberry and sugar mixture then stir until sugar is dissolved. Place in the freezer overnight. When ready to serve, scoop one or two well-rounded scoops of the sorbet into a bowl then ladle 1 to 2 ounces of the vodka raspberry mixture over the sorbet and garnish with a mint sprig. Serve immediately.
