Falling In Love: Tasteful Tuesday: France

So to continue our tour through Europe last night we made a stop in France. Boy is french cooking a lot of work. I feel that I burned more calories making the meal then I received eating the meal. I was so excited to have the food made that I forgot to take a picture before diving in. I made a delicious french chicken recipe followed by crepes with pear filling. One hint if you want to know if the recipe is french, it contains wine!

Ingredients
1 Chicken (3 lb / 1.4 kg) 1 Onion Carrots 1 oz butter (25 g) 2 tb flour 3 cups chicken bouillon or stock 1 cup dry white wine 1 parsley sprigs 1/2 lb mushrooms 2 egg yolks 1/2 cup whipping cream Lemon juice Salt, black pepper

Chicken Fricassee Recipe (serve 6)
Step 1: In a casserole or skillet, cook the carrots and onion in butter for 5 minutes over moderate heat. Cut the chiken in about 10 pieces. Add the cut-up chicken in the skillet. Turn it every minute for 4 minutes until slightly golden yellow.
Step 2: Lower heat, cover and cook very slowly. Turn the chicken once while cooking.
Step 3: Add salt, pepper and flour on both sides of the chicken. Cover and cook slowly for 4 to 5 minutes. And turn the chicken once during the process.
Step 4: Remove from heat. Boil the bouillon/stock and pour in over the chicken. Add the wine, parsley and just enough bouillon/stock or water to cover the chicken. Bring to the simmer. Cover and maintain for 30 minutes.
Step 5: Cook the mushrooms in butter with a drop of lemon juice. Retrieve the cooking juice of both the mushrooms and chicken. Simmer the cooking juice in a casserole for 3 minutes. Remove the fat from it. Then raise heat and boil, stir it well until the sauce reduces itself, enough to get 2 1/2 cups from it.
Step 6: Blend the egg yolks and cream. While beating it, add the sauce very slowly. Pour the sauce in the casserole again and cook at medium to high heat. Stir the sauce all the way. Boil for 1 minute. Add a drop of lemon juice and salt & pepper.
Step 7: Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetabbles. Heat the chicken fricassee if needed. Add butter before serving.

Basic Crepe Batter Recipe:

Pâte à Crèpes… Thin, light, and luscious!
This recipe is home base for all your fantastic crepe creations! Simple to make, and wonderful to eat!

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: about 30 minutes

Ingredients (for about 15 crepes):
2 cups Flour
2 1/2 cups Whole Milk
4 Eggs
2 tbsp. Butter (melted)
Pinch of Salt
1/2 Vanilla Stalk or Few Drops Vanilla Extract (optional)
Vegetable Oil (for pan)

How to Prepare Batter:

1. Sift flour and mix with salt in a bowl.
2. Make a well and pour in eggs. Stir well.
3. Slowly pour in milk while stirring. Keep stirring batter until small bubbles form on the surface.
4. Stir in Butter.
Voilà!

NB The batter does not need to stand before using it. However, if you do let it stand, you will most likely want to add 1 tbsp. of water before cooking with it. General rule of thumb: if it seems thicker than cream, add a little more water, and/or a little more milk.

How to Prepare Crepes:

1. Pour a little vegetable oil on a folded paper towel, and wipe the pan evenly. Keep paper towel at hand while preparing crepes, in case you want to give it another wipe.
2. Pour in 2 - 3 tbsp. of batter and quickly move pan around, so that batter spreads evenly, covering the whole surface with a thin layer.
3. Let cook for about 1 minute. Then, flip with a metal spatula, and cook other side for about 30 seconds.

Repeat these steps until you are out of batter, stacking cooked crepes on a plate. Yum!

Variations:

Prefer whole wheat flour? No problem. You can substitute the white flour with your own favorite!

Serving Ideas:

Traditionally, a crepe is lightly topped, and then folded into quarters. Meaning, fold in half, and then fold in half again.

If you prefer, you can also top your crepe and then roll it up like a tortilla.

Of course, when you are using thicker fillings, you will probably just want to fold the crepe in half once.

Succulent Cinnamon Pear! (Filling for crepe)

Crèpes aux Poires Fondantes… Delicious crepes that will melt in your mouth!

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

You Need:

8 crepes ( click here for batter instructions)
4 Pears (peeled and cut into slices or cubes)
2 Cinnamon Sticks (or powder)
3/4 cup Dry White Wine
1 tbsp. Butter
Vanilla Ice-Cream
Whipped Cream (optional)

Sauté pears in white wine with cinnamon over a medium-high flame. When most of the liquid has disappeared and the pears are cooked, stir in butter. Spread crepes onto individual plates and cover one half of each crepe with pears. Fold over other half. Top with vanilla ice-cream and if you want, a little cinnamon powder and whipped cream. Serve right away! Voilà!