ffwD: Coupetade

Although this week’s assignment was included in the dessert section of Around My French Table, I thought of it more as a breakfast dish mainly because the slices of challah are fried up like French toast. Simply allowing the delicious grilled slices to soak in a milk-egg-sugar mixture and then baked doesn’t seem to push it over into the realm of desserts. Maybe it’s because I left out the raisins and dried fruit…But, then again, it was sweet enough to be considered a dessert, I suppose.

I did enjoy this dish a lot, however. I only made half the recipe but may have used too many slices of challah seeing as the lower portion of the slices were very custard-y and soaked after the baking, but the top portions peeked above the custard and ended up crispy. I think I can really see this as a dessert if I adorn it with whipped cream, fresh berries, and maybe a fruit or caramel glaze…

This coupetade was made as a part of French Fridays with Dorie, a group of bloggers who are cooking their way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours.

ffwD: Creamy Mushrooms & Eggs

When I first read the title of this week’s assignment, I figured we were making some type of omelette, which is fine because I enjoy mushroom omelettes. However, after I read the recipe, I definitely knew I’d enjoy this dish because I’ve made a similar appetizer-like recipe from Smitten Kitchen, creamed mushrooms on chive-butter toast, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Other than substituting chives for rosemary and using mainly baby bella caps instead of an assortment of mushrooms, Dorie’s recipe was extremely delicious, and it was filling enough as a main course due to the ruffly poached egg on top and thicker slices of toasted challah bread. This is definitely a make-again recipe and one that should be kept in your back pocket in case you need a dish in a hurry.

These creamy mushrooms & eggs were made as a part of French Fridays with Dorie, a group of bloggers who are cooking their way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours.

ffwD: Swiss Chard Mini Pancakes

Ever since I’ve been on a green-smoothie-for-breakfast kick, I’ve been eager to try recipes that incorporate leafy greens in a blended way. These Swiss chard mini pancakes were perfect for that, plus they were extremely quick to make considering that I had to rush home Thursday evening to watch the NFL Draft!

These pancakes were quirky, green and tasty, though I may have been heavy handed with the garlic. And even with the Swiss chard, these pancakes reminded me of the buckwheat blinis we made awhile back. So, I can only believe that they would also taste good with smoked salmon on top especially since I served my green pancakes with sour cream. However, the pancakes were pretty dense due to lack of baking powder in the batter (unless I somehow overlooked it). I may try adding it next time to see if it lightens them a bit.

These Swiss chard mini pancakes made as a part of French Fridays with Dorie, a group of bloggers who are cooking their way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours.

ffwD: Cod & Spinach “Eggs”

I know. You were expecting to see something along the lines of white fish “sausages” with spinach inside as opposed to what I’ve posted here: something resembling scrambled eggs with spinach on top of a tomato puree. Well, I’m not sure what happened. Everything in the prep came together quite easily, considering that my first two readthroughs of this recipe left me with the impression that this dish was somewhat difficult.

I successfully rolled up the cod mousse with spinach filling into sausages, but I think I didn’t layer the fish mousse thick enough on the plastic wrap. Maybe I didn’t roll them tight enough or I didn’t twist the ends of the plastic enough. Because when I checked on the “roulades” halfway through steaming, the cod mousse had oozed out into the steamer basket. I fished out the plastic wrap and let the cod finish steaming. When it was done, I tasted it with the tomato puree, and it was actually pretty good! Though, I did think I was eating garlicy scrambled eggs with spinach for a minute before I tasted the cod’s fishiness. Oh, and I had to throw out my steamer basket.

I took a stab at this dish, but I probably won’t try to make the roulade part again. The dish was tasty enough, but to quote Gaye at Laws of the Kitchen, why waste good fish by processing it up with egg white and cream to make fish sausages when unadulterated fish tastes so much better.

My attempt at Dorie’s cod and spinach roulades was made as a part of French Fridays with Dorie, a group of bloggers who are cooking their way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours.

ffwD: Financiers

After reading Roger’s post about his basal need for delectable financiers, I was eagerly awaiting the weekend to try my hand at Dorie’s recipe. Now, I’m a fan of anything baked with almond flour, but Dorie’s use of “hazelnut butter”, or butter browned till it produces a hazelnut fragrance, shall I say “took the cake”? These little morsels had a crispy, golden, buttery, and chewy exterior that gave way to a moist and cake-y interior. It’s such an easy and rich treat that I’m going to have to pace myself on how often I can make them. Cleanse or no cleanse, these financiers might be a delicious diet dealbreaker.

To check out Roger’s financier recipe, check out the link posted above. Dorie’s financiers were made as a part of French Fridays with Dorie, a group of bloggers who are cooking their way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours.

ffwD: Pierre Herme’s Olive Sables

Anytime I see a recipe for sables, a combination of nervousness and excitement washes over me. My nervousness comes from a concern that these delicious homemade slice-and-bake cookies will crumble to pieces as I’m plunging my knife through the chilled cookie dough log. However, my excitement stems from the fact that sables are delicious whether crumbly or whole, and despite what ingredients might be included. I was also excited that this would be the first time baking something sweet since I finished the three-week cleanse last month!

I did my best to find oil-cured black olives per Dorie’s suggestion, but the best I could find were Kalamata olives in oil. The chewy and salty bits of olive were pretty delicious within the rather sweet cookie. I also found these buttery cookies flaky, tender, and appealingly deceptive in their looks, as from afar they were similar in appearance to the chocolate chip butter cookies found in Christmas tins. Overall, a good recipe!

Pierre Herme’s olive sables were made as a part of French Fridays with Dorie, a group of bloggers who are cooking their way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours.

ffwD: Lemon-steamed Spinach

Nothing out of the ordinary with this week’s assignment: just steamed baby spinach with olive oil and grated lemon zest, seasoned with salt and pepper. I left out the salt and pepper because I ate this for dinner during my “fruits and vegetables only” week of my 3-week cleanse. (Sidenote: During the cleanse, I was ingesting natural Himalayan crystal salt in water four times a day.) Oh, and I didn’t have a steamer basket, so I just stuck the baby spinach in the microwave with a bit of water for 1 minute. Tasty!

Speaking of the cleanse, I’ve completed it, and I will say that it was worth the 21-day effort. Many bloggers have asked what cleanse I did, and it was the Ultimate Beachbody Reset. It’s broken down into three weeks. The first included limited healthy proteins (chicken/salmon/unsweetened low-fat yogurt), healthy grains, beans, fruits and veggies. The second week cut out all meat and dairy, and the third week eliminated all beans and grains. This meant that every meal in the third week consisted only of fruits or veggies. Additionally, thirty minutes before each meal, a different combination of vitamins and supplements were taken with plenty of water, with week two incorporating a mild colon cleanse (think lemon-flavored Metamucil).

Pros: I kicked my Diet Coke/caffeine habit; I slept more soundly; I woke up feeling refreshed (after the first five days of caffeine withdrawal); I felt more alert and productive at work and home; I curbed my craving for sweets; I feel lighter and my stomach appears flatter; my clothes feel looser; I saved a lot of money by not buying soda and processed foods; and I seem to be more satisfied by the smell of my food more than the taste. I don’t know how I feel about that last one really.

Cons: I had the WORST caffeine withdrawal ever (think: waking up, going about the day, and going to sleep with severe migraines) for the first five days; I was craving protein throughout the cleanse because I had already started a vegan smoothie regime before the cleanse started and thus had no healthy proteins that first week; my dining out was extremely limited (read: non-existent) because the cleanse really encourages home-prepared food, so I had to reschedule a lot of dinner plans; and I go to the bathroom so much that I feel like there’s something wrong with my kidneys. However, overall, the cleanse is definitely worth it in the end.

This lemon-steamed spinach was made as a part of French Fridays with Dorie, a group of bloggers who are cooking their way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours.

ffwD: Ispahan Loaf Cake

I’ve been looking forward to making this week’s assignment for awhile now because of its odd name and because I’ve never baked with rose syrup or rose extract. Like some Doristas, I had to purchase the syrup and extract from Amazon.com, and surprisingly enough, after perusing all the possible options for rose syrup, I ended up buying the Monin brand Dorie suggested without even realizing it! I also found a set of three rose extract bottles for roughly the same price as one bottle of a comparable brand. To top off what seemed like fate in making this cake, I was offered yet another free 30-day Amazon Prime trial membership, so I was able to get my syrup and extract in two days without paying extra.

I guess I was too excited about my luck with the rose syrup and rose extract that I neglected to read the recipe all the way through. When I saw a “pint of raspberries”, I naturally assumed it was for garnish and didn’t bother to notice the instructions stating they were for the batter. So, I actually made a raspberry-free Ispahan loaf cake first. I brought a slice for my friend to try, and she said it needed the raspberries.

So, the next night, I properly incorporated the berries, but my berries got a bit smushed during baking. I think two factors contributed to this: first, that I didn’t whip the egg whites long enough or that I let the aerated whites fall during the batter folding process, thus not allowing the cake to rise as much to give the berries room. Or, second, that after each layer of batter was added on top of the berries, I attempted to smooth out the top layer thus pressing the berries down further into the bottom layer.

Regardless of my “sinking” raspberries, I think the cake turned out pretty well. It smelled amazing anyway. Again, I haven’t tasted it because I’ve got two more days on my cleanse, but I have several slices ready to go come Monday morning. And, yes, I’m going to have Ispahan loaf cake for breakfast Monday morning.

This Ispahan loaf cake was made as a part of French Fridays with Dorie, a group of bloggers who are cooking their way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours.

ffwD: Orange-scented Lentil Soup

Was anyone else surprised by how much the orange permeated throughout this soup? Especially from just one sliver of orange peel? Or was it just me?

Anyway, as many of you know, I’m about to complete week two of a three-week cleanse diet that renders a sizable portion of Dorie’s cookbook off-limits. However, a few of the recipes can be tweaked to keep them cleanse-friendly, with this lentil soup being one of them. Of course, I couldn’t garnish with the fun yogurt, bacon, or lardons as Dorie suggested, but the soup was still plenty flavorful. It had a nice lift from the bright and citrus-y orange peel, which was a nice surprise coming from a lentil soup. I made sure to make the entire batch so that I can substitute it for times when I get tired of the other soups on the cleanse. Here’s to one more week!

This orange-scented lentil soup was made as a part of French Fridays with Dorie, a group of bloggers who are cooking their way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours.

No French Fridays…

…at least this week.

I’m currently finishing up the first week of a three-week cleanse, branding this week’s assignment, cheesy crème brulee, a “no-go” for me. However, with a bit of tweaking, I think I can make (and eat!) next week’s orange-scented lentil soup and definitely the lemon-steamed spinach on the 29th. I’ll also be making the ispahan loaf cake scheduled for the 22nd just because I’ve been waiting for this recipe to be on rotation for awhile. In order to stick with the cleanse, I won’t eat any of the cake and will bring the slices to my co-workers instead.

Until then, please know that this cleanse has severely limited what foods I can eat and bake, so my own posting will be rather limited. This also means my commenting on your own delicious blog posts will be sporadic at times as to avoid the temptation to cheat on the cleanse. I should be back to more frequent posting after Easter. Here’s to a healthier blogger in two more weeks!