Few dishes satisfy more than steak frîtes, a nice cut of seared beef with a pile of French-fried potatoes. We make this dish at least a dozen ways usually with a beef rib eye steak but often with other cuts too. This recipe for Pan Grilled Steak au Whiskey is a riff on one we served at the Restaurant du Village. A porterhouse or T-bone steak, coated with black peppercorns in a whiskey spiked tarragon
Saucisson (French Garlic Sausage) with Lentilles du Puy
Few dishes speak bistro better than saucisson (French garlic sausage) with lentilles du Puy. It’s the kind of humble yet gutsy dish people expect at a French-inspired restaurant and one we served in the winter months at Restaurant du Village. The dish consists of poached fresh sausage, cooked French green lentils and a sherry or mustard vinaigrette. You can eat it as an appetizer or small meal. The choice of ingredients matters more than the
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Oeufs durs Mayonnaise
When I was 14 on my first trip to France, I ate oeufs durs mayonnaise, two hard-boiled egg ovals coated with fresh mayonnaise. Oeufs mayo for short was a revelation, slightly tangy mayonnaise and hard cooked eggs, like a deconstructed egg salad. I find any excuse to make it including at breakfast or at lunch with roasted beets vinaigrette and other garnishes. Jump to Recipe On my maiden trip to France, I looked for oeufs
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Veal Marengo with Green Almonds
Green almond season has me thinking of ways to use this symbolic food, the first fresh green thing to appear in many orchards. Seeing veal in the local store gave me the idea to revisit an old chestnut, Veal Marengo. It is a classic preparation for an elegant yet homey dish of veal stewed with tomatoes and mushrooms. Adding green almonds proved to be a lucky hunch. When cooked, the green almonds taste like cooked
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Salmon Carpaccio
Are you looking for something fast and festive? Consider Salmon Carpaccio as a fresh, unfussy main course or light main meal. Think sashimi with a French twist. The saturated color of thin slices of raw salmon says “fancy” but it is forgiving to prepare. Bread bakers take note. Because fish carpaccio needs a crusty baguette or thin slices of pain de mie, it is a great dish to add to your repertoire. Salmon carpaccio is made
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Poussin en Cocotte – Baby Chicken Roasted with Vegetables
Toujours simple, always simple, is my culinary philosophy and a mantra attributed to many of the great French masters. Sometimes it’s such simple dishes like this homey classic, Poussin en Cocotte – Baby Chicken Roasted with Vegetables, that give the most satisfaction. The baby chicken braises in the oven in a covered casserole on a bed of aromatic vegetable, stock and wine. As it cooks, the bird and vegetables release steam, which bastes the meat.
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Memories of Restaurant du Village at Gateway Community College
Once upon a time there was a tiny piece of France in Chester, Connecticut called Restaurant du Village. On November 28, 2018 at Gateway Community College in New Haven we will turn the clock back and remember some of the dishes we served at Restaurant du Village in the 1980’s. The three-course meal will be prepared by students in GWCC’s Culinary Arts Program with a little help from me. The proceeds benefit the Gateway Foundation, which
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Emerite + Almonds: Summer Salad Combination
Harciots verts fines, the French call them, the thinnest, finest and earliest green beans of summer. Today I picked the first green haricots from our Connecticut garden, a French variety called emerite. Although green beans will dominate in a few weeks, right now we relish a plate of salad greens topped with emerite and almonds. The distinguishing characteristics of this pole bean variety are length and girth, or lack thereof. These beans are straight, long
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Chocolate Rosemary Cream
Chocolate rosemary cream satisfies all my sweet cravings. It’s rich with dark cocoa flavors and unctuous like a barely melted chocolate bar. Let a spoonful rest on your tongue and the mild acidity and fragrant rosemary notes come through. With everyone thinking about chocolate for Valentine’s Day, I thought this might be the moment to make it again. Jump to Recipe This is neither my invention nor something new because the recipe is over 200
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Linzer Torte Cookies
One of the first desserts I made at Restaurant du Village was Linzer Torte. The blend of ground nuts and warm spices appealed to me then as is does now, the tart jam offset by the buttery crust. As a desert after a meal, a wedge of Linzer Torte is little heavy for the way we eat today. That’s why I make these Linzer Torte Cookies instead, whether for the holidays or for a special
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"Let no man fancy he knows how to dine Till he has learnt how taste and taste combine."
-Horace, Satires, 2.4