A fantastic French dinner

Good news: French cooking is not as difficult or as complicated as you might think—but it’s more impressive than you ever imagined! Prepare this very tasty French meal for your guests, then sit back and graciously accept the compliments. Your only challenge will be finding the perfect wine to accompany the meal.

CHICKEN DIJON (POULET A LA MOUTARDE)

SERVES 4

Make this dish with boneless chicken breasts or whole cut-up chicken parts—just be sure to adjust cooking times accordingly, since bone-in chicken requires a longer cook time.

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

2 shallots, chopped (about ½ cup)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

¼ cup dry white wine

½ cup unsalted chicken stock

½ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons Dijon or stone-ground mustard, or combination

Thyme leaves, for garnish

In a cast-iron or heavy skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Saute until golden brown on each side, 4–5 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and keep warm.

Reduce heat to medium. If necessary, add additional oil to the skillet and cook mushrooms and shallots until all of the liquid is released from the mushrooms and evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook an additional minute. Add the wine, stock, cream and mustard, and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add chicken back to skillet and bring to a boil; lower heat, cover and simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Garnish with thyme leaves and serve from skillet.

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Ratatouille

SERVES 8

Ratatouille is a vegetable stew that originates in the Provence area of southern France. It is a great vegetarian option as a main or side dish.

2 small eggplants, cut into ½-inch cubes

Kosher salt

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 onions, cut into ½-inch cubes

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch of fresh basil, tied with butcher’s twine

Pinch, crushed red pepper

2 red bell peppers, sliced

2 zucchinis, sliced into ¼-inch disks

2 large tomatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes

Sliced or chopped basil, for garnish

Place eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 30 minutes while all of the excess water is drained. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Dry eggplant with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel and add to pot; cook until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. If eggplant starts to stick, add a little more oil. Remove eggplant to a bowl and set aside.

In same pot, add remaining olive oil; add onions and cook for 3–5 minutes until translucent. Add garlic, basil and crushed pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in peppers and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in zucchini and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; cook for 7 minutes. Finally, stir in eggplant and cook for 10 minutes until all vegetables are soft. Remove basil bundle; taste and adjust salt. To serve, drizzle with a little more olive oil and garnish with basil.

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Potato leek soup

SERVES 6

This classic French soup is quick and easy to prepare. It’s another great vegetarian option, and served with a salad, it makes a complete meal.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 leeks, white and pale green parts, halved and sliced and washed*

4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed

6 cups chicken stock

2 bay leaves

1 thyme bundle

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

1 cup heavy cream

Chives, chopped, for garnish

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10 minutes. If starting to brown, lower heat. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add potatoes, stock, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat down to low. Simmer for 15 minutes until potatoes are soft. Remove thyme bundle and bay leaves. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. If using a food blender, puree soup in batches. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Taste and adjust salt. If soup is too thin, simmer until thickened. If too thick, add stock to thin out to desired thickness. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with chives.

Chef’s tip

Washing leeks. Leeks are very sandy and cannot be used after purchasing directly from the supermarket, until they are prepared. To prepare for use, cut off tops and root bottoms; cut in half lengthwise and slice horizontally into half-inch pieces. Put into a colander and rinse with cold water to remove soil. Let drain and dry, then continue with recipe instructions.

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Raspberry clafoutis

SERVES 6–8

Clafoutis is a French fruit dessert baked in a thick, flan-like batter and dusted with powdered sugar—and it’s delicious.

3½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

Pinch kosher salt

3 large eggs

Zest of one lemon

¼ cup milk

1½ pints raspberries (3 cups)

Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with ½ tablespoon butter. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar and a pinch of salt. Whisk in the eggs, remaining butter and lemon zest until smooth. Add the milk and whisk until light and very smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour the batter into pie dish and fill with raspberries.

Bake for about 30–35 minutes, until set and golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Dust with confectioner’s sugar. Cut into wedges and serve at room temperature.

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Tips & techniques

Pounding chicken breasts. It’s important to pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts to make them even in thickness, so they cook evenly. One of the best ways to pound them is with the bottom of a cast-iron skillet. Before pounding, cover with plastic foil or parchment paper.

Eggplant prep. Eggplants naturally hold a lot of water. When prepping, it is best to cut/slice them and sprinkle with salt; place in a colander for about 30 minutes to drain the liquid. Then continue with recipe.

To peel or not to peel eggplant. If using large eggplant, they will need to be peeled, as the skins are tough. If using small eggplant, like Japanese or baby eggplant, there is no need to peel.

Herb bundles. When recipes call for herb bundles, tie herbs with a piece of gauze or butcher string, and tie the string to the pot/pan handle. This will allow you to easily find and remove the bundle at the end of the cooking process.

White pepper. Remember to use white pepper in white soups, stocks and gravies to prevent the black specs in your otherwise “perfect” sauce.

Salt and potatoes. Potatoes absorb salt at a tremendous rate. When salting dishes with potatoes, you will need to use more salt than usual. Constantly taste and adjust salt accordingly.

Best soup potatoes. For soups, you will want to use potatoes that are low in starch content, so they will not interfere with the thickness of the soup—thereby causing you to make corrections. The three best choices are red potatoes, Yukon Gold and russet.

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What’s cooking at SCLiving.coop

Homemade aioli—Aioli is a sauce made with garlic and olive oil that is often confused with mayonnaise. It is used widely throughout France and the Mediterranean as a dip and on sandwiches. In this video recipe, Chef Belinda will show you how to make it at home. You may never go back to plain mayo again!