When you cook French dishes, you have to be in the mood for it, because French cooking takes time and lots of love for cooking.... Most of these dishes stem from my French cooking class with French cook Gerard Mouille who was living in Trinidad for a couple of years, so I have cooked them myself and I know they are great. Since the cooking class took place here in Trinidad, the French dishes have been in part adapted to  local ingredients, fruits and vegetables. It might be a good idea to drink some nice French wines while cooking these dishes, to get you in the correct mood ....... ( smile ) May I suggest you read the entire recipes first and plan what to do first, what next etc. ? That can be crucial to the outcome of the recipe in some cases !
	Ailloli (  A Dip) Crème de Chayotte ( Cold Chrystophene Soup ) Ragoût Legume à la Fleur de Saffron ( Vegetarian Ragoût )   Filet mignon de porc avec Sauce Hollandaise et Gratin Dauphinois ( Pork Tenderloin with Sauce Hollandaise and  Potatoes au gratin)   Bayette de Boeuf a L'échalote
Grilled fillets of Red Snapper with Beurre Blanc Sauce ( served with Rice and Turned Vegetables ) Here, I suggest, you do the vegetables first, then the fish and the very last the Beurre Blanc Ingredients (for all 4 dishes ): fillets of red snapper ( or other red fish ) 500 grammes butter ( cool from the fridge ) 150 gr shallots or onions white wine vinegar OR lime and orange juice potatoes, carrots, turnips 1 1/2 cup of rice olive oil salt Beurre Blanc Sauce Beurre Blanc Sauce originates from the Region of Nantes, in the Loire Valley and is one of the most delicate sauces to prepare. It is an emulsion of butter Légumes Tournées ( Turned Vegetables )      Method       1) Potatoes and carrots ( and turnips, if used ) are "turned", which means that they are      sculpted in an almond shape of similar size       2) Turnips and potatoes have less cooking time than carrots, so start to boil the carrots 10      mins before       3) Add vegetables to boiling, salted , water and cook until tender, but not falling apart.       4) Drain and add butter to hot vegetables  Rice Method 1) Wash and clean rice 2) Bring water to the boil, add salt and add rice and boil until soft ( about 20 mins.) 3) Drain rice and add some butter and season to taste ( keep warm together with the vegetables until being served)

Grilled fillets of Red Snapper with Beurre Blanc Sauce ( served with Rice and Turned Vegetables ) Here, I suggest, you do the vegetables first, then the fish and the very last the Beurre Blanc Ingredients ( for all 4 dishes ): fillets of red snapper ( or other red fish ) 500 grammes butter ( cool from the fridge ) 150 gr shallots or onions white wine vinegar OR lime and orange juice potatoes, carrots, turnips 1 1/2 cup of rice olive oil salt Beurre Blanc Sauce Beurre Blanc Sauce originates from the Region of Nantes, in the Loire Valley and is one of the most delicate sauces to prepare. It is an emulsion of butter Légumes Tournées ( Turned Vegetables )      Method       1) Potatoes and carrots ( and turnips, if used ) are "turned", which means that they are      sculpted in an almond shape of similar size       2) Turnips and potatoes have less cooking time than carrots, so start to boil the carrots 10      mins before       3) Add vegetables to boiling, salted , water and cook until tender, but not falling apart.       4) Drain and add butter to hot vegetables  Rice Method 1) Wash and clean rice 2) Bring water to the boil, add salt and add rice and boil until soft ( about 20 mins.) 3) Drain rice and add some butter and season to taste ( keep warm together with the vegetables until being served)

Method 1) Each fillet of fish must be large enough to serve two, make sure they are free of bones and scales, trim the edges 2) Cut fillets into 2 equal pieces 3) Lightly salt fillets and brush both sides with olive oil 4) Place fillets, skin side up, under a moderate grill, so that the skin does not burn 5) Grill 5 - 10 mins, depending on the thickness of the fillets       Method Have a bain marie with heated water ready 1) Finely chop challots or onions and slowly sweat these in a mixture of lime juice and orange juice ( 1/2 part lime to 1 part orange juice ), if white wine vinegar is unavailable 2) When onions have absorbed the liquid and are tender, place the pan in the bain marie ( a double boiler ) 3) Slowly, little by little add the butter ( cool from the fridge, not soft ), continuously beating the sauce with a wire whisk. This action must be constant or sauce willunretrievablyseparate 4) Continue to emulsion the sauce by adding pieces of butter, little by little. Serve immediately   To serve : Carefully pour Beurre Blanc into every person's serving plate, place the grilled fish fillet on the sauce and pour some Beurre Blanc over the fillets. Go back up

 

Prawns and Mango Cocktail with Homemade Mayonnaise Ingredients to serve 8 1 lb King prawns ( large ) 4 large mangoes ( you can substitute with other fruit ) 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon mustard powder 2 eggs oil lemon juice tomato ketchup cayenne pepper salt, pepper 1 onion 2 cloves 1 clove garlic 1 bouquet garni aniseed salt, pepper chopped chive for garnishing Court Bouillon Prepare a Court Bouillon, using one whole onion, 2 cloves, 1 clove of garlic, 1 bouquet garni, aniseed and salt. Boil for one hour, then strain. Or use fish stock. Cook whole Prawns in simmering stock for 5 mins, then take out with slotted spoon, cool and peel skin off.

Mayonnaise (To keep Mayonnaise longer in the fridge, add a little water at the end of beating ) Method All ingredients are  at room temperature 1) Mix egg yolk with salt, pepper, Dijon mustard and mustard powder 2) Add( drop by drop ) the oil until the emulsion is thick 3) Add the juice of 1 lemon and cayenne pepper to taste 4) Add 1 tablesp. tomato ketchup, check seasoning     Prawns and Mangoes 1) peel mangoes ( not too ripe ), cut along stone in two halves, then into thin slices 2) In a bowl, mix mango slices ( reserve some for garnishing) and prawns, add Mayonnaise 3) Place in individual serving dishes and decorate with mango slices around the border, top with chopped chives and chill Serve with toasted bread triangles Go back up

Rissoles of Chicken with Sauce Alliance This was a fun exercise for the students of the French cooking class ( held at the local Alliance Française )to show that we understood how to make sauces after the lecture about the basic different kinds of sauces.We were devided into groups and my 'group" consisted of a Japanese girl, Yoshiko, and myself. We called our sauce " Sauce Hollandeponais" (Dutch-Japanese) This sauce is therefore completely original, since it was created by Yoshiko and me. In this case the chicken dish was to be left to our imagination.We were to use any ingredients we saw in the French Cooking Class kitchen. Sauce Hollandeponais Ingredients: Chicken stock pineapple chunks from can ( but you can use fresh ) some pineapple juice 2 tomatoes dried basil 1 chopped onion some watercress some white wine chili powder lime juice to taste salt, pepper

Ingredients: serves 6-8 3 whole chickens, seasoned with: salt, pepper crushed garlic ginger powder chili powder oil white wine bacon strips on top of chickens Method: Preheat oven to 400° F and bake chickens for 1 1/2 hours     Method: 1)Place all ingredients in a food processor and purée throroughly 2) Boil sauce for 15 minutes 3)Take out of pot and pass through a fine mesh sieve, then put back into pot, back on the fire 4) Sieve some flour over sauce in pot to thicken sauce, keep stirring while cooking- do not make too thick 5) Cut chicken into serving portions and top with sauce Go back up

 

Sauce Hollandaise Ingredients 1 teasp. whole peppercorns 1 bayleaf butter lemon juice and water, equal amounts ( or white wine ) 1 egg yolk salt to taste

Method 1) Put pepper corns, bayleaf, lemon juice-water mixture ( or white wine ) on the fire to extract flavour from the seasonings 2) Cook liquid until it is reduced , then take off fire and strain liquid, then let it cool for a few minutes 3) Add 1 egg yolk and whisk with wire whisk 4) Place mixture in a warm bain marie ( double boiler ) 5) Add butter ( from the fridge ), piece by piece until a nice sauce has been optained, keep whisking 6) Add a little salt In order to keep the sauce warm, leave in bain marie until serving, or in a thermos flask. If sauce separates, you will have to start anew ( using the separated sauce ), with an egg yolk in the bain marie, whisk, then keep adding the separated sauce, bit by bit until it " makes" again. Go back up

 

Vinaigrette for Salads Ingredients salt, black pepper vine vinegar ( lime/orange juice ) mustard olive oil or other salad oil

Method 1) Mix salt, black pepper, vine vinegar and mustard 2) While whisking, add oil, drop by drop Go back up

 

Ailloli ( Dip) Ailloli or Aioli is a dip or a sauce which originates from the South-East of France in the Provence region. It is used to compliment boiled fish, cold meats, as a sauce for salads or boiled vegetables or as a dip for raw vegetables such as celery sticks, carrot sticks and sweet pepper slices. Ingredients 8 large cloves of garlic ( cored) 2 teasps. hot mustard ( or 2 eggyolks mixed with mustard powder ) 50 cl Extra virgin Olive oil salt, pepper Parsley lemon juice

Method 1) In a mortar crush garlic and mix thoroughly with the mustard until the paste is smooth 2) Add salt and pepper to taste 3) Slowly add olive oil to the paste, turning the paste with the pestle until smooth and the sauce emulsionates 4) Add juice of 1/2 lemon and garnish with parsley. Go back up

 

Crème de Chayotte ( Cold Cream of Chrystophene Soup ) Ingredients 1 Chrystophene per person, cut up in small strips salt, pepper curry powder ginger powder fresh mint leaves margarine

Method 1) Put strips of chrystophene and all seasonings into a pot together with the margarine( no water), on a low fire, covered , for 30 mins. 2) Put into food processor and liquidize 3) Chill in fridge for 2 hours 4) Adjust seasonings and decorate with mint leaves Serve in cold plates. Go back up

 
 

Ragoût Legume à la Fleur de Saffron ( Vegetarian Ragoût ) Ingredients Actually it completely depends on your taste in vegetables, just make it as many as you can and cook those last that need the least cooking time. I am writing this recipe with those vegetables in mind that I used. Snow peas, about 2 per person, cleaned, but left whole ochroes, cleaned, but left whole a small cabbage, cut into wedges string beans, cleaned, but left whole carrots, shaped into 1 1/2" rounded shapes potatoes, cut into 1 " cubes whole small tomatoes ( cherry tomatoes ) white raddish, cut into 1/4 " slices aubergine, cut into 1/4" slices, then quartered cauliflowers, rosettes only cucumber, sliced into 3" long slices ( lengthwise), leave skin attached sweet peppers, cut into strips spinach leaves, young and unblemished shallots, 4" long or onions cut in rings sprigs of fresh thyme 4 - 5 cloves of garlic, sliced stigma of saffron 4 bird peppers ( these are very tiny hot peppers ) salt margarine or butter

Method This dish is cooked on the stove first, then continued cooking in the oven. I used a Vision pot, so one can see the layers of vegetables. In any case, you need a pot that can be used on the stove top as well as in the oven. Remember to cook the " hard" vegetables first. 1) Melt a lot of butter in your pot 2) Add carrots 3) Add wedges of cabbage ( no loose leaves ) 4) arrange vegetables, DO NOT STIR 5) Add onions OR shallots and garlic 6) Add a little water, bring to the boil, boil for 3 mins. 7) Add a few stigmas of saffron for colour and taste 8) Add fresh thyme and bird peppers ( dried or fresh ) 9) Arrange potatoes 10) Add whole ochroes 11) Sprinkle salt 12) Cover pot and put into a preheated oven ( 350 degrees) for 30-40 mins. total time 13) After 20 mins. take out pot, add sweet peppers, cauliflower, beans, snow peas, raddish, whole tomatoes 14) Sprinkle with salt and saffron and put back into oven 15) After 10 mins. add cucumber, place back in oven 16) After 5 mins. Add spinach, sprinkle with a little salt and finish cooking, about 3 - 5 mins more 17) Take pot out of oven and carefully drain off cooking fluid into a saucepan and place sauce pan on stove 18) Sieve some flour into the cooking fluid in the saucepan and thicken sauce, while whisking 19) Serve vegetables in a warm plate and pour sauce over it. Go back up

 
 

Filet mignon de porc avec Sauce Hollandaise et Gratin Dauphinois ( Pork Tenderloin with Sauce Hollandaise and Potatoes au Gratin ) Make Sauce Hollandaise and Potatoes Au Gratin first, keep warm. Sauce Hollandaise, see recipe above. Gratin Dauphinois Ingredients 1 kg potatoes 1/2 l milk, boiled 150 gr grated cheese 1 egg 50 gr butter salt, pepper garlic nutmeg You need an ovenproof dish that can also be used on the stove top, like the Vision ware pots Pork Tenderloin Ingredients pork tenderloins ( you also can use fish fillets or chicken breast ) butter salt, pepper Rum

Method 1) Peel potatoes and slice thinly 2) Arrange a layer of potato in greased baking dish 3) Cover layer of potato slices with some of the boiled milk with the egg mixed into it 4) Sprinkle with some grated cheese and sprinkle with salt and pepper and nutmeg 5) Repeat this operation until the dish is full, but retain some cheese for later 6) Cook the gratin on the stove top until it simmers, then cover with alu foil and place in a 375 degrees preheated oven for about 30 mins. 7) Remove foil , add remaining cheese and cook about 10 mins more until golden brown on top                 Method 1) Melt butter in large frying pan and add whole tenderloins and fry them, while shaking the pan 2) Add salt and pepper 3) Add Rum and strike a match and flambé the meat ( repeat ) 4) Simmer meat until cooked, about 25 mins 5) Slice meat into 1/2 " slices, arrange on plate , pour Sauce Hollandaise over it and arrange Potatoes au Gratin at the side. Go back up

 
 

Bayette de Boeuf a L'Échalote ( Beef Flank Steak in a Shallot Sauce ) Bayette means Apron in French. This muscle is situated within the beef flank and is very fibrous. Although not considered a prime cut, Bayette is certainly one of the most sought after steak Ingredients to serve 4 2 pounds flank steak 150 gr shallots or onions 10 cl beef stock 10 cl Red Wine 50 gr butter salt, pepper parsley

Method 1) Remove tendons and other nerve tissue and skins from meat 2) Cut the steak in the width of the muscle ( against the grain at a slant) 3) Brown butter in a large skillet and fry steaks a few minutes each side in the very hot butter; when turning steaks add salt and pepper to the meat 4) Add chopped shallots and sweat for a minute 5) Remove steaks from pan and keep warm in oven 6) Add Beef stock and Red Wine to the shallots in the pan and reduce sauce ( cook until liquid has reduced) 7) Add 50 gr butter, stirring the sauce by a swift movement of the pan 8) Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley 9) Pour sauce over steaks and serve with French fries or Potatoes au Gratin ( see recipe above). Go back up

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