Last month I had to cancel my annual spring trip to France and England, and at this point chances are looking slim that I'll get to reschedule any time soon. Like many others in confinement, I turned to the kitchen for comfort, entertainment and almost immediate gratification.
Missing Paris and the French Riviera, I thought I'd try my hand at making some simple French recipes that I've recently run across, and guess what! It's actually easy to bring France home, even for an unsophisticated cook and baker like me.
I hope you'll join me and try at least one recipe below; they really are fail-proof.
1. Baguettes
This recipe is super easy to make, and the end result is rather addictive—consider yourself warned. You can smother your crunchy baguette in butter for breakfast, enjoy it with some Brie as an afternoon snack, or eat it with a salad for dinner. Recipe courtesy of the lovely Anina Belle Giannini at Le Chef's Wife
2. Salad Niçoise
Nothing brings the French Riviera into your kitchen like a simple and fresh Salade Niçoise (video courtesy of French Cooking Academy). Since it is full of veggies and has the added benefit of tuna as lean protein, you won't come out of confinement looking like you're wearing your little sister's jeans. For a fun reading, try this variation of the recipe, which replaces the tuna with anchovies. It is Nigel Slater’s version, and I won’t even try to argue proper ingredients with him.
3. Cherry Clafoutis
The jeans situation could change, of course, if you indulge a bit too much in this delicious Cherry Clafoutis from Jill Colonna's blog, Mad About Macarons. Make sure you share it with your significant other and you should all be alright.
4. Crêpes
Oh, and if you'd like the above-mentioned better half, ahem, to help in the kitchen, why don't you teach them this raspberry and whipped cream Crêpes recipe from Rodica Godlewski’s beautiful blog? You might even get a few giggles trying to flip perfect crêpes without landing them on the floor (true story).
5. Gougères
For a bit more sophisticated snack, Gougères look fancy, but they're actually very easy to make. My favorite recipe is the one I posted last week, by pastry chef Jean Marc Diop of Hostellerie de Levernois in Bourgogne.
Et voilà! Easy enough, isn’t it? Let me know which one(s) you tried and how it all turned out.
