French cooking right at the comforts of your home? It’s possible! French cooking need not be unnecessarily difficult (even if we get tongue-tied at all those French words!). C’est La Vie has scouted for tasty recipes that you can easily prepare in your own kitchen. Happy cooking and Bon Appetit!

French Onion Soup or Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée

From http://romancereaderatheart.com/france/Trivia.html

From "Saveur Cooks Authentic French" (Chronicle Books) By the editors of Saveur magazine

Serves 8 

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 pounds medium yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 8 cups beef stock
• 2 cups dry white wine
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 baguette
• 1 pound Gruyère cheese, shredded

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add onions, cover and cook stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 20 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, uncover, and add the sugar and season to taste with salt. Sauté, stirring often until onions are very soft and a deep golden brown.

Reduce heat to medium, sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Add about 2 cups of stock and stir to blend, then add remaining 6 cups f stock and the wine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer for about 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Meanwhile, slice the bread into at least 8 thick slices. Butter both sides of the bread with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, then toast until golden brown on both sides in the oven.

Place a slice of toast in each of 8 ovenproof bowls, then fill bowls with the onion soup. Spread a thick layer of cheese on top of soup. Set bowls in 2 baking pans, place in the oven and bake until cheese has browned.

White Chocolate Macadamia Crème Brulee

From http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/White-Chocolate-Macadamia-Creme-Brulee/Detail.aspx

Serves 6
Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons chopped and toasted macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

Set 6 (4-ounce) ramekins in a deep baking dish. Put 1 tablespoon of the macadamia nuts into each of the ramekins.

In a saucepan, stir the cream and sugar over medium heat. When the mixture comes to a slow simmer, add the white chocolate and remove from the heat. Whisk until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir in the egg yolks, one at a time, continuing to whisk until combined. Stir in the vanilla extract. Divide the mixture evenly between the ramekins. Place the dish into the oven and then pour water into baking dish until ramekins are 3/4 submerged.

Bake in preheated oven until custard has set, about 45 minutes. Remove pan and turn oven to broil.

Sprinkle the brown sugar over each of the ramekins. Place pan under broiler until sugar has melted and caramelized, about 5 minutes.

Remove ramekins from water bath. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. I prefer to chill these in the fridge before serving however they are just as heavenly served warm.

FRENCH FOR YOU

Impress the waiter with how much you know about French food terms! Next time you decide to eat at a French restaurant, ordering will become a breeze.

Escargot (\,es-,kär-‘gō\) – a snail prepared for use as food
(Adventurous eater? Try our very own Escargot Provencale to start your meal!)


Quiche (\,kēsh\) - an unsweetened custard pie usually having a savory filling (as spinach, mushrooms, or ham)
(Savor our variations of Quiche paired with mixed baby green salads!)

From www.merriam-webster.com