CADS Recipes from Loire Valley
French Onion Soup
Thinly slice onions, sautee in butter until they begin to carmelize
Add beef broth, dash of cognac, dash of salt
Cook the hell out of it until it’s medium thick
Serve in individual bowls topped with baguette slices and grated Gruyere cheese
Put under broiler for 2 minutes before serving
Coq au Vin
This is Narsai David’s recipe which I’ve used before, but I thought the breast pieces came out dry this time. I would use all thighs next time.
Marinate chicken pieces at least 8 hours in marinade of 2 cups red wine mixed with chopped parsley, pepper, thyme, chopped onions, and minced garlic.
Sautee bacon or salt pork, remove from pan.
Remove chicken from marinade, pat dry, dredge in flour, and sautee in the pork fat.
Add mushrooms, pork, and marinade to chicken.
Simmer ½ hour.
If sauce is too thin, remove ingredients and boil down, adding salt and pepper if necessary.
French Green Lentils
Finely chop ½ yellow onion, ½ celery stalk, ½ carrot.
Sautee in olive oil until softened.
Add, 1 clove minced garlic, 1tsp mustard seed, 1tsp fennel seed.
Sautee until spices fragrant.
Add 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth, 1 cup French green lentils, and 1tsp thyme.
Simmer partially covered until lentils are tender but firm — maybe 20 min.
Drain and serve.
Tarte Tatin
Short paste
Form dough of 1 cup flour, 1 TB sugar, 1/8 tsp salt, 4 TB chilled butter, 1.5 TB chilled shortening, and 2-3 TB chilled water.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
Apples
Peal and slice apples. Sprinkle with sugar.
Tart
Butter a baking dish
Put a layer of sugar on bottom, then a layer of apples, then melted butter, then another layer of apples, then more melted butter, then a layer of sugar on top.
Top with short paste that covers the entire top of baking dish, and slash.
Bake in 375 F oven for 1 hour.
Turn upside down into a fire proof serving dish, with short paste on bottom and apples on top.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar, then under broiler for 3 minutes.
Serve with crème fraiche.