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Introduction to Champagne

Wine articles and food pairing guides

This week we are talking about Champagne! As always let us start from the beginning and let us define what Champagne is. Before being a wine, Champagne is in fact a region within the historical province of Champagne in the northeast of France. It is located about 100 miles (160...

Stephane

November 28, 2018

2 Comments

313 Views

Classic Soupe aux Choux (cabbage and pork soup)

This is a classic French version of the cabbage soup ( soupe aux choux ). Fresh cabbages are blanched, sliced and cook with smoked pork belly and chicken stock. The chunky pieces of cabbage and smoked pork belly really give that cabbage soup its character. You can use water instead...

Stephane

November 24, 2018

1 Comment

4,423 Views

Dolcetto and Chicken Marengo

Wine articles and food pairing guides

Dolcetto and Chicken Marengo. A wine from Piedmont, Italy and a great historic French recipe from the battlefield made for Napoleon. Let’s learn more about this wine, how it tastes and why it is a good pairing. SUGGESTED WINE: Dolcetto di Alessandria LOCATION: Dolcetto di Alessandria is a wine made with...

Stephane

November 17, 2018

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395 Views

Marengo Chicken Recipe for Napoleon

Many of you must have heard of Napoleon Bonaparte and perhaps also his victory over the Austrian army in Italy near the village of Marengo on the 14th of June 1800. But did you know that the recipe called the Poulet Marengo (Marengo chicken) was actually created as a celebration...

Stephane

November 16, 2018

5 Comments

4,332 Views

Financiers cakes Tutorial

Financiers (formerly known as a visitandines) are small bite size almond cake which are flavored with a beurre noisette ( translated as Hazelnut butter because of its color) and topped up with a piece of fruit or flakes almonds. the original Financiers are baked in small rectangular cake pans but...

Stephane

November 11, 2018

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1,193 Views

Wine Clarification

Wine articles and food pairing guides

After watching Stephane’s last video on how to make a beef consommé, I thought this week could be interesting to talk a bit about wine clarification. If you think about it, is it not strange that a fermented grape juice turns into perfectly crystal clear liquid? If I squeeze an...

Alessandro

November 8, 2018

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218 Views

Beef Consommé with Deslignac Royales

The consommé is the evolution or shall I say transformation of freshly made broth (usually beef or chicken) into a clear soup that is actually called a consommé. Consommé in Escoffier cuisine can be served with various garnish such as pasta (vermicelli’s and the sort) croutons, vegetables and also with...

Stephane

November 2, 2018

1 Comment

2,140 Views

Wine serving temperature

Wine articles and food pairing guides

Wine serving temperature Article By Allessandro Menegatti Last week we started talking about how to pair wine and food, but before we continue in our journey, I thought it could be important to spend a few words on proper wine serving temperature. If you are thinking “Why is this important?”,...

Alessandro

October 27, 2018

1 Comment

235 Views

Classic Pot Au Feu Recipe

It is difficult to know when the name pot-au-feu first appeared and when its meaning changed to describe the dish instead of the pot in which it is cooked. While pot was used to describe the rounded pot to cook on the fire at least since the 11th century there...

Stephane

October 26, 2018

1 Comment

5,220 Views

Fish Filet With Dugléré Sauce

This classic French fish recipe was a creation of Adolphe Dugléré which was renowned French head chef working at the Cafe Anglais in 1866 which became the most famous Paris restaurant of the 19th century. Adolphe duglere is also the creator of many world renowned dishes such as the Pomme...

Stephane

October 19, 2018

1 Comment

4,140 Views

Wine and Food Pairing Guide

Wine articles and food pairing guides

A Wine Pairing Guide I am sure that at a certain point in our lives, we have all been in a situation where we had to choose from a long wine menu list or select a wine from the shelves in a store. How do you pick? As with everything,...

Alessandro

October 19, 2018

5 Comments

2,576 Views

Trout Meuniere (with toasted almonds)

The trout Meuniere with almond ( truite aux amandes) is a classic french recipe that uses the Meuniere style of cooking, where The fish is first coated in flour then pan fried and served with lemon juice,butter and parsley. toward the end some toasted almonds are added to bring an...

Stephane

October 12, 2018

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1,386 Views

How To Make & Use Court bouillon

The court- bouillon is a liquid used for short cooking, by poaching , of certain fish and crustaceans composed of salt water and pepper moistened with white wine or vinegar, carrots and sliced onions, and a bouquet garni. Court bouillon loosely translates as ‘briefly boiled liquid’ (In French “court”) or...

Stephane

October 10, 2018

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1,218 Views

Croquembouche: the how to guide

Where does the croquembouche comes from? The invention of the croquembouche ( also named croque-en-bouche in French which could be translated as “a crunchy bite”) is often attributed to Antonin Carême,who includes it in his 1815 cookbook Le Pâtissier royal parisien, but it is mentioned as early as 1806, in...

Stephane

October 7, 2018

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1,543 Views

How to make Beurre Blanc ( butter sauce)

Sauces & Stocks

The Beurre Blanc is an emulsion of half-salted butter and a reduction of white wine, vinegar and shallots. The white wine and vinegar are reduced by half with the gray shallots, then the butter is gently incorporated and whipped over very low heat (do not exceed the temperature of 65...

Stephane

September 27, 2018

3 Comments

13,102 Views

How to make potato croquettes

Vegetables & Sides

The potato croquettes are bite size fluffy potato snacks that can be serve as a side dish or just be eaten on their own with mayonnaise or other sauces. they are very versatile and easy to make at home and are perfectly suited for kids and adult alike. If you...

Stephane

September 22, 2018

2 Comments

2,143 Views

Escoffier – What’s so great about him?

Many of you may be familiar with the great (now defunct) French chef named : “Auguste Escoffier” often referred to as the father of French cooking. but what you are perhaps less familiar with is the reason why Escoffier is quite so highly regarded, and just how influential he was...

Stephane

September 19, 2018

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1,601 Views

Pommes Dauphine (French potato puffs)

Vegetables & Sides

Pommes Dauphine are delicious bite-sized balls of mashed potato wrapped with choux pastry. When deep fried they puff into dumpling shapes. Biting into a Pommes Dauphine is a bit like biting into a feathery cloud and they make a perfect side to a chicken or steak dish. Ingredients to make...

Stephane

September 14, 2018

3 Comments

10,761 Views

Crepes suzette and crepes Flambees

Sweets and Dessert

If you are into French crepes, there are 2 famous French crepes recipe that you need to know and try. the first one is the crepe suzette and the second one is the crepes flambe. However it is important to note that the crepe suzette is not what many people...

Stephane

September 9, 2018

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2,009 Views

Essential guide to Crème Brûlée

Crème brûlée (also known as Cambridge burnt cream, crema catalana or Trinity cream) is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of crispy caramel. It is normally served cold and the custard base is traditionally vanilla flavored. Ingredients Whole Milk 1 Cup (250 ml) Heavy...

Stephane

August 22, 2018

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15,143 Views

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