“Tried and True” French Recipes
Nom _________________________
Les Desserts:
Morceaux Chocolats au menthe (Mint Chocolate Squares)
Cooking time : 10 minutes
Utensils : 2-cup glass measuring cup, 7x11 glass baking dish, 1 qt. glass casserole
MAKE IN MICROWAVE
First layer:
2 one-ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate
½ cup margarine
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans, chopped (optional)
Melt chocolate and margarine in a 2-cup measuring cup on high for one minute. Cool. Beat eggs and sugar in small bowl
until light and thick. Stir in flour, pecans and melted chocolate. Spoon mixture into a greased 7x11 inch baking dish.
Microwave on high for 5-6 minutes. Rotate dish 2 times. Let stand on counter to firm. Cool.
Second layer:
2 cups confectioners powdered sugar
3 tbsp margarine, softened
2 tbsp whipping cream
¾ teas. Pure mint or peppermint extra
4 drops green food coloring
Using the back of a spoon, combine powdered sugar, margarine, cream, mint extract, and green food coloring until
smooth. Spread and pat evenly over baked layer.
Third layer:
1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips
3 tbsp. vegetable shortening (NOT butter or margarine)
Place chocolate and shortening in a 1 quart casserole or bowl. Cover and microwave on MEDIUM 2 ½ to 3 minutes until
most of the chips are shiny and soft. Stir and spread over mint layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill. Cut into ½ inch
or / inch squares.
Les Madeleines
(Traditional French butter cookies. Typically made in a shell-shaped pan, but you may just make drop cookies if you
don’t have madeleine molds! )
4 eggs (room temperature)
½ cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla or lemon flavoring
1 cup sifted flour
½ cup melted butter
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup flour
Pinch of salt
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Beat the eggs until stiff, adding salt and sugar.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Add and mix in the vanilla
Fold the flour and baking powder into the mixture
Add the butter, a tablespoon at a time
Fill the molds or make drop cookies. Bake for 10 minutes, then check them to see if they are done!
Gâteau Breton (Breton Butter Cake)
This rich buttery cake is a cross between a shortbread, a sponge cake, and a rich pastry. Serve with a fruit compote or
eat it by itself.
6 egg yolks
1 cup less 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup superfine sugar
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 325. Beat the egg yolks together in a bowl then reserve a little of the egg in a small container. Add the
softened butter to the egg yolks, and beat until soft and well-blended. Add the sugar and the flour, and work into a
slightly sticky dough.
Lightly butter a 9-inch cake pan. Press the dough into the pan, smoothing the top with a palette knife. Score into
diamonds across the top with a fork, then brush with the reserved egg yolk. Bake for 50 minutes. Cool slightly before
transferring to a wire rack.
Palmiers (elephant ears)
Palmiers are sweet, crisp pastry cookies, deriving their shape from a process whereby the ends of the pastry are rolled
toward the center, forming attractive double curls. These cookies are best served on the day that they are made. Use
superfine sugar or powdered sugar to dredge the cookies.
1 box frozen puff pastry, thawed
3 tablespoons superfine sugar for dredging
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Roll the pastry dough out to form a thin rectangle.
Sprinkle the counter with half the sugar, then place the dough on the sugared surface and sprinkle it with the remaining
sugar. Lightly press the dough, so the sugar sticks to it. Roll the two ends of the dough toward the middle, and place the
rolled dough in the freezer for 20 minutes, to make it easier to slice.
Remove the dough from the freezer and slice it thinly to form the curled cookies. Place them on a dampened baking
sheet, and bake for 20 minutes or until golden-brown. Let the cookies cool, then sprinkle them with extra sugar before
serving.
Langues de Chat (Cat tongue cookies)
2/3 cup softened butter
2 cups superfine sugar
½ teas. Vanilla extract
4 egg whites
5 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then
add the vanilla extract. Add the egg whites one by one, alternating with the flour, until a fine dough is obtained. Place the
dough in a piping bag with a plain tip and pipe 3-inch strips of mixture onto the greased baking sheets. Leave space
between the cookies as they spread during baking. Bake for 10-15 minutes: the edges of the cookies should be golden
brown but the centers still pale.
Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheet, then use a spatula to lift them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Les Crêpes
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
Mix dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients. Beat until smooth. Put a 6 to 8 inch skillet over medium heat. Spray with
cooking spray, then pour about ¼ cup of the batter into the pan. Immediately rotate the pan (use a pot holder) until a thin
film of batter covers the bottom. Cook until lightly brown. Turn over, and cook the other side until light brown. Let cool
separately on waxed paper before stacking them or eat them “tout de suite.”
DO NOT STACK THEM WHEN THEY ARE HOT. THEY WILL STICK TOGETHER.
Fill your crêpes with:
Cinnamon and sugar, chocolate chips, Nutella, sliced bananas, ice cream, strawberries
Or, if you want a savory crêpe, try filling it with scrambled eggs, cheese, and a thin slice of ham.
Strawberry Filling for Crêpes / Crêpes aux fraises:
3 cups fresh sliced strawberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
½ cup powdered sugar
1. Combine strawberries and granulated sugar. Set aside.
2. Beat cottage cheese in a blender or with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sour cream and powdered sugar and
stir well.
3. Use about 2/3 of the fruit and cream mixture to fill the crêpes. Fold crepes over.
4. Top with remaining fruit, cream mixture, and powdered sugar.
Le Plat Principal
Croque Monsieur: a traditional French grilled sandwich
4 slices cooked ham
4 slices Swiss cheese
8 slices bread
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
2 tbsp. butter
1.
Trim the ham and cheese to fit the bread.
2. Make a sandwich by placing 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of cheese between 2 slices of bread. Make 3 or more
sandwiches this way.
3. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, add the milk, and beat them together well.
4. Melt the butter in a frying pan over low heat. Be careful the butter does not burn.
5. While the butter is melting, dip each side of each sandwich in the egg-milk mixture.
6. When the butter is hot and bubbling, place the sandwiches side by side in the frying pan. Sauté them over
medium heat for about 3 minutes until they are golden brown on the bottom. To see if they are brown enough,
lift a corner of the sandwich with the spatula and peek at the underside. When they are done, turn them with a
spatula and cook the other side.
7. Sauté the other side for 3 minutes or until it browns and the cheese melts.
8. Serve at once.
Crêpes au Broccoli et Jambon avec Sauce Mornay
1 pound fresh broccoli spears or 2 8-oz. packages frozen broccoli spears
12 thin slices boiled ham
Mornay sauce
Crêpes (see crepe recipe in this packet)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Cook broccoli spears in lightly salted water until tender (about 10-15 minutes) Slice each spear in half.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spread out crêpes and cover each with a slice of ham.
Place 2 broccoli spears on top of ham and roll up crepes.
Place in a buttered ovenproof dish. Dot surface of crepes with butter and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Cover with Mornay sauce and serve.
Mornay Sauce:
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
3 tbsp. grated Swiss cheese
1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
½ teas. Mild prepared mustard (Dijon-style is best)
Salt and pepper
1. Melt butter in a saucepan.
2. Remove from heat and stir in flour with a whisk.
3. Return to medium heat. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly until sauce is thickened.
4. Add remaining ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.
Potato and Leek Soup / Potage Parementier
This creamy soup, along with French bread, makes a delicious and filling meal. Leftover soup keeps well in the
refrigerator and can be reheated the next day. (Make sure that you don’t boil the soup, because boiling will make the
cream curdle or form lumps.) This soup can also be eaten cold. The French then call it vichyssoise.
3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick.
3 medium-sized leeks, washed thoroughly and sliced 1/8 inch thick. Do not use the tough, dark green part. OR use 3
yellow onions, thinly sliced.
3 10 ¾ oz. cans (about 4 ½ cups) chicken broth
1 chicken broth can of cold water
½ cup whipping cream (add up to an extra ½ cup milk if you like your soup thin)
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp pepper
Chopped chives
1. Combine potatoes, leeks or onions, chicken broth and water in a large heavy pot and cover.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 35 to 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Without draining off broth, mash vegetables in the saucepan with a vegetable (potato) masher until they are fairly
smooth. (If they will not mash easily, soup has not cooked long enough. Let it simmer another 10 to 15 minutes
longer.)
4. Add cream, butter, salt and pepper and heat soup just to the boiling point. Do not boil.
5. Sprinkle each serving with chives.
Quiche Lorraine
Quiche Lorraine, a main-dish pie, is made of cream, eggs, and bacon. Many cooks add cheese to these ingredients. This
specialty takes its name from the area in France called Lorraine, which is famous for its bacon.
4 eggs
1 cup whipping cream
¼ tsp salt
Dash of pepper
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 9-inch deep-dish unbaked pie shell (may be frozen or refrigerated dough)
4 to 6 ounces Swiss cheese, thinly sliced or graded. (1 to 1 ½ cups when grated)
8 ounces bacon, lightly browned and crumbled.
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg with an eggbeater or a whisk.
3. With a fork, prick sides and bottom of unbaked shell about every half inch. This will keep pie shell from
shrinking or bubbling while it is baking.
4. Make 2 or 3 layers of cheese and bacon bits in bottom of pie shell. Pour egg and cream mixture over this.
5. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until quiche is golden brown and puffy.
6. Let cool a few minutes and slice into serving pieces. Refrigerate leftovers and reheat or eat cold the next day.
Potato Cake / Galette de Pommes de Terre
Buttery potato cake is a delicious side dish that goes well with any kind of meat or fish.
6
medium-sized baking potatoes, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup melted butter or margarine
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Place a layer of potato slices in the bottom of a greased 9-inch pie plate.
Season with a small amount of salt and pepper. Repeat until all potato slices have been used.
Pour butter evenly over potatoes.
Do not cover dish. Cook in a 400 degree oven until potatoes are tender (about 50 minutes)
Gently loosen the sides and bottom of potato cake with a spatula. Flip over onto a serving plate. Cut into
wedges to serve.
Green Salad / Salade Verte
Green salads are served after the main dish to “clear the palette.” This means that they lettuce and light dressing refresh
your taste buds, preparing them for the new flavors of dessert.
1 small head Boston lettuce
1 small head Romaine or iceberg lettuce
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1.
To prepare salad greens, wash lettuce thoroughly. Separate leaves, throwing away any that are wilted or
discolored. Drain by placing leaves on paper towels. Place clean greens in a plastic bag along with the paper
towels, which will absorb any remaining water. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.
2. Before serving, tear greens into bite-sized pieces and place them in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with parsley.
3. Pour about half the vinaigrette dressing over greens. Toss with a fork and spoon until greens are well-coated and
no dressing remains in bottom of bowl.
Vinaigrette Dressing
1 clove garlic
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
¼ tsp pepper
6 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1.
2.
3.
4.
Chop garlic into very fine pieces and put in a small bowl.
Use the back of a spoon to mash garlic. Then mix it with salt.
Add vinegar and pepper, stirring until smooth.
Place in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add oil, screw on lid, and shake until well-blended.