French Cookery – Entrees

French cooking traditionally conjures up images of food that is deliciously rich in flavour, stylish in presentation and complex in its preparation. We have selected a few well known French dishes adapted them slightly so as to make for easy making. The first in the new series of French cooking is entrees – Bon Appetit!

FRENCH QUICHE LORRAINE

When I was a lad, my grandmother used to bake this dish every week, but she called it bacon and egg tart. It was years later that I discovered that what she was making was the original French Quiche Lorraine.

Original French Quiche Lorraine is a savoury flan which originated in the area of Lorraine in France. It has become a french classic. This is a good basic recipe for quiche; serve a small wedge with a light salad for a first course. It can be served warm, hot or cold. The pastry case can be “baked blind”, cooled and stored in an airtight container for about a week. If weather is humid, store in refrigerator. The quiche is at its best freshly made, then baked, but for convenience it can be frozen. We found the best results were obtained by placing the filling in to the baked pastry case, still in the flan tin. Freeze uncooked quiche uncovered for 1 hour (fan tin can be removed at this stage if desired), wrap quiche tightly, freeze for up to 4 weeks. To bake: Place uncovered frozen quiche (in its fan tin) on oven tray, bake in moderate oven for about 50 minutes. This recipe is unsuitable to microwave.

PASTRY
1 3/4 cups plain flour
155g butter
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons lemon juice, approximately

FILLING
1 onion, finely chopped
3 bacon rashers, chopped
3 eggs
300ml carton cream
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup grated tasty cheese

1 Pastry: Sift flour into bowl; rub in butter. Add egg yolk and enough lemon juice to make ingredients cling together. Knead gently on lightly floured surface until smooth, cover, refrigerate 30 minutes. Roll pastry large enough to line a deep 23cm flan tin. Lf weather is hot and pastry is difficult to handle, roll pastry between 2 pieces plastic wrap or greaseproof or baking paper. Lift pastry into flan tin, gently ease pastry into side of tin; do not stretch the pastry or it will shrink during the cooking.

2 Use the rolling pin to trim the edges of pastry neatly. Place flan on oven tray for easier handling.

3 Cover pastry with greaseproof or baking paper, fill the cavity with dried beans of rice. This is called “baking blind”. Bake in moderately hot oven for 10 minutes, remove paper and beans carefully, bake pastry for about further 10 minutes or until golden brown; cool to room temperature. Cool the beans or rice; store in an air-tight container for future use when “baking blind’”.

4 Filling: Cook onion and bacon in frying pan until onion is soft; drain away excess fat, cool before spreading into pastry case.

5 Beat eggs in bowl with whisk, add cream, milk and cheese, whisk until just combined; pour into pastry case. Bake in moderate oven for about 35 minutes or until filling is set and brown.

6 Stand quiche 5 minutes before removing from tin.

FRENCH BRIOCHE

Brioche another French classic. It is the richest of all yeast breads, incorporating butter and eggs. They make a wonderful entree, or a delicious treat for brunch.

Individual French brioche can be prepared the day before, up to placing the dough in to the moulds; cover, refrigerate overnight. Allow the brioche to return to room temperature, proceed as below. This recipe is enough for 12 individual ½ cup moulds. If only 6 moulds are available; cook 6 brioche; remaining dough can be left covered in the refrigerator until ready to cook the remaining brioche.

Brioche is best eaten warm so that its rich buttery flavour and fine texture can be fully appreciated. We served ours with creamy scrambled eggs flavoured with smoked salmon. Baked brioche can be frozen for up to 2 months. This recipe is unsuitable to microwave.

15g compressed yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water
4 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar, extra
4 eggs, lightly beaten
185g butter, softened
1 egg yolk, extra
1/4 cup cream

FILLING
60g packaged cream cheese
30g butter
1/3 cup cream
3 eggs
100g smoked salmon, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 Cream yeast with the 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl, stir in warm water, cover, stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes or until mixture is foamy. Sift flour, salt and extra sugar into a large bowl; make well in centre, stir in combined eggs and yeast mixture. Turn onto lightly floured surface; knead mixture for about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough should be fairly dry now.

2 Work butter in gradually; butter should be quite soft. Continue adding small pieces of butter to the dough until all the butter is incorporated, this should take about 5 minutes. Knead dough further 10 minutes, or until smooth, shiny and elastic.

3 Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, stand in a warm place for about 1 hour or until dough is doubled in bulk. Knock dough back, knead until smooth. Divide dough into 12 portions. Grease moulds (1/2 cup capacity). Remove a quarter of the dough from each portion. Mould the larger portions into rounds, place in moulds. Shape smaller portions of dough into rounds. Brush dough in moulds with combined extra egg yolk and cream. Place small rounds of dough on top of dough in moulds.

4 Using a wooden skewer, push dough from the top of the small round through to the base of the mould. This ensures that the small round will stay in position during cooking. Brush with remaining egg yolk and cream, stand in a warm place for about 15 minutes or until brioche are doubled in size. Bake in moderately hot oven for 10 minutes, reduce heat to moderate, bake further 10 minutes or until brioche sound hollow when tapped with finger. Turn out of moulds immediately onto wire rack.

5 Cut tops from each brioche, scoop out a little of the dough to allow space for the filling.

6 Filling: Melt cream cheese and butter in small frying pan, stir in combined cream and eggs, cook, stirring, over low heat until just beginning to set, stir in salmon and chives, place filling in brioche; serve immediately. Makes 12

FRENCH STYLE BOULILLABAISSE

This is our favourite version of this classic French recipe. It must be made and served immediately, as seafood does not reheat successfully. This recipe is unsuitable to freeze or microwave.

6 small uncooked blue swimmer crabs
2 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 onions, chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
2 x 400g cans tomatoes
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup water
1 kg fish fillets, chopped
500g uncooked king prawns, shelled
250g scallops
250g calamari rings

1 Remove triangular flap from underside of each crab, remove the hard top shell and grey fibrous tissue; wash crab. Crack nippers slightly, chop down centre of each crab to separate body into 2 pieces.

2 Heat oil in large deep frying pan, add garlic and onions, cook, stirring, until the onions are soft. Stir in tomato paste, wine, undrained crushed tomatoes, turmeric, bay leaves, sugar and water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered 10 minutes.

3 Add crab and fish to tomato mixture, bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer covered 5 minutes.

4 Devein prawns leaving tails intact. Remove vein from scallops. Stir prawns, scallops and calamari into tomato mixture, bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer few minutes or until prawns are cooked. Serve the bouillabaisse immediately. Serves 6.

FRENCH VICHYSSOISE

This classic French soup can be made and stored covered in refrigerator up to 2 days before serving. This recipe is unsuitable to freeze or microwave.

1 small chicken
2 litres (8 cups) water
2 onions, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
2kg (about 8 large) potatoes
2 leeks
300mI carton cream

1 Cut chicken in half, combine in large saucepan with water, onions, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer for 2 hours, strain, reserve stock. You will need 1 1/2 litres (6 cups) of stock for this recipe. Remaining stock can be cooled and frozen for future use.

2 Peel and roughly chop potatoes. Trim leaves from leeks, chop white part roughly; wash, drain well.

3 Combine potatoes, leeks and reserved stock in large saucepan, bring to the boil, reduce heat, simmer covered 40 minutes.

4 BIend or process soup until smooth; strain. Return to saucepan, stir in cream, reheat gently without boiling. Serve topped with chives. Serves 6.

CHICKEN LIVER AND PORT PATE

This French paté can be frozen for up to 2 weeks without the gelatine topping. The recipe can be prepared up to 2 days ahead of serving. Serve with toast or Melba Toast if desired.

500g chicken livers
1/3 cup port
90g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/3, cup cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon gelatine
1/2chicken stock cube
1/2 cup water

1 Trim and wash livers, cut in half. Place livers into a small bowl with the port; stand 2 hours. Strain livers, reserve liquid, Melt half the butter in a frying pan, add onion and garlic, stir over heat until onion is soft. Add livers to pan, stir over heat for a few minutes or until livers change colour. Add reserved liquid, simmer mixture uncovered 1 minute.

2 Melt remaining butter. Blend or process liver mixture, cream, nutmeg and thyme until smooth. Add melted butter while motor is operating. Process until smooth. Pour into serving dish, cover, refrigerate 2 hours.

3 Sprinkle gelatine and crumbled stock cube over water, dissolve over not water (or microwave on HIGH for about 30 seconds), cool to room temperature. Arrange bay leaves and strips of canned pimiento on pate, carefully pour gelatine mixture over pate; refrigerate overnight. Serves 4.

All French Cuisine with Bill & Sheila

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