France

 Welcome to France!  According to Google, France has a population of 67.06 million people, and the capital is Paris.  I was nervous about French cuisine, simply because of all of the pastries and breads that I have heard about.  I was certain that something like eclairs or a fancy pastry was going to be the national dish.  Their national dish is...

 

Pot au Feu!

It literally means "pot on the fire".  It is a French beef stew made with meat, potatoes, and any veggie that you can find.  There are several variations that I found when I was doing research, including some with turnips, white wine, or tomatoes. I read that it is a stew that is put on at the beginning of the day, and then you just keep spooning it out, and adding more veggies to it, so it literally stays "on the fire" all day. And then, for dessert, we made creme brulee, because yes.  Here's what I did:

POT AU FEU

1 1/2 lb Stew Meat

1 Onion, chopped

6 Garlic Cloves, chopped

2 tbsp Avocado Oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

2 Carrots, chopped

2 Celery Stalks, chopped

2 Bay Leaves

2 Potatoes, cubed

1 tbsp Tomato Paste

A Splash of Lemon Juice

4 C Beef Broth

2 C Water

1. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and onions, and saute until soft.
2. Add the beef to the pot.  
3. Add broth, water, salt and pepper.
4. Cover and bring to boil, and then lower the heat to low.
5. Cook for 45 minutes, then add the chopped carrots and celery.
6. Cook for 1 hour, or until the beef is tender.
7. Add potatoes, tomato paste, and a splash of lemon juice.
8. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender.
9. Enjoy!

(Source: Pot au Feu)

CREME BRULEE

1 Egg

4 Egg Yolks

1/2 C Sugar

3 C Heavy Cream

1 tsp Vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Boil a pot of water.
   
3. In a medium bowl, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup sugar until combined.
4. In a small sauce pan, scald the cream until it is very hot, but not boiling.
5. While stirring the egg mixture, slowly add the scalded cream and continue mixing until full.
6. Add the vanilla.
7. Put ramekins into a baking dish and pour mixture into ramekins until almost full.
8. Pour boiled water into the pan so that it comes up halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
9. Bake the creme brulee for 35-40 minutes, or until they are set when gently shaken.
10. Remove the ramekins from the water bath, cover, and refrigerate until firm (we like ours warm, so we usually skip this step).
11. When ready to serve, sprinkle about 1 tbsp of sugar on top of the creme brulee.
12. Using a blowtorch, heat until the sugar is caramelized.  (You can also use the broiler function of your oven, but this will heat up the custard.)
13. Allow the caramel to harden, and enjoy!

(Source: Creme Brulee)

 

The verdict?  The stew was very similar to one I make, and had amazing flavor.  It was perfect to share with some friends on a cold winter night.  I think it would be delicious with more veggies.  The creme brulee is always a favorite - we have this fairly often in our home.  So creamy and delicious.  And who doesn't enjoy using a blowtorch in the kitchen?!

 

The pictures didn't happen this week...too much fun eating it!  But, it was delicious and we will have that yummy memory :-)

 

So the rating.  We are all going to rate the dishes on a scale of 1-10.

ME

Taste of Pot au Feu (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Pot au Feu (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

 

ME

Taste of Creme Brulee (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 9

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Creme Brulee (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):7

 

Another down!  Thanks for joining us!  Next time, we go to Turkemenistan!