Autumn in France

 One of the most desirable countries  in the world is France. Even better is when cooler weather descends on this country of sophisticated cities and seaports and rustic mountains and valleys. Traveling there with the lockdown is virtually impossible. There is one way to have a delicious French meal.Cooking it from your kitchen,it's a way of getting a taste of Gallic cuisine

David Tanis provided an amazing slew of recipes in yesterday's New York Times Food section. This is a hearty fare, perfect to make for the chilly days ahead.He starts out with a salad he once had in Normandy. He had it was when he was working in Paris, and taking weekends to this  historic northern country side on the English Channel. He combines beets and tomatoes with scallions, dill and watercress. Two kinds of beets are used, golden and ruby red. The tomatoes used can be yellow or red. It's dressed with a simple Dijon mustard infused  red wine vinaigrette. The beets have to be cooked separately (and no, Mr Tanis doesn't recommend using the canned ones - no flavor) in baking dishes in a 400 degree F oven.They can be cooked up to two days in advance to make it easier timewise. They can be served first or with the main dish pan roasted duck with wild mushrooms. Mr. Tanis suggests using magret or the large breasts of the Muscovy duck.Each is twelve ounces which translate into two portions each.as in typical Gallic style with a sauce flavored with red wine and trumpet mushrooms.It is a labor intensive dish with washing the mushrooms and prepping and scoring the duck breasts. The sauce and meat are made separately.More mushrooms are sauteed in the extra duck fat that's been trimmed off the breasts and then served with the meat and parsley.

The piece de resistance of any French dinner is the dessert. Mr. Tanis doesn't disappoint here.He offers up the classic Gallic lemon tart with a buttery cookie like crust. This recipe is beautifully balanced.It's neither too sweet or too puckery. There's a hint of more color thanks to the addition of freshly grated lime zest. The tart starts out with a crust made with  half a stick of butter and one egg. There's white flour and sugar too in it . Like a good cookie dough, it's refrigerated for an hour in the fridge so  it's not too soft when handled. You can even make it two days in advance. It's chilled again after it's been put in the pie pan and until the filling is added. The filling is a mix of lemon and lime juices and zests along with four large eggs and four large egg yolks.Granulated sugar is added to counterbalance the tartness. This is a type of lemon curd and like it , butter is added to make it creamy.This is made in a saucepan over a medium heat and try not to curdle it. Everything is then whisked together and then poured  through a sieve into the crust where it's baked in a 350 degree F oven for only ten minutes. Dust with confectioner's sugar for a nice touch.

There's nothing like France in the fall. This dinner will make you feel like you're there, with rich flavors and textures. It's the perfect culinary visit , right from your kitchen.

French Food Heaven On Earth

November always gets me to think about Paris. I guess it;s the damp, chill or the rainy Manhattan streetsthat reminds me of autumn in the City of Lights. It also spurs me to crave French food, There is nothing like it. Its' complexity and simplicity combined, lush tastes with simple ingredients. It is perfection.

French cooking is an off shoot the Northern Italian (hence the reason why it;s so good) Catherine De Medici brought her recipes with her when she married Henri II) I imagine regular court cuisine got a good infusion of butter delicate spices and new cooking methods. These are even followed to this day. The provences also contributed with crepes from Normandy and bouillabaisse from Provence along with good ragouts from almost every Provence.

French pastry in itself is sheer heaven. even though croissants are well overdone here now in the States there's nothing like a true French one. Bite into those flaky buttery layers and experience pure joy. A well done chocolate croissant is even better. The mille feus which are layers of flaky pastry held together by a creme bavarois are also a culinary feat. Macaroons now are becoming the next big dessert trend and the french are making them in flavors such as tangerine and strawberry.

Nothing beats French cuisine as the ultimate foodie fantasy. This is the cuisine gastronomique, perfection on a plate.