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What to Eat in France: Crème

Published by Jonell Galloway + Tuesday, September 1, 2015 Permalink 0

What to Eat in France: Cream: crème fraîche, crème brûlée, crème caramel, crème chantilly…

The Normans put cream in almost all their sauces: for example, with salt cod and prunes.–La Varenne, Le Cuisinier François, 1651

C’est de la crème. / It’s easy.–French saying

Ce n’est pas de la crème. / It’s difficult.–French saying

by Jonell Galloway

No one loves cream or creaminess more than the French. They love it so much that they call all sorts of things other than cream “crème“: cream soups, pudding, sauces, custard filling, pastry cream, coffee with hot milk, puréed chestnuts, almond cream, cream horns, and even certain liqueurs. Just about anything creamy is likely to be called cream in French.

Cream has existed ever since milk existed. Despite our association with French cuisine, in general, cream is more a specialty of the north of France where it’s cooler, of the land of butter, than of the south, the land of olive oil and duck fat.

Normandy might well be called the cream capital of the world, or at least of France. The Vikings brought what we now call Normande cows to Normandy a thousand years ago. They, along with Jersey cows, are known for the quality of their fatty, high-protein milk, which makes excellent cream, butter and cheese. Half of all French milk and cream now comes from Normandy.

Quintessential France: Rules for Dunking

Published by Jonell Galloway + Saturday, August 8, 2015 Permalink 0

by Jonell Galloway

Croissants were made to be dunked into coffee, right? Doesn’t the very shape lends itself to dunking?

One of the first things I fell in love with in France was the general acceptance, albeit a bit common, of dunking my morning baguette-and-butter tartine or croissant in my café au lait. Dunking was forbidden in my mother’s house. She said it was common and thought Dunkin’ Donuts a travesty, so the French acceptance, though not formal, made me feel the reins of my upbringing had been loosened, if not removed.

Some French people, like Mme Verdurin in Proust’s Le Temps Retrouvé / Time Regained, actually suffer when they’re not allowed to dunk:

Mrs. Verdurin, suffering with migraines from no longer having a croissant to dunk in her café au lait, had gotten a prescription from Dr. Cottard allowing her to do it in certain restaurants, which we talked about. This was almost as difficult as getting the government to nominate a general. She ate her first croissant on the morning the newspapers reported the sinking of the Lusitania.

Simon Says: Daily Food Quote, March 29, 2012

Published by Jonell Galloway + Thursday, March 29, 2012 Permalink 0

by Simón de Swaan

Bread always falls on its buttered side.–English proverb

Simon Says: Daily Food Quote, March 22, 2012

Published by Jonell Galloway + Thursday, March 22, 2012 Permalink 0

by Simón de Swaan

Butter is gold in the morning, silver at noon, and lead at night.–English proverb

Switzerland: Rosa’s Musings: Butterzopf, The History Of A National Sunday Bread

Published by Jonell Galloway + Saturday, October 1, 2011 Permalink 0

by Rosa Mayland

Switzerland (also known as “Confoederatio Helvetica” or “die Schweiz”, “la Suisse”, “Svizzera”, “Svizra”) is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons and 4 different linguistic and cultural areas (German, French, Italian and Romansch). It’s therefore not surprising if its cuisine reflects its rich heritage and highly diverse cultures. It is rather like an island in the middle of Europe, like a tiny kingdom.

Each region and canton has its very own traditional dishes and specialties as well as produce, and they defend and even protect it fiercely, because there are dishes, cheeses, wines, breads, and many more food items that are now protected by AOCs in Switzerland.

Even if this tiny piece of land stuck between Germany, Austria, France, Italy has its own highly diverse culinary identity, one cannot refute that each part of the Swiss Confederation has, to a certain extent, been influenced by its neighbors, and vice versa. For example, a sausage resembling the anise-flavored Geneva sausage called Longeole can also be found in Chablais (Haute-Savoie); a cheese similar to Valais raclette is made in Savoie too; the Swiss German spätzli seem to be of Swabian (German) origin. Then there is polenta or risotto which evoke the Apennine Penninsula, and are often found in Ticino, and, well, the list goes on. As it is the case with every place that is not in total isolation, the borders are quite permeable, so it is pretty understandable that ideas, information, arts and science cross back and forth across the borders.

Food Play: cómo hacer mantequilla en casa

Published by sandeea + Monday, August 15, 2011 Permalink 0

por SandeeA
Click here to read English version

Hoy en día hemos olvidado el proceso de elaboración de los alimentos. Aunque no lo creáis, las aceitunas nacen con hueso y sin lata, y la leche no sale del tetrabrik. ¿Qué tal si nos divertimos haciendo magia en la cocina, y les enseñamos a nuestros hijos el proceso de convertir nata en mantequilla? Vamos a conseguir una mantequilla casera deliciosa, con un sabor increíble, y con un contenido de materia grasa en torno al 65%, a diferencia de las mantequillas comerciales que tienen al menos un 80%… y ningún sabor. Así que poned vuestra música favorita y a tocar las maracas! No sé quién dijo que con la comida no se juega…

Receta de mantequilla casera

Tiempo de preparación: 4-5 min
Tiempo de cocción: 0 min
Total: 4-5 min
Cantidad: 40 gr de mantequilla (2 raciones, aproximadamente)

Dificultad: mi hijo de 3 años sabe hacerla

Ingredientes

100 ml de nata para montar, muy fría (mínimo 35 % MG, mejor si tiene 35,1% MG como Pascual por ejemplo)

un bote pequeño y que cierre herméticamente, por ejemplo un frasco de mermelada de 250 ml de capacidad

Preparación:

1. Introducimos 100 ml de nata en el bote y cerramos bien
Mantequilla casera 1

2. Ponemos la música.

Mantequilla casera 2

3. Agitamos de arriba a abajo. Puedes descansar un poco (pero acuérdate de apuntarte a un gimnasio) Notaremos como cada vez la mezcla se hace más ligera, llegará un momento en que parecerá que no se mueve nada dentro del bote. Hemos montado la nata (lleva unos 2 minutos)

4. Seguimos agitando el bote enérgicamente. De repente la nata se dividirá en una parte líquida y otra sólida. (tardará otros dos minutos). Ya tenemos la mantequilla por un lado, y el suero de leche (suero de mantequilla o buttermilk) por otro. Pasamos la mantequilla por agua fría, apretándola bien y amasándola para eliminar el exceso de suero, y ya está lista para consumir. El suero lo podemos usar en numerosas recetas de panes y repostería.

Mantequilla casera 3

Nota 1: Se puede hacer el mismo proceso mucho más rápido con una batidora de varillas para fabricar una cantidad mayor de mantequilla. Eso sí, será mucho menos divertido! Aquí tenéis un vídeo donde se muestra cómo hacerlo Cómo hacer mantequilla casera

Nota 2: La botella que se ve en las imágenes no es el recipiente más adecuado para fabricar la mantequilla, dado que cuando se solidifica resulta bastante complicado sacar la mantequilla. Mejor un envase de boca ancha como un bote de mermelada pequeño, tal y como comentaba anteriormente.

Nota 3: Los tiempos indicados en la receta son para un adulto. Si la elaboran niños, que tienen menos fuerza y son menos constantes en sus movimientos, les llevará más tiempo.

Visto en Ohdeedoh

Simon Says: Daily Food Quote, July 21, 2011

Published by sdeswaan + Friday, July 22, 2011 Permalink 0

Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.–James Beard

James Beard (1903-1985) was an American chef and food writer who authored 20 books and was instrumental in bringing French cooking to America in the 1950s. World Culinary Institute gives a brief biography. His legacy lives on through the James Beard Foundation.