Cream | The Rambling Epicure

What to Eat in France: Gratin Dauphinois

Published by Jonell Galloway + Thursday, November 19, 2015 Permalink 0

What to Eat in France: Authentic Gratin Dauphinois, or Real Gratin Potatoes with Cream and Garlic

Gratin dauphinois, which consists of thinly sliced potatoes cooked slowly with cream and garlic, seems a simple enough dish. Purists and traditionalists say there’s no cheese and no egg, despite the fact that Escoffier himself used them, and that’s what makes it difficult to achieve.

Michelin star chef Michel Rostang, who was born and raised in the region, doesn’t use them and claims that’s the only authentic way to make it. In fact, if you add cheese and nutmeg, it becomes a gratin savoyard. The real secret is in the choice of ingredients and the patience it takes to make it. A good gratin should melt in the mouth, yet the top should be crunchy.

The Dauphiné was an ancient province of France, located in the southeast, corresponding roughly to the départements of Isère, Drôme, and Hautes-Alpes plus a bit of the Rhône and the Italian Alps.

What to Eat in France: Poulet Vallée d’Auge

Published by Jonell Galloway + Tuesday, August 25, 2015 Permalink 0

What to Eat in France: Poulet Vallée d’Auge, Normandy Chicken in the Style of the Auge Valley

by Jonell Galloway

Apples and cream are a quintessentially Norman flavor combination. This is a festive dish made on Sundays and holidays.

In Normandy, they would traditionally drink it with dry cider or Pommeau, but a fruity white wine such as a Riesling goes well, or even dry white Burgundies. If you prefer red, try a light one, such as Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil or another Loire red.

Food Play: How to make Homemade Butter

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

por SandeeA

Versión origínale en español

Kids in the Kitchen

Nowadays we’ve forgotten where food actually comes from. Some people find it difficult to believe olives were “born” with pits, because they’ve only eaten the pitted ones out of cans, and others have never known fresh milk or milk straight from the cow; they’ve only had milk from a U.H.T. Tetra Brik carton.

So what about pulling some magic in the kitchen and showing your kids how cream becomes butter? You will get a delicious homemade butter, full of flavour, with 65% fat, as compared to commercial butters, which commonly have up to 80% fat and zero flavour to boot.

So switch on the music on, and let’s shake it! Who said you cannot play with food?

Recipe

Homemade Butter

Click here for recipe converter

Preparation time: 4-5 min
Cooking time: 0 min
Total: 4-5 min
Yield: 40 gr butter (2 portions)

Difficulty: My 3-year-old son can do it

Ingredients

100 ml heavy cream, very cold (minimum 35% fat)

A small jar with lid

Preparation

1. Put cream in the jar and close lid.

Mantequilla casera 2

2. Turn the music on.

3. Shake it, shake it. About two minutes later, you will notice that the cream is starting to thicken. Take a rest.

Mantequilla casera 2

4. Keep shaking shaking (it will take a couple more minutes). Suddenly, the cream will start to divide into a solid part (butter) and a liquid part (buttermilk) You did it! Press butter and knead it a litte bit to eliminate exceeding buttermilk, and clean it under clean water. You can keep both buttermilk and butter in the refrigerator for a few days.

Note 1: You can do the same thing using a food processor, but it won’t be as much fun! Click here to watch a video showing how to make homemade butter using a food processor.

Note 2: The bottle shown in the pics is not the ideal recipient for making butter…when butter becomes solid, it is really hard to get the butter out of it.

Note 3: The time indicated on the recipe is for an adult. Kids have less strengh and cannot mantain constant movement, so it will take them longer to actually get butter.

As seen at Cultured Butter