Apple Blackberry Crumble ( Gluten-Free)

I am a big fan of fruits crumbles. I find it a good way to use old apples and to mix them with whatever fruits I have on hand to make an easy relatively-healthy dessert. Crumbles, a British dessert, started being à la mode in France in the 1980s. All of sudden everybody was making crumbles... and true, there was a time when the only dessert I could offer to make was  un crumble! Interestingly enough, I have never made a savory crumble. It has been on my A Faire list for the last few months but somehow, I'd rather bake a quiche or a savory pound cake than a savory crumble. I'll have to find out whether I like them or not.
In my desire to diversify our diet even more, I have started to bake gluten-free a few months ago. It's a challenge and a new discovery every time I mix new flours together. It's a new taste-bud experience to bite into a new dough or crumb.... and accept the fact that it's different from the same dish made with wheat flour. But different does not mean pas bon. Au contraire! In a way, you have to stop comparing wheat-based dishes and gluten-free dishes. It comes back to my post on culinary expectations. If you expect a gluten-free dessert to taste the same as its wheat-based cousin, then you are already starting from a biased angle. Forget about the wheat-based version. Just appreciate the gluten-free dish as a new thing in town. It's hard. Je sais! So hard that I have stopped telling my husband what I used to bake/cook before he takes his first bite and tells me whether he likes it or not. Otherwise, I know that he is not going to appreciate it for what it is; he is going to compare to what he has been used to eating for the last 39 years, ie wheat-based plats et desserts. Same thing with dairy free beverages such as almond milk, rice milk or soy milk. So, I keep it quiet; if my elder child helped me prep the dish (and hence knows what's in it), I tell her to keep it as a secret. She loves it!

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School lunch : France vs. US

A year ago, when my daughter started pre-school in a French private school, we asked about the "lunch option" offered in the school (the school has a contract with the company that provides lunch to the county public schools.) As some of you might know, all schools in France (public or private, big or small, rural or urban) offer a lunch option: la cantine. There is 2-hour lunch break in pre-school and elementary school (from 11.30 am until 1.30pm approximately). Some parents take their children out of school to feed them lunch at home; others opt for the cantine. I grew up eating à la cantine and since my days back in the cantine, I can tell you that the quality improved tremendously. What children eat today in French cantines would sound gourmet food for Americans. It's always a three-(if not four)-course meal that includes everything easy French cuisine can offer: boeuf bourguignon, fish fillets with ratatouille, lentilles and sausages, with fresh vegetables and fruits, the occasional desserts, etc, etc. Yes, children eat pizza and French fries... but not frequently (and way less frequently than I remember it). In short, the meals are balanced,  healthy and affordable.

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Sourdough Boule - Boule au levain

I believe that everybody should know how to make bread. I know, it's a strong statement, especially coming from a French woman. I grew up eating good bread. As years passed, bread went two opposite ways in France. On the one end of the spectrum, supermarkets started making cheap previously-frozen baguettes. While I can understand the financial incentives for some families, it was not something I was going to support. I'd rather eat good bread every other day than bad bread every day. On the other end of the spectrum, some professional boulangers started making really good breads beyond the traditional baguette, bâtard,  and pain de campagne. New delicious breads were in. At a price. But in. And because French love their breads so much, it is not unusual to walk passed the closest boulangerie to go and try the breads of the other boulangeries around. And because of that, bread machine (Machines à Pain or MAP in French) have become fairly fashionable!!! You know, there is nothing worse for French people than loose their beloved boulanger.

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Weekly Menu - Week 2

Here is next week's menu. I have tried to leave you some openings for wheat pasta, other processed food or take-out, in case you needed to be able to cook an emergency dinner. Like when you come home from a nice well-deserved two-hour workout looking forward to a dinner en tête-à-tête with your spouse (who would have bathed the kids, cooked dinner for them, fed them, and put them to bed)... only to open the door to witness.... your lovely family chaos!! Just because the pizza dough was too sticky and your spouse could not remember that flour is what is generally used to roll out dough (any dough!)... and worse, your spouse did not think about opening the fridge to make an emergency dinner. Yes, I know, Tout peut arriver!
Like last week, I have laid out the game plan to make this happen as smoothly as possible. Bonne chance!

Weekly Menu - Week 2

	Day	Suggested Menu
	Monday	Salmon with Buckwheat Pasta, Edamame, Carrots and Sesame Seeds Plain Yogurt with Chestnut Spread Fresh Fruits
	Tuesday	Brown Rice and Beans with Green Salad Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis
	Wednesday	Watercress Soup with Gougères Plain Yogurt with honey Fresh Fruits
	Thursday	Chicken Stir Fry and Green Salad Nutella Cupcakes
	Friday	Ratatouille with Quinoa Plain Yogurt with dark brown sugar Fresh Fruits

Game Plan:

Sunday Evening:

• You want to make the Panna Cotta for Tuesday evening. It does not take long to make them but since they have to be resting in the fridge for at least 4 hours, it would be best to make them in advance. Don't worry about using too many frozen raspberries. You can always use the extra coulis to flavor plain yogurt. Alternatively, you could use strawberries or blackberries instead for the Panna Cotta if you did eat raspberry coulis last week and don't want to serve it again!

Monday Evening:

• Easy less-than-30mn dinner. The only real work is pealing the carrots!
• Remember that the Buckwheat pasta cook really fast!

Tuesday Evening:

• Make the brown rice and beans. The brown rice takes a while to cook. It gives you time to prep the veggies.
• If you are feeling zealous, while the brown rice is cooking you can make the watercress soup for Wednesday. That way, you only have to make the gougères on Wednesday evening.
• If your children don't eat salad yet, you can just cut a few pieces of cucumber, a few slices of tomatoes so that they get raw veggies.
• The brown rice and beans would do a great lunch for Wednesday. So don't hesitate to make more.

Wednesday Evening:

• If you have to make both the watercress soup and the gougères, make the gougères first and make the soup while the gougères are in the oven.
• If you have to only make the gougères, well, while the gougères are in the oven, you could start making the Nutella cupcakes for Thursday. That way, you won't have to re-heat your oven on Thursday. Just make sure you keep your children AWAY from the kitchen as you make the cupcakes... because they might end up eating more Nutella than watercress soup!
• Even though the gougères are best eaten out of the oven, I pack 3 in my child's lunch box together with veggies for her next day lunch.

Thursday Evening:

• If you have not made the Nutella cupcakes on Wednesday evening, you have to make both the cupcakes and the chicken stir fry this evening.
• Start with the cupcakes so that they are cooking in the oven while you prepare the chicken stir fry. Don't hesitate to make more because it's a great leftover for Friday lunch.
• If you have already made the cupcakes and you only have to make the stirf-fry, you could make the Ratatouille that night. It would cook on your stove as you have dinner.

Friday Evening:

• If you have not made the ratatouille on Thursday, pour yourself a drink before making the ratatouille. It does not take long but you do have to prep all the veggies. It's totally OK to pour your children a child's drink and have them cut the zucchinis, mushrooms with you. Nice to catch up about the week... and make them participate in preparing the meal.
• As the ratatouille is cooking, prep the Quinoa. It takes about 15 minutes to cook in boiling water. 
• The ratatouille would make a great side-dish with fish over the week-end.

Pesto Breaded Fish Fillets - Pesto Panko Poisson Pané

When I ask my 4-year-old daughter what's her favorite dishes are, "fish fingers" is on her Top 5! I don't have anything against fish fingers, I love them myself! Yet, after all this cooking and baking, having "fish fingers" on her Top 5 list made me think again.... First of all, I know that what she (and her brother) like about poisson pané is that they are allowed to have ketchup with it. Second of all, I have purchased the "little-fish-shaped" fish fingers and they find them really fun to eat. (Argh... clever marketing guys and stupid me who fell for their cute small-size shapes). So, it really comes down to artificial flavor and shape, n'est-ce-pas? There is this joke in France where the only "fish" children know are square because of the square-shaped breaded fish fillets children eat at the school cafeteria or at home!

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Meyer Lemons and Mint Lemonade

Des envies de soleil! That how I felt the other day when we were still under the snow, feeling like we were living in Alaska... Seeing beautiful Meyer lemons at the fruits stand (they are always in season somewhere in the US, aren't they?), I was immediately drawn to them. Since they were on sale (score!), I could not resist purchasing two full bags. I am sure I had Meyer lemons in one way (lemonade) or another (dessert) while living in San Francisco but it's not until I came to live on the East Coast that I really tasted them for what they really are: juicy, almost sweet with edible skin!
A few years ago, my dear friend P. had us over and one of her friends had mailed her Meyer lemons from Arizona. I recall thinking that P. was really lucky to have friends who grow their own Meyer lemons and who would go as far as shipping some to Pennsylvania. Actually, it is one American habit that I love : people sending food to relatives and friends across the country...Sure, my parents and relatives never come empty-ended when they cross the Atlantic ocean to visit us... but it feels different. Somehow, my cornichons, Savora or crème de marrons do not compete with home-grown Meyer lemons from Arizona!

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Weekly Menu - Week 1

 

As I warm up to the idea of having to go back to work, my eyes open up to the challenge of women (especially women) who try to balance professional life and family life. My sister who lives and works in Asia and has an 8-month-old is struggling with that fine équilibre and I can not really give her advice beyond the quality vs. quantity time because right now, I don't work. Well, I have my hands full but it does not bring any income to our family so as a result, I fall in the SAHMs category!  The minute I jump into the WAOM/WAHMs category, I know that I will go crazy we'll all manage eventually. Maybe some better than others, some with more compromises than others but eventually, some new balance will be found!
What I was thinking about is how you also find the time to keep balancing meals when you come home at the time the kids should be having dinner, if not be in bed already. How much processed or take-out food do you introduce in the family diet for the sake of zero time-to-table necessity? That got me thinking... and I came up with my Weekly Menu. You see, something I do well is organizing things (not my closets)... but life in general. It tends to drive my husband crazy but he also finds it really easy to rely on me, especially when it comes to planning meals.
So here is the deal : not only do I bring a weekly menu but I also give you a game plan to make it happen. It's not perfect. It's a typical weekly menu that I would cook for my family. The only thing that changes with today (when I am still a SAHM) and tomorrow (when I become a WAOM) is the game plan. Today, I would not prepare as many as the meals the night before because I can make them while my younger one takes his nap or if we need an "activity" to fill a rainy day.
It does leave you some leaway for processed/take-out food.  Sure, you might miss a few episodes of your favorite TV shows (but who needs TV when you can watch them on the internet?)... And because you CAN NOT miss your Pilates/Yoga class, you will have to delegate to your spouse (oh yeah, I am planning on doing that!!).  It will be OK because everything is so easy to make and already planned.  Planning is good! Let's face it, even though we all love spontaneity, when it comes to feeding a family, the more planning, the better. It's like bedtime routine. It might be boring; it takes effort but it works if you do it well and are consistent. Bonne chance!

 Weekly Menu - Week 1

	Day	Suggested Menu
	Monday	Shredded Carrots Pork Roast with Prunes, Apples and Potatoes Plain Yogurt with Honey Fresh Fruits
	Tuesday	Lentils with Mixed Vegetables Petits Pots de Creme
	Wednesday	Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Lima Beans Plain Yogurt with Chestnut Spread Fresh Fruits
	Thursday	Leeks and Potatoes Soup with Polenta Croutons Banana Bread
	Friday	Quiche Lorraine with Green salad Plain Yogurt with Raspberry Coulis Fresh Fruits

Game Plan:

Sunday Evening:

• You want to cook the pork roast on Sunday evening so that it's ready by Monday evening. It tastes great re-heated. It would make a great leftover meal for Tuesday lunch as well. So, make more that what you would normally do for just your family.
• You could make the Petits Pots de Creme for Tuesday's dinner as well if you had the time. You can keep them in the fridge for 3 days.
• You want to make sure that you bought ripe bananas over the week-end so that they are perfect to make the Banana Bread on Wednesday evening.

Monday Evening:

• Shredding the carrots is a 10-mn effort. Nothing to be afraid of. Make them as you reheat the roast.
• If you have not made the Petits Pots de Creme on Sunday, make them on Monday evening. It takes less than 40mn from start to finish and you can keep them in the fridge for 3 days. If you are reheating your roast in the oven, just put the Petits Pots de Creme at the proper temperature.

Tuesday Evening:

• Make the lentils. It takes about 45 minutes from start to finish... but you really need to be working for 10 minutes (pealing the veggies). They make a great leftover as well...so you could put them in your children' lunch box... or keep them in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Wednesday Evening:

• This dinner takes less than 30mn to prep. 
• After dinner, you want to make the Banana Bread so that you have the oven available for the Polenta Croutons on Thursday. 

Thursday Evening:

• You have to make the Potatoes and Leeks Soup and the Polenta Croutons. Start with the Polenta croutons because they have to cool before you can bake them in the oven.
• Once you have the Polenta cooling in the fridge, you can make the soup. It takes less than 30 mn.
• If you feel zealous, you can make the dough for the Quiche Lorraine as the croutons finish browning in the oven.  The crust will taste even better if it has cooled in the fridge overnight.

Friday Evening:

• Make the quiche and have a drink while it cooks in the oven! It's Friday, the pressure is off! If you are in a hurry, use a frozen crust.

Yesterday With My Children We Made......Hazelnuts Banana Muffins

As I already wrote in a previous post, we all like nuts in my family. Any kind of nuts ..... and I definitively spend more money on nuts than I do on cookies. Especially since I started baking again. My husband (and children) have a sweet tooth and since I did not enjoy baking that much before, we had a deal with my husband that he was going to be the one baking while I handle the daily cooking. As a result, he is the one who got silicone molds, baking dishes and other pastry-related accessories for Christmas or his birthday. He is the one who started keeping sweet recipes from a French cooking magazine he subscribed to for a long time. He is the one who even took a pastry class! But at the end of the year, he maybe made desserts four times max. Good desserts (his galette des rois is one of his successes), sure, but once a quarter! For someone who could eat 6 sweet crêpes or 4 madeleines without even noticing it, that's not very impressive, n'est-ce-pas? Sure, he works a lot and, hence, his time off-work is limited... mais quand même! Franchement?

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Creamy Mushrooms with Polenta Croutons

France being so close to Italy, we share a culinary heritage. Among the many things we eat on both sides of the border, is Polenta. Polenta, a dish made from boiled cornmeal, did not enjoy a great reputation in France until recently as it was for a long time a peasant dish. My husband's maternal grand-mother spent a lot of time in the Alps (ie, close to Italy) where a lot of Italians emigrated to escape poverty. They brought Polenta with them and as a result, my husband's grand-mother made Polenta a lot. She calls it la polente... and if you ask my husband about la polente, he does not make a happy face (to say the least). For his grand-mother would make a soupe a la polente : she would mix milk and Polenta together and serve it as a liquid soup (yes, I know, I would not make a happy face either!!). In my family, my mother would occasionally make Polenta as we know it today : thick and creamy and we would eat it with ratatouille. This was not my favorite dish but not something I could not eat either.
I had my best culinary experience with Polenta while living in San Francisco. My best friend M. took me out for dinner one evening to celebrate her birthday. I chose Polenta with creamy mushrooms... and it was eye-opening jaw dropping good! To this day, I still think about this dish everytime I have polenta for I have not been able to reproduce it myself (but that's why I am no professional chef!).

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Stuffed Tomatoes With Quinoa

We are in for another Winter storm today and the only thing I really want to eat is something that will keep me warm. I like the American expression "Comfort Food" that tends to describe a lot of recipes with pasta, potatoes or rice. Interestingly, I can't think of any equivalent in French, amusant, non? (Maybe Quebecois have an expression to suggest?)
On a day like today, Tomates Farcies (stuffed tomatoes) seem the perfect thing to have. Yes, I know, eating fresh tomatoes in Philadelphia in the middle of Winter is not eating "local"......but tomatoes are in season in Florida, so I'll just say that they are as local as can be at this time of year!
Tomates farcies is a very traditional French dish that some families only serve in the Summer (when tomatoes are in season). BUT if there is something I don't enjoy it's tomates farcies in the Summer. Because, somehow, even though les tomates might be de saison, the whole dish is hors saison. See, tomates farcies is a warm dish that would totally fall into the "Comfort Food" category.

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