Yum is all I can say

Tuesday afternoon after being asked over and over again what I am cooking, I decided I will no longer give in. They will have to either look it up or just deal. Isn't the fact that i am sweating in the kitchen enough? Ok a little background. I am mother to 5, but only 2 left at home. We are a blended family, so my husbands older 3, that I love as my own, are gone. Now I am left to feed the hubby and the two teenagers. My daughter, God Bless her, loves everything. She constantly talks about my cooking and I feel blessed for that. My Son however... doesn't eat anything with real ingredients. Cereal YES! Fast food YES! Pizza YES! Real food? NO!

So Tuesday night I made:
Potage Parmentier, Coq Au Vin, Oignons glaces a brun, champignons sautes au beurre
The Potage Parmentier which is Leek and Potato soup topped off with some cream... was so good! I was surprised! I was not expecting it to be good. I mean how good can potato and onion soup be? Plus, it called for the entire bushel... including the gross green part. After passing it through a food mill, it was so creamy and yummy. Son would not touch it. Daughter polished it off and asked for more. Husband and me both drank it down and LOVED it! Next came the Coq Au Vin. Oh my goodness. Husband thought it was the best chicken meal he ever had. Son even ate all of his. Daughter and I loved it. Oignons glaces a brun.... eh. I probably won't make them again, champignons sautes au beurre: strictly for my husband. I refuse to eat fungus. Kids won't touch it either. However I am told I am so good at making it.

Tonight: Wednesday I cooked for 3 hours. Well longer if you count the bread I started at 11am. I had to cook everything from scratch including the French Bread. Then I started the long process of Soupe a L'Oignon Gratinee. Let me say it is Way worth it! I would suggest it for anyone that has not tried making it. I have never liked French Onion soup, I have never understood why people liked it, UNTIL NOW!
The 2.5 hours spent was well worth it. Topping it off with my homemade french bread ... toasting it and topping it even more with cheese..yep. Try it. TO DIE FOR!
Next on to the Petites Ballotines De Boeuf... say that 3 times! This one was good. Just not as good as the Coq Au Vin. It was not a hard process. We all ate it. I am sure it would be a damn good meal for anyone that doesn't eat gourmet regularly. All plates were cleared. On to dessert: Crepes Fourrees Frangipane. This was my first time ever making crepes. It was pretty easy and let me tell you I will dream about them tonight. I will. SO good. The almond cream in the middle made me want to sing. We all had thirds. Cleaned all of them off. Yep! Must have been that dark chocolate melted on top. I don't know. But I see a lot of crepes in my future.
Tomorrow I have to work, Designing dog clothes all day, then I am off to Bible study at my church. So it is leftovers. We have leftovers coming out of our ears. We have PLENTY leftover. Friday I have a date with my husband at our favorite ultra gourmet restaurant The market. So cooking resumes on Saturday.

Here is the recipe for the french onion soup AND the Crepes Fourrees Frangipane:
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Soupe à L’oignon Gratinée – French Onion Soup


The key to French Onion soup is the slow cooking of the onions in butter and oil, followed by a long, slow simmering in stock. This helps them to develop the rich flavor this soup is known for.



6-8 servings



Ingredients:



5 cups thinly sliced yellow onions



3 tablespoons butter



1 tablespoon oil



1 teaspoon salt



1/4 teaspoon sugar



3 tablespoons flour



2 quarts beef stock, boiling



1/2 cup dry white wine



salt and pepper to taste



3 tablespoons cognac



4-6 rounds of hard-toasted French bread



1-2 cups grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese





Directions:



1) Cook the onions slowly in the butter and oil in a covered saucepan for 15 minutes. Uncover, raise heat to medium and stir in the salt and sugar. The sugar will help the onions to brown. Cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions have turned a deep golden brown.



2) Sprinkle in the flour and stir over heat for 3 minutes. Off heat, blend in the stock. Add the wine and season to taste. Simmer partially covered for another 30-40 minutes or more, skimming if needed. Correct seasonings.



3) Just before serving, stir in the cognac. Place rounds of bread in soup bowls or a tureen and pour soup on top. Sprinkle with grated cheese and brown under a hot broiler until golden and bubbly. Serve immediately

 
Crepes Fourrees, Frangipane (Crepes with Almond Cream)




12 cooked crepes 6 inches in diameter



1.5 cups frangipane (almond custard)



2 ounces or squares of semi sweet baking chocolate



2 Tb melted butter



1 Tb granulated sugar


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Directions: Follow Crepe Fines Sucrees recipe... Spread 2 Tb of frangipane on the less-good side of each crepe. Fold the crepes into wedge shapes, or roll them, to enclose the filling, and arrange in the baking dish. Grate the chocolate over the crepes, sprinkle on the melted butter, then the sugar. About 20 minutes before serving, set in a preheated 350-degree oven until the chocolate had melted. Serve hot or warm.



Crepes Fines Sucrees (light batter)



3/4 cup milk



3/4 cup cold water



3 egg yolks



1 Tb granulated sugar



3 Tb orange liqueur, rum, or brandy



1 cup flour (scooped and leveled)



5 Tb melted butter



Directions: Place the ingredients in the blender jar in the order in which they are listed. Cover and blend at top speed for 1 minute. If bits of flour adhere to sides of jar, dislodge with a rubber scraper and blend 3 seconds more. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight



Frangipane (Almond custard filling)



1 egg



1 egg yolk



3/4 cup granulated sugar



1/3 cup flour



1 cup boiling milk



3 Tb butter



2 tsp vanilla extract



1/4 tsp almond extract



1/2 cup pulverized macaroons or pulverized almonds



Directions: Beat the egg and egg yolk in he mixing bowl, gradually adding the sugar, until mixture is pale yellow and forms the ribbon. Beat in the flour. Then beat in the boiling milk in a thin stream of droplets. Pour into saucepan and set over moderate heat. Stir slowly with the whip, reaching all over the bottom of the pan. When mixture begins to coagulate into lumps, beat it vigorously until it smooths and thickens into a stiff paste. Then over moderately low heat, beat it with a wooden spoon for 2 to 3 minutes to cook the flour thoroughly. Be careful the custard does not scorch on the bottom of the pan. Off heat, beat in the butter, then the flavorings and macaroons or almonds. If not used immediately, clean custard off sides of pan and dot top with softened butter to prevent a skin from forming on the surface. Frangipane will keep for a week under refrigeration, or may be frozen