Tarte flambée is a well-known Alsatian specialty. It’s like pizza in that a thin crust of dough is baked in a very hot oven but its toppings are primarily crème fraîche, onions, and bacon. Like many traditional regional dishes, there are innumerable ways of preparing it. Here is one delicious example.
A tartine (tar-TEEN) is a French open-faced sandwich. Enjoy this for lunch or a light dinner.
Artichokes are wonderful eaten leaf by leaf as a vegetable, but equally fabulous when trimmed down to their meaty centers and added to pasta, risotto, and braised dishes. This risotto combines artichokes with sautéed mushrooms, then boosts the mushroom flavor with dried cèpes.
This tart is ambrosial when made with perfectly-ripe strawberries — the berries should be crimson all over, with no white ‘shoulders’. If strawberries are not in season, it is equally delicious made with raspberries, blackberries, or sliced figs.
Hazelnuts, also called filberts, have a rich nuttiness that compliments beets’ sweet earthiness. But great taste is only one of hazelnuts’ virtues: they are high antioxidants including vitamin E and vitamin A, a natural antioxidant with cancer-preventing properties. They also provide B-group vitamins, particularly vitamin B5 and B6. And hazelnuts are an excellent source of minerals, particularly manganese, selenium and zinc. What’s not to love?
Panko, or Japanese bread crumbs, are much coarser than ordinary bread crumbs and create a deliciously crunchy crust — a startling contrast to the hot, creamy cheese. The black lava sea salt adds a nice smokiness and balances out the acid and sweetness of the tomatoes.
This is a simple and elegant first course that always impresses. The key to recipes that use only a few ingredients such as this is to use THE BEST of everything. So, for this recipe, use fresh wild salmon, fresh herbs, good wine and quality butter.
A delicious and easy appetizer for Easter or any other special occasion!
Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provencal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille. It contains various kinds of cooked fish and shellfish. The more people share the meal, the more different fish are included. This recipe uses salmon, scallops and shrimp, but you can use any combination of fish, clams, mussels, lobster, crab, langoustines, calamari, octopus or sea urchins. Traditionally it is ‘special occasion’ fare due to the lengthy preparation, but using PERARD authentic French Fish or Lobster soup as the foundation makes it simple enough for a weeknight dinner.
Juicy wine-poached pears bedded in chewy almond frangipane, surrounded by a rich, crisp tart shell. A perfect tart for Autumn, even more perfect when accompanied with a glass of chilled Muscat.