A French feast

Well, it's almost Bastille Day, so I thought it would be a perfect time to invite some Trekkers over for a marathon of Jean-Luc Picard episodes. Dave supplies the Star Trek, I supply the food.

Today's menu is a little fancy:

• Gougères (cheese pastry puffs)
• Radishes with butter on baguettes
  
• Pissaladière (provençal pizza)
• Chocolate mousse

Not too shabby! I thought I made the chocolate mousse before, but I don't think I blogged this version (I have done two other ones from my Hershey, Pennsylvania Cookbook, but this one is Julia Child's). Everything today comes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking or Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris.

Gougères

These are cheese pastry puffs, similar in construction to the profiteroles I made two years ago. You scald butter, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, then mix in flour and cook for two minutes. Then mix in eggs and cheese - parmigiano and smoked cheddar in this case, although Ina recommends parmesan and Gruyère - and pipe onto a baking sheet.

I think I could have beaten the dough a little longer, because these guys flattened out quite a bit. They were still good, but they looked like cookies.

They were all gone within about 20 minutes, though, so I guess they were still pretty good!

Radishes with butter on baguette slices

According to Ina Garten, this is a classic French children's snack. Picard is nothing if not rustic, and classy, so let's giddyup.

Yeah, that's about it - just spread butter on some baguette, put on some radishes, sprinkle with salt, and have at it. I actually like this, but many Americans find this dish very strange. So, along with my toasted baguette slices, I provided some of my strawberry red currant jam. My friends pretty much went wild for the jam, so I sent them home with some jars.

Pissaladière

This is one that Dave has wanted me to make for a very long time. Both Ina and Julia have recipes for this, so I was kind of torn. I went for Ina's.

The dough was a simple pizza dough - yeast, water, honey, olive oil, and flour. The toppings were onions and garlic cooked in oil for 30 minutes, and also some anchovies and Kalamata olives.

This is the first time I've touched an anchovy since my Pizza Hut days, and the first time I've ever eaten one (whole, not in Caesar dressing or some such thing), so everyone should be proud of me.


Maybe my dough was thin, but the edges got a little burned before the toppings got browned, but oh well. It was still good. Some members of our party liked the pizza better than others, but it was almost gone, too!

Mousseline au chocolat

Oh Julia. You get me every time with your rich recipes, but nothing I've made has tasted as truly French. This is Julia Child's favorite chocolate mousse recipe; basically it's completed in three parts.

1. Mix egg yolks and sugar, then cook lightly and stir in the orange liqueur. (I used Grand Marnier.) Set aside.
2. Melt chocolate with coffee, then mix in butter. Stir into the egg combination from step 1.
3. Beat egg whites, then stir in salt and sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into mixture from step 2.

Chill for a few hours, and you end up with an amazingly rich dessert.

I was telling my friends who came over that if I'm at a restaurant, and the dessert is chocolate mousse, I pretty much can't help myself. It may be my ultimate dessert, although I also can't refuse tiramisu or apple pie.

I think the hit of the night was, surprisingly, the jam, although I'd have to take a vote. My favorite was the chocolate mousse, although I was proud of myself both for making and trying the pissaladière. Maybe next time I'll try Julia's recipe!