80866125
Saturday is Bastille Day, the anniversary of the French Revolution that began with the storming of the famous jail in 1789. The jail is long gone and celebrations will take place all over France and America.
Since this famous day occurs on the weekend, I’ve decided to toss a Bastille Day bash featuring French food and wine.
Regular readers of my column know French cuisine is my favorite. I have dozens of cookbooks on the subject written by authors from France. Americans, such as Julia Child, M.F.K. Fisher, Julie Dannenbaum and Richard Grausman, dedicated their lives to the art of French cooking. The British also got into the act. The late Elizabeth David was responsible for introducing the Brits to French fare.
The French adore their cheese. In restaurants and homes throughout the country, cheese is eaten as a separate course before dessert.
“How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?” asked Charles de Gaulle.
Indeed. French cheese always is luscious. Because there are so many, some are creamy, crumbly, tangy, sweet, strong, smelly, runny — the list goes on. Roquefort, made from cow’s milk, spends time in cool caves. Chevre, made from goat or sheep’s milk, is tangy and easy to spread on bread or crackers.
My French cheese board will contain Roquefort; Morbier, a ripe Brie; and Camembert. I will offer plain water crackers and slices of bread from Georges Perrier’s bakery in Narberth. The Center City DiBruno Bros. stocks this bread as well.
An assortment of sliced French sausages and pates are on order. I used to make my own pates but I have become a bit lazy. I buy them from DiBruno’s and Trader Joe’s. Tiny pearl cocktail onions, Dijon and cornichons keep company with the charcuterie board.
The bar will be set up in the kitchen. I will probably serve Muscadet, sauvignon blanc, Cotes du Rhone and cabernet sauvignon.
When I was a young bride, one of my favorite dishes was Salmon Mousse. I even have a copper fish mold just for this tasty treat. I have made it with fresh and canned salmon, but I prefer the texture of the canned variety for this dish. I think I also will prepare one with tuna.
Viva la France!
Salmon Mousse
Ingredients:
1 package of unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup of cold water
1/2 cup of boiling water
1/2 cup of Hellmann’s mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Dash of hot sauce
1/2 cup of chili sauce or ketchup
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped
115-ounce can of Faust salmon, skin and bones removed
1 cup of heavy cream
Directions:
Place the gelatin in a large mixing bowl. Add the cold water and blend. Stir in the boiling water and whisk the mixture until the gelatin dissolves. Cool at room temperature.
Whisk in all of the remaining ingredients except for the salmon and heavy cream. Blend completely. Place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
Place the salmon in the bowl of the food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse on and off until the salmon is flaked.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold gently into the salmon mixture.
Pour the mixture into a 6- to 8-cup bowl or mold. Cover and chill for at least four hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, place the bowl or mold gently into a bowl of hot water. Run a knife around the rim and gently turn out the salmon mousse on a pretty platter.
Serve the mousse with water crackers and slices of French bread.
Tapenade
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of pitted black olives, such as Gaeta or Kalamata
1/2 cup of pitted green olives, such as Sicilian or Picholine
1 can of anchovy filets
2 tablespoons of capers, rinsed and drained
1 5-ounce can of imported tuna in olive oil
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 small handful of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients except for the oil in the bowl of the food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth.
With the motor running, drizzle in the oil until the mixture turns into a thick sauce.
Place the tapenade into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. You can make this dip the day before.
Makes about 2 cups.
Note from Phyllis: This heady spread from Provence is ideal spread on crackers or bread. If you want to serve it as a dip for crudite, simple blend in about 1/4 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
80866145
80866135
