A French Meal in New Jersey

Last Saturday my son Emmett and I drove to the wilds of New Jersey to prepare dinner with our friends, Ujwala, Pascal and their son Nevenn.
We all had a specific task, Pascal would prepare the Duck breast, Uju the Coulis de Poireaux and the Fig Chutney, I was in charge of the Galettes de Pommes, Garlic butter and Chocolate Cakes.
Holly and her husband Lou arrived with a case of wine, I kid you not! They were the immediate heroes.
I had a stack of potatoes to slice and when I realized I had left my mandolin at home, Holly rose to the occasion and drove home to pick up her mandoline. Yes, Holly saved the day (for me), others would think the case of wine did the trick.
Natasha, Uju's sister and my neighbor and her husband Chris drove down with their children and we proceeded to have a terrific time. Natasha appointed herself as the chief of the clean up crew and we were in business.
The evening went off without a hitch, except for the oven fire, of course. But no one is really claiming responsibility for that. The house didn't burn down, the food was wonderful, the company superb.

Le Menu

Toast de Foie Gras au Chutney de Figues
Courton with Foie Gras and Fig Chutney

Escargots de Bourgogne
Snails in Garlic Butter

Salade de Gesiers de Canard
Sauteed Duck Gizzards on a Bed of Butter Lettuce

Magret avec Coulis de Poireaux
Duck Breast with leek Sauce

Galette de Pommes de Terre aux Champignons Sauvages
Potato Galette with Wild Mushrooms

Chocolate Molten Cakes with White Chocolate Centers

Mousse au Chocolat
The escargot started out like this.....
but ended like this. We made the traditional garlic butter but decided to tuck them into pastry shells. We then moved onto the Foie Gras. Brought from Paris, Lou and Holly had purchased it at Chez Papa, one of our favorite restaurants.Pascal had the heck of a time opening the jar.
Once opened, Ujwala placed slices ontop of her Fig Chutney and toast's.
On my last French Food, Wine and Culture Holiday, I had purchased a bottle of Troussant Doux from Saint Pourçain, owned by the Laurent Family. This sweet late harvest wine was a perfect match for our appetizer.
The duck breasts roasted under the grill while the Galette de Pommes de Terre aux Champignons Sauvages finished cooking in the oven.
The Coulis de Poireaux simmered on the stove waiting to become a bed for the duck.
The Galette before being turned out onto the plate. Basically a Pommes Anna with a layer of wild mushrooms in the center. How could you go wrong?
Turned out onto a plate the Galette was delicious.
Lou kept pulling out bottles from his case of wine. We enjoyed this Medoc with the Magret avec Coulis de Poireaux . Due to the amount of wine consumed I didn't get a picture of the Salade de Gesiers de Canard. Basically duck's gizzard's saute in their own duck fat. They were delicious atop a simple salad of greens and vinaigrette. For some unknown reason my son thought they were cock's combs.
Our planned dessert was Chocolate Molten Cakes with White Chocolate Centers,
however Emmett loves Uju's Mousse au Chocolate! No visit is complete without a bowl. She whipped some up especially for him. He usually brings a bowl with him for the ride home. This time his sister beat him to it and finished the mousse before he had a chance to get to it.Nevenn and Emmett decided to have mousse for breakfast. Goofy as they are, they made it look so good.Croutons de Foie Gras au Chutney de Figues

32 croutons, cut from a baguette and lightly toasted
1 small bloc of foie gras
1/2 cup fig chutney or fig jam

Place a spoonful of fig chutney on the crouton, top with a slice of foie gras.

Fig Chutney

2 shallots minced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
10 ounces fresh figs, peeled and quartered
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch cinnamon
Freshly ground white peppercorns

In a medium size saucepan combine all the ingredients and cook 30 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Once thickened, remove from the pot into a glass bowl and allow to cool.

Magret avec Coulis de Poireaux

My friend Uju is an amazing cook, this is her recipe for Leek Sauce.

 

Chop leeks fine, rinse well and just leave in a colander to drain.

Warm butter+oil, add leeks saute till transparent and water evaporates. Add enough white wine to simmer leeks, add salt, pepper and when the wine has semi evaporated, add a couple of tbsps of creme fraiche. Voila!

Potato Galette with Wild Mushrooms
adapted from Anne Willan's La France Gastronomique

6 ounces wild mushrooms cleaned and cut into large pieces
1/3 cup goose fat or olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cloves garlic minced
Handful chopped parsley
1 pound russet potatoes, cleaned and peeled.

Large oven safe saute pan

Heat 2 tablespoons goose fat in the saute pan and add the mushrooms, salt and pepper. Saute quickly, tossing the mushrooms occasionally until the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender. Stir in the garlic, shallots and parsley. Cook another minute and taste for seasoning.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the potatoes thinly. It's easier on a mandoline. If you don't have one, use a very sharp knife. You want them very thin, about 1/8 inch.
Heat 2 tablespoons fat in a saute pan for 1 minute. Arrange 1/2 the potato slices in the pan in an overlapping circle. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the potatoes with the mushrooms and cover the mushrooms with the remaining potatoes.
Spoon the remaining fat over the potatoes. Cover with foil and place a weight on top. We used another saute pan.
Cook on top of the stove until the galette browns, about 5-8 minutes. Turn it by placing a plate on top and turning it onto the plate. Slide it back into the pan, return the foil and weight and brown the bottom, about 5 more minutes. Place in the oven and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
Remove the foil and weight, turn out onto a cutting board and slice into wedges to be served promptly.

Makes 4 servings

Mousse au Chocolat

8 ounces semi-sweet good quality chocolate
6 large eggs
Pinch of sea salt

Melt chocolate in the micro wave, stirring every 20 seconds. When it's 75% melted remove it from the oven and stir until smooth. Set aside.
Separate the yolks from the whites. Beat the yolks until blended.
Add the salt to whites and beat them until stiff peaks form.
Gradually pour the melted chocolate into the yolks beating vigorously.
Using a whisk gently stir in 1 / 3 of the stiff egg whites to lighten the mixture.
Using a spatula, fold in the rest of the whites, until no trace of white remains. Be careful not to break them down. The airiness of the whites makes the mousse light.
Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours.
serve with freshly whipped cream.

Makes 6 servings

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