Series Two: Part Eight - La Frite

It is hard to go past a hot chip - and Julia, as a keen consumer of anything potato, includes the preparation of the French fry in her 1972 episode "The Potato Show". It seemed fitting due to the fact that this fried concoction has French in its title. However according to Wikipedia there are some contentious theories of its origin with the French and Belgian both claiming ownership. Some people believe that the term "French" was introduced when British and American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War One and consequently tasted Belgium fries. They supposedly called them "French" as it was the local language and the official language of the Belgium Army at that time.






Julia demonstrates four different dishes in this "French Fry free for all" ... (yet again Julia can't resist the use of alliteration of the f word- but in the best possible taste. Refer to the fish show for more entertaining uses of words starting with the letter "f".) There is the souffle potato, the potato chip, the potato nest and the French fry. There were pots of fat heating up all over the place and I have never seen such plentiful use of paper towels. I could almost feel the fat lining my mouth as I watched - it was fat overload! I decided to limit myself and just focus on the French fries and souffle potato. I also did not have the bird nest nets to cook the peeled potato in.


First step was the cutting of the potato and this was the opportunity for Julia to show case some French fry cutters. With some grunting and puffing Julia shows off one particular appliance that obviously is not easy to use, then quickly summarises that a knife is the best. There is not much guidance  about the type of potato to use apart from the recommendation to experiment with the caution that "potatoes are strange animals". The girls had recently battled the vegetable garden to find the potatoes within and had unearthed a good number - there were going to be used for the job.
For both the French fry and souffle potato they are firstly cooked in 300 F hot fat then placed in a 400 F fat. For the souffle potato the rectangle potato shape should then puff up - which did for the first lot that were cooked.


However, there were two technical difficulties experienced when cooking. We had a power cut earlier in the day, which had thrown the oven thermostat unbeknown to me. The tarragon chicken that was supposed to be cooked, was only warm. I had started cooking the French fries and the hungry gannets were circulating.  First course - fries. Second course - chicken with healthy vegetables!
The other technical difficulty was that we had another power-cut right in the middle of deep frying. After the lighting of candles and the search for a deck of cards, power was back on and cooking could recommence. At this stage I had had enough and just cooked the remaining prepared potato straight in the 400 F fat.
I did however remain vigilant and ensure safety at all time after witnessing Julia burn herself and lose the handle of the basket in the deep fryer and have to skilfully reclaim it.
The family didn't seem to care that the souffle potato were not filled with air, and that the French fries could have been slightly more cooked inside. Whatever the origin of this rectangle size, cholesterol filled, cardiac causing arteriosclerosis piece of potato, it sure tasted good.

Harvesting the potatoes

The first taste test

Power cut!

Series Two: Part Seven - Jarrets de devant

Autumnal

It is time to slow down... after a hectic week of end of a school term, Imke breaking world records, Caroline hitting the stage with tap, Jamie away in Melbourne and two of us celebrating birthday's ... French cooking took a back step last week. Imke wasn't going to accept the takeaway pizza's midweek as a sufficient birthday dinner. Her request was for a dinner of lamb shank' s... Julia to the rescue. A slow paced, warming comfort dinner dish - complements the autumnal weather we are experiencing of late.

The only reference for lamb shanks in "Mastering the art of French Cooking" is as a variation to Navarin Printanier (Lamb stew with spring vegetables. Apparently lamb shanks (jarrets de devant) are considered part of the shoulder in France, so no special recipes are given for them. Julia suggests that they may be boned or left whole and that any of the lamb stew recipes will do. OK!

Preparation for chef:

1. One glass of red wine (or two) - my choice was a Cabernet Sauvignon - from the Catholics (Mission Estate Winery - Hawke's Bay) - it is a Sunday after all

2.  Music playing on stereo  - Latin (I like to infuse the best of cultures together)

Preparation for Lamb Shanks:

1. Brown lamb shanks (don't forget to dry off first)

2. Sprinkle with sugar and toss until sugar has caramelized

3. Toss again but this time with salt and pepper and flour

4. Add beef stock, tomato paste, garlic, rosemary, bay leaf and cook away in the oven

5. After about an hour add spuds, onions and carrots

A perfect dinner to complement the ebb and flow of this week. The time efficiency of this dish enabled me to have a nana nap this afternoon, the girls to bury the old chook that died (zoom in the autumnal pic and you will see the evidence - an animal death always seems to happen when Jamie is away) - and a rather relaxed ending to the evening... slow down goal achieved.

Preparation for chef

Compliments from the birthday girl

Series Two: Part Six - A little bit of Sole and Creme Caramel

This was supposed to be a blog about the "Spinach Twins" disc one number five from the "The French Chef". I had purchased the spinach from the supermarket in the morning, and had settled down early afternoon to watch the recipe unfold on DVD. It was looking promising - a spinach turnover was being described. After dutifully taking notes of preparation of spinach including the high chop action with the stainless steel knife, the video stopped functioning and I could go no further. Damn it! Julia didn't even have the recipe recorded in her "Mastering the Art of French Cooking".
I did have Tarakihi fish on the menu for the nights dinner, so technically I could have mastered this week by following the crumb fish recipe. I took a photo of one cooked deliciously golden brown to provide some evidence of mastery of cooking....although we all really know that it is simply throwing the fish in some flour, egg and breadcrumbs and frying! So to overcome the disappointment of the spinach I have ventured out to new frontiers - the Crème Caramel dessert. It is rather off putting when Julia describes this as one of the dishes that separates chefs. Quite partial to custard and having plenty of time I commenced preparation. A highlight of this dish was the inaugural use of the copper pot that I had purchased from Julia's favourite cookery supply place in Paris. This was used for preparing the caramel, and it did a super job. The fun part was swirling the caramel around the baking dish like a lava flow in perpetual motion until it cools and sets. The recipe called for 6 large eggs and 5 egg yolks (lucky I had also purchased eggs this morning) warmed milk and some vanilla extract which I clumsily tipped over rather zealously but managed to avoid overdose of the dish.
Julia recommends baking in a pan of boiling water in the lower third of the oven in a 350F oven for about an hour. Hour went past and the mixture was pretty runny .. hmm more time... after an additional hour of cooking I decided its now or never. Off to the freezer to cool down because I wanted to sample this before midnight!
The high anxiety moment of unmoulding worked (whew). One caramel custard ready for eating.. and it went down a treat - very smooth and light - no guilt at all.
Now what to do with that spinach...