around my french table by dorie greenspan

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

I love the way Champagne's toastiness and gougères' egginess play together.Īlthough you must spoon out the puffs as soon as the dough is made, the little puffs can be frozen and then baked straight from the freezer, putting them in the realm of the doable even on the spur of the moment. In Burgundy, gougères are often served with the local aperitif, kir chez Greenspan, where I serve them no matter what I'm pouring as a welcoming glass, my favorite sip-along is Champagne. Gougères are made everywhere in France (and can be bought frozen in many stores), but their home is Burgundy, where they are the first thing you get when you sit down in almost any restaurant. In France, I use Gruyère, Comté, Emmenthal, or, just for fun and a spot of color, Mimolette, Gouda's French cousin in America, I reach for extra-sharp cheddar, and sometimes I add a little smoked cheese to the mix. Their dough, pâte àchoux, is the same one you'd use for sweet cream puffs or profiteroles, but when the pâte àchoux is destined to become gougères, you fold in a fair amount of grated cheese. The easiest way to describe gougères is to call them cheese puffs. Of all the things I make for my French friends, this is the one that gets the most requests. Packed with lively stories, memories, and insider tips on French culinary customs, Around My French Table will make cooks fall in love with France all over again, or for the first time.When you're an American in Paris, there's nothing more flattering than to have French people ask you to share your recipe for one of their national treasures. Hundreds of other recipes are remarkably easy: a cheese and olive quick bread, a three-star chef’s Basque potato tortilla made with a surprise ingredient (potato chips), and an utterly satisfying roast chicken for “lazy people.”

Now in a big, personal, and personable book, Dorie captures all the excitement of French home cooking, sharing disarmingly simple dishes she has gathered over years of living in France.Īround My French Table includes many superb renditions of the great classics: a glorious cheese-domed onion soup, a spoon-tender beef daube, and the “top-secret” chocolate mousse recipe that every good Parisian cook knows-but won’t reveal.

Julia’s praise was echoed by the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, which referred to Dorie’s “wonderfully encouraging voice” and “the sense of a real person who is there to help should you stumble.” When Julia Child told Dorie Greenspan, “You write recipes just the way I do,” she paid her the ultimate compliment.

Around my french table by dorie greenspan