“Cooking and eating together is a real bonding experience,” explains Laura Calder, star of Food Network Canada’s French Food at Home. “It’s so easy to get caught up in life that you forget to take time to talk and be a part of each other’s worlds. I think spending time in the kitchen making your dinner, then sitting down to enjoy it with each other, is one of the best ways to connect.”
Who has time to do that you say? Everyone, says Calder, because cooking does not need to be complicated or time-consuming. This is exactly the focus of her latest cookbook French Taste ($40, Harper Collins). This gorgeous book (the writing, photography and design are absolutely outstanding) features a collection of Calder’s favourite French-inspired, home-cooking recipes, most of which she assures me are a cinch to make.
“There is a misconception about French cooking—that it’s complicated and overly involved,” Calder notes. “The French have a massive repertoire of recipes, which are reliable and accessible to us as North Americans because most of the ingredients they use are common to our culture also. Flour, sugar, eggs, cream, milk and seasonal fruits and vegetables form the basis of most French recipes, which are all things easy for us to obtain. They way food is then put together is quite simple, and truly very easy to prepare.”
As an example, Calder points to two of what she says are the quickest and best recipes in the book: Steak Au Poivre and Apple Almond Cream Tart (she’s shared them with you below). When I give her a quizzical look after she suggests making tart pastry is fast, never mind easy, she give me a wide smile and assures me it’s baking 101. “Honestly, it does not get any easier than this! I recommend this one specifically to pastry novices to show how easy preparation really is.”
I ask Calder to draft the perfect late-summer dinner party menu from the offerings in her new tome. The occasion: a casual engagement party with six guests in attendance. “I would start with a summer tomato soup with basil and croutons—that’s fresh and very seasonal. For the main, a perfect pairing with the soup is an herb-crusted leg with potatoes. Desert is a tough one to choose, so I’m going with two, both equally delicious—wine jelly with grapes and plum tart painted purple.”
I’m sold—when do we eat?! Make Calder’s book a must on your wedding wish list and watch for the third season of French Food at Home airing this October on Food Network Canada.
Steak Au Poivre
Makes: 4 servings
2 to 4 tenderloin or eye of round steaks (estimate 5 ounces/140 g per person)
1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) green peppercorns in brine, rinsed and drained
About ¼ cup (60 ml) red wine or strong black tea
salt
1/2 cup (125 ml) beef stock
1/2 cup (125 ml) crème fraîche
Bring the meat to room temperature before cooking, about 20 minutes. Soak the peppercorns in the wine in a bowl. Heat a large frying pan to high, and season the meat with salt. When the pan is very hot, fry the steaks on both sides to your liking.
Let the meat rest on a board while you make the sauce. Drain the peppercorns. Deglaze the pan with the stock, and boil it down to a generous tablespoon, about 2 minutes. Lower the heat, and add the peppercorns and cream to heat through. Put the meat back in the pan, turning once to coat. Serve.
Apple Almond Cream Tart
Makes: 6 servings
For the crust:
1/2 cup (110 g) butter
1/3 cup (70 g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) vanilla
1 cup (125 g) flour
For the cream filling:
1 egg
8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese, softened
¼ cup (55 g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) vanilla
For the topping:
3 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
¼ cup (55 g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) cinnamon
¼ cup (55 g) slivered almonds or chopped walnuts
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). For the crust, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Mix in the flour to make a smooth dough. Press into an 8-inch (20 cm) springform pan, going about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven, but don’t turn off the oven.
While the crust bakes, beat all the ingredients for the cream filling together until smooth. In another bowl, toss the apple slices with the sugar and cinnamon.
Spread the cream mixture in the tart shell. Arrange the apple slices on top, and scatter over the nuts. Bake until the apples are tender and golden, about 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Posted by Robin on June 6, 2009 at 9:11 a.m.
I LOVE cooking with my fiance, it was one of the reasons I knew we were right for each other. We make an excellent team in the kitchen. Sitting down for dinner is part of our routine. Dinner isn't always homemade (though it often is) but it's a great time to chat and catch up and plan. I highly recommend sharing at least one meal a day together at the table, and not in front of the TV.
Posted by Tanya on July 17, 2009 at 12:15 p.m.
The Joy of Cooking is to me the most fantastic cook book in the world. My Grandmother used it cooking for her family for years, followed by my Mother who also used it to feed us kids when we were growing up. And finally, I have continued the "Joy of Cooking Family Tradition" and also cook for my family from the Joy of Cooking. Recipes from this book always taste fantastic and also teaches methods of cooking different meats which I have found extremely helpful. I would say that this cookbook is perfect for anybody because it's such a large book and is literally the most extensive and has the hugest selection of recipes I've ever seen in my life!
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