Here at Moments, we’re feeling the love. With Valentine’s Day a week away, our thoughts have turned to where else, but Paris, the “City of Love”! What better place than this, to garner inspiration for elevated and intimate meals. Tess and I always embrace any reason to express our affection for family and friends with food – and Valentine’s Day is one of them! If you feel the same, follow along for three, simply amazing and amazingly simple, French recipes that say, “Je t’aime”, with every bite.
We began our Valentine’s Day recipe rotation with Beef Bourguignon. Don’t let the title intimate you, this is basically elevated beef stew. It’s elegant, comforting and exquisitely delicious. Yet, that’s not the best thing about this dish. When entertaining, you can make this a day ahead and reheat (because it’s even better the next day). Talk about taking the pressure off hosting! We followed this with a quintessentially French Leek and Potato soup. It’s just the right balance between smooth and textured, and the addition of homemade chicken broth brings the taste up to a “to die for” level. We also added croutons – because in France, soup is the primary residence for these crunchy, cheesy bits of bread. Our last, and very necessary addition to the menu options are Scallops Provencal. It doesn’t get easier than this! According to Ina Garten, this is a “knock their socks off meal” with the addition of a glass of dry white wine. We wholeheartedly agree!
So have a little fun, without a lot of stress this Valentine’s Day!
xoxo,
Kim & Tess
P.S. This post is dedicated to Eugene Flanagan who inspired our love for Leek and Potato soup.
Boeuf Bourguignon
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp good olive oil
- 8 oz dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon, diced
- 2 1/2 lbs chuck beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
- 2 yellow onions, sliced
- 2 tsp chopped garlic (2 cloves)
- 1/2 cup Cognac
- 1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir
- 1 can (2 cups) beef broth
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (1/2 tsp dried)
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour (or Cup4Cup if GF)
- 1 lb frozen whole onions
- 1 lb fresh mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thickly sliced
For Serving
- Country Bread or Sour Dough, toasted or grilled and rubbed with garlic clove
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
- Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.
- Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.
- Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.
- To serve, toast the bread in the toaster or oven. Rub each slice on 1 side with a cut clove of garlic. For each serving, spoon the stew over a slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley.
Leek and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, preferably Spanish, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, split, germ removed, and thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 3 leeks, white and light green parts only, split lengthwise, washed and thinly sliced
- 3 large Idaho (russet) potato, peeled and cubed
- 6 thyme sprigs
- 2 fresh sage leaves (optional)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups whole milk
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat. Add the onion and the garlic and stir until they glisten with butter, then season with salt and 1 teaspoon white pepper, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onion is soft but not colored.
- Add the remaining ingredients, along with a little more salt, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. As soon as the soup bubbles, turn the heat to low, mostly cover the pot, and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes, or until all the vegetables are mashably soft. Taste the soup and season generously with salt and white pepper.
- The soup can be pureed at this point in a blender or with an immersion blender, or can be served chunky (we pureed half and added it back in so the soup thickened, and there were still chunks of potato).
Make-Ahead Homemade Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- 3 5-pound roasting chickens
- 3 large yellow onions, unpeeled, quartered
- 6 carrots, unpeeled, halved
- 4 celery stalks with leaves, cut in thirds
- 4 parsnips, unpeeled, cut in half (optional)
- 20 sprigs fresh parsley
- 15 sprigs fresh dill
- 1 head garlic, unpeeled, cut in half crosswise
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
Instructions
- Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, and seasonings in a 16 to 20-quart stockpot. Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and discard the solids. Chill the stock overnight. The next day, remove the surface fat. Use immediately or pack in containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
Scallops Provencal
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh sea scallops
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cup-4-Cup or all-purpose flour for dredging
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 cup (2 large) chopped shallots
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 lemon, cut in half
Instructions
- If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.
- In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.
