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How to Make Raclette and Other French Foods in the USA
from:While living in France, my family learned to love some recipes that we really miss now that we're back home. After some experimentation and a few boo-boos, success is mine!
Our first favorite is pain au chocolat. Roughly translated, it is chocolate bread, and it is a favorite breakfast food in France. It is also extraordinarily popular as an after school snack. This food is so popular, they sell them in plastic wrappers in packs of 8 or 10, just like our hot dog buns! Now, keep in mind that the French version uses a type of croissant dough that takes hours to make by hand. I found the following two methods give me a reasonable substitute that my family likes.
First and probably easiest is the crescent roll version. I open a can of crescent rolls, but separate the pastry into rectangles by keeping two of the triangles together. I press the seams with a moist finger to seal them together. One can makes 8 crescent rolls, so it makes 4 French pastries. I have a big family, so I need 4 cans. If you have a small family, you can make do with two cans. Next, take your favorite plain chocolate bars ( like you would use to make S'mores) and cut the bars into strips parallel to the short side, about 1/4" wide. Lay out one rectangle of dough, and put two strips of chocolate on top, set in from each short end enough so that you can take each end and fold it over the chocolate. The edges of the two folds should touch in the middle of the pastry. Once you have folded the dough, turn it seam side down and go on to the next one. Once you have them completed, bake the dough as directed on the package. When they are done, pop them out of the oven and serve them warm. You can use dark or milk chocolate, but traditionally the French use darker chocolates than we do.
The second method is to buy frozen puff pastry squares and follow the rest of the instructions above. These are a little closer to the true texture of the bread dough used in France, but a little more costly to make.
With either method, you could substitute a line of chocolate chips for the strips of chocolate if you don't have bars of chocolate on hand. Since it all melts in the end, it really doesn't matter.
Another favorite food from France is raclette. Now, raclette is a cheese, but it is also a method of cooking, coming from basically the same region of Europe as fondue. Raclette is a semi-firm cheese, with the Swiss version being a little firmer (and tastier, in my opinion) than the French variety. Either will work in a pinch. You can find raclette cheese in many supermarkets now, as well as gourmet food stores and some natural food stores. Raclette uses a special grill that has a flat top and an area below with small trays. The cheese is put into the trays and placed inside the grill to melt. Raclette grills can be purchased at specialty stores for a really "special" price, but T-Fal makes an electric version that I bought for about $40. It is a tabletop appliance.
Raclette is traditionally done like this:
Choose your favorite cold cuts, such as salami, priscuitto ham, olive loaf, etc. Arrange them on a plate in rows or columns that appeal to your eye. Slice (or get the market to) the cheese into 1/3 to 1/2" thick slices that will fit into your cheese trays. Arrange these slices on the meat tray as well.
Next, bake or boil some potatoes whole. I bake them here in the USA, but they were often boiled in Europe. While they are cooking, make a little salad of mixed greens, or shred some carrots into a pile on each plate, or cucumber slices, whatever you have and like. Open a jar of cornichons (these are little dill style pickles the French love). You can buy them at almost any supermarket now, but if you don't have them, substitute your own pickles. This method of cooking is all about the fun, not whether or not it is mechanically correct.
When your potatoes are done, put one on each plate with some of your veggie or salad and pickles for edible garnish. Turn your grill on and let it heat for a few minutes while you get the drinks ready. Every person uses their own tray to melt the cheese, which is then poured over their potato. My kids like to grill their meats on the top, but I prefer mine still cold. It is up to you!. Eat and laugh and talk while enjoying the meats, potatoes and cheese. You can't mess this up! Cold cuts, cheese, baked potatoes- simple and wonderful.
The greatest thing about raclette (other than the quality fun time) is the clean up. In my house, there is rarely any food left, so I usually don't even have to wrap the left overs. There are plates, forks, a few cheese trays, and your glasses. No hot pans with sticky messes, no oven pans to wash, and most everything can pop in the dishwasher.
Now, this is not the cheapest meal you can make, but we treasure it so much that we do this every other month or so. If you like fondue, you are sure to love it. If you have never had fondue, give this a try. I bet you'll fall in love with it, too.
A favorite adult drink of ours is the Kir. It is an aperitif, or before dinner drink. This is easy as pie and absolutely delicious, even if you are not a wine drinker. Here's the recipe:
Chardonnay wine (traditionally French Aligote, but you can't usually get that here) Creme de Cassis
Chill the wine. In a wine glass, put one part creme de cassis to 3 or 4 parts wine. I say 3 or 4 because it depends on the quality of the creme de cassis as to how much of it you need to make the drink right. When it is done right, the wine will have a slightly sweeter taste than normal.
Variations:
Use: Creme de Framboise
Creme de Mure
Creme de Myrtille instead of the Creme de Cassis.
OR:
Use champaigne instead of chardonnay for a Royal Kir.
My favorite is Framboise, but I like them all! The cremes can be added to red wines, too, but that is not really traditional.
These are just a few of the things we found that we didn't want to do without just because we came home, so we have incorporated them into our lives here in the USA. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
I am a mother of 4 children and an avid reader. Our family lived in Europe for 3 years and loved it! I have started my own blog, where I plan to write about places we've been, things we've learned, and what we like. I work from home and am currently writing a book. You can follow my progress or share your knowledge by visiting my blog at: http://magickalmomentswithmomman.blogspot.com
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