Port-Salut

Port Salut cheese is named after the abbey of Notre Dame du Port du Salut in Entrammes from Pays de la Loire, in Brittany on the West Coast of France. The cheese has a distinctive orange rind and a mild taste. And, the flavor increases the longer the cheese is kept. Read more…

Steak Frites

Frites Olympique
The Olympics kick off Friday night in Paris and if you ever needed an excuse to fire up something French for dinner, now would be an appropriate time. But, honestly, do you really ever need an excuse?

For those who want to go all out while watching the Opening Ceremonies, there are so many amazing possibilities for French noshing. A French-inspired charcuterie platter would be fantastique with a little brie, port salut, camembert, or, one of my favorites, Boursin. Add some paté, a little jambon (French ham), a bunch of crispy cold grapes, a few cornichons, a lovely French mustard, and some sliced baguette and you’ve got yourself un repas fantastique!

Personally, I think the best bet would be to go with a tried-and-true staple of many a Paris bistro, Steak Frites. Steak Frites is a simple dish of a well-prepared steak accompanied by equally well-cooked potato fries. Very simple. When paired with the French wine of your choice you could almost imagine being seated outdoors on the banks of the Seine with the faint sounds of La Vie En Rose playing in the distance. Ahhh! Il n’y a pas mieux que ça. (Translation: It doesn’t get better than that.)

I’m not going to lie, you could drive yourself crazy looking for the perfect recipe for steak frites. YouTube alone can send you down a rabbit hole from which there is no return. The reality is that it doesn’t matter if you use a bearnaise sauce, a green pepper sauce, or even a compound butter on top of your steak. Any way you choose to make it, you will have a steak and french fries and you can never really go wrong with that.

Steak Frites Recipe
Adapted from Food and Wine
Yields 6 Servings Read more…

Trois Petits Cochons Paté

Three Little Pigs
We love this Country Pork Pâté. If you are looking for rich and flavorful charcuterie meat, why not make it luxurious! Pâtés are the star of French charcuterie and Trois Petits Cochons Pâté de Campagne has won many accolades. Read more…

Salmon Rillettes

Gone Fishin’
We’re going camping with friends this weekend which means I am knee-deep in planning. The packing is the easy part because most of what we need lives in our little teardrop. The bulk of the planning energy is focused on the food.

You don’t have to be a foodie to struggle with what to bring to feed yourself when off the grid. It takes quite a bit of thought as to what will hold up over a number of days—regardless of how good your cooler is and how much ice you have. Some things are just not camping-appropriate. And, giving your family food poisoning is not my idea of a good time. That doesn’t mean I don’t have my bougie favorites for camping.

For example, Happy Hour with adult beverages and snacks is non-negotiable. When five o’clock rolls around and we are back at the campsite relaxing in our chairs after a day of hiking, I want a legitimate reward for my hard work. I have nothing against Wheat Thins. In fact, I love Wheat Thins. But, after a day of toiling up a mountain in the sun, I’m looking for something more. A lovely dip. Some nice cheese. A crisp glass of white wine….

One of my favorite options for camping is this Salmon Rillette recipe. It’s great for camping because the process you use to make it is similar to making a confit, which historically has been used for preserving food without refrigeration. Granted, you will need to keep this cold but if you pack the container low in the cooler with the ice you should be just fine.

Salmon Rillettes Recipe
Adapted from Food and Wine
Yields 2 Cups Read more…