Our inspiration for these almonds as a delicious apéro gourmand (gourmet appetizer) comes from Le Pichet, our favorite French restaurant in Seattle, Washington. Le Pichet offers a special menu available all day called Le Casse Croûte whose name in French means simple small snacks that you can eat any time of the day. On this menu they feature Amandes à l’espagnole: “Almonds sautéed in olive oil with coarse sea salt.”
Here is our own take on this dish, a quick recipe that pairs nicely with your choice of wine or beer. For wine, we recommend a pinot noir for red and a pinot gris for white. For beer, try an amber style micro-brew.
Toss the almonds in a bowl with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Add rosemary and salt. Heat the almonds in a saute pan over medium heat, stirring frequently until lightly toasted, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully stir in 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (keep face away from pan as vinegar will steam).
Spread the almonds into a single layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pan and cool nuts completely before serving. The almonds may be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Happy Valentine’s Day from French Market Spice! Did you know that in France, there actually exists a village Saint-Valentin, located in the heart of the Champagne Berrichonne (Indre department)? Valentine’s Day in France is not as commercialized as in the US. You will see romantic heart shaped themes and creations primarily among in the windows of chocolate shops, bakeries, and pastry shops. These only appear about the week before February 14th. You will not typically see the month-long promotional onslaught of cards, candies, jewelry advertisements, and decorations we come to expect in the US.
That said, I still do not consider my husband to be off the hook for some sort of acknowledgement of the day. I’m hoping for the delicate lemon tart with the icing that says “Je t’aime” (I love you), or a box of Joël Durand Coeurs Pralines from St Rémy de Provence.
This simple Fines Herbes recipe will provide an unmistakable French aroma to your kitchen, while warming your heart and those of your guests. Bon appétit.
Prepare a plump whole chicken for baking by removing the inner parts and rinsing in cold water. Check the weight of the chicken to calculate the baking time. Drain well and pat dry.
1 heaping teaspoon of sea salt—using French Market SpiceFleur de Sel
¼ teaspoon of white pepper
¼ heaping teaspoon of country French prepared mustard
2 cloves of fresh garlic (plus 2 chopped shallots if you like)
Place the lemon skins inside the chicken cavity, plus 3 rinsed stems of fresh rosemary (about 5 inches long). Using two more cloves of fresh garlic, cut small pieces of the garlic and tuck it into the wing and legs of the chicken, plus the neck cavity.
Brush the Fine Herbes dressing on the chicken, covering it well, and repeat this step every 15-20 minutes. Bake the chicken breast side up uncovered in the 450-degree oven for only 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 325 degrees. At this stage, fold a 15-inch rectangle of aluminum foil into a pointed “hat” and set on top of the chicken to prevent it from browning too quickly. Remove the “hat” before the final 20 minutes of baking to allow the chicken to brown. Bake until done (20 minutes per pound) or 170 degrees on a meat thermometer.
Remove from the oven. Let set for at least 10 minutes before carving.
Serve with a tossed green salad, black olives, steamed baby carrots, and crusty French bread. Use leftover chicken for a hot salad with almonds, and then use the remains to make French vegetable soup with local, seasonal vegetables.
And we are not talking about roast beef au jus. We are talking about breaking bread with family and friends and dipping in to the basics of true haute cuisine.
All you need is fresh baked, preferably crusty, bread, your finest extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of Salt Provençal, Pour some wine and let the dipping and conversation begin!
This makes for a wonderful appetizer when entertaining or simply serve with bread at the dinner table instead of butter. Here is the step-by-step.
1. Choose your favorite crusty bread in whatever shape you like, baguette or boule, as long as there is a lot of crust! My favorite here in France is a the St. Jean, which comes in large loaves approximately 8- inches wide and 3-feet long. You typically buy it by the tranche and use your hands to tell them about how much you want to purchase. This bread is made with organic flour, large course sea salt, and has a wonderful nutty flavor from its poolish (French for bread starter or pre-ferment). No, that word is not French. Pronounced “poo-LEESH,” the name is supposedly derived from the Polish bakers who invented and introduced it to French bakers. If you’re interested, continue reading about it here.
2. Choose the oil. We recommend Extra Virgin French or Spanish extra fine olive oils. They really compliment the nutty flavor and complex textures of the bread. Typically, you will need about 1/4 cup for a small dish or plate. You can always add more as needed. Our favorite is O&Co.’s Lemon or Basil Extra Virgin Oils.
3. Vinegar is option but we recommend a little splash of Balsamic, 1 Tablespoon per 1/4 cup of oil is what we like but you can adjust to your tastes.
4. Sprinkle on the top a pinch or two of Salt Provençal or if you do not want herbs, simply use a pinch of Fleur de Sel.
New Year’s eve in France is called réveillon and typically involves a long meal and party. The name réveillon is derived from the word réveil (meaning "waking"), because guests try to stay awake until midnight or later. The meal includes luxury food like lobster, oysters, caviar, escargot, and foie gras.
We celebrated réveillon this year with French friends in Rueil Malmaison outside of Paris and our first course consisted of foie gras mi-cuit served on small toasts with sweet onion jam. Mi-cuit means half-cooked and that it is fresh liver that has not been preserved in any way. (It has not been boiled in a container for 2 hours, as with most preserved versions.) Surprisingly, this type of foie-gras does not taste very liver-like, which makes it a good type to try for your first introduction to the dish.
Our hosts paired this with a chilled Sauternes dessert wine. A classic match for foie gras, Sauternes is a wine from the Bordeaux region made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes that are allowed to partially raisin, thus giving it a rich, sweet complex flavor.
Chef David, French Market Spice’s contributing chef, shares his recipe for Faux Foie Gras (Duck Liver Mousse). As you know, real foie gras is expensive, and often difficult to find in the US. Chef David has developed an easier, more budget-friendly way to reproduce the depth of flavor and smooth texture of this authentic French favorite.
Preparing foie gras generally does not require special kitchen equipment or utensils, except that you should choose a container to serve as a mold. It is typical to use a medium to large terrine shaped mold to make a block shape. You may also choose to use several smaller molds, depending on your purpose. Included below are some photos of typical terrine molds you’ll find in most cooking stores.
Soak the mushrooms in a little bit of tepid water.
Pan-sear the liver with a little bit of the butter, and the pink salt. When nicely seared, deglaze with the sherry and the brandy and the mushroom water and braise until ¾ of the liquid has reduced.
Put the remaining reduction in a food processor while still warm and add the butter slowly while processing.
At this point, add the rest of the ingredients and blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour it into molds of your choice. Refrigerate it to cool with no lid so that the steam can escape freely.
Once the foie gras has cooled, you can either slice it and serve with toasts or bread on the side or you can spread it directly onto toasts and serve it.
Popular accompaniments include cornichons, onion, apricot, fig jam, salad, nuts, and dried fruits. The choice is yours. Needless to say, your family, friends, or Supper Club foodies will be impressed!
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