crispy duck breast with date and cherry chutney, mustard frisée salad and baked duck fat fries

February 13th, 2015

chef morgan a table

BISTRO CHEZ VOUS

the sweet smell of duck … it must be love

recipe: crispy duck breast with date and cherry chutney,
mustard frisée salad, and baked duck fat fries

This year I depart from my usual chocolate theme for Valentine’s Day. This year it is duck and duck fat.  Read the rest of this entry »

chocolate lava cakes with heat

February 11th, 2014

cooking from the heart and giving with generosity
la Saint Valentin 2014

chocolate lava cakes (with a little heat)

chef morgan lava spoon 2

“Happy and successful cooking doesn’t rely only on know-how;
it comes from the heart
and needs enthusiasm and a deep love of food to bring it to life.”

— Georges Blanc, chef of Georges Blanc restaurant in Vonnas Read the rest of this entry »

the perfect Madeleine

February 5th, 2013

 the perfect Madeleine being handed off to another girl

dear Madeleine, please be mine !

how to bake the perfect Madeleine 

So it is like this: a half-birthday celebration, a reduced-sugar school policy, and several requests for a favorite snack recipe (just in time for your Valentine’s celebration) which all inspired this week’s simple pleasure: vanilla bean Madeleines.

girl eating the perfect Madeleine  

Read the rest of this entry »

vanilla bean Madeleines

February 5th, 2013

vanilla bean Madeleines for valentines day

vanilla bean Madeleines

makes 2½ dozen

what you need:
9 tablespoons (4.5 oz) unsalted butter, melted 
1 cup (7.5 oz) granulated sugar
4 large eggs (7 oz.), room temperature
1½ tablespoon vanilla bean paste
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup 2 % milk, room temperature
1½ teaspoon lemon zest Read the rest of this entry »

la blanquette de veau

January 29th, 2013

la blanquette de veau   (veal stew in a white wine-crème fraîche sauce with mushrooms, pearl onions, and artichoke hearts on garlic-rubbed toasted French Bread)

la blanquette de veau


(veal stew in a white wine-crème fraîche sauce with mushrooms, pearl onions,
and artichoke hearts on garlic-rubbed toasted French Bread) 

 (a/k/a “la blanquette d’amour” for Valentine’s Day 2013)

 

 

serves 4-6

preparation time: 10 minutes
oven time: 1 hour
stove time: 30 minutes

what you need:

veal
2 pounds veal shoulder (or beef or chicken breast), cut into 1 ½ -2″ cubes (fat discarded)
all-purpose flour (as needed)
kosher salt (as needed)
freshly ground black pepper (as needed)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter Read the rest of this entry »

stomach en route to heart

February 10th, 2011

stomach en route to heart:

winter tomato soup au gratin,
spicy espresso tournedos on creamy almond and leek risotto hearts,
and fresh tarragon green salad

If it is true that the way to a person’s heart is through his or her stomach, then Saint Valentine’s Day is a foodie’s dream for both the food preparer and the diner. Accordingly, this week’s simple pleasure is devoted to some Valentine’s treats: a winter tomato soup with a gratinée heart-shaped crouton, chili-espresso tournedos on heart-shaped beds of creamy leek and almond risotto, and a fresh tarragon green salad. If this sounds complicated, I can assure you that it is not. Below are some production and ingredient notes. The recipes are in separate entries so they can easily be printed.

Read the rest of this entry »