Cindi Anthony, Dallas resident, and lover of all thing’s French shares this recipe. Cindi and her husband have spent part of the year in the southwestern corner of France for several years. This is not a soup you would find in Paris or other large cities, but in the countryside where the famed pink garlic of Lautrec is raised. This garlic makes a large clove and is so mild that you can grate it fresh to use in salads and other sauces.

The garlic is harvested in the Spring. It is laid out to dry and in early August and is braided for sale in the market.

The Village of Lautrec has a garlic festival that takes place on the first Friday of August to celebrate this famed crop. The highlight is making a huge vat of garlic soup for 3000 people, and everyone attending the festival can have a taste!

The legend surrounding garlic soup is that it has the ability to cure hangovers and provide energy. Thus it is traditionally served the morning after banquets with heavy drinking, and to newlyweds the night of their wedding, as well as to grape pickers during the harvest season.

An ancient rural tradition in southwest France is to “faire chabrol” as you reach the bottom of a bowl of soup. The translation of “faire chabrol” is literally “drink like a goat.” This involves pouring a little red wine to the remains of your soup and drinking it straight from the bowl. Today it is performed mostly by older folks living in rural areas, but it is still sometimes done elsewhere in a spirit of conviviality and friendship.

This recipe is for 6 and uses ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Give the “fair chabrol” a try!

Country French Garlic Soup

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Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Course Soup

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 20 cloves garlic, minced (about 1/3 cup)
• 5 tbsp olive oil (divided use)
• 4 eggs

For Garnish

• Garlic croutons
• Chives and/or fresh sage

Instructions

 

• Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a soup pot over a low flame Add onion and sauté lightly.  After a minute or two, add minced garlic and stir until garlic and onion are soft, being careful not to brown the garlic.
• Add chicken broth and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow broth to cool a bit.
• While the broth is simmering, separate eggs, adding yolks to a small mixing bowl.  Slowly drizzle remaining 3 Tbsp olive oil into the yolks, whisking as you go.  Add a few tablespoons of cooled broth to the yolks, making a liaison.  The goal is to have the egg yolks and the broth in the pot close to the same temperature so that the eggs don’t cook when they are added.  Gradually add the egg yolk mixture to the broth. Whisk or use an immersion blender.  Continue whisking/blending and add the egg white. Reheat gently but do not let the mixture boil.
• Place garlic croutons in the bottom of each soup bowl, and ladle hot soup over the top. Garnish with snipped chives, chopped fresh sage and a grind of fresh pepper.

  Bon appetit!

Video

Roquefort cheese is considered the “King of Cheese” in France. It was the first cheese to actually have an AOC designation. Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, or AOC, is a French food-labeling term that protects the style, ingredients, and origin of a product. The milk has to come from a certain breed of sheep called Lacaune Sheep. The sheep have to be raised within a radius of 60 miles of the village of Roquefort. The milk must be collected and delivered to the cheesemakers within 24 hours. At that point it is treated with rennet and a special bacteria called penicillin roqueforti.

A fun legend is that Roquefort Cheese was first discovered by a shepherd who was in one of the Roquefort caves who took a break and had a sandwich of rye bread and cheese. He saw a beautiful shepardess wandering by and thereby followed her out the cave.

He came back 3 – 4 weeks later to discover that his sandwich had formed mold, but in the cheese were these beautiful blue veins which are typical of Roquefort cheese. So that is the legend of how Roquefort Cheese was first discovered.

In fact, the village of Roquefort is built on a plateau where there are some huge natural caves that have fluerenes which allows cool air from the outside to ventilate the cave. So in the cave, penicillin is produced naturally. So they will place rye bread in the caves and allow it to grow the penicillin which they will then use to inject in the cheese. In modern times, laboratory techniques are used to create the penicillin, but it is still the same technique that has been used for hundreds of years.

The milk arrives, its treated with the bacteria – rennet. The whey is placed into bowls which are penetrated with spikes of metal which allow more air to circulate. They are treated in salt and left to rest on a shelf for 3 – 6 months. To be called Roquefort cheese, it must be from this village and go through this specific procedure. It’s considered to be one of the greatest delicacies among cheese.

This salad highlights Roquefort cheese and is served on Endive, which is a popular lettuce in France. It’s a little easier to find in the winter here in Texas.

Salad of Endive and Roquefort

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Course Salad

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 3-4 heads endive – a mixture of red and green makes a colorful salad
• 4 oz Roquefort or other blue cheese – the creamier, the better
• 1 Apple, chopped
• ½ cup Candied walnuts, chopped
• ½ cup Pomegranate seeds
• 4 tbsp French walnut oil – I find French walnut oil to be much more flavorful

Instructions

 

• Trim the base of the endives and fan the leaves on the serving platter so that they overlap.
• Spread chopped apple and crumbled Roquefort evenly over leaves.
• Sprinkle with candied walnuts and pomegranate seeds. 
• Drizzle platter with walnut oil.  Give it a good grind of salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Texas Sheet Cake with a little spice take the form of cupcakes for an easy grab an go serving at a get-together. This is a classic staple in Texas kitchens and at events with family and friends. Lady Bird Johnson was even known to serve Texas Sheet cake to guests at the Stonewall Pedernales ranch on a regular basis. Adding cayenne pepper and a little bourbon in the icing give it that punch of taste.

Texas Sheet Cake Cupcakes

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Course Dessert

Servings 36 muffins

Ingredients

  

For the cake:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 cups unbleached Texas flour
• 2 cups Imperial Sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ¼ cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 cup coffee, boiling hot
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the icing:

• 14 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 tbsp dark cocoa powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 tbsp whole milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp Bourbon
• 1 cup chopped, roasted pecans

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roast pecans on a baking sheet for 7 minutes.
• If using a 13 x 8 pan, line with parchment paper and butter the top of parchment paper. If making cupcakes, line with cupcake papers.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cayenne and salt and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the 2 sticks butter. Add the cocoa powder and stir. Add the boiling hot coffee and stir to combine.
• Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla.
• Stir the buttermilk mixture into the butter/chocolate mixture.
• Pour into a sheet cake pan or cupcake pans (makes 36) and bake art 350 degrees for 20 minutes (sheet cake), or 15 minutes (cupcakes)
• While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop roasted pecans. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, and stir. Remove from heat. Add milk, Vanilla, powdered sugar, cayenne pepper, and bourbon. Stir in pecans. Spoon onto cake or cupcakes.
• Indulge!

Notes

I have frozen this cake with great success. It is nice to cut into squares, place on a plate, and freeze. Let thaw for a quick dessert.

If you would like to really “wow” your guests or fellow revelers on New Year’s Eve, this savory cookie is the answer!

My friend Sandi Mueller, former educator turned baker extraordinaire – turned me on to this delight. She piqued my interest when she said she had never served anything that received more rave reviews than this appetizer. Her guests kept coming back for “just one more”. Knowing the breadth of her repertoire, I was duly impressed.

The combination of a rosemary cheesy cookie topped with a tomato jam infused with bourbon, creates a mouthful of flavor. Although the process is two part – one for the jam, and one for the cookie, you can find a slot of time and make the jam and then store in the fridge until you make the cookies. This is exactly what I did!

Another benefit is that there will definitely be some jam left over and it is a perfect addition for a charcuterie.

For a feast for the eyes as well as the mouth, you can add the cookie to a plated salad instead of bread. The jam’s red color gives the salad a pop.

Savory Cookies with Bourbon Tomato Jam

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 30 cookies

Ingredients

  

Savory Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1 deseeded and finely-chopped jalapeño
• 1 8" sprig rosemary, leaves only finely chopped
• ½ tsp cosher salt
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1½ cups flour

Bourbon Tomato Jame

• 1.5 lb cherry tomatoes
• 1 - 1½ cup sugar
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1½ tbsp chili flakes
• 1½ tsp minced garlic
• ⅓ cup finely-diced onion
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ cup Bourbon

Instructions

 

Bourbon tomato jam

• Mix all the ingredients except for the bourbon in a sauce pan. Bring the mix to a boil on medium heat while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixes come to a boil, increase the heat to keep it at a boil.
• Let the mixture boil while stirring and gently crushing the tomatoes with a spoon or meat crusher as they soften after about five minutes of cooking time. Add the bourbon and mix.
• The mixture should keep cooking until the liquid has become very syrupy and thick. The time depends on the heat of your stove and how much liquid is present in the tomatoes. The end product will resemble preserves with tomato pieces in it.
• This can be stored in a glass bowl until needed. You’ll probably have a little bit left which is great as an addition to a Chacuterie board.

Savory Cookies

• In a stand mixer, place the softened butter, sugar and salt and cream all together. Add the cheese, rosemary, and jalapeño.
• Add the egg and mix until it is well incorporated into the dough.
• Add the flour and mix completely. Cover and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes until the oven has preheated.
• Preheat oven to 350° F and lying to cookie trays with parchment paper.
• Make one and a half inch round balls and placed them on the cookie tray with a little space in between. Create a deep well in each dough ball using a moisten them.
• Fill each well generously with bourbon tomato jam.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The cookies should be golden on bottom and light golden on top.

Video

Notes

If you are storing the cookies, do not stack! The jam will stick to the bottom of the cookies I simply placed parchment paper in between each layer and have had good luck freezing.

Of course we all love Mac and Cheese. Add slightly sweet butternut squash and viola! The love goes to obsession.

This is a great dish to make for your Christmas meal, but it also is wonderful to have around during the holidays when you are reduced to snacking and trying to maintain some bit of healthy status. It is filling, and by using chick pea macaroni, the carbs are cut a bit without sacrificing taste.

I especially like this recipe for a couple reasons:
1.The onions and rosemary create a nice savory appeal.
2. By simply layering the mixture with cheese, there is not the stringy cheese spoon.

Want to branch out? Try penne, ziti, or twirls for a different look. Cheese options could be Colby, Swiss, Pepper Jack, or Emmental. Also, throwing in a chopped jalapeno or two is always a good option.

You can also throw together a salad and enjoy a complete veggie meal!

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

• 12 oz dried macaroni
• 1 butternut squash, cut in ½ and drizzled with olive oil
• 2 whole yellow onions
• ½ cup butter, divided
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk (preferably whole)
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar
• 1 tbsp fresh, chopped rosemary
• ⅛ tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F. Place butternut squash cut side up on a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes. When the squash is tender, scrape out the flesh and mash with a spoon or potato masher. (Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees after removing squash)
• While the squash is roasting, cook the macaroni until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside.
• Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large skillet, add the sliced onions and cook until they are a deep golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
• In same skillet, melt the remaining 1/4 cup butter and then whisk in the flour. Add the nutmeg and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes.
• Add the 2 Cups milk, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil while continuing to whisk. After sauce has thickened, turn heat to low and whisk in the butternut squash. Stir in the fresh rosemary. Add the cooked macaroni to the pan and stir until the macaroni noodles are all coated.
• Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
• Grease a 2 quart casserole dish. Pour half of the noodle mixture into the pan.
• Sprinkle half of the cheddar over the macaroni noodles. Add the remaining noodle mixture and top with the rest of the cheese.
• Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.
• Serve warm.

Video

Notes

Leftovers, if there are any, freeze well.

Whether preparing appetizers for your family gathering, or for literally 500, these stuffed grape leaves are the ticket! I have always loved them, but considered it an abominable task to make them. Join me with Jo Ann Andera as she demystifies their fairly simple preparation and learn about the Lebanese heritage here in Texas.

JoAnn headed the annual folk like festival at the Institute of Texan culture museum for many years. She has a deep appreciation for all the cultures that constitute Texas as well as a unique viewpoint growing up as the daughter of Lebanese immigrants.

Stuffed grape leaves make A hardy snack that can be frozen & defrosted for a quick Protein pick-me-up. They would also serve well with a hardy appetizer meal since they include meat and rice.  Easy to pick up individually, the hard part is exhibiting restraint on how many you can eat!