Category Archives: French Fridays with Dorie
French Fridays with Dorie: Caramel-Topped Semolina Cake
My mother had a strong aversion to hot cereal, of any kind, which she passed along to me. It’s something I never cared for, though, in recent years, I’ve grown to like a bowl of steel-cut oats on a cold winter morning.
With that said, I postponed making the Caramel-Topped Semolina Cake because the Cream of Wheat it called for made me a little nervous. The instructions were straightforward. Molten sugar for caramel always makes me a little nervous, but I’ve made caramel before. But, from a gustatory perspective, this recipe definitely took me out of my comfort zone.
The result was surprising. It was more like custard than cake. It reminded me of a flan that wasn’t completely smooth. I liked it. I have been visiting my sister Jane this week. I made this for dessert one night, taking advantage of the extra eaters. My brother-in-law Danny and my dad also liked it. Danny thought it would also be good for breakfast.
As for the cooking itself, I had no trouble with the caramel, but as I said, I’ve done that before. Jane’s pots are all Calphalon, so I had to dab the caramel on a white plate to track the color change. It’s definitely easier with stainless-steel colored pots. I think I should have doubled the caramel topping. Jane did have an 8-inch cake pan, and though the heated pan spread the caramel easily, it didn’t completely cover.
I debated about adding the raisins because I don’t like them in baked goods. I polled the eater audience, who voted for the raisins. It was a good choice, especially because it wasn’t a cakey cake.
Bubble in the Oven
Bubble Deflated
It also wasn’t the most beautiful cake. Something happened while it was baking, and a giant bubble formed in one quadrant. As the cake cooled, that quadrant deflated completely. I’m thinking that this might have been one of the spots where the caramel didn’t completely cover the bottom of the pan, trapping some air.
Overall, it was a success. I’m not sure I’ll make it again, but more because there are so many more recipes to try than because it wasn’t a good dessert.
Now, does anyone have any suggestions for using up the rest of the box of Cream of Wheat? A bowl of hot cereal is out of the question.
Note that this recipe can be found in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table. If you want to read about other bloggers’ experiences making this cake and other recipes from the book, check out French Fridays with Dorie.
French Fridays with Dorie: Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux
It’s Friday again. Time to report on this week’s installment in my “French cooking project”. I’m participating in an online cook-a-long, making a recipe each week from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table. It’s week 9, and so far, so good. I’ve managed to participate each week. The hits have outnumbered the misses, which is a good thing, of course. You can see what other online cooks taking part in this kitchen adventure think of each week’s recipe at French Fridays with Dorie.
For November, the recipes for the month were announced, but because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, each person picks the order that works for them. This week, I made Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux. Les Paresseux means “lazy people” in French. This was one of my favorite recipes to date.
The starting point is that I love roast chicken. My usual preparation comes from The New Basics by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, stuffing the chicken with lemon halves and herbs and roasting it on a bed of vegetables that turns into a luscious pan sauce. You also have to baste it periodically.
Dorie’s recipe is so much easier. You stuff the chicken with garlic and herbs. The chicken gets propped up off the bottom of the pan by some bread slices. Accompanying vegetables, and more garlic, roast along with the chicken in a Dutch oven, keeping most of the splatter in the pot.
This recipe was mostly sourced locally. I used a free-range chicken from our meat CSA, Chestnut Farms. The herbs were from my herb garden (which is close enough to the kitchen door that it hasn’t yet succumbed to a hard frost). The potatoes, carrots, and onions were grown at the farms where I bought them. It was comfort food for both body and soul.
I doubled the vegetables, though my Dutch oven was a little too small for what I put into it. The chicken’s skin was burnished and crispy. The roasted potatoes were crusty. The other vegetables were tender, especially the roasted garlic, which melted under the fork.
Now, about the bread. There’s been a lot of discussion about the bread that holds up the chicken. Dorie described it as treat for the cook. Some loved it, and others found it disgusting. I fall in the “loved it” camp. I might not have oiled the pot enough because the bread stuck to the pot, so I didn’t get to eat the crusty parts. The mushy part of the bread was truly decadent. It reminded me of the stuffing inside the Thanksgiving turkey, the heart-attack variety. The two baguette slices weren’t enough for me. Next time, and there will be a next time, I’m thinking of covering the entire bottom of the Dutch oven with baguette slices.
For the two of us, the vegetables lasted only two meals. The chicken lasted four. We had the last of the leftover Potato Gratin with the chicken one night. To supplement the accompaniments, I made roasted squash. The squash has a slight Mexican flair, a little spicy, but not too hot. I’ll share my recipe as a bonus.
Roasted Squash with Chili and Sage
Serves 6 – 8
2 small or 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (8 – 10 cups in total)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tsp ancho chile powder
8 sage leaves, sliced thin
Salt & pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 450F. Toss the squash with the oil. Sprinkle with sugar, chile and sage leaves and toss to distribute throughout. Arrange the squash on a large baking sheet, in a single layer. Roast, turning once, until tender and lightly browned, 20 – 25 minutes.
A Plateful of Happiness 