RECIPES OF FRANCE

Contents:

Mains
Leek Pie
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ratatouille

Breakfast
Crepe
Quiche
Traditional Layered Croissants

Dessert
Authentic Meringues
Creme Brulee
Lemon Madeleines

MAINS

Leek Pie
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ratatouille

LEEK PIE

INGREDIENTS:
1 (9 inch) refrigerated pie crust
2 teaspoons butter
3 leeks, chopped
1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup light cream
1 1/4 cups shredded Gruyere cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in leeks; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10
minutes, or until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and cheese, and warm
through. Pour mixture into pie shell
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until custard is set and golden on top. Allow to sit 10 minutes
before cutting pie into wedges.

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

INGREDIENTS:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices cooked ham
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 7x11 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness.
3. Sprinkle each piece of chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on
top of each breast. Roll up each breast, and secure with a toothpick. Place in baking dish, and sprinkle chicken
evenly with bread crumbs.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from oven, and place 1/2 cheese slice
on top of each breast. Return to oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove toothpicks, and
serve immediately.

RATATOUILLE
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
salt to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 zucchini, sliced
1 large onion, sliced into rings
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat bottom and sides of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with
1 tablespoon olive oil.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir garlic until
lightly browned. Mix in parsley and eggplant. Cook and stir until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season
with salt to taste.
3. Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons
of Parmesan cheese. Spread zucchini in an even layer over top. Lightly salt and sprinkle with a little more
cheese. Continue layering in this fashion, with onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and tomatoes, covering each
layer with a sprinkling of salt and cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

BREAKFAST
Crepe
Quiche
Traditional Layered Croissants

CREPE
INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a blender combine eggs, milk, flour, salt and oil. Process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and brush with oil. Pour 1/4 cup of crepe batter into pan, tilting to
completely coat the surface of the pan. Cook 2 to 5 minutes, turning once, until golden. Repeat with remaining
batter.

QUICHE

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cooked ham, diced
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for
garnish
2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers,
garnish
DIRECTIONS:
1. In medium bowl, toss 4 teaspoons flour with the grated cheese. Sprinkle mixture into the pie shell. On top
of cheese, sprinkle 1/2 cup of diced ham.
2. In medium bowl, combine eggs, milk or cream, and then add salt and mustard powder. Beat until smooth
and pour over cheese and ham.
3. Put piece of plastic wrap large enough to overlap sides over top of quiche, then a piece of foil, and seal well
around the edges. (plastic keeps the foil from sticking to the food). Place prepared quiche in freezer.
4. When ready to prepare, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C.) Remove foil and plastic wrap. Put
foil around edge of crust to protect it.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until filling is set and crust is golden brown. Garnish with
parsley and pimiento if desired

TRADITIONAL LAYERED CROISSANTS

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room
temperature
4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
DIRECTIONS:
1. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour over the butter and mix it together with your hands in a mixing bowl or on a
work surface. Transfer the butter to a length of foil or parchment paper and pat it into a 6 inch square. Fold
up the foil to make a packet and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
2. Combine 2 cups of the flour with the salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm
water (100 degrees F/38 degrees C) and set aside until frothy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the milk
and the heavy cream to lukewarm. Add the yeast, milk, and cream to the flour mixture and stir well. The
dough will have a batter-like consistency.
3. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of flour 1/4 cup at a time to form a soft dough. It should no longer be sticky.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Place the dough
in a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. To begin the rolling and folding process, both the butter and the dough should be at a cool room
temperature. [See Cook's Note.] Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it into a 10-inch square. Set the

block of butter diagonally on the square dough. Bring each point of dough to the center of the butter square;
the edges of the dough should overlap. Pinch the edges together to seal.
5. Starting from the center of the square and working outward, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a
rectangle. The butter should be pliable enough to roll smoothly with the dough; if it's too soft and starts to
ooze out the corners, wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate before proceeding. Roll the dough into a long
rectangle, approximately 8 by 18 inches. Fold the length of dough into thirds, like a business letter.
6. If the dough is still cool, you can continue with another fold. Otherwise, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for
45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm up for about 10 minutes before
you begin rolling it out again.
7. Position the dough so that the open ends are at 12 and 6 o'clock. Roll the dough into a rectangle, working
from the center of the dough and pressing outwards. Reposition the dough as necessary to fit your work
space. You should have a long rectangle for the "book fold." Fold both ends of the dough into the middle; the
ends don't have to be touching, but should be close. Fold the already-folded dough in half; it will look like a
thick book. Wrap the dough well with plastic and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
8. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Roll the
dough into a rectangle again and fold it into thirds, like a business letter. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for
4-6 hours or overnight.
9. To shape the croissants, roll the dough into a 10- by 38-inch rectangle on a lightly floured work surface. It
should be about 1/4 inch thick. Use a pizza wheel or sharp paring knife to trim the edges of the dough. Divide
the rectangle in half so that you have two 5-inch wide strips of dough. Use a clean yardstick to mark each strip
into triangles that are 5 inches wide at their bases. Cut the triangles and place them onto parchment-lined
baking sheets. Chill for 15 to 20 minutes, if necessary.
10. Starting at the base of the triangle, roll the dough up into a log; the tip of the triangle should be under the
body of the croissant to prevent it from unraveling. Bend in the corners to form the traditional crescent shape.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
11. Arrange the croissants on the parchment-lined baking sheets and allow to rise until doubled in size, about
1 to 2 hours.
12. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Beat the egg with the tablespoon of water to make the
egg wash. Brush the croissants with egg wash and bake in the preheated oven until deep brown, 22 to 25
minutes. Cool on a rack before serving.

DESSERTS
Authentic Meringues
Creme Brulee
Lemon Madeleines

AUTHENTIC MERINGUES
INGREDIENTS:
4 egg whites
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Butter and flour a baking sheet.
2. In a glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy using an electric mixer. Sprinkle in sugar a little at a
time, while continuing to whip at medium speed. When the mixture becomes stiff and shiny like satin, stop
mixing, and transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag. Pipe the meringue out onto the prepared baking sheet
using a large round tip or star tip.
3. Place the meringues in the oven and place a wooden spoon handle in the door to keep it from closing all the
way. Bake for 3 hours, or until the meringues are dry, and can easily be removed from the pan. Allow cookies
to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.

CRME BRULEE
INGREDIENTS:
6 egg yolks
6 tablespoons white sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons brown sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Beat egg yolks, 4 tablespoons white sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy.
3. Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to boil. Remove the cream from
heat immediately. Stir cream into the egg yolk mixture; beat until combined.
4. Pour cream mixture into the top pan of a double boiler. Stir over simmering water until mixture lightly
coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Remove mixture from heat immediately and pour into a shallow
heat-proof dish.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for
at least 1 hour or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to broil.
7. In a small bowl combine remaining 2 tablespoons white sugar and brown sugar. Sift this mixture evenly
over custard. Place dish under broiler until sugar melts, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so as not to burn.
8. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until custard is set again.

LEMON MADELEINES
INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for
decoration
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl blend eggs and sugar add butter and blend well. On low speed, blend in flour, baking
powder, lemon, vanilla.
2. Cover bowl with towel and let sit for one hour.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and butter and flour madeleine molds. Whisk batter then
spoon into molds 3/4 full. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from molds and cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Recipes credit to AllRecipes.com