Sauce Bernaise
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon minced scallion
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
3 peppercorns
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon warm water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
Boil vinegar, wine, onion, tarragon and peppercorns in small saucepan until liquid has reduced to 2 tablespoons. Pour liquid through fine sieve. In top of double boiler, over just simmering water, blend egg yolks and warm water until creamy. Bottom of double boiler should not touch water.
Melt butter over low heat; add 1/2 teaspoons to yolk mixture, beating well with a wire whisk after each addition. Set bottom of pan in a cold water bath if eggs start to look like scrambled eggs. After some butter has been added, up to 1 teaspoon of butter can be added at one time. Leave the white residue in bottom of butter pan. After butter is added, stir in vinegar mixture and salt.
Yields 3/4 cup.
Radish and Watercress Salad (Radis Repes)
8 ounces watercress
3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly-ground pepper
12 radishes, sliced
Remove tough stems from watercress; break sprigs into bite-size pieces. Arrange watercress on plates. Mix oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over radishes; toss. Spoon radish mixture over watercress.
Yields 6 servings.
Onion Tart (Pissaladiere)
This is a rustic French bread featuring the Provensal touch of olive oil and anchovies and cured olives of the Mediterranean.
1 (16 ounce) loaf frozen bread dough
3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
3 large onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or thyme
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 (2 ounce) cans anchovy fillets, drained
10 oil-cured Greek olives, cut into halves and pitted
Thaw bread dough as directed on package. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet until hot. Stir in onions; reduce heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in basil and white pepper. Shape dough into flattened rectangle on lightly floured surface. Roll dough with floured rolling pin into a 14 x 11-inch rectangle. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet; let rest 15 minutes.
Spoon onion mixture evenly over dough to within 1 inch of edge. Arrange anchovies in lattice pattern on onions. Top with olives. Let tart rest 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake until crust is brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Herbed Liver Pate (Pate Provensal)
This recipe needs the special brandy made in the Cognac region of France. Serve with cornichons (tiny pickled gherkins).
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 pound chicken livers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons Cognac or Madeira
1/4 cup whipping cream
French bread, thinly sliced and toasted
Cook and stir onion in butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until tender. Add livers. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until livers are no longer pink inside, about 12 minutes. Reduce heat to low; stir in salt, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, sage and pepper. Cook and stir 1 minute.
Place liver mixture in food processor work bowl fitted with steel blade. Add Cognac to skillet; stir Cognac, and scrape drippings from skillet. Add to liver mixture. Cover and process with about 15 pulses until mixture is very finely chopped. Add whipping cream. Cover and process, adding 2 or 3 teaspoons whipping cream if necessary, until smooth and fluffy, about 15 seconds.
Pack liver mixture into small bowl or crock. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours. Let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes before serving. Serve with French bread. Garnish with cornichons and parsley if desired.
Makes 1 1/2 cups.
Flan (Caramel Custard)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Heat 1/2 cup sugar in heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and golden brown. Divide syrup among four 6-ounce custard cups; rotate cups to coat bottoms. Allow syrup to harden in cups, about 5 minutes.
Mix remaining ingredients; pour into custard cups. Place cups in 9-inch square pan on oven rack. Pour very hot water into pan to within 1/2 inch of tops of cups. Bake at 350 degrees F until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
Immediately remove from water. Unmold and serve warm, or refrigerate and unmold at serving time.
Yields 4 servings.
Spiced Brandy Custard
Stir 2 tablespoons brandy, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg into eggs.
Potato Salad
1 cup raw bacon
1 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup parsley, minced
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons celery seed
6 cups almost done red potatoes, sliced
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Saute onion and bacon together, then add flour and cook together for one or two minutes.
Mix water, vinegar, parsley, sugar and celery seed and add to bacon mixture. Pour over almost done potatoes and bake for 45 minutes.