French Classics are a Favourite here at Milly's

Whether it's shared meals or quality French cookware, you'll find some inspiring ideas to tempt you this Winter. 

A French Classic!

Traditionally a beef broth soup made with caramelised onions and topped with crusty bread and melted cheese...mmmmm!!

As with many of the traditional foods from around the world, the French onion soup history tells of an easy to make meal for the poor as there was always a plentiful supply of onions. Legend has it that the soup was first created by King Louis XV of France -- who wasn't poor, but was very hungry! 

Prepare and cook soup in the LE CREUSET CAST IRON CASSEROLE from $351.50, using the FRENCH BEECHWOOD SPOONS to stir through the cooking time, from $2.50.

Serve in the RENAULT EARTHENWARE LIONS HEAD SOUP BOWLS $22.95.

Lightly sauté your chicken livers using the DE BUYER ACIER CARBON PLUS STEEL FRYPANS - high quality french carbon steel cookware that will withstand the rigours of the toughest French chefs!  Prices start from $56.50.

Process your cooked chicken livers in the 3200 MAGIMIX FOOD PROCESSOR - the ultimate kitchen work-horse!  Prices start from $549! Chill and serve your prepared paté in the RENAULT EARTHENWARE OVAL DISHES from $11.95 or use the WILTON MINI LOAF TIN from $34.50 for gorgeous individual serves!

Paté si'l vous plaít!
A delicate spread designed to be shared amongst your guests while engrossed in fierce conversation.

Pâté de foie gras is considered an ultimate culinary delight, the king of pâtés. Along with its pedigree comes a hefty price tag. Foie gras is French for "fat liver," and this pâté is made from the livers of specially fattened geese or duck.

However, we can easily satisfy our Pâté cravings without the thought of force-feeding geese by making chopped liver Pâté from organic Chicken livers.

Le Creuset Cast Iron Casseroles!

Le Creuset has been creating world famous cast iron cookware by hand since 1925. Made in France this enamelled cast iron cookware is perfect for any style of cooking including induction. Perfect for slow cooking! CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE. Prices from $351.50.

Beef bourguignon originated in Burgundy, France, and was made with the wines of that region. These days, a full-bodied pinot noir is more commonly used.

Next to wine, the core of beef bourguignon is the beef itself.  Beef bourguignon requires hours of slow cooking, so you want beef that will not only hold up under hours of heat exposure and taste better over time, but also render additional flavor to the sauce.

The beef in beef bourguignon are usually "satisfyingly large and utterly tender," as described in Cook's Illustrated's "Soups and Stews." Cook's goes on to say that, "Beef Burgundy is earthy, big, robust, warm and welcoming in a brooding sort of way."

CLICK HERE for the Milly's recipe:
Beef Bourguignon

Daube is Provence’s most famous meat stew! It has crossed the borders of provincial France and is found in other regions, too, such as the Savoy.

It is likely that the French incorporated the Italian concept into their cooking sometime before the seventeenth century. A daube is made of beef, although in Avignon they make it with lamb.

A daube is traditionally cooked in a stewpot called a daubière and is eaten with la macaronade, flat macaroni cooked with a sauce made from the juices of the daube, along with some mushrooms and a little white wine. 

www.greggs.co.nz

 

CLICK HERE for the Milly's recipe:
Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin is simply chicken cooked in wine!

There are several variations, in particular: In the French region of Bourgogne (which the English know as Burgundy), a red wine is typically used. This is perhaps the most well-known version of Coq au Vin. In some areas a white wine is used instead.

In the Franche-Comté a Vin Jaune white wine is traditionally used, with cream and morel mushrooms. Other regions of France may use either a red or a white wine, depending on local preferences and individual cooks.

Originally created with apples, it is thought that two French sisters, Carolina and Stéphanie Tatin, created the upside-down tart. These women lived in Lamotte-Beuvron, a rural town in the Loire Valley of France. They owned and ran a hotel called l’Hotel Tatin in 1888.

There are a few versions of the story, but the general basis seems to be this: Stéphanie did the cooking at l‘Hotel Tatin. One day, while apparently in a hurry, Stéphanie ended up assembling her tart in backwards order. She served the dessert as she made it, and it was appreciated and became a sort of trademark for her and the hotel.

Gobel Tart Tins

Deep round loose-bottom tart tins.  Ideal for sweet tarts and pies.  Big size range.  Round tart from $17.50. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.