These are the beans that the French are thinking of when they refer to “haricots verts.” They are like Green Beans, but longer (an average of 7 inches / 18cm), thinner, and always stringless. And unlike Green Beans, they always have a good deal of flavour: sometimes batches of regular Green Beans just don’t seem…
French Food
French Flours
French flours have their own formulation and classification systems. They are unique suited both to the type of wheat easily sourced in France, and to the baked goods typically produced with the flours. Grading system of French flours French flours are graded and classified based on the measurement of how much ash (or residual mineral…
French Food
Unlike other cuisines of the world, French cuisine is codified, organized and set out in almost canonical terms — at least, the “grande cuisine” part of French cooking is. It’s owing partly to the politically centralized nature of France itself, and partly to the fact that writers and consumers alike of the “grande cuisine” treat…
French Liqueurs
By French law, to be called a Liqueur, the drink must have a minimum 15% alcohol content, and a minimum sugar content of 20%. If a liqueur in France is called a “crème”, the minimum sugar content must be 40%. 22% of the French liqueur sold worldwide is Crème de Cassis.
French Revolutionary Calendar
The French Revolutionary Calendar, created at the same time as the metric system, was an attempt to create a metric calendar and time system. The calendar year still had 12 months, but each month was divided into 3 weeks (called “décades”) of 10 days each. Each day had 10 hours, each hour 100 “decimal” minutes…
French Sauces
Most of the Western world’s cooking is based on French sauces. Before the French Revolution, France had a highly-developed aristocracy. These had homes with great kitchens and great chefs who had lots of helpers, so the aristocracy got used to very labour-intensive sauces. And not just them: the wealthy merchant class with upper-class aspirations and…
French Vermouth
French Vermouth means “White Vermouth”, which is actually “clear” Vermouth. All Vermouth starts as white, but it was the French who decided to develop it as a white alcohol, while the Italians developed it as a red. There are many brands of White Vermouth, but the signature French White Vermouth is the very fragrant “Noilly…
Galette des Rois
For Twelfth Night (Epiphany), the French make a thin, round cake called “Galette des rois.” It’s also called by some “galette de Noël.” It is a cake made of puff pastry in the shape of a low crown, filled with frangipane. It is cut into pieces in the kitchen, making sure there is one more…
Galettes (Pancakes)
In the eastern part of Brittany, France, they use the word “Galette” to mean savoury crêpes (pancakes) with buckwheat flour. These buckwheat pancakes are made with just three ingredients only: buckwheat flour, water and salt as ingredients (though in some parts of Brittany, such as Cotes d’Armor, up to 10% wheat flour is also snuck…
Galeux d’Eysines Squash
Galeux d’Eysines squash (aka Peanut Pumpkin) is the “belle laide” of pumpkins. Peanut-sized swellings (“warts”) grow on its skin. It is, however, considered very good eating.
Gascony Cooking
Gascony is a region in far southwestern France. Its south side borders Spain; its west side is on the Atlantic coast. [1] It used to be more or less a defined political region, but since the French revolution the area has been parcelled out amongst different political “départements.” Still, it exists in terms of French…
Gastrique
Gastrique is a solution made from vinegar and sugar mixed together to create a balance of acidity and sweetness, then reduced and carmelized over heat. It is used as a base for sauces to go with fruit dishes, and sweet and sour dishes. Some versions use honey and sugar as the sweetener; some use another…
Georges-Auguste Escoffier
Georges-Auguste Escoffier was a French chef and author. He popularized writing out meal menus in the order in which the items would be served, and created now-classic dishes such as Tournedos Rossini, Melba Toast and Peach Melba.
Goat’s Milk Cheeses
Goat’s milk cheeses are generally rindless, creamy cheeses. They typically taste sharper and tangier than those made from cow’s milk. They are usually more expensive because unlike cows, goats don’t produce milk year round.
Goose Fat
Goose Fat, or as some cooks say, “that old white magic”, is a cooking fat rendered from the flesh of geese. Many people swear by the taste for cooking things in. There are two types of goose fat: brown and blonde. Brown fat is the fat that you get while roasting a goose; it renders…
Gougères
Gougères are small, hollow pastry puffs made of a rich egg and butter dough with cheese in the dough. The dough is very similar in its composition and in its making to choux pastry, with the exception of the addition to it of shredded cheese (classically, Gruyère cheese.) Gougères are usually served room temperature as…
Grande Mathilde XO
Grande Mathilde XO is an orange liqueur made from cognac that has been aged for at least 8 years. It is made by Gabriel & Andreu in France near Cognac, and sold in a tall, clear glass bottle.
Grapeseed Oil
After grapes have been pressed for wine, they leave a residue call the “pomace”, which is the seeds, the skin and the stems. Sometimes this is used for making Grappa with; othertimes, it can be used for making oil with. The oil is pressed from the seeds, which constitute sometimes 30 to 40% of the…
Green Anjou Pears
Green Anjou Pears © Denzil Green Green Anjou Pears are often just referred to as “Anjou Pears.” These are the “standard” Anjou, the ones with the light-green skin, sometimes mottled with a bit of yellow. Sometimes there will be a bit of a red blush on it. Unlike some other pears that become yellow when…
Green du Berry Lentils
This is not actually a separate variety of lentils. They are green lentils, grown from Ancia lentil seeds, which a group of French farmers started growing in 1994 and to which a fancy, trademarkable name was applied. Some feel the taste is reminiscent of chestnuts. They are grown in the départements of France called “l’Indre”…
Green Flageolet Beans
Green Flageolet Beans are grown for use as a dried bean. They have a very pale pastel green colour, and a creamy texture when cooked. Cooking Tips Simmer 1 hour; pressure-cook soaked beans for 15 to 20 minutes. Substitutes White Kidney Beans. Equivalents 1 cup uncooked, dried = 2 ¼ cups, cooked. History Notes Green…
Grelot Onions
Grelot Onions grow in bunches. Their bulbs are always small, round and white, like that of Pearl Onions. In addition to the bulb being eaten, the stalk is also used as you would the stalks of chives or leeks. Grown in France, particularly Rungis. Substitutes Very small pearl onions. History Notes Believed to have originated…
Grimod de la Reynière
Grimod de la Reynière was one of the world’s first food reviewers and restaurant critics. Eventually run out of Paris at the start of the 1800s for his witty but scathing reviews and observations, he would spend the rest of his life in a château in a small village where he entertained parties of fellow gourmands.
Grimod de la Reynière Birthday
The 20th of November is the birthday of Grimod de la Reynière. He survived the French revolution and overcame disability to became one of the world’s first food reviewers and restaurant critics.