I hope everyone enjoyed a Bastille Day celebration yesterday. I always enjoy setting a table and preparing a French meal on July 14th. We'll get to the recipes in a bit, but first a few pictures of the table setting on the deck.
I found the plates at a Goodwill store months ago for .50 each. I knew they would be perfect for the Bastille Day meal. I fell in love with the vibrant colors and the lovely storefront scenes.
The Fleur de Lis etched stemware was purchased in a shop on Jackson Square in New Orleans years ago.
A few days ago, I selected several French cookbooks from the bookcases in the kitchen and we began searching for the perfect recipes for our July 14th celebratory meal.
Plat du Jour, French Dinners Made Easy by Susan Herrmann Loomis was the winner!
As she writes in her book, French steaks are seared and are served nearly raw in the center, seasoned with lots of cracked black pepper, and a knob of butter. To finish this ultimate comfort food meal, serve the creamy potato gratin alongside. No cheese is needed for these potatoes. The potato slices almost melt into the milk and cream.
For the gratin:
1 garlic clove
1 cup whole milk
2 cups Crème fraîche
fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
2 pounds starchy potatoes, such as russet, peeled and very thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the cut sides firmly all over the interior of a medium backing dish.
Whisk together the milk and the Crème fraîche in a large bowl. Season generously with salt, pepper, and as you like with nutmeg. Whisk, then add potatoes, and mix them thoroughly.
Turn the potatoes into the medium baking dish, making sure to scrape out all of the cream with a rubber spatula.
Bake the gratin in the center of the oven for 15 minutes. Stir the potatoes gently, then bake for an additional 20 minutes. Stir the potatoes again, then bake until the gratin is bubbling and golden on top another 20 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
For the steak: While the gratin is resting, heat a large heavy skillet (nonstick is fine) over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the steaks and cook until they are golden brown on one side, 1 - 1 1/2 minutes. Salt and pepper the steak, turn it, and cook it until it is golden on the other side, 1 - 1 1/2 minutes. Your steak is cooked, French-style. If you want it cooked move, simply increase the cooking time on each side.
To serve, place a steaks on warmed dinner plates and top each with a knob of butter. Place a serving of gratin next to each steak, and garnish with parsley.
**I made a blue cheese compound butter, by mixing together 1 T. crumbled blue cheese with 3 T. softened butter until thoroughly combined.
I also cooked our steaks on a Blackstone griddle following the directions above.
For the tomatoes:
Slice four ripe tomatoes into 1/4" inch thickness. Place on a broiler pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with dried tarragon, salt, and black pepper. Broil for 3 - 4 minutes until tomatoes begin to lightly brown.
For the asparagus:
Trim the asparagus by removing the thicker portion of the stem. Toss with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper. Place on the broiler pan and broil for 3 - 4 minutes until asparagus begins to soften. Serve immediately.
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Pretty and looks delicious.
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