Cafe Salle Pleyel Hamburger - FFWD

These FFWD burgers were very good! That said, we all decided we do prefer plain burgers better (my husband's burgers are THE BEST) but these were fun to try. I did not use any cornichons (couldn't find) or pickles (I didn't realize until it was too late that the ones we had on hand were sweet pickles - yuck!). The Onion Marmalade was nice and easy to make. It just wasn't enough for four burgers. Double or triple the recipe would be best. As for the burgers themselves, we loved the tarragon hit; the capers and sun-dried tomatoes added moistness and maybe a little flavor; the parsley probably didn't add any flavor so I would probably not bother adding it next time. Also, we needed more Parmesan cheese. All in all, an interesting burger!

ETA: Some Doristas mentioned that this mixture could work as a meatloaf...I think that sounds great...will have to try :)

Eggplant Caviar - FFWD

Another great FFWD recipe. My whole family loves this. I've been making pretty much the same recipe for years but without the garlic and herbs - both versions are great. I thought Dorie's combination of herbs sounded odd but it really worked well. The only thing I would change is that next time I will saute the garlic in some of the olive oil first to temper the sharpness. This would help especially with any leftovers...the garlic gets sharper over time. Speaking of leftovers, this spread is good for several days after making (best served to company day one but, really, it is just fine for several days after).

Citrus-Berry Terrine - FFWD

Another lovely dessert thanks to FFWD! My whole family really liked this one. Raspberries, blueberries, and pieces of orange and grapefruit suspended in a juice-based gelatin. Light and very refreshing. For the juice, I used a combination of orange and grapefruit juices which I loved but everyone else requested that I only use orange juice next time. Also, the requested fruits for next time: orange sections, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries.

My gelatin firmed up quicker than I expected so the whole thing was not as smooth as it should have been - I have to monitor the gelatin more carefully in order to add the fruit at the correct time. Adding some fruit to the bottom of the pan before pouring in the gelatin/fruit mixture would make the top more attractive, too. The top of mine was mostly a layer of gelatin so you couldn't see the colorful fruit very well (thus, no photo of the entire terrine :)).

Updated info for Citrus-Berry Terrine: Citrus-Berry Terrine - Revisited

And: best way to section citrus fruits...no waste and beautiful segmentss: Inside Out Way to Cut Citrus Fruits

Over the last week, I've made several other recipes from Around My French Table: Bok Choy, Sugar Snaps, and Garlic en Papillote, Cod and Tomatoes en Papillote, Recipe-Swap Onion "Carbonara" (served over linguine), and Paris Mushroom Soup. All were really good and easy...the fish en papillote was particularly fabulous and this is the third time I've made the mushroom soup because my son loves it so much.