Hachis Parmentier - FFWD

This week’s recipe for FFWD is Hachis Parmentier. Lousy picture but rocking recipe. Basically, a rich beef stew covered with cheesy (Gruyere) mashed potatoes. I made this for my kids when they came home from college for a weekend visit. They totally loved it.


I used a chuck steak and sweet Italian sausage for the meat. Leftovers were great so next time, I will double the recipe - well, maybe triple it.

Last night I made the Quiche Lorraine (it was very good) and today I am making Gougeres for the freezer and the Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Soup for the second time (going to crisp the chicken skin in the oven - thanks to Beth for that idea :). All from Around My French Table...I love this book so far!

Vietnamese Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup - FFWD

Week 3 recipe for FFWD is Vietnamese Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup, richly flavored with with coconut, lime, chile, & cilantro.

This is one of the best soups I've ever had! Very easy to make and I can make it often as the ingredients are pantry staples except for chicken & Chinese noodles. I do have pasta, egg noodles,& rice vermicelli in my cupboard, though, & those would work instead of the fresh Chinese noodles…I liked the texture of the Chinese noodles so I’ll use those when possible. I always have tofu or frozen shrimp which would probably be great substitutes for the chicken.

Gerard's Mustard Tart (FFWD) and Sticky Toffee Cake

Week 2 recipe for FFWD is Gerard’s Mustard Tart flavored with carrots, leeks, mustard, & rosemary. It was very good & we will definitely make it again. Leftovers cold the next day were good, too. Next time I will chop the leeks instead of cutting them into strips; cold, the strips were hard to cut through. This recipe is one of the reasons I'm glad that I committed to FFWD as it is one I would never have wanted to try on my own - and it turned out to be something I would love to make again.

For dessert we had Raquel’s Sticky Toffee Cake from American Masala by Suvir Saran and Raquel Pelzel. It was almost identical to my very favorite dessert of all time anywhere which is Date Pudding with Dark Rum Caramel Sauce & Whipped Cream at the River Tavern in Chester, CT. For years I have tried to make this at home with no luck - until yesterday! What a great day :)

My husband got carried away with the ice cream and whipped cream “garnish” before he realized I wanted to take a picture...anyway, this dessert doesn’t look like much (even at the restaurant) but it is over-the-top fantastic. The crowning glory is the sticky-chewy-baked-on “crust” that forms on the top of the cake during the last 5 minutes of baking.

Gougeres - FFWD

The first recipe for FFWD is for these Gougeres (cheese puffs) from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan.
Great & easy recipe! Mine were mild in flavor, made with Parano cheese. I got 66 gougeres out of the recipe by using a scoop equal to 1 tablespoon. 

We ate the warm Gougeres while cooking dinner which was Haddock & Carrots in Burnt Orange Oil and plain Wehani Rice (rice is not in the picture :)).

The fish was great, too. Light & fresh with a lot of orange sauce for the rice. The recipe is actually for red snapper but the fish market did not have it & the haddock was a good substitute. It is from Recipes 1-2-3 by Rozanne Gold.