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Mei and I went to Paris last week and missed last week’s French Friday post as a result since we didn’t return to England until late Friday afternoon and went out to dinner in lieu of making dinner ourselves. (Paris post is coming, it is long and there are many pictures so just hang in there!) So we finally got an opportunity to catch up on a couple of the sides that we had missed making since December! It was perfect that many of our “assigned” recipes were sides since not making them “on schedule” allowed for an easy decision as far as dinner goes!

We have been eating an immense amount of chicken lately, with all the dinner parties we have hosted and just the amount of chicken recipes we have cooked lately for French Fridays with Dorie, so I picked up some lamb steaks for a little change of pace and it looked like it would make a great protein choice for the broth-braised potatoes and cauliflower gratin!

At first I was very excited to make the cauliflower gratin because it just sounded fabulous and interesting but I didn’t have bacon so I didn’t include it. Lately with these pregnancy taste buds, bacon has been a bit too salty for me to handle anyways so I was happy to omit it. It came together quite seamlessly, although after baking it for an extra ten minutes, I found that it was still a bit liquidy in the center, so if I do make it again, I will just add more cheese. I also found that the nutmeg was a really aggressive flavor that I would rather have omitted. All notes for next time. But overall? It wasn’t something amazing and it is unlikely to be made again at our house.

The broth-braised potatoes take no more time to throw together than boiling regular potatoes but infuse a bit more flavor into them and have the addition of a great sauce that can be poured on top just before serving. These were a great hit and likely to be made again and again.

interesting stain that developed on the counter.... hmmm...

The lamb steaks had nothing too special going for them. They were quick seared and cooked over low heat with a bit of white wine and a coffee spice rub and made for a great main to the sides we had.

cauliflower gratin

All in all, it was a great meal and it was nice to get caught up on some of the recipes that we have missed since my energy has been low with the pregnancy and my enthusiasm to be in the kitchen, quite low. But on a higher note, Tuesdays with Dorie is coming to an end with their first book “Baking From My Home to Yours” by Dorie Greenspan and moving onto “Baking with Julia” and I’m excited to have been accepted and eagerly awaiting my copy of the book so I can bake-off the first recipe on the schedule and post! It might be a bit ambitious to jump into a new group, just months before my second baby is to be born, but I imagine that all of my fellow bakers and cooks will understand if I take some time away from both groups once the new baby has arrived, so I am really excited to jump into a new group!

My husband is also excited for this one because it is called “Baking with Julia” and Julia Childs has been an interest of his since before the movie came out. The last time he left us for a year for work, I sent him a copy of her memoirs and biography to read and he enjoyed getting through it and was excited to watch the movie “Julie and Julia” with me at home, waiting to see what kind of details would be included in the movie. We enjoyed a very large meal that night and it was a great evening together!

If you would like to participate in French Fridays with Dorie and cook your way through Dorie Greenspan’s “Around My French Table” with us, please click here! To see how the other Doristas fared with the potatoes, click here. To see how the other Doristas fared with the cauliflower gratin, click here. If you are a Dorista or a baker and would like to join in with Tuesdays with Dorie and begin the journey of baking our way through Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking with Julia,” click here!