Eli Cooks » French

Zucchini Cristo

Eli — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:30:17 +0000

Longtime readers know that my dad is an avid gardener. I live a bit more than 200 miles from my parents, so I don’t get to take as much advantage of his garden as I’d like, but a few times a summer I head down there or they come up here. And I always get a few bags full of garden-fresh produce. It’s always more than the three of us can eat before it goes bad, but I try to make use of as much as possible.

This latest batch included several zucchini. I’ve always found simple sautéed zucchini a bit bland and watery. But cook it over high heat to dry it out a bit and give it some char, and I love it. The flavor is really concentrated by the heat and the carmelization gives it some needed depth. I love zucchini on the grill, but firing up the grill just for some zucchini seems a bit much. A cast iron grill pan does the job.*

*I have a two sided cast iron grill pan/griddle that fits over two burners of my stove. It’s really one of the workhorses of my kitchen. The grill pan gets a ton of use, especially in winter when I can’t use the real grill, and pancakes (a Saturday morning tradition with my daughter) are infinitely better on a cast iron griddle than a stainless steel skillet. Really, if you don’t have one of these, I’d really recommend it. As long as you have a gas stove. I don’t think it’d work so well with electric.

Zucchini Cristo
This sandwich is a take on a classic Monte Cristo, but with grilled zucchini standing in for the ham and pan-fried instead of deep fried. It’s great for a quick and satisfying lunch or weeknight dinner.

To make 2 sandwiches (with leftover zucchini)
1 medium to large zucchini, sliced
1 sweet onion, sliced
4 eggs
4 slices white bread
2 Tbsp butter
Swiss cheese

Grill the zucchini and onions over high heat. (Use a charcoal grill or a grill pan. If you use a charcoal grill, be careful not to let them char too much. If you use a cast iron grill pan, let it pre-heat over high for a good 5-10 minutes before you toss on the zucchini.) Set aside.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Beat the eggs with some salt and pepper (about as much as you’d use for scrambled eggs.) Toss about a tablespoon of the butter in the skillet.

Dip both sides of the first piece of bread in the eggs. Toss the bread in the skillet, then layer the zucchini, onions and cheese onto the bread. Dip both sides of the second piece of bread in the eggs and place on top. Cook for about 2 minutes, then flip and cook about 2 minutes more.

Repeat for the second sandwich. (You’ll probably need to add more butter for the second sandwich.)

French Lentils

Eli — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:33:16 +0000

These lentils are one of my standbys. They’re good cold in the summer, hot in the winter or room temperature any time. I usually make a big batch of these along with something else for dinner, then eat the leftovers for lunch for the rest of the week. They go wonderfully with a salad for a light summer dinner or as a side dish for a heavier winter dinner. In short, they’re great no matter how you eat them. And when they’re cheap and easy on top of that…

French Lentils
Adapted from James Peterson’s Vegetables
These lentils are incredibly versatile. They’re good hot or cold (but I like them best just a bit warmer than room temperature.) They make a light meal on their own, a main course for a vegetarian meal or a side dish for meat or fish.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 head garlic, minced
1 lb lentils
3 1/2 cups cold water
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a medium pot and saute the garlic for a few minutes. Add the lentils, water, bay leaves and some salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender. The water should be gone about the same time the lentils are done. You might need to either add more water or drain out a bit at the end.

Once the lentils are cooked, mix in the parsley, balsamic and olive oil with a bit more salt and pepper. Be sure to mix these in while the lentils are still very hot, so they’ll soak up the flavors better.

Bruise Pie…errr…Clafouti

Eli — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:14:42 +0000

Let’s just get this out in the open right off the bat. Yes, this clafouti looks like a rather nasty bruise. Between the dark cherries sticking up above the surface and the cherry juice pooled around them…well, I’ve definitely seen better looking desserts. But let me assure you, it TASTES nothing like a bruise. I considered not posting this at all because of the look, but it is very tasty. So…after that rousing endorsement, how can you do anything but rush out to make this? Indeed.

Clafouti is a traditional French dessert that falls somewhere between a custard and a cake, although much closer to the custard end of things. It’s not the most beautiful of desserts, but it’s dead easy and quite tasty.

Clafouti a la Liqueur
Adapted from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking

The original recipe calls for kirsch or cognac, but I’ve always been a fan of bourbon in desserts…and in my glass. You could use just about any flavorful liquor in place of the bourbon. You could also sub out the cherries for another fruit. Golden plums would be delicious, and also look less like a bruise.

1/4 cup bourbon (I used Bookers)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 cups pitted whole bing cherries

bourbon from the cherries
~ 1 cup milk (enough to make 1 1/4 cup when combined with the cherry bourbon)
1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt

Mix together the bourbon, brown sugar and cherries and let them sit for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Drain the cherries and reserve the bourbon/juices.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread out the cherries in the bottom of a baking dish. Toss everything but the cherries in a blender and blend. Pour the batter over the cherries and bake for about one hour, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.