The Classic Bistro Soup

Just a few Saturdays ago, Paris was chilly with a "few odd showers about". Blue skies kept popping through and stopping the rain periodically.....the perfect time of year for the classic bowl of French Onion Soup.This soup is all about cooking the onions until perfectly caramelized, dark and tender. Then, for me, the best part...the big gooey cheese on the top. Aged Swiss (Gruyere) is the key to getting that rich bubbling crust on the top of the soup. I always seem to have a difficult time scooping up a chunk of the croutes (toasted baguettes) smothered with cheese, and getting it into my mouth without leaving a trail of cheese from the bowl to my mouth! I recently read this classic soup is eaten in the mornings for breakfast as a cure for the common hangover........I think I just would prefer to savor it for lunch! The bistro is located at the entrance of the Paul Bert ( flea) Market on the left. A perfect location to taste this classic, luscious soup.

Zucchini and Feta Fritters

There are many ways to cook with cheese besides melting it on toast or including it in an omelette or even making a souffle. By far, this is a wonderful combination with some of my favorite cheese, feta. This is so easy and incredibly delicious......you have got to try this!

Fritters

5 medium zucchini, coarsely grated

1/2 t. sea salt

1/4 cup grated onion

3 oz. of flour

1 beaten egg

7 oz. crumbled feta

oil for frying.I started out with 1 T. and added more with each batch I fried.

Place the grated zucchini, salt and onion in a large bowl. Mix and let sit for 30 minutes until the juice is drawn out by the salt. Drain. Mix the flour, egg and stir in feta cheese to the zucchini mixture. Fry large tablespoons of the mixture in moderately hot oil until brown on both sides, making sure the fritters are well cooked. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

I served the fritters with a chunky hot tomato salsa and sour cream on the side.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

The abundance of pumpkins from across the country has to be one of the best aspects of fall. I am delightfully amazed at the varieties that sprout up every season. I recently found some wonderful varieties at my local Walmart, of all places.....not fond of that store at all. Anyway, the pumpkins and gourds came from Frey Farms located in Illinois. This is a huge outfit and one of the largest producing pumpkin farms in the country.

Having just arrived home from another motorcycling adventure with Big Al, I searched and found Central Market in Ft. Worth. They had a beautiful display of fall gourds and vegetables. As I rode the highway home towards Florida (1200 miles) on my little Honda, all I could think about was what I was going to make with the canned pumpkin that I made last November. It was time to pop the lid!

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

1 lb. of cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup of light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 1/4 cup of pumpkin

3 large eggs

1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream

1 t.vanilla

1/4 t. ground cloves

1/2 t. ground ginger

1 t. ground cinnamon

Gingersnap Crust

5 T. melted unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup of crushed gingersnaps

3 T. sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the crushed gingersnaps, butter, sugar and pat the mixture into a 9 inch spring form pan. Pat the mixture up the sides of the pan about one inch.. Bake until lightly darkened, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl, mix the cheese and brown sugar until creamy. Add the pumpkin and eggs and beat until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into the crust- lined pan. Bake for 45 minutes or longer or until firm. Refrigerate until chilled and serve.

Quick Tomato Soup

Native to South America, it took a little time for this fruit to gain acceptance as a food (treated as a veggie today) in the U.S. and Europe. Today, the tomato is an integral part of our lives and many of the worlds cuisines. Sliced tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and sweet basil is one of my favorite summer side dishes. Look at the other recipes that depend and rely on a few good tomatoes to build character in a bowl....gazpacho, minestrone, ratatouille and of course, tomato soup.

For the soup

4 cups tomatoes

1/2 C. medium chopped onion

1/2 C. chopped celery

1/4 C. chopped carrots

32 Oz. of chicken broth, I used low fat

1 t. salt

3 T. butter, salted

3 T. all purpose flour

Gently saute the onion, celery and carrots until soft. Add tomatoes and simmer ten minutes. Add (cooled) cooked ingredients and process until smooth. Add flour and butter to medium size pan to make a roux. Whisk continuously while adding 1 cup of the broth. Slowly add the rest of the chicken broth, stirring well. Incorporate the tomato base to the broth and simmer.

This soup takes very little time to prepare.....so tasty with some warm, crusty French bread.

Oh Sweet Madeleines

There are two cabinets in my kitchen that I avoid with a passion ~ where the pans are....(Connie Francis came to mind). I never seem to be able to keep the pans organized or lined up! This afternoon, I decided enough of this clanging around every time I go to grab one and to my surprise, I found my Madeleine baking mold. It's the silvery silicon model, but still remains top on my list for being able to remove the delicate cakes without harming them.

The recipe I followed came from 101 Cookbooks.com. I was particularly interested in the butter method that was suggested. It worked like a charm.....for a fleeting moment I imagined myself in Paris, parked on a sidewalk somewhere, sipping coffee, savoring my little cake and watching the day go by.

The part about the butter was interesting. I usually just melt the required butter and toss it in. This time, I melted 1 1/2 sticks of butter on a medium fire and heated the butter until it turned brown and gave off a nutty, delicious aroma, taking about 20 minutes. I kept repeating to myself, "I am actually frying this butter."Indeed I was! Then using a paper towel, stuffed into a mesh strainer, I removed the solids that appeared from the liquid unsalted butter. The butter was clear and hot and needed to cool to room temperature. I loved the aroma! When the butter had cooled, I gently folded it into the egg and flour mixture, stirring just enough to bring everything together.

The outcome was better than I hoped for. I even managed to stuff one, the Madeleine that is, into the mouth of my favorite UPS person as he handed me a package at the door, a package from my French sister...........

Ah, modern technology!

When camping in the Serengeti, you won't always find the modern conveniences of home, but it worked perfectly! This was our chef, amazingly talented with limited means, but consistently creating the most delicious meals. The dish washing crew really kept things shinning!

Coffee Time in Tanzania

The ladies in this picture have gathered the dried coffee beans from the drying and sorting boxes and now the beans are ready to be shipped and roasted. Of course, I had to have a cup first! No modern means of production in sight~just a lot of hard back-breaking work for hours at a time.