La Marmite, Issue #8 -- French Barbecue and Grilled Bananas

Bonjour et bienvenue to the ninth issue of La Marmite featuring a French Barbecue (including a grilled bananas recipe). In this issue you will find featured:

The French are big fans of barbecues. Even people living in an apartment are likely to have a small grill out on the balcony. When it's nearly the end of April and some nice weather has finally come to warm our bones, the first whiff of barbecue will come wafting across the Parisian skies.

Unfortunately, when it comes to doing a barbecue I think the French do away with some of the rules of fine dining that might otherwise guide their culinary decisions. I've heard people complain about the sheer volume of meat that can get served up at these affairs, and truth be told I do believe the French can be a little timid about exploring the pleasures of grilling vegetables.

But nothing is to stop you from picking from the best of their barbecue customs and creating your own French flavored affair, vegetables included.

Let me tell you first what won't be served at a French barbecue: hamburgers and hotdogs. We always get weird looks when my husband whips these onto the grill - not that he notices or anything.

Which reminds me, forget the beer too. If you're going for true French flavor, stick with wine. Now is the time to enjoy that rosé that you didn't know what to do with.

The Meats

Saucisses: Countless kilos of merguez and chipolatas are grilled every summer in France.

Brochettes: These are skewered meats - pork, lamb, chicken or beef. Sometimes a few vegetables find their way on to the stick.

Grillades: These are your simple slabs of meat - pork ribs, lamb chops, steaks, etc. One could always hope that these have been marinated, but it is not always the case. Fish might be included too.

The Accompaniments

Frites: See what I meant about the great culinary principals going out the window? While Papa is grilling, Maman might be busy in the kitchen with the friteuse making more French fries then you ate in the last ten years.

Bread: No French meal, including a barbecue, is complete without a baguette.

Salads: Popular salads at French barbecues include: tabouleh, céleri rémoulade (shredded celery root in remoulade sauce), and shredded carrot salad.

Here is a recipe for a yummy Mediterranean inspired salad that goes great with grilled meats.

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Salade de poivrons et aubergines

• 2 red peppers
• 2 green peppers
• 2 medium sized eggplants
• 1 can anchovy filets
• 1 bunch of chives, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pierce the eggplants in several places with a fork and place the whole vegetables in the oven. Cook until tender - up to an hour.

Remove the vegetables and place them in a closed paper bag to cool (this makes it easier to peel them).

When you are ready to serve, peel the vegetables and cut them in strips. Arrange them in a pretty pattern on a serving plate and decorate with the anchovies. Sprinkle with the chopped chives and some salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil.

Makes about 6 servings.

Print Recipe

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The Desserts

In keeping with the relaxed atmosphere of the barbecue, most French home cooks won't serve an elaborate dessert at this point. A simple fruit tart featuring whatever produce is at its peek would be perfect. Here are a few fruit tart recipes to get you started.

It is also fun to cook up a dessert on the barbecue. Grilled bananas cooked in the last embers of the barbecue are a popular treat in France. Here is a grilled bananas recipe that you might like to try for dessert at your next barbecue. It is especially popular with kids.

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Grilled Bananas
Papillotes de Bananes

• Bananas
• Aluminum Foil, cut in large sheets
• As many as you wish of the following (you could lay these out and your guests could make their own)

Nutella

Cream

Caramel sauce

Sugar

Vanilla

Nuts

Marshmallows

A wee drop of your favorite liqueur

Cut the bananas in two leaving the peel and place the halves peel side down on large sheets of aluminum foil. Smear the tops of the bananas with whatever you wish.

Wrap the bananas up well in the aluminum foil and place on the dying embers of your barbecue. Ready in about five minutes.

Print Recipe

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The star French vegetable of the month is the ever popular shallot. You will not go through too many French recipes before you happen upon this ingredient. In flavor, size and use, shallots are somewhere between an onion and garlic.

Not so potent as garlic and somewhat larger, shallots many times separate into sections like garlic. You can use shallots any time you want to add an oniony flavor to something or a little punch, without getting too garlicky. Keep your shallots in a basket in a dark cool place and watch them for spoilage (they tend to be a bit humid and rot faster then onions or garlic).

Just like garlic and onions, shallots mellow when they are cooked, even becoming somewhat sweet. Typically you will want to mince the shallot into smaller pieces then you would an onion and you need to be careful to cook them on low heat so they do not brown and turn bitter.

If you are new to shallots, you might like to try them in a very simple sauce like the one included in this Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe. Shallots are also featured in this simple baked fish recipe. Finally I will point you in the direction of my family's all time favorite blue cheese sauce recipe which showcases shallots as well as Roquefort cheese.

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French cooking equipment:

If you're going to do any amount of French baking, you will want to get at least one tart pan. Tart pans give an elegant fluted edge to desserts and savory dishes without requiring any special effort.

My sweetheart gave me a Staub cast iron cocotte (Dutch oven) for Valentine's day and I positively love cooking with it. Staub Cookware is popular with top chefs the world over and for good reason. It is built to give you a lifetime of cooking pleasure.

Recipes:

Baked Brie Recipes - My favorite recipe that I tested this month features Brie cheese, fig jam, grilled almonds, and puff pastry.

Creme Fraiche Recipe - This is an excellent and very easy way to make your own crème fraîche, a very popular ingredient in French recipes that you may have problems locating or just find too expensive.

Tapenade Recipe - When we lived in the south of France, we ate a lot of this. Make your own for a very tasty summer appetizer or use it as an ingredient in other recipes.

Pear Tart Recipe - This is a tarte amadine (meaning it includes a frangipane base) and you can use other fruits in place of the canned pears.

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes - Aligot is a classic method for making mashed potatoes in Auvergne.

Meringue Cookies Recipe - A great recipe to make with your kids.

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Next Issue:

Hope you enjoyed the French barbecue. Thanks so much for spending some time with me. In the next issue, due out on May 21st: Popular foods from the Champagne region.

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A bientot and remember to enjoy your food!

Your friend in France,

Kim