National dishes of France are very popular in our country. But to try them, it is not necessary to go to a restaurant. Gourmet frog legs, fragrant onion soup, tender bechamel sauce - all this can be easily prepared at home.
We make frog legs in French (in a creamy sauce)
Frog legs in a creamy sauce is the most famous dish not only in France, but also in other countries. How to cook it, we will tell you right now.
So, to make a French dish, we need:
- frog legs - 0.5 kg;
- garlic cloves - 4 pcs.;
- shallots - about 40 g;
- high fat cream - 700 ml;
- leeks - a few feathers;
- chicken broth - about 1 liter;
- butter - about 40 g;
- salt, black pepper and other spices - use as you wish.
The process of making paws on the stove
Despite the apparent complexity, traditional French dishes are made easy and simple.
To prepare a gourmet dinner, the frog legs are thoroughly washed under running water, and then dried with paper towels and their lower part is cut. After that, take chicken broth, bring it to a boil and add previously processed meat.
As soon as the liquid in the pan boils again, the legs are quickly removed with a slotted spoon and set aside. Meanwhile, finely chop the shallots, pour it into a pan with warmed butter and lightly fry. After that, first garlic grated on a small grater is added to it, and then pre-prepared legs are laid out.
Slightly frying the frog legs, they are removed from the pan and set aside.
The process of making creamy sauce
French national cuisine is divided into two main branches: refined aristocratic and regional folk. Dishes with frog legs belong to the second.
To make a delicious creamy sauce, about 100 ml of chicken broth is added to the same pan where the meat was previously fried. Also, the cream is slowly poured into the stewpan and brought to a boil. The ingredients are boiled until they get a thick sauce.
Black pepper, salt and other spices are added to the cream dressing at your own discretion. Finely chopped leek is also poured into it.
How to present frog legs to the table?
Traditional French dishes are usually served with a special charm. Frying the frog legs, they are beautifully laid out on a flat plate, and then watered with creamy sauce. Fresh vegetables and greens are also presented to the dish.
Classic onion soup: step by step cooking
Onion soup is a traditional French dish, which is prepared in almost all regions of this country. It can be done in many ways. However, its classic recipe is most popular. For its implementation we will need:
- red onions - about 750 g;
- leeks - about 250 g;
- dry white wine - about 250 ml;
- garlic cloves - 2 pcs.;
- vegetable oil - about 30 ml;
- butter - about 40 g;
- Lavrushka - 1 leaf;
- French baguette - a pair of slices;
- Roquefort (cheese) - about 90 g;
- salt and chopped pepper - apply at discretion;
- chicken broth - about 2 liters.
Processing major components
The national dishes of France have always been simple and easy to prepare. And onion soup in this regard is no exception. Before welding it on the stove, all components should be processed alternately.
Red onions are peeled and then finely chopped. After that, they thoroughly wash the leek and chop it with straws. Also peel the garlic cloves and crush them with a knife.
As for Roquefort, it is simply grated.
Method for preparing french onion soup
French national dishes can be prepared in many ways. We decided to make onion soup on the stove. To do this, take a deep frying pan, melt butter in it , and then add vegetable oil . After that, two types of onions (red onion and leek) are fried in a stewpan. Next, they add cloves of garlic, dry white wine, lavrushka and rich chicken broth.
Bring onion soup to a boil, pepper and salt it to taste. Cooking such a dish is recommended for 20 minutes. After that, it is removed from the stove and left under a closed lid for 5-7 minutes.
Serve a delicious French dish to the table
The national cuisine of France is particularly sophisticated. To get to know her better, most people go to French restaurants. However, today we have proved that you can cook delicious aristocratic and regional dishes at home.
After the French onion soup is ready, it is poured into portioned plates. Then a pair of toasts made of baguette is placed in each dish, after which they are sprinkled with grated Roquefort. After that, the plates are placed in a microwave oven and heated until the milk product has completely melted. By the way, for these purposes, you can just as well use an oven.
Cooking the famous French cream sauce
Bechamel is a gourmet white sauce. It can be served with a variety of meat, mushroom, vegetable and fish dishes. By the way, without this ingredient it is impossible to make traditional French lasagna.
It is believed that bechamel sauce was invented by Louis de Bechamel, the coroner of the king of France, Louis 14. However, according to another version, the author of this product is the chief cook of Versailles, Francois de la Varenne.
Today it is not so important who exactly should be thanked for inventing such a popular sauce. The main thing is to learn how to cook it correctly.
The main ingredients of the classic sauce recipe are wheat flour, butter and milk. By the way, it is these products that are often used to create other sauces. In addition to them, ingredients such as chopped nuts, fried onions, cheese, various spices, herbs and more can be added to it.
Bechamel is able to turn everyday dishes into real culinary masterpieces, giving them a unique aroma and taste. Cooking it is a snap. To verify this, we suggest following our recommendations.
So, to make the sauce we need:
- butter - about 40 g;
- whole milk - approximately 800 ml;
- white wheat flour - about 50 g;
- ground nutmeg - near a dessert spoon;
- table salt - a pinch.
Method for preparing french bechamel sauce
To make the famous bechamel sauce at home, you must strictly follow the requirements described below. They warm the milk thoroughly, but do not bring it to a boil. At the same time, melt the butter in another bowl. Then wheat flour is added to it and both components are quickly mixed, without removing the container from the stove.
After the described actions, warm milk is poured into butter and flour in small parts. At the same time, the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, preventing lumps from forming.
After all the milk is in the pan, it is removed from the heat. If lumps in this mass nevertheless formed, it is recommended to grind it through a sieve. This will make the sauce more tender and tasty.
A properly prepared dressing should have a consistency, like liquid sour cream.
At the end, ground nutmeg and salt are added to the finished sauce to taste.
Making a summer French drink Lemon Twist
As mentioned above, the national dishes of France are in great demand in our country. However, it should be noted that non-alcoholic French drinks are no less popular in Russia. How to make them at home, we will consider right now.
So, for the preparation of the summer drink "Lemon Twist" we need:
- natural apple juice - 100 ml;
- non-alcoholic Tourtel beer - 40 ml;
- freshly squeezed lemon juice - 20 ml;
- fresh celery - 80 g;
- boiled beets - 20 g;
- lemon slices - for decoration.
How to make a French drink Lemon Twist?
Preparing such a drink is easy and simple. First, apple juice and Tourtel non-alcoholic beer are mixed, and then lemon squeeze, chopped celery and boiled beets are added to them. All ingredients are thoroughly whipped with a shaker, and then poured into a tall glass glass, which is decorated with lemon slices.
Such a fruit and vegetable smoothie is very tasty. It quenches thirst well, and also contains few calories. Thanks to these properties, the French drink Lemon Twist improves well-being in the summer heat, in the heat, and also does not contribute to weight gain.