A table !!!
A hachis parmentier is a french version of what is called shepherds pie in the english speaking world. Shepherds pie is traditionally made with lamb whereas as hachis parmentier is usually made with beef or duck. Hachis comes from the french verb hacher to chop or ‘mince’ and the word parmentier comes from Antoine-Auguste Parmentier the man who introduced potatoes to France.
Its another loaf recipe – easy, versatile and perfect for the “goûter” I tend to use my loaf tin more than any other in the kitchen. This recipe is perfect for the autumn season as apples and walnuts are plentiful.
The flan is a firm favourite in France (and especially in this house!) and is similar to what is known as a custard tart in english. I prefer to make it with a short cut pastry but you could make it with a puff pastry.
A breton galette is a large, thin pancake from the Brittany region made with buckwheat flour, usually with a savoury filling – also known in France as a “galette complète” (or complete galette). Here in France you can buy ready-made galettes to which you can add your filling but you can also make your own easily enough.
Most of my baking is destined for the after school snack to which I always refer to in french – the (ou le!) “goûter“.
So what is the goûter exactly? It is a light snack around 4pm which all french children (and a lot of french adults) indulge in. It will nearly always include something sweet – cake, bread and chocolat, brioche etc and a fruit and sometimes a yoghurt or some cheese. Some hot chocolate (especially when it is chilly out) or a glass of water or milk.
Breakfast is around 7-8am, lunch at 12pm and dinner at 8pm so it makes sense to have something light to eat half-way between your lunch and evening meal!
It is a lovely tradition that means that as soon as the kids get in the door from school we are all around the table having something to eat and chatting about our day so far and about whats to come – homework, judo, music lessons, football etc.
Some of my “goûter” recipes :
Fondant au Chocolat (although this is really more of a dessert or for a special goûter! 😉 )
Well this definitely isn’t a french recipe but one that I have always made when there were a few bananas left in the fruit bowl!
The chill in the air this weekend meant I made my first soup in a long time. The main advantage to courgette soup is that it only takes 15 minutes to make. This soup hardly needs a recipe it is so simple but here goes anyway!
No recipe for todays baking because it came straight from the Odlums.ie website. I chose the recipe for chocolate chip cookies because it had everything I needed to make them – the only difference is that my muffins are a lot less impressive and a lot less chocolate-y looking than the image on the Odlum’s site. No idea why!! 🙂
Here is the link to the recipe for the Odlums Chocolate Chip Muffins
This recipe is called Poulet Forestier in french which translates to “forest chicken” in english. The word forestier in the name comes from the sauce which is called une sauce forestière because of the mushrooms in the recipe and is a perfect autumn dish. Typically a forestier sauce does not have mustard in it but I find it gives a little something special to the sauce! 🙂
