In this episode, River and Terran take an epic journey into French food! First, they visit the restaurant, Fleur de Sel.  This favorite of the locals is set in a perfect Spokane location.  The restaurateurs say it best:

Elegant eatery serves seasonal French & Italian dishes in a romantic setting with mountain views.

After visiting the restaurant and watching some classic Julia Child cooking, River and Terran were ready to tackle a recreation of their favorite dish, as well as some other favored French food.

Listen in as they taste and rate their favourite dishes!

After visiting Fleur de Sel, River and Terran recreate their favorite dish, Parisian Gnocchi with Bison Sauce. They also get together with Chef Steve and make a smattering of French dishes, inspired by none other than Julia Child. Watch them at work!

Here are some of the recipes of dishes that River and Terran made with Chef Steve!

Coq au Vin Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 3 pounds chicken legs and thighs
• 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
• 3 cups hearty red wine, preferably from Burgundy
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 4 ounces lardons, pancetta or bacon, diced into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 8 ounces white or brown mushrooms, halved if large, and sliced (about 4 cups)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 8 ounces peeled pearl onions (about 12 to 15 onions)
• Pinch sugar
• 2 slices white bread, cut into triangles, crusts removed
• ¼ cup chopped parsley, more for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Season chicken with 2 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a large bowl, combine chicken, wine, bay leaf and thyme. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or, even better, overnight.
2. In a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid, cook lardons over medium-low heat until fat has rendered, and lardons are golden and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lardons to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving rendered fat in pot.
3. Remove chicken from wine, reserving the marinade. Pat chicken pieces with paper towels until very dry. Heat lardon fat over medium heat until it’s just about to smoke. Working in batches if necessary, add chicken in a single layer and cook until well browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. (Add oil if the pot looks a little dry.) Transfer chicken to a plate as it browns.
4. Add diced onion, carrot, half the mushrooms and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to pot. Cook until vegetables are lightly browned, about 8 minutes, stirring up any brown bits from the pot, and adjusting heat if necessary to prevent burning.
5. Stir in garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, then stir in flour and cook for another minute. Remove from heat, push vegetables to one side of pot, pour brandy into empty side, and ignite with a match. (If you’re too nervous to ignite it, just cook brandy down for 1 minute.) Once the flame dies down, add reserved marinade, bring to a boil, and reduce halfway (to 1 1/2 cups), about 12 minutes. Skim off any large pockets of foam that form on the surface.
6. Add chicken, any accumulated juices and half the cooked lardons to the pot. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, turning halfway through. Uncover pot and simmer for 15 minutes to thicken. Taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary.
7. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons oil in a nonstick or other large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pearl onions, a pinch of sugar and salt to taste. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, shaking skillet often to move onions around. Uncover, push onions to one side of skillet, add remaining mushrooms, and raise heat to medium-high. Continue to cook until browned, stirring mushrooms frequently, and gently tossing onions occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove onions and mushrooms from skillet, and wipe it out.
8. In same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until bubbling. Add bread and toast on all sides until golden, about 2 minutes per side. (Adjust heat if needed to prevent burning.) Remove from skillet and sprinkle with salt.
9. To serve, dip croutons in wine sauce, then coat in parsley. Add pearl onions, mushrooms and remaining half of the cooked lardons to the pot. Baste with wine sauce, sprinkle with parsley and serve with croutons on top.

To serve this favorite French food, dip croutons in wine sauce, then coat in parsley. Add pearl onions, mushrooms and remaining half of the cooked lardons to the pot. Baste with wine sauce, sprinkle with parsley and serve with croutons on top.

By the way, we use Kerrygold Butter and we love it! 

Next up… 

Choux Pastry for the Eclairs

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (115g; 8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 1/2 cup (120ml) water
• 1/2 cup (120ml) 2% or whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 4 large eggs, beaten

1. Combine the butter, water, milk, salt, and granulated sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted. Bring mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and add the flour all at once. Stir until the flour is completely incorporated and a thick dough clumps into a ball. Mash the dough ball against the bottom and sides of the pan for 1 minute, which gently cooks the flour. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or, if using a handheld mixer, a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool down for a few minutes before adding the eggs in the next step.
2. Read this step in full before starting. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the eggs in 3-4 separate additions mixing for 30 seconds between each. The mixture will look curdled at first, but will begin to come together as the mixer runs. Pour in the final addition of beaten eggs very slowly. Stop adding when the choux pastry has reached the desired texture: shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipeable consistency. I usually leave a few teaspoons of beaten egg behind, which can be used with the egg wash.
3. Your choux pastry dough is complete! You can use it immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For cream puff and profiterole shells: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly brush the parchment with water, which creates a humid environment for the pastry shells allowing them to puff up without drying out or burning.
4. Transfer choux pastry dough to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1A piping tip. Pipe 2-inch mounds about 3 inches apart. Watch the video in the blog post above for a visual. You can also use a zipped-top bag and cut off the corner for easy piping. Using a water moistened finger, smooth down the peaks and lightly brush each with egg wash.
5. Bake for 20 minutes then, keeping the pastries in the oven, reduce oven to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for 10-15 more minutes until golden brown. Do not open the oven as the pastries cook, as cool air will prevent them from properly puffing up. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before filling.
6. Split open pastries and fill with homemade whipped cream, lemon curd, pastry cream, jam, a combination of these, or your favorite filling. You can also poke a hole in the pastries and pipe the filling inside.
7. Cover and store leftover filled pastries in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cover and store unfilled pastries at room temperature for 1 day, in the refrigerator for 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before filling and serving.Pastry Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 6 tbsp sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 ½ tbsp cornstarch (cornflour) (3 tbsp / 30 g for a stiffer pastry cream)
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste / extract / 1 vanilla bean pod
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 large egg (please see notes)
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter softened

Instructions:

1. If using vanilla bean pods, split the bean and scrape the vanilla seeds/caviar out of the beans.
2. Add the bean and caviar with the milk into a saucepan. Heat the milk over medium high heat and bring it to a simmer, almost to a boil.
3. While the milk is being heated, place the sugar, egg and yolks, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Whisk until you have a thick, smooth mix. (If you are using vanilla bean paste or extract, add it to the egg mix too). Place the bowl with the egg mix on a towel or napkin (to prevent the bowl from slipping while whisking, in the next step), and set aside until the milk comes to a boil.
4. As soon as the milk starts to bubble, remove it from the heat. Slowly pour about a half of the hot milk in a thin stream, into the egg mix, WHILE WHISKING CONSTANTLY to temper the egg mix. When the eggs have been tempered, add the egg mix back into the hot milk in the saucepan.
5. Heat the custard base, over medium heat, while whisking vigorously until it starts to thicken – this should take about 1 – 2 minutes.
6. While whisking, let the custard come to a boil (the custard will release bubbles). Lower the heat and cook for a further 1-2 minutes after you see the first bubbles break the surface. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Whisk in the butter, until it’s completely mixed in.
7. Pour the custard into a bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the whole surface. This is to prevent a custard skin from forming on top.
8. Let the custard cool down to room temperature and then let it chill in the fridge for a few hours, until it’s completely chilled.
9. Use as needed after the pastry cream has been chilled.

Find out more about Chef Steve by visiting nourishinspiredlife.com.
Email Steve at [email protected]

Get connected on Social:
Facebook: @noursihinspiredlife
Instagram: @chef_steve_van

Here are some photos from the Greenfields outing to Fleur de Sel!