Pseudo French Food

The summer Olympics will be held in Paris and the opening ceremonies will be held Friday, July 26. How better to celebrate than by preparing food that sounds French but really isn’t?

French Fries

Not really French but were conceived in Belgium.

Here is how you do it in the air fryer plus a suggestion on seasonings you might want to try.

Ingredients:

• 2 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch sticks
• olive oil for drizzling
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat air fryer to 380.
• Drizzle potatoes with olive oil and season to taste.
• Working in batches, place potatoes in the basket in a single layer with none touching each other. Fry for 12 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway.
• Once all batches are done, put them all into the air fryer. No need to keep a single layer. In 1 or 2 minutes they have crisped up again.

Optional Seasonings

• 2 teaspoons onion powder or salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

French Dressing

Kraft came out with this bottled dressing in 1925. Here is how you can make it at home.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oil, olive or vegetable, or combination
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in a jar. Cover tightly. Shake well.
• Refrigerate. Shake again before using

You can enhance this by adding:

• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 clove of garlic pressed and generous dash fresh ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

French Toast

This name is first seen in England in the 17^th century. The French call it pain perdu (“lost bread”) because it was a dish designed to use stale bread. It is also known as German toast, eggy bread, gypsy toast, Spanish toast and nun’s toast.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 12 slices bread, like brioche, thick sliced

Directions:

• Place flour in a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in milk. Whisk in eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until smooth.
• Heat a large skillet or griddle that has been lightly coated with oil.
• Meanwhile, soak bread slices in mixture until saturated.
• Working in batches, cook until golden brown on both sides.

Great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner

French Onion Soup

Onion soups have always been popular throughout Europe. The broth base for this dish comes from ancient Rome.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 5 large onions (recommended yellow, sweet), thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or beef broth (for deglazing)
• 7 to 8 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• French bread baguette cut into 1 inch slices
• 8 ounces Gruyere cheese

Directions:

• Melt butter in a large dutch oven and add olive oil. Add sliced onions; season to taste. Cook onions until caramelized, stirring occasionally.
• Add flour and garlic. Stir to coat onions.
• Reduce heat and deglaze pan with wine or broth and scrape any bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Slowly add broth, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf. Season to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Remove bay leaf and taste for seasonings.
• Serve in oven-proof bowls. Place a slice of bread on top of soup and add cheese. Pop under the broiler or in the oven for a few minutes until cheese is melted.

While gruyere is the recommended cheese, you may prefer Swiss or mozzarella.

French Silk Pie

Solidly American, this dessert won the Pillsbury Bake Off contest in 1951

Ingredients:

• 1 traditional crust, home made or purchased
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate cut into pieces
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 pasteurized eggs
• 1/2 cup sweetened whipped cream
• chocolate curls, optional

Directions:

• Bake pie crust. Allow to cool.
• Melt chocolate over low heat; cool.
• In a separate bowl beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add sugar. Add cooled chocolate and vanilla until well blended.
• Add eggs, one at a time, until each is fully incorporated.
• Place in cooled pie shell and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
• Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls.

Pasteurized eggs are treated to kill bacteria but not enough to cook the eggs. They may be sold as liquid egg product or in the shells. Because the filling of this pie is not baked, you need to be sure to use pasteurized eggs.