Cooking French tonight. Need suggestions, please.

[nosey]

The theme for tonight is "French Cooking". Could really use some suggestions on what to cook. We are wide open to suggestions and have a couple of accomplished cooks at hand.

[sunshine842]

give us a little guidance -- sauteed salmon fillets are French -- so is pot au feu (which is New England boiled dinner) -- so is pate en croute.

There's fancy French cooking, and there's every day French cooking, which is probably not that different than your everyday cooking.

[porker]

Endive salad with white asparagus app then Beef Bourgignon or similar w/ shortribs, with gingershelly's suggestion of gratine daphinoise (sounds great, gs) or scalloped potatoes, followed up w/ pears poached in port.
With your app, sip some pastis or sweet vermouth. Burgundy with your main, and of course a nice port with the pears.
Small portions of food, larger portions of booze, you'll be doing the electric fandango before you know it.
Vive la France, Vive le Fandango!

[gingershelley]

Porker,

Just move that salad to after the beef borgignon, and serve a cheese along side, and a good meal plan!
Love the poached pear idea. Very French. Simple fruit desserts are the norm; pastries come from a shop, and are more common as an afternoon treat.

To replace that moved salad to it's proper French place in a meal... something like a fish crudo with good oil and shaved asperagus, or veloute of cauliflower would be nice...

[porker]

Howsabout lightly baked oysters with a scant drizzle of garlic butter/white wine and the gentlest shavings of mimolette...ok we're entering the realm of food porn...

[Pedr0]

Quenelles!
http://blogs.kqed.org/essentialpepin/...

[Terrie H.]

Very broad request, but I'll throw in cassoulet, chaucrote garni, bouillabaisse. Thinking of cold weather ideas.

[gingershelley]

My BF is French; some of our favorites for home dinners are;
Lamb chops with a red wine reduction sauce and Gratin Daphinoise (we add NO cheese, just cream and milk - the BEST potatoes on earth!)
Duck Confit legs with Pommes Risolees (small cubes of potatoes sauteed in duck fat until crispy and golden outside), Salad Vert to follow
Seared scallops with a Beurre Blanc sauce on a bed of Lentils with thyme and shallots
Chicken liver mousse with cognac as a starter for any of these...

[sukisooo]

coq au vin
cassoulet
savory palmiers
gougiere
coquille st jacques
cheese tart of some sort
pissaladiere
country pate

yum!

[thimes]

Seriously? I don't think your request could be any more open. Give us some sort of direction . . .

Do you have a protein in mind?
Comfort food?
High brow food?
Spending all day cooking? a few hours cooking? last minute preparations?
Any vegetables in the house?
A specific region of France in mind?
Pairing with a specific wine?
How many people?

Something to go on . . . .

[hotoynoodle]

and now all i can think of is that scene in the movie "better off dead," where the mom makes dinner for the french exchange student:

"and we have french dressing, french fries, french bread..." all promounced "franch".

lol.

[cocktailhour]

that's a good one!

a pate or terrine to start as an hors d'oevures. starter served at table. scallops with green lentils, beets, and balsamic. main of duck breast with pan reduction cherry port sauce. Burgundy. Potatoes anna or fondantes. then simple green salad with vinaigrette. cheese course with 3 cheeses and accompaniments different for each. for dessert--chocolate pot au creme, creme brulee, mousse. espresso or cappucino to finish, with petit fours.

[sunshine842]

GIMME MY TWO DOLLARS!