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C'est L'Amour: French Eats For Feb. 14

YumSugar — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:02:34 PST

If a global menu feels too daunting for your Valentine's Day dinner, try channeling a bit of Parisian romance by focusing on French foods. You don't need a view of the Eiffel Tower to feel the love - you can set the mood right at your own dinner table by pairing classic French dishes with your favorite sips. Here are 10 tasty dish ideas to help you create a Valentine's Day meal of festive French cuisine. Bon appetit!

Sweet Success: 10 Tips For Baking the Perfect Macaron

Sara Yoo — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:06:19 PST

With their vibrant colors and lacy frills, dainty, crisp-crusted French macarons are the perfect Valentine's Day baking project. But these lovely little delicacies are temperamental enough to stump even the most accomplished chefs. Even if you follow a detailed recipe down to the letter, a batch of macarons can go very wrong very quickly. Thanks to humidity, an unreliable oven temperature gauge, or an overly enthusiastic stirring hand, you may find yourself facing macaron-ageddon rather than baking bliss. But before you throw in the tea towel, we've assembled a few tips to solve your sugary conundrums.

Soup's On: Easy French Onion Soup

Susannah Chen — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:36:00 PST

My new favorite weeknight meal is a soup recipe that comes together in minutes. It's a very abbreviated version of French onion soup, which traditionally begins with yellow onions, cooked down and reduced for hours until dark and sweet. This quick and dirty version begins with our butter-braised onions, which I always keep on hand, and calls for little more than broth, bread, and cheese. It may not be an exact replica, but this fast soup hits the spot on a cold Winter day, and it's an easily transportable work lunch, too. Read on for the recipe.

We're Talking Croquembouches!

YumSugar — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:35:20 PST

Lately, I've been seeing towers of cream puffs, or croquembouches, appearing all over the place, particularly in bridal magazines or on wedding blogs. The croquembouche is most certainly a delicious trend – we had one at our wedding and it was quite a hit! - but these magnificent sweet sculptures are more complicated than they may appear. To get an inside look at how these profiterole towers are made, I reached out to Gerhard and Mary Michler, the driving force behind Gerhard Michler Fine European Pastries and Creative International Pastries, in San Francisco.

Gerhard first started baking at age 17 in his native Austria, so it's safe to say he knows a bit about French pastry. Michler chalks the growing cream puff tower trend up to the fact that people seem to want to see new things these days, and that a croquembouche (also known as a pièce montée) is an exciting conversational piece. For more on this amazing French dessert sculpture, keep reading.

Easy Winter Salad: French Lentils With Potatoes

YumSugar — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:39:16 PST

All of the richness that comes with the month of December is wonderful and delicious, but some days I just need a break from it all. I still want something filling and flavorful that will satisfy me. That's where legumes come into play for me – specifically, lentils. This salad incorporates classic French flavors, including whole grain mustard, onions, carrots, parsley, and french lentils. I added steamed potatoes because I wanted the salad to be slightly more substantial and have variation of texture, but this is definitely optional.

This salad is much, much better cold and on the second day when the flavors have had a chance to party together overnight in a refrigerator. It makes for a great protein-packed lunch, and you'll find yourself craving it all hours of the day. For the recipe, keep reading.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Serenades Us En Francais

Annie Scudder — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:40:26 PDT

Joseph Gordon-Levitt channeled Serge Gainsbourg last weekend in his latest exercise in hotness. During a tribute to the late French singer-songwriter, JGL sang in French. Although he didn't know all the words by heart, instead relying on a handy notebook, the actor had a decent voice and French accent. Bradley Cooper's interview in fluent French still tops my list of handsome American actors speaking a foreign language, but watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt give Bradley a run for his money and judge for yourself.

Oh La La! Bradley Cooper Proves It's Hot When Guys Speak a Foreign Language

Annie Scudder — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:05:51 PDT

With his piercing blue eyes, impressive acting and comedy skills, and friendly demeanor, Bradley Cooper couldn't be any hotter. Unless, say, he spoke fluent French. This past weekend, the star of The Hangover Part II, or Very Bad Trip 2 in France, came on French TV to discuss the movie's popularity, getting his big break after 30, and the possibility of a third Hangover movie (he said he'd be down). And thanks to his time living with a French family while studying abroad, Brad gave the entire interview in French! Watch him speak the language of love. I bet the hotness will translate even if you don't speak anything but English.

Savory Sight: Escargots à la Bourguignonne

Yum Community — Thu, 12 May 2011 03:21:28 PDT

Are you a fan of classic French cuisine? Judging by her scrumptious-looking photo of escargot, My Fare Foodie is!
Be a total Francophile and enjoy this delicious escargot dish! Yes, they are snails, but they are swimming in a fantastic garlic herb butter. Bon appetit!

Head over to her blog for the recipe and don't forget to share your mouthwatering images in our community.

Macarons

OnSugar Blog — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 03:22:23 PDT

Love macarons? Then you'll enjoy OnSugar blog Yoo Eatz's recipe for black sesame macarons.

Relationships often have early omens that signal whether they are meant to last. When I met my husband in college, it was clear that our mutual love for Star Wars (I know, I know -- nerd alert!), amusement parks, late night runs to Jack in the Box, and practice of couch potatoism were harbingers of a long life together. But oddly enough, what sealed the deal was meeting his parents. It happened at an elegant Chinese banquet restaurant over the largest meal you have ever seen. His dad took charge ordering for the four of us, and soon four 5-course meals appeared followed by five or six additional heaping platters. We had so much food, the waiters couldn't fit it all on our table. We had so much food, boxing it up in doggie bags seemed like a futile effort. We had so much food, his mom got violently ill later that night. I knew I was in love with him, but I guess I kind of sort of fell in love with them, too.

Then I met his sister, and all of the pieces fell into place. She shares my love of baking (though she shares their dad's scientific curiosity and patience, whereas I am impatient and want it to work the first time), and within the last few years took up the task of creating the perfect macaron. Mind you, she has been a full time grad student living on her own in NYC, so where she finds the time I have no idea. But her creations are lovely, and while she was visiting this past week, she taught me her fine art.

The recipe and tips for making macarons right this way.

Name That Dish!

YumSugar — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:32:02 PDT

Can't spend April in Paris? Indulge your inner Francophile with this French stew, traditionally made in Springtime. Can you name it?