French Potato Salad

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BBQ, dill, food, foodie, French, French cooking, french cuisine, french food, lunch, picnic, postaday2011, pot luck, potato, recipe, side dishes, tarragon, vegetarian, violet

Potato salad, there are infinite variation to this dish. I have a got to recipe for picnics and that’s more of a side dish for dinner. I had to improvise a little on the ingredients when I made this for Easter, but I’ll share my usual recipe.

French Potato Salad

Ingredients:
potatoes, 1/2 c. champagne or sparkling wine, 1/8 c. apple cider vinaigrette, 2 Tbsp. chopped shallots, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, dill, chives, tarragon, fresh cracked black pepper, fresh ground sea salt, violets or other fresh picked edible flower

Directions:
Mix together champagne, vinegar, Dijon, and dill to make vinaigrette, set aside.Boil potatoes so that they are cooked but still firm (On Sunday my Dad did this, while I prepped other things, thanks Dad), submerge in cool water (do not cool completely). Peel and slice potatoes, layering them in dish. After each layer, sprinkle on salt, pepper, shallots, chopped tarragon and chives. When finished, pour vinaigrette over potatoes and garnish with violets. Serve hot!

What’s on your dinner table tonight?

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Tarragon Pear Rice

Tags

dinner, food, foodie, lunch, pear, postaday2011, recipe, rice, shallot, side dish recipe, side dishes, sides, tarragon

This week has been a typical rainy April week, and I’m thrilled (that it’s not snow)! The temperatures have all been above 50°F so far. Despite the rain, I’ve been sporting my sandals and have been yearning to be outside enjoying Spring. In Pennsylvania, April is my favorite month of the year. So while I’m dreaming of cherry blossoms, I’ll share this recipe with you. It’s always fun to combine my favorite ingredients to create new recipes. This tarragon pear rice makes a fantastic side dish to my apple smoked turkey tenderloin.

Tarragon Pear Rice

Ingredients:
1 c. uncooked rice, 2 1/3 c. water, 1 Tbsp. butter, 1 small shallot minced, 2 Tbsp. chopped tarragon, 2 Tbsp. pan drippings from turkey tenderloin or 2 Tbsp. of marinade (before meat touched it), 1/2 an anjou pear chopped, fresh ground sea salt

Directions:
Melt butter in sauce pan and brown shallots. Add drippings and rice until warm and rice is lightly browned. Add tarragon, salt and water. Bring rice to a boil, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, adding pears two minutes before finished. Let stand for a few minutes and then fluff with a fork.

Once again, I would’ve serve this over a bed of sautéed spinach, but it didn’t look so fresh at the supermarket. Another thing I love about April? Farmer’s markets are starting back up!

Do you have a favorite month?  What makes it so special?

Chicken Crêpes with Tarragon Champagne Sauce

Tags

brunch, chicken, crêpes, cuisine, dinner, easy recipe, food, foodie, French, gourmet, lunch, postaday2011, quick & easy, quick recipe, recipe, sauce, tarragon

Crêpes are a versatile food. They can be hearty enough for dinner, light enough for lunch, sweet enough for dessert and delicious enough for brunch. Crêpes are also a great way to use up leftover chicken or veggies in your fridge. I make a large stack of crêpes one day and freeze them for the month…  Last night I made these tasty Chicken & Tarragon Crêpes.

Chicken Crêpes with Tarragon Champagne Sauce

Ingredients:
4 crêpes, 2 cooked chicken breasts (Mine are leftover from another meal where I marinated and grilled them), 1 c. heavy cream, 1 c. champagne, 2 Tbsp. butter, 1 shallot (minced), 1 Tbsp. tarragon, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard (optional), fresh cracked black pepper, fresh ground sea salt

Directions:
Cut chicken into pieces and set aside. Brown shallots in butter, add chicken to pan and warm. Remove chicken. Pour champagne, Dijon and tarragon to pan, allow to simmer. Add cream, salt and pepper and simmer. Slowly add flour, whisking constantly. Allow sauce to thicken. Add chicken back to sauce. Warm crêpes in oven for a few minutes. Divide chicken mixture between crêpes and top with remaining sauce. Serve hot!

I loved how this sauce turned out, I was picturing it drizzled over pasta or salmon, Hubster was envisioning it over a burger…

What is your favorite herb to use when cooking?