Food Wishes Video Recipes (2024)

When you think of French cakes, you think fabulous, fancy, and flamboyant. France turned making pastries and baked goods into an art form, but in addition to the showstoppers you see in the Pâtisserie window, the country is also known for...to read the rest of Chef John's article about French Apple Cake please follow this link to become a member.)

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Posted byChef Johnat2:00 PM

Like many other chefs my age, I heard about “fricasseeing” years before even thinking about going to culinary school. It wasn’t Julia Child, or the Galloping Gourmet, but rather a much more important cultural, and social phenomenon, Looney Tunes. That’s right; Buggy’s Bunny turned me on to...to read the rest of Chef John's article about Chicken Fricassee please follow this link to become a member.)

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As a huge fan of French bakeries, I’ve admired fougasse from a distance for many years. And by, “from a distance,” I mean these beautiful loaves were always perched high up in the corners of some shelving, and used purely as decoration, or so I assumed. They might have been selling them...to read the rest of Chef John's article about Fougasse please follow this link to become a member.)

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Posted byChef Johnat3:35 PM

It sounds odd to say that a recipe’s biggest problem is thatit looks too good, but that’s sort of the case with this pear clafoutis.Through no fault of its own, this crust-less, custard fruit tart looks a lotsweeter, and richer than it actually is. So, please be sure to adjust yours andyour guest’s taste buds accordingly. Of course, you can make this sweeter, withmore sugar, or richer, with some cream instead of all milk, but there’ssomething to be said for those rare recipes that I would describe as, “justsweet enough.”

Which reminds me, be sure to taste whatever fruit you’reusing for sweetness, since you may want to adjust the sugar level based onthat. Another key, especially if you’re using pears, or apples, is to make sureyou slice them thin; otherwise they will not cook through by the time yourcustard is cooked.

As I mentioned you could cook the fruit first, but I’llleave that up to you. If you use the traditional cherries, or something liketender juicy berries, this will actually cook faster than the time is givenhere, so I’d start checking for doneness after about 25 to 30 minutes. Speakingof different fruits, apparently if we don’t use cherries, this is referred toas a “flognarde,” which I’ll never get tired of saying. Hilarious names aside,I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions:

(The baking dish I used was 10-inch wide)

2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter, divided (one for pan ,one for top)

3 generous cups thinly sliced sweet, ripe pears

1/2 cup lightly toasted sliced almonds

For the batter:

3 large eggs

1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar depending on fruit’ssweetness

1 1/4 cup whole milk

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

- Bake at 350 F. for about 45 minutes, or until fruit issoft, and custard is cooked.

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The fact that Kouign-Amann (Pronounced “Queen-a-mahn”) havebecome a popular item in bakeries across America is quite a tribute to just howincredible they really are, since to stock something that no one can spell or pronounceis generally considered a retail sales no-no. As you may know, I pride myselfon mispronouncing things, but even I don’t like to be corrected by asalesperson, and their judgmental, I can’t believe you just said “kooeegan-aman”look.

Yet, despite the difficult name, they’ve thrived for thevery simple reason that this is one of the world’s great pastries. Maybe thegreatest. I guess that depends on who you talk to, but the irresistiblecombination of sweet, salty, sticky, buttery, crispy, flaky, and tender, ishard to beat.

I guess you could just buy some frozen puff pasty, orcroissant dough, and skip to the last step, but unlike many of those, the basehere is a fairly lean bread dough, which I think is one of the secrets. Aricher milk-based dough, which already contains lots of butter and sugar, won’tnecessarily provide the same contrast.

Part of me hopes you have a bakery that does these nearby,so you can easily taste them for yourself, but another part of me hopes youdon’t, so you’ll try to make them. Either way, you’re in for a huge treat.Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 Kouign-Amann:

For the dough:

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon dry active yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the seasoned sugar (mix, taste, and adjust):

2/3 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons of sea salt or kosher salt (less if you’re usinga fine table salt)

For the rest:

8 ounces ice cold unsalted butter (2 sticks) for the pastry

1 tablespoon melted butter for the muffin pan

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The hardest line cook job I ever had was working the broilerstation at the Carnelian Room, where on a busy night I’d prepare over 250steaks and chops, which wasn’t even the most difficult part. No, the biggestchallenge was actually frying these potato puffs to order, to go on all thoseplates.

It was a lot of work, but a labor of love, since pommedauphine, as my French friends would call this, is one of the greatest foodsever invented, especially for potato fanatics like me. However, as with mostfried foods, they can be messy to make, and unless you have anindustrial-strength hood fan, your kitchen will smell like a deep fryer fordays, which is why I wanted to try and do a baked version.

Of course, since we’re getting close to Thanksgiving, if youare one of these people who deep-fries the turkey, I would probably go with thetraditional method. Especially since you’ll be cooking outside where sneaking afew of these while you’re working will be pretty easy to get away with. Eitherway, I really do hope you give these potato puffs a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 Small Baked Potato Puffs:

(I did a tiny test batch, so I highly recommend doubling ortripling the recipe)

1 cup cooked, plain mashed potatoes (Yukon or Russet)

salt and cayenne to taste

small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
butter for the muffin tin

For the pastry dough:

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

pinch of salt

1 large egg

- For a mini muffin tin*, butter well, and bake at 450 F forabout 20 minutes, or until browned and puffed.

- Or, deep-fry at 375 F for a few minutes until browned andpuffed.

* These might work in a regular muffin tin, but you’ll needto bake longer.

These gorgeous cream puff "crackbuns” were inspired by the Great British Baking Show, which is not only myfavorite cooking show, but currently my favorite thing on television. Maybeit's the accent, or because the contestants are all so nice, and actually tryto help each other. Or, it could be the fact that when the time is up, and theytry to work for a few more seconds, the hosts just politely scold them, insteadof immediate disqualification, which is what would happen on our much more uptightAmerican culinary competitions.

It's probably all of the above, plusthe fact I always get so many wonderful ideas for videos, with these Choux au Crackelinbeing a prime example. Like I said in the video, these would be great filledwith all kinds of things, but it's hard to beat vanilla bean pastry cream. I'mpretty proud of the recipe we posted a few years ago, and while I enjoy itstraight, traditionally it would have some whipped cream folded in to lightenthe mixture.

Ingredients for about 6 to 8 Crack Buns:

For the “crack” crust:

3 tablespoons soft butter

1/4 light brown sugar (1 1/2 ounces)

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (47grams)

pinch salt

For the choux pastry:

1/2 cup water

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

pinch salt

1/2 cup flour

2 large room temperature eggs

melted dark chocolate, optional

- Put into 450 F. oven, reduce to 350 F., and bake for 30-40minutes or until browned and fully puffed.

One of these days Michele and I will travel to the south ofFrance, where we’ll make it a point to eat this amazing tomato tart at leastonce a day. It’s going to be hot, since we’ll have to go in the middle ofsummer, so we can enjoy the best possible tomatoes, but that’s fine, as long asthey don’t run out of chilled rosé.

While beautiful in its own way, this tart doesn’tnecessarily look like it’s going to be one of the most delicious things ever, butthen you bite into the crispy, buttery crust, which is the perfect deliverysystem for the tangy Dijon, and sweet, caramelized tomatoes, and you’re like,yeah, that guy was right.

One layer of tomato is plenty, since more than that willmake for a too wet tart, which means your pastry will not stay crispy. Besidesthat, there’s not much that can go wrong, unless you use subpar tomatoes. But,since we’re right in the middle of peak season that shouldn’t be a problem, soI really do hope you give this tomato tart a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

enough puff pastry to make your shell

enough extra-strong Dijon mustard to sauce the inside

enough sliced tomatoes to fill the tart with a single layer

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

several big pinches of Herbes de Provence (or an Italianherb blend if you can’t find)

extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, as needed

fresh chopped herbs to garnish

- Pre-bake tart shell for about 10 minutes at 400 F.

- Let cool about 10-15 minutes, then fill and bake at 400 F.for about 25-30 minutes, or until pastry is well-browned and crisp.

Mastering pan sauces is one the easiest things a home cook can do to raise their culinary game, since itallows one to produce dishes most people only see in restaurants. And not justany restaurants. The really good ones.

By the way, if you’re still looking fora Father’s Day gift, a nice bottle of bourbon, with a little splash going tofinish a home-cooked steak, would make quite the one-two punch of manlygoodness. And, even if your dad isn’t a sitcom stereotype, who doesn’t enjoy awell-executed pan sauce?

If you’re making this for meat that’scoming off a grill, you can still do the sauce separately, and just keep itwarm until the main course is ready. Start with the sautéing garlic in butterstep, and finish as shown. Of course, you’ll have to add some coarsely groundblack pepper to the sauce, but that’s about the only adjustment.

Like I said in the video, this sauce’s rich,sweet, peppery flavor profile also works wonderfully with pork chops, andgrilled chicken. You can also switch up the Bourbon for another liquor, since thisreally is just a technique video. Regardless of what you use, or what you serveit with, I really do hope you give this great pan sauce a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for two portions:

1 clove minced garlic, sautéed in 1 teaspoonbutter

1 ounce bourbon

1/2 cup chicken broth or veal stock

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons cold butter

salt and cayenne to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Not only is this simple frangipane tart a perfect way toenjoy fresh summer fruit, but it’s also great for those times when you can’tdecide whether you want cake or pie. This sort of seems like both to me, and unlike many fancy looking pastries, this one is not at all complicated to make.

Even made free form, with pieced together leftover puffpastry, this was a fairly simple operation. As I mentioned, most people use piedough for this, and if you do, simply follow the exact same procedure for thepre-baking. Once whatever crust you’re using is baked about halfway, andcooled, it’s ready to fill, top with fruit and bake.

Another great reason to make this is that there’s a goodchance one of your guests will ask you which bakery this came from, which willgive you the opportunity to say, “Bakery? No, I made this.” But say it reallycasually, like it was no big thing. This travels well, so don’t be afraid tofish for compliments with this at the next picnic. Either way, I really do hopeyou give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Fresh Fruit Frangipane Tart:

For the filling:

1 1/2 tablespoons soft butter

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon white sugar

1 large egg

3/4 cup almond flour, or very finely-ground blanched almonds

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

For the tart:

enough puff pasty or pie dough for a 9 or 10 inch shallowtart pan

- Pre-bake pastry shell at 400 F. for 15 minutes or until itstarts to get golden-brown.

- Fill, top, and bake at 375 F. for 30-40 minutes, or untilbrowned and the almond filling is set.
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It's not often that you cut a step or two from a classicrecipe, and it actually comes out better, but that's what happened with thischeese soufflé experiment. I was actually working on something I was going tocall “cheesecake soufflé,” and since I was adding cream cheese to the base, Idecided to skip the classic white sauce, and simply smear everything together.

Not only did this make the operation much faster, andeasier, the cheese flavor seemed to be “cleaner,” and more pronounced. Ultimately,I decided not to call this a “cheesecake soufflé, since hot cheesecake justseems wrong, but also because the technique works just as well for a savoryversion.

You’ll want to skip the sugar, vanilla, and maybe the lemonzest, but everything else should work the same. The cream cheese works reallynicely as a neutral base to incorporate the rest of the ingredients, andliterally any type of grating cheese will work for the second type. I love anice sharp, aged cheddar, but Gruyere, Gouda, and Comté would all be wonderfulin this.

As I mentioned in the video, despite being a very easyrecipe, you will probably have to practice a few times to lock in the perfectcooking time. Variables like the oven type, ramekin size, and battertemperature will all effect the time. Plus, you have to decide how “French” youwant yours. Regardless, I really do hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 Soufflés:

2 large egg yolks

2 ounces cream cheese (about a rounded 1/4 cup)

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 ounce shredded cheddar cheese (about 1/3 cup unpacked)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large egg whites, beaten with a pinch of salt to softpeaks

butter and sugar for 2 (5.5 ounce) ramekins

- Mine baked at 400 F. for 12 minutes, but your times willvary!

This seafood sausage recipe is one of those dishes you learnin culinary school, and then never make in a restaurant, the rest of yourcareer. Unlike your more common meat-based sausages, which are made fromassorted scraps, and you really don’t want to know, these seafood sausages needpristine product to shine, thereby eliminating the money-saving incentive ofmaking sausage.

However, despite their lack of popularity, these really are agreat way to take less than thrilling seafood, like some sleepy sole, andpreviously frozen salmon, and make something that seems far more special. Theflavor is lovely, and the texture is similar to a boudin blanc, or white hotdog, if you prefer.

Ingredients for 4 Seafood Sausages:

8 ounces boneless, skinless sole or other white fish

4 ounces boneless, skinless salmon

4 ounces peeled, deveined shrimp

2 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs

4 large egg whites

1 large whole egg

2 teaspoons kosher salt (or maybe 1 1/4 teaspoon fine salt)

cayenne to taste

2 tablespoons sautéed shallots

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons water

1 juicy lemon

2 tablespoons cold butter

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

salt to taste

I’ll admit to beingpretty underwhelmed the first time I had a chocolate croissant, or “pain au chocolat,”as I’d mispronounce it; but eventually I realized the relatively sparse amountof chocolate wasn’t any kind of stinginess, but rather the true secret behindthis amazing pastry.

Properly done, thisshould ride that line between sweet pastry and a savory bread, so don’t overdoit with the chocolate chunks; otherwise you’ll lose that beautiful balance. Otherthan that, not much can go wrong. Just be sure to bake them until nicelybrowned, and let them cool before enjoying.

While this will workwith that dough in the tube, I’d like to think you’d make a batch of your owndough using our recently posted croissant recipe. Don’t worry, it only seemslike a lot of work. Either way, I really do hope you give these chocolate croissantsa try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for12 ChocolateCroissants:

about 1 cup roughlychopped chocolate chunks, or chips

1 large egg, plus 1 tablespoonof water for the egg wash

coarsely ground seasalt

- Bake at 400 F. forabout 20-25 minutes, or until well-browned

I don’t remember that much about thelobster thermidor I ate in culinary school in the early eighties, other thannot really being able to taste any lobster. Instead of the nice, light sauce Iused here, the meat was hidden in a thick, eggy, cheese sludge, which lookedgreat broiled to a bubbly, golden-brown, but wasn’t the best method if youactually wanted to know you were eating lobster.

Lobster is sort of sweet, and rich tastingto begin with, so covering it in a super heavy sauce never made much sense,which is why I like this approach so much more. Our sauce is just heavy enoughto coat the chunks of meat, without hiding it, and while we’re not addinghandfuls of cheese, or a bunch of egg yolks, we’re still going to enjoy afairly decadent dish.

The classic version is made with awhole, split lobster, which admittedly tastes better, but is a hundred timesmessier, and harder to do, not to mention probably more expensive. Frozenlobster tails can be surprising affordable, and there isn’t any waste. Eitherway, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large or 4 appetizersize portions:

4 lobster tails (about 4 oz each about)

3 tablespoons butter, divided

2 tablespoons minced shallots

salt to taste

1 1/2 cup diced mushrooms

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons cognac or brandy

1/2 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons crème fraiche or heavycream

1 generous tablespoon minced freshtarragon

cayenne to taste

2 teaspoon dry breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons freshly gratedParmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 teaspoons melted butter for the top

I wouldn’t describe homemade croissantsas an easy recipe, since there are multiple steps, and it does take a least halfa day, but it’s really not that hard either; and certainly simpler than flyingto Paris, which is the only other way to enjoy these amazing pastries.

Sure, some of you may live near an authenticFrench bakery, maybe even one of the few that still use pure butter, but forthe sake of this post, let’s assume that you don’t. Besides, sitting next to abasket of homemade croissants raises your foodie street cred like few otherthings.

Despite taking a fair amount to time,this is actually the quick version, in that we’re not leaving the dough to restovernight, before laminating with the butter. I don’t think there’s a hugedifference, but I did want to mention in case you’d prefer to start the doughat night, and do the rest of the work the next day.

So, take your time, and when in doubt,pop the dough in the fridge for a few minutes to chill it down as you’reworking. You’ll notice I didn’t serve anything on my croissants when I did thefinal shots, and if you make these, you’ll understand why. I really do hope you give these a try soon.Enjoy!

Makes 12 to 16 Croissants:

For the dough:

1 cup warm water (about 100 F.)

1 packet active dry yeast (about 2 1/2teaspoons)

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

3 teaspoons kosher salt (1 3/4teaspoons if using fine salt)

3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour

6 tablespoons room temp butter for thedough

For the croissants:

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted European-stylebutter for the slab

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon waterfor the egg wash

I’ve wanted to do a Canelés de Bordeaux video forever, but justnever got around to buying the specially designed molds that they require. Afterseeing a picture of them online a few days ago, I decided this would be theweek, and headed out to the one store near me I knew carried the necessaryhardware.

Since it was actually a hardware store that also carrieslots of kitchen equipment, I figured they would have the beeswax, as well. I’vebeen in that store at least a hundred times, and I would anyways see the canelémolds beckoning me, but never pulled trigger, since I was usually looking forsomething else.

As long as you cook them long enough, the muffin tin worksgreat, assuming you don’t care about getting the classic shape. Since this wasan experiment, I only did six, but I’ve scaled the recipe below to make 12. I’mnot sure how many real canelé molds this recipe will fill, but it’s probablyclose to that. Either way, I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 Canelé de Bordeaux:

2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon unsalted butter

1 cup white granulated sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or 1/8 teaspoon of fine salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup rum

For greasing pan:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons beeswax