French Country cuisine is an ethereal collage of dishes from throughout that European country. It's different from gourmet French or haute cuisine in its unpretentious use of ingredients; you could call it everyday French food.
Although it is not readily available on a daily basis in northwest Ohio, you can find a French Country menu now and again. The most recent was at Diva's French Country Wine Dinner in January when executive chef Erika Rapp put her own culinary spin on classic dishes.
And don't forget Christine Wilson, who was born in Compiegne, a city north of Paris. Even though she's closing Gourmet Curiosities in Sylvania on March 15, the French expert is still available for culinary advice. After a break, she hopes to return to cooking classes.
French Country is the food Mrs. Wilson grew up with. "It is from all over, from every region [of the country]," she says.
Mrs. Wilson visits her parents about once a year. When she thinks of French Country cooking, she thinks of cassoulet, pot au feu served with cold potato salad made with red wine vinegar, pates, gratins, and even Quiche Lorraine. "That is French Country to me," she says.
(Pot au feu is a dish of meat and vegetables slowly cooked in water with a resulting broth served with croutons followed by an entree of the meat and vegetables. Perhaps it could be called a French one-dish meal.)
As for desserts, "Chocolate mousse is homemade, of course," says Mrs. Wilson. "Oeuf a'la Neige is a white meringue baked in custard." It is called Snow Eggs in France the Beautiful Cookbook by the Scotto Sisters (Collins, $50).
"The secret of French country cooking is simple ingredients, and comfort foods from different regions," Mrs. Wilson says.
And that is exactly what Ms. Rapp did for her seven-course dinner in January. Trained at the Culinary Institute of America, the chef certainly gave the dinner a gourmet twist when paired with the wines of the evening.
"The biggest challenge for me was trying to interpret the dishes in a new way," says the chef, who came to Diva in the summer of 2005.
Pates have a tradition going back to the Middle Ages, according to France the Beautiful Cookbook. Ms. Rapp made Country Pate with chicken liver and dried blueberries and dried cherries as a cocktail-hour appetizer. "The chicken livers had a very earthy flavor and needed the fruit flavor," she says about combining French Country with regional American ingredients. She notes that a French Country pate is grainy rather than smooth.
The dinner began with Smoked Brook Trout Brandade De Morue with Roasted Garlic Crostini. This was based on the famous Provence brandade de morue, a pounded mixture of salt cod, olive oil, garlic, milk, and cream. Knowing that other salted or smoked fish can be used to make the brandade, the chef opted to make it with a freshwater fish - brook trout, that had been smoked - and potato. "The wine went very well with this," she said of the 1999 Mas de la Dame Coin Cache Blanc.
The Fruits de Mer Bouillabaisse with Saffron and Braised Fennel was exquisitely delicious using the "fruits of the sea" and defied preconceived notions about steamed mussels and steamed clams. The chef calls bouillabaisse a "French Country coastal dish," which may be a contradiction - French Country is usually food from the land. But it was melt-in-the-mouth delicious, made with the fruits of the sea: shrimp, little neck clams, and Prince Edward Island mussels, nestled on a fresh crouton that absorbed the magnificent saffron fennel broth.
As for the classic Braised Provencal Lamb Cassoulet with Flageolet Beans with Duck Confit, the Provencal touch was lamb braised with lavender and thyme. The cassoulet is covered and cooked very slowly.
Following an intermezzo of Muscat Granita, which the chef concedes is "not necessarily French Country" but went so well with the wine, a 2002 Domaine de Montahuc Muscat, the entree of Grilled Petite Beef Fillet with Truffled Pommes Frits and a Foie Gras Butter and Demi Glace was served.
"Foie gras is more of a delicacy," says the chef. "It's not a country food. It's more gourmet."
In the European style of service, the green salad with fines herbes and a seared shallot vinaigrette followed the entree.
Instead of a sweet dessert, a French cheese plate was served; it included blue cheese, triple cream brie, and a French Gruyere with dried apricots, figs, and dates, and smoked almonds.
The chef had created a very upscale look at French Country cooking. Yet it was fitting for a wine dinner.
At a cooking class called "Favorites from Home" held last November by Mrs. Wilson, who was assisted by her husband, Jim Wilson, and son Nick Wilson, at Gourmet Curiosities, the menu started with a Quiche Lorraine appetizer.
As the entree, Beef Provencal similar to a Beef Burgundy was served with mixed greens in walnut oil, and for dessert there was lavender scented pots de creme.
Inspired by both of these menus, The Blade tested Classy Cassoulet, a simplified version of the traditional dish.
"Be sure you love the sausage you put in this dish," advises recipe tester Kay Lynne Schaller. She used a sweet Italian sausage.
For a fast and easy bouillabaisse, we turned to Carlos' Contemporary French Cuisine by Debbie and Carlos Nieto (Gibbs Smith, $34.95).
The recipe is simple, quick, and excellent. It's a pretty dish, slightly yellow from the saffron with hints of green chives and tomatoes. It can be made with fish stock or clam juice, a readily available ingredient. The authors run three Chicago-area restaurants: Carlos', Cafe Central, and the Freehling Room at Ravinia, Ill.
For more information on French cooking, see the 40th anniversary edition of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking with Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck (Alfred A. Knopf, $40) and La Bonne Cuisine: The Original Companion for French Home Cooking by de Madame E. Saint-Ange, translated by Paul Aratow (Ten Speed Press, $40).
First Published March 7, 2006, 9:57 a.m.
