Oooooooo-la-la! Grillade française

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Moules Grillées
Asperges Grillées avec sa Sauce Maltaise
Carré d’agneau Pistou avec Vinaigrette aux Poireaux 
Salade de Steak Bistrot
Crème Fouettée et ses Petits Fruits de la Saison

We rose to the challenge of Covid-19 again with a social distanced outdoor lunch under the shelter of my backyard Bamba Shack roof.  Having caught the French cuisine bug at Caroline’s delightful spring picnic in May, I chose French BBQ as our June Epitourist theme.

 

Who knew the French have a passion for BBQ? Apparently masters at the charcoal grill, they insist that nothing but wood charcoal will do, with fruit and nut wood chips or woody branches of herbs like rosemary or lavender contributing a delicate smokey flavour. Sadly, we had to make do with a plain old Canadian gas BBQ. But never mind — the garden was bursting with herbs and local asparagus was at its peak.

 

Laura : Moules Grillées

Mussels are quintessential French bistro, so I knew I wanted to grill them as part of our BBQ theme. I’d never done it before, but it proved to be so easy. If you have a grilling basket, putting them in there makes it a bit easier to get them on and off the grill, but I didn’t have a basket, so I just set them right on the medium-high temperature grill and closed the lid—minutes later the shells were open and they were ready to pop into a bowl and serve with Caroline’s beautiful baguette and a simple garlic-scape aioli made with garlic scapes from my garden. I garnished the dish with some bronze fennel fronds, also from my garden.

I chose Vineland Estates unoaked Chardonnay, as well as a Rhone Valley Ventoux Rosé, to pair with the dish. Chardonnay is a nice match with mussels, but you can’t beat a glass of rosé on a summer’s day.

Caroline : Asperges Grillées et sa Sauce Maltaise

I anticipate Canadian asparagus season. When Kaarina announced that she was happy to continue with a French theme and that it had to be cooked on the Q, I immediately thought of grilled asparagus. There's nothing more French than asparagus with sauce maltaise and what better way to grill these little green soldiers than on the BBQ. 

I must admit that, while researching my dish, I learned something about the French"aise" group of sauces. First comes Hollandaise Sauce which is the mother of the "aise"sauces. Add tarragon and you have Béarnaise Sauce. Or add zest and juice of an orange (preferably a Maltaise orange) and you have Maltaise Sauce. All of them made rich with copious amount of butter and tempered egg yolks. What's not to like. For added dimensions, I sprinkled Maldon sea salt flakes for a bit of crunch and umami. 

Sourdough baguettes were also calling to me. I had yet to try my hand at making them and thought it would be the perfect opportunity. I turned to Chad Robertson's Tartine Bread. I was humbly happy with my first attempt.  In these Covid days and to fit in my oven, I made individual baguettes. Approximately 30 cm in length, their shape was worthy, crust crunchy with a good colour and with a dense and tasty crumb. A perfect vehicule to sop up all those delicious sauces.

Kaarina : Carré d'Agneau Pistou avec Vinaigrette aux Poireaux

I managed to procure a rack of spring lamb from a sheep farming acquaintance in eastern Ontario and set out to frenching it with help from a You Tube video.

I turned to Patricia Wells for inspiration on infusing the lamb with French flavours, choosing a Four Herb Pistou from her Bistro BBQ book for both the marinade and serving sauce.

Makes two cups: Process a half a cup of each — chopped parsley, basil, chives and mint — along with a half a dozen cloves of roughly chopped garlic. With the motor running, add a half a cup of EVOO through the feeder tube. Season with salt and pepper.

The lamb shared the plate with a classic French starter, Poireaux Vinaigrette, leeks in a vinaigrette.

This recipe reminded me of the pure joy to be had from a simple, properly constructed vinaigrette. All you need is Dijon, a good wine vinegar, S&P in a large bowl. The key is in beating it continuously with a large balloon whisk as you slowly drizzle in the oil until the dressing is perfectly emulsified. Smother your steamed leeks with this!

I chose Saint Roch, a lighter bodied blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan from Rousillon in the South of France for the lamb although I much preferred Diane’s wine choice, the Gerard Bertrand Languadoc, which is a spicier Syrah blend from neighbouring Languadoc. The bolder classic Bordeaux Argaden does not go amiss either - and it takes you effortlessly into a cheese course.

Diane : Salade de Steak Bistrot

Sensationel!

 

When the theme was named I did some quick research before settling on French Bistro Steak, a triple-tested recipe I found online from Canadian Living. Dijon, thyme and tarragon vinaigrette poured over grilled steak and lightly roasted vegetables, with soft-boiled egg on the side. Ease-y! What surprised me was the lack of a marinade, something I always assumed was essential for this cut of meat. A little more poking around revealed there is a school of thought to marinade proteins after you grill, because the moisture and sugar in most marinades can actually cause a protein to simultaneously steam and burn without ever truly searing.
 

I also brought a selection of Italian cheeses. Why? "Leftovers" from our February visit to Eataly. We were so stuffed at our February feast we couldn't manage another bite; of course, I didn't really save them, I don't have that much self control! So I pre-ordered from Alex Cheese Farms, doing my best to match our Eataly selections. Over the phone, I would name the cheese and then he would describe what was on hand. Oh, how I wanted to taste! He laughed and explained they weren't offering counter tastings in the store either. When I asked him to pre-cut into one ounce portions so I could minimize food handling, he gladly complied. On the plate: bosco tartufo with truffle (sheep and cow), montasio (cow), taleggio (buffalo), and pecorino moliterno (sheep and goat).

Whipped Cream
and Seasonal Petits Fruits

 

 

Lobster Boil

If you could stop the hands of time, how would you wile the suspended moments away? I would cook up a feast, invite cherished ones and gather around a beautifully appointed table to enjoy for hours! Delicious decadence, rustic French linen, white china plates awaiting for the colours of food to descend upon them, a myriad glasses for carefully thought out wines and other libation, a hint of soft music in the backdrop, the gentle clank and clink of cutlery and the constant flow of talk and laughter. The idea of a lobster boil came up at our French pique-nique during which we had a very pleasant and successful outdoor lunch, all the while respecting the social distancing order. Starving for social interaction, we put the plan in motion. What can be more sanitary than boiled lobster and oven roasted baked potatoes?

Kaarina kindly offered to pick up everyone's lobster order from Diana's Seafood in the city. I would look after the potatoes. But as theses things do, the planning snowballed (a bit). Diane brought a delicious salad with a champagne, shallot and walnut dressing. The dessert most worthy of mention was most certainly Rob's homemade, chocolate Babka! Oh and I must not forget Diane's A.O.C. Camembert de Normandy!

The sun was shining oh so brightly and not a single cloud cast a shadow on the afternoon. Delicious decadence of sweet lobster meat dipped in butter, a mix and match of cloths weighed down with river rocks covered every table carried out of the house, white china plates, wine glasses and petite champagne flutes, yes, the clank and clink of cutlery and the constant flow of long awaited chatter and laughter. And who knows, maybe the hands of time did stand still...