Minnesota Comments on French Recipes

I get all excited about recreating a French dish I read about or see on TV. Then I search for recipes online. The comments or reviews are almost always complimentary, but more than often they try to improve on the original.  Here is an example:

“If you use olive oil for any recipe that’s cooked over 450°F, the oil will denature and you will get cancer. This post is irresponsible. You should only use grape-seed oil you’ve pressed yourself in a very cold room.”

Well... I, too, have some comments on my efforts.  But before I start with the culinary comments, I'd like to make a few on the homemade wines entered at the local country fair grounds.

Freeborn County Homemade Wines

Comment: We know we cannot compete with French wines, so we have to look instead for something different. Horseradish makes a statement, if not a good wine. And I would consider corncobs and wild grape fresh ingredients. We Minnesotans prefer our fruity wines, especially watermelon. And there is nothing to be ashamed of using a kit, especially if it produces coconut, chocolate or toasted caramel flavored wines. Most wine drinkers would never consider these actual wines, but this is just a hobby, so anything goes. We pride ourselves on our creativity rather than our quality. And, after all, the winning wines are showcased next to the prize cucumbers and rutabagas in the Floral Hall.

Swiss Chard and Mushroom Galette

Comment: I chose this recipe because I was wanting to use the herbs in my garden and some mushrooms that were getting old in my fridge. I substituted ricotta for goats cheese because galettes are French and ricotta is Italian. I also used ready made crusts instead of making my own for obvious reasons. The crust turned out to be the most delicious part of the dish. In the spirit of using fresh ingredients, I scrounged through my garden to find some mustard greens that weren't too bug-eaten. These were quite bitter and didn't complement the parsley, cilantro, dill and chives that were mixed with lemon juice on top. The result was something that tasted like a piece of turf. I kept forgetting that I had it as leftovers in my fridge until the hole lot had to be thrown out.

Caramelized Onion and Bacon Galette

Comment: This was a disaster. I chose this recipe because I wanted to introduce my sons to a French galette. I substituted the traditional crust for ready made pizza crust that I was hoping would entice the boys to try it. But it proved difficult to shape and fold. It ended up looking like a loaf that didn't rise properly. I have no pictures because its not something that needs to be shared on Instagram. I also found, by chance, on the clearance rack at Walmart, a jar of Bruschetta sauce. Since my son loves Bruschetta, I used the jar instead of the caramelized onions. It did get eaten, but my family was not impressed. They would have liked pizza, or Bruschetta, but not both in the same dish.

Finally, some comments on the comments made about French Onion Marmalade:

First, "Serves Many" is not a very accurate amount.  One or two jars would have been more helpful. 

Second,  what exactly is a "good quality" balsamic vinegar.  Here I am lucky to find any kind of balsamic, and paying $7 already seems too much.  Good thing the recipe didn't call for "good quality" wine.  No one in their right mind would put good quality wine in a pickle.

Also, referring to this marmalade as "Confit d'Oignon" and continually reminding us that it very expensive to buy in France does not change the fact that it is simply pickled onions fried in oil. In fact the use of "two sprigs" of rosemary seemed so measly that I added sage, curry and more rosemary.  I can't say that I will let it age like good wine.  

This recipe is good if you have lots of onions lying around, or to pull out when company comes unexpectedly and all you have in the cupboard is crackers and cheese.

There is certainly a romance that surrounds these French dishes, but let's not kid ourselves into believing that they are more than just basic ingredients cooked in fat.