Every French woman I know owns a friteuse, or deep-fryer. I’ve always imagined them cooking up delicate fried delights. And I had envie, I was really coveting one.
But here is the main reason I wanted one: to make doughnuts. The French of course do marvelous pastries, but they don’t do doughnuts, and sometimes nothing else will do. Plus I saw a recipe for them in Better Homes and Gardens which made it look so easy.
I happened to mention my doughnut fixation to our dear friends Bennett and Joan who were visiting from the states, and surprise, they up and bought me a friteuse! So now I have a lovely French one, full of possibilities.
Have I made doughnuts! Cake doughnuts with icing and doughnuts rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Yeast doughnuts with a sugar glaze, à la Krispy Kreme. I had the idea they would be a fun thing to serve at dinner parties. Ha! They've they’ve never lasted that long.
Then I thought, OK, on to the French recettes! I went to my favorite source, The Lyon Ladies (Nicole’s group of French women who are learning English). What did they do with their friteuses?
Pas beaucoup, not much, was their surprising answer, (though not too much of a surprise, since the thing is a bit of a hassle to use and clean, not something you pull out on a busy week night). Mostly they use it to make pommes frites (French fries) for kids. The gourmet cooks among them sometimes make what they call beignets, which are batter dipped, fried veggies (beignets can be sweet, too, you will see them occasionally in a pâtisserie. They resemble a very small, round, cream or chocolate filled doughnut).
So I’ve been frying everything I can think of. I’ve made the veggie beignets (yummy) and the famous twice-fried pommes frites. I’ve tackled shrimp tempura. I also found a recipe in a French magazine for ravioles frites, which were hot and crunchy and a fun appetizer, or the centerpiece for a main-dish salad.
Should you have a Deep Fryer, or even a deep pan and a surplus of vegetable oil, here are some recipes for you. Test your oil temperature if you don’t have a machine; 350F (180C) is good for most things, 375 (190C) for french fries. If the temperature is correct, not as much oil is absorbed.
RECIPES: What to do with a Friteuse
Ron's great idea: We've cooked all the fried stuff out on our terrace, which keeps the house odor-free. If you lack an outdoor plug, sit your deep- fryer near your range hood and crank it up to high speed.
For the cake doughnuts, I used the Better Homes and Gardens recipe, which you can find right here. Are they as easy as they look to make? Yes, but they're time-consuming.
For the ravioles frites, buy fresh ravioli in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, and fry them for 3 minutes at 350 (180C), turning once. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with a dipping sauce. Any sort of marinara sauce works well. You can even use salsa, or a chinese sweet and sour sauce.
A basic tempura batter can be used for shrimp or vegetables. Use cut-up squash, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers. You’ll probably have to do them in batches, but just pop them in a warm oven on a plate to hold them. This recipe includes an easy dipping sauce as well.
For the French fries, or pommes frites: Peel and slice baking potatoes into skinny pieces. They should be cut uniformly. You can do this by hand, or with a Japanese Mandoline Slicer that has a french fry attachment. Soak the fries in ice water for 10 minutes, dry them in a towel and then let them air dry for another 5. Heat vegetable oil to a depth of several inches until it reaches 375F (190C). Add fries, in small batches; do not crowd (crowding causes more oil absorption). Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until tender but not brown. Drain on paper towels. Let them cool at least 5 minutes; you can take them to this step a couple of hours ahead of time if you like. When ready to eat, fry them again at same temperature for about 3 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve with sea salt, and mayonnaise if you want to be oh-so-French.
For the oil, by the way, I buy vegetable oil in 2 litre bottles and pour it back in the container when it’s cool and store it in the fridge. I keep a ‘savory’ bottle and a ‘sweet’ bottle’. I use it three or four times before I throw it out, though some say you can use it ten times (if cooking seafood, I use it only once).
In the Comments: Delia says there's a Heritage Week-end in the UK too, which is going on my travel list! Sandra did the 'Patrimoine' in Orleans this month, and Ido, Julie, and Suzanne are dreaming of doint it one day. Jacki's comment tripped a 'moutarde' memory for Linda. Merci for the comments!
Favorite Reads: While we're talking about the Patrimoine week-end: On my wish list is H.R. Kedward's France and the French: A Modern History, which examines the political and cultural upheaveal in France in the last century, and looks deep into the heart of 'Frenchness'. And for a look at the forces that shaped the lives of modern women in France (timely, given the DSK mess), check out the film Coco Before Chanel
with Audrey Tautou.
Our Readers' Blogs: Julie studies French and travels the world at her Traveling Through blog. Sara followed her boyfriend to Provence and look what happened! Go to Sara in le Petit Village. And while we're in Provence, Ashley lives the dream and blogs on daily life at BackyardProvence. If you prefer the lovely Lot area, Caesar and Lady Caroline, who have just joined us, rent out their 14th century stone house, in a town I happen to know well and love: St. Céré. Find out more at Maison Burgos France.