Southern Fried French

Tea with a Twist

When our British friends Sally and Trevor, who live south of us, called and said they'd be up in Beaune for the day, we were thrilled, as we haven't seen them in a while. They're COVID-cautious, so when we offered to get together for lunch, they declined, but said, "We'll come for afternoon tea, on your balcone!"

Now I've had the task of serving a lot of English friends a spot of tea, and I have an English son-in-law. So I know that the Brits and even other Europeans are most particular about their tea. Loose tea is best, but tea bags are acceptable, unless you're serving royalty. Milk is poured in after the tea is poured. Milk is only served with black tea, but not with Earl Grey, though this is subject to opinions that are as strong as a good cuppa. 

Let the water boil a few seconds, then immediately pour it in the teapot over the tea bags, and it must steep for the proper amount of time, subject to individual taste. Do not let it "stew", this is a mortal sin. Don't even think of putting the tea in a mug, a teapot is de rigeur. Pinkies out!

By the way, while Americans sometimes refer to a fancy afternoon tea as "high tea", Brits do not. High tea means supper. Tea in the afternoon is just a Tea, or a Cream Tea, if it's served with scones and clotted cream.

And what to serve with my low tea? I didn't dare compete with the English and make homemade scones, so something else would have to do.

Fortunately I have a favorite new recipe: raspberry shortbread bars. I paired these with cucumber sandwiches and chocolate macarons from our patisserie.

I love these easy cookie bars and they are very versatile. Serve them with tea or coffee (or breakfast!), or make an impressive dessert by serving them with a side of vanilla ice cream and sugared fresh peaches, giving them a French pêche melba vibe.

My  tea was a success, but Sally asked for a tisane and Trevor drank water, so the tea-making was was easy!  Some of us may have even opted for a glass of  wine--it was, after all, cinq heure, quelque part: five o'clock somewhere!

 

RECIPE: Raspberry Shortbread Bars

This recipe was inspired by one from the Washington Post. For company, serve with ice cream and peaches on the side, especially in summer.

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1/4 cup raspberry jam
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Press a long piece of aluminum foil into a 9-inch square pan to create a sling, leaving several inches of overhang on two opposite sides so you can use it to pull the bars out of the pan later. Grease the foil with cooking oil spray. 

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse the  mixture until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of the crust mixture for the crumb topping.

Press the remaining crust mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake (middle rack) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Remove from the oven; spread the jam over the hot crust. Sprinkle the reserved crumbly crust mixture over the filling, making sure to cover most of it, then scatter the almonds on top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the topping starts to turn golden brown and the almonds are fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool (in the pan) on a wire rack for 1 hour, then remove the slab using the foil sling and cut into 16 bars.

OPTIONAL: To fluff up this dessert , go for the classic peach melba flavors. Serve with vanilla ice cream, and something peachy: fresh peach slices, or sliced peaches doused in sugar and lemon and marinated in the fridge for a bit; or even a nice glass of creme de pêche if you have some on hand.

 

In the COMMENTS: Mindy has some great French diner stories, what fun! Paula, thanks for the Korean pancakes idea, I'll have plenty of time in lockdown to try them out. Delia, that yellow bus gets around!

Favorite READS: Our Book Critic in Residence, Natalia, has another good one for us, which she describes as "charming": Little Antique Shop Under the Eiffel Tower, by Rebecca Raisin. Since we just got locked down for a month, I'm looking forward to this one! And speaking of Paris and of charm, has everyone been watching Emily in Paris on Netflix? A fun bit of fluff that will make you smile.

 

In Beaune, Elvis has Left the Building

We did a double-take when we passed by it: A bright yellow American school bus parked on a country road just outside of Beaune, with an Elivs statue outside on a deck. A crazy Frenchman, obviously an Amer-ophile (is that a word?) has opened a food truck/diner in the bus. And they are said to have the best hamburgers in Beaune--which is a fairly low bar, given the lack of competition. 

So of course we had to check it out. We mentioned it to our new Beaune  friends, and before long we had a crowd of 15 or so signed up, and we basically took over the place. We had to bring a few foldng tables and chairs as we couldn’t all fit at their outdoor picnic tables, and the place is BYOB so we kind of set up our own bar. It was a beautiful, clear night and we dined under the stars, across the street from acres of vines. 

Our friend François parked his 72 Buick out front, for ambiance

The evening was a real blast, and while les hamburgers are trending in France, these burgers were, um, very French. They had fun names, though, like Beaune-y & Clyde, Beaune to Be Wild, and the Strip Cheese Burger. If you go, I can recommend the fish & chips, which were the only non burger option on the menu, and which were quite tasty.

Elvis has our friend Heather All Shook Up

Burgers with a vineyard view

And since I was deprived of a burger, I came right home and made shrimp burgers the next night. I love a good burger, but I don’t eat meat, so I’ve developed a number of delicious alternatives. It’s all about picking up a fat bun, loaded with tasty condiments and toppings, no meat required. And actually, no detailed recette required either! Get creative, they're quite forgiving.

 

RECIPE: How to Make a Burger Out of Almost Anything (except meat)

First pick your protein: beans, which can be black, white, red, or lentils; or fish, which can be chopped up salmon, shrimp, scallops, crab, lobster, white fish, most any kind you like, or combination thereof. 

The trick to making any non-meat burger is getting them to hold together (for this reason, they don't work well on a grill). I use eggs for this, but if they seem too dry to form even a loose patty, add some more beaten egg, or stretch your egg with a little mayo stirred in. It really helps to make them ahead and chill them. Handle them very carefully. But don’t worry if they fall apart when cooking, just smush them back together. Turn gingerly . LIft them on to the bun carefully with your spatula. (I've read you can use potato starch as a thickener, but I haven't tried that yet).

Tip: Before you put the raw patties on the plate, line the plate with plastic wrap. Then you can just fold it over to wrap them up, for chilling or freezing. 

They are a bit labor intensive, mostly chopping, so consider doubling the recipe and freezing them, and you'll have the bonus of an easy cooking day in the future!

This will make about 4 large burgers

For seafood burgers:

I used about 2 cups of chopped shrimp, but use other fish or shellfish, or a combo. Chop it small and there is no need to pre-cook it. I use a roughly equal quantity of finely chopped raw vegetables. Celery for crunch, onions of any sort, plus peppers, radishes if you have them. Add a pressed garlic clove into the mix if you like.

Add about 3/4 of a cup of homemade bread crumbs. Cracker crumbs work fine too, or a combo.

Mix it all together and add some salt and pepper. Then beat 1 extra large or 2 small eggs. I add some hot sauce to the eggs. Thin the eggs with a dash of lemon juice. Mix in well.

Put mounds of the filling on a plate lined with plastic wrap and form into patties. Wrap and chill (or freeze). 

When ready to cook, thaw patties if frozen. Sprinkle them with flour and spread to coat. Turn them over carefully and cover the other side with flour (if they're too delicate, you can even put the flour on the second side after you turn them in the pan). Heat a black skillet to medium and add a few tablespoons of oil to generously cover the bottom. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until browned (I cover the pan for part of that time, if they are thick). 

Put them on toasted buns with your favorite condiments and toppings. I like to top seafood burgers with roquette (arugula). For the sauce, I mixed some ketchup and lemon juice with mayo. A Cocktail sauce/mayo combo would work well too.

For bean burgers:

The recipe is similar but beans are milder so think about layering in more flavor. 

Use about 2 cups of drained, rinsed, cooked beans. Mix in the same veggies as above but I like to add sauteed mushrooms to the mix. Cut down on the bread crumbs and add a half cup of cooked rice or grains, if you have some on hand. Add a generous handful of chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted if y0u like. Parsley, chives,  or other chopped fresh herbs are a nice addition.

Otherwise follow the procedure above, adding egg, crumbs, etc., but for beans you will probably want to add some spices. Go with some smoked paprika and chipolte chili powder plus some cumin, or use middle eastern spices and maybe some curry. 

I like these slathered with grainy mustard , but you could use salsa, or salsa mixed into mayo or sour cream. 

Add more flavor to the bean burgers with toppings: lettuce and tomato, avocado, red onion slices. For a real punch melt your favorite cheese on top while the last side cooks. Add French fries on the side et voila!

 

 In the COMMENTS: I was so heartened by all of your thoughtful comments, and the action that folks are taking. Suzanne, your story was sad and funny, and I have a parellel one, a friend from grade school, who also thinks Trump is the Messiah (who knew a Messiah could be so full of hate?). But Natalia is right, we are all entitled to our opinions, and we must try to understand each other, as hard as that may be. Respectfully offering a conservative opinion we have Ned Harris, thank you Ned, and you are absolutely right, the Wall Street Journal is an excellent news source which I neglected to mention. Francine, I'm glad Obambcare has served you well, it's so scary that it might be taken away, and no alternate plan has been proposed--Suzanne has a cautionary tale in that regard. Lisa and others mentioned the non-partisan site vote411.org, with info from candidates in their own words, on their platform. Ella, merci for the link to the Harvard presentation. Betty, thank you for your upbeat message. Most importantly, as Colleen says, VOTE! Do note let democracy die!

 

Favorite READS: Are you a fan of southwest France? Then I have a great new blog for you to follow, by one of our readers: Life in The Languedoc. Tom Berry had a lifelong dream to move to France, and he did just that recently, along with his cat. Check in to follow his progress and admire the lovely scenery.

If you're working on your French (or your English), bi-lingual books are a great solution. French on one page, English on the facing page, if you need help. They're a bit hard to find. A friend just told me that Diane Murez has just published a new one called To Each Her Own/Suite Américaine. It's a cycle of short stories that form a novel.

Our reader Barbara has a good French book for us, called Paris Part Time, a memoir with recipes and photos. Sounds like the perfect COVID escape.