Today I would like to discuss how my French Cooking Project went! For my Project, I had to cook 1 appetizer, 1 entrée, and 1 dessert. For my appetizer I chose to cook Ratatouille, for my entrée I cooked Coq au Vin, and finally for my dessert I chose Eclairs! All 3 of these dishes turned out perfectly and it was so much fun being able to cook them. When it came to selecting which French food I wanted to cook, I had to make sure that each dish came from a different region of France. Not only did I have to cook these dishes, but I also had to do research on them as well, so I decided to share it during this blog. Overall, this French cooking project turned out amazing!
Ratatouille is a well known vegetable stew which came from the region of Provence and was invented in the early 18th century. Ratatouille was known as a peasants food, which was created by poor farmers that needed to use up their fresh harvested vegetables. The word Ratatouille comes from the French words ‘Rata’ meaning chunky food, and ‘touille’ meaning to stir up.
Ratatouille consists of various chopped vegetables including; eggplant, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, garlic, and herbs, and it’s the perfect dish for vegetarians and vegans. This appetizer is commonly served alongside meat and fish so that the protein can balance out the vegetables. Ratatouille can also be served hot or cold, but this dish is delicious either way!
Coq au vin is a rich, classic French stew with braised chicken, sautéed mushrooms, onions, lardon (bacon), and butter. The words Coq au vin literally translate to “rooster in wine” in French. This dish originated from Dijon when the recipe was found in an old cookbook near the end of the 18th century. Coq au vin is one of the most well known French entrees all across France and is quite simple to make.
Eclairs are a long, airy French pastry made from choux pastry, filled with either cream or custard, and dipped in a ganache or glaze. Eclairs were invented in Ile de France (Paris) and have been around since the 19th century. The word Éclair means “Flash of Lightning” although it's unclear why. However, some people like to joke that the Éclair gets eaten quicker than a flash of lightning. The most commonly known Éclair is the chocolate Éclair and it even has its own national holiday, Chocolate Éclair Day, on June 22nd.
Eclairs were originally called Petite Duchesses, until they were reimagined and made legendary by Antonin Careme. Not much is known about the History of Eclairs, other than Eclairs were originally from Paris, and they can be found in almost every bakery in there. Eclairs are such a light and airy dessert that are recognized from around the world.
Thank you so much for reading my blog and learning a little bit about some dishes from France. I hope you have a wonderful day and that you'll read my blog next time!
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