TASTE SOUTHERN FRANCE: C'EST CHIC FOREVER

This inspired southern France party menu promises to unleash your inner fashionista and sea-faring fantasies. The Mediterranean provides a wealth of luxurious lifestyles, movie star lore and, of course, schools of sumptuous seafood. The locals make good use of it. You should too!

With this in mind, there's no set recipe but for outstanding bouillabaisse, the traditional French soup of the sea. The soup typically involves three types of fish, stewed gently in fish stock and a good amount of dry white wine. Enjoy with a big crowd.

Want your guests to feel the music and taste the love of southern France? Mais Oui!

Accent your tables with black and white photos of the Riviera and Monegasque red and white flags.

A Frenchman is not complete without a stylish cocktail or glass of wine in-hand.
A French Kiss, perhaps? Champagne? Absolutement! Savor the French flavor and sip on a specialty cocktail or deux or trois.

Before guests leave, make everyone feel special and hand out long-stemmed red roses.

Le Menu
French Kiss, Le Bisou
La Vie En Rose Champagne Cocktail
Riviera Bouillabaisse
Vanilla Cognac Buckwheat Crêpes or Chocolate Bread Pudding

FRENCH KISS, LE BISOU

¾ oz Chambord, a raspberry-flavored liqueur
¾ oz peach schnapps 
¾ oz vodka
Splash orange juice
Splash pineapple juice 
Splash cranberry juice

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain and serve into a martini glass straight up.

LA VIE EN ROSE CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL

½ oz rose water
1 sugar cube or 1 tsp granulated sugar
Rose Champagne
1 Rose petal, red or pink

Soak the sugar cube in the rose water until dissolved. Pour rose water into a chilled Champagne flute then top with Rose Champagne. Garnish with fresh rose petals.

Gourmet the Easy Way Note: Rose water is a distillation of rose petals used in Middle Eastern, Indian, North African and Mediterranean cooking oftened used to flavor candies and baked goods. From marzipan to madeleines, ice cream to iced tea, rose water adds a distinctive, subtle flavor to many desserts. It also finds its way into savory dishes, especially in the Persian cuisine; a few drops added near the end of the cooking elicit a delicate floral aroma. Rose water can be found in many Mediterranean markets and also Whole Foods baking department.


Bouillabaisse, an intoxicating aromatic French soup of the sea, sensually satisfies any seafood craving with elegance and class. When making this dish, its best to use golden whole saffron seasoning rather than the ground version as it delivers a richer yet quite delicate flavor. A very little goes a long way with this exotic Iranian seasoning that can be purchased at gourmet shops.

RIVIERA BOUILLABAISSE, SOUP OF THE SEA
Prepared in 50 minutes or less.

For the Base:
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1½ cups leeks, well cleaned and coarsely chopped
1 cup yellow onions, peeled and chopped
2 cups concentrated tomato purée
3 cups fresh plum tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp dried thyme
½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 cups dry white wine
4 cups fish stock
6 tbs sweet butter, softened
2 tsp flour
1½ tsp whole saffron
3 lbs skinless firm white fish (carp, wild striped bass, snapper, cod) cut into large cubes
36 raw shrimp, deveined and shelled
Salt and fresh pepper to taste

For the Croutons:
French baguette, cut into 16 ½–inch thick slices
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved

For the Rouille:
⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 egg yolks
2 cloves garlic, peeled
½ tsp pimento
Pinch of saffron
Salt and fresh white pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 250°F.

Arrange bread slices in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan and brush both sides with olive oil. Bake in middle of the oven until crisp, about 30 minutes. After baking, gently rub 1 side of each toast with a cut side of garlic. Set aside.

Rouille, a type of mayonnaise, flavored with pimento, saffron and garlic accompanies bouillabaisse in the traditional recipe. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic cloves with a pinch of salt. Add the egg yolks. Mix together and then add the olive oil drop by drop, whisking briskly. Lastly, add the saffron and pimento. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve soup.

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the leeks and onions and cook, covered, until the vegetables are soft, tender and lightly colored, approximately 20 - 25 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Add the tomato purée, fresh tomatoes, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, white wine, fish stock, salt and white pepper to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, blend butter and flour together and then whisk into the tomato mixture. Add the fish cubes and saffron and simmer for 5 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Do not overcook.  Ladle into hot soup bowls, garnish with garlic croutons and a small dollop of rouille. Serve immediately. Serves 8.

Crêpes, a French tradition, are the perfect vessel for a variety of delectable fillings. This classic dessert recipe becomes lavish when topped with apples or golden raisins sautéed in butter and sugar then drizzled with cinnamon or caramel sauce.

VANILLA COGNAC BUCKWHEAT CRÊPES
Prepared in 20 minutes or less plus 35 minutes to cook.

For the Crêpes:
1 cup buckwheat flour, found at most stores and Whole Foods markets
1 cup flour
2½ cups whole milk
4 eggs
½ cup water
4 tbs sweet butter, melted
1 tbs Cognac
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
Vegetable oil

For the Filling-Topping:
6 apples, cored and peeled, I prefer Golden Delicious apples
8 tbs sweet butter
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
Dash of Cognac

Sift flour together over a large bowl and set aside.

Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat and add the butter, vanilla extract and Cognac. Gently whisk. When the butter has melted, set pan aside to cool slightly.

Pour the sifted flours into a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add salt and process for 3 seconds to blend.

With motor running, pour milk and butter mixture into food processor then drop in eggs. Process until blended. Let batter sit for 20 – 25 minutes before making.

Dip a paper towel into some oil and brush the skillet to coat with oil. Over medium heat,
Pour ¼ cup of crêpe batter into the hot pan to cover surface evenly. While cooking, the crêpe may show a few wholes. That is fine.

Cook the crêpe for 3 - 4 minutes or until it is slightly moist on the top and golden on the bottom. Loosen the edges of the crêpe with a thin spautla before gently lifting and flipping upside down into the pan.

Cook for 1 minute and transfer the golden crepe to a plat to keep warm. Repeat and re-oil skillet after each crêpe is cooked.

Cut the prepared apples crosswise into ¼-inch slices.

Melt 2 tablespoons of sweet butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and add a single layer of apple slices. Sauté the slices, turning occasionally with tongs, until browned approximately 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked apples to a bowl.

Repeat process until all the apple slices are cooked.

Add brown sugar to the remaining butter in the hot skillet and stir until it dissolves. Add a splash of Cognac and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Return apples to skillet, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 3 - 5 more minutes. Transfer apples to a heated dish and serve with crêpes. Yields 16 crêpes.

Deluxe-addition, seductive and decadent best describes this French gastronomy delight. Using buttery golden brioche sets this recipe apart from any bread pudding your lips have graced.

CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING
Prepared in 25 minutes or less plus 30 minutes to bake.

2¼ cups sugar plus a dash to coat pan
10 oz dried fruit, such as dried pineapples, apricots or cherries
Stem ginger in syrup, found jarred in many markets and specialty baking stores
9 oz stale brioche or challah bread
3 cups milk
1 plump vanilla bean, split down middle with pulpy seeds scraped down
5 large eggs, room temperature
8 egg yolks, room temperature
9 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 325°F. Center oven rack in the middle.

Butter a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Dust its interior with granulated sugar.

Cut into 2-inch pieces the bread and chop the dried fruit into bits. Pat dry the ginger and finely chop. Toss these ingredients together with your hands in the pan.

Bring to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat the milk, sugar and vanilla bean, stirring occasionally.

Remove the vanilla bean once the milk is boiling and the sugar has dissolved.

In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs. Slowly pour in the hot milk into the bowl as you continue to whisk the eggs.

With a spatula, stir in the chocolate pieces into the bowl until melted. Gently pour this mixture over the bread and fruit.

Bake the pudding for 30 – 35 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean from the pudding's center.

Transfer pudding to a cooling rack and allow to rest until it is slightly warm. Serves 8.

Option: Replace stem ginger with candied orange peel.