Graceful Simplicity

This post is part of A Return to Loveliness.

This past week my best friend and her French boyfriend were visiting from France. On Saturday we had such a delicious meal that I just have to share the details with you. All the food was pretty simple, using fresh ingredients, but it was a feast fit for kings—simply good food goes best with good company! The best part was that we each had our signature dish.

Appetizer: Amy’s Experiment

PC La Belle Rivière or Brie or Camembert

Thinly sliced apple

Chopped walnuts

Crusty bread

Preheat oven (we used a toaster oven) at 350F.  Slice bread, place on cookie sheet and top with apple slices, walnuts, and cheese wedges. Toast in oven on low rack until cheese is melted and the bread is slightly toasted (and crispy!).

We served this bread with a salad of baby romaine, spinach, chopped apples, walnuts, avocado, and honey-mustard dressing.

The bread was a real hit. I liked it so much I made again for lunch the next day and took a picture.

Entrée: Fabrice’s Beets and My “Perfectly Cooked” Trout with Rice

French Beets (can make in advance)

Boil or roast beets (we boiled due to time constraints), cool. Peel and chop beets. Add dressing below.

Approximate measurements (experiment to suit your own tastes)

1/4 cup olive oil 

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp finely diced onion

(BTW, this dressing also tastes great with cooked green beans.)

My Perfect Trout

Apparently I have a talent for cooking fish! The French guests were impressed! So here’s my tips for cooking trout or salmon.

3 pieces trout (deboned, with skin).

Olive oil

Half a lemon, sliced

Fresh herbs (I had oregano)

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375F. On cookie sheet, lay down aluminum foil. Place fish, skin-side down on foil. Built up edges of foil around fish to create a bowl for the juices. Drizzle olive oil over the fish. Add seasonings and herbs, top with lemon slices. Cook on middle rack for 15 – 20 minutes (10 mins if fish is thin). At the 15 minute point, remove from oven, check to see if it’s still raw under the lemon slices, if so, move lemon slices to another part of the fish, and cook for another 5 – 10 minutes. If you remember, check the fish in 5 minutes. The fish is ready when it gently flakes away from the fork and is no longer raw inside but still has some juices (it continues to cook a bit on its own). Serve immediately with rice and the beets. We simply had soy sauce with the rice.

The Dessert

After our bellies digested the meal, we had apple crisp and vanilla ice cream for dessert. My apple crisp was well-received too! That’s because I didn’t forget my crisp secret: double the crisp topping! It makes for a thicker, caramel-like topping.

I am sad to see my friends gone, but we have a delightful memory to share until we get to sit around a dinner table again (maybe next time it will be in France–oh, I can dream).

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011, 9:33 pm   |   Dessert, Fish, Food, Recipes, Salad, Seasonal Produce, Vegetables  |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback