Celebrate Bastille Day with this classic French menu! All recipes serve 4.
French 75 Cocktail
8 oz. gin
4 tsp. sugar
2 oz. lemon juice
Bottle of Brut champagne
Mix first three ingredients together well, pour into glasses half-filled with cracked ice, then top off with champagne.
Green Salad with French Vinaigrette
6-8 cups of salad greens (romaine, mesclun)
½ cucumber seeded, quartered and sliced thin
½ red onion quartered and sliced thin
¼ cup oil
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. mustard
1 clove of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Clean and dry salad greens and place in salad bowl with cucumber and onion. Mix oil, vinegar, mustard, and garlic. Pour over salad and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Scallops Mornay
1 ¼ lb. sea scallops (about 16 large)
½ tsp. salt and pepper
1 ½ tbsp. butter
1 lb. asparagus or green beans, trimmed
Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Add 8-9 scallops and sear for about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown and just cooked through—approximately 5 minutes total. Sear remaining scallops with 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Transfer to a platter. Serve scallops in a pool of mornay sauce with steamed asparagus or green beans.
Mornay Sauce:
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
Pinch of nutmeg
5 tbsp. grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese
Add butter to skillet and melt over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook until pale golden brown–about 1 minute. While whisking add the milk in a thin, steady stream. Continue whisking with the pan over medium heat until sauce thickens. Remove from heat then add nutmeg and cheese.
Crepes au Fraises (Strawberry Crepes)
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp. butter, melted (plus butter or oil for cooking)
¼ tsp. salt
Butter and sugar to spread on crepes when done
Blend milk, flour, eggs, 2 tablespoons of butter, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt until smooth. (Or make batter the day before serving and refrigerate.) Lightly brush a skillet with oil or butter and heat. Lower heat to medium and pour in 1/4-1/3 cup of batter, immediately tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom and make crepe thin. When crepe begins to show little craters (30 seconds or so) flip over and cook until just set and golden, about 1-1 1/2 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Make the rest of the crepes and stack them. Brush each crepe with a little butter and sprinkle with sugar, then fold over a filling of sliced strawberries. Top with a few more berries and whipped cream if you wish. You can make the crepes ahead of time and refrigerate, then simply reheat in microwave for 15-30 seconds before filling with fruit and serving.
Variations:
Berries and Stone Fruit: Fill half of crepe with berries, chopped peaches, apricots, or plums. Fold and top with whipped cream.
Apples and pears: Fill crepes with warm, sautéed and chopped apples and pears, then top with ice cream or sprinkle Cheddar cheese. Heat until melted.
Nutella and Banana: Spread a thin layer of Nutella and thin sliced bananas on crepe, fold and top with whipped cream.
Jam or Brown Sugar: Spread warm crepes with butter and jam or brown sugar. Roll and eat!
Savory: Fill half of crepe with chopped, cooked chicken, ham, asparagus, artichokes, or seafood in mornay sauce, fold and top with shredded Swiss or Cheddar cheese. Heat to melt cheese and serve. (This is a great way to use leftovers!)
By Lori Ross, Southern Boating Magazine July 2016
