Florida Agenda

By Jean Doherty Traditional steak au poivre has been served as a pan sauce since at least the mid-19th century. Regardless of the concoction, the same pan should be used to create the sauce as was used to cook the steak. But we are in South Florida, and a grill is as likely to be [...]

By Jean Doherty Crème brûlée, French for “burnt cream,” (in Spanish, “crema catalane,” and in English “Trinity cream”) is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base, topped with a layer of hard caramel. Most people assume that crème brûlée is a French dish, since the name is French. Chances are, crème brûlée is another [...]

By Jean Doherty This delicious and easy-to-make soup is loosely derived from Russian and Ukrainian variations of traditional borscht. (Who knew?) I made it last week because we had bought too many carrots and other veggies, including beetroot, for our juicing—and, of course, we weren’t juicing! “Right,” says I, “I’ll make a soup with that,” [...]

Although our minds recall France when we eat moules marinières (“mariner’s mussels”), this classic dish is originally a specialty from Belgium. It was made famous in Lille, a French city on the Belgian border, where they have a huge “Moules Frites Fest” every year. During this festival, held the first weekend in September, attendees create [...]

I have been browsing different recipes proposed by various well-known cooks or chefs, and I’m amazed at the amount of blah-dee-blah going on! I mean Boeuf Bourguignon in 45 steps: Would you please gimme a break?! You mean that you have to be on vacation or knock a whole day off from your weekend to [...]

Ingredients: • 3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced • Knob of butter • 1 tablespoon of flour • 1 small onion, chopped • A good pinch of black pepper • ½ pint of chicken broth • ½ cup of milk • 12 ounces of frozen mixed peas and carrots, or sliced mushrooms • 2 refrigerated [...]

By JEAN DOHERTY Eggplant’s lovely purple skin adds a colorful punch to many healthy recipes, and it’s great texture is sturdy enough to stand up to the fire of a grill! You’re most familiar with it here in the States served up breaded and fried, and covered in melted cheese—NOT healthful fare! Chunks of eggplant [...]

By JEAN DOHERTY This one is easy, healthy and delicious. You can serve it hot or cold, with a hot coulis (pronounced “coolee,” it’s a fruit or vegetable purée, used as a sauce) of tomato, or with a greens salad. Ingredients: • 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) • 1 shallot, chopped • [...]

By JEAN DOHERTY Quiche is a savory, open-faced pastry crust dish, with a delicious filling of custard and cheese, meat, or vegetables. Try THIS variation of an old favorite on for size: It has NO pastry, filo, or crust! Ingredients: • 2 tablespoons of butter, divided • 12 green onions or scallions, chopped • ½ [...]

  By JEAN DOHERTY   “Graa-tan!” This is probably the most famous dish from the Rhone Alp region, and it’s one of the first recipes I learned to make during my stay in Lyon. Gratin is a well known culinary technique in which any ingredient is browned, usually by using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, butter, or [...]