Today’s recipe from Around My French Table is Marie-Helene’s Apple Cake. While this was quite the simple recipe to make, I wasn’t 100% pleased with the outcome. I did everything exactly as the recipe instructed, but this turned out more like a bread pudding than any sort of “cake”.

Don’t get me wrong, the flavor was nice as it used rum and vanilla with the apples, and it smelled so good as it baked. I was really excited to try it, but it just didn’t do it for me. I’m not a fan of bread puddings so I wouldn’t jump to make this again for myself. It would probably been nice with a little rum spiked whipped cream!

I felt like it was so wet that it just would not cook completely, especially the bottom. It was soggy. I’m thinking of cutting it into pieces to cook in a hot skillet for breakfast tomorrow. Making a sort of apple pancake thing. My husband would be happy with that!

Either way, I’m glad I tried this. Maybe I’ll attempt again sometime, but with fewer apples. The batter didn’t cover my apples at all like they were supposed to. Although, I still think this is a lovely looking cake, don’t you?

Starting today, Foodie Fridays will be replaced by French Fridays with Dorie. I’ll be cooking through Around My French Table along with many others. Hope you enjoy this detour as I learn more about french cooking.

Today’s recipe was Gougères. This was such a simple, satisfying thing to make. My batch yielded 44 servings, not the 36 mentioned in the book. I baked a dozen, froze the rest. Did I mention I ate three before I even started writing this post? This will become a staple entertaining food for me since you can bake them from frozen. What a nice little treat for guests to have a warm, golden cheesy nugget like this!

This time I used gruyere, but I will try cheddar next. I’d also love to add a little spice to them and play with different flavors. Great recipe. Turned out perfectly. Can’t wait for next week’s recipe!

Enjoy your weekend! Eat something yummy.

Every Saturday morning I walk to Little Italy Mercato here in downtown San Diego to buy most of my produce and cheeses for the week. We live about 1.5 miles from Little Italy so I also get a great three mile walk in! This is precisely why on this lovely September morning, I decided to eat breakfast at the market. Why not indulge a little?

I’ve been eyeing the pastries from Loic Patisserie’s booth for the past couple months. Tasting a little here and there. I want to try EVERYTHING. These are the kinds of pastries I want when I crave a pastry! Flaky, buttery, beautiful pastries!

First I ate half of my ham and cheese quiche from Loic Patisserie’s booth. It had been on dry ice, so it was chilled, but still quite tasty. The crust was so lovely, and although chilled, the inside was still creamy in texture. I love me some quiche! I saved the other half for later.

Then, I ate one of three Parisian Macaroons I purchased. I chose vanilla, cinnamon and chocolate. I ate the vanilla for dessert. It was quite lovely. I’m trying very hard not to finish off the other two!

I also had a free Key Lime Pie popsicle from Viva Pops, but I’ll share more on that later in the week as to why it was free. Very exciting!

Then, I ate the rest of my quiche when I got home! Three miles, people! I was hungry! Also, I much preferred it warmed to cold. Next week, I’m getting a chocolate croissant. It’s settled.

Recently, my husband and I decided to try Cafe 222 a couple blocks from our new place. Little did we know it was featured on an episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate where Bobby Flay raved about the Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast.

We arrived around 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon last Saturday. Had to wait about 10 minutes or so. It’s a small place so you’ll have to wait, but had a super friendly and helpful staff. While we waited, I started looking over the menu only to see a TON of things I wanted try!

My husband ordered the “famous” Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast, but really wasn’t impressed. I think he said, “Bobby Flay doesn’t know what he’s talking about…” or something similar. Maybe it was an off day for the french toast, but it was gone before I even could ask for a bite! I guess it wasn’t that bad.

I settled on Eggs Italia, but soon called the server back to order a Sweet Corn Waffle as well. My, oh my, was that ever a good decision. While the Eggs Italia were tasty, it was far too much food for me. I would have preferred the dish sans bread and potatoes. There was nothing really special about them. The eggs were scrambled with goat cheese, tomatoes and pesto. Quite tasty.

Now, let’s talk about that waffle. It was so very good. Basically, a cornbread waffle. Yep, that’s right. I drizzled just a little syrup over it as I munched away, and I my mouth was quite pleased. I would most definitely get that again.

Overall, we liked this place. It’s fun with mostly outdoor seating, and it’s very affordable for being a downtown San Diego restaurant. We’d try it again. Good for breakfast if you are in the area.

Recently, my husband took me to see It’s Complicated. In the movie, Meryl Streep’s character makes these incredible looking cheesy, toasty bits of goodness. I had never heard of these French sandwiches before, but I couldn’t get them out of my mind! After some research, I came across this recipe from Simply Recipes. I adapted it to my tastes, but holy moly these things are amazing! I can’t even begin to describe how each mouthwatering bite of creamy, cheesy goodness tasted. Perfection. These are going to become a staple in our household.

I believe the key to making the Croque Monsieur was to buy quality ingredients. Truly, I think it made a difference. Somewhere in my research I came across a comment that was made, “It’s just an expensive ham and cheese sandwich.” Oh no, no, no! Sure, it’s bread, cheese, ham, but does your ham and cheese come bathed in a Béchamel sauce? It is just so satisfying to make meals like this at home. For me, the cost of the ingredients is still far below what I’d pay for a mediocre (at best!) restaurant meal. Really, it’s just the cheese that is “expensive”, but they will last you longer than more lackluster cheeses will. With so much flavor, a little goes a long way. Although, I did indulge tonight on the cheese front!

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Croque Monsieur (adapted from SimplyRecipes.com)
Makes 10 pieces or 2-3 servings.

WHAT I USED
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups 1% Lactaid, warmed (I can’t handle real milk, funny the cheese doesn’t get to me)
Salt & Pepper
1 1/2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated and packed
Crusty French bread loaf, cut into 1 inch thick slices (sandwich size, not skinny baguettes)
8 ounces Black forest ham, thinly sliced
Dijon mustard

WHAT I DID
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Using a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until melted. Slowly add flour while whisking constantly. Continue cooking and whisking until mixture turns a light blonde color, a couple minutes. Keep color light, do not let brown. Slowly pour in warmed milk, while whisking. Keep a light simmer and continue to whisk until sauce starts to thicken. Add Parmesan and 1/4 cup Gruyère cheese a little at a time while stirring. Do not add all at once, or sauce will clump. Once you’ve combined cheese into sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Need help with your Béchamel? Links below.

3. Turn heat to low under sauce. Lightly toast your bread slices on a baking sheet in the oven, turn once. Do not let brown.

4. Spread a very thin layer of Dijon mustard over each toasted slice. Add about 2 slices of ham to each piece. Sprinkle each slice with the Gruyère cheese reserving about 1/4 cup. Spoon Béchamel over each slice, then top with remaining Gruyère cheese.

5. Bake for 5 minutes. Rotate pan front to back, then turn broiler on High for 3 minutes. Cheese will be bubbling and lightly browned when ready. Be sure to keep a close watch while broiler is on, they can burn quickly.

6. Remove from pan, plate up and enjoy!

Traditionally, this is more like a sandwich, but I enjoyed these quite a lot without the top portion of bread. I feel it would have been too crusty and hard, especially for me. (Braces!) I probably shouldn’t have been crunching on the one crusty piece as it is! My Orthodontist would be unhappy with me. Shh! You won’t tell, right?

Have an outstanding weekend and indulge a little!