With our 4th of July celebrations out of the way it’s time to start focusing on the next holiday coming down the pike, Bastille Day!
Now I know the French really don’t celebrate Bastille Day the way we celebrate the 4th, but it just seems nice to give a shout out to the country who helped us gain independence (let’s ignore the fact that they did so to annoy the British who they had been fighting with on and off for a few hundred years). So combine this with my desire to pretend to be a French girl whenever possible we have the perfect reason to throw a petite fete!
Now I will be down the shore with my parents on Bastille Day but that won’t stop the fun, here are a few recipes I am thinking about making.
Since it is the height of summer and the veggies could not be yummier Ratatouille is a fantastic choice, and since I always have some tomato sauce in the freezer it a quick dish to make. I like it more deconstructed to show off all the gorgeous colors, the Disney’s Ratatouille recipe is both easy and evokes a hilarious movie. Also, if you have tiny humans around you may be able to get them to eat their veggies by letting them watch a mouse make it first (let me know if that actually works, I am totally curious).
I think I will add a light and fresh salad of butter lettuce, thinly sliced radishes, hard boiled egg, and a quick Dijon vinaigrette to the meal to balance out the ratatouille and keep it from seeming too heavy.
Cheese is an absolutely necessity and in the past few days I have come across a recipe for both a blueberry chutney from the lovely Camilla Styles and a whipped feta from Jessica at How Sweet it is. The blueberry chutney is gorgeous, fresh, and colorful and on top of the whipped feta and a hunk of bread will give a fun twist to the more traditional cheese course.
Now the meal wouldn’t be truly French without some delicious wine. Red, white, and rose are all delicious options depending on your personal preference. Beaujolais is a great option for summer, keep the bottle on ice once opened so it doesn’t warm up (you want cold wine to stay cold and room temperature wine to stay room temperature). A personal favorite of mine is a Chenin Blanc, although I first discovered it as a South African wine, the French versions are a wee bit heavier but still absolutely delightful. If you are going rose, go bubbling rose. There are sparkling Malbecs which have the tint of a rose but the deeper Malbec flavor that I love.
What are your favorite French recipes???
