For Americans, there is nothing more quintessentially summer than July 4th celebrations. For the French, Bastille Daymirrors our American holiday in many ways (it’s even just 10 days after our holiday), but with some distinctly French notes. French chef Dominique Theval, of Dominique’s Kitchen, grows a little nostalgic for his home country each year during this time. He’s prepared some of his favorite Bastille Day recipes, which are summery and seasonal. The 14th of July in France is for grilling and lighter food, just like our Independence Day holiday in the States.
If you’re not into cooking and would prefer just to eat like the French, Dominique’s Kitchen has prepared a few traditional French dishes that will be on the menu for Bastille Day. They include white and black pudding sausages, fillet mignon with black truffle, white Alaskan king salmon with champagne, and duck gizzards confit with raspberry vinaigrette.
Calf’s Liver with Pistachio and Raspberry Vinegar
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(serves 4)
4 slices of calf’s liver
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1/4 cup of fresh pistachio peeled
2 shallots chopped
1 clove of garlic peeled
1 cup of chicken stock
3 tablespoon of raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespoon of olive oil
flour to dust
salt and pepper to taste
In frying pan heat up the olive oil
Dust slices of liver with flour and pan sear in the hot pan
Turn over when golden brown and cook for another 2 minutes
Remove the liver and add the garlic and shallots, deglaze with the vinegar, add the chicken stock Reduce 3/4 and add the butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Serve with grilled vegetables or sautéed asparagus or artichokes
Fresh Fruit Gratin
(serves 4)
1 lb of red berries
2 bananas sliced
4 scoops of vanilla ice cream
4 eggs yolk
2 tablespoons of grand marnier
1/2 quart of whipped cream
2 tablespoons sugar
In 4 small gratin dishes add 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream, the berries and bananas.
In a metal whisking bowl add the egg yolk, sugar and grand marnier, whisk the mixture over low heat until thickened, remove from the heat and add the cream, pour on top of the berries, dust with powder sugar and glaze under the grill.
More Memories of Bastille Day from Chef Dominique
Growing up in France every village had a party celebrating the day, generally organized by the fire department. If it was a very small village the butcher will kill a pig or lamb and roast it for hours outside. In paris and large cities you have small concerts in different places all followed by fireworks. I remember when I was a kid going through the village night beforeBastille Day with a candle ( it is called la retraite aux flambeaux). We would have many similar things as the American 4th of July holiday, including the children playing with sparklers, concerts, meals with friends and neighbors, and fireworks. There is also a lot of red, white and blue (like the American Independence Day) as those are also the colors of the French flag.
