Thursday, September 30, 2010

Vive la France


Unquestionably, one of France's greatest treasures is its rich cuisine and October introduces some great new additions to our line of French products with the Vive La France promotion.
France’s culinary heritage is so vast and rich in tradition that it is impossible to present it in a single dish. Each region has its own specialties, products, and unique style. The Vive La France promotion highlights some of Southern France’s most well known flavors with easy to use recipe ideas.

As autumn sets in I enjoy creating delicious salads with heartier ingredients to make a complete meal, and with all these wonderful artisan products, what better salad to create than France’s renowned Nicoise Salade.

Nicoise Olives (pronounced nee-SHWAZ) are a style of prepared olives from the olives of the Cailletier olive trees which are grown around Nice, France. The olives are small, with a large pit and very little flesh. Ripened to a dark purplish-black color, they are cured in brine first and then packed in oil for a rich, nutty taste.

These are delicious right out of the jar, but here they are the ideal finishing touch to the renowned Nicoise Salade. The highlighted items are available at Oil & Vinegar.

Nicoise Salad

Make a dressing by whisking together the following ingredients and set aside:

3 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 Tablespoons Tarragon Vinegar
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil from France
1 medium shallot, minced
1-2 Tablespoons Herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon garlic mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad

2 cans of tuna
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
10 small new red potatoes, cooked and quartered
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large head of butter lettuce, leaves washed, dried, and torn into bite-sized pieces
3 small ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 small red onion, sliced very thin
8 ounces cooked green beans, trimmed and halved
1 jar nicoise olives
1 jar caper berries (optional)

Toss the lettuce in ¼ cup of the dressing mixture and arrange on a serving platter. Mix the tomato wedges, red onion, salt & pepper with a bit of dressing and arrange in a pile on the lettuce. Toss individually the potatoes, tuna, and green beans with two or three tablespoons of dressing and arrange in mounds on the lettuce, placing the tuna in the center. Place the egg, olives and other ingredients in mounds on the lettuce, drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.

Stay tuned for more stories and recipes about our journey through France!