I need help with ideas for preparing three dinners for 10 American guests in Paris in July. Any ideas? I like easy menus and recipes. Also need suggestions for wine / champagne.
Other things - shrivelled peppers: cut red & poss yellow peppers into strips lengthwise, about as wide as 2 fingers. stack them on their sides tightly in an oven dish, drizzle with olive oil & a pinch of salt, throw minced garlic liberally, sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar. Into the oven for an hour and a half at 140°, shake the dish occasionally. Eat lukewarm.
Good old tomato & mozzarella & basil.
Raw new peas en salade - heaven.
Salade de lentilles du Puy: lentils + mustardy vinaigrette, spring onions chopped up (I think you call them scallions). Let it sit at room temperature before you eat it.
New potato & herring salad (make sure your new potatoes are all the same size)
Anchovy mayo with vegetables to dip into it (make your mayo with plenty of garlic and a few anchovy fillets added at the beginning)
Oak-leaf lettuce with magret strips and gésiers & raspberry vinaigrette
Foie gras obviously, can't go wrong unless they are squeamish
Melon & ham boring but delicious
for a plat you just grill something fresh like a nice sea fish, put some fennel in its stomach first & then whip up a bit of melted butter with a couple of spoons of pastis to pour over, you can stick lots in the oven in a dish with the grill full blast but you will need to keep an eye on it
Or get your butcher to cook you a rôti de boeuf (how you like it) & slice it for you too.
Cheese, chat up your crémier...
You can buy a good pudding in a patisserie, nobody will be bothered
Or make meringues, so easy and you will have egg-whites to use up after the mayo - you can serve them with a bowl of mascarpone with a bit of lemonzest & vanilla sugar stirred in & raspberries/strawberries on top
You sound both good and organized! Nice menu.
Entrée - frisée aux lardons with a poached egg on top, or poireaux vinaigrette, drink rosé de provence eg Château Minuty which will also go with your...
Plat: nice pink grilled lamb chops with a proper non watery ratatouille and little gratins dauphinois,
Then a nice cheese board (ask your crémier for an opinion & specify when it is for so they are properly ripe), plain green salad,
Sorbet or the like for pudding. (Pudding: you could do a Monbazillac slush puppy (poach a few white peaches in a teeny bit of water with a pinch of sugar, slip them out of their skins, halve & stone them, stick them in a blender & add a bottle of Monbazillac. Freeze in a sorbetière. Or in the freezer, scratching it about with a fork every 30 minutes until you have a granita-alike. Serve in wine glasses with a spoon & a straw.)
Good bread.
All v easy to do ahead except the poached eggs and the chops. Very easy & summery. This is the sort of thing I do when I have upwards of 25 for lunch, and I'm not a good, or organised, cook.
You need to ask yourself the question, do you want them to stay. That should dictate your menu. Keep it simple.
As an American I'd advise you to keep away from the funky stuff like Rabbit, horse, snails and frog legs. Some Americans may like those things but as a general rule they just seem weird to us. If they will be here in the summer I'd stay away from the stews and such also. I'd serve something fresh like a pasta salad , with a cheese, saucisson plate or gaspacho with some tartes salées. Strawberries and cream or ice cream for dessert. light and easy should do it.
Writing as an American and having had 30 or more non-paying American guests in our 5+ years in France, I found them appreciative of anything, wanting to try local foods and in summer, like people everywhere, enjoying the local produce.
No one got snotty about the meat or demanded sweetcorn which is not eaten year-round but only in season from July-August. Of course, they were our guests and our friends so would not fuss.
It is true Americans like cheese so a cheeseboard after the main course should be appreciated. We also like gratins and casseroles accompanied by a green salad.
Apart from one friend who has colieac disease, we haven’t had anyone announce they were on a gluten-free diet but I understand that’s a current fad. We are happy to accommodate vegetarians, easier, of course, if they aren’t vegans.
Hi Diana, being an American who has lived in France for 10 years and has a gite business I have a couple suggestions. With a party of 10 you will more than likely have at least one vegetarian in there so would suggests you offer two options. A traditional beef bourgognion is always a hit and can be prepared in advance. For a second option, I would suggest something like a vegetable lasagna or as everyone loves a lasagna, I've occasionally done a meat and a vegetarian and they both get eaten. Throw on a big salad, a tiramasu and dinners ready. Feel free to email me if you need any recipes. Good luck and make sure you enjoy yourself.
Why don’t you use a local traiteur who can bring ready prepared dishes that you can pop into the oven?
Perhaps a menu from a different region for each meal with cheese and wine to match?
My OH's sis and bro' in law from Ohio came last week. Ate everything in sight. They brought my OH Triscuits (savoury snacks similar to UK Sheddies) and ate the lot with the tapenade, both green and black, that I bought. So have plenty of dips and snacks available, plenty of Cheese and Bread, and a good Tarte from the patisserie. Melons with Parma ham is a failsafe starter.
Bear in mind that they'll probably be snotty about the meat and sweetcorn as both are excellent quality in US, but salads go down well.
But hell, they'll be happy to eat whatever you provide, as the sights and smells are exotic!
They also like cake and biscuits at teatime.
Unless they're on a health kick, in which case plenty of fruit. Mine didn't even eat the bananas...
Have fun!
We usually serve this (see below) to our guests the first night they are here. I just use the thighs and legs as the rest of the rabbit is too boney. (We are serving it tonight for guests coming from New Orleans).
Duck confit,
enjoy
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Hi Diana - why don't you Google...Pinterest...you will have sooo many suggestions more than you could ever use...PS! You could even look on my boards, I have several food boards, but also an Ina Garten board and she is of course an all-time American cook, who also loves Paris...but why don't you serve them what you like, they are your guests, and they are in Paris, that should be enough excitement for them hopefully...enjoy and good luck... :)
Hi Diana,
I was reading your question, regarding a Chef in Paris, being in the Wedding, Catering & Rental business, I have a great contact in Paris who is a Chef. He as done work for me, organized special trips for clients visiting Paris, planned special picnics etc. if you would like to contact me, I will be happy to give you his contact no. He is a lovely Guy French of course, but speaks English perfectly.
Talk soon, Laraine.
I'd also like a suggestion for a French cook in Paris who could come in -- someone who could make the meals without them being hugely expensive or the meal too costly. That would be a delight for my guests, at least one night. Thanks