On our last night in Europe, we turned our Paris apartment into a gourmet restaurant and made a four-course meal for six people.
First course: Soupe à L’Oignon (French Onion Soup)
Caramelized onions swim in a twist on the traditional poule-au-pot soup, with swiss cheese on the bottom, and parmesan cheese and soaked bread on top.
Second course: Salade de Trinité (Trinity Salad)
Good things come in threes, and everything about this salad is good. Smoked salmon sits atop a bed of zucchini, corn, and onions, that can be enjoyed with three different yet harmonious sauces: teriyaki, garlic and mayo, and pineapple sauce with a kick.
Third course: Magret de Canard aux Pommes Rissolées (Duck Breast with Golden Potatoes)
Orange-infused duck breast with a sizzling crisp skin is bathed in a Bordeaux wine reduction with raisins and caramelized onions. On the side, golden potatoes in herbes de Provence.
Fourth course: Fraises au Chocolat et Truffes (Chocolate-covered strawberries and Truffles)
Orange-dark chocolate covered strawberries alongside raspberry-mint truffles dusted in cocoa.
The starters were enjoyed with a Gewurtzraminer from Isreal, while the main was accompanied by a rich red from Catalan, and dessert was served with a young Riesling. The entire meal was enjoyed with rays from the setting sun streaming in the large open windows of the salon of our Paris apartment with views of the Eiffel Tower.
The recipe I used for the duck breast was adapted from this one: French Countryside Duck Breast.
The modifications I made were to add the OJ directly to the duck breast. I changed the sauce quite a bit because the vinegar made it too sour, so I poured in more poule-au-pot stock and added onions and raisins.
The recipe I used for the potatoes was similar to this this one: Pommes Rissolées (French Browned Potatoes).
The only difference is that instead of using all those spices, I just used herbes de Provence, which is still very traditional.
[...] skin, if it had cooked longer, I’m sure the meat could have been juicier. After having made my own orange-infused duck breast in Paris, I now knew what to expect and this was definitely below-par. The duck leg confit lasagna [...]