Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home

Whipped Cream

3 pints assorted berries

Raspberry Sauce

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small glass and a pencil, draw six 3½-inch circles on each piece of paper. Turn the paper face-down on the baking sheets.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a large pinch of salt on medium speed until frothy. Add 1 cup of the sugar and raise the speed to high until the egg whites form very stiff peaks. Whisk in the vanilla. Carefully fold the remaining ½ cup of sugar into the meringue. With a large star-shaped pastry tip, pipe a disc of meringue inside each circle. Pipe another layer around the edge to form the sides of the shells.

Bake for 2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp but not browned. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 4 hours or overnight.

For serving, fill each shell with whipped cream, top with berries, and serve on a puddle of raspberry sauce.

A large pastry bag with large tips is great for piping meringues.

Don’t make meringues on a humid day or they will be sticky.

Store the meringues in an airtight container at room temperature.

Plum Raspberry Crumble

Crumbles, or what we might call crisps in America, have become quite chic in Paris. Since I’m always looking for an excuse not to roll out a pie crust, I’m very fond of these fruit desserts. This is particularly good served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

2 pounds red plums, cut in half, pitted, and cut in 1-inch wedges

²/3 cup granulated sugar, divided

1¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided

2 tablespoons orange juice

½ pint fresh raspberries

¹/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

½ cup quick-cooking oats

½ cup sliced almonds, plus extra for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the sliced plums, ¹/3 cup of the granulated sugar, ¼ cup of the flour, and the orange juice and toss well. Add the raspberries and toss lightly. Pour into a 9 × 12 × 2-inch baking dish.

For the topping, place the remaining 1 cup of flour, the remaining ¹/3 cup of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Pour the mixture into a bowl, add the oats, and work it with your hands until it’s in large crumbles. Add ½ cup of the almonds and mix well.

Spread the topping evenly over the plums, making sure the fruit is covered. Sprinkle with some extra almonds. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Use red plums that are firm but ripe.

I use McCann’s or Quaker quick-cooking oats.

Île Flottante

SERVES 6 TO 8

Île flottante (floating island) is an old-fashioned French nursery dessert that will have your guests groaning with pleasure. It involves three steps, but everything except the meringue can be made a day or two ahead and then assembled just before serving. I promise you it’s worth every minute it takes to make. Your friends will be licking their plates.

2½ cups sugar, divided

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided

1½ cups (5 ounces) sliced almonds

8 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature

¹/8 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Crème Anglaise

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the caramel, heat 1½ cups of the sugar and ½ cup water in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Cook over medium heat until the syrup turns a warm caramel color. Don’t stir, just swirl it in the pan. Off the heat, add ½ cup water and ½ teaspoon of the vanilla; be careful, the syrup will bubble violently. Stir and cook over high heat until the caramel reaches 230 degrees (thread stage) on a candy thermometer. Set aside.

For the praline, combine the almonds with ¼ cup of the caramel and spread them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the almonds are lightly browned. Allow to cool at room temperature and then break up in pieces.

Lower the oven to 250 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

For the meringues, beat the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed until frothy. Turn the mixer on high speed and add the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Beat until the egg whites are very stiff and glossy. Whisk in the remaining teaspoon of vanilla. Place large mounds of meringue on the parchment paper with soup spoons and bake for 20 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

For serving, pour crème anglaise on the bottom of individual plates. Place a meringue or two on top of each serving, drizzle with caramel sauce, sprinkle with praline, and serve.

To make a day or two ahead, leave the caramel and praline at room temperature and refrigerate the crème anglaise. Bake the meringues before guests arrive and assemble the desserts just before serving.

Lemon Meingue Tart

Lemon Meringue Tart

People think of lemon meringue as quintessentially American, but I see it in French pastry shops all the time. Lemon tart is certainly French, and so is meringue, so why not Lemon Meringue Tart? I have to admit that even I was impressed when this tart came out of the oven. It requires a few steps, but you can make most of it a day ahead and then bake the tart the day of the party. Your guests might not remember what you made for dinner, but they’ll definitely remember dessert.

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

Kosher salt

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

2 tablespoons cold Crisco

¼ cup ice water

4 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Lemon Filling (recipe follows)

Combine the flour, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt in a bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and Crisco and pulse about 10 times until the butter is in small bits. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disc. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out the dough and fit into a 9-inch tart pan with removable sides. Don’t stretch the dough when placing it in the pan or it will shrink during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of the pan. Line the tart shell with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, butter side down, and fill it with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil and prick the bottom of the shell all over with a fork to allow the steam to escape. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees.

For the meringue, whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, and ¼ teaspoon salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed until frothy. With the mixer still running, slowly add the remaining ½ cup of sugar and beat until the meringue is thick and shiny, about 2 minutes.

Immediately spread the lemon filling in the cooled tart shell and pipe the meringue over it with a large star tip. Be sure the meringue covers the entire top and touches the edges of the shell, to prevent it from shrinking. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, until the meringue is lightly browned. Cool to room temperature.

To make ahead, wrap the cooled tart shell and store at room temperature. Store the lemon filling in the refrigerator. Assemble and bake the day you plan to serve it.

LEMON FILLING

MAKES 3 CUPS

¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½ cups sugar

4 extra-large eggs

3 extra-large egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)

¼ cup finely grated lemon zest (6 to 8 lemons)

½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

¹/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 1 minute. On low speed, add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, and then add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Don’t worry; it will look curdled.

Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until thick, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Whisk briskly when it starts to thicken and cook over low heat for a minute or two, whisking constantly. Don’t allow it to boil! It will be 175 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature.

A rasp or Microplane grater zests lemons really fast.

Pear Clafouti

Clafouti is made by pouring a pancake-like batter over fruit, so it’s really easy to make. It’s traditionally made with cherries, but since pears are available for more of the year, I changed the recipe. This was inspired by Debra Ponzek’s book French Food, American Accent.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

¹/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½ cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

2 tablespoons pear brandy, such as Poire William

2 to 3 firm but ripe Bartlett pears

Confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10 × 1½-inch round baking dish and sprinkle the bottom and sides with 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar.

Beat the eggs and the ¹/3 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, mix in the flour, cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest, salt, and pear brandy. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel, quarter, core, and slice the pears. Arrange the slices in a single layer, slightly fanned out, in the baking dish. Pour the batter over the pears and bake until the top is golden brown and the custard is firm, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.

Bartlett pears are often hard when you buy them. Allow them to sit at room temperature for a day or two until they smell ripe but are still firm.

Coeur à la Crème with Raspberries

SERVES 6 TO 8

This amazing dessert was inspired by my friend Anna Pump in her Loaves and Fishes Cookbook. This is really easy to make and can be prepared days before a party. Believe me, your friends will go crazy.

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar

2½ cups cold heavy cream

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest

Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

Raspberry Sauce (recipe follows)

1 pint fresh raspberries

Place the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the beater and bowl with a rubber spatula and change the beater for the whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and vanilla seeds and beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.

Line a heart-shaped mold with cheesecloth so the ends drape over the sides and place it on a plate, making sure that there is space between the bottom of the mold and the plate for the liquid to drain. Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth, fold the ends over the top, and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, discard the liquid, unmold the cream onto a plate, and drizzle raspberry sauce around the base. Serve with raspberries and extra sauce.

If you double this recipe, it won’t set. For a large group, make two molds.

I use a heart-shaped dish with perforations, but you can also use a 7-inch sieve, which will make a rounded crème. Suspend the sieve over a bowl to drain.

Raspberry Sauce

MAKES 2 CUPS

For a sauce, nothing is easier or fresher tasting than this raspberry sauce. It’s delicious with Coeur à la Crème or Meringues Chantilly. It’s also great for entertaining because you can make it a day or two in advance. Framboise is a clear raspberry eau-de-vie that you can find at the liquor store.

1 half-pint fresh raspberries

½ cup sugar

1 cup (12 ounces) seedless raspberry jam

1 tablespoon framboise liqueur

Place the raspberries, sugar, and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam, and framboise into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Chill.

The cream and the raspberry sauce can each be made a few days ahead.

Crème Anglaise
VANILLA SAUCE

MAKES 2 CUPS

Crème anglaise is one of the basics of French cooking. It’s a vanilla dessert sauce but also becomes ice cream when it’s frozen, and it evolves into a Bavarian when you add gelatin and whipped cream. Crème anglaise usually doesn’t contain cornstarch, but for me, it’s a little extra assurance that I won’t end up with vanilla scrambled eggs.

4 extra-large egg yolks

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1¾ cups scalded milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1½ teaspoons Cognac

Seeds of ½ vanilla bean (optional)

Beat the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.

With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the eggs. Pour the custard mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened. The custard will coat the spoon like heavy cream. Don’t cook it above 180 degrees or the eggs will scramble!

Pour the sauce through a fine strainer, add the vanilla extract, Cognac, and vanilla seeds, if using, and chill.

To scald milk, heat it to just below the boiling point.

Baba au Rhum

Baba au rhum was one of the first things I ever made for my husband when we were first married, and we still love it. Most babas have a strong, slightly harsh, rum bite, but I added a little vanilla to the syrup and it rounds out the flavor perfectly for me.

¹/3 cup dried currants

1 tablespoon good dark rum

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup milk

1 package dry yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1²/3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Rum Syrup (recipe follows)

¾ cup apricot preserves

Whipped Cream (recipe follows)

Combine the currants and rum in a small bowl and set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and brush a 5-cup (6½ × 3½-inch) tube pan or kugelhopf mold with the melted butter. Be sure to coat every crevice of the pan. Heat the milk to 115 degrees and then pour it into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir in the yeast and sugar and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

With the mixer on low speed, first add the eggs, then the flour, salt, and remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater to form the dough into a ball. It will be very soft. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Drain the currants, fold them into the dough with a spatula, and spoon into the prepared pan. Smooth the top, cover the pan with a damp towel, and allow to rise until the dough reaches the top of the pan, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and make the rum syrup.

Bake the cake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then tap it out of the cake pan onto a baking rack set over a sheet pan. Pour all of the rum syrup very slowly onto the warm cake, allowing it all to soak in thoroughly. Amazingly, the liquid will be absorbed into the cake, so be sure to use all of the syrup.

Heat the preserves with 1 tablespoon of water until runny, press it through a sieve, and brush it on the cake. Serve with whipped cream piped into the middle of the cake plus an extra bowl on the side.

If you need eggs at room temperature in a hurry, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes.

You can make the cake a day ahead but leave it wrapped at room temperature. Soak the cake the day of the party.

RUM SYRUP

1 cup sugar

²/3 cup good dark rum

Place the sugar and 1½ cups water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour into a 4-cup heat-proof measuring cup and allow to cool. Add the rum and vanilla and set aside.

I use Myers’s Jamaican dark rum.

WHIPPED CREAM

MAKES 4 CUPS

2 cups (1 pint) cold heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until the cream forms stiff peaks. Don’t overbeat, or you’ll end up with butter!

Elephant Ears (Palmiers)

Elephant Ears
PALMIERS

MAKES 40 TO 45 COOKIES

Ladurée, a historic pastry shop in Paris, makes huge palmiers that are positively addictive. I find those big ones hard to make, so I bake smaller ones to serve with ice cream. They’re surprisingly simple as long as you start with pre-made puff pastry. It’s best to allow the pastry to defrost overnight in the refrigerator so the dough is pliable but still very cold before you bake it.

2 cups sugar

¹/8 teaspoon kosher salt

2 sheets Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, defrosted

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Combine the sugar and kosher salt. Pour 1 cup of the sugar-salt mixture on a flat surface such as a wooden board or marble slab. Unfold the first sheet of puff pastry onto the sugar and pour ½ cup of the sugar mixture on top, spreading it evenly on the puff pastry. This is not about sprinkling, it’s about an even covering of sugar. With a rolling pin, lightly roll the dough until it’s a 13-inch square and the sugar is pressed into the puff pastry on top and bottom. Fold the sides of the square toward the center so they go halfway to the middle. Fold them again so the two folds meet exactly at the middle of the dough. Then fold one half over the other half as though closing a book. You will have 6 layers. Slice the dough into ³/8-inch slices and place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place the second sheet of pastry on the sugared board, sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of sugar mixture, and continue as above. (There will be quite a bit of sugar left over on the board.) Slice and arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment.

Bake the cookies for 6 minutes, or until caramelized and brown on the bottom, then turn with a spatula and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, until caramelized on the other side. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

To make ahead, cool completely and store in airtight plastic bags.

Mango Sorbet

MAKES 1½ QUARTS; SERVES 6

There’s a historic store in Paris on Île Saint-Louis called Berthillon that makes what seems like a million incredible flavors of ice cream. We had mango sorbet there that tasted just like frozen mangoes, so I had to come home and make some. Sorbet is best served right after you make it, but I found that if you freeze it, allow it to defrost a bit, then purée it in the food processor before serving, it’s still creamy and delicious.

¾ cup sugar

5 large ripe mangoes, peeled and seeded

¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Place the sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan and cook until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

Place the mangoes in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and purée. You should have about 5 cups of mango. If you want a smoother sorbet, you can process the purée through a food mill fitted with a medium blade.

Combine the mango, sugar syrup, orange juice, and salt and refrigerate until cold. Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s directions. (The sorbet will be soft.) Serve directly from the ice cream machine.

If you want to make the sorbet ahead of time, freeze it in plastic containers. Allow it to soften in the refrigerator for 2 hours, then put it in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process, adding enough extra orange juice to make a smooth but frozen sorbet. Serve immediately.

Buy the mangoes a few days early to allow them to get ripe and juicy.

Ice Cream Bombe

This is really a fun dessert. Form this into a mold and serve it with a cookie on the side. If you don’t have time to prepare the mango sorbet, Häagen-Dazs makes a good one, and believe me, your friends will have just as much fun. The good news is that you can make this ahead of time. I serve it with fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce.

2 pints Mango Sorbet or 2 pints store-bought mango sorbet, softened

1½ pints good raspberry sorbet, softened

1 pint good strawberry ice cream, softened

Freeze an 8-inch bowl. When it’s cold, place the mango sorbet in the bowl and press it against the sides of the bowl. If you have a 6½-inch bowl the same shape as the 8-inch bowl (such as from a set of nesting bowls), press it into the sorbet to make the layer even. Remove the smaller bowl and freeze for 30 minutes.

Spread an even layer of softened raspberry sorbet on top of the mango sorbet (a 4½-inch nesting bowl helps with this) and freeze for another 30 minutes. Finally, spoon in enough softened strawberry ice cream to fill the bowl. Freeze until hard.

To unmold, dip the bowl up to the rim in warm water. Run a knife around the edge to loosen the bombe and unmold upside down onto a flat plate. You may need to run a flexible metal spatula along the edge of the bombe to release it. Freeze until ready to serve. Serve in wedges.

I prefer Häagen-Dazs ice creams and sorbets.

Williams-Sonoma has a terrific set of glass nesting bowls that are useful for this recipe.

To soften sorbets, put them in the microwave just until they’re spreadable.

Plum Cake “Tatin”

SERVES 6

When we’re in Paris, Jeffrey and I love to have dinner at home and then walk down to Café de Flore for Tarte Tatin for dessert. This cake takes its idea from that French classic, which is made with apples, but this is so much easier. If plums are out of season, I make it with two ripe Bartlett pears, peeled and cut into wedges. While it’s perfectly delicious on its own, it’s even better with a dollop of Whipped Cream or crème fraîche.

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the dish

10 to 12 purple “prune” plums, cut in half and pitted

1¾ cups granulated sugar, divided

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

¹/3 cup sour cream

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9-inch glass pie dish and arrange the plums in the dish, cut side down.

Combine 1 cup of the granulated sugar and ¹/3 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until it turns a warm amber color, about 360 degrees on a candy thermometer. Swirl the pan but don’t stir. Pour evenly over the plums.

Meanwhile, cream the 6 tablespoons of butter and the remaining ¾ cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Lower the speed and beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream, zest, and vanilla and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and, with the mixer on low speed, add it to the butter mixture. Mix only until combined.

Pour the cake batter evenly over the plums and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a flat plate. If a plum sticks, ease it out and replace it in the design on top of the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners’ sugar.

Prune plums are the blue ones available in late August and early autumn. Sometimes they’re called Italian plums.

Chocolate Orange Mousse

SERVES 6 TO 8

In Paris when you order chocolate mousse at a bistro, you’re sometimes offered a big communal bowl from which to serve yourself. When my husband, Jeffrey, went to a bistro on his own he thought the bowl of chocolate mousse was all for him. Boy, were they surprised—and was he sorry!

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 ounces good bittersweet chocolate, chopped

¼ cup Grand Marnier liqueur

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

8 extra-large eggs, at room temperature, separated

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

½ cup cold heavy cream

Whipped Cream, for decoration

Mandarin oranges, drained, for decoration

Combine the two chocolates, Grand Marnier, ¼ cup water, and the vanilla in a heat-proof bowl. Set it over a pan of simmering water just until the chocolate melts. Cool completely to room temperature. Whisk in the orange zest and butter until combined.

Place the egg yolks and ½ cup of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick and pale yellow. With the mixer on low speed, add the chocolate mixture. Transfer to a large bowl.

Place 1 cup of egg whites (save or discard the rest), the salt, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until firm but not dry. Whisk half of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture; then fold the rest in carefully with a rubber spatula.

Without cleaning the bowl or whisk, whip the heavy cream and the remaining tablespoon of sugar until firm. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Pour the mousse into individual dishes or an 8-cup serving bowl. Chill and decorate with whipped cream and oranges. Serve with extra whipped cream on the side.

It’s easier to separate cold eggs, but egg whites at room temperature whip better.

Be sure the chocolate and butter are really at room temperature before you combine them.

This can be made to serve family style or as individual servings. To make one large mousse, a soufflé dish 3¼ inches high and 7½ inches in diameter is the perfect size.

Brownie Tart

At Barefoot Contessa, we made what seemed like millions of brownie pies over twenty-five years. Sometimes I feel like making a familiar dish with a bit of French elegance, so I decided to bake this very American pie in a French tart pan. Voilà! It’s an elegant French dessert. A puddle of crème anglaise on the plate doesn’t hurt, either.

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter

3¼ cups (20 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

3 extra-large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (4 ounces) chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Crème Anglaise

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 11-inch tart pan with removable sides.

Melt the butter in a bowl set over simmering water. Add 2 cups of the chocolate chips, remove from the heat, and stir until the chocolate melts. Set aside to cool completely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, coffee, and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cooled chocolate. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, 1 cup of the chocolate chips, and the walnuts. Fold the flour mixture into the batter until just combined. Pour into the pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the center is puffed (the top may crack). The inside will still be very soft. Cool to room temperature before removing the sides of the tart pan.

Melt the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips with the heavy cream and drizzle on the tart. Serve in wedges alone or on a puddle of crème anglaise.

I use Hershey’s semisweet chocolate chips.

Tart pans come in all different sizes, and manufacturers measure them differently. I measure the top from rim to rim.

Pain Perdu

SERVES 6

French toast for dessert? Who wouldn’t love that? This is easy to make but best for a small party, since you have to get up between dinner and dessert to cook it. If you’re eating in the kitchen and your friends like to cook with you, this old-fashioned French nursery dessert is really worth the effort. Your guests will love you.

½ pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

2 tablespoons sugar, divided

3 tablespoons Grand Marnier, divided

6 extra-large eggs

1½ cups milk or half-and-half

2 tablespoons honey

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 large brioche loaf or challah

Unsalted butter

Vegetable oil

½ cup (1½ ounces) sliced blanched almonds, toasted

Confectioners’ sugar, to serve

Combine the sliced strawberries, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and 1 tablespoon of the Grand Marnier in a small bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, honey, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier, the vanilla, orange zest, and salt. Slice the bread in ¾-inch slices. Pour the egg mixture into a large shallow plate and soak a few slices of bread for 4 minutes, turning once.

Heat 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a very large sauté pan over medium heat. Take each slice of bread from the egg mixture, dip one side in the toasted almonds, and place in the sauté pan, almond side down. (While you’re cooking each batch, add more bread to the egg mixture to soak.) Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Place the cooked bread on a baking sheet and keep it warm in the oven. Wipe out the pan with a dry paper towel, add more butter and oil, and continue to fry the remaining soaked bread until they’re all cooked. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve hot with the strawberries.

To toast almonds, place them in a dry sauté pan and cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, tossing frequently, until lightly browned.

Peaches in Sauternes

SERVES 4 TO 6

There’s something about this dessert that I love; it’s not as dramatic as a fruit tart, but the synergy of the two ingredients is, for me, the essence of simple French food. The peaches make the Sauternes taste better and the Sauternes makes the peaches taste better. I make this in the summer when I can get luscious ripe peaches at The Milk Pail nearby in Water Mill, Long Island.

6 to 8 very ripe yellow or white peaches

3 tablespoons sugar

1 (375-ml) bottle of good Sauternes

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

Bring a pot of water to a boil and immerse the peaches in the water for 1 to 2 minutes, until the skins are loose. Remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Peel the peaches and then slice them off the pit in wedges into a bowl. Stir in the sugar, Sauternes, and Grand Marnier. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Serve cool but not cold.

Coconut Madeleines

MAKES 24 MADELEINES

Generally, I avoid recipes that require a special piece of equipment, but madeleines are so special that I make an exception. They’re rich little pound cakes in the form of a shell, and Marcel Proust famously reminisced about dipping them into his tea as a child. Unfortunately, these taste best right out of the oven; but if they dry out, you can always dip them in your tea.

1½ tablespoons melted butter, to grease the pans

3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

²/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup cornstarch

½ teaspoon baking powder

¹/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Thoroughly grease and flour the madeleine pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until light yellow and fluffy. Add the butter and mix. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, and stir into the batter with a rubber spatula. Stir in the coconut.

With a soup spoon, drop the batter into the pans, filling each shell almost full. Bake the madeleines for 10 to 12 minutes, until they spring back when pressed. Tap the madeleines out onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper and allow to cool. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

A pastry brush works best for greasing the pans.

Strawberry Tarts

MAKES 4 TARTS

When you order pastry for dessert at a French restaurant, they often bring you a whole tray to choose from. I heard about one disoriented tourist who thought the whole tray was for him—and such a good value for five francs! He ate as many as he could and then suggested that the waiter pass the rest of the tray around the restaurant because he couldn’t possibly finish them all himself.

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

2 tablespoons cold Crisco

¼ cup ice water

2 cups Pastry Cream

2 pints whole strawberries, hulled and halved

¹/3 cup apricot jelly (see Note)

3 tablespoons shelled pistachios, halved (optional)

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and Crisco and pulse about 10 times, or until the butter is in the size of peas. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disc. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out the dough and fit into four 4½-inch tart pans with removable sides. Don’t stretch the dough when placing it in the pans or it will shrink during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of each pan. Line the tart shells with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, butter side down, and fill them with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil, prick the bottom of the shells all over with a fork, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Before serving, fill the tart shells with the pastry cream. Arrange the berries decoratively on top of the cream. Melt the apricot jelly with 1 teaspoon of water and brush the top of the tarts. Sprinkle with pistachios, if using, and serve.

If you can’t find apricot jelly, heat 8 ounces of apricot jam with 1 teaspoon of water and push it through a sieve.

Pastry Cream

MAKES 2 CUPS

Making crème anglaise, a French vanilla sauce, is a delicate process because you can overcook it and end up with vanilla scrambled eggs. Pastry cream, on the other hand, has similar ingredients, but it’s more like a custard. You can actually boil it without having the eggs scramble. Use it to fill fruit tarts and cream puffs.

5 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature

¾ cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1½ cups scalded milk