French Dish Challenge #1 ~ Hors D’oevres

Some of the French Gifts

I have a challenge I’d like all my readers and followers to help me with! This is not a contest, I just need some comments on what French dish you’d like to see me make, OK?

The night before our French college exchange student, Caroline, left back for her home country, she presented me with this delightful little cookbook (among many other numerous gifts for my family), called French Classics, which was published by the Australian Women’s Weekly magazine. (I’m assuming she bought it since it was published in some form of “English” language.)

I was so touched by this gesture! She knew ahead of time about all our family’s interests (via our online form) and brought gifts galore from France for our entire family! I knew she had to keep her luggage under 50 pounds, so I only bought her a slim book of Central Oregon photography as well as made her a “memory book” of all the photos I took in her three weeks here (and included some local memorabilia in it), but I was so unprepared for the amount of gifts we received from her!

She bought so much clothes during her stay and so many souvenirs I was worried we’d have to ship some things back to her. But she made it under the luggage weight guidelines, and I now know why. Chocolates, jams, caramels, an apron, a beautiful French scarf with a Renior print on it, golf balls and a photo book for the hubby, French perfume and all kinds of stuff for my daughter, the list goes on and on! I was saddened to see no beautiful French cheese though. Apparently that is banned on the list of things to cross borders, as I would have loved to have some real French Brie or Gruyere cheese! (Mad Cow disease? I don’t know!)

French Classics Cookbook

I have decided I will cook one recipe each (to start) from the four main sections of this cookbook, but I need your help deciding which one. I’ve narrowed each section down to three recipes for you to choose from, based on whether my family would actually eat it and the availability of the ingredients (and affordable) in Central Oregon in the midst of a cold wet spring. I hope you will help!

The first category is Hors D’oevres, or as I jokingly call it “Horse Doovers.” Please write in the comments below or on my Facebook post which recipe you’d like to see from me next! I’ll just whip it up (right, lol) and present it in an upcoming post. Here they are:

Pork Rilletes with Witloff and Cornichons (p.s. Witloff is Belgian Endive and Cornichons are pickles)

Pork Rilletes

Asparagus Hollandaise

Asparagus Hollandaise

Goat’s Cheese Soufflé

Goat’s Cheese Souffle

Please let me know what YOU would like to see me attempt! 🙂