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French Entertaining “Country Style” + Alexian/Le Creuset Giveaway!

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I’ve teamed up with Alexian to bring you this delicious post!

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

I recently had the opportunity to try some amazing products from ALEXIAN. ย Let me tell you a little about them. ย Alexian is America’s premier producer of the finest pรขtรฉs and mousses all made with the finest, freshest all-natural ingredients and without anyย preservatives, additives, hormones, antibiotics or fillers.

Alexian’s founder, Ewald Groezinger, was originally from my hometown of Stuttgart, Germany where his family, since the 16th century, specializedย in making the finest meat products. ย He started Alexian in the U.S., named after his two children Alexandra and Ian, and after his passing his wife, Laurie Groezinger Cummins, continued the business as a Certified Woman Owned Business Enterprise. ย The family tradition of excellence continues to this day in every aspect of Alexianโ€™s operation and they celebrated their 30th anniversary three years ago.

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I moved to the U.S. eleven years ago and have never been able to find the quality pรขtรฉs and mousses that I enjoyed in Europe. ย So I was thrilled when I came across Alexian. ย Sampling their products was like being back in a cafรฉ in Paris or on a French countryside picnic with friends. ย And I’ll tell you, Alexian’s Duck Rillette is seriously one of the best things I’veย ever tasted!

In a word, Alexian’s products are superbย in every way. ย So much so that I wanted to do something special to share them with you. ย I have invited a friend of mine from France to showcase them. ย Today she’ll be featuring Alexian’s Duck Rillette andย Pheasant Rosemary Pรขtรฉ as she introduces you to “country style” French entertaining. ย  And stay tuned, because there will be a part II to this French entertaining series!

 

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Joining us today is my super talented French friend, Sandrine Vannson, who is going to tell us a little about French entertaining. ย Originally from The Vosges region of France, Sandrine went to school to pursue a career in fashion design. ย She left college with her degree only to go back to school to complete a secondย degree in teaching. ย She now lives an hour southeast of Paris teaching high school English. ย Sandrine comes from aย family of accomplished cooks and restaurateurs and is herself a phenomenal French cook.

sandrine vannson

Sandrine spent a couple of weeks with us last month. ย We did some sightseeing of areas she’s never visited and, of course, did some cooking. ย She was here just in time for the arrival of my goodies from Alexian. ย We are fortunate to have her with us today to share her talents with us tell us a little about French entertaining.

Welcome, Sandrine!

Kimberly: ย Tell us a little about your background in cooking and the different influences you’ve had.

Sandrine: ย As far as I can remember, I have always been in a kitchen. It was and still is the most important room at home. I have always seen my mother and grandmothers cook and enjoy what they were doing. I grew up in the northeastern part of France, in the Vosges area, not far from Epinal, and that area as well Lorraine and Alsace largely influenced my grandmothers.

On my paternal side, the family didnโ€™t move a lot for centuries, simply going down the Moselle river from the mountains to the valley. The cooking there is very countryside with lots of bacon, meat, cheese and potatoes. Itโ€™s a simple style of cooking yet so rich and tasty. My childhood is filled with memories of this homemade cooking. ย During the spring and summer we would spend our Saturday’s at my grandfather’s where had a large pond. ย We would have a barbecue and then we would go fishing or relaxing in the clearing with nothing but nature to listen to. We would also go mushroom and blueberry picking. Then we would take everything back to my grandparent’s house and have girolle mushroom omelets followed by trout with slivered almonds and blueberries fritters for dessert. Yummy!

France Collage

On my maternal side we had another tradition. We would make couscous every time we gathered as a family. Having been married to a soldier, my grandma learned how to cook different dishes from the places where they would have been sent with the army. So when they went to Djibouti she learned how to make the couscous and thatโ€™s how the tradition started. ย I guess I developed my adventurous side in cooking with my mom, an incredible cook, my sister, her husband (who has Italian roots) and some of my closest friends.

Most of my friendsโ€™ parents (one or both)ย  came from different countries so I was lucky to have some great teachers to introduce me to new flavors and new cooking styles and techniques. ย I also had the incredible chance to live in the USA for aย year and a half. While there my roommates, who were mostly foreigners like me, were a source of inspiration. ย Asian, American, Mongolian, Tahitian, Mexican and so on. A real goldmine.

Since then, Iโ€™ve been eager to find and try new things. Give me a new cookbook or the opportunity to meet other passionate cooks and itโ€™s like Christmas to me!

Kimberly:ย  I understand two of your grandmothers owned their own cafes in France?

Sandrine: ย Right. My momโ€™s great grandmother had a cafรฉ- restaurant first in Nancy, Lorraine, and then sold it to open a new cafรฉ in Harouรฉ next to the castle. Her son, my momโ€™s grandfather, was also a cook and worked in Paris for a little while before going back to Lorraine. He never stopped cooking and transmitted this passion to his son (my grandfather), my mom and several of her brothers and sisters, down to us, his great-grandchildren. One of my cousins also opened a restaurant. ย My great grandmother on my dad’s side owned a cafรฉ as well. ย I remember playing with the little wine glasses she used to serve liquor. My sister and I would pretend that we were running a restaurant. We had so much fun.

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Kimberly:ย  What do you enjoy cooking or baking the most?ย  What would you consider your specialties?

Sandrine: ย I really like cooking different kind of things. Asian, Italian, Mexican and French (of course) are my favorite of all. I prefer cooking the savory dishes but I have to admit that a good lemon meringue pie always wins my heart! ย My family would always go for my caramelized pork or if itโ€™s during Christmas, they would ask for my mango upside-down tart with foie-gras.

Kimberly: ย You’ve traveled extensively, sampling cuisines across the world. ย What do you see as some of the core differences between French and other cuisines?

Sandrine: ย The length of the meals! We, French people, love to eat and we could spend hours sitting at the table and go through appetizers, starters, main dish, cheese/salad and dessert. Some even push it to the coffee with mini-cakes. Another difference is the size of the different courses. French cuisine is known to be sophisticated. So you usually have quality in products and presentation over quantity. We probably would define it as an art! I believe that French cuisine has different faces: It can either be traditional, gastronomic, or nouvelle cuisine. Itโ€™s also versatile because each region has its own specialty and way of cooking.

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Kimberly: ย Today you’ll be demonstrating some traditional French ways of entertaining, specifically how to serve pรขtรฉ and rillette. ย Here in the U.S. these items are considered more upscale and, unfortunately, they are something many Americans have never even tried. ย What role do pรขtรฉ and rillette ย play in French entertaining today?ย 

Sandrine: ย They are basics. ย They are something that you will find in any countryside aperitif or buffet-dinner or just simply anytime you feel like it!

Kimberly:ย  With that introduction we’re now going to turn the time over toย Sandrine to show us some fun, traditional French ways withย pรขtรฉ and rillette as well as her famous Maple Caramelized Onions!

Sandrine will take it from here….

 

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Rillettes and pรขtรฉ are very common in France.ย Rillettes have been around since the 15th century in the Indre et Loire region, not too far from where I live now. For centuries it was considered a treat. Later it was popularized in a city called “Le Mans” in ย Sarthe, a neighboring region. Since then rillettes can be found anywhere and are especially appreciated inย country style buffets or as appetizers. ย It’s perfect for picnics and eaten in sandwiches. You just spread it on fresh crispy bread and add some pickled gherkins. ย Rillettes are so tasty that they have been created with a variety of meats. You can find rillettes made out of pork, duck, goose, roasted chicken, rabbit, game or even salmon, tuna ย or trout. ย Alexian’s duck rillete is one of the best I have tasted, and I have tried many.

Pรขtรฉ ( or “terrine” as we could also call it) is another great alternative for a more rustic type of entertainment. ย It can either be made with meat, fish or vegetables.ย You always want to associate it with good crispy, flavorful bread.

The Alexian products we will be working with are just perfect for this kind of rustic “country style” entertaining. ย Hopefully, I’ll tempt you with this little overview of what France looks and tastes like .

 

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There is an association that I really like with duck: “le confit dโ€™oignons” (glazed onions). I have my own interpretation of it and it will be perfect for our preparations today. ย So letโ€™s start with the Maple Caramelized Onions.

To make the caramelized onions, take as many onions as you want depending on how many caramelized onions you need. ย Peel them and slice them thinly. Melt some butter in a frying pan and add some olive oil so the butter doesn’t burn. When the onions are translucent add some balsamic vinegar so it will color the onions and adds this nice acidity touch.

Alexian 1

Add some sugar (I would say a small tablespoon of sugar per onion). ย Stir together and then add some maple syrup (a tablespoon per onion or a little more if you like it a little sweeter, but not too much or it will be too sweet) and keep stirring. Let it caramelize until the onions are glazed.

Alexian 2

 

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Now let’s prepare the rillettes….

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

Originally, rillettes were only made with pork. People used to give cooked pork morsels to their neighbors as a treat. Rillettes were at first a process to preserve pork meat, that’s why you have a layer of fat on top of it.

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

Today, we want to shape our rillettes to be able to make some nice looking “canapรฉ”. ย In order to scoop and shape them the rillette will need to sit at room temperature for a little while.

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

To make aย nice-looking “quenelle”, I will use 2 spoons to work the rillettes.

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

We’re going to place some of the onions and rillette on some crispy toasts. ย You can make your own crostini ย from fresh French baguettes or you can use these French-imported Mini Toasts from Divina. ย The latter is what we are using today.

Just before dropping the rillettes quenelle onto the toasts, add some of the maple caramelized onions.

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

Don’t forget to slice some pickled gherkins and add them on top of the rillettes. Rillettes and gherkins just belong together. ย We can’t think of eating rillettes without them!

I’m using Maille Cornichons from France and highly recommend them. ย That’s what we use in France and they are the best.

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

You can ย slice the gherkins as you please. There are no rules. Just be creative and enjoy what you’re doing. The sky is your limit. You can also pairย these toasts with cherry tomatoes or any fresh vegetables you like. Here again, we have this picnic idea somewhere in the back of our minds. Either refined or rustic. You choose the atmosphere. ย Sandwiches would look more rustic while this kind of presentation is a little more sophisticated.

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

When your “canapรฉs” are all done, arrange them on platter (a wood platter would be consistent with the countryside entertaining theme), ย and add some fresh veggies for decoration. ย You can also add some grapes ย which will strengthen the idea of rusticity. ย Beautiful to the sight and so tasty.

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

 

 

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Alexian-Pheasant-Pate-4-edited-2

Next we’re going to work with the Pheasantย ย Rosemary Pรขtรฉ. ย Unlike the duck rillette, the texture is not as malleable so the best ways to present it is to cut into squares and jab it with a toothpick.

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

You can either add fresh tomatoes or gherkins or both. ย Or you can just slice the pรขtรฉ and put it on a slice of fresh crustyย bread or on toasted bread. You can also make mini sandwiches held by a toothpick. These are just a few ideas of how you can present it.

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

As with the duck rillette canapรฉs, arrange these on a wooden platter for a more rustic look and garnish with fresh veggies, including lettuce leaves, and grapes.

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate

 

We hope you’ve learned a bit about French entertaining and have been inspired to try some rillette and pate at home! ย Be sure to join us for Part II when I discuss French entertaining the contemporary way!

To find a store near you that carries Alexian products, go to their Store Locater.ย 

 

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french entertaining alexian duck rillette rosemary pheasant pate giveaway

One lucky, randomly chosen winner will receive this entire French-themed gourmet package, including a combination of 6 different pates/rillettes/mousses from Alexian!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One winner will be randomly chosen and notified via email. ย If the winner does not respond within 48 hours another winner will be chosen. ย This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

**THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW ENDED**

 

maple caramelized onions

Maple Caramelized Onions

These Maple Caramelized Onions from Sandrine Vannson are simply delightful and are the perfect accompaniment for your French entertaining.
5 from 4 votes

Instructions
 

  • Here's what you'll need:
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

PIN ME! country style french entertaining pate rillette mousse alexian A special thank you to Alexian for sponsoring this post! ย As always, all opinions are entirely my own.Lorraine photo courtesy Christian Riesย via CC licensing

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Hi, Iโ€™m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!

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Recipe Rating




5 from 4 votes

74 Comments

  1. What an absolutely wonderful article. Thank you, Kimberly and Sandrine. I’m going to check out Alexian (another great story) and do some serious ordering and plan a Fall afternoon fete pretending that we’re sitting at a table at l’Ecluse in Paris sipping a 1er Cru sauterne and your creations above!
    Until then, I will make Sandrine’s Maple Carmelized Onions tomorrow with a brie log wrapped in puff pastry, the maple onions, served with lingonberry sauce and baguette toasts.
    A votre sante!

    1. Thank you, Joel, I’m glad you enjoyed it and thank you for reading. The duck rillette is simply outstanding (my favorite). I think you’ll be very happy with all of Alexian’s products. Sandrine is actually flying in to visit us again in a couple of weeks – more great French food! And speaking of great food, I wish I were sitting down to your puff pastry-wrapped brie with the maple onions and lingonberry sauce right now :)

  2. I am just now learning to cook (and I have been an adult for a while!), and it is so exciting to try making new things. I had never even heard of some of the foods you mentioned, and now I am looking forward to trying! We are hosting our first dinner party in a few months, I think that would be a perfect time.

  3. Used to be (always kids of course)cars, hockey, golf and food – as I get older it is pretty much cars & food – HaHa! – I love receiving your emails, always interested in the wonderful creations – Thank you! Memorial Day, Remembrance Day here in Canada – thinking more about that but I still have to make dinner!

  4. This tutorial was awesome, love those delicious platters! I would love to try these Alexian products and serve them at my next dinner party.

  5. I’ve never had rillettes before, so I would love to try these products. I would like to serve them for a get together with my art group.