Bistro Cuisine

Bistro fare is irremediably linked to Paris and conjures simple satisfying dishes. Unlike the grander brasserie, which features an oyster bar at the entrance or the even more imposing restaurant first created by the chefs of the aristocracy, after the Revolution decapitated their patrons, the bistro had a humble beginning: it started as a wine shop. Today, its atmosphere bon enfant, neighborhood location and familiar menu capture the essence of Paris. Not the grand boutiques, but the soup on the corner of the stove, which, started the morning by the guardian perfumes the entire building and accompanies your climb up the stairs.
The dish I suggest for this snowy week is pot-au-feu. As highlighted by Alexandre Dumas in his Great Cooking Dictionary, the heart of a good pot-au-feu is the beef. The cheaper the cut, the better, as the long cooking time will tenderize the meat. The flavor comes from the winter vegetables cooked for the last twenty minutes in the degreased broth. A warm upside down apple tart is one of the customary conclusions to the two-course pot-au-feu. The next day, the leftover meat and vegetables are delicious cut in pieces and seasoned with mustard dressing and pickles.
The recipes serve 6 with a pot-au-feu salad for 2 the next day.

Pot-au-feu (Easy, Preparation: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 3 to 4 hours the day before, Cheap)

Ingredients:
4 lbs (2 kg) of beef for stew, cut in pieces, bone reserved (shank, oxtail and short ribs)
1 onion piqued with cloves
1 bouquet garni (one leek leave wrapped around a sprig of thyme, a bay leave, a celery stalk)
1tablespoon salt
Whole pepper grains
8 carrots peeled
8 turnips peeled
8 red potatoes unpeeled and cleaned
8 leeks cleaned
1 head of cabbage blanched in boiling water for 5 minutes
For the sauce:
4 tomatoes peeled
2 sprigs basil

Material:
1 8-quart heavy-bottomed pan
Food processor
A set of tongues
A double boiler
An ovenproof dish
Aluminum foil

Cover all the meat, the onion and the bouquet garni with cold water in a large pot, reserving the bones of the shanks aside. Bring to a boil and start removing the impurities with a slotted spoon. Lower the gas and simmer uncovered for 2 hours and a half up to 4 hours. Remove the meat and reserve. Either filter the broth through linen or refrigerate it until the following day in a covered plastic box. The fat will solidify at the surface, and can be easily removed.
Turn the oven at 380F (190C). Put the bones in an ovenproof dish and cover with cold water, place a foil on top and cook in the oven for an hour.
Place the peeled tomatoes and washed basil leaves in the food processor. Purée until the sauce is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Thirty minutes before serving, reheat the meat by steaming it in a double boiler and cook the vegetables in the purified broth. Five minutes before serving, add the whole peppercorns to the broth and vegetables. The minimal cooking time will prevent any bitterness to spoil the soup.
Serve the broth as a starter with the bone marrow on toasted bread sprinkled with coarse salt. The meat and vegetables on their own will provide the second course. Propose the cold tomato sauce, horseradish, coarse salt cucumber and onion pickles as garnishes.

Tarte Tatin
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 40 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
6 apples peeled cored and quartered
¼ cup (60g) sugar
2 tablespoons (60g) butter
1tablespoon (14g) cinnamon
½ recipe sweet pastry dough from previous post

Material:
Non-stick frying pan
Wooden spoon
Rolling pin and sheets of parchment paper
6-inch (18cm) silicone or conventional cake mold buttered and floured

Turn on the oven at 380F (190C).
Place the frying pan on the medium setting of the gas after having added the butter sugar and cinnamon. Wait until the butter melts before adding the apples. Cook, stirring, until the apples yield to the knife. Pour the entire concoction in the cake mold.
Roll the pastry dough between two layers of parchment paper. Remove one layer and reverse on top of the apples. Peel off the second layer. Tuck the pastry sheet inside the mold. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the pastry turns golden. Remove from the oven and turn over on a pie serving plate.