France - Dessert - Chocolate Macarons

Macarons are my obsession. My friends constantly send me pictures if they ever see something macaron related in a store (and tease me about my emphasizing the difference between macarons and macaroons, which are a completely different, traditional Jewish pastry). My family has caught onto it too and since then I have received macaron pajamas, macaron baking kits, macaron phone cases and pretty much anything else you can think of. I don't know where this obsession came from. I can't even remember the first time I had a macaron. When I went to Paris, I had only a couple minutes on the Champs-Elysées to shop, so I dragged my friend to Ladurée. Unfortunately, we couldn't get in in time and we had to turn around. I was morbidly upset, but luckily got to spend the rest of my euros at the Ladurée in the Paris airport. I bought a box of 16, and it was the best decision ever. They were gone in a couple days. I was in heaven. I have tried making macarons before sophomore year, but they didn't turn out all too well. Here is my attempt to make them again, of course chocolate using this recipe. Enjoy!

France - Dessert - Gâteau Chocolat

When I was in Paris, I had the most amazing chocolate cake for dessert. Since then, I have been searching for recipes to try and recreate it. This recipe is one of my attempts, taken from a cooking blog of a French mother and cook. Classic chocolate cake is my go to birthday cake or pick me up food. It's amazing just by itself, or topped with whipped cream and fruit or powdered sugar. As you can tell, most of my dessert recipes are chocolate. I was born loving chocolate, and I don't see myself changing anytime soon. There's more to come, but for now try this one!

France - Dinner - Coq au Vin

I chose to do two dinner recipes for France because in France it is traditional to serve a three course meal consisting of an entrée, main course and a dessert. French onion soup was my entrée, so coq au vin is my main course. Coq au vin is a dish of chicken braised with red wine, lardons and mushrooms. When searching for recipes, in my mom's extensive cookbook collection, I came across a vintage copy of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which was given to my mom after it's owner, my grandmother's cousin Ellen, passed away from cancer. The book was found in her house, and it was stuffed with little mementoes from the time period, including a Time Magazine cover with Julia Child on it and a handwritten family recipe for French croissants. It was so lovely to enjoy this meal and toast her with my family, and I hope you can give it a try!

France - Dinner - French Onion Soup

When I had dinner at the oldest restaurant in Paris, À La Petite Chaise, they served me French onion soup as a starter. I had had Panera's French onion soup before, but nothing compares to the warm, gooey goodness that I ate that night! Since then, I have sampled French onion soups whenever I can, so it was a no brainer to include it as a part of my senior project. This recipe was so simple to follow and turned out very well. If you have extra at the end, I love to put the onions in between a French baguette with extra cheese and a little bit of the broth for a French onion soup sandwich!

France - Breakfast - Croissants

When I went to France for the first time, I had croissants every morning for breakfast! They, along with crêpes, coffee and macarons, are available virtually on every street corner in Paris. Even though nothing can compare to an authentic Parisian croissant, homemade ones are a perfect substitute and a lot cheaper than a plane ticket to Paris. I've always wanted to try and make croissants myself, but the meticulous preparation French food requires always scared me off; however, this recipe I am following breaks down the process very well, and even though it still takes a long time (give the whole process a full day and the next morning), the end product is so worth it. Bon chance et bon appetit!

France - Breakfast - Spinach and Gruyère Quiche

When I first went to Paris and had my first dinner, I had quiche as my first course. Since then, it's been one of my favorite meals. I get it every time I see it on a restaurant menu, and really enjoyed making my own for my family. You can put whatever you want in your quiche, but personally I love to put cheese, onions and spinach in mine. Quiche can be for breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner depending on what you put in it, so you can just use the egg mixture as a base. I used this recipe, which made the whole process very simple, but if you wanted to have quiche spur of the moment, just use a ready made pie crust.

France - Dessert - Chocolate Meringue Cookies

I added this recipe to my repertoire after making the gelato. I had 5 eggs worth left of egg whites, and my mom said I could make meringue cookies. Growing up, we always had coffee meringue cookies lying around the house, and once in a while my mom would give me one as a treat. You can make any flavor out of the meringue base, but because I am a chocoholic, I decided to do chocolate (adapted from this recipe). If you want, add some espresso powder for mocha, chocolate chips or just have them as plain vanilla! I'm sure lemon juice would make a nice lemon meringue, along with other fruit extracts. Meringue cookies are so, so easy to make and super fun to. I love whipping them up and seeing the peaks form. The photos don't do them justice!

France - Lunch - Brie Apple Honey Crêpes

I've always loved French food, especially crêpes. My friends and I are constantly scouting the greater Boston area for crêpe places, and we haven't been disappointed. The only problem is, they aren't the healthiest option. Several years ago, I discovered this recipe from the fitness blogger Blogilates that makes the crêpe batter so much healthier and cheaper! I love this recipe for breakfast and lunch, and you can fill it with anything you like. For lunch, we're going to fill it with brie and apples, one of my favorite combinations.