I've been eating strawberry tart for breakfast for 2 days now, and not just one piece, but two. Woops! Mathieu's aunt gave me a very old and very French cookbook, La Cuisine a L'Electricite. After I saw the tarte aux fraises recipe I looked no further. It is SO easy to make. I was even able to tweak it a bit and add my own touch!


Preparation: 30 minutes (+ 1 hour to let the dough sit)
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups (250g) flour
• 1 large egg
• 2 egg yolks
• .6 cups/8.5 tablespoons (125g) unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 24 ounces strawberries (or 1 pound strawberries and 1/2 pound raspberries like I did!)
• Nutella or strawberry preservatives 
• 9 inch diameter tart dish (or in my case a regular old glass dish)

La Cuisine A L'Electricte

Directions:

1. Add flour, sugar, and salt to a large bowl. Mix ingredients well.
2. Add softened (not melted) butter in small morsels to the large bowl. Add sparingly.
3. Beat 1 large egg and 2 egg yolks in separate bowl. Pour mixture into large bowl. Once it is too difficult to stir, it is time for some manual labor! Start using your hands (but clean them first!!)
4. Roll up the dough mixture into a ball and let it sit in the fridge for 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 350º (177ºC).
6. Begin cutting the strawberries in halves.
7. After 1 hour has passed, butter the dish to avoid sticking. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and mold it to the dish, then let it cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Stick a knife through the center of the tart to make sure it is fully cooked.
8. Let cool for 25-30 minutes.
9. Add the topping of your choice (the cookbook said preservatives but I chose Nutella!). Then add the strawberries, or even some raspberries if you so desire. Get creative with your placement.
10. EAT EAT EAT. Save some for tomorrow too! It was even better the next day!!






Not only is it dangerous that I made this while home alone, but it is even more dangerous that I added Nutella to it. Now I, Danielle Konefal, need a 12-step program for strawberry tart, because I cannot stop. P.S. did anyone spot the wine cork?

I don't know about you, but when I think of French food I think of crêpes! No where in the world makes them better, so I decided to get the recipe straight from the source. Mathieu makes a mean crêpe so he has so generously given me the authentic French "recette," Oui oui!
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 15

Ingredients
2 1/3 cup flour
3 eggs
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3.5 tablespoons of butter (slightly less than half a stick)
2 cups of 2% milk
2 teaspoons of rum

Directions
1. In large bowl, add flour, eggs, oil, and butter. Preheat the butter in order to mix all ingredients well.
2. Add milk and rum sparingly to the large bowl and mix until there is a thick consistency.
3. Cover the bowl and let the mixture sit out for 3 hours.
4. After the mixture is ready, heat a large, non-stick frying pan on low heat.
5. Add a few teaspoons of oil to the pan before pouring 1/4 cup of the mixture for each crêpe.
6. Slightly lift the crêpe with a spatula around the edges after a minute. When it is golden brown, lift it in the middle to flip over (see video below). Each crêpe takes around 2-2.5 minutes.
7. Add a spritz of rum when the crêpe is fully cooked on the pan. Also add Nutella, jelly, sugar, honey, basically any topping you want! The toppings and amount of toppings are at your own discretion.
8. Fold the crêpe into a triangle (see video below) after adding the toppings.
9. Follow steps 5-8 fourteen more times, and enjoy.

****THE CRÊPES SHOULD BE THIN! REMEMBER THEY ARE NOT PANCAKES!

Here's a quirky little video I did for work at Morey's Piers. We made S'mores Crêpes, an American take on the dish. I must say though---they were delicious.

I'll be honest, I've never had quiche until I entered this country. It's safe to say that I've been introduced to a million calories of deliciousness. But hey--every once in a while is not so bad right? This recipe could really go in two opposite directions: a nice family dinner or a fulfilling hangover breakfast. You choose.
Ingredients:

• 350 ml créme fraïche/heavy cream (or 250 ml heavy cream and 150ml of milk if you don't want it quite as fattening)
• 200g pack of lardon/uncooked chopped bacon
• 2-3 whole eggs (2 for a creamier quiche, and 3 for a more solid quiche..I used 2!)
• 1 full onion
• 75g of emmental/râpé
• 24 cm/9.4inch diameter pie pan

Directions:

1. Lightly butter (or spray) the pan to avoid the dough from sticking.
2. Line the dough in the pan, pressing all corners and edges so there is no open space. If you have dough hanging over the edges just roll it like upward like you would a croissant. 
3. Chop onions and cook them over medium heat until they are soft.
   
4. Add the lardon to the onion mix and let it lightly cook. Make sure to not burn the two because they will be cooking in the oven as well.
5. Set aside the onion and lardon mix. Make sure to drain them well and then pat them dry for excess grease. 
   
6. Mix eggs, cheese (set aside just less than a hand-full for later), and heavy cream in a separate bowl until eggs are entirely beaten.
7. Line the onion and lardon mix to the bottom of the pastry dough. 
   
8. Pour the mixed ingredients on top until the lardon and onion are almost entirely covered.
9. Bake at 180°C/350°F for 25 minutes, then sprinkle the excess hand-full of cheese on the top.
   
10. Let the quiche bake another 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Serve with some salad and a nice glass of wine :)

Not too long ago, Mathieu and I had honey-baked camembert. Personally, I detest this cheese for the mere fact that it's uncomfortably soft and smelly. However, when it was baked it was phenom. So I thought okay I'm going to go even more French on this one and try honey-baked brie. It was so good I could kiss myself.


Ingredients:

• 1 wheel of brie (8 oz works) or something smaller like we did since there were two of us
• 1 puff pastry package (you'll probably only use half of it, so maybe pick up 2 brie if you're feeling crazy)
• Any type of sweet topping you prefer: honey, raspberry preserves, blueberry preserves, apricot..on and on. For my recipe I used honey and it was so good, but I've had raspberry before and it was great also. Just remember that if it's for a party, not everyone likes those specific fruits so you can't go wrong with honey.
• Large pan
• 2 apples
• 1 baguette or crackers

Directions:

1. Coat the top of the brie with the topping that you have chosen. It is really at your own discretion. The honey I used was crystalized so I made it that it would eventually melt out evenly.
2. Cover the brie in the puff pastry with one single layer. Make sure all holes are covered because the brie will fill your pan like lava.
3. Cook for 25 minutes in pre-heated oven at 420 degrees.
4. Slice up apples and baguette for dipping.
5. Let the brie cool for 5 minutes and then add the apples and baguette slices/crackers to the tray for serving.

My Nutella obsession began in 2012 when I first lived in Europe. I've become quite the scientist, getting really crafty with how I use the addictive spread. Here I am to give you guys a simple recipe, a gift if you will.

Forget fois gras, escargot, and pâté, I just can't. I've put in all I've got to like the cuisine here but the only thing my body will accept are french fries (which are actually said to have originated in Belgium, but don't say that to the French). It was far easier for me to live in Rome, because I, Danielle Konefal, am pasta's #1 fan.
Warning: This recipe is addictive, fatty, and better than 99% of pastas I tasted in Italy.
This serves 4 people, but in my case it's what I use for Mat and I being that he's 6'3 and eats more than anyone I've ever seen...boys.

Ingredients:
English-                                              French-
1/2 lb bacon bits uncooked                 1 paquet de lardons de 300 g
1/2 large onion                                    1/2 gros oignon
6.8 ounces crème fraîche                    20 cl de crème fraîche
500 grams package spaghetti              1 paquet de spaghetti de 500 g
.3 lbs shredded emmental cheese        140 grammes d'emmental râpé
salt & pepper to taste                           sel et poivre selon votre envie
a little basil                                          un peu de basilic
1 egg yolk                                           1 jaune d'oeuf
tablespoon of butter                            un peu de beurre

*Crème fraîche and emmental râpé (a type of Swiss cheese) can be found at Wegman's, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's both in the cheese section

Directions:

1. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan and fill a large pot of water on high to boil
2. Chop onions however you prefer (fine or thick) and add them to the frying pan on medium-high heat along with the uncooked bacon. Keep close watch on both because it is very easy for the two to become burnt, so if you need to add more olive oil you can.
3. When the water is at a boil break the spaghetti in halves and add to it. Follow the package for the exact time to cook it (usually 8-10 minutes). Keep moving around the bacon and onions. If they look cooked enough turn the heat down to low.
4. Around 5 minutes into the pasta cooking, add the crème fraîche to the onions and bacon. Make sure that the heat is now on around 2, or very low but not the absolute lowest. It's important because the crème comes to a boil very fast which is not what you want, so just let it get warm for remainder of time it takes to cook the pasta.
5. This is the part you really need to be quick with. Turn the heat up high on the pan with the crème to let it become thicker, no more than 1 minute. Once the crème starts boiling turn it off. Drain out the pasta during this time and place in a big bowl. Add the tablespoon of butter to it so it doesn't become sticky.
6. Add the crème/onion/bacon to the pasta and start stirring that bad boy. As you stir it sparingly add the emmental cheese to the dish. Afterward is when you practically coat it in salt...well if you are Mat and I. You don't need too much pepper, it's not that kind of pasta. Top it off with a few pinches of basil. Finally---add the egg yoke in and it will cook with the hot pasta :)
7. Unbutton your pants, and get ready to have a food baby. Red wine is just fab with it, so crack open a bottle as well, you deserve it eh?

Okay I get it. I tease you with food porn, posting pictures constantly, yet telling you nothing about how it's made. It's not very nice, and lots of you have asked me for some recipes, so I'm giving in. Here's the first of many, and a good one at that. You can't beat something homemade from a French mother, especially Agnes' Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers.