In French, “bonne femme” refers to a grandma-like figure or someone from the countryside. I would give some examples but the “gardienne” might get upset if I refer to her as such!
When I think of western grandma cooking, I imagine lots of butter and lots of love. But mostly lots of butter, which is exactly what the recipe for “Filet de Sole Bonne Femme” (sole filet with “bonne femme” sauce) calls for. A ton of butter. And cream.
Given my history of getting viciously poked by grandmas of all nationalities to encourage me to eat more (no need – I love to eat already!) and my experience of getting yelled at by the chef because I scraped off half the Béchamel sauce from my soft-boiled eggs, I thought I would hate this dish. Way too rich.
Unfortunately for my figure, one bite into the tender white flesh nesting on top of a bed of finely diced shallots and mushrooms cooked in a white wine broth was all it took to convert me. The unbelievably rich cream and butter reduction broiled to a beautiful golden crust finished me. I took another bite. And another and another… Chef’s belly, here I come!
When I think of western grandma cooking, I imagine lots of butter and lots of love. But mostly lots of butter, which is exactly what the recipe for “Filet de Sole Bonne Femme” (sole filet with “bonne femme” sauce) calls for. A ton of butter. And cream.
Given my history of getting viciously poked by grandmas of all nationalities to encourage me to eat more (no need – I love to eat already!) and my experience of getting yelled at by the chef because I scraped off half the Béchamel sauce from my soft-boiled eggs, I thought I would hate this dish. Way too rich.
Unfortunately for my figure, one bite into the tender white flesh nesting on top of a bed of finely diced shallots and mushrooms cooked in a white wine broth was all it took to convert me. The unbelievably rich cream and butter reduction broiled to a beautiful golden crust finished me. I took another bite. And another and another… Chef’s belly, here I come!
Filet de sole à la bonne femme....yumm....
RépondreSupprimerAre you sick again, my dear (no relation to the previous paragraph)? I really appreciate your blog, it and a narrative that a friend wrote on his walk to St Jacques de Compostelle are (slightly) inspiring me to do some sort of a semi-public journal...someday....
You cook in your spare time.. I read and research (you probably do too). How do I convert these activities into a concrete product...or do I need to, since I am retiring soon?
Stay tuned, when I get my blog...
bises, caro