Free Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard Page A

wine (approximatelycup)
    Coarse sea salt
    Preheat your broiler.
    In a shallow roasting pan, place the onions, peppercorns, and parsley. Top with the fish, add white wine until you’ve got
     about a ¼ inch in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle generously with sea salt.
    Cook under the broiler for 5 minutes. Gently turn the fish and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. If your fish
     are slightly larger, give them an extra minute or two.
    Serve topped with the onions and a few spoonfuls of sauce.
    Yield: Serves 2
    A word about whole fish: By and large, Americans are not used to fish that stare back. Whole fish are sometimes hard to find
     in supermarkets. I encourage you to go a bit out of your way. If you don’t have a fish market or fishmonger nearby, look for
     an Asian supermarket, which will often stock many varieties, sometimes still swimming in their tanks.
    Cooking whole fish has many advantages. They are not as fragile as fillets; the skin protects the flesh from drying out and
     makes methods like broiling a real option. They look spectacular on the plate; suddenly you feel as if you are eating something
     luxurious as well as virtuous. Check whole fish the same way you would a fillet; if the flesh is opaque and flaky down to
     the bone, it’s done.
    POTATO AND CELERY ROOT MASH
Purée de Céleri
    Behold, your new favorite mashed potatoes. Though celery root may look like Frankenstein’s brain, it is among my most smug
     Paris discoveries. With a light celery scent and a turnip texture, this mash satisfies both the French passion for smooth
     buttery taste and the American vigilance about carbs.
    2 pounds (4 medium) potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into 1-inch cubes
    2½–3 pounds celery root (1 large or two small), peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
    2–3 tablespoons butter
    Salt and pepper to taste
    Fill a stockpot with cold, lightly salted water. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Add the celery root and continue to
     boil until both are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain well.
    Return the celery root and potatoes to the pot, and over a very low flame, mash the two together. (The heat will help evaporate
     any water left in the celery root.) Aim for a chunky consistency. This is a rustic purée, so there’s no need to get obsessive-compulsive
     about the lumps. Add butter, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve at once or put in a gratin dish, dot with additional butter,
     and pass for a minute or two under the broiler.
    Yield: Serves 6
    Variation: Mix in chopped dill or chervil, or a handful of freshly grated Parmesan or Gruyère just before serving.
    YOGURT CAKE
Gâteau au Yaourt
    If I’m going to make dessert on a weekday, it has to do double duty—-something comforting before bed with enough left over
     for breakfast or tea the next day. Yogurt cake fits the bill perfectly; it’s tender, moist, and not too sweet. This is the
     first cake Gwendal learned to bake. French children use the empty yogurt pot to measure the rest of the ingredients. The version
     I’ve found best adapted to the American kitchen comes from blogger turned cookbook author
extraordinaire
Clotilde Dusoulier. For more of her wonderful recipes, check out
Chocolate & Zucchini
(Broadway Books, 2007).
    1 cup plain yogurt (whole milk, please!)
    1 cup sugar
    A large pinch of sea salt
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    cup vegetable oil
    2 large eggs
    1cups flour
    1½ teaspoons baking powder
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    Zest of 1 lemon
    One 16-ounce can apricots, drained and quartered
    Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly oil a 10-inch round cake pan and line it with parchment paper.
    In a medium mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, salt, andvanilla, whisking until smooth. Add the oil in a steady stream, whisking to combine. Add the eggs one by one, whisking to
     incorporate after each addition.
    Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; add to the yogurt mixture; whisk lightly to combine. Stir in the
     lemon zest.
    Transfer the