French Vanilla Fleur De Lis Cake

The Nordic Ware Fleur De Lis Bundt Pan is perfect for so many feast days, including today's feast of St. Joan of Arc since the fleur de lis is one of her symbols.

These pictures are from a couple years ago, but the girls are planning to pull it out this afternoon to bake another cake for dessert this evening. This cake is simply a French Vanilla Cake Mix baked in the Fleur de Lis Bundt Pan and then dusted with powdered sugar. If you have a favorite from scratch French Vanilla Cake recipe please share it in the comments below!

The Story of St. Joan of Arc • St. Joan of Arc from  Naturally Catholic • Nordic Ware Fleur De Lis Bundt Pan

St. Joan of Arc, pray for us! 

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Another Dents de Loup Idea for St. Francis Feast

Dents de loup, wolf’s teeth in French, is a culinary decorative cut used for fruits or vegetables. It is called dents de loup because the pointed teeth-like shapes of the outer surface or rind looks like the sharp teeth of a wolf.   Last year I shared a recipe for a French cookie/biscuit also called Dents de loup as an option for the feast of St. Francis of Assisi because of his connection to the wolf of Gubbio story.  But it is also really simple to add a dents de loup option to a meal or snack for the feast day by using this cut on an orange, watermelon, cantaloupe, kiwi, grapefruit, lemon, tomato, or bell pepper.

How to Cut a Fruit or Vegetable in Dents de Loup 

• Cut thin slice off both ends of the fruit so it will hold steady in the plate or platter.
• Start at the middle of the fruit.  Insert a sharp knife at an angle, going deep enough to reach the center.  Remove the knife and insert again at an angle but in opposite direction to form a triangle (or pointed dent de loup/wolf tooth).
• Continue with same pattern around the fruit.  When you reach the beginning cut, separate the two halves.   

It is now ready to serve or to decorate any plate. Watermelon boats/baskets are frequently decorated with this cut.  Lemons that are cut in dents de loup are often served with fish to decorate.
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King St. Louis IX, French Food, & Hospitality

King St. Louis, Feast Day: August 25

St. Louis, king of France from to 1236-1270, was known for his generosity and hospitality. Every day King Louis had 13 special guests from among the poor to eat with him, and a large number of poor were served meals near his palace. During Advent and Lent, all who presented themselves were given a meal, and Louis often served them in person. To remember King St. Louis of France on his feast day let us recall his hospitality with a French dish.   Ratatouille is a hearty French dish and the vegetable ingredients are abundant now in late summer.  It seems a fitting dish to prepare in honor of King St. Louis and experience a little French cuisine.  And in the spirit of King St. Louis, invite some guests to share the meal with you. 

Easy French Ratatouille

Makes 4-6 servings

1 large eggplant
1 medium yellow onions
2 medium bell peppers
3-4 medium zucchini
2 large tomatoes
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
1/8 cup loosely packed basil, sliced into ribbons
Salt and pepper

Peel the eggplant (if desired) and chop into bite-sized cubes. Transfer them to a strainer set over a bowl and toss with a tablespoon of salt. Let the eggplant sit while preparing other  ingredents. Dice the onions and chop the peppers, zucchinis, and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Mince garlic. Veggies will be cooked in batches. 

Warm a teaspoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and salt to taste. Sauté until the onions have softened and are just beginning to brown, (approx. 10 minutes). Add the peppers and continue cooking until the peppers have softened (approx. 5 minutes). Transfer the onions and peppers to a clean bowl.

Add another teaspoon of oil to the pot and sauté the zucchini with a generous pinch of salt until the zucchini has softened and is beginning to brown (approx. 5 minutes). Transfer the zucchini to the bowl with the onions and peppers.

Rinse the eggplant under running water and squeeze the cubes gently with hands to remove as much moisture as possible. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to pan and sauté the eggplant until it has softened and has begun to turn translucent (approx. 10 minutes). Transfer the eggplant to the bowl with the other vegetables.

During cooking, a brown glaze will build on the bottom of the pan. If it looks like this glaze is starting to blacken, turn down the heat. To dissolve the glaze between batches add 1/4 cup of water or wine into the pan and scraping up the glaze. Pour the deglazing liquid into the bowl with the vegetables.

Finally add 1 teaspoon of olive oil in the pan and sauté the minced garlic until starting to turn golden. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, and sprigs of thyme. As the tomato juice bubbles, scrape up the brown glaze on the bottom of the pan.

Add all of the vegetables back into the pan and stir until everything is evenly mixed. Bring the stew to a simmer, then turn down the heat to low. Stirring occasionally, simmer for at least 20 minutes or up to 90 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Just before taking the ratatouille off the heat, stir in the basil.   Bon appetit!

St. Louis, Pray for us!

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Dents de Loup - Wolf's Teeth Cookies

When I saw these cookies last year, suggested on Pinterest by a super creative French friend of mine for the Feast of St. Francis (HT: Mattie Nelson), I knew they would be a perfect addition to Catholic Cuisine ideas. These specialty shaped cookies go by various names. Known as Dents de loup in France or Wolfszähne in Germany, they are Wolf's Teeth Cookies. One of the most famous stories of St. Francis of Assisi is that of his coming to the aid of the town of Gubbio, when it was terrorized by the ferocious wolf. These fun cookies can remind us of the Wolf of Gubbio on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Wolf's Teeth Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 cup butter, room temp or slightly softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 3/4 cups flour + 2 tablespoons
2 teaspoons vanilla (+ optional 2 teaspoons Cognac, brandy, etc.)

Cream the butter and sugar with hand mixer until light colored, fluffy. Add flavoring, mix. Add eggs one at a time and mix. Mix in flour, a little at a time, about 1/4 cup of the flour each time.

Butter/grease the pan* ridges. Drop a walnut sized balls of dough off a spoon into the ridged form. Keep well spaced so they don't run together. I cut the recipe to one third when I made them and it made 20 cookies.

Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown on top.

*Special Note in the Spirit of St. Francis - Make your own baking pan
I didn't have a Dents de loup or Wolfszähne pan, and didn't want to buy one as it is not likely something I would use very often. So in the austere spirit of St. Francis, I decided I could improvise with a simple disposable and inexpensive option. Using a large, flat-ish disposable aluminum pan, I made a modified baking pan.

I cut off the ridged edges all around, clipped the corners to flatten and spread flat. I rolled a rolling pin over it to take out the indentations and get it as flat and smooth as possible. Then I folded over approximately 1 1/2 inch, flipped and folded again (fan fold style) until I had a makeshift "dents de loup" pan.

As I figure most of you don't have a specialty pan like this or the desire to purchase one, I hope this is helpful and manageable alternative.

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French Onion Rice

The following recipe was submitted by Lori from Living A Learning Lifestyle in honor of today's feast of Our Lady of Lourdes!  Thank you Lori! 

In honor of Our Lady of Our Lourdes, France we are having this delicious dish.  It’s super easy to make and would also be appropriate for any French Saint's Feast Day.

French Onion Rice

1 cup of uncooked white rice
1 can French Onion Soup Mix
1 can Beef Consomme
1/2 stick of butter

Mix the first three ingredients together in round baking dish. Then slice butter into pats and arrange on top. Cover and cook at 350 for 1 hour.

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Poulet Roti aux Legumes for a French Saint

To celebrate the Feast of Saint Therese of Lisieux on October 1st, we cooked our easy version of the French classic Poulet Roti aux Legumes (Roast Chicken with Vegetables). Some version of this one pan dish is probably something Saint Therese ate regularly living in France. Traditionally, this dish is cooked with a whole chicken but for our family we find it easier to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Poulet Roti aux Legumes

Ingredients

• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 5-7 potatoes, cubed or whole small potatoes 
• 2 large sweet yellow or white onions, cut into 1/2-inch wedges 
• 1 bag baby carrots 
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 1-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 
• few sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crumbled 
• fresh or dried thyme to taste 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the vegetables and oil in a roasting pan; season with salt and pepper, rosemary and thyme and toss to coat. Roast until the vegetables are beginning to soften and are heated through, about 30-45 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, rub the chicken breasts with olive oil, rosemary, thyme and some salt and pepper. 
3. Remove the roasting pan from the oven, and place the chicken, skin side up, on top of the vegetables. 
4. Return to the oven; continue roasting until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 35 minutes. 

Saint Therese of Lisieux, Pray for Us!

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