Darphin, Paillasson, Dauphine and Dauphinois on French Menus.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Pomme de Terre Darphin - Potatoes Darphin
   
and Pommes Paillasson.

   
Darphin or Paillasson Potatoes. A dish originally only made with thickly grated potatoes. The traditional Pommes de Terre Darphin are grated potatoes are dipped in egg, flavored with salt, pepper, and herbs and fried like a thick pancake. In the South-West of  France, these Darphins  may be fried in duck fat. T The thickness and extra crispy finish make the final potato pancake clearly different to Röstis and Latkes.  Pommes de Terre Darphin will be on many menus and are not to be confused with other dishes using the slightly similar sounding name of Dauphine. The same dish may be on another menu as Pommes Paillasson or Paillasson de Pomme de Terre which translates as a door-mat of potatoes; that name refers to the desired thickness of the grated potatoes.

 

Darphin recipes have moved on

Today’s Darphin dishes are no longer restricted to thickly grated potatoes. A menu may now offer a Darphin de Celery made with thickly grated celery.  Other menus may offer a Darphin de Topinambour, a dish made with thickly grated Artichaut de Jérusalem, Jerusalem artichokes. I have been told that this dish was originally a specialty of Lyon but who initially gave the name Darphin to this recipe I have still not discovered.

     

Darphin and Paillasson on French Menus:

 

Darphin de Saumon –  Salmon cooked together with the thickly grated potatoes,

   

Carré D'agneau au Thym et Miel, Pommes Darphin et Son Fagot d'Haricots Verts –  Rack of lamb prepared with thyme and honey and served with potatoes Darphin and a bundle of France’s favorite fresh green beans.

    

Esturgeon, Sauce Vin Rouge, Pommes de Terre Darphin et Topinambour. - Sturgeon, the fish, prepared with a red wine sauce and served with potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes Darphin.

   

Galette de Légumes Anciens Façon Darphin –  A thick vegetable pancake made in the traditional manner of Darphins..

   

Faux-Filet et Pomme de Terre Darphin

Photograph courtesy of Falchion

https://www.flickr.com/photos/falchion/26525489753/   FF

  

Le Filet de Bœuf, Darphin Pomme-Céleri et Crème Noisette- A beef fillet steak, a beef tenderloin, accompanied by a celery and potatoes Darphin served with a creamy hazelnut sauce.

  

Maigre Poêlé Pommes Darphin, Sauce Bacon – Meagre, Salmon Bass lightly fried with potatoes Darphin and served with a bacon flavored sauce.
   

Mignon de Veau Rôti, Pomme Paillasson, Beignet de Fleur de Courgette et Crème de Parmesan – A cut from a roast veal tenderloin, the French Filet Mignon, served with Pommes Paillasson, deep fried stuffed courgette flowers (the USA zucchini), all served with a cream of Parmesan sauce.
  

Pommes de Terre Dauphine

    

A Dauphiné  is a Dolphin

  

The Dauphiné  on the menu is not the mammal or even the dolphin fish. Dauphiné on French menus indicates recipes that originated in the departments of Savoie and Isère in the Rhone-Alps along with others from the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

More than eight hundred years ago Dauphine was an independent state in the Southeast of modern France. There the ruling Counts, under the banner of the Holy Roman Empire used the title Dauphiné.  At the end of the 14th century, the Dauphinés sold their land and their titles to the French King. I believe they received an offer they could not refuse!

The centerpiece of their flag, the dolphin then became the hereditary title of the eldest son of the King of France and part of his standard (flag).

  

During the French Revolution, the province was divided into three departments: the Drôme and Isère in the Rhône-Alpes and  the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.Later some of the Province's lands  were added to the department of Rhône also in the Rhône-Alpes.

    

The standard (flag) of the French King’s eldest son,

the Dauphiné.

 

The French King’s standard remained the fleur-de-lis, the flower, the lily of the valley. France ended up with more territory, and French restaurants ended up with Pommes de Terre Dauphine and other dishes.

    

Pommes de Terre Dauphine  -  Potatoes Dauphine are potato croquettes mixed with choux pastry, and fried.

   

Pommes de Terre Dauphine

Photograph courtesy of Vanessa Druckman

https://www.flickr.com/photos/chefdruck/4562492850/    FF

 

Gratin Dauphinois – This is baked sliced potatoes cooked in milk and cream, flavored with nutmeg, garlic, thyme, and shallots and then browned under the grill usually with Gruyere or Parmesan cheese.

   

Gratin Dauphinois

Photograph courtesy of Karen and Brad Emerson

https://www.flickr.com/photos/karenandbrademerson/3118473571/     FF

Ravioles du Dauphiné – Small squares of pasta stuffed with white cheese, Comte, and Emmental cheese and served sautéed in butter. This ravioli while made in restaurants and private homes is also available commercially. The ravioli is made by a group of six producers who have been awarded a Label Rouge, the red label, for their consistent and unique quality and use of the original recipe.

   

Preparing Ravioles de Dauphine

Photograph courtesy of http://www.promenade-gourmande.fr

 

Dauphine dishes on French Menus:

 

Entrecôte Sauce au Poivre, Gratin Dauphinois et Salade Verte. -  A rib-eye steak in North America,  in the UK a rib-eye or fore-rib. This is a pepper steak served with Gratin Dauphinoise and a green salad. Pepper steaks are usually made with green pepper corns; they give the chef more control over the pepper taste.

Filet de Truite Saumonée Locale, Sauce Vierge, Ravioles du Dauphiné et Légumes.- A filet of local rainbow trout served with a sauce vierge, Dauphine Ravioli and vegetables.   Sauce Vierge  means a virgin sauce. The name comes from the use of virgin olive oil. Sauce Vierge will most usually be on your menu with fish dishes as is this.  As its name suggests it includes virgin olive oil and with the oil will be fresh tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice, basil, red wine vinegar, salt and black pepper. The sauce will be served slightly warm but not cooked as olive oil loses flavor when cooked. The sauce will be poured on the fish just before it is served.

 

Magret de Canard au Vinaigre de Framboise, Gratin Dauphinois – Duck breast prepared with raspberry vinegar and served with Gratin Dauphinois

  

Ragoût de Lotte à la Crème Areilladou aux Ravioles du Dauphiné – A monkfish stew served with a cream of Areilladou sauce and Ravioles du Dauphiné. (Areilladou is a traditional fresh goat ‘s milk cheese from the Ardèche, the department in the region of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes).

 

Connected Posts:

 

Ail -Garlic in French Cuisine. Herbs and Spices in the French Kitchen.

 

Basil, Common Basil or Sweet Basil. Basilic or Herbe Royal; Herbs and Spices in the French Kitchen II.

 

Carré d'Agneau (Carre d'Agneau) - A rack of lamb.

 

Caviar and Esturgeon. Caviar on French Menus. Sturgeon, the fish, Esturgeon on French menus.

 

Céleri - Celery. The Joys of Celery on French Menus.

 

Comte AOP (AOC), the premiere cheese of France.

Crepes, Galettes, Gauffres, Mille Crepes, Pannequets and more. All on French Menus

 

Échalotes - Shallots. One of the Most Important Herbs in the French Kitchen

 

Entrecôte (Entrecote). Ordering a Perfect Entrecote Steak in France.

Fleur de Courgette - the Courgette Flower. In the USA the Zuccini flower.

 

French Olive Oils. Enjoying France's Best Olive Oils.

  

Jerusalem Artichoke on French Menus. This is the Artichaut de Jérusalem or Topinambour in France.

 

Lotte or Baudroie - Monkfish. Monkfish on French Menus.

 

Macis and Fleur de Muscade, Mace and Nutmeg. Important Spices in French Cuisine.

 

Magret de Canard or Lou Magret. - Duck Breast on French Menus.

Maigre – Meagre, Croaker, Drum Fish or Salmon Bass on French Menus.

      

Miel - Honey. The Many, Varied and Wonderful Honeys of France. Honey on French Menus

 

Poivre - Peppercorns. Peppercorns in French cuisine and on French Menus. For hundred of years pepper was the most important spice in the world.

  

Saumon - Salmon. Atlantic salmon is the Salmon on French Menus

  

Thyme in France. Thyme, Serpolet, Farigoule and Thym Citron, Lemon Thyme in France. Thyme. One of the most important herbs in French cuisine.

   

Truite - Trout, the Fish. Trout on French Menus

   

Vinegar, Vinaigrette and Verjus in French Cuisine.

   

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010, 2016.

 

Échalotes - Shallots. Shallots on French Menus. Shallots are One of the Most Important Herbs in the French Kitchen

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Shallots.
Photograph courtesy of Burpee

    

Échalotes -  Shallots.   

French chefs love shallots as their taste is light, slightly sweet and poignant; very different to their cousins which include onions, garlic, and chives. The smaller and younger shallots are preferred in the French kitchen as they are considered to have more flavor. However, there are many varieties of shallots and while one may be treated as a vegetable, another may be used as a herb, and a third somewhere in between. The shallot’s flexibility is highly appreciated and like its cousins, is a relative of the lily, the flower. (In North America, shallots are often considered to be a small onion or a type of garlic, which they are not). 

A lily, the prettiest member of the Amaryllidaceae family.
Photograph courtesy of oatsy40
www.flickr.com/photos/oatsy40/25933338625/ 

Fresh shallots

Fresh shallots are preferred. However, they are only available fresh for five to six months a year, with the different varieties having seasons that last for one to two months.  In France, the best restaurants will have an all-year-round supply of fresh hot-house shallots. However, for lesser mortals, shallots, like their cousins, onions, and garlic, may be stored.  

Shallot flowers.
Photograph courtesy of Sterling College
www.flickr.com/photos/sterlingcollege/19996116128/ 

Shallots on French Menus.

Onglet de Bœuf Sauce Échalotes – A North American hanger steak, a U.K. skirt steak, served with a shallot sauce. Here the shallot is treated as both a vegetable and an herb. The sauce will be made of gently fried shallots made into a sauce with white wine and probably crème fraiche. 

Hanger steaks are only rarely on the North American steak house menus as they are considered tough. However, French chefs choose their meat very carefully and prepare these steaks very well. 

A well-prepared hanger steak is delicious, and it will not be tough unless it was over-cooked. These are the steaks most often used in France's very popular "steak frites," steak and French fries. N.B.: On French menus, if the onglet, the hanger steak noted here, and a bavette, a flank steak, were to be exchanged, one for the other, none of us would notice the difference! To order a steak in France, cooked the way you like it, click here.  

  

Shallots and garlic in the market.

Photograph courtesy of Numeria Zayas

www.flickr.com/photos/rarehero/5477916604/

 

Moules au Vin Blanc, Échalotes, Persil et Crème –  Mussels and white wine, shallots, parsley, and cream. The ever-popular moules frites was originally a Belgian creation. The French have adopted this dish and have kept up the quality and options. French fries will be usually be served on the side.

    

Grilled Rabbit Roulade
A roulade indicates a dish where meat or fish, or in this case rabbit, is rolled around a filling and then cooked.  In this dish, the filling was carrot purée, haricots verts, baby carrots, and roasted shallots, all flavored with thyme juice. Chefs may also use the name roulade for other stuffed or filled dishes, and that is how your dessert menu may offer a roulade au chocolat.
Photograph courtesy of Premshree Pilla
www.flickr.com/photos/premshree/3605612149/

   

Poitrine de Poulet Farcie, Sauce au Romarin, Farcie avec Champignons et Échalotes – Chicken breast flavored stuffed with button mushrooms and shallots and served with a rosemary sauce.

 

Shallots in a Balsamic vinegar marinade.
Photograph courtesy of Annie Mole.
www.flickr.com/photos/anniemole/5268162511/

 

Saucisson Cuit Sauce Échalote et Gratin Dauphinois - A pre-cooked sausage, often similar to a salami, cooked again, and served with a shallot sauce and Gratin Dauphinois.  France has many different sausages, from pork sausages that require cooking to salami type sausages that may be eaten cold. Once upon a time, each type of sausage had its own name; however, that is no longer the case. The French words saucisse and saucisson came to England with the cooks who accompanied William the Conqueror's armies in 1066. So, in the English language, we also have sausages as a general term for all types of sausages. With a menu listing like this, you should ask for more information about the sausage, you may be missing something special if you pass. 

   

 Gratin Dauphinois is also called Pommes de Terre Dauphinoise. The potatoes are sliced, layered, and baked with olive oil, cream, and milk and lightly flavored with garlic for this dish. Some versions add onions, and nearly all add grated cheese, usually Gruyere, that is browned, gratiné, just before serving.

    

Gratin Dauphinoise.
Photograph courtesy of Le Journal des Femmes Cuisine

 

Velouté d’Échalottes - A velvety shallot soup. A veloute is one of the original five mother sauces, and its silky texture has carried over to soups. A velouté on the menu today will usually indicate a soup with a velvety, silky texture. (Mother sauces were the basic sauce in French cuisine and used for the preparation of all other sauces. Four mother sauces were first categorized by the organizer of French Haute Cuisine Antonin Carême. Seventy years later this group of sauces were reclassified as five by Auguste Escoffier, the most famous of the early 20^th century chefs).

  

Frying shallots with chicken
Photograph courtesy of Jeremy Keith
www.flickr.com/photos/adactio/16538142887/

  

Salade de Crevettes Cuite Épicée, Échalotes,  Coriandre, Feuille de Menthe, Citronnelle, Servi sur un Lit de Salade - A salad of spicy shrimps prepared with shallots, coriander, mint leaves and lemon grass. All served on a bed of salad leaves.

The shallot in the French kitchen

There are 13 or more different types of cultivated shallots available in French markets, and France is also the world's largest exporter of shallots. All shallots are descendants of the originals brought back to France by the crusaders.  Like onions, the shallot’s skin comes in a variety of colors with the golden-skinned and purple-skinned varieties leading the field.  Outside of France, there are more varieties. If you are lucky a USA or UK supermarket may have one type of shallot on sale, but farmers’ markets do usually have a small choice. The names will have changed outside of France so don’t be surprised.

A cut raw shallot.
Photograph courtesy of ~jar{}
www.flickr.com/photos/jariceiii/5408051159/

The two most popular shallots in France

    

Griselle or Gris - The Gray Shallot. The Griselle is usually considered the most delicate, though still strong tasting, of all shallots.  Griselle shallots, which are grayish-brown with a purplish-white interior.

   

The Griselle - The gray shallot.
Photograph courtesy of Prosemail

Échalote de Jersey - The Jersey Shallot, Pink Shallot, or Traditional Shallot is nearly as popular. It is a more rounded shallot and has a slightly stronger onion taste than the gray shallot. There are two types of this shallot, a long and a short version.

 

The Échalote de Jersey – The Jersey shallot.
Photograph courtesy of Cuisine à la française

 

The largest shallot.

 

Banane or Ovale - The Banana Shallot. The banana shallot is the longest of all shallots with a bulging center; they reach up to 18 cm (7”) in length. The banana shallot acquired its name through its size, not its shape; they have a taste midway between onion and garlic.

Banane - Banana shallots.
Photograph courtesy of Specialty Products

Shallots grown in bunches and have from three to six cloves. Shallots have very different tastes to onions that grow alone and to garlic than grow with ten or more cloves.   The milder shallots may be served raw as part of a salad, and there will be no strong onion taste to overpower the salad. Neither will there be a strong garlic smell or taste to hide the aroma of the other ingredients.

Lobster Thermidor
A USA version of the historic French dish of Lobster Thermidor made with the North American two-clawed lobster, a creamy Dijon, shallots, and a mushroom sauce and  Emmenthal cheese
Photograph courtesy of NwongPR
www.flickr.com/photos/nwongpr/35401408961/

 The origins of the shallot

The shallot originated in the Middle East, and its name comes from the city of Ashkelon in modern Israel.  According to tradition French Crusaders discovered them and brought them to France.  However, thousands of years before the crusades, Ashkelon was home to those Mediterranean wholesalers, the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians traded with all the countries in the Mediterranean, including Egypt, Italy, Greece, and the South of France. The Phoenicians brought with them many fruits and vegetables. No doubt, the name and more varieties arrived with the crusaders.

 

A view from a hotel room of the Ashkelon marina today.
Photograph courtesy of Planet of Hotels

French members of the shallot family.

For those interested in the varieties of shallots grown in France, PROSEMAIL, the French Shallot and Garlic Growers Association have a good English language website with pictures of all the shallots grown in France:

http://plant-certifie-echalote.org/en/pages/caracteristiques.php

Shallots in the languages of France neighbors:

(Catalan – escalunya), (German – schalotte, delzwiebel, skalonzwiebel), (Italian – scalogno), (Spanish - chalota, chalote,  escalonia).
 

-------------------------------- 

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010, 2015, 2020

 

-------------------------------- 

Are you searching
for the translation or meaning of words, names,
or phrases on French Menus. 

Just add the word, words, or phrase you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" and search with Google. Behind the French Menu's links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are over 480 articles that include over 4,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations. 

------------------

Connected Posts:

Ail - Garlic. Garlic in French Cuisine.

Antonin Carême: The Most Influential Chef in the History of French Cuisine.

Carottes - Carrots in French Cuisine.

Champignons on French Menus. The Champignon de Paris, the Button Mushroom in French Cuisine. The Mushrooms of France I.

Ciboulette – Chives, the herb, in French Cuisine.

Chocolate and France. Visiting a Chocolatier, a real chocolate maker.

Coriandre - Coriander or Cilantro, the Herb. Coriander in French Cuisine.

Crème Fraîche, (creme fraiche). What is Crème Fraîche? Why is Crème Fraîche part of so Many of France’s Famous Sauces and More –

Crevettes and Gambas - Shrimps and Prawns. Shrimps in French Cuisine.

Darphin, Paillasson, Dauphine and Dauphinois on French Menus.

Escoffier the Chef. Escoffier, the Most Important Influence and Contributor to French Cuisine in the First Half of the 20th Century.

Gratin – Browned. Unfortunately, Browned is a Poor Translation Even if it is Correct. Gratin, Au Gratin, Gratiné, and Gratinée are Treasured Techniques and Tastes in French Cuisine.  

Gruyère Cheese – French or Swiss? Enjoying French Gruyere IGP.

Haricot, Feve or Coco - Beans. Beans in French Cuisine.

Homard - Lobster. The Two-Clawed European Lobster. Lobster in French Cuisine.

Huiles d'Olive Française - French Olive oils. Enjoying France's Best Olive Oils.

Mayonnaise Fraîche - In France all Mayonnaise is Fresh Mayonnaise.

Milk on French Menus, in Cafes and in the supermarkets. 

Lapin and Lièvre – Rabbits and Hares. Rabbit and Hares in French Cuisine.

Menthe – Mint. Mint, Garden Mint, in French Cuisine.

Moutarde – Mustard. Mustard (Including Dijon Mustard) in French cuisine.

Mushrooms in France I, The Champignon de Paris, the Button Mushroom.

Oignon or Ognon – An Onion. Onions on French menus. France’s most famous onions and their history. 

Ordering mussels in France. More than just Moules Frites, and How to Order Moules Frites. 

Ordering Steak Frites in France with the steak cooked the way you like it.

Pates and Terrines. An introduction to the meat, fish, vegetable and fruit pates on the French menu

Persil - Parsley. Parsley in French Cuisine.

Poulet, Poularde, Poule, Pousin – Chicken. Chicken in French Cuisine.

Romarin - Rosemary, the Herb in French cuisine.

Salades - Salads. Forty of the Most Popular (and Simply Made) French Salads. Salads in France.

Sausages in France. A Short Introduction to France’s World of Sausages. 

Shrimps and Prawns among the Crustaceans on Your French Menu.

Soup on the French Menu. A Soup by Any Other Name, but France has So Many Names for Soup.

Steak Frites - the Great Steaks from France. Onglets and Bavettes in French Cuisine.

The French Connection and The English Kitchen .

Thyme in France. Thym, Serpolet, Farigoule and Thym Citron, Lemon Thyme in France. Thyme. One of the most important herbs in French cuisine.

Velouté Soupe and Sauce Velouté - A Veloute Soup and a Veloute Sauce. - A Velouté is One of France's "Mother" Sauces and one of the Many Styles of Soups and Sauces on French Menus.

Vinegar, Vinaigrette and Verjus in French Cuisine.

What is a Confit? All About That Confit on Your French Menu.