Behind the French Menu

Steak de Hampe - A Flavorful French Cut of Beef With no Corresponding USA or UK Cut to Compare With.

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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Steak de Hampe.

Photograph courtesy of Susan Lucas Hoffman

https://www.flickr.com/photos/64141731@N00/6834216274/

Many French cuts of meat may have no exact US or UK equivalents, and Steak de Hampe, is one of those. French chefs will tell you that the hampe is a flavorful steak with a little more fat than a flank steak, the French onglet. Butchers consider it part of the US tri-tip and in the UK part of the flank. Steak or Bifteck de Hampe is a favorite cut for France’s great Steak Frites.

Steak de Hampe on French menus:

Steak de Hampe de Boeuf et Gratin Dauphinois – A hampe steak served with Gratin Dauphinois. Gratin Dauphinois 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 Dauphinoise

Photograph courtesy of Karen and Brad Emerson

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

Steak de Hampe Sauce au Poivre – A hampe steak prepared with a pepper sauce. Nearly all pepper steaks are made with green peppercorns. Green peppercorns are usually the pepper of choice for a steak au poivre, a pepper steak. Black pepper can override the flavor of the steak.

Steak au Poivre.

Photograph courtesy of Xoyos. com

https://www.flickr.com/photos/78501770@N05/7232708858/

Hampe de Boeuf Grillée, Frites – A grilled hampe steak served with French fries, UK chips; this a classic Steak Frit

Steak Frites

Photograph courtesy of Eden Hensley Silverstein

https://www.flickr.com/photos/aedenhensley/5716157098/

La Hampe de Bœuf Grillée, Sauce Bordelaise, Poêlée De Pommes De Terre Et Champignons – A grilled hampe steak served with a Sauce Bordelaise accompanied by potatoes fried with button mushrooms. Sauce Bordelaise is made with a veal stock, a Bordeaux red wine, butter, shallots, and herbs.

Hampe de Veau Grillée, Sauce aux Deux Moutardes au Thym – A grilled hampe veal steak prepared with a sauce made from two different mustards and thyme.

Hampe steaks will have been marinated in red wine for 24 hours before being lightly fried or grilled. This cut is never prepared well done; it will be tough and shriveled. If you only eat well-done steaks order an entrecote.

To order a steak in France cooked the way you like it click here.

Connected posts:

Ail - Garlic. Garlic in French Cuisine.

Bordeaux and Bordelaise on the Menu, and Bordeaux AOC/AOP Wines on the Wine-List.

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

Darphin. Paillasson, Dauphine and Dauphinois on French Menus.

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

Frites or Pomme Frites - French Fries in the USA and Chips in the UK. French Fries on French Menus.

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

Moutarde – Mustard and Dijon Mustard in French cuisine.

Onglet and Bavettes on French Menus.Steak Frites in French Cuisine.

Ordering a Steak in France, Cooked the Way you Like it.

Parmesan, the Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano is an Important Ingredient in French Cuisine.

Poivre - Peppercorns. White, Green, Black and Red Peppercorns and Grey Pepper in French cuisine and on French Menus. For hundred of years pepper was the most important spice in the world.

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

Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are nearly 400 articles that include over 2,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations. To search for more articles like this one simply add the word, words or phrase you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" and search with Google or Bing.

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Black-Bass, Black-bass à Grande Bouche – Largemouth Bass or Largemouth Black Bass. Largemouth Black Bass on French Menus.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Largemouth black bass.

Photograph courtesy of Robert Pos

https://www.flickr.com/photos/51274664@N06/6837144175/

Largemouth black bass is a North American freshwater fish introduced into European rivers for sports fishermen and women in the late 19th century. These American imports have established themselves in many streams and rivers in Europe. A French chef who is an active amateur fisherman, on the river where his restaurant is, told me eating largemouth black bass may be considered revenge as they eat young crayfish. Young crayfish, when left alone grow into bigger crayfish, and they have many of their own admirers in the French culinary world. Nevertheless, he considers black bass as a tasty fish, and when offered fish caught by local fishermen and women, he will place them on his menu; any fish, not just bass, that he catches himself are for his friends and family.

Catching black bass.

Photograph courtesy of Dave Doe

https://www.flickr.com/photos/92414546@N04/14261780228/

Largemouth Black Bass on French menus:

Black-Bass à Grande Bouche Poêlé à l'Anis – Largemouth bass fried with aniseed. (See the appendix Herbs and Spices, Mushrooms and Truffles: Anis).

Lightly fried black bass in a fennel-accented sauce.

Photograph courtesy of stu_spivack

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart_spivack/3240438372/

Black-Bass à Grande Bouche Vapeur, Poireaux, Champignons de Paris et une Crème Légère au Citron - Steamed largemouth bass prepared with leeks and button mushrooms and served with a light and creamy lemon accented sauce.

Black-Bass à Grande Bouche Fumée et sa Marinade Citron –Largemouth bass smoked and served in a lemon marinade.

Carpaccio de Black Bass – A Carpaccio of largemouth bass.

Black-Bass à la Fondue d'Échalotes – Black bass served on a bed of shallots.

A river in Maine.

Maine has over 1,000 lakes and an untold number of rivers and streams.

Photograph courtesy James Bates

https://www.flickr.com/photos/batesjamese/8083108325/

French and visiting freshwater sportsmen and women along with commercial fishermen and women catch these fish using a rod and line; they may reach 2 kilos or more. The professionals mostly sell their catches directly to restaurants and in farmer’s markets near to where the fish are caught. Unfortunately, the catches are rarely large enough or valuable enough to reach the big cities. Nevertheless, if you are traveling in France, they will be on many riverside and lakeside menus. The larger fish will usually be served as grilled filets or fried filets, and they are a tasty fish.

My family and I caught the North American family members of these fish. We were on vacation in the lakes and rivers in Northern Maine, and it was, unfortunately, not the salmon season. One of our sons caught a young salmon but it was below the legal catch size, and it was returned to the lake. We stayed at a fishing lodge and took a fishing guide, who promised us good fishing and good eating with large mouthed bass.

Largemouth black bass.

Biodiversity Heritage Library

https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/6102597325/

Largemouth black bass is a tasty fish. The fish we caught were at most 400 grams (14 ounces, just under 1 lb) each. The guide knew all the best places for largemouth black bass, and we just reeled them in. When we had caught enough for lunch, we sat on the bank of the lake, fried them in olive oil and a few herbs. Together with the additions provided by the fishing lodge where we stayed along with a cold bottle of white wine. the fish made a magnificent lunch. The next day we repeated our success on the St John River; the St John River is part of the USA State of Maine's border with Canada. Some of the fish we caught that day may have been Canadian, but they tasted the same as the American fish! Maine has over 1,000 lakes and an untold number of rivers and streams. In two days we only saw two other people.

Largemouth Black Bass in the languages of France's neighbors:

(Catalan - perca americana), (Dutch -forelbaars, zwarte baars), (German - Amerikanischer schwarzbarsch, forellenbarsch), (Italian -persico trota), (Spanish - perca Americana,),

Connected posts:

Carpaccio on French Menus.

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

Citron – The lemon; the fruit behind many of France’s culinary successes. Also the Citron Vert - Lime, the Cedrat – the Citron, the Combava – the kaffir lime and the Chadec - the Pomelo.

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

Écrivisse - Crayfish, Crawdad, or Crawfish. The Écrivisse is the Freshwater Crayfish and may be Among the Crustaceans on Your French Menu. Crustaceans III.

Fenouil - Fennel, the Herb, and the Vegetable. Fennel on French Menus.

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Palourdes – Clams. Clams on French Menus.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Clams on sale in a French market.

Photograph courtesy of gigile

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gigile/6557137767/

Palourde, Clam, Praires, Venus, Vernis, and Clovis – These are French names for clams with palourde the word most often seen on menus. With few exceptions, the clams on mainland French menus are only seen on the European side of the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean

Clams, button mushrooms, and wild garlic.

Photograph courtesy of dert 10

https://www.flickr.com/photos/terminus2/33767584813/

Clams are, of course, the single most important ingredient in clam chowder, with the word chowder coming from the French word chaudrée; but do not be surprised when Le Clam Chowder de Boston, Boston clam chowder, is on the menu. The French enjoy good recipes from around the world, and New England clam chowder with potatoes and bacon along with the clams is clearly not a French recipe.

Boston clam chowder

Photograph courtesy of Kate Hopkins

https://www.flickr.com/photos/accidentalhedonist/5424863227/

Raw clams will be on France’s Plateaus de Fruits de Mer, these are amazing overflowing platters of fresh, raw and lightly cooked shellfish and other seafood. Depending on the size of the platter ordered they may include oysters, pink shrimps, sand shrimps, Dublin Bay prawns, sea urchins, whelks, winkles, mussels along with two or more clams and more. For special occasions, a table of diners may choose a three-tiered platter that includes a crab and or a lobster.

Three-tiered seafood platter.

Photograph courtesy of Cuisine a la Francaise

Most clams are slightly sweet but have different tastes and textures both cooked and raw. Cooked clams will also be in fish soups or served grilled, stuffed or be part of other recipes from pasta to meat dishes. The list that follows includes the most popular clams and those with highlighted names have their own posts; to see how they may be served, click on the links. Other seafood stars that may be on the menu with clams and have their own posts include scallops; rock lobsters the owner of the lobster tail; the European two-clawed lobster which is a close cousin of the North American lobster; slipper lobsters and more.

Clams on French menus:

Amande de Mer - The Sea Almond or Dog Cockle.

Coques - Cockles; cockles are close cousins of the clam family.

Palourde Américaine, Le Clam – The Cherrystone Clam in the USA, also called the American Quahog. The original American Indian name of this clam was quahog, and these clams were introduced accidentally into European waters 80 years ago from the USA. On their own the Cherrystone clams are not too popular in France; nevertheless, in France, the Cherrystone clam will be providing the texture in soups such as clam chowder or as part of other dishes.

A mussel, cockle and clam risotto.

Photograph courtesy of patrick janicek

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marsupilami92/33584640984/

Palourde Blanche – The White Clam or Oval Shore Clam. This small white clam looks somewhat similar to the more expensive palourde grise, the grooved carpet shell clam, but its shell is not striated. It seldom exceeds 3 cm (1.2”) in diameter and, on French menus, may be part of a seafood platter or served cooked.

Palourde Bleue or Palourde Bleue de Méditerranée - The pullet carpet shell clam. This small clam is from 3 – 6 cms (1.2” – 2.4”) wide; it is farmed and usually served raw on seafood platters.

Palourde de Vraie, Palourde Grise, Clovisse – The grooved carpet shell clam.; this clam is found throughout the world and is usually served raw; but in France, it also stars when stuffed and cooked.

This clam may vary in size from 2.5 - 5.5cm (1” -2.15”), though they may occasionally be larger, and it is a clam that is found throughout the world.

Clams sautéed with spicy chilis.

Photograph courtesy of Julien GONG Min

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bfishadow/6010430955/

Telline, Flion or Olive de Mer – The Sea Olive or Banded Wedge Shell Clam. These are tiny, mostly oval, though some are triangular, green-tinged clams, and about 2 – 4 cms across (0.80” – 1.60”). The sea olive will usually be served raw as part of a seafood platter though they may also be cooked and served with a seafood salad or with pasta.

The sea olive on French menus:

Fricassée de Tellines – A sea olive stew.

Noix de Saint-Jacques Rôties dans un Nuage de Tellines et Copeaux d’Asperges Vertes – The roasted meat of the king scallop served in a cloud of sea olives with shavings of green asparagus.

Vernis - The smooth clam.

Palourde Rose or Palourde Glénan - The pink clam. In dishes where this clam is included, the taste comes from other clams, but it will be there for its texture and will also be on menus when stuffed.

The pink clam on French menus:

Assiette de Palourdes Roses Farcies - A plate of stuffed pink clams.

Petite Praire – The striped Venus clam; usually served raw with just a dash of lemon juice.

Couteau - The razor shell clam or spoot. This clam is a favorite on French seafood platters and will also be on many menus when cooked.

The razor shell clam on French menus:

Assiette Panaché (Moules Farcies, Palourdes Farcies, Couteaux Farcis) – An assortment (stuffed mussels, clams, and razor shell clams).

Couteaux Palourdes Grillées – Grilled razor shell clams.

Stir fried razor shell clams

Photograph courtesy of Alpha

https://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/4590883999/

Connected Posts:

Ail - Garlic. Garlic in French Cuisine.

Amande de Mer. The Sea Almond or Dog Cockle. A Tasty Clam on French Menus.

Asperges en La Cuisine Française – Asparagus in French cuisine. The Artists who Painted Asparagus or Lived Near Argenteuil.

Bulots, Bourgets or Buccins Whelks on the Menu in France are Very Tasty Sea Snails.

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

Chaudrée – Chowder. Ordering Chowder in France.

Cigale de Mer – The Slipper Lobster. The Slipper Lobster on French Menus.

Copeaux on a French Menu?

Coques. Cockles. Coques on Your French Seafood Menu.

Coquilles Saint-Jacques and the Vanneaux or Pétoncle. The King Scallop and the Queen Scallop on French Menus. The Coquilles Saint-Jacques, and the Vanneaux or Pétoncle in French Cuisine.

Crabes - Crabs. Crabs Among the Crustaceans on Your French Menu. Crustaceans II.

Crevettes - Shrimps and Prawns on French Menus. Shrimps and Prawns are Some of the Many Tasty Crustaceans seen in French Cuisine.

Homard - The Two Clawed European Lobster. Lobster on French Menus.

Huitres. Oysters in France 1. Ordering, Eating, and Enjoying Oysters. Huitres on French Menus.

Langouste. Lobster Tails and the Tails’ Owner, the Rock Lobster, Spiny Lobster or Crawfish. Langouste on French menus.

Langoustine – The Dublin Bay Prawn, Scampi or Norwegian Lobster on French Menus.

Moules - Mussels. Moules Frites and Much More. Mussels on French Menus.

Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases found on French menus. Nearly 500 articles include over 4,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations. To find more articles like this one, simply add the word or words you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" and search with Google or Bing.