Recipes to Celebrate Bastille Day

As we Americans just wrapped up celebrating the Fourth of July, the French are getting ready to celebrate their independence. July 14th is Bastille Day, the English name given to La Fête Nationale or French National Day, which marks the start of the French Revolution with the Storming of the Bastille. Because we love any reason to eat and drink amazing food and cocktails here at The Manual, we asked some of our favorite chefs for recipes to celebrate the occasion.

Chef Ryan Angulo of recently-opened Brooklyn restaurant French Louie uses color to celebrate with Mussels Piperade. “Piperade is a dish from the Basque region of France, and the colors are meant to resemble the red, white and green Basque flag,” Angulo said. “Traditionally, the dish is made with with red and green peppers and onion. But ours is made with red bell pepper, onions and olives, which I thought would taste great with mussels.”

Mussels Piperade

Ingredients:
2 roasted red peppers, sliced
1 sliced Spanish onion
2 garlic cloves sliced
1/2 cup sliced green olives
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbs chopped parsley
2 tbs toasted breadcrumb
1 pound mussels

Method:

1. In a large pot, gently heat olive oil till warm. Add sliced onion and garlic and sweat until translucent. Add in olives, roasted pepper, bay leaf and vinegar. Let simmer for 5 minutes on low heat.

2. Add in white wine. Cook for 1 minute. Add in mussels and cover with a lid.

3. Cook over high heat until mussels open, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and add parsley.

4. Divide into bowls and top with toasted bread crumbs. Serve immediately.

Hot spot Le Bilboquet has been serving up delicious French food for almost three decades, which seems like three lifetimes in NYC years. Executive Chef Julien Jouhannaud shared his recipe for the classic Salad Niçoise, packed with enough protein to make a hearty lunch or dinner.

Salad Niçoise

Ingredients:
For the Dressing:
1 clove garlic
Kosher salt, to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 shallot, minced
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Salad:
1 lb. small new potatoes, boiled until tender
6 oz. yellow baby beets, boiled until tender, peeled
6 oz. red baby beets, boiled until tender, peeled
8 oz. haricot verts, blanched
12 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup black Niçoise olives
8 small radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
8 salt-packed anchovies, rinsed and drained
4 hard-boiled eggs, halved lengthwise
4 to 6 (60z) fresh tuna grade 1. Pan seared at the last minute
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves, to garnish
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, to garnish

Method:

1. Make the dressing: Mince garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle heavily with salt. Using a knife, scrape garlic and salt together to form a smooth paste. Transfer paste to a bowl and whisk in oil, juice, mustard, shallot and salt and pepper; set aside.

2. Make the salad: Arrange all ingredients in separate rows on a large serving platter. Drizzle dressing over ingredients, season with salt and pepper and garnish with basil and scallions just before serving.

Le Cirque is one of those iconic New York City restaurants that will never go out of style. Opened in 1974, some of today’s most distinguished chefs started their careers working in that kitchen. Chef Raphael Francois puts a French twist on classic South American ceviche for a light, refreshing summer dish.

Hamachi Ceviche
Ingredients:
80 g. sushi grade hamachi loin
50 g. pea tartare
20 g. pea puree
40 g. St. Germaine gel
20 g. elderberry sauce

*The below recipes tell you how to make the pea tartare, pea puree, St. Germaine gel and elderberry sauce. When all steps are complete, mix everything together with the hamachi loin and pour the sauce over top before serving.

Pea Tartare
Blanche 1/4 cup English peas. Add pieces of chopped watermelon to peas and mix in the zest of one 1 lemon. Add 1 T lemon juice, salt and espelette pepper to taste, 1 t of parsley and 1 t of pea puree.

Pea Puree
1 bag of frozen peas
1 shallot
1 clove of garlic
1 qt chicken stock
Bring ingredients to a simmer and puree in a blender.

St. Germaine Gel
1 bottle St. Germaine liqueur
1/2 bottle white verjus
Bring to a boil then cook for 2 minutes. Hand whisk in 10 grams of agar agar and bring to a boil once more. Let it cool in the fridge, then puree in a blender and pass through a fine mesh sieve.

Elderberry Sauce
Bring 1 bag of frozen elderberries to a boil with 2 cups of red wine vinegar, 1 cup of red verjus and 1/2 cup of sugar. Once it comes to a boil, put it in the blender and puree on high for one second, careful to not break down the inner seed. Pass through a fine mesh sieve.

Named for a spot on the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan where the Dutch once dumped oyster shells, the recently-opened Chalk Point Kitchen is serving up food and drink with multicultural influences and locally-sourced ingredients. Their French Martini is the libation you need to celebrate Bastille Day with a buzz. This recipe serves six to get the party started.

French Martini
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups GREY GOOSE vodka
2 cups fresh pineapple juice
2 tsp. Chambord
1/4 cup Creme de Cassis

Method:
Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Serve the cocktail in a chilled martini glass.