How about Coquilles St. Jacques? You could also do stuffed tomatoes, escargots, deviled eggs with shrimp.... Hummm I am re-reading your request... snacky type huh? Oh I got it! White asparagus spears. You can cook them and serve them with a home-made mayonnaise or marinate them in a vinaigrette. You could put some head-on shrimps on the side... the French always serve shrimp with heads-on... and by the way, the bigger the better as they will remind them of langoustines.

Steam some mussels with wine, onion, herbs and a little olive oil. Remove the mussels from their shells. Separate the shells. Put a dab of good homemade mayonnaise in each half shell and replace the meats. Sprinkle with a touch of finely chopped parsley or similar garnish. Serve cold.

Jim

Good French things :
Make some bread like a foccaccia and spread some with tapenade, another with quartered cherry toms, basil and a little pesto (here it's called Pistou!), make a pissaladie (onion and olive pizza) and cut it into squares,
Savoury cakes are very fashionable here at the moment (such as feta and herbs or saucisson, parmesan and roquette) and "verrine" - miniature glasses with things like avacado purée with a prawn, or cauliflower purée mixed with goat's cheese topped with a coquille saint Jacques.
Tiny little tarts, or ricotta and spinach pasties.
Mayo on mussels or head on prawn are not really french for a snacky thing! One's too fattening and the other's too messy!

Oh - some great ideas!

I can certainly get white asparagus right now, I was looking st some at the green grocery last week and I bet he has it this week too. WIth a little homemade mayo and some fresh herbs that will be wonderful.

I dont do mussles myself, so unfortunately that is out but thanks for the idea.

And I love the idea of a focaccia with tapenade and/or pistou! That would be easy and a good not messy snacky nibble. Pissaldiere, I always thought it had anchovies as a needed ingredient and I dont eat fuzzy little fish either so I hadn;t conisidered it, but maybe with onions and olives? Or mini goat cheese tartlets sound good too....

Decisions decisions! Thanks so much!

Alexa

Here are a few TNT recipes from my files:

MUSHROOM PATE

1 Shallot, minced
½ Pound Fresh Mushrooms, finely chopped
4 Tablespoons Butter, melted
½ Teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Walnuts
1 ½ Teaspoon Tamari Sauce
½ Teaspoon Hot Pepper Sauce, not Tabasco
Chopped Parsley, as needed

Sauté Shallots and Mushrooms in 2 Tablespoons Butter until all liquid is absorbed, approximately. 20 minutes. Chill well. Add Lemon Juice, Walnuts, Hot Pepper Sauce, and remaining melted Butter; stir well. Add Tamari Sauce, mix thoroughly. Garnish with chopped Parsley. Serve in a small crock at room temperature. Use as a spread for Crackers or French Bread

FRENCH MUSHROOM PUFFS

Dough:
1/4 Ounce Dried Imported Mushrooms
1/3 Cup Milk
½ Cup Unsalted Butter
½ Teaspoon Grated Nutmeg
1 1/4 Teaspoons Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Cup Flour
4 Large Eggs
1 Tablespoon Milk
2 Small Green Onions, minced
4 Ounces Grated Swiss Cheese
Glaze:
1 Large Egg beaten with ½ teaspoon Salt

Put rack in lower half of oven, preheat to 400F degrees. Have ready two lightly greased baking sheets. Soak Mushrooms in ½ Cup Hot Water for 20 minutes. Strain Mushrooms and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Chop the Mushrooms coarsely. Pour Mushroom Liquid through coffee filter to remove sediment. Add enough water to make 2/3 Cup and set aside. Place the Mushrooms, Green Onions and Cheese in a Processor Bowl fitted with the steel blade, and process until coarsely chopped. Remove from bowl and set aside. Do not clean out bowl!!

Heat Mushroom Liquid, Milk, Butter and Seasonings in 2 quart saucepan over medium high heat. When Butter is melted remove from heat. Stir in Flour with wooden spoon until dough is well mixed and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cook mixture over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Put the dough in the food processor. Add the Eggs and process until the dough is thick and smooth, about 30 seconds, stopping once to scrape down the sides. Add 1 Tablespoon Milk and combine. Add the Mushroom Onion Mixture and process briefly to combine, about 5 seconds.

Grease and flour two baking sheets. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the sheets, leaving 1 ½ inches between each. Lightly brush on the glaze and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Bake until the Puffs are well browned and crispy, about 20
minutes. Transfer to cooling racks. Serve warm. Puffs can be frozen and reheated in 300F degree oven for 10 minutes, without thawing first.

BRIE IN PUFF PASTRY

1-4" Wheel of Brie
1/4 Pound Fresh Mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 Whole Scallions, green and white parts finely chopped
1 Clove Fresh Garlic, finely minced
2 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine
1 Egg mixed with a bit of Water

Melt Butter and add Mushrooms, Scallions and Garlic, sprinkle with a bit of Salt, cover tightly and sweat the vegetables over low heat. The object is to drive as much moisture out of the mushrooms as possible.

After about 20 minutes or when Onions and Mushrooms are cooked, remove the cover and allow the liquor to evaporate. Sauté until vegetables are "dry" but not scorched. While the Mushrooms are cooking, thaw one sheet frozen prepared Puff Pastry. Roll out into a 14" square, and set aside. Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Place the Brie on top of the Puff Pastry. Top with the Mushroom Mixture and bring the sides of the Pastry over the Mushrooms and Cheese.

Pull Pastry edges up and together to form sort of a pouch, twist and turn. Seal the edges with the Egg Wash and arrange the edges so they are attractive. Brush all Pastry surfaces with the Egg Wash. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until Pastry is evenly browned. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 6.

COUNTRY PATE

¾ Cup Cognac
3 Tablespoons Butter
1 Cup Minced Onion
2 ½ Pounds Ground Pork
10 Slices Bacon, finely chopped
Slices of Bacon for lining pan

3 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 ½ Teaspoons Salt
2 ½ Teaspoons Dried Thyme
1 Teaspoon ground Allspice
1 Teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 Cup Whipping Cream
1 6 Ounce Ham Steak sliced into ¼" strips

Set oven rack at lowest position and preheat to 350 degrees. Boil Cognac until reduced to about ½ cup, cool.

Melt Butter and sauté Onion until translucent but not browned. Set aside to cool. Combine ground Pork and chopped Bacon until well blended. Add Onion, Garlic, Salt, Thyme, Allspice and Pepper and mix well with hands. Add Eggs, Cream and Cognac, mix well.

Line 9x5x3 loaf pan with Bacon slices, leaving some to overhang the sides so it can be folded over the top. Line short ends as well. Using hands, lightly and evenly press half the Pork Mixture into the pan, arrange Ham strips over and top with remaining Pork Mixture. Fold the Bacon over, covering the Pate.

Cover tightly with foil. Place in a 9x13 baking dish and transfer to oven. Fill the pan halfway up the sides of the loaf pan with boiling Water. Bake about 2 hours or until a thermometer at the center registers 155 degrees.

Remove from baking pan and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Place a heavy skillet atop Pate to weight it down. Chill overnight. Pate can be made up to four days ahead. To serve, place loaf pain in a larger pan of warm water for about three minutes. Invert onto a platter, discard extra fat and cut crosswise into ½" slices to serve. Serve with Crusty Bread, Cornichon and a good Mustard.

Steve

OK, this is stupidly simple, vegetarian, seasonal, and French.

Get some good bread, slice it, slather a liberal amount of quality butter on it, top with thinly sliced fresh radishes, a little fleur de sel, and maybe a drizzle of olive oil if you feel like it. It's better than it sounds.

It may sound too simple, but if you work with good quality ingredients, you'll be amazed at how wonderful this is...

islay corbel,

I learn something every day. Today I learned that foccaccia, pesto, parmesan and ricotta, which I thought were Italian, are now French! I guess my friend Dominic wins the long standing argument with my friend Guy on that one! Off hand I can't think of any French foods which have been adopted by the Italians recently.

And mussels with mayonnaise is no longer French because that is too fattening, while goat's cheese topped with a coquille saint Jacques is not fattening.

Thanks for the lessons.

Jim

I can't believe it! My mom is not the only one to serve radishes with bread and butter. When my friend and I were visiting her, she served that and I had to explain it is a French thing. Privately, I always thought of it as a one of my mom's weird concoctions like her paella which is made with tomato sauce and hot dogs. By the way, you can't get more French than my mom as she was born and raised in France.

LOL! I love the idea of the radishes... that does sound super simple, yet very French! I know none of my gang here would make it LOLOLOL!

I think I am gong to make a couple of flattish breads - foccaccia or what ever you want to call them - and make several toppings, tapenade, tomato and pistou and the radishes. It will make for a colorful fun tray with something for everyone (I hope).

Thanks again for all the ideas - I will be keeping them all for future reference!

Alexa

Alexa, how about the Flammkuchen which is really a Alsatian recipe also known as Tarte Flambe It can be made in a rectangle pan and cut into squares. The perfect "bite" with a glass of wine.

Ann

Here is a link that might be useful: Flammkuchen/Tarte Flambee

Radish sandwiches, as described by jazmynsmom ("slather a liberal amount of quality butter on it") are elegantly simple. I think of them more as German than French because I make them with pumpernickel. A chef instructor at the Culinary Institute made them in a demo at a beer tasting dinner I attended there.

Jim

From one of my cookbooks claiming to be French: ;)

Red Pepper Mousse
Mousse de Piments Doux

Lightly spooned into a tall crock and served with roasted bread, this mousse makes an unusual and delicious accompaniment to drinks.

Serves 4 to 6
Begin one day in advance.

1 teaspoon unsalted butter
4 fleshy red peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4" dice
1 medium clove garlic, thinly sliced
Pinch of crumbled thyme leaves
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2/3 cup heavy cream, chilled
Salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1. One day in advance, melt butter in heavy medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Add peppers, garlic, and thyme. Cover and cook, stirring occasionlly to prevent burning, about 20 minutes.

2. Add the vinegar, increase heat, and cook uncovered until all liquid has evaporated. Transfer mixture to food processor or electric blender and puree 30 seconds.

3. Press through a sieve to remove skins. Discard skins and return puree to the sieve to drain and cool. Discard any liquid. Cover and keep refrigerated overnight.

4. The following day, in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, beat the cream until stiff. Gently fold in cold pepper puree into whipped cream and chill thoroughly. Just before serving, season mousse with salt and pepper.

Lightly spooned into a tall crock and served with roasted bread, this mousse makes an unusual and delicious accompaniment to drinks.

(There are also additional directions for adding gelatin to the mousse and molding it, too. Seems unnecessarily fussy to me.)

"The Cooking of South-West France" Paula Wolfert, 1983

Jim, I've lived here for 20 years and have NEVER seen or heard of anyone eating mussels with mayonnaise!
Mussels are served, usually as follows:
Moules marinières (white wine, garlic, parsley)
Moules à la crème (same as above with crème fraiche added)
Mouclade de moules (very similar to the above LOL)
Gratin de moules ( parsley, garlic and bredcrumbs and under the grill.....) you get the drift!

The Belgians eat chips with mayo!

Since when have califlowers and coquilles St Jacques been fattening? A little goat's cheese is not responsable for the state of world obesity either.

Yes, radishes, butter and salt - very French, also the pepper paté.

Moules are French.

Mayonnaise is French.

Ergo, Moules Mayonnaise are doubly French. ;-)

Focaccia is Italian.

Butter and goat cheese are fattening. If that doesn't worry you don't worry about a little dab of mayonnaise on a moule. Be adventuresome. Try it.

To be serious for a moment, I believe all the mussel preparations you listed should be served hot, which is not so easy to do with "snacky" things at a party. The preparation I suggested is served cold, which is why I suggested it. However, Alexa doesn't "do" mussels so that is moot.

Jim

BTW, here is a recipe, written in French, for Moules Mayonnaise. It's not identical to mine, but similar. You can find many more by Googling.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Moule a la mayonnaise d echalote

OK, but that recipe's still a hot dish in a wine sauce with a little mayo added for flavour - not a snack.
Call a focaccia a fougasse and it miraculously becomes french. Identical.

Call me anything you want, but don't call me late to dinner if you're serving any of these dishes.

"Jim, I've lived here for 20 years and have NEVER seen or heard of anyone eating mussels with mayonnaise! "

Now you've heard of it.

Jim

Wow, what a turn this thread has taken.

Alex,
I've looked through my "Classic Cuisine of Provence" cookbook and one recipe looks very good, and very Southern France. Below is taken directly from the book. I've never made it, but I will.

Pan Bagnat
"Literally, 'bathed or moistened bread', the name is so much more picturesque in the ancient language of the Provencaux. Nearly a salade nicoise in a bread roll...the secret is the drizzled olive oil. Great for a picnic lunch.

Pan Bagnat
1 Crusty round bread roll, or 1/4 of a baguette
1/2 clove garlic
3 TBS olive oil
2-3 lettuce leaves
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 hard boiled egg, sliced
1 tbs flaked, canned tuna in oil
6-7 black olives, pitted and halved
8 slices cucumber
2-3 strips green pepper
3 anchovy fillets
salt
black pepper

serves 1

Cut the bread in half and discard the soft crumb in the center. Tub the bread inside with garlic. Drizzle a tbs or so of olive oil over the base of the inside, and rub a little over the top, making sure it is absorbed. Place lettuce leaves on the base, adding slices of tomato, egg, tuna, olive, cucumber, green pepper and anchovies. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add another layer of lettue leaves. Place the top of the roll in position, cover with foil, press firmly with a light weight and stand in a cool place for 10-20 minutes before serving. The longer it stands before you eat it, the more moist and delicious it becomes."

Jo

More decisions!

That Red Pepper Mousse sounds really interesting too! I'm glad there is an option to make it without the gelatin, I am not good at gelatin, it always seems grainy.

And Ann, I would love to make the Flammkuchen, but I think the hostess might have an apoplectic fit if I brought something with bacon. They definitely do NOT do pig! LOL!

And I must admit, I have found the mussel discussion interesting, but I still don't want to make them either LOL! I will eat clams every day of the week, but mussels are definitely "No, Thank You"

Alexa

"They definitely do NOT do pig! "

If that is for religious reasons, they may not do shellfish either. That would eliminate scallops, mussels, maybe shrimp and a lot of other snacky things.

Jim

I have many French friends. I am a member of the French Institute (Alliance Française ) here in NYC. Every year we celebrate the Bastille Day and we have a big party in my house. We eat French and we sing French songs (La Marseillaise, Les Champs Élysées, La Vie En Rose, Chevaliers de la table ronde -----).

Oh yes, wines, cheeses.

Yes, the French love mussels. As a matter of fact, if they lived near Paris, there is a well known restaurant on Avenue des Champs-Élysées which serves only mussels, mussels prepared in many styles. I dont remember the name. It was big and very crowded.

And yes, radishes with butter and bread.

Last years party, I made:

LE FAR BRETON
(from brittany coast of France)

2 eggs
3 Tbsp.sugar
1 cup flour
2 cups milk
1/4 tsp.vanilla
1/2 Tbsp. rum or brandy
pinch salt
1 cup pitted prunes or raisins
Preparation
Beat eggs with sugar in a bowl. Blend in flour. Whisk in milk, vanilla, and salt just until mixed. Stir in rum and prunes. Pour into a buttered layer pan. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes until puffed and brown. Cool on a rack.

dcarch

On second thought, I would just bring the makings for kir royale.
jo

dcarch, I've always thought you had to be born Breton to eat one of those! I have a SIL who lives on it and is a skinny as a rake!LOL

Jim, your french is letting you down. That recipe is not a cold mussel with mayonnaise on it. There is a little mixed in with the wine to make the sauce. If you can show me a French person eating cold mussels with mayo then I'll eat a whole bowl instead of humble pie LOL, you naughty monkey!

No, the land creature avoidance is not for religious reasons, it has to do with the way animals are treated before they are slaughtered. I am not passing judgement on what they choose to eat because of how the animals are treated, I just want to respect their wishes.

Thanks again for the ideas!

Alexa

Sorry, islay corbel. It's too late to change the rules again. The game is over. I've made my point. The French do eat mussels with mayonnaise.

Jim

This is just another idea, but I'd love to see Ina's French Apple Tart show up at my house. I've made it myself and know how easy and delicious it is. You can see by the ratings it is Good!

Here is a link that might be useful: Ina's French Apple Tart

I would also love a country pate with great bread and those teeny gherkin pickles.
My favorite french restaurant is in Branford, CT (Le Petit Cafe), and they serve the most delicious pickled beets as an appetizer.
Jo