Homemade Granola in the Warming Cupboard

Posted & filed under Oven Sizes, Recipes, Tips & Tricks.

One of the truly wonderful things about choosing a Lacanche range that suits your individual cooking style and entertaining needs is all of the versatile options available. Since my husband is a winemaker, we like to host small dinners in our home and open up lots of great wines from different regions. We recently remodeled our kitchen and the warming cupboard seemed like an obvious choice for our new Lacanche range. I use the warming cupboard for all sorts of things – more than I expected even – including proofing bread and pizza dough, making low temperature dishes or warming things slowly, and of course, keeping food and plates warm for service.

My favorite use for the warming cupboard is making homemade granola. Having the ability to set the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit and leave the granola for an hour and a half makes this the perfect granola making oven! Making homemade granola is super simple and you can adjust the ingredients to include anything you like, really. My personal go-to recipe is below. Happy Cooking!

Walnut and Dried Cherry Granola

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3 cups rolled oats (I like the Organic Rolled Oats from Bob’s Red Mill)

1/2 cup vegetable oil ( I use avocado oil)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup local honey

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp all spice

1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, etc.)

1 cup dried cherries (or raisins, dried mango, dried coconut.. endless options!)

In a large bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients, except for dried fruit. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and oil. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine thoroughly. I leave the dried cherries (or other fruit) out until the end because they are already dry enough and don’t really need to spend time in the oven. Spread the granola mixture out on two parchment covered cookie sheets evenly, without clumps. Place your granola covered cookie sheets in preheated warming cupboard for approximately 90 minutes. For crunchier granola, raise the temperature to 250 and check after 90 minutes.

Allow granola to cool before packing to store in airtight containers. Keeps for two weeks or more at room temperature.

Pancakes on the Plancha

Posted & filed under Recipes, Tips & Tricks.

This week I decided to try making pancakes on the plancha on my Chagny 1400 Lacanche range. I started out by grabbing a recipe out of “Big Bad Breakfast” by James Beard Award winning Chef John Currence – “Silver Dollar and Short Stack Buttermilk Pancakes.” The recipe is perfect for super light and fluffy pancakes and can be found online on the James Beard website (though I highly recommend getting the cookbook).

After whipping up the batter, putting a small amount of coconut oil across the surface of the plancha and allowing it to come to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (about 20 minutes), I used a ladle to pour six 3″ pancakes.

The wonderful thing about cooking pancakes (and other foods) on the electric plancha is the heat consistency. Without the plancha, many times the first pancakes are super light in color and take forever to cook through and by the time you get to the last batch, they are too brown on the outside. With the plancha, because you are able to set the temperature, all of the pancakes turn out a gorgeous golden brown and are cooked perfectly.

We enjoyed our super fluffy silver dollar pancakes with some butter and pure Bourbon barrel maple syrup. Delicious!

The true bonus was the clean up. Afterward, I allowed the plancha to cool down and then wiped it with a damp cloth – easy as can be and all shiny and new!

If you have questions about the care and use of your range, or any of the accessories available, please call or email our Customer Care Department at 425-481-8850 or care@frenchranges.com.

Happy Cooking!

Cooking Classes on a Lacanche!

Posted & filed under Events, Lifestyle, Tips & Tricks.

Our motto here at Art Culinaire is “Bringing Your Family Back to the Table,”  and what better way to do that than to visit a cooking school that allows you to learn new skills, while cooking on a Lacanche Range!

We know of several different opportunities for doing just that. For example:

AA Cooks – Houston, Texas – Amy Anton
Ackerman House – Napa, California – Various Chefs
Weekend Kitchen – Essex, Connecticut – Various Chefs
Paris on the Eastside – Seattle, Washington – Muriel Foucher
Cook’s Atelier – Beaune, France – Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini

AA Cooks

Amy cooks constantly from her home in Houston where she hosts cooking classes twice a week on her Stainless Steel Lacanche Sully range. Amy’s classes share intimate, hands-on cooking and culinary experiences with writers, local artisans and chefs. These classes expand to include home cooks in unique locations around Texas.

Amy says, “My cooking lessons are very low key, and you don’t have to be a great cook to come. I always talk about basic ideas as we always need a refresh. I like to cook fresh, seasonal food that is easy to throw together without a lot of fuss. My over arching goal is just to get people in their kitchens, cooking more and enjoying it. Cooking should not be a chore, it should be a joyful experience that brings satisfaction to you, your friends, and family.”

Learn more about Amy in our original blog post here. 

Ackerman Heritage House

The Ackerman Heritage House in Napa, California is a meticulously and lovingly restored Victorian home that dates back to 1888. Lauren Ackerman is the owner proprietor and also owns Ackerman Family Vineyards, so you can add wine tasting to your visit.

This fall, the Ackerman Heritage House is hosting a variety of cooking events featuring several different chefs, including Pie Baking, English Tea Service and Holiday Cookie Baking. You can view the full schedule here.

And for more information on Lauren, view our blog post here.

Weekend Kitchen

Nancy Kirkiles started her cooking school in Essex, Connecticut about 5 years ago. She has a PhD in nutritional biochemistry, so, as she says, “Food is so important.” Growing up, Nancy’s father owned a restaurant, so she is no stranger to the business. Nancy prefers to use healthy, fresh and locally sourced ingredients in her cooking.

Weekend Kitchen features approximately 3 classes per month, usually on Tuesday or Saturday evenings. Classes include topics like Sourdough Bread Baking, Canning and Preserving Food, Vegetarian Asian Food and more! You can find more information on classes and availability here.

Paris on the Eastside

Muriel Foucher is a staff favorite – particularly because she came to visit our headquarters in Washington and we all cooked lunch with her! She says, “At Paris Eastside, we believe that everybody can cook. For the past 15 years, we have been teaching simple, but elegant French fare – first in Paris, then in Seattle.” Muriel is well known for her French macaron classes, but she also will do dinner cooking classes in your home for a group of your friends. For a truly personal experience, Muriel is top-notch.

You can find more information about Paris on the Eastside classes here.

The Cook’s Atelier

The Cook’s Atelier is housed in a 17th Century building in the heart of Beaune, France and is an amazing place for lovers of all things culinary and especially the aesthetically beautiful. People travel from all over to learn to cook from these two amazing chefs, who happen to be mother and daughter. Marjorie and Kendall are Americans who followed their dreams and moved their families to the idyllic Burgundy wine country, where they teach, cook, dine and share quaffable wines with locals and foreigners alike. Oh, and did we mention the cooking classes take place on a Lacanche Sully range?

If you are heading to France, you might consider taking a slight detour to the home of pinot noir in France. For more information about The Cook’s Atelier, click here.

You can also find their wonderful cookbook here.

Follow them on Instagram:

AA Cooks – Houston, Texas – Amy Anton
Ackerman House – Napa, California – Various Chefs
Weekend Kitchen – Essex, Connecticut – Various Chefs
Cook’s Atelier – Beaune, France – Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini

If you know of a cooking school in your area that features Lacanche, please let us know! You may reach Carrie at carrie@frenchranges.com

Happy Cooking!

 

 

 

A Lacanche Owner’s Visit to Burgundy

Posted & filed under Lifestyle.

Lacanche owner Kerry Valentine recently traveled to France with a couple of friends for a tour of art, wine and food. The trip began in Provence, where they spent two days in the Avignon area, visiting Arles for the Van Gogh walk and then wine tasting in the Cote du Rhone region with transplanted American winemaker Douglas Graves of “Tours du Rhone.” Doug shares the scenic views and the history of the area, all while taking his guests wine tasting.

The majority of their trip was spent in the region of Burgundy. Kerry, Jana and Gina ventured to Beaune to attend “The Cook’s Atelier”, cooking class with Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini. During their classes, they teach and cook on a beautiful Lacanche Sully range. Before they begin cooking, Marjorie and Kendall take the group to the market, fromagerie and butcher shop to select ingredients to use during the class.

Kerry adds “I really enjoyed the cooking class. Marjorie and Kendall are so knowledgeable and energetic in helping us understand the procedures to cooking delicious French food. I am already trying recipes from their book. If you are thinking of buying a Lacanche, go take the class and see the stove in action.”

Thierry Purdon, a Lacanche owner and enthusiast from Saint Aubin, was kind enough to set up the group with a local private tasting from Richard Bos of JANOTSBOS. Richard has been producing wine in Meursault since 2005. Kerry describes the tasting, “Richard shared eight different wines with us from the Burgundy region. He has such an in-depth knowledge of his product. Richard really took his time to describe each wine and let us discover the differences. It was as wonderful afternoon.”

Kerry and her friends were able to get a tour of the Lacanche factory in Lacanche by owner Jean-Jacques Augagneur. Kerry exclaims, “I really appreciated Jean-Jacques giving us the tour of the factory. I was amazed by each part of the process of putting together the stove, even down to the 21 coats of enamel that goes on each piece. We enjoyed going through the showroom, as well. It was fun to see the collection of the old stoves that go back hundreds of years. I now understand why the Lacanche stoves are built to last and the quality and care of those who build them.”

Thierry Purdon was kind enough to invite the group to attend the local Bastille day celebration in Meursault with their friends. There was food, music and fireworks. Thierry is great at showing people the heart of Burgundy. He has been hosting Lacanche owners who come to visit for years. The group also got to tour Chateau du Cormatin and Chateau de la Rochepot while in Burgundy.

Kerry, Jana and Gina got to take part in the French winning the world cup before coming home and ended their trip with a few lovely days in Paris.

If you are interested in visiting either the Lacanche factory or the Cook’s Atelier in the Burgundy region of France, please contact us at care@frenchranges.com.

 

Cleaning Your Range

Posted & filed under Tips & Tricks.

When cleaning your range, it is actually possible to remove many of the parts and place them in the dishwasher for cleaning. See video below. If you have any questions regarding the cleaning or care of your range, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Customer Care department at care@frenchranges.com or call 425-481-8850 to speak with someone directly. You may also view cleaning instructions HERE or purchase a cleaning kit HERE.

PLEASE NOTE: YOU SHOULD NEVER USE CLEANING PRODUCTS CONTAINING BLEACH, AS THEY WILL DISCOLOR THE METALS ON YOUR RANGE!

Cluny or Chagny – How do I choose?

Posted & filed under Oven Sizes, Tips & Tricks.

Many people who are in the decision making phase of purchasing their Lacanche range ask themselves, “Cluny or Chagny – how do I choose?” All of the Lacanche ranges are very modular and are built out of the same components (aka either the Cluny-sized oven or the Sully-sized oven as the base), with the Cluny and Chagny being essentially the same range, but with one slight variance… 

In a nutshell, the Chagny is indeed the sister of the Cluny oven, however they have removed the left-side storage drawer on the Chagny, dropped the main oven down and added the petite broiling oven over top of the main oven. The petite broiling oven is a low-profile, full temperature oven which is ideal for both broiling and for low-profile items (like pizza). Otherwise, both the Cluny and Chagny have the same cooktop and are the same, overall dimensions. 

For a quick review:

CLUNY

 https://www.frenchranges.com/product/cluny/

Two smaller, main ovens (more deep than they are wide, but still will accommodate a 26lb turkey), plus two storage drawers and a 5-burner cooktop

CHAGNY 

https://www.frenchranges.com/product/chagny/

Two smaller, main ovens (more deep than they are wide, but still accommodates a 26lb turkey…same ovens that are in the Cluny), with the addition of one small, petite full-temperature broiling oven, plus one storage drawer and a 5-burner cooktop

If you do choose the Chagny, you can use it for broiling, roasting and cooking things like pizza, crostini and roasted vegetables. Here’s the 6″ high Petite Oven with the door open:

So, the choice very much depends on whether you would like to have a petit oven above one of your main ovens (Chagny) or if you would prefer to have a storage drawer below both of your main ovens. Pretty simple, really!

For more information on our oven dimensions, click here.

A New Hampshire Farmhouse Renovation

Posted & filed under Owners' Stories, Tips & Tricks.

Photographer and blogger Sarah Kenney renovated a farmhouse in New Hampshire that was built in 1828 and owned by Governor Nehemiah Ordway from 1875 to 1907. The home is on the National Registry of Historic Places and Sarah and her husband have undertaken a loving restoration of the old homestead.

At the center of this renovation was the complete remodeling of her kitchen. She chose her Lacanche Cluny in Frangipane, and it fits in perfectly with all the warm and welcoming touches she has curated in her spacious kitchen.

When speaking about the importance of cooking in her home, she says, “our family is always talking about food, eating new foods, and camped out in the kitchen learning how to prepare many of these foods. Whether it be gumbo from Louisiana, soba noodles in Japan, biscuits in the Midwest, creamy fudge in the North, or clam chowder in the Northeast, we love it all~ and want to try recreating it all!”

What inspired your choice of a Lacanche range?

I have been in love with the french blog “Manger” for years now. Everything about Mimi’s blog is gorgeous so when she was redoing her French country kitchen at the same time we were redoing our American farmhouse, I saw her black Lacanche and fell in love with it. I knew that this was the type of range that would work with our style here in New Hampshire.

What features helped you decide?

The color options are wonderful and we had such a hard time narrowing down the color. I loved so many of the Lacanche color choices. The brass T knobs gave the range so much character. We also loved that the gas burners could be controlled from the most robust boil down to the gentlest simmer. We also like to cook meats and side dishes at the same time so we elected to have 2 ovens…one for the meats/roasts and the other to cook/warm side dishes. Also with 2 ovens, we can cook lots of cookies all at the same time.

How often do you cook on the range?

Every single day. Our kitchen is very farmhouse oriented so we have no microwave and other small appliances  readily available. I can boil water for my morning egg super fast; we brew our rich robust coffee in an Italian coffee pot on the stovetop; we make omelettes all the time for easy dinners; we always have vegetables from the garden roasting and caramelizing in the oven. In wintertime, there is always a large pot of soup gently simmering away on the stovetop.


Sarah’s Recipe for Shiratake Noodles with Grilled Shrimp

Do you have any tips or tricks you would share with new owners?

We keep a little timer right next to the oven to monitor anything we have cooking on the burners or inside the ovens. Play around with the burners by making omelettes or sautéing vegetables to see the fabulous range of cooking temperatures than can be set. For all meats/chicken/pork…we use a thermometer we insert into the meat with an alarm that sits right on the counter top. Meats are always cooked perfectly this way…no guessing or opening the oven constantly! Oh, also, all of the brass knobs slide off  for easy clean up.

When people see your kitchen, what do they think of the range?

Most people comment that it is more classic looking than the larger more masculine American ranges that are popular today. Of course, there are comments that it is very “french” looking. Sometimes, we are asked if it is an antique or if it is new. The color sometimes draws comments because it is not the expected silver of most ovens. The brass T shaped knobs often get an “awwww” reaction because they are chubby and quaint.

What was your experience in having your range shipped from France?

We were nervous about shipping something from Europe to our rural location in New Hampshire. That part of the purchasing process was seamless from ordering to installation. Lacanche has a web of service people that provide any technical assistance if required. For example, we wanted our burners adjusted so that we could could cook down to the barest of simmer setting. We contacted Lacanche and someone was out to our house in the countryside of New Hampshire within a few days to adjust the gas settings. Also, the many videos provided on the website gave us an abundance of useful information about anything that might need to be adjusted or understood better.

What challenges did you encounter with your renovation?

Challenges? Always there are challenges with a renovation! However, we didn’t have any challenges with the Lacanche other than color selection and size. I dreamed of the bigger version of the range but it was a bit too much for our farmhouse kitchen. Using Pinterest to create boards of what I liked in a kitchen helped to really pull all of the design elements together in one coherent place. A good contractor can be all important in keeping a renovation running smoothly. Sharing pinterest boards with our contractor and all of the workers really pulled and included them into the process and helped everyone stay on the same page with regard to style and vision.

How has your experience been with Art Culinaire?

Dealing with Lacanche staff was a pleasure. On the East Coast, they have a team out of New York City. They know you are making a considerably important decision and that budget, installation, selection are going to bring lots of questions and some nervousness. All of our questions were answered quickly. We even drove about an hour away to visit with another family who showed us their Lacanche oven. Lacanche made all of these arrangements for us with the other family and we ended up having a wonderful visit meeting another food centric family that loves to be in the kitchen and really use their oven as a work horse. Seeing a Lacanche in another family’s home and visiting with them about it helped us feel very comfortable making this purchase.

To read more about the extensive renovation Sarah undertook in New Hampshire, and to view her delicious recipes, please visit her blog, “Thyme.” Or, follow Sarah on Instagram. If you would like to be included in a future Voila post, please email carrie@frenchranges.com

Photos by Sarah Kenny

Sarah’s Recipe for Tarragon Chicken with Caramelized Onions

French Country Cottage

Posted & filed under Lifestyle, Owners' Stories.

Courtney Allison is a freelance photographer and stylist for magazines and brands who recently finished her first book. Regarding her design aesthetic, she says, “I think if you walk into a room and see a room filled with treasures, memories, and things you love and they make you happy-  it’s perfect.” Her Instagram account has 156,000 followers (including all of us at Art Culinaire!) and she frequently features her Vert Silice Cluny Classique in her photography. Her amazing floral arrangements and penchant for a style that is a bit shabby / French country / cottage all beautifully mixed together make her online content absolutely stunning.

Courtney says, “I love that delightful mix of rustic and elegant in a room. The gilded French chair with a chipping table next to it. A burlap covered seat with an aubusson pillow. A chandelier in every room – even if it’s a closet or a hallway. Everyday elegance- setting a table with vintage china and fine stemware and an abundance of beautiful blooms is a favorite thing… And I have been known to drag an old weathered farm table out to the middle of the woods and light it with a chandelier hanging from branches of a tree. I love creating that ambiance and inviting the conversations and laughs to linger a bit longer.”

You can follow her on Instagram here. She also created a blog post specifically to answer questions about her Lacanche range, which you can view here.

We asked Courtney about her gorgeous Cluny, and this is what she had to say.

How did you choose your Lacanche range?

 Of course it is absolutely beautiful, but it was important for me to have a range that did a wonderful job while fitting in with the aesthetic of my kitchen.The simple elegant design of the Lacanche reminds me of a beautiful French lady who is the center of attention but does not shout to be noticed. 

She also says in her blog, “I love that it is French of course- and hello- it is gorgeous!! But my husband loved that it was all manual. Meaning-there are not electrical motherboards that decide to go out. Our previous range was a mid price highly recommended brand that had the motherboard go out 3x in just a couple of years. Which meant we were baking in a countertop convection oven for awhile. I think in some things- less computer technology and more simple construction is better.”

Where there any features that really attracted you? 

The beautiful aesthetic of the range- with the enamel and brass knobs is absolutely delightful. As well, I love being able to have two ovens side by side to be able to bake several things at one time.

After using it and cooking, baking with it – would you buy one again?

Absolutely- as I mentioned, my dream range I.need.a.bigger.kitchen is the Lacanche Sully.
I absolutely love using this range everyday and I love simply staring at this gorgeous girl in the kitchen everyday. She is timeless and classy and won’t ever go out of style and when investing in a second home- or maybe even out in the cottage – I will definitely be looking at bringing another Lacanche home.

I cook on it every day!

Do you have any tips or tricks you would share with new potential owners?

The hardest part of ordering- choosing the color!! Go with your gut instinct with the color- I. knew that the first time I saw the sample chip I instantly loved it – but wasn’t sure if it was right. But something that helped me was mixing up a sample of paint color matched and painting it on the wall in the kitchen to see it in that light- and also was knowing that I could order different panels in the future to change the look if I wanted to. Made the color commitment much easier! 

It is the shining star in the kitchen. Every time I share a photo or someone comes into the house- they fall in love and ask where they can get their own Lacanche. 

What do you think of the Lacanche range top?

We cook often on the range top and have found the various settings of the burners to be perfect for the different pans we use.

What has been your experience working with Art Culinaire/Lacanche US?

It has been a joy to work with Lacanche from the get-go. From questions about the range, to help in choosing the color, to the details about the features – and then shipping and delivery – they have been helpful with everything. When I met Elisa in NYC in the showroom- we were instant friends and I adore my Lacanche family!  

We sincerely thank Courtney for participating in our Voila Blog and for spreading the Lacanche love with her followers! If you would like to be featured in a future post, please email carrie@frenchranges.com.