Frog Legs Almondine
Serves 4 as an Appetizer
Ingredients
For Garlic Cream
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 qt water
- 1 head garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 shallots, sliced
- ½ cup heavy cream
- pinch of allspice
- salt & pepper
For Frog Legs
- 12 frog legs, split
- 1 quart water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- salt & pepper
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups slivered almonds
- canola oil to fill 2"-3" in skillet (about 2 cups)
For Parsley Salad
- 1 shallot, sliced
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- zest of ½ lemon
- salt & pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 cups packed flat-leaf parsley
- ½ cup frisée or other salad greens
How-to
Make Garlic Cream*
- Preheat ovent o 350º
- Cut off the top of a head of garlic, rub with olive oil, wrap in tinfoil and roast in oven for about 45 minutes. Squeeze cloves out of the bulb
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Blanch the garlic cloves and boil 2-3 minutes. Remove to a bowl of ice water. Repeat the blanching process 1-2 more times
- In a separate medium saucepan, add wine and shallots and reduce by half. Add roasted and blanched garlic, allspice, heavy cream and heat to boil. Reduce by half
- Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth
Prep & Fry Frog Legs
- Rinse the frog legs under running cold water and set aside
- Fill a 2 quart sauce pot with 1 quart of water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil
- Add the frog legs and leave boil 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and shock in a bowl of ice water. Remove from ice water and place on paper towels to dry
- Season with salt & pepper then toss in flour to coat
- Transfer to egg mixture and dip, allowing excess to drain off
- Add 1 tbsp excess flour to the almonds. Sprinkle crumbled, sliced almond mixture over the frog legs to coat
- Preheat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium. Add 2" - 3" of oil and and heat oil to 360°
- Fry frog legs on first side, 2-3 minutes
- Reduce heat and flip frog legs. Cook another 2-3 minutes on the second side
- Remove from pan and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Season with salt while warm
Make Salad & Plate
- Whisk lemon juice, olive oil and shallots together in a bowl
- Dress parsley and greens
- Season with salt and pepper
- Spoon some garlic cream on bottom of plate. Lay frog legs over cream and serve salad on top or on the side
*NOTE: Garlic cream can be made a few days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat when ready to use. It also makes a nice spread for crostini and can be added to pasta dishes