Ok, so we didn't head off to Cognac today, as planned. I've been fighting off a cold for several days and this morning I woke up feeling like my lungs were full of heavy sand. Breathing and speaking were almost impossible for the first hour until some hot tea and an even hotter shower cleared things up. I'm also taking some horrific, anise flavored cough syrup with codeine in it. Why anise flavored? I guess French parents want their children to develop a taste for Pastis as early as possible.
I've always hated cough syrup. When I was little, my mom used to chase me around the house with Triaminic brand every time I felt sick. They had three colors; yellow, orange and red. One was for daytime, one was for night-time and all were created for torture and maximum palate destruction. To this day I cannot stand the smell or taste of Grand Marnier or Cointreau (too much like the orange one) or Kirsch (too much like the red one). The yellow one...well, I think I've blocked it out completely.
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November 27, 2006
November 26, 2006
Cognac
Tomorrow we're taking an overnight trip to Cognac for two purposes.
The first is to visit an amazing Cognac house. We discovered Roullet-Fransac two years ago on a spring trip to explore the Poitou-Charentes region. Their charming tasting room is easily overlooked, as it is next door to the better known and much bigger Hennessy house. The staff was very friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their products. They even welcomed our two small dogs.
The second reason is to eat at a fantastic Chinese restaurant called le Hong Kong. The owner and chef is from Hong Kong and his wife is from San Francisco. The night we wandered in her mother was visiting from the States to help out with their newborn daughter. We were welcomed with a delicious, authentic meal and had a fun evening sharing stories about our previous lives in San Francisco. We look forward to enjoying some real Chinese food and spending some more time in beautiful Cognac. Pin It
The first is to visit an amazing Cognac house. We discovered Roullet-Fransac two years ago on a spring trip to explore the Poitou-Charentes region. Their charming tasting room is easily overlooked, as it is next door to the better known and much bigger Hennessy house. The staff was very friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their products. They even welcomed our two small dogs.
The second reason is to eat at a fantastic Chinese restaurant called le Hong Kong. The owner and chef is from Hong Kong and his wife is from San Francisco. The night we wandered in her mother was visiting from the States to help out with their newborn daughter. We were welcomed with a delicious, authentic meal and had a fun evening sharing stories about our previous lives in San Francisco. We look forward to enjoying some real Chinese food and spending some more time in beautiful Cognac. Pin It
November 24, 2006
Vin d'Oranges
Every autumn, as the holiday season approaches, I like to make a special apéritif to serve when friends come around.
A couple of years ago I made quince liqueur, also known as ratafia de coings, from Susan Hermann Loomis' French Farmhouse Cookbook. It was really delicious and unique and I would make it again if it weren't for the fact that the quince is a particularly difficult fruit to deal with. Our poor little food processor just didn't have the power to grate the fruit so I ended up doing them all by hand, a process that left me with a couple of bloody knuckles and a mild wrist injury.
So, this year I decided to make vin d'oranges. Oranges are much kinder fruit and the entire process took much less time than the quince liqueur. So, if you start now, you can have your own vin d'oranges in just three weeks.
7 juice oranges (about 2 1/2 pounds), preferably organic
2 bottles dry white wine, rosé wine or fruity red wine (I used rosé)
grated zest of one orange
1 cup sugar
1 cup vodka
Peel the oranges and chop the flesh into 1/2 inch cubes on a cutting board that will collect the juices. Put the orange pieces and all the collected juice into a 12 cup, wide-mouthed jar with a tight fitting lid, or divide between two smaller jars. Pour the wine over and close the jar tightly. Set aside in a cool place for 10 days. Each day, gently shake the jar and on the 10th day, add the orange zest.
On the 11th day, strain the wine into a large bowl, pressing on the oranges to extract all the juice. Discard the oranges. Add the sugar to the wine and stir until dissolved. Then add the vodka.
Pour through a funnel into 3, sterilized wine bottles, seal with corks and set aside for another 10 days in a cool place.
Serve very cold.
Drink within three months.
This recipe comes from a cookbook published in 1994 called Backroad Bistros, Farmhouse Fare.
The French Farmhouse Cookbook has another version of this wine which I am making next week. Pin It
A couple of years ago I made quince liqueur, also known as ratafia de coings, from Susan Hermann Loomis' French Farmhouse Cookbook. It was really delicious and unique and I would make it again if it weren't for the fact that the quince is a particularly difficult fruit to deal with. Our poor little food processor just didn't have the power to grate the fruit so I ended up doing them all by hand, a process that left me with a couple of bloody knuckles and a mild wrist injury.
So, this year I decided to make vin d'oranges. Oranges are much kinder fruit and the entire process took much less time than the quince liqueur. So, if you start now, you can have your own vin d'oranges in just three weeks.
7 juice oranges (about 2 1/2 pounds), preferably organic
2 bottles dry white wine, rosé wine or fruity red wine (I used rosé)
grated zest of one orange
1 cup sugar
1 cup vodka
Peel the oranges and chop the flesh into 1/2 inch cubes on a cutting board that will collect the juices. Put the orange pieces and all the collected juice into a 12 cup, wide-mouthed jar with a tight fitting lid, or divide between two smaller jars. Pour the wine over and close the jar tightly. Set aside in a cool place for 10 days. Each day, gently shake the jar and on the 10th day, add the orange zest.
On the 11th day, strain the wine into a large bowl, pressing on the oranges to extract all the juice. Discard the oranges. Add the sugar to the wine and stir until dissolved. Then add the vodka.
Pour through a funnel into 3, sterilized wine bottles, seal with corks and set aside for another 10 days in a cool place.
Serve very cold.
Drink within three months.
This recipe comes from a cookbook published in 1994 called Backroad Bistros, Farmhouse Fare.
The French Farmhouse Cookbook has another version of this wine which I am making next week. Pin It
November 18, 2006
No-Knead Bread
I started this at 6 o'clock yesterday evening. It was taken out of the oven at 4 o'clock this afternoon and I can't believe the results!
I was very skeptical...
This morning I got out of bed and immediately went downstairs to see if it was all bubbly, like it was supposed to be. Unbelievably, it was. So, my skepticism faded a little. But I still didn't think it would come out in the end. Merde, I sound like such a pessimist.
I had a difficult time handling it and used more flour on the work surface and my hands than called for, as it was very sticky and wobbly. I still had it stuck all over my fingers after trying to shape it into a ball. I've read a few more posts about it and others have mentioned that the water could be cut back to 1 1/2 cups. Getting it from the flour coated towel into the cast iron pot was quite a feat. I almost dropped it on the floor and the pot was blisteringly hot so it took some coordination.
I intend to practice quite a bit more with this bread because it is fabulous stuff!
Voilà! Look at that crust! It is beautiful, golden and very, very tasty.
I took the recipe directly from The Wednesday Chef, whom I would like to thank.
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I was very skeptical...
This morning I got out of bed and immediately went downstairs to see if it was all bubbly, like it was supposed to be. Unbelievably, it was. So, my skepticism faded a little. But I still didn't think it would come out in the end. Merde, I sound like such a pessimist.
I had a difficult time handling it and used more flour on the work surface and my hands than called for, as it was very sticky and wobbly. I still had it stuck all over my fingers after trying to shape it into a ball. I've read a few more posts about it and others have mentioned that the water could be cut back to 1 1/2 cups. Getting it from the flour coated towel into the cast iron pot was quite a feat. I almost dropped it on the floor and the pot was blisteringly hot so it took some coordination.
I intend to practice quite a bit more with this bread because it is fabulous stuff!
Voilà! Look at that crust! It is beautiful, golden and very, very tasty.
I took the recipe directly from The Wednesday Chef, whom I would like to thank.
No-Knead Bread
Yields one 1 1/2 pound loaf
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Try, try again
Well, got rid of the blue. Just wasn't working for me. I think I had a bad dream about it last night but cannot remember the details.
These colors look very autumn-like so I'll try them for a while.
Now I have to go bake this bread that I read about on Toast. I'll be back with the results later today. Pin It
These colors look very autumn-like so I'll try them for a while.
Now I have to go bake this bread that I read about on Toast. I'll be back with the results later today. Pin It
November 17, 2006
November 13, 2006
Keeping Warm
Tandoori Salmon
I have made a similar recipe with chicken and don't know why I've never tried it with salmon! It came out moist, spicy and delicious. I usually add more cayenne because we like the extra kick.
Recipes like this are my favorites because I always have the marinade ingredients on hand. It is easy to throw together and is done in advance so requires very little last minute prep.
I usually make some aloo saag as an accompaniment and always serve it with basmati rice.
4 salmon fillets, skin on, about 4 oz. each
1/2 cup plain yogurt, low fat is fine
1 tablespoon minced coriander
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper
Place the salmon, skin side down, in a shallow container. Whisk the yogurt and next 10 ingredients together and pour over the salmon so the fillets are completely covered.
Cover the container and place in the fridge to marinate at least a couple of hours, although overnight is better.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the fillets in an oiled baking dish, skin up, and bake for 5 minutes.
Turn the fillets over, baste with the remaining marinade and cook another 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.
Serves 4 Pin It
Recipes like this are my favorites because I always have the marinade ingredients on hand. It is easy to throw together and is done in advance so requires very little last minute prep.
I usually make some aloo saag as an accompaniment and always serve it with basmati rice.
4 salmon fillets, skin on, about 4 oz. each
1/2 cup plain yogurt, low fat is fine
1 tablespoon minced coriander
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper
Place the salmon, skin side down, in a shallow container. Whisk the yogurt and next 10 ingredients together and pour over the salmon so the fillets are completely covered.
Cover the container and place in the fridge to marinate at least a couple of hours, although overnight is better.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the fillets in an oiled baking dish, skin up, and bake for 5 minutes.
Turn the fillets over, baste with the remaining marinade and cook another 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.
Serves 4 Pin It
November 12, 2006
November 11, 2006
A Sad Week
We had a very tragic death in the family last week which has left me virtually incapable of writing. My husband's youngest son died a little over a week ago. It is an indescribable and heart-wrenching loss.
He is truly missed and it is hard to imagine the future without him. Pin It
He is truly missed and it is hard to imagine the future without him. Pin It
November 1, 2006
National Novel Writing Month
I discovered this event a few weeks ago and have been getting ready for it.
This should be an interesting November! Pin It
This should be an interesting November! Pin It
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