Paris

I'm off to Paris this afternoon for six days!

Tuesday will find me eating lots of cheese for la Fête du Fromage but not writing about it until I return Thursday.
à bientôt.


I love Paris in the springtime...
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It's Tuesday. Time to Taste Some Cheese!

This week we bought a couple of goat's milk cheeses for la Fête du Fromage.

Chabichou du Poitou and Cabécou du Périgord
Pronounced Chabichou (SHAH-bee-shew) and Cabécou (CAB-bey-koo).

Chabichou du Poitou is a soft, unpasteurized goat's milk cheese from the Poitou-Charentes region that gained AOC status in 1990 with the help of Ségolene Royale. (Where have I heard that name before?)
Its small, cylindrical shape is the result of the curds being hand molded during production. The flavor is earthy and goaty and the texture is creamy and smooth near the rind and somewhat chalky in the middle. It's flavor is at its peak after three weeks of aging.

Cabécou du Périgord is a small, disk shaped cheese that is moist and gooey with hints of hazelnut. It is made only with unpasteurized goat's milk from the Périgord region.
Because of its small size, Cabécou matures very quickly and shouldn't be eaten any older than four weeks of aging. It has its own website, in French.

We loved them both but I especially liked the little Cabécou. Pin It

Bread, Continued

Had a look at Ms. Adventures in Italy this morning as I was perusing the blogosphere and saw a recipe that immediately caught my eye; Sage, Honey and Pecorino Heart Bread.

Who wouldn't love bread with a name like that?

I tweaked the recipe a bit. I didn't have Pecorino so I used white cheddar and I added lots of ground black pepper to the dough. The results were fantastic! It was easy, quick and very, very tasty.

Grazie Sara!


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Bread Update

Sourdough.
You continue to elude me.


You had a beautiful, golden crust and a nice crumb.

But. Where. Was. The. FLAVOR???
You were just so, blah.
I know I complained before about too strong of a ''sour" flavor, but this time...nothing.

Oh well, I'll keep trying. Pin It

Bread

This morning I was scrolling down my list of links, as I do most mornings, and had a look at Farmgirl Fare to read about the lambs being born on Susan's farm only to find that she and two other foodie bloggers have started a project called A Year in Bread.



Bread was the subject of my first post on this blog and I'm always looking for new recipes and ideas when it comes to bread. I try to bake my own at least once a week and I love making pizza, calzone and focaccia.

Sourdough continues to give me problems. The starter always looks and smells great but then the bread comes out too sour tasting or the bread is too heavy and impossible to chew. I'll go through the whole process, then end up with bread we either don't like or can't eat! It's rather frustrating.
A few days ago I made my standard, quick and easy, olive oil bread that always comes out delicious. Because I'm a glutton for punishment, that evening I decided to attempt yet another sourdough starter. I mixed the flour and water, let the bacteria do what it needs to do for a couple of days then used half of the deliciously yeasty smelling stuff to make some dough which I let rise last night. It was nice and puffy this morning so I shaped it into a ball and it is currently rising again for a couple of hours before it goes in the oven.
I'll report on the outcome later...

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Tuesday Cheese Tastings - La Fête du Fromage

Food is one of the reasons we moved to France. We look forward to and enjoy the seasonal specialties that come into the market every year and we support our local wine makers, beekeepers and olive growers with gusto. But lately I've noticed that I speed through the markets, go straight for the items on my list and don't stop and enjoy the samples being offered, usually by overzealous cheese sellers who smile and call out as you walk by. The minute I say, ''non, merci,'' they recognize my accent and switch to English. It drives me crazy! Is my accent that bad???
anyway...

I've decided it is time to stop and smell the...
cheese.

We live in a country with an estimated 350-400 different varieties of cheese (some say between 600-800!) and we've only tasted maybe a quarter of them. How pathetic. This is going to change!

From now on Tuesday will be the official day for cheese tasting. La Fête du Fromage, if you will.

Yesterday was the first Fête du Fromage. We tasted two, one of which I had tried before, but that was years ago so I feel like I tasted with a virgin palate.



Saint-Nectaire and Tomme d'Auvergne.

Both come from the sparsely populated, mountainous Auvergne region in the center of France and both are made from cow's milk. Saint-Nectaire is a celebrated AOC cheese with it's own website. It was nutty, buttery, smooth and seriously delicious.

The Tomme d'Auvergne was a bit stronger, but mellow with hints of grass and butter. This cheese is used to make the famous cheese and potato dish from this region called aligot.

So from now on, Tuesday will be our day to celebrate cheese. Please join us! Let me know what you're tasting or tell me about your favorite French cheese.

Come celebrate le fromage!


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Life's Little Ups and Downs

Last year I spent a great deal of time and energy changing the status of my carte de séjour so I could be self employed in France. The process involved a lot of headache, driving, arguing with bureaucratic paper pushers, pleading with bureaucratic paper pushers, crying in my car after getting no help from bureaucratic paper pushers, translating treaties between France and America to prove to the bureaucratic paper pushers that I had the right to be self employed, and patience. I was finally granted the right at the very end of 2006 and started my entreprise after making sure I was not going to be hit with social charges for the year of 2006. I was assured that I wouldn't be.
I was.

When you start a business in France you pay into the health system, for retirement benefits and unemployment benefits. The charges are set, they go up a lot every year and you pay them even if you haven't earned one single euro.
So, you can guess what happened. The charges were pro-rated for 2006 and the ''powers that be'' consider 2007 as my second year of business, therefore, I must pay all the second year charges.
We weren't prepared for this.
Last week I went to a couple of offices I owe money to, to plead my case. i.e.: the sous-préfecture gave me no choice, I had to start the business by December 25, 2006, even though I wanted to wait until early 2007, thus I'm not prepared to pay the second year charges. I was given a sympathetic smile and the (in)famous Gallic shrug. In other words, I'm SOL*.



*shit out of luck Pin It

Sunday Activity

A typical day in our dog's life.
He wakes up, leaves the warmth and comfort of our bed, has breakfast, then snuggles under a blanket on the couch. Any other "strenuous"activity is avoided.

A typical Sunday in our life.
We wake up, leave the warmth and comfort of our bed, have breakfast, get dressed, then have a long lunch with friends. Any other "strenuous" activity is avoided. Pin It

The Best Chinese "Restaurant''

We finally found a place to have wonderful, authentic Chinese food without having to drive hundreds of miles or get on an airplane. But it wasn't at a restaurant.
I knew Riana was a fabulous cook, but didn't know she could cook Chinese like she was born and raised in Shanghai!

The menu consisted of potstickers, hot and sour soup, kung pao chicken, sweet and sour pork, mapo tofu and sweet coconut hom bao for dessert. We enjoyed the afternoon together, eating, drinking and laughing, until the chef had to go have a very painful tooth crowned.

We'll be reserving a table again soon! Pin It

Curry From the Caribbean

Long before I was making Indian or Thai curries, I often made this rich pork curry from the Caribbean. Colombo is a Creole curry from Martinique and Guadeloupe. Its origins lie with the Sri Lankans, who were taken to the French West Indies to work on the sugar plantations and brought curry powder with them. On the islands, "Colombo'' is now a general term for a curried meat or seafood stew.

This pork Colombo curry is another one of my all time favorite recipes. The pork is mouth-wateringly tender and the sauce is tangy and intense. As the pork browns, the sugar caramelizes, creating a harmony between the sugar and the spice that is truly unforgettable. The sweet potato almost completely falls apart during cooking, thickening what at first seems to be a large quantity of chicken stock. Madras curry powder may be substituted if you don't want to make your own poudre de Colombo. (recipe below)
When I asked my husband what word he would use to describe this dish he replied, "sublime.'' I think that says it all.

Pork Colombo

• 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch cubes
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons good quality curry powder, preferably Colombo curry powder (recipe below)
• 5 cups chicken stock
  
• 5 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried

1. Combine the pork, lime juice and garlic in a bowl and let marinate for an hour.
2. Mix the sugar, allspice and cinnamon together in a bowl.
   
3. Remove the pork from the marinade, letting the excess drip off and mix it with the sugar and spice mixture.
   
4. Heat the oil in a big, heavy pot over medium-high heat. In small batches, brown the pork then remove it to a bowl.
5. Add the onions to the pot and cook until soft, stirring often to make sure they don't stick, about 10 minutes. If the onions begin to stick, add a couple of tablespoons of chicken stock.
   
6. Sprinkle the curry powder over the onions and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
   
7. Put the pork and any juices in the bottom of the bowl back in the pot along with the carrots, green pepper, sweet potato, bay leaves, thyme and chicken stock.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat so the liquid is simmering, partially cover and cook for 30 minutes.
9. Uncover, raise the heat to medium and simmer another 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pork is really tender.
10. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs, if using fresh thyme.
11. Serve with lots of cooked white rice.
12. Serves 6-8
    

Poudre de Colombo

1. Toast 1/4 cup uncooked white rice in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking frequently, until light brown, about 5 minutes. Remove and cool.
   
2. In the same skillet, toast 1/4 cup cumin seeds, 1/4 cup coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds, 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds and 1 teaspoon whole cloves until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes.
   
3. Cool the spices, combine with the toasted rice, and grind to a fine powder.
   
4. Stir in 2 teaspoons turmeric.
   
5. Makes about 1 cup.

Stored in an airtight container, the powder will keep for several months.


Here is another good Colombo recipe from Food and Wine magazine that I've made. Pin It

A Day Out in Béziers

We go to Béziers a lot.
It is the "big city" where we go to run endless bureaucratic errands, visit the hairdresser's, for doctor's appointments, to buy impossible-to-find-elsewhere Asian groceries at an Asian épicerie, to drool over shoes and purses at little boutiques (that would be me, not my husband), to buy any necessary DIY stuff at Castorama, to eat some delicious crêpes or Chinese food and to browse at a wonderful little English bookshop, named, appropriately, Le Bookshop.


My ideal day in Béziers would begin around 10:30 in the morning. From our village it takes about 45 minutes to get there once you wind your way into the center and find parking. There are some charming little café's in the old part of town where I like to have a noisette and a pain au chocolat before running errands and window shopping.
First to Monoprix to see what's new and buy any make-up or hair products before heading down the Allées Paul Riquet to Galleries Lafayette to browse their shoes, purses and clothes.




Crossing les Allées, I head into the maze of little streets in the old quarter where I browse in shops like l'Occitane en Provence, Mango, paper shops, a shop full of wonderful kitchen utensils, pet shops, shoe shops and chocolatiers.
Le Bookshop is tucked away on one of these little streets. The owner, Deborah Bragan-Turner, sells English language books and greeting cards and the upper floor of the shop is a sweet little children's book section. Browsing through books is one of my favorite things to do, so I could easily spend an afternoon here!
Just up the street is les Halles, the covered food market. This noisy, smelly place is a fabulous French food shopping experience.
The ideal day also includes lunch. Partly because most shops are closed from noon to 2 pm so it's either eat or go home, and partly because there are some great little restaurants in Béziers.

Before I know it, my day comes to an end and it's time to have one last little coffee and head home.



We're going to Béziers again this Thursday. I got a letter in the mail on Friday that requires yet another trip to deal with bureaucratic incompetence. One benefit of our trip will be lunch at La Table Bretonne, a little crêperie with a beautiful, sunny terrace that looks out on the Gothic Cathedral Saint Nazaire. The savory crêpes are made using blé noir (buckwheat) and dozens of sweet crêpes are offered for dessert. The owner's, Jean-Pierre and Agnès Ponthieux, are a delightful, friendly couple and the restaurant is one of our favorite's.



La Table Bretonne
21, rue Viennet
34500 Béziers
04.67.49.00.66

Le Bookshop
18, rue des anciens Combattants
34500 Béziers
04.67.36.67.82 Pin It

Happiness is a Nine Hour Lunch

What a day we had yesterday! Nine glorious hours of eating and drinking in the sun with good friends. That's what Sunday afternoons in the south of France were made for!

Our friends were kind enough to host a lunch in the garden of their new house. By new house, I mean they just moved in last week, yet were sweet enough to have eight people over for lunch. Each couple brought a different course to make it a bit easier on the hosts and I offered to bring dessert...New Orleans style bread pudding with Whiskey sauce.



We started the meal with perfectly grilled asparagus wrapped in Jambon de Bayonne and a delicious rice salad with avocado, green olives, red onion and tomatoes in a mustard vinaigrette. Next came garlicky, grilled lamb and involtini (grilled, stuffed eggplant) followed by cheese then dessert and coffee.

We finally managed to drink this Jeroboam from our local wine co-op that was given to my husband as a birthday present a few years ago. It seemed to be the never ending bottle, but we eventually finished it off with the cheese then opened a bottle of Muscat St Jean de Minervois to enjoy with dessert.


It was a perfect day.


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Saturday Morning in Carcassonne

I know I was complaining the other day about the cold, windy weather here in the Minervois, but Mother Nature has decided to be generous with us again. Today it is 70 degrees and sunny. Can't complain about that!


The Place Carnot in the center of Carcassonne hosts a picturesque, lively food market every Saturday morning. It is much bigger and more diverse than our little Tuesday Olonzac market, but quite a bit further to drive. Every time I go I wonder why I don't make the effort to go more often.



Strawberries were on offer everywhere. Big, fat ones from Spain and smaller, very aromatic French strawberries called garriguettes.









The Canal du Midi runs through the center of Carcassonne. The locks reopened last week so the holiday boaters are back cruising the canal. It is estimated that over 50,000 tourists take a trip on the canal each year, either by guided afternoon trips, barge hotels or self-piloted weekly boat rentals.



I came home with a basket bursting with carrots, tomatoes, asparagus, eggs and a baguette. Tonight's menu: asparagus gratin and salad with bread and wine. Pin It

Paris on My Mind

My sister just called and we talked some more about our trip and now I am really getting excited! I just read about a cheese shop in the 6ème arrondissement, close to the apartment we're staying in, that offers cheese tastings with a green salad and wine. I think we may miss out on some major sites as we may be spending most of our time in this little shop!

I also have Cannes on my mind. My sister managed to get us a villa in the hills above Cannes for five nights, FREE.
A villa in the Côte d'Azur for five nights.

With a swimming pool that has a view over the bay of Cannes.

Merci my charming, beautiful sister. Three more weeks, I'm counting the days and I know you are too! Pin It

Potato and Corn Chowder

Normally this is a dish I would have cooked back in January...
Yesterday was cold and windy and it feels like winter doesn't want to release us from it's grasp quite yet. Today, more rain and wind scheduled.
So we're craving cold weather food. Again.

Wasn't I just writing about our beautiful spring last week?

Potato and Corn Chowder

2 tbsp. butter 1 cup onion, minced 2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced 2 cups water 2 cups kernel corn 1/2 c up ham, diced 1 green onion, minced 1 (13 oz.) can evaporated milk 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper 2 cups water 1/4 cup flour

1. Cook onion in butter over medium low until soft, but not brown. 2. Add potatoes, water, salt and pepper. 3. Cover and simmer 15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through. 4. Take the pan off the heat and add corn, ham, green onion and milk. 5. Blend flour and 1/2 cup water and stir gently into chowder. 6. Put the pan back over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the chowder thickens and bubbles, about one minute. Serves 4
We enjoyed a couple glasses of lovely, white Minervois wine alongside.
The rosé we bought last week in anticipation of warm weather is going to have to wait. Pin It

Vampires!

Did a bunch of spring cleaning yesterday and found this bottle of Vampire wine that our friends from Romania gave us. It is sealed in it's box somehow so we haven't opened it yet. I think we need a stake.

Or maybe it was never meant to be drunk.



Last night I was playing with our chihuahua, scratching his little belly, when I snapped this picture. He looks like a crazed vampire bat!

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Paris in the Spring

What a cliché. But I can't wait!

I haven't been to Paris in eight years. Eight years! We've lived in France for four years and we've never bothered to make the trip. My sister is coming to France at the end of April and we're spending four glorious days in Paris.
She wants to go to the Louvre and I want to take her to the Picasso Museum and to the Rue Cler market. And the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Musée d'Orsay and Spring restaurant and the Marais and the rue des Rosiers where I want to try the strudel at La Boutique Jaune de Sacha Finkelsztajn and have her taste the thickest, richest hot chocolate ever at Angelina on the posh rue de Rivoli.
And, and and...

I don't think four days will be enough. Pin It

My Next Splurge

I've been drooling over this gorgeous book for the last couple of years. It is crammed full of recipes (a mere 700 of them), photos, step-by-step instructions and detailed history of Cajun and Creole cuisine.
In New Orleans I almost broke down and bought it at my friend's shop, The Kitchen Witch, but the damn thing weighs 10 pounds and my bags were already too full! Now I regret not hauling it back to France with me.

Let's see, I just had a birthday. How many days left until Christmas? Pin It