Rentrée

Just a few hours after getting off the plane I was back in Rhode Island and happy to see how our garden had blossomed in the couple of weeks while I was gone. The bright colored flowers reminded me of southern France.

Concert à Sainte Chapelle

Perfect ending to a trip to Paris is a concert at Ste Chapelle.


At your leisure enjoy excellent photos of Sainte Chapelle. This site by David Scherbel Photograpy includes descriptions. Be aware that no video nor photo truly captures the beauty of the stained glass.

Go to the Louvre to not see Mona Lisa

If you go to the Louvre there's a good chance you will not see Mona Lisa.

Mona is there in the middle. So are the pickpockets.
However you can have a whole wall of Rafaele or Caravaggio to yourself.

Recipe for Moules Marinière from CIA

For everyone who has asked for the recipe. I make mussels a number of ways: curried, Belgian, Indonesian, Italian, French and just my own way. Because I love the mussels I had in France so much, I came back and made my own. Below is CIA's recipe. You can never go wrong with their recipes. Their version is French w/ white wine and shallots. I like to add cream. Add some cream at the end and do not boil. Just reheat. btw I do not bother decanting at the end. That's for the chefs in those 1st class restaurants.

Moules Marinière (Mussels Mariner-Style)
as prepared at the Culinary Institute of America
Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer, 3 to 4 as a main course (if served with fries)

Ingredients

3 pounds mussels
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup very dry white wine
Pepper as needed

Directions

1. Just before you are ready to cook the dish, wash the mussels under cold running water and remove the "beards," which are the fibrous connectors protruding from between the bivalves' shells.
2. Heat large pot over medium-high heat. Be sure to use a pot (with a cover) that is large enough to easily hold all of the mussels; you'll want to give them at least one big stir during cooking. Melt the butter in the pot and wait for the foam to subside. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook until they're fragrant and translucent, 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
3. Add the parsley, give it one stir, turn the heat to high, and add the mussels to the pot. Stir the mussels once with a large wooden spoon, remove the pot from the flame, and add the wine. Return the pot to the flame, cover, and reduce the heat to medium, shaking the pot occasionally.
4. After 4 minutes, check if any mussels have opened. If only a few have opened, cover the pot again and turn up the heat. If most of them are open, remove them to warmed bowls and cover the pot again to let the last few open. After 1 more minute, transfer the remaining open mussels to the bowls. (The unopened mussels are either dead or stubborn. If stubborn, the cook gets to eat them later after they've opened, but if they're dead, toss them.)
5. Decant the cooking juices to remove the grit at the bottom of the pot. To make this step easier, set the pot so that it is tilted enough to make the liquid settle on one side. After it sits for a minute or two, the grit will settle to the bottom of the pot. Pour the flavorful broth carefully out of the pot, but stop as soon as you see the grit starting to make its way close to the edge. Season the sauce with pepper as needed, and pour it over the mussels. Serve immediately, making sure each person has a place to put his or her spent shells.

Moules à la Crème et Bière à la Pression

It doesn't always have to be cheese and wine. This afternoon I treated myself to some draft beer and mussels at la Geuze, a restaurant / pub on rue Soufflot near the Panthéon. I skipped the French fries. I could barely finish all these mussels.

S. Etienne de Mont

A nice little discovery not far from our hotel is the church of S. Etienne de Mont. Precious stained glass windows were removed and stored to protect them from the bombings of the First World War, They are now displayed protected by glass in the sacristy.

Vous avez un guide en anglais, svp?

Years ago it was mostly Germans, British and Americans who were the tourists in Paris. Today it seems that the whole world has descended upon Paris. A glimpse at the guidebooks for sale tell it all. It can be a chore to ferret out a guide in English. Who are these people? And what languages are they speaking? Click on the image of some books for sale on the Champs Elysées. What is Sav Pariz? Or Egésc Parizs? Or .....?
Paris is a very large city and the tourists are spread out so it is not as crowded as Rome. The wide boulevards and massive parks and plazas can accommodate them. Paris is beautiful, monumental, magnificent; Rome is eternal, but smaller so the same tourists are really squished and move through the tourist areas packed together like sardines.

Elegant Galéries LaFayette

Rain Rain Go Away :-( Today it is raining. Woke up this morning to a deluge and just went back to sleep. The rain finally did go away in time for dinner. I ventured out to visit Paris' renowned department store Galéries Lafayette to see the Art Nouveau ceiling.

Photo by Jorge Fernandes

Paris Bateau Mouche

Paris does everything right. Tourism is not the city's only industry by any means because, like Milan, Paris has cars, fashion and lots of other sources of income. Paris definitely values its tourists. The city hosts free wifi spots, has an easy and affordable public transport sytem, and streamlines lots of fun things. Every time I come here I see how they have worked harder to improve the tourist's visit.
Last night we went on a bateau mouche ride. Well, not only is their Eiffel Tower lit up looking magnificent against the skyline, but it blinks the lights every hour. People are all cheering, oohing and ahing.

Quiches de Cathérine

While we were in Orléans Catherine served two quiches. Our first night we enjoyed tomato quiche out on the enclosed deck overlooking Catherine's garden.

She also made a terrine of goat cheese, eggs, and lots of herbs. My friend Pat really likes this terrine. Catherine generously shared her recipe. I added a rough English translation.

Quiche Chèvre et Herbes
175 g farine,

4 oeufs

1 fromage de chèvre

persil, ciboulette, coriandre et toute herbe aromatique 1 bouquet de chaque

75g de gruyère râpé

75 g de crème fraiche ( je mets de la crème de soja = même effet )

On peut ajouter anchois, tomates etc..

Mélanger le tout et faire cuire à feu doux, 180°, pendant 40 minutes.

C'est meilleur le lendemain.

Quiche with Goat Cheese and Herbs
1 cup flour
4 eggs
parsley, chives, coriander and any aromatic herb, a bunch of each
about 2 1/2 oz. grated Gruyère cheese (or use Swiss)
about 2 1/2 oz. crème fraiche Catherine uses a soy product; I would consider Greek yogurt or sour cream.
optional additions include anchovies or tomatoes etc.

Mix everything together and cook in a low oven 245F for 40 minutes
It is better the next day.

Lavande in Orleans

We spent the last 2 days in Orleans with Pat's friend, Catherine. I took a short walk to see the cathedral and the lovely stain glass windows which tell the story of Joan of Arc. Catherine prepared many delicious dishes including tajine with turkey, terrine, quiche, and the best salad. Catherine's delicious terrine is made with eggs, milk, flour, goat cheese, sauteed onion, and lots of herbs, such as parsley, chives and tarragon, plus some crème fraîche. Her garden contains fruit trees and herbs. I loved the lavender drying on the enclosed patio.

Vinaigre du Citron

The secret to Catherine's salad dressing is Vinaigre du Citron and a spice mixture, called Mélange Aromatique. She adds these to some olive oil and Voilà! In France, for 9.90 €, you can purchase quarter of a liter bottle of Vinaigre du Citron from the producers, Huilerie Beaujolaise. In the USA, you can order on-line, for $34.00 from Cube Market Place.

Catherine uses olive oil, a small amount of the Vinaigre du Citron and some packaged spice mixture: "Mélange Aromatique pour salade et tartines". Ingrédients: Tomate, amidon de mais, épices (ail, origan, basilic, celeri, oigons, poivre, sel de mer, dextrose). Ingredients: tomato powder, corn starch, spices (garlic, oregano, basil, celery, pepper, sea salt, sugar). Maddie and I will try to clone this mixture. I hope also to clone the Vinaigre du Citron. I found a number of recipes on the net and will try the ones below next week. I will update in a month how it comes out.

Lemon Vinegar

Ingredients

1 pint (16 oz) white vinegar

1 lemon

2 bay leaves

Directions

1. Pour the vinegar into a stainless steel pan.
2. Wash the lemons and pare the rind from them with a potato peeler.
3. Add the peel to the pan with the bay leaves and boil for 5 minutes.
4. Cover and leave to go cold.
5. Bottle, including the peel and the bay.
6. Leave for 4 weeks. The vinegar can then either be strained and bottled or used as it is, depending on the strength you require.

Source: "Lemon Vinegar" by Gavin "Miller" Duncan

http://www.food.com/recipe/lemon-vinegar-30845 accessed 7/24/2011

Lemon Vinegar from Lemon Juice and Water

For a different approach to making Lemon Vinegar, try California private chef and caterer, Gabi Moskowitz's method of squeezing half a lemon through a strainer into a small bottle, adding a little water, letting mixture sit in a cool dark place for five days, then adding more lemon juice and letting it sit for another two weeks. See Gabi's video http://www.ehow.co.uk/video_4871742_make-vinegar.html.

Other Links about Lemon Vinegar

Lemon Vinegar from Time Travel Kitchen blog http://timetravelkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/07/lemon-vinegar.html

Note: before attempting to make flavored vinegars, read sanitation recommendations at http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/how-vinegar-works2.htm.

Poitiers - Paris

We drive today to Paris. Then we get train to Orleans to see Pat's friend Catherine.

14 juillet Feux Artificiels a Poitiers

It's July 14 and the French are celebrating their independence day. In Poitiers the fireworks started around 11 PM. Even though it is a bit late for me, I went out in the streets and joined the crowd watching. You could see them from the hotel room too.

Recipe for Crème Brulée

For brûlée I think a blow torch is the easiest. I recommend using fine rather than coarse sugar for the brûlée, and use shallow crème brûlée dishes. Make sugar fine by grinding it down a bit with a spoon or in mortar and pestle. Use REAL vanilla or vanilla bean. See the video by Chef Marc Bauer of The French Culinary Institute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=b_16ZZtTH_Y

Servings: 4 crème brulées.

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
2 extra large or jumbo egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup sugar, preferably fine, for caramelizing
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment

heavy saucepan

kettle with a spout for boiling and pouring water into the bain marie.

mixing bowl and whisk

oven-safe ramekins

deep baking pan

aluminum foil
shallow oven-proof Crème Brulée dishes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Have a kettle of boiling water ready.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally until small bubbles appear around edges of pan; 5 - 6 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla until smooth and light. NOTE Avoid curdling egg yolks by tempering them before adding to the cream. Pour a small amount of the hot cream into the egg yolks all the while whisking. Then continue to pour hot cream mixture into egg yolks, a little at a time, beating continuously until well-blended. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Divide among four 4-oz. shallow ramekins.
4. Arrange ramekins in a baking pan and place on middle shelf of preheated oven. Carefully pan with boiling water to halfway up sides of ramekins. The French call this a bain marie. Cover pan loosely with aluminum foil. Bake until custard is just set, about 25 minutes. Check the for doneness: with tongs, gently shake a ramekin. When edges of the creme are set, but center moves about, take them out. Use caution when removing ramekins from oven as they will be very hot! Chill 2-3 hours or overnight.
5. Sprinkle remaining sugar evenly over top of cold custards then with a Crème Brulée torch, or even better a blow torch, move the flame continuously over the surface of the ramekins in a circular motion until sugar melts and becomes golden brown and bubbly Serve immediately unadorned or with fresh blueberries or raspberries.
6. May be stored in fridge and served later.

Recipe for Josette's Stuffed Vegetables

Once back home in late July I made Josette's stuffed vegetables. I followed her directions using what I could find in my American supermarked. Soaked some cut up bread in milk and mixed it with mild Italian pork sausage, a couple of eggs, a bit of Herbes de Provence, then "stuffed" sliced egg plant, halved plum tomatoes and sliced zucchini. Because I was in a big rush I cheated on the stuffing and just spread it over the vegetables. I added a sprinkle of olive oil. I baked the dish in a 375-350 oven for about a half hour. I checked occasionally by pricking the vegetables to see when they were tender and took them out before they became mushy. It was very tasty. I grated some cheese on my portion. btw After some net research in French cooking sites I discovered that this is a popular southern French country dish. I don't think they make it in Paris ;-) Recipe below using beef looked promising.

Aubergines et Légumes Farcis

250 g entrecôte de boeuf
2 g de persil frais
40 g de gruyère
60 g d'olives vertes
100 g de pain de mie*
50 g d'oeuf(1 oeuf)
2,5 g de sel
0,6 g de cumin
0,6 g de curcuma (Turmeric if I did not have this, I would just leave it out)
50 g de lait écrémé
500 g d'aubergines
270 g de courgettes
400 g de tomates
20 g d'huile d'olive
100 g de gruyère

1. Trier, laver le persil, éponger. Couper le fromage en lamelles. Dénoyauter les olives.
2. Couper le pain de mie en morceaux. Couper la viande en cubes. Dans le bol du robot hachoir, ajouter la viande, le persil.
3. Dans le bol du robot hachoir, ajouter le gruyère, les olives, le pain de mie, l'oeuf.
4. Dans le bol du robot hachoir, ajouter le sel, le cumin, le curcuma, le lait.
5. Hacher l'ensemble et placer au réfrigérateur le bol du robot hachoir. Laver les aubergines, couper la partie supérieure, couper en 2 parties.
6. Creuser les aubergines pour les farcir. Laver les courgettes, couper la partie supérieure, tailler en 2 parties dans le sens de la longueur et creuser pour farcir.
7. Laver les tomates sous l'eau courante, enlever le pédoncule. Couper la partie supérieure de la tomate opposée au pédoncule, creuser pour farcir.
8. Huiler le plat à four, farcir les légumes et les placer au fur et à mesure dans le plat. Ajuster les lamelles de fromage sur chaque farci. Enfourner pendant 1 heure environ.

* Pain de mie is a type of sliced, packaged bread. "Pain" in French means "bread" or "loaf of bread" and "mie" means "crumb" in the culinary sense (not to be confused with bread crumb). In English pain de mie is most identical to pullman loaf or regular sandwich bread. This bread has sugar in it, which makes it sweeter than most French breads, and even with the sugar pain de mie is still not as sweet as most American breads. This bread is usually used for making sandwiches or for toasting. It can be baked in a sealed pan, which prevents crust from forming. If not baked in a sealed pan, the crust can be cut off (as done in factories before packaging). Pain de mie is sold in rounded or rectangular shapes.

Source: http://www.supertoinette.com/recette/650/aubergines_farcies_de_to_di.html

Josette's Stuffed Vegtables

Josette's Courgettes, Tomates, Aubergines Farcis

So simple and so good. Here is a rough idea on how to make this. Take mild pork sausage and mix into some bread which has been soaked in milk and a few eggs. Cut zucchinis into chunks, cut tops off tomatoes and half some small egg plants. Now make slight depressions in the vegetables and scoop in the filling. Sprinkle on a little salt and ome pepper and maybe some herbs. I do not believe she added any oil, but a light sprinkle may be good. Bake in a moderate oven until done. Yum.

Goodbye Plaisance de Gers

We left for Poitiers on the holiday about 10:00 AM. Here I am with Mamie and Loulou.

Our Hostesses - Josette and Mamie

Josette and her mother "Mamie" at their front with Loulou.

Nicole's Terrine Extraordinaire

Nicole is a friend of Josette. She graciously let us use her internet. Her house is beautiful and she served delicious expresso. Here is Nicole with Pat and Trish. Nicole is also a very good cook. (Bien sur! For Nicole is French and so far I have never met a française who could not cook!) One night she brought to a dinner chez Josette a fish, potato terrine which was so good. Here is a copy of the recipe which came from a recent of Femme Actuelle Page 63. Merci Nicole. To the right is my rough translation.

Nicole's Terrine of Fish and Potatoes

Ingredients
filets of red fish - like snapper, but I would use fish available
1 lb of boiling potatoes (waxy)
2 shallots
2 tbs mayonnaise (preferably homemade or use Hellman's)
fennel
1 tsp of pastis which is a liquorish flavored liqueur
3 Tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cook the potatoes in salted water about 20 minutes
2. Drain, let cool, cut in slices the long way
3. Oil the fish filets. Heat a frying pan or grill pan. Put on the filets skin-side down. 4. When the edges are cooked, turn over and shut off flame and let cook via the heat of the pan. Salt and pepper.
5. Heat some oil in a frying pan and saute the chopped shallots for 2-3 minutes. 6. Mix with half the filets. Add mayonnaise and chopped fennel.
7. Oil a mold. Layer the potatoes and the fish. Weight down. Refrigerate for 12 hours. Unmold. Garnish with.
8. Can be served with Mayonnaise Andalouse.

Mayonnaise Andalouse
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons diced red pimentos
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Note: recipe calls specifically for Pompadour or Amandine potatoes. We do not have these types readily available in the USA. Use a waxy boiling potato and it will be fine. The rouget barbet is a Mediterranean fish. Use snapper or trout or whatever fish you have.

Crème Brulée

I absolutely loved the Crème Brulée served at Le Plaisantin in Gers de Plaisance. It looked so pretty served in the shallow dishes and it tasted divine. Only $3.00. France is a treasure box of food. Needless to say I will be back with some recipes. Josette's stuffed zucchine, tomatoes and eggplant and Nicole's fish terrine with potatoes.

A House in the Country

We are staying with Pat's friend Josette who has a large house in a small village in the southwest of France not too far from the Spanish border. Our room is the open window on the left.
Josette is very proud of her chickens which provide eggs. Her prize is the coque chinoise who is usually proudly strutting about.

Le Plaisantin is the local café where everyone meets. The food is very good here. Locals are chatting about the upcoming July 14th bull fights and the Jazz Festival which will be taking place in August in nearby Marciac.

A Walk in the Country

I took a nice walk into the country. Plaisance de Gers is surrounded by farms. One of their biggest products is le canard (duck), and foie gras made with duck liver. They have lots of cows too. Beautiful scenery.

Poitiers

The plane trip and the meeting up with Pat's friend Trish at the Herz booth went well. We encountered a glitch of being trapped for a while in the parking lot because of a non-functioning gate, but finally someone set us free by unlocking the fence We have a very nice car. Trish, maybe because she is from New York, is a driver on a par with Bruce. Trish fearlessly negotiates down very narrow streets. Today's highlight is the Église Notre-Dame la Grande de Poitier. Beautiful carvings and colored columns.

Last Dinner with the Family

The perfect July 4th week end feast - pesto and steak tips.

Festive Dinner - Spaghetti alle Vongole

I will be homesick for family and also all our fun summer dinners. Last night Young and Maddie prepared our favorite dish, Spaghetti alle Vongole. We discovered this great pasta in Rome, but it is even better made with Rhode Island Little Necks rather than the smaller Italian vongole. Enough already! Time to finish packing. Wish I could take everyone with me.

Cynthia Visits Just in Time

My friend Cynthia came up from Texas with her son Dan and his wife Karen and their kids. Cynthia is from Rhode Island and only gets back about twice a year when she visits her daughter Debbie. Here they are out in our back yard with Bruce. Cynthia's daughter Debbie and grand daughter Jill are there too. Later on Maddie and Young and the kids joined us. We had a great time. I would have been sad to miss Cynthia's visit so I am really happy she got here before I left for France.