Source Food + Drink

The food of Spain - San Sebastián - Pintxos...

2013-09-16T07:10:00.000+10:00

Spain = Jamon

Two weeks in San Sebastián is only enough to scratch the surface of the amazing food culture that is present here. My last blog post was all about our amazing experience at one of the finest restaurants in San Sebastián - Mugaritz, but this blog post is a bit grungier, a bit more easily accessible, quite a bit more budget friendly and just as impressive in many ways. The world of "pintxos" was opened up to us in Barcelona on our last visit a couple of months ago, but San Sebastián is the birthplace of "pintxos" and also the master of it.

So, what are pintxos, you ask? The word "pintxos" is the Basque version of the more readily used word of "pinchos" - literal translation - thorn or spike, very similar to the more well known to Aussies "tapas" but it is different to the regular tapas in that they are traditionally held together with a skewer - hence the name pinchos.

These little delicate morsels of food are generally eaten standing up in a bar, if you are lucky enough you may even get a small bit of table or bar to lean on whilst juggling said pintxos along with your choice of beverage, whether that be sangria, maybe a glass of Cava (local sparkling wine) or beer. Traditionally, they are eaten as snacks, in between meals, or before going home for the main meal, but as we are only in San Sebastián for two weeks, we generally find ourselves trying so many of them that there is no room left for an actual meal.

A couple of our favourites included:

La Cepa Bar - de Agosta Kalea, 31 - great jamon and queso (ham and cheese sandwich)

A Fuego Negro - Calle de Agosto, 31 - this was owned by the cousin of my teacher from the cooking lesson I had - pictures of his food later but a couple of maust haves include the quinoa salad and the rabbit with garlic

Goiz Argi - Fermin Calbeton Kalea, 4 - our first bar stop in San Sebastián, we met a couple from Newcastle, Aust there and started to enjoy our "pintxos" experience!

Bar Azkena - in Bretxa Market - according to Trip Advisor the best coffee in san Sebastián - I have to disagree with them on that but they did have the best Patata Tortilla - Spanish Potato Omelette - and we tried plenty!!

Txuleta - de la Trinidad plaza, 2 - old style pintxos at its best - when we arrived here we lowered the average age of the place by a couple of years - but its traditional pintxos were unbeatable!

Santa Lucia - Calle Puerto, 6 - Not actually a pintxos, but the churros had to get a mention too! We frequented this place just a couple of times! Don't be put off by its "diner_ like appearance - these guys slam out their meal and churros because they are used to getting slammed!

So to set the scene for those that have not come across pintxos for themselves yet. You walk into a bar. The bar is laden (and I mean laden!!) with many different platters of these little (some not so little) items of food. Mostly, the platters are on different heights so they can fit more onto the bar top and although some of the bars also have menus, a lot of them don't. You choose with your eyes. Not sure how you would go with any food allergies - luckily, I don't have to think about that for any of my family! You indicate to one of the bar staff that you are here for food, they hand you over a plate and you choose whatever you like! Yes, with your own hands! No sneeze guards, no tongs, no food safe gloves - strange world for someone that has come from working in a HACCP accredited kitchen environment - but it seems to work!

Bar Azkena - the Patata tortilla in the background, still warm from the oven...

The wait at A Fuego negro is well worth it for itsnew age spin on the old fave's and its molecular gastronomy on it's new creations

Goiz Argi - our introduction to the phenomena!

From here, things can differ slightly - some bars ask to see your plate again before you eat (they may also heat up some of your selections at this point), at others you just start eating and by some miracle, the staff bill you at the end for what you ate, and at others you just collect the little skewers that hold the pintxos together and they charge you by the stick. Sometimes as low as 1 euro per stick, although, more commonly about 2.50/3 euro per stick. Whatever the method they choose, it seems to work for them. I would imagine that there is a fair bit of trust involved - not too difficult to get rid of a stick or two and therefore not be charged for it!

Most people move from place to place, selecting the pintxos that they prefer from each of several bars, which gives a real bar "hopping" atmosphere to the whole of the "old town" of San Sebastián. Thousands of people walking the streets from bar to bar is a normal sight. The good bit about that is that you really want to go to one place in particular, it is never too long a wait to get a spot at the bar, or at least get access to the bar so you can choose your next mouthful of food!

A few favourites of ours from A Fuego Negro:

White quinoa salad

Kobe burger with chips

Conejo con ajo - Rabbit with garlic - was established originally as a play on words but what a great combination!

And a couple from Txuleta:

Pimentos

Calamares

Jamon croquettas

And from Zeruko (another fave but we didn't take a photo of the front of the bar!) - these guys did some really cool things with their food - there was smokes, foams, emulsions of strange concoctions and some other flavours that we just had to sit and enjoy as there was no explaining them!:

Left - olive encased mango cream explosion; middle - crepe with salmon and cream cheese foam; right octopus with tomato and paprika

Left - shredded egg and lettuce; middle - crepe with chorizo; right - empanada (like a small beef pie)

The locals all have their favourite bars and particular pintxo. We were told by just about everyone that we met which place we just had to go to, and which pintxo we should choose from there so we kept a little list (which ended up being quite a long list!) of where we HAD to go! We managed to get to most of them in our two weeks, and here I share a couple of our favourites to add to your list for your next visit to San Sebastián!!

Zeruko - marinated mushrooms on brioch with seeds

Zeruko - Smoked cod that came out on the smoker - we had to cook it for 15 seconds each side - tasted amazing!

Zeruko (again) - stuffed capsicums - the capsicums had been cooked and almost jellied - filled with an amazing cod brandade

And just to finish off...a couple of churros from Saint Lucia!!

Next stop, Madrid!

xoxo

Mugaritz - A natural science of cooking...

2013-08-31T03:53:00.000+10:00

Fried herbs from the garden with clashing aromas
Tempura garlic flowers

When you decide where to go for a holiday do you first look at the activities in the area? The museums you can visit? Whether the beach has waves? Or which restaurants you want to dine in??

For me it is the latter. And when looking at San Sebastián it was a difficult decision to make! Don't get me wrong, coming to San Sebastián was not the difficult decision, it was which of the 16 Michelin stars were going to be visited?! San Sebastián has the most Michelin stars per square meter than anywhere else in the world! But, again, don't get me wrong...there is so much more to dining in San Sebastián than just the Michelin star experiences.

The entire culture of San Sebastián is built around food. Their lifestyle of getting up late, heading down for a cafe (even con leche (with milk) if you like it that way), perhaps a little patate tortilla (potato omelette), a grand lunch and a siesta before heading out for some pintxos (more about these tasty little morsels in another blog post soon!), then a late dinner. I love it all! Not sure how I'd go with working in a place like this, I could just spend my whole time eating and drinking...oh how good can life get...

Michael and I about to embark on the culinary adventure!

So when the ratings for this years best restaurants came out and Mugaritz was named 4th best in the world (even though only having 2 Michelin stars) we thought we'd make this one our Michelin star destination for our two week stay in San Sebastián. Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz has been renowned by some of the cheffing greats as breaking barriers in the world of gastronomy in todays world. And we were not disappointed.

View of the kitchen from the herb garden outside

After settling the kids with their Spanish babysitter (this one at least spoke English unlike the last two in France), we took the 20 minute taxi ride south east of San Sebastián to Mugaritz. The kitchen opens at 8pm, and we arrived just after 7.30 so were welcomed into a little wooden cottage for a pre dinner drink. Here we were greeted enthusiastically by our sommelier for the evening Nicolas Boise. Our first glass of Champagne - Royale Reserve Phiipponnat was the perfect start to our evening.

The dining room - note the centrepieces and lack of cutlery?! Very cool!

Just before 8 o'clock we were shown through to the dining room. The interior was like no other restaurant interior I have seen before. Quite stark, almost naked but strangely welcoming. All of the tables within the restaurant were very simply laid with a linen tablecloth and a single centrepiece of oddly designed plates. Some looked like plates had been horizontally twisted onto themselves, others looked like they had their bottoms removed and were moulded with several at different angles.

The first of many selfies that Joserra took during the evening!

We were welcomed by Joserra Calvo, our maitre'd (and photographer!) for the evening, and the blank canvas of the table was explained to us. The idea is that we were to start the meal by eating with our hands. It was also explained at this time that we were about to indulge in 22 courses, of which, barring any dietary intolerances or dislikes, the kitchen would put together for us, and after several courses to register our delights or distastes, a full menu would be presented to us to let us know what we were eating for the evening. Joserra's welcome into the restaurant let us know that we were in for far more than just a dining experience, but a true performance was about to begin.

Dish after dish then began to be delivered to us. Among these dishes, some were real stand outs - the duck tenderloin, the poultry juice with tofu (the absolute BEST - and I don't even like tofu!!), and the suckling lamb sweetbreads were my choice three top; a couple were not entirely to my liking - the ice shreds with scarlet shrimp perfume was a little too confronting for me and I was not entirely sure about the fermented rice served with the tanned lobster flesh; but all of them were truly amazing, inventive and creative as well as really awakening all of your senses. You could not just sit back and eat without thought, you had to taste, examine, taste again and really explore your palate throughout.

Edible stones - presented in a bowl of "dirt"

We weren't told what they were, so we had to bite in for the surprise! We sat there eating and loving them meanwhile getting very excited about what was to follow!!

"Fishbones" with nuances of lemon, garlic and cayenne pepper - beautiful little fish chips

Smoked toast, 100% lobster - even the toast was made of lobster - truly amazing

Fried herbs from the garden with clashing aromas - the tempura garlic flower - beautiful flavours and the tempura batter was light and deliciously crispy

Blanched morning glory with dark seeds powder

Mouth watering bite. Duck tenderloin and dried onions - absolutely delicious - photo a little deceiving, this was literally two small mouthfuls

Ice shreds. Scarlet shrimp perfume - probably my least favourite dish, quite confronting and left a very dry mouth feel, but still very interesting

Tanned lobster flesh and fermented rice - the lobster was beautiful as was the entire dish when eaten together, however, the fermented rice by itself was a little strange when eaten by itself. The addition of the salt bush was beautiful.

The winning dish in my eyes - Poultry juice with tofu - it was almost like a creme caramel made from beautiful soft tofu, with a sauce made of a duck reduction that sat on the stove top for about 4 days. It was explained to us that the original quantity of about 50 litres, once reduced over the course of the 4 days then became about 2 litres...amazing

From the "Edible Stones" that were delivered to us first - which were actually potatoes with an ash like crust served with an aioli all the way through to the "Seven Deadly Sins" wooden canisters that came apart to unveil a little treat for each of the sins it was an experience that will not be forgotten. One that was enhanced by the characters of the staff and the curiosity of each dish as it was presented to us as well as the little interactions with things like the knuckles, which I'm sure will provide hours of entertainment on the remainder of our trip and will be a lovely little memory of our dining experience.

Sweet corn, milk cream and seeds

Showing what was hidden under the milk cream - there was also little bits of bacon in amongst the corn - beautiful!

A little game of knuckles to play to decide who gets to eat the caviar and set custard...I won but I was nice enough to let Michael eat some of the caviar too! And now we have a set of knuckles to play with on our trip!!

Egg yolk tucked in with an anemone blanket - as soon as I read the description for this dish I was excited...and it did not disappoint! The egg yolk just barely cooked was sublime!

Turbot. "Pil-pil" and roe

Red mullet in a butter of its own liver. Almonds and bread...this was beautiful, but getting a little full by this stage and still have so much more to go!! It was at this point that I started sharing with the man on the next table - Tony from London. He had a slightly different menu so I was only too pleased to allow him to have a few more tastes.

Another absolute winner! Sweetbread of suckling lamb with seasonal mushrooms.

Sheets of "entrecula", grilled steak emulsion and salt crystals

And then it was time for desserts!

Mashed and dressed fruits. Concentrated melon juice

Native cocoa and salted Mexican pepper mint - this was a beautiful elegant dessert - just like an after dinner mint but NOT!

Candy caviar

Mocha in its lightest version - a light coffee flavoured foam/cake

Frozen almond turron - do you remember ice cream wafer sandwiches - well these were a little like these but in a style we were becoming accustomed to here at Mugaritz

And to finish...the Seven deadly sins

a collection of little sweet treats...unfortunately for me, I was fully sated by this stage and couldn't possibly fit another thing in!

Apart from the food, the rest of the experiences that we had in the restaurant made this a true Michelin starred experience. After we had eaten about 8 of our courses, and Joserra had deemed that we had "eaten enough and behaved ourselves" in his cheeky manner, we were guided into the kitchen to meet the Head Chef, Dani Lasa. Once in the kitchen we could see the staff, about 25 of them, all busily at work, mostly with tweezers, assembling each of the dishes. We were handed a macaron to sample and asked if we could describe the flavours. They were the most unusual macarons I'd ever eaten, sweet like a normal macaron, but also with a savoury note to them. I could definitely taste the flavour of foie gras in there but the pigs blood that the actual meringue was made with was a total surprise. Dani then explained that in the test kitchen where all of the experimentation takes place, they had been experimenting with pigs blood and they found that when they whipped it, it acted like egg whites, so thereby a perfect ingredient for the Italian meringue that is the basis for macarons could be made.

In the kitchen with Head Chef Dani

Joserra taking another selfie, this time with Andoni Luis Aduriz - the culinary master himself, behind all things creative here at Mugaritz

Pigs blood and foie gras macarons

The experimental kitchen

After explaining about the test kitchen, you can imagine what the next question was going to be...can we see it?? And as Joserra brought the next group of diners into the kitchen that has passed his rigorous set of criteria before being allowed into the back of house area, we were being led out the other door and up into the experimental kitchen. The restaurant closes for 4 months of each year - mid december to mid april for the pure purpose of experimenting - imagine?! Each ingredient is tested in hundreds of different ways with every combination known to maximise its potential - it can not be better explained than in their own words from their website:

A world of decoration and technical requirements, which will determine the outcome, hides behind every merely culinary movement. In Mugaritz, through collaboration with other disciplines and organizations, we investigate and innovate in this field in order to boost the properties of each culinary creation without neglecting any detail

The wines that our gorgeous sommelier Nicolas suggested for each section of the meal were a perfect compliment. Not knowing very much about the local wines, we needed all the advice we could get to make the right selection, and after careful consideration, Nicolas came up with 2 or 3 bottles of wine that we should choose from. Much to our surprise, his recommendations were not all in the highest price category either, as is so generally the case in Michelin starred restaurants.

To start we had a bottle of Guitian Acacia 11 from Valdeorras, La Tapada. This was a beautiful dry yet fruity white wine from a local producer. We moved onto an Albarello 09 from Ribeira Sacra, Adegas Algueira and then just because I don't know when to stop...we finished with a bottle of Negre Selecció 08, Pla i Levant, Toni Gelabert...I think it may be time to go home...ok, just one little glass of Cava to finish the evening! (And finish me off!!!)

Adios amigos!!

Soir Marché - the night markets in the Dordogne

2013-08-17T23:47:00.001+10:00

Traditional apple pie from the Dordogne

A large part of everyday life in France is the market.
In the Summertime, especially in the Dordogne (but also in other areas), is the "Soir or Nocturne Marché". These markets are all about eating, drinking, dancing and mixing with the locals and other like minded travellers that are in the village for the evening.
When we first arrived here in Belves we were told about the Wednesday night Soir Marché in our village and we immediately pencilled it in for each of the weeks we are here for. Apparently, most of the locals go to the first couple and the last couple of the season as the ones in the height of Summer are crowded with all the tourists, but we were willing to brave all of them!

The Halle in Belves, decorated for the Summer festivities

So with plates, cutlery and glasses in tow, we head down each Wednesday to join the village. After the first one, we went out and bought a thick black marker so we could go down to the Halle early and reserve our seats by writing our names on the table cloth (paper) - just like the locals do.

The Thai food stand is always popular

as is the cous cows

and of course the mussels

Each week we were faced with the delights of the area as well as a myriad of international foods. If you got down early enough you could see the processes taking place. You could watch the paella masters cooking their paella from scratch. The BBQ's get heated up in front of the butchers as they sealed their meats ready to be finished cooking when they were ordered. The strong smell of garlic emanating from the escargot stand where we introduced Kayla's friend to snails for the very first time. The massive pans of mussels being cooked in fried onions and white wine.

escargot

Kayla and Georgia with their entree of escargot

roasted pork

and for dessert, maybe a creme brûlée?

We have also visited a couple of other local villages to see their markets. The one in a nearby village St. Cyprien was fantastic. The food, similar to that in Belves but with the locals here having a definite liking for the "BBQ" stand - canard (duck) anyway you wanted, including duck hearts...which I have to say were beautiful. The queue at the BBQ stand was so big we couldn't not join it. One thing I have learnt in France is that if there is a queue, tack on to it - there is bound to be something good at the other end - usually you end up with the best local fromage, the tastiest patisserie or the best bread of the area!

beautiful fresh fish ready for the BBQ

Paella, jam packed with langoustines, mussels, prawns, calamari

anyone for a bit of fairy floss?

or maybe a pastry to finish off the meal?

Besides the food of course, there is the drinking! Generally at 5 euros per bottle, the local rosè washes down everything! Being the warmer months, rose is definitely the beverage of choice for all, and at 5 euros per bottle, who can complain?

St Cyrien marché

Belves marché

After the food is eaten, the wine continues to be consumed, the sun is setting and the band picks up the volume to encourage everyone to get up and dance. I have never needed too much encouragement to dance, and in this gorgeous setting, who could resist??

Tickets to the best restaurant in Barcelona!!

2013-07-31T02:17:00.000+10:00

Number 77 in the list of the world's best restaurants sits this little gem we discovered in Barcelona, and what a night it was!! TICKETS is the creation of the Adrià brothers, well know for what was the worlds best restaurant - El Bulli - Ferran Adrià started planning for this one soon after its closure with his brother Albert.

It is a mixture of art, theatre, culinary delights, showmanship, service and absolutely amazing food, all rolled into one. The opening scene of the website captures a bit of this essence and is definitely worth a look!

As we arrived at TICKETS, the kids were as excited as we were! The bright lights, the "theatre -like" presentation of the restaurant as well as the crazy cut out caricatures at the entrance as we waited for the doors to open all added to the experience of going to a "show"!

Once inside, it did not disappoint. Along with the colourful interior, fantastic choices of different furniture and displays of the finest food art work you could hope to see, the service was impeccable. Firstly, if you are interested in the interior, it is perfectly explained on their website. We gladly put ourselves into the hands of our waiter, letting him choose all of our dishes for us, with the exception of saying a few of the dishes on the menu which were an absolute must.

For starters...

To start for the kids some tempura crusted pistachio nuts

and to start for the adults, sangria infused watermelon

And for some more starters...or perhaps these should be called the "nexts..."

A selection of Iberian ham perfectly cut by knife

Jamon stands became a favourite for all of us during our stay here in Barcelona, but especially Kayla, who took this photo specifically for the blog

Cantabrian anchovies

One of the dishes that Tickets is well known for is its Olive. I write that with a capital "O" on purpose, as it is like no other olive. It is explained to us by our waiter that to make each Olive, takes 3 normal olives. The juice is extracted and by the wonders of molecular gastronomy a skin is formed around this juice. The skin is so fragile that you carefully place the olive on your tongue and press it to the roof of your mouth...it hurts open and your entire mouth is filled with the amazing flavour of these locally grown olives. A true flavour sensation, and one which Kayla has relived over and over again...she loves describing the feeling as it burst inside her mouth!

The dish of the day as far as Kayla was concerned and one that will always be remembered - the Tickets Olives - see Kayla's look of pure intent!!

The olive preparation

Next came a tirade of dishes, all a sensation to the palate, each one different, intriguing and amazing...

There has to be croquettes on any real tapas menu and there was no exception here!

Mini airbags stuffed with manchego cheese foam

Chicken 'enchiladas' with crispy chicken skin

"high level" beef tenderloin - carparcio

Tomato salad with transparent gelatine of Gazpacho

Tuna tartare with radish, grape and avocado

Oysters two ways - with grilled melon consomme and with red wine vinegar, tarragon and olive oil caviar

Yauarcan charcoal chicken Mexican style

Razor clams with refried sauce and lemon air

Saffron octopus with baked beans and saucisse

Confit potatoes with Iberian cured ham and pork rib jus

The McTickets Muffins - just like a McMuffin - NOT!

And then it was time for dessert! The traditional pastry kitchen was no where near our sight, this dessert kitchen was a gallery of sugar art work!

The sugar work in a pastry cabinet - the kids stopped to stare for quite a while!

Anyone for a burger made from sugar??

And then for our desserts delivered to the table...

Marshmallow slugs served on an Aloe Vera plant

Moon rocks made from white chocolate air

Blackcurrant meringue with yoghurt ice cream

Will I ever eat again??!! Well, probably! But maybe never as imaginatively as this again!!!

Thank you Barcelona! It was great!!!

Adios amigos!

Kim

xoxo

Summer truffle hunting in Provence

2013-07-31T02:01:00.000+10:00

On Saturday we ventured into a small village (which will remain nameless - explanation will come a little later!) about an hour away from our little haven in Provence to do some truffle hunting! This is something we have been looking forward to with great anticipation, and although a little disappointed we couldn't be looking for Winter truffles (the much more highly prized cousin of the Summer truffle) we were happy just to be able to experience it. And the day exceeded our expectations by amazing proportions!

We arrived at the "farmhouse" Les Pastras to be warmly greeted by our lovely hosts, Lisa and Johann. Hearing and feeling their enthusiasm for their small part of the world, I just knew we were in for a treat! Lisa (from America) and Johann (French born) had left their lives in Chicago in 2003 to return to the family farm that Johann grew up knowing. His grandparents still live on the property and although both in their later years are still active in the farm. Lisa and Johann looked at the different options available to them with the use of the farm land and with the help of friends and neighbours, as is so often the case in these rural parts of France, have created an oasis with olive trees, vineyards, fruit trees, bee hives and the prized oak trees that their Summer and Winter truffles grow so quietly and unobtrusively below.

Vineyards that produce table grapes

Johann explaining to me the finer points of cultivating the olive trees. They have an olive picking party every year around November 11th - I wonder if I can re arrange our itinerary?!

The beginning of our tour went through the property, looking at the effect that fires, frosts and time has had on it. Interestingly, they have managed to create an entire olive grove of over 400 trees using what they found on the land. The ability of these trees to survive just about anything is quite amazing. They are hardy through fires and frosts and regenerate themselves so with careful farming ways, the off shoots can be separated and replanted to create an entire olive grove - basically for free - well, free as far as euros are concerned - a hell of a lot of blood, sweat and tears have gone into it I'm sure!

Continuing on through the 11 hectare organic farm and we come across the rows of bee hives, which we steer well clear of! Johann explains that even he doesn't get too close to these - this is still his grandfathers love and often he finds his 90 year old grandfather in his beekeepers outfit checking on the progress of his beloved bees. Explaining that the excess honey that is collected from the top part of the hives to ensure the bees have enough left to sustain them throughout their working life, it becomes clear that this farm is all about sustainability and producing top quality products, but not to the detriment of the natural environment around it.

Then onto the real reason we came...truffles!

Pupuce and Mirabelle - our little truffle hunters

A row of oaks that is the home of the prized Winter truffles stands tall and proud in a very different position to that of the Summer truffle. They make us want to come back here again in Winter! Ensuring the correct soil, orientation and ability to get the right amount of water is not only a science - but also a stroke of luck for this family when they discovered through a friend that their oaks were producing the nuggets that are often referred to in France and other parts as the "diamonds of the kitchen".

Our first find!! Well, the dogs first find but we are claiming it for our own!!

Further along the field we come to the Summer truffle trees. Lisa and Johann's friend and his truffle dogs - Mirabelle and Pupuce have just arrived (running on Provence time, only 15 minutes late! Ha ha!!) The dogs don't have to be cajoled too much to head to work. They have been trained to hunt for truffles in a reward based training program from the time they were puppies. It starts with a little piece of truffle being put inside a ball and as the dogs get rewarded each time it gets retrieved, they soon associate the strong pungent smell of truffle with getting a reward. It's simple, and it works! Mirabelle and Pupuce start scratching around close to the trunk of one of the oaks and within seconds, a truffle is excavated, only a couple of centimetres below the surface of the ground. We are so excited with this first discovery, we barely notice that Pupuce is off in another direction having a scratch in the ground also! Within a space of about 20 minutes these two little hard workers have emerged with just over 100grams of beautiful Summer truffle, as well as a couple that have past their best. These get replanted in the ground after the dogs have finished for the day so they can give back to the soil where more little truffles will be growing soon.

So how do they grow you ask? (I'm sure I heard you asking, but if I didn't bad luck - I'm going to tell you anyway!) The truffle - or tuber - Truffe in French - grows in the spores of the oak tree roots. As far back as 1808 was the first known "cultivation" of the truffles by a French man by the name of Joseph Talon, not very far from this very property! The "cultivation" has always been a little hit and miss as there are so many variables that have to be perfect in order for the truffle to grow. If there is too much water, too many weeds surrounding it, too much sun, too little sun...you get the idea! Difficult business to be in! But at about 1200 euros per kilo for the Winter truffle and 200 euros per kilo for the summer truffle - one that is well worth the gamble if you have the property, nouse and the love!

One of the stories told to us by Johann was of a local farmer that is known to sleep out in his field of Winter truffle trees during the season with a shot gun by his side. It is not uncommon to hear of truffle thieves coming onto the property in the dead of night to uncover one of these little gems. Once this local farmer caught someone in his heat seeking video camera, took a shot into the air to scare him off and then took off after him in his truck to give him no uncertain message as to what would happen to him if he ever came back and tried to steal from him again!

It is for this reason that I am unable to disclose the exact location of this farm, and also the reason that although Lisa and Johann offer tours of their truffle farm, they are only offered to non French people! It is done with such secrecy that they have to be careful with each booking and only release the location of the farm a couple of days prior to your reservation!

Upon completion of our farm tour, we headed back to the farm house to sample a little truffle and enjoy a glass of Champagne. Well, that was what was supposed to be included in the package anyway. But after eating some amazing canapés prepared by Lisa: truffle on salted butter and bread, truffle on cream cheese, truffle on cows cheese, brownie with truffle infused creme anglaise...oh yes, and I think it was 4 bottles of champagne later and a few family favourite truffle recipes shared finally we left the farm!! What had been advertised as a 1-1.5 hour truffle experience, had turned into 4 hours of learning, enjoying, eating, drinking and making new friends! We left the farm with a firm dinner date with our hosts set before we leave this wonderful part of the country on Saturday.

A couple of the recipes have already been tested - well we had fresh truffles so what more could we do! The truffle roasted chicken was perhaps the best roast chicken I have ever had (simply slice the truffle thinly and slide in between the chicken skin and the meat - cook as usual for a roast chook, but don't add gravy - it takes away from the amazing truffle flavour!)

As for last nights truffle burgers - they were a hit with all! Home made burger patties with meat that has been freshly minced with slices of truffle and brillat savarin cheese (or any other high fat, gooey, yummy like triple cream brie) stuffed into the middle of it. drizzle with a little truffle oil to finish off just before serving!

Happy truffle eating!!!

Kim
xo

Lapin a la Cocotte and Clafoutis aux Cerises

2013-06-20T06:37:00.000+10:00

I was sort of glad when the weather forecast was for a cool day today. I had felt like a bit of baking and also wanted to try cooking Lapin a la Cocotte (rabbit casserole) but the weather over the last few days had left us all wanting salads, BBQs and seafood instead of turning the oven on and heating up the house - so this morning, instead of complaining that the weather wasn't the usual French summer weather, we headed to the market of Sarlat and picked up our lapin (rabbit) from the farmer and some beautiful fresh cerises (cherries) as well as all the other ingredients I needed to spend a few hours in the kitchen.

Sarlat market

The cherries here at the moment are amazing. Bursting with sweetness and so juicy - we are buying them practically daily at the markets and they generally don't last until we get home. Even Kian is eating them!

The beautiful thing about cherries, is that we have seen their life cycle whilst we have been here in France. When we arrived in Pernes-les-Fontaines - in Provence, the cherry trees were everywhere, but the were not even in blossom yet. After a week or two, the trees started to blossom, and the fields of cherry blossoms were amazing - they went as far as the eye could see.

Cherry trees in full blossom in Pernes-les-Fontaines

By the time we left Provence for Burgundy, the blossoms had started to disappear, and the trees were beginning to fruit. I will never forget that first time we saw cherries from France in the market - I was so excited!! (Before the cherries from France were in season you could still buy them every now and then at different markets, but they were from Spain. Buying produce from anywhere other than France is a big no no when living in a village - you are only allowed to buy locally produced goods, otherwise you are frowned upon by the locals - which we found out the hard way!!)

Upon getting home, I got the kids to work on pitting all the cherries - all 600 grams of them! Kian lasted about two handfuls (cherry juice stained handfuls at that!), but my little masterchef Kayla, sat there working her way through them all, making a little cut in each side so she could extract the pit. I'm sure she will enjoy the clafoutis all the more for it!

My two little helpers / masterchefs at work

CLAFOUTIS AUX CERISES

(CHERRY CLAFOUTIS)
Serves 4-6

Cherry clafoutis is a dessert (or breakfast /brunch) recipe that originates from the Limousin region of France which is just north east of here. We were driving through there just yesterday as we were exploring our local area of France so I wanted to cook this very yummy baked custard.

Sugaring the cherries before freezing them

Ingredients:

600g cherries - pitted - fresh is best but if you cant get fresh you can use canned/jarred

165g caster sugar

75g plain flour

salt, pinch

4 eggs

2 egg yolks

500ml milk, warmed

1 vanilla bean, seeds removed

60g butter, melted

1 lemon, zested

Method:

Sprinkle pitted cherries with 55g of the caster sugar, lay in a single layer on a baking sheet, or tray, cover with cling film and place in the freezer, for at least an hour, or till hard
Sift together remaining sugar, flour, and salt
In another bowl, whisk eggs and egg yolks
Heat milk gently then gradually add to eggs, whisking constantly to prevent scrambled eggs
Once eggs and milk are combined, add vanilla bean seeds and take off the heat
Combine wet and dry ingredients gradually, whisking till a smooth batter
Set aside for about 30 mins to come to room temperature
Whisk in metled butter and lemon zest
Grease your baking dish well. You will need either a shallow flan dish (6 cup capacity) or 6 x 250ml ramekin dishes.
Place cherries in your dishes
Pour batter on top of cherries
Place dish/es into a bain marie (a larger baking tray that your chosen baking dishes can fit into), fill the bain marie with boiling water half way up the sides of your clafoutis
Place in oven for about 20-25 mins for individual or 40 mins for a large one - it is ready when the top of the pudding appears to be just set (A little tip is to actually place the dishes inside the larger roasting pan first, then put this in the oven, then pour the boiling water into it to form the bain marie - this way you prevent burning yourself with the boiling water whilst placing the dish into the oven - just do it as quickly as possible so as not to lose too much heat form the pre heated oven)
Serve warm with cream or ice cream

And for our main course...

In France, it really is a true nose to tail experience - the chickens are sold with heads and feet intact, the rabbits are sold with heads and tails intact! The look of the beady little eyes sticking out at me was a little bit much for me(so I left it off the below photo), I have to admit, but that is after all how the rabbit comes!

LAPIN A LA COCOTTE

(RABBIT CASSEROLE)
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 rabbit - chopped into 8 pieces

3 slices bacon - cut into lardons

2 onions - chopped

4 garlic cloves - minced

3 carrots - chopped in large dice

1 leek - chopped in large dice
1 large cepe mushroom (this is totally optional - we just came across our first one at the market this morning so had to add this baby in!)

3 tblsp flour

250 ml red wine

250ml chicken stock

3 bay leaves

1 tbsp rosemary

1 tbsp thyme

Method:

Fry lardons till browned and crispy
Add onion and garlic, cook till translucent
Add carrot, leeks and cepe (optional), cook till slightly caramelised, remove all veg from pot
Add rabbit - add a little oil if pan is too dry, stir, browning rabbit on all sides
Sprinkle with flour and cook for a few more minutes
Pour in red wine and stock, bring to boil then turn down to simmer
Add all veg back into the pot along with herbs
Cover with lid and place in 180 degree oven for about 1.5 hours or until the rabbit is deliciously tender
Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and green peas

The cepe

The mixture of veg and lardons before adding the rabbit

Our finished feast

Hope you enjoyed this little winter warmer from the summer of France on a not so hot day here, but I'm sure it's very appropriate for most of my Melbourne readers!!

Salut!

Kim xoxo

A gout de Averyon...

2013-06-15T05:07:00.000+10:00

A taste of Averyon (a department in France) was exactly what I got for my 39th birthday!

Bras Restaurant in Laguiole - dinner

We started off with a 2 hour drive from Belvès to a village called Belcastel (a commune of Averyon) where an unsuspecting 29 euro a head lunch was awaiting us at a one Michelin star restaurant - Du Viewx Pont.

As we entered the village, we were struck by the beauty of it, which was only surpassed when we entered the dining room to find our view out the window was the spectacular bridge that passed over the Averyon river that ran through the village.

The children entered the restaurant and immediately noticed they were the only kids there, although much to their pleasure, there were several dogs in the immaculate dining room, as is usually the case in France!
Our lunch started with some beautiful champagne, and then the courses began. What was advertised as a 4 course meal for 29 euros, turned out to be a 7 course extravaganza! The value that this restaurant offers with this menu is incredible. So much so, that a couple that was dining in the restaurant that we spoke to after lunch, bought a house in the area after their first dining experience here 18 years ago. Luckily, since that time, the food quality has remained consistent the many times they have eaten here!

Also luckily, the real estate agent was closed for the day!

Our meal started with a little amuse bouche (appetiser) of fried fromage triangles, a small omelette roll and some foie gras mousse with mango, then a warm carrot soup with an avocado cream on top.

Warm carrot soup with avocado cream

The first of our 'real' courses came next - asperges de pays, citron et avocat, crumble pain et noix (a salad of asparagus with a lemon sabayon, avocado ice cream and walnut bread crumbs). The fresh flowers that topped this and the presentation of this delicate dish were amazing.

Next was main course, cabillaud étuvé au four, mousseline de cèleri-rave, coulis de herbs (steamed cod, mashed celery root, herbs sauce) which was beautiful. It was served with blette (chard) which I have grown a very strong fondness for since buying some from the market in Pernes-les-Fontaines with my French neighbour. And I have to say, the pureed potatoes that were served with it were amazing. I had never had potatoes quite like it and later in the day, at dinner, I found out that they are a speciality of the region Aubrac called aligot - pureed potatoes with lots of cheese melted through it...OMG - delish!!! I don't think I will ever be able to have normal mash potato again!

Next came a small palette cleanser of strawberries and cherries in syrup with a mint granita and then it was time for dessert...Tarte feuilletée aux fraises, creme vanille gingembre, pulpe de rhubarbe, creme glacee amande (puff pastry with strawberries, cream vanilla ginger, rhubarb pulp, almond ice cream) - and mine came with some extra special fairy floss and a little birthday candle for me to blow out! The contrast between the strawberries and the rhubarb was a perfect compliment and the almond ice cream was out of this world. Finishing off with some café and petit fours of macarons and nut caramels and I couldn't believe I still had a degustation dinner to go to tonight!!

The occasional dog bark was a little off putting in such a restaurant, but in saying that, that is just the way things are done in France - I'm not sure the kids would have been looked upon favourably if they had made the noise but...c'est la vie!

We were actually complimented by several of the other patrons on the behaviour of the kids and the fact that they had eaten the food that we had - their menu was exactly the same as ours, just sightly smaller portions - and theirs was only 16 euros!! Obviously the money in this restaurant is not made from these lunch time menus, but rather the a-la-carte menu and the wine menu!!

After lunch, a little walk along the river before jumping back into the car and heading north east for our chambre d'hôte for the evening where we were meeting up with our friends Pascale and Didier, whom you've met at a couple of earlier blog posts.

Our chambre d'hôte - Le Mas de Rigoulac - was beautiful. It was about 10kms from Laguiole where we had our dinner reservation at Bras - a three Michelin star restaurant and rated number 69 in the world!

Upon arriving at Rigoulac, we were greeted by our hosts Gille and Domonique and their beautiful Australian sheep dog. Pascale and Didier had arrived about half an hour earlier and they were already talking like old friends! The chambre d'hôte was also set up as a day spa as Gille was an osteopath and he ran his business from his home.

Le Mas de Rigoulac

We began the afternoon by having a spa, and although reluctant to let the children in to begin with, Gille changed his mind and said they could go in as long as they behaved. Thankfully, they did and after a couple of minutes the kids had him wrapped around their little fingers and he was giving them both foot massages and bringing them glasses of juice in the spa! The rest of us shared a bottle of wine, but no foot massage was forthcoming for us! :-)

It was soon time to get ready for dinner. The children were a little nervous about staying at the house with their French baby sitter, Bridgette, and Gille and Dominique, but their anxiety was soon abated when Dominique said she had some fraise (strawberries) and chocolate mousse for dessert! Upon getting home, Kayla and Kian were only too excited to tell me about their "awesome" night - they got to take the dog for a walk and feed the donkeys on the farm!

As for us, our dinner experience was spectacular! I'm not even sure where to start...

Bras is an absolutely majestic looking building with the back drop of the Averyon, its valley's and its spectacular landscape brought into the restaurant with its walls of windows that highlight the beauty of the area.

Pascale and I at the beginning of the evening - restaurant a little empty now, we were the first there and surprise, surprise; the last to leave!

Didier and I watching the sun setting

As we entered the restaurant, we were invited by our waiter to view the workings of the cuisine (kitchen)! I thought I may have died and gone to heaven - as we walked in to see the kitchen in full operation for a pre service mise en place. We were told that there are 25 chefs in total working in the kitchen and explained the different sections of the kitchen, the boulangerie (bakery), the patisserie (pastry), the viande (meat) section and the flower and herb section! Although I have been in many large commercial and operational kitchens, the knowledge that we were standing in a three Michelin star kitchen was quite awe inspiring!

Didier explained to our waiter that his friends (that was us!) had come all the way from Australia and would just love to meet Sèbastien Bras, the man in charge! Interrupting his dinner was not something I had in mind, but he graciously came out and met with us. Explaining his brigade of chefs and bringing over one of his other chefs, Anna, from New Zealand, as she had worked in Quay in Sydney (one of Australia's top restaurants) for 4 years before coming here. She explained that this had been a dream of hers for many years and the few months she had been here so far had met every expectation she ever had.

So after a couple of piccies, we left the kitchen to the busy task of getting ready for a full restaurant of about 80 guests. We were taken to our seats - window seats, as the majority of the restaurant is and were presented with the menus and the bible that was the wine menu!

The plate ware was an unusual design, but when seen together with all of the courses, it made up a flower with all of the layers of petals

To try and put words to the evening is a difficult task. The food was simply amazing, the fine details, from the blending of flavours, to the contrast of other flavours, the tastes complimenting each other and in other cases meant to shock and enliven your palette...it would have to be, without a doubt, one of the best food experiences I had ever had. Michael and I usually sit through a meal like this, really examining every part of the meal, talking about everything from the presentation, to the ingredients used and the style in which they are used. Unfortunately, one of the hazards of working in the hospitality industry, is that often, instead of just being able to enjoy an experience for what it is, you tend to critique every aspect of it. However, with Pascale and Didier, this was a bit different. Along with the different languages and very different life experiences, the four of us laughed a lot and drank a fair bit too!

Coque Mouillettes - the simple pleasures of life - otherwise known as eggs with soldiers, but Oh so different...

Beef consommé with olive oil foam, with pickled mackerel and fresh herbs

aujourd'hui "classique" - le gargouillou de jeunes légumes; graines et herbes, lait de poule aux graines
Young vegetables with grains, herbs and eggnogg

Le saumon sauvage juste étuvé, tendre; jeune fenouil de notre jardin, pâte de capucine et les basilics parfumés
Wild salmon, baked till tender, young fennel from our garden, baby chanterelles and basil

Le foie gras de canard grillé, rafraîchi de radis; ciboule saint jacques & orange; chou-moutarde & gomasio/noisettes
Fois gras with fresh radish, onion and hazelnuts

Le chou farci grillé/gratiné aux truffes de Compregnac; parfum d'olive et pimprenelle sanguisorba minor
Stuffed cabbage with truffles

Le carré d'agneau Allaiton rôti sur os & des carottes confites en croûte de sel; cerfeuil musqué & sucrosité de badiane
Roasted lamb rib with carrots and musk chervil and sweet star anise

Aligot - served by our waiter - pureed potato with melted cheese

The fromage trolley

Roquefort, St. Nectaire and Fourme D'Ambert

My birthday cake of spun sugar with rose petals

Le biscuit tiède à la pulpe d'abricot; miel/citron & crème glacée à la reine-des-près
Biscuit shell with warm apricot pulp, honey and lemon ice cream

Les cerises burlat & une crème à l'olive noire; crème glacée à l'huile d'olive & parfum d'orange
Cherries stuffed with black olive mousse, served with olive oil and orange ice cream

Scented teas with mint seeds

By the end of the evening several things were achieved:

we had made a date for our friends to come and visit us in Belvès;
we had a spot to stop for lunch on our drive from Barcelona to Cannes in about a month that had very strong memories for Didier as it was near a village that his mother and grandmother were born and he had been to this "fish market come restaurant" many times and explained that the atmosphere was something that could not be missed;
we had a final dinner planned for October for just before we leave France and for Pascale's birthday in Paris; and
we had enjoyed the most amazing meal ever with some beautiful people that had travelled over four hours in the car to spend this very special night with us. (Oh, and we were very, very full!!)

After breakfast the following day we headed into Laguiole and back to Bras to show the kids the restaurant. We also wanted to buy a couple of moments...hopefully we can recreate some of the fabulous dishes that we tried!!

What can I possibly do for my 40th next year?! Any suggestions?

Bisous,

Kim

xoxo

A classic French dish from the time of Napoleon III

2013-06-12T05:51:00.000+10:00

The Pommes Anna, doesn't really need a recipe to explain it - it is potatoes, salt and pepper and butter...and lots of it!

But the method of cooking it is a tradition that has to be followed if you are going to do it correctly.

It originated in the time of Napoleon III and according to Julia Child's - Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the "Anna" it was named after could have been any number of "Anna's" of the time - most likely Anna Damiens (Dame Judic) or Anna Deslions.
The chef that created the dish originally, Adolph Dugléré, was the head chef of Cafe Anglais - one of the leading Parisienne restaurants of the 19th Century.
It was originally cooked in a vessel called "la cocotte a pommes Anna" which are still produced to this day in France...and I am in search of one at every brocante and vide grenier that we go to!! For now we will have to do with a photo of one from a catalogue...

POMMES ANNA
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1kg potatoes - waxy, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt
Pepper
225g butter, melted, clarified (if you feel like it)

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees
Rinse sliced potatoes under water till water runs clear, dry on paper towel
Generously grease a round baking dish with butter (or individual ramekins)
Place potatoes in circular layers, over lapping as you go
Season each layer and brush generously with butter as you go also
Cover with a lid or foil and place in the oven for about an hour
Remove foil when potatoes are tender to crisp the top
Remove from oven, allow to cool a couple of minutes and depending on the dish you have used, you may like to slide it out onto a service platter.

Traditionally, when cooked in the cocotte de pommes Anna, you would flip it over every ten minutes or so to ensure an even crust all over, but unless you have one of those, it is a little difficult!!

Also, one other little point, if you are thinking that 1 kilo of potatoes is too much, Michael is a firm believer that there is never too much of this potato dish!

Bon apétit!

Kim

Chocolate fondant - rich, gooey and decadent

2013-05-31T07:43:00.001+10:00

The dessert of choice at the moment is by far the Chocolate Fondant. Every time we go out for lunch or dinner and it is on the menu, one of us has to try it to see how good it is, and then we can all have a spoonful. We had one at Le Bistro à Malices in Champlemy, one in Le Grand Monarque in Donzy, one in Sancerre (in a bistro that will remain nameless as I've forgotten the name of it! Oops!)...the list goes on and on so this afternoon the kids and I set about making some at home.

We used a recipe that I have used countless times before, and I know it has become a staple in many houses including that of my beautiful friend Louise, who pulls it out every now and then for a dinner party much to her husband Darren's delight!

It originally comes from a Gordon Ramsey recipe but don't be afraid of it because it comes from a well known "celebrity" (for want of a better word!) chef, it is super easy and the best bit is that it can be made in advance, even frozen, and then just put in the oven to cook for 10-17 minutes (depending on whether it's frozen or not) and voilà, you have an amazing restaurant quality dessert!

CHOCOLATE FONDANT

(makes 9 - the extra one is for taste testing!)

Ingredients:

50g butter, melted for brushing

cocoa powder, for dusting

200g good quality dark chocolate

200g butter

200g caster sugar

4 eggs

4 egg yolks

200g plain flour

Method:

Prepare ramekins - brush with melted butter, refrigerate for a few minutes (for butter to harden), brush again with melted butter, refrigerate, dust with cocoa powder to form a layer inside each ramekin
Melt the chocolate and butter together, this can be done over a double boiler or in the microwave, stir melted mixture together and leave to cool for about 5-10 minutes whilst preparing the remainder of the dessert
Beat sugar, eggs and egg yolks together until thick and pale - as pictured below
Sift in plain flour and beat together
Pour in the chocolate mixture in thirds, mixing well between each addition
Pour the mixture into your ramekins - it is ideal to use all the same sized ramekins so they cook at the same time - whilst here in France I find whatever I can - this batch is done in all shapes and sizes...Kian wants the biggest one of course!
From this point you can either chill your fondants or freeze them. To freeze, wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer for up to one month. To chill, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 mins (or longer)
Fondants are to be baked in an oven at 180 degrees, if chilled they will take between 10-12 mins, if frozen between 15 -17 mins. You know when they are ready when they form a bit of a crust on top and they start to come away from the side a little
Remove from oven and allow to sit for a minute before turning out
Run a knife along the outer edge of the ramekins and flip upside down onto your plate.

These can be served with cream, ice cream, a dusting of icing sugar or caramel sauce. Gordon suggests the caramel sauce but I am loving salted caramel at the moment so I added some salt to my caramel for a delicious result!

SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

Ingredients:

250g caster sugar

150ml cream

50g butter

couple of pinches good quality sea salt flakes

Method:

Place sugar and 4 tablespoons water into a heavy based frypan over low heat, stirring till melted - if it crystallises a little, persevere - mine did this and then after crystallising it started to melt properly and became the caramel, or you can add a little acid - either lemon juice or vinegar to reduce the risk of crystallisation
Once the sugar has melted, resist the temptation to stir any longer, you can swizzle the pan if you need to but allow the caramel to form a beautiful golden colour - this will take about 6-8 minutes
Take off the heat and stir in the butter and cream - be extremely careful when working with caramel as it is VERY hot!
Stir in the salt
Pour into a jug so it is easier to serve, allow to cool slightly before serving
Remainder can be stored in the fridge for about a week, if it lasts that long! Great over ice cream, pancakes, ice cream, pancakes...you get the hint!!

Bon Appétit!

Kim

Some recipes from Michelle - our neighbour in Provence

2013-05-24T04:58:00.000+10:00

When we were staying in Provence, in Pernes-les-Fontaine, our neighbours from across the road invited us to their home for apéritif one night. We were very excited about joining them as they were the first "French" friends we had made.

In the house lived three generations, the youngest of which, Batiste, was a 5 year old boy that became friends with Kian and Kayla after they sang happy birthday to him in French from our balcony looking over the fence that surrounded his backyard, he responded with happy birthday in English! They began playing together after that, even though communication revolved around the happy birthday song and hand gestures - but since when do you need to talk to each other to be able to understand and play together?!

I didn't get to meet Batistes parents but his grandparents and uncle also lived in the house. His grand parents, Michelle and Thierry, and his uncle Henri were the ones we shared this experience with.

I visited the Pernes-les-Fontaines Wednesday night market with Michelle one night, and then she invited us to join them the following night for apéritif at 6pm. So off we went, with a bottle of champagne and some chocolates in hand, and butterflies in our stomachs for our first French home experience!

Apéritif turned into an amazing spread of food, a four course scrumptious, but very relaxed dinner. Michelle has a passion for cooking not unlike my own. She loves to scour the markets for different foods, and particularly loves Indian cuisine, in fact, she loves everything Indian. Michelle and Thierry have been there 9 times, their house which from the outside looks like a typical Provencial 3 story home, is decorated inside as though you were in an Indian bazaar - it is truly beautiful and the contrast is striking.

We started with a capsicum pesto and fish rillette, served with mounds of crusty bread and some pappadums as well as some local muscat to drink. Next came a blette and epinard tarte (chard and spinach tart). Michelle had bought the blette at the night market the previous evening so she wanted to show me how to use it. It was beautiful - and the recipe was something that her mother, and her grandmother before her had passed down to her. Of course some beautiful fresh goats cheese was to follow and then dessert. We had some carrot cake that was once again a family recipe that hand been handed down the generations.

I lost count of the number of bottles of wine consumed but the funny thing was that the more consumed, the better our communication got! Michelle spoke a bit of English, we spoke a bit of French and we struggled through the rest of it with lots of laughter and hand movements. It was a fantastic night and we are looking forward to heading back to Pernes-les-Fontinaes in July and sharing another meal with our neighbours there!

I was lucky enough for Michelle to share a couple of her recipes with me, but as I haven't been able to get all of the ingredients I needed from the markets in Burgundy, it has taken me a while to make them. Today I decided to alter the recipes a little to suit what I could find in our market in Varzy this morning as I saw some beautiful poivrons rouge (red capsicums) and recalled the recipe.

Pesto de Poivrons (Capsicum pesto)

Ingredients:

3 capsicums

2 cloves garlic

1 cup almonds

1 tablespoon fresh coriander (I had to substitute this with parsley - no coriander in Burgundy)

salt

pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (I couldn't find this either so I added a small spoon of caster sugar)

3 tablespoons bread crumbs (fresh breadcrumbs are best if you can)

juice of 1 lemon

Method:

Grill capsicums to blister skin, cool, remove skin, seeds and membranes
Combine capsicums and garlic in a food processor - blitz till smooth - remove from processor
Toast almonds till fragrant
Combine almonds and all other ingredients in the processor - blitz till all ingredients are thoroughly minced
Add the capsicum to the almond mixture to form the pesto
Serve with crusty baguette

Gateaux au Carottes (Carrot cake)

Ingredients:

120g almond meal

3 eggs

150g caster sugar

80g potato flour

40g rice flour

(I couldn't get potato or rice flour so I used regular flour)

10g baking powder

300g carrots, grated

1 orange, zested

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

30ml sunflower oil

Method:

Toast the almond meal until slightly coloured
Beat the eggs with the sugar until pale
Add flours and baking powder, along with almond meal
Mix till combined
Add the grated carrots, orange zest, cinnamon and sunflower oil
Mix till well combined
Pour into a greased loaf tin, bake in oven at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes
Cool in tin for a few minutes, then remove and slice. Spread with some butter if you like

I'm hoping to get Michelle's recipe for the Blette and Epinard Tarte so I can attempt that one too!

I hope my alterations to the recipes are ok with you Michelle, the result may not have been quite as good as the original, but they were still beautiful!

Thank you Michelle for sharing!!

Bon Appétit!!

Kim

A day in our life...with our friends from FIAAC

2013-05-21T23:38:00.005+10:00

Leading on from my last blog post, a couple of days following our FIAAC days experiences I sent an email to Pascale and Didier, and also to Evelyne and Pierre. I wanted to let them know that chance meetings like this are a rare and special part of our journey. I also wrote in the email that I'd love to reciprocate the hospitality that they showed us on the day of the FIAAC, but I understood that we were over an hour away from them so that may not be the easiest thing to achieve.

To my great surprise, I received an email back from Pascale, accepting my invitation and they would be at our house two days later for lunch, 1pm they would arrive! I was beside myself with excitement, and a little terror - excited to enjoy another experience with some French people, and terror for a couple of reasons, firstly, we had to cook for French people that we didn't know very well, and secondly, I hoped that the conversation would flow easily enough throughout lunch not to be awkward.

Well, I needn't have worried. Pascale and Didier arrived at 1pm and we didn't farewell them until 7pm! Let me share some of the days experiences.

It started the day before, we had planned our menu and headed off to the market in Sancerre. We had visited Sancerre a couple of times already but hadn't been to the market yet. I assumed it would be a fairly large market as Sancerre is a reasonable sized village, with a lot of tourism due to the popular Sancerre wine. We drove the hour to get there, only to find no market on - I think our booklet of what days the markets are on may be a little outdated!

Bugger! What were we to do. We really wanted to do a sous vide salmon, and needed to buy some spectacularly fresh salmon to do this. We had spotted some at the market in Cosne-cours-sur-Loire the week previous so we'd had our fingers crossed. It was nearing midday so we needed to change our plans quickly as we headed to the only fresh fruit and veg shop that we knew of that was in Cosne-cours-sur-Loire. As most people here buy their produce at the weekly markets, the quality of the produce in the supermarkets is not very good and also doesn't offer a lot of choice.

We arrived at the fruit and veg shop just on midday, so just before it closed for its two hour lunch break. I found everything we needed and the owner of the shop gave me some clear directions on how I should cook the Morilles (a type of mushroom) I had bought and also some fresh herbs that she threw in that she said I need to use with the tomatoes I had purchased.

We headed home to Varzy and visited our local boucherie (butcher) to get our lamb. We had changed the salmon sous vide to a pistachio and mint crusted lamb loin - trying to explain which cut of meat I wanted to the butcher was a little difficult and got several laughs from the others waiting in the shop as I gesticulated to the butcher as to which part of the animal I wanted.

We started the following morning preparing the meal. Main course was to be the pistachio and mint crusted lamb loin on a pea puree (this has turned into our favourite side since having it at the 3 Michelin starred Maison Lameloise), accompanied with pomme Anna (a French gratin of potatoes and butter) and a green salad with our truffle mayonnaise as a dressing. For dessert, I was making an apple tarte tatin with vanilla cream. Of course, before dessert we would have cheese, as is the French way, we had some truffle brie, some crottins de chavignol frais (fresh goats cheese from Chavignol), some fourmè d'ambert, and some Livorot. And of course, lots of baguette and wine!

(For those after recipes for the dishes...they will be coming in following posts!)

As soon as Pascale and Didier arrived, any feelings of anxiety disappeared. Conversation flowed easily and everyone was very comfortable. We took aperitif upstairs in the music room, a bottle of champagne of course and we were all set. We sat down to lunch at close to two o'clock and we all tucked in. The kids devoured their meals quickly as they were starving and they went off to play. The four of us sat around the table talking and joking about many things from the French "Chin" way of speaking, to bringing a FIAAC festival to Melbourne, to places in France that we still wanted to see, or that we had already seen.

At some point of the conversation it was decided that we would all meet up again when we went to our next house in Belves, in the Dordogne. We booked a table for a special dinner at Bras - another Michelin starred restaurant that they had also wanted to go to but had never gotten around to. The restaurant is about 2 hours away from Belves, in Laguiole (famous for their beautiful knives - of which we have several but are planning on buying a set of steak knives when we visit there) so we have also booked a nights accommodation there and a babysitter for the night for the kids. We are very much looking forward to welcoming Pascale and Didier to our house in Belves for a night before, and then heading to Laguiole for my birthday dinner!

By this stage we had all eaten (and drank) a little too much so we went for a promenade (stroll) around our village. It was great looking at it through the eyes of a French person - they pointed out little signs and markings of people that had lived in this sleepy little village when it was lot more alive - things that miss our eyes as we do not quite understand the life here. We also visited our local Église (church) - Église Saint Pierre, which was quite amazing, and Pascale told us of the death by guillotine of Saint Eugenie, now we have to decide whether we rename our bread cutter - we had already named her Josephine...

It was now nearly 7pm and Pascale and Didier were about to head off. We were out farewelling them in the car park in Centre Ville (the streets are so narrow and winding here that most people park in the centre of the village and then just walk to their houses) when I spotted some girls getting out of their cars, dressed for what looked like a yoga class or gym class of some kind. We waved goodbye to Pascale and Didier with promises of seeing them soon in Belves and I headed over to one of the girls entering the town hall. I asked in my poor French if they were exercising or doing yoga. She explained that they were about to start doing Zumba, I asked if I could join and they said "oui, pas de problème" - (yes, no problem).

I ran back to our house, got changed and ran back and joined them for my first French Zumba class. One of the girls in the class spoke a little bit of English, and that was it. I laughed my way through it with them all and when "Love Shack" came on I did a little karaoke as we Zumba'd away. The class lasted for 1 hour and 45 minutes and by the end of it I had definitely sobered up! With promises of joining them again next week and for each week that I was here in Varzy, I said au revoir, headed home and collapsed in a heap!

What an amazing day!!

Au revoir!

(I was going to post the recipes now but Kayla wants to write a blog post too so it will have to wait for another day!)

Kim
xo

The FIAAC - the first instalment

2013-05-17T05:26:00.001+10:00

http://www.lesrdvdupf.org

On Friday 3rd May, we headed south west from Varzy towards Pouilly-sur-Loire for an Art and Wine show (the FIAAC) that we had seen advertised on a poster as we had been driving through the village the week previous. We didn't really know what to expect, but whatever it was, the day surpassed our expectations so much that it will go down as one of our great experiences of our trip.

As we approached Pouilly-sur-Loire, we realised it was market day! An unexpected surprise. A couple of pastries (the best tarte amande et poire - almond and pear tart - ever!!) and some beautiful warm baguettes straight from the wood fired oven later and we wandered towards the information centre for the beginning of the festival.

The ladies at the entrance to the exhibition were very excited that their festival had attracted a family all the way from Australia and as I was explaining that we had seen the signs advertising the festival and were interested in seeing a few of the vignerons and artists work, a man (Pierre) started talking to me in English, enquiring as to our trip in France, the how's, who's, where's and when's were all explained. He was also very excited to have some Aussies in his small village and almost immediately invited me to his house for apéritif! Well, it was almost 11am...surely it's time for some wine! Of course, always in for a bit of socialisation (and wine!), I accepted immediately, then I introduced him to Michael and the kids!

The brick laid by the original owners of the house in 1645.

He lived across the road in what appeared to be a normal looking village house from the street. It was not until we were behind the gates that we saw what can only be described as incredible! The gates opened up into a sort of common area, similar to a courtyard, it had three stables to the rear, a couple of large sheds as well as what looked like a couple of empty shop fronts to the right; and their house (mansion!) to the left. Behind the house was a large backyard, which, to begin with I thought may have been a public park...but no, it was all a part of their property. The kids enjoyed the swings whilst we had the tour inside.

Pierre led us inside, calling out to his wife, to let her know she had visitors! Michael and I kept looking at each other, relaying our feelings of - was this really happening? This man that has just met us across the road has invited us back to his house for aperitif, where he now has to explain to his wife where he has picked up these tourists from?! Very bizarre, but at the same time, for us, very, very exciting! Evelyne, Pierre's wife came out to graciously meet us and ask if we were staying for apéritif, as if he invited strangers back to the house everyday! When I asked him if this was normal for him, he said "No, it is not everyday that you get to meet an Australian!"...so maybe we were a bit of a novelty - whatever it was, we weren't complaining.

They showed us around their beautiful house, from the yards, to the stables, to their cave (wine cellar) which as all good caves are in France was underground and very chilly - a mere 12 degrees, he said that was good, then the wine was always ready to drink and no need for refrigeration. On the way down to his cave Pierre pointed out the brick pictured above - this was inscribed with the date that it was laid when the house was built - Avril (April) 16th, 1645 by Francoise and his wife Marie Petibon. The house had been inhabited by one of Napoleon's generals in the early 1800's and had been used as a retreat during battles.

In the cave of our lovely hosts - Pierre and Evélyne - impromptu apéritif at 11am - what a great space for a party!

We shared a bottle of the local Pouilly Fume that was accompanied with some beautiful truffle infused chevrè (goats cheese) from the area. The kids enjoyed some juice and biscuits - although they did stand back a little thinking this was all a little weird that they would go into some strangers house and mummy and daddy were now drinking a bottle of wine before lunch!

Some of the wine bottles in their cave

A very small selection of their collection

When we had almost finished the bottle of wine, with the kids getting a little restless, we went back inside their house to look at some of the artwork Evélyne had completed. She was a yoga instructor and an artist and their beautiful house had some of her artworks as well as many other trinkets they had collected on their travels. As we entered the kitchen I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. A double stove with a wood fired oven on one side and a gas oven on the other side. She could sense my excitement as she led me around her kitchen explaining her different knick knacks, I followed, trying hard not to drool! One thing she showed us, that we are on the look out for now, was a vinegar maker - you simply pour some wine into the top of the ceramic jar and after several weeks it turns to vinegar - Kian added the dregs of daddies wine glass to he jar!

The kitchen with the beautiful oven in the background

It was nearing 12.30 by this time and we thanked them profusely but said we must be on our way otherwise we would not see any of the FIAAC - the whole reason we were in Pouilly-sur-Loire that day!

We headed a little out of town, to Les Berthiers. Our plan was to do a few tastings out there and then head back into Pouilly-sur-Loire towards the end of the day. We soon realised though that some of the caves may be closed - as most of France does between midday and 2pm - that is time to eat after all, and lunch is the most important meal of the day! We thought we'd try our luck and landed at the door of Claude Michot's cave, as pictured below. We thought it was closed, and we were going to drive on, but luckily, Michael got out of the car to check and it was open. This was the beginning of our next great adventure for the day.

Claude Michot - the vigneron

Claude Michot's cave

We entered the cave and introduced ourselves to Claude (the vigneron) who has descended from a long line of wine making musicians. We also met Pascale Nectoux - the artist for this cave, who also just happened to be the President for the festival! She explained to us the idea behind the festival of getting the vignerons involved and then having a list of artists that they could choose from to exhibit within their cave. A marriage of the wine and art so to speak. She had been very excited that Claude had chosen her, explaining that as the President of the festival, she would have been embarrassed had she not been one of the chosen artists! As we stood talking to Claude and Pascale, Didier, Pascale's husband joined us. Pascale explained that we were from Australia and he mentioned he had heard that there were some Australians around...apparently word travels fast and our reputation was preceding us!!

Pascale Nectoux - the artist and the President of the FIAAC

It was nearing lunch time for the vigneron and the artist and they asked if we would like to join them! We politely said "only if it's not too much trouble" whilst inside I was secretly screaming for joy! We added our baguette that we had purchased from the boulangerie in Pouilly-sur-Loire this morning, as well as the little collection of fromage (cheese) that we tend to take along with us when we go out driving for the day. We also had some sauccisson and a mango to contribute to the lunch table. Didier went back out and bought another couple of plates of food and a feast was laid out.

We were joined by the vignerons daughter, who was studying to become a vigneron herself, (slowly the French are beginning to accept that women can make wines just as good as their grand fathers before them), as well as a couple of others, of whom I am still not sure what there connection to the artist or the vigneron was, but all of a sudden we were sitting at a table of French people sharing a meal with them, with everyone speaking what English they could, and us trying to speak what French we could! It was another fantastic experience to add to the day!

Once again, we had to excuse ourselves, explaining that we had come to Pouilly-sur-Loire that day to see the FIAAC and we hadn't gotten very far yet!

Didier, Pascale and Claude at the lunch table

After leaving Claude's cave we visited a couple of others.

Firstly, we went to Domaine Champeau where we tasted some fantastic local wines, and viewed some artwork by Cyrille Borgnet. I think though at this cave, we were still reeling a bit from our experiences of the day so far. We needed to come down a little!

Next on our agenda was Le Domaine Marchand in Les Loges. We arrived in Les Loges and found a house with a sign saying Marchand Cave Ouvert (Marchand cellar open). The door looked closed again but after our first visit, that we nearly drove straight past because we thought it was closed, we didn't want to just go past. Kayla was in the lead so she opened up the door, only to find we were standing in the lounge room of the vigneron, not actually in the cave! We apologised profusely and were led around the corner to the cave! It was a fourth generation winery, but the vigneron himself was not there - his mum and dad were though. They didn't speak a word of English but we managed to have a little chat with them, and they told us they'd get the artist, as she was having a little nap after lunch!

Clément Marchand - the vigneron

Out came Stéphanie Ludet, a Vietnamese born, French girl, that now lived in Peru! She had travelled back to France especially for the FIAAC and was really enjoying being here, but was also a little homesick for Peru. Her mother and father had been invited to the vignerons house to enjoy the first family meal they had shared in 4 years.

Stéphanie Ludet and the mother of the vigneron Clément Marchand

Our last cave for the day belonged to Patrice Bailly of Domaine Jean-Pierre Bailly. This was a young winemaker that had spent 12 months in Australia, working for Hardy's to teach them how to make a Pouilly Fume or Sauvignon Blanc, the French way. He had loved his time in Australia and said he would love to return but he had had to get back to his own vineyard! The artist that joined him was Evelyne Weisang, and her works hung in this cave (the actual cave had been donated by a friend of Patrice's for the event as the cave that is at the vineyard of Patrice was not appropriate - or pretty enough - for the event) making the scene quite majestic.

Patrice Bailly - Vigneron

Patrice Bailly cave

That was it for us! We headed home with very contented minds and bellies! The experiences we had on this day are ones that will last us a life time. Meeting some amazing French people that were all so welcoming, inviting and hospitable. It is funny that some people had said to us in our preparations for France, and it is a common misconception, that the average French person can come across rude, or arrogant even. I don't know if we are just not moving within those circles, but every person we have come across to date, whether they be in Paris, in a town or in the smallest of villages, are making this trip even more memorable than we thought it would ever be.

Au revoir for now!

Kim
xoxo

Truffle mayonnaise

2013-05-12T04:59:00.001+10:00

Following on from my quick, little post yesterday I am liking the "spontaneous post" - so here's another one from today's lunch.
In need of some mayo for our salad and we have just been to Dijon so have about 8 different types of mustards...mmm...which one to choose...let's go Truffle. Nothing better than home made mayonnaise. In fact, once you've had it, it is difficult to go back to the commercially made stuff, that really has little resemblance to this beautiful emulsion...and it really is not too difficult - just requires a little elbow grease.

Using the simple recipe that comes from one of the original French brothers - the Roux Brothers, Michel, this tasty little spread was made and devoured.

TRUFFLE MAYONNAISE

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks (fresh from this morning's market at Clamecy - fresh is best!)
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard - at home in Melbourne I would have gone for my Dijon mustard in the pantry, without giving much thought to the actual origin of it"Dijon" - today, I got to ponder over my selection of mustards that were purchased in Dijon from Maille just last week and choose the flavour I wanted! Crazy stuff!!
pinch of salt and pepper
250ml oil - I used walnut oil but you can use a variety of oils - try and use one that is not too strong in flavour or it will overpower the mayonnaise, for example, olive oil is too powerful, but macadamia nut oil works beautifully
1 tablespoon chardonnay vinegar - or other acidic component like lemon juice, or another type of vinegar.

Method:

Whisk together egg yolks with the mustard and salt and pepper
Gradually add in the oil in a slow steady stream, whisking furiously as you go
Once all of the oil is emulsified in the egg yolk whisk in the vinegar
Taste and season with salt and pepper
Depending on the oil and the mustard you have used, you may need to add a little more vinegar, salt or pepper.

(If standing whisking for about the ten minutes that this takes does not do it for you, then it is possible to do this in a processor, follow the same guidelines, but just using the processor instead, still add the oil in a steady stream whilst the blades are turning).

And lunch is complete!

Bon appétit!

Kim
xo

A guillotine for a baguette

2013-05-11T04:56:00.001+10:00

Since arriving in France nearly 7 weeks ago we have been ogling the traditional French Baguette Cutter. We saw one the first night we ate dinner in Le Marais, Paris at Les Philosoples - we sat down to delicious steak with Roquefort sauce which was accompanied by mountains of baguette which had been sliced unceremoniously on this "Guillotine" style cutter - and we wanted one for ourselves!

So, since then as we have been scouring Brocante markets and shops (trash and treasure, come op shop, come antique store) for them. We have seen a couple brand new but we really wanted one that told a story. Today we happened upon one as we drove through Autun, a town of about 15,000 people that is just over 100km's east of where we are living in Burgundy. We saw the Brocante as we drove into town and it had some of the antique tins in the window that I am loving collecting, so we parked the car and with the promise of a lemonade to the kids if we were allowed to go into just one more Brocante (for the day) we ventured inside.

After looking at the tins in the window we started our usual browse through the shop. This one was not over crowded with stuff like so many of them are, so I didn't feel too nervous walking through with the kids in tow. And there it was, sitting there on the bench - just the thing we were looking for...and isn't she beautiful??

She belonged to the boulangerie here in town and is believed to be between 50 and 60 years old - although the style of them dates back to the 18th century.

Looking forward to my first dinner party back home where she can sit in the centre of the table ready to execute the bread!

Bon appétit!!

Kim
xx

Our 3 Star Michelin experience - Maison Lameloise

2013-05-08T06:41:00.002+10:00

Petits pois & morilles
ètuvès au persil - langoustine croustillante - infusion de crustacès - jeunes pousses

In the middle of last year we confirmed our itinerary for France, based on the locations of the houses we were to rent for the six month stay here. At this time, we also looked at booking just a couple of major things...we looked at things like the Tour de France dates, the French Open dates and of course some of the restaurants that we wanted to try. We had a three Michelin star restaurant in mind that we really wanted to go to and it happened to be in Burgundy, which just happened to be where we would be staying when our 10th anniversary fell. Our planets were aligning!! They aligned even more perfectly when we found that the restaurant was part of a hotel (although the word 'hotel' doesn't quite seem to fit the 'chateau' that we found) that we could stay in; they had room for us in the restaurant - we were booking nearly 12 months in advance! - and we could organise a baby sitter through the hotel (even if she could only speak French) - it all seemed too perfect!!!

So on Saturday, we headed out nice and early, wanting to make the most of our weekend. We drove from our village of Varzy to a beautiful village called Chagny, where Maison Lameloise is situated. It is at the southern end of the Côte d'Or - the amazing route of the famous Burgundian wines. After we checked in we headed out to explore. It is just a hop, skip and a jump from the village of Beaune which is a delightful little town that houses Hôtel Dieu - "a palace for the poor" was a hospital that was built in the 1443 and by chance has a market on a Saturday morning! Yay!

So after strolling around the market, picking up a couple of truffles to take back home with us and a nice lunch in a small local restaurant, we headed back to our lodgings for the night, and to prepare the kids for the babysitter that didn't speak English!

A glass of champagne was definitely in order! Pizza from the local take away and the kids were happy...a nice relaxing bath for me and I was happy...choosing which wineries we were going to look at tomorrow and Michael was happy...not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Then it was time for dinner...where to begin...

We had aperitif in the bar first, of course some champagne...pink I think will be perfect... and a selection of bite sized morsels that let us know that we were in for a treat that night...they were all simply divine, but particularly the tartare was superb, as were the quail eggs - got to love that oozy yolk when it pops in your mouth, and the pea spheres with langoustine pictured last were an absolute taste explosion - it was a pea 'mousse' inside a slightly gelatinous shell which exploded when it hit your tongue...heaven is...and we hadn't even gotten into the restaurant yet!!

Pickled garlic, green olives and a salmon rilette with mini toasts

Popcorn crisps with escargot essence, quail eggs dusted in truffle, beef tartare and toasted baguette with saucisson and radish

Pea sphere with langoustine

Once inside the restaurant, there was a plethora of staff. Sometimes this can be a bit off putting, but not tonight. We knew who our waiter was, who our sommelier was and who was in charge of the small section we were in. The restaurant was full, as one would expect of a three Michelin star restaurant in Burgundy on a Saturday night, but it didn't feel busy, the atmosphere was one of sophistication and grace with small dining rooms within the restaurant.

So, for the menu.
Amuse bouche was a melange of mushrooms on a small disc of foie gras, on mushroom foam and served with a small meringue - such an interesting flavour and texture combination. The purpose of the amuse bouche is to amuse the mouth and this certainly did that!

This was followed by foie gras de canard. I must admit I'm a bit of a fan of foie gras. And when it's served with quinoa (a grain that I absolutely adore when I'm at home, but haven't seen since being in France), strawberries and artichokes, it is truly amazing.

Marble of foie gras with duck thigh confit, under a veil of red wine with juices, artichokes and acidulated strawberries and quinoa

Next on the menu was the fish course. We dined on Turbot with white and green asparagus with a mustard sabayon. The sabayon was so delicate in flavour that it just melted alongside the turbot, instead of overpowering it as I thought it would. The asparagus was presented so beautifully, the stems had been finely peeled as you can see in the below photo, which just added to the delicateness of this dish. Needless to say that by this course, I was actually ready to stop eating...but of course there was still more to come.

Turbot sauvage & couteau

The dish of the evening in both Michael and my opinion came next. It is pictured at the beginning of this post - Petits pois and morilles with langoustine. We have been looking for langoustines in every market we go to - and the only times we have seen it have been when we are not in the vicinity of a fridge in the immediate future so we have been unable to buy it. We were extremely pleased that it was featuring on tonights menu. The little pea discs to the side were a beautiful little touch that reminded me of an event I managed which used agar agar to set lots of different foods. If used correctly, you can't actually taste the agar agar, and I believe that is what was used here. The morilles (mushrooms) are absolutely sublime in flavour. I had never seen these fresh in a market before coming to France and now I am looking for them in every market! The langoustines themselves had crunchy 'rice bubbles' on top which completed the textural experience of this dish perfectly!

And finally for our last course before dessert was served. Agneau de lait des Pyrénées - ribs and saddle of lamb, caramelised garlic, fresh baby vegetables, a carrot puree and Japanese onion with black olive. Wow. This had a side of baby potatoes and sweetbreads to go with it but by this stage of the night, I was not going to waste the tiny amount of room I had left on potatoes, as next was going to be cheese and dessert...

We had spotted the cheese trolley making its way around the room and each time it passed by and we got a whiff of some of the stinky stuff on there, we got more excited! No photo of this one unfortunately, but you can see a selection of what we got in the next couple of photos. Everything from Comtè, to Epoisses (favourite cheese of the moment by a long shot!), chèvre frais (fresh goats), fourme d'Ambert, Roquefort, Livarot, camembert etc. etc. etc.

And then the procession of desserts came...not just the dessert that we had ordered but first palette cleanser, then a platter of tiny tastes, then our dessert, and then some petit fours! The kids loved the fact that they got to have petit fours before breakfast as mummy and daddy really couldn't fit them in!

Snow eggs with vanilla creme and a raspberry biscuit

our platter of miniatures

Michael had the pomme (apple) "tart" with mini donuts

And for me it was the salted caramel mousse with pear sorbet

Petit fours - donated to the kids! Enough is enough!!

Along with all of this food, we enjoyed wines to match, too many to name here, and to be honest, I can't remember them all! After all of this food we rolled ourselves upstairs and gladly went to bed! Breakfast was only a few hours away......

If it wasn't for the fact that the kids were super excited about going to the "fancy" restaurant for breakfast that we had been to for dinner, we really would have given it a miss. I felt like I was about to explode still but could hardly let the kids down. So down we went to the restaurant for petit dej. And it was all layed on once again. It was only a 'Continental Breakfast' - but look at the spread we received.

There was juice, fruit, yoghurt, chèvre frais, chocolate and pistachio bread, freshly sliced jambon, baguette, croissant, pain au chocolat, brioche, toast, pain au raison, confitures, poached eggs (for Kayla only!)...I don't want to eat for a week...but we are in Burgundy.... till next time...bon appétit! x

Anyone for truffles??

2013-05-02T05:35:00.000+10:00

Nine years ago when Michael and I were here and in Italy for a holiday we ate so much truffle we actually got sick of it...I know - hard to believe but we literally had truffle with our every meal; for breakfast we had truffle omelettes; for lunch we had truffle pizzas; and then for dinner we had truffle with whatever food we were eating!

But it has been nine years since we've had this beautiful fungus fresh and as soon as we saw it, we were on! Arguably, the best truffles in France are found in Winter. Around Christmas time they are supposed to be "purrrfect", but we will have to settle for Summer truffles, oh well...let's see how we go...

Following on from my last blog post, we were at the market in Gordes, when we came across the black fungus just sitting there waiting for us...it was so so ugly, yet so beautiful...

Yes, they may look like "balls of dirt" - according to Kayla, or "stones covered in sand" according to Kian, but these were little gems just waiting for the taking! At 1000 euros per kilo, needless to say we only bought a small amount, but that is all you need. (The 24g little jar pictured below was even too big for us, we bought a 10g truffe and that did the four of us just fine).

So, what were we going to do with it...we decided to make something that we thought would be a soft introduction to the flavour of truffle for the kids, and something that we had very fond memories of from our last trip, a truffle omelette. We'd also bought some beautiful fresh peas from the market that the kids were dying to shell so we added these to the omelettes too along with some prosciutto that we crisped up in the oven and some grated Comtè fromage.

With all of our ingredients ready, we told the kids they could make their own omelette up. If they didn't want to try the "ball of dirt" or "stone covered in sand" it didn't have to be cooked into their omelette, but we would just sprinkle a little on the edge so they could taste it, if they liked it, they could use more. They both decided to put a little bit in their omelettes, just to one side of it...just in case....

Well, what was the outcome?

Everyone loved it, and the remainder of the truffle that we had grated got sprinkled over the tops of the cooked omelettes by all of us!

10g of truffle later, our passion for truffles had been passed down to our kids - mission accomplished!

Now we look forward to heading back to Provence at the end of July for a truffle hunt that we have booked in for and to meet a truffle farmer - a friend of our lovely neighbours that we met in Pernes-les-Fontaine - although they have told us we really need to be here at Christmas time to experience the BEST a truffle can offer...maybe we will have to extend our holiday...although, I don't think our budget is going to allow for that...may mean another trip during the Winter time...

Till next time...

Bon appétit!!

Kim xo

Markets of Provence

2013-04-30T06:49:00.000+10:00

We sadly left Provence on Saturday...but happily made our way into Burgundy!

But I still have a few blog posts I really want to share with you all before we leave our journey through Provence, so I will try and shoot them all out over the next couple of days.

Today I want to share with you the joys of the markets in Provence. These are a total way of life here. The locals frequent them daily, they literally shop every day for their fresh meat and produce and the heart of each village can be seen and felt through the market(s) that are hosted there.

For us, this was one of our main purposes of coming to France, so each day we looked at which markets were on in our area and over the four weeks spent in Pernes-les-Fontaine, we made our way around to just about all of them.

Vaison-la-Romaine market - Tuesday morning

Vaison-la-Romaine - Tuesday morning

My favourite market of all (I think...) was in Vaison-la-Romaine. In this market I met and admired the character pictured above. He was amazing. I didn't catch his name, he didn't speak much English but we managed a conversation quite well, he started with..."J'ai un amis en australie - tu connaitre - Tina Arena!" (translated to - I have one friend in Australia, do you know Tina Arena?") - apparently this guy is friends of the father of Tina Arenas partner and Tina comes to this market regularly when she is in France! Who would have guessed - when he said he had a friend in Melbourne and maybe I'd know her, I nearly laughed!

Anyway, this was not the reason I loved this man - we stood and watched him at his craft for almost an hour - yes the kids grew bored after about 10 minutes, but I persisted, he lovingly pin boned his salmon that he was selling sous vide, he caressed it as he sliced his smoked salmon and he spoke of his method of cold smoking and then showed us the whole fish that he had in his chiller. It really was an awesome experience!

In Pernes itself we had two markets, Saturday morning was the main one and then a smaller producers market was held on Wednesday nights. I actually attended the last Wednesday night one with my neighbour which was great. Having someone that could speak fluently and explain to me some of the produce that was still foreign to me was fantastic!

These markets all offered an array of fresh produce. Of course, there was always the staples, fromage (cheese), saucisson (similar to salami), tomatoes, asperges (asparagus), fraise (strawberries), artichaut (artichokes), seafood galore, butchers etc. but there was also some more specialised items for sale depending on the area of the market...

Fromage - Carpentras - Friday morning

Fromage - Vaison-la-Romaine - Tuesday morning

enough of the cheese...what about some saucisson...

Saucisson - every market...every day...yum!

and what about some fresh veg....

Artichokes - Malaucene - Wednesday mornings

Amazing tomatoes! Gordes - Tuesday mornings - one of the best markets!

Only the fresh is on offer - love it! - L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue - Sunday mornings - one of the busiest markets in such a beautiful village

Vaison-la-Romaine - Tuesday mornings

and don't forget the strawberries... they have to be from Carpentras!

Carpentras - Friday mornings

and would you like your herbs fresh or dried?...

Bedoin - Monday mornings - another fave

Pernes-les-Fontaines - of course this was one of our faves too - it was 50m from our door step!

And the seafood...please can I cook?

Fresh off the boat on the harbour of Marseille - every morning

Vaison-la-Romaine - Tuesday morning

And anyone for meat? Would you like beef, lamb...or maybe cheval (horse)?

Vaison-la-Romaine - Tuesday morning

Pernes-les-Fontaines - Saturday morning

Something sweet?

Lavender honey from Gordes - Tuesday morning

Or something made from the bees that produced the honey?

Honey soap - Gordes Tuesday morning

Do you need something to carry everything you've just bought? Yes please!

Baskets - Cavaillon market - Monday morning

Or something to serve the food up that you are just about to make?

Locally made ceramics for sale - L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue - Sunday morning

Or maybe you are just after some amazing scenery...

Gordes market looking over Plateau de Vaucluse to the north - Tuesday mornings

Gordes market surrounded by amazing buildings to the east - Tuesday mornings

Whatever it is you are after, you can find it, or something better at these markets! If you are heading over to Provence though, make sure you check for dates in the local villages as we have been caught out a few times going to a village only to find they had changed their days - like in Rousillon, although, there is always something else to explore, see or do so its never a waste...

Kim

The dish that emanated from Nice - Ratatouille

2013-04-23T05:34:00.000+10:00

One of the main aims of our trips and definitely a highlight for me is to make the dishes that are traditional to each of the areas that we visit.

I have dreams about going into the markets, meeting up with locals and them sharing their recipes with me that got passed down through generations...yeah, I know...how am I going to do that in my broken French and why would they share their recipes with me...well, I'm still working on it and trust me as soon as I get a recipe straight from a locals mouth, it will be on here!

But, for now, you will have to put up with the recipes that I find, merge from several recipes, or that I translate from the couple of French cookbooks that I have purchased already whilst here (that shipping container of 'stuff' is getting bigger!)

Todays recipe is Ratatouille. This dish originated in Nice and is now known as one of the trademarks of Provence. I have always loved a good ratatouille, Michael not so much...but now that I have cooked it the traditional Provencial way it is a family winner - the kids are wolfing it down too. The secret is to cook all the vegies separately, so it's not one big mushed up stew, but rather, the flavours, both delicate and robust from each individual ingredient coming through in every mouthful.

Joël Robuchon, one of France's greatest chefs with, oh, just 28 Michelin stars under his belt...has said "The secret of a good ratatouille is to cook the vegetables separately so each will taste truly of itself"...and who am I to argue?

RATATOUILLE

Ingredients:

olive oil

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 red capsicum/pepper

1 yellow capsicum/pepper

2 eggplants/aubergines

2 zucchinis/courgettes

2 tomatoes

2 tbsp (or to taste) herbs de Provence (if you don't have access to herbs of Provence - use a mixture of dried basil, marjoram, thyme etc.)

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Prepare all vegetables and keep separated:

large dice onions
crush garlic
large dice (about 1cm) capsicums
large dice (about 1cm) aubergine (either skin on or removed - I have removed it as I know my little man wouldn't eat the skin and it doesn't interfere with the final meal) - salt the cubes in a strainer, leave for a few minutes, rinse, pat dry with paper towel
large dice (about 1cm) courgettes (skin left on otherwise it tends to fall apart)
halve tomatoes, then remove the seeds and juice - don't need to be too pedantic about this - large dice (about 1cm)

2. Heat olive oil and sauté onions and garlic for several minutes until softened

3. Add both colours of capsicums to the onions and continue to sauté until slightly caramelised and onions are becoming a bit jammy - about 5 -8 minutes - remove from pan

4. Add a splash more olive oil and add the eggplant in batches - just enough to cover the base of the pan. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes until one side starts to become brown, then flip them over. Resist the urge to stir them - letting them brown on the outside seals in the flavour and gives them a nice little crust. Remove from heat - add to the capsicum mixture

5. Reheat the pan with a touch more olive oil then add the courgettes. Sauté these for several minutes by themselves until they begin to brown. Once the are beginning to brown, add the chopped tomato and herbs de Provence, sauté a couple of minutes

6. Once the tomatoes begin to collapse a little (about 3-4 mins), add back in all of the other vegetables. Stir well to combine and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and more herbs if you choose.

Serves 4 - 6 (as a side)

This can be served as a side dish to meat, chicken or fish, or can be served as a meal by itself.

We ate it with some grilled chicken breast and roasted potatoes, then the next day we had the leftovers cold, simply served with a crusty baguette for lunch. Delicious!

We only have one week to go now in Provence for this part of our trip before we move onto Burgundy! I wonder what culinary delights we will encounter there?!

Jusqu'à la prochaine fois...au revoir!

(Until next time...farewell!)

Kim

Confiture de Fraises...or Strawberry Jam!

2013-04-16T05:29:00.000+10:00

We have found ourselves in one of the best spots in the country for strawberries at exactly the right time of the season! How lucky are we?? Carpentras is a village about 7 km's from our current home in Pernes-les-Fontaines and they are both villages that are well known in Provence (and all of France for that matter!) for having amazing strawberries.

Everywhere you go there are plump, red, juicy, sweet strawberries being sold by the boxful...yes literally by the box full! They are sold in 3kg boxes and they are sooooo tempting, we just had to buy some from the Carpentras market last Friday. But with 3kg's of strawberries, I thought I'd better make some jam...well, there is another produce market tomorrow and I will need to buy some more fresh from there won't I??

Ingredients:

3kgs fresh strawberries (minus a couple as we had to taste test them on the way home from the market!)
1kg caster sugar
juice from 1 lemon

(This quantity made about 1.5kg's of jam)

Method:
This recipe really could not be simpler..there is no pectin (the setting agent usually used in jams) and you really can't go wrong with it.

1. Chop the strawberries up - remove the hull, chop into quarters

2. Put all of the strawberries into a large pot, add the sugar

3. Squeeze the juice from one lemon into the strawberries and heat it. Use a masher to break down the strawberries every now and again and just cook gently till all of the berries are broken down, glossy and "jammy" - takes about an hour, but you don't need to stir it constantly once the sugar is all melted, just make sure the heat isn't too high and it will basically do it all by itself

4. When the mixture is looking like jam, you can test it to see if it is ready. The trick to this is to put a small plate in the fridge to chill. Put a small spoonful of the jam onto the plate and put it back into the fridge for a minute. Remove from fridge and run your finger through the jam, if the jam holds the line (as pictured below) it is right. If it just runs back into the centre it will need a little longer. Place plate back in the fridge and try this test again in another few minutes. Once this holds your jam is ready!

5. Allow jam to cool whilst you sterilise your jars. This is not difficult and is a must if you want your jam to last - if you are not sure how to do this, I have a link here with instructions with 4 different methods - I simply wash them in hot soapy water, rinse them and then put them in the oven at 160 degrees for about half an hour.

Make sure you don't put boiling hot jam into cold jars or cold jam into hot jars!

Enough of the lessons...it's time to enjoy the jam!

Duck breast with asparagus and beurre blanc

2013-04-13T07:19:00.000+10:00

Since arriving in France I have had duck already about half a dozen times. I absolutely love it. Whether it be confit duck, terrine of duck, duck pate or duck breast, I'll have it however I can! My kids have also grown a love for it since being here so we decided to cook it up at home simply. Served with some white asparagus that we bought from the producers market on Wednesday night in our local village and a traditional French sauce - a beurre blanc.

Magret de canard aux asperges blanche, grillées pommes de terre et les carottes avec buerre blanc

Ingredients:

400 g potatoes
50g duck fat
Salt and pepper to taste

Duck breast - I used 2 breasts to feed the four of us but they were big ones - go for about 150-180g per person
Salt and pepper to taste

300 g carrots
300 g white asparagus

Method:

Potatoes

Peel and chop potatoes for roasting
Place in roasting tray with duck fat, season with salt and pepper and cook in oven till browned and crispy - about 60 mins

Duck

Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper
Place skin side down in a cold frying pan
Bring pan to medium-high heat - this will render the fat from the duck and make for a juicier and tastier breast
Cook for about 5-8 minutes, till skin is browned and crispy and the fat is rendered
Turn over and turn heat down to medium to continue to cook till breast is cooked medium rare - about another 10 minutes depending on size of breasts (this can also be done in the oven but we only have a little oven and our potatoes were in there!)
Make sure you don't overcook the duck and that you cover with foil and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before serving, this relaxes the meat and draws all the yummy juices back into it

Vegies

Prepare carrots by peeling them and then cutting in quarters lengthwise so they are about the same size as the asparagus (allowing for even cooking)
Prepare asparagus by snapping off the stalky ends
Place in a large pot of boiling water, bring water back to boil and remove veg once slightly tender - please don't over cook them!

Buerre Blanc

Ingredients:

60ml white wine vinegar

60ml dry white wine

1 or 2 eschallots

4 peppercorns

250g butter (cubed and chilled)

juice from one lemon (to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Combine vinegar and wine in a saucepan
Add finely diced eschallots and peppercorns
Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 5 mins till liquid is slightly reduced
Strain this mixture then return it to the saucepan
Remove butter from the fridge at the last minute
Add one cube of butter at a time whisking constantly until butter cube is melted and fully incorporated before adding the next. Don't rush this step, it feels like its taking forever but if you add the butter too quickly your sauce will split and you will have to start again - just be patient - it will take a good 10 mins to complete this step - but its worth it
Once all of the butter is incorporated, taste the sauce and add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

To serve:

Slice the duck breast up, serve alongside the potatoes.
Pour some of the buerre blanc over the top of the vegies and put the rest of it in a jug alongside so you can add more as you eat...delicious!!!

Enjoy!!

xo

French Apple Tart with Crème Anglaise

2013-04-13T06:23:00.001+10:00

In our local village of Pernes-les-Fontaines there is a large food and brocante marchè (trash and treasure market) every Saturday morning but they also have a mid week night market every mercredi soir (Wednesday night). This week we raced home from a touristy day out in Nîmes to get home in time for it to start at 6pm.

It was very different to the Saturday morning market, maybe 20 cars or vans had pulled up in the parking lot and opened their tailgates to sell the freshest produce you could possibly see. There wasn't a huge amount on offer, but what was there had literally been picked from their gardens that day. There was cheeses, breads, saucisson, lots of delicious strawberries, beautiful apples and loads of white asparagus. My next couple of blog posts will include what I did with the wonderful produce that I bought there!

Apples.
They were not your supermarket shiny and perfectly sized apples.
They still had leaves on them from the trees that they had been plucked from.
Some had a few blemishes, as nature intended.
On the whole they were absolutely perfect in every way as nature intended

So to make a traditional classic -

Pomme Tarte (Apple Tart) with Crème Anglaise

The kitchen in the house that we are renting here in Provence is quite well equipped. I have gone out and bought a couple of essentials like some scales and cup measures (Meryl - I will leave them at your Belves property when I return home to Australia for the next person to use!) but generally I will improvise as you will see in this post. I found a little flan dish, which was big enough to feed the four of us for dessert but this recipe makes enough to make a 20cm tart - feeds 6-8.

FRENCH APPLE TART

Ingredients:

Pastry
113g unsalted butter (softened)
50g caster sugar
1 egg (at room temperature)
195g plain flour
pinch salt

Apple Filling
6 apples
40g butter
100g caster sugar
zest from one lemon
ground cinnamon

Glaze
Apricot jam

Method:

Pastry

Beat butter till light and fluffy
Add sugar and continue to beat until pale and the sugar has dissolved
Add in the egg and beat until combined
Add flour and salt, mix until just combined - do not over mix. Mould into a ball then flatten into a disc. Cover in cling film and refrigerate for about an hour till chilled through. Whilst chilling, make the apple mixture.

Apple Filling

Peel, core and finely slice apples
Melt butter in a large pot, add sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon
Add apples - stir to coat making sure the sugar mixture doesn't catch on the bottom. Cook for about ten minutes or until the apples just begin to soften
Remove half of the apples and set aside to cool - these will be the apples that you use to place on the top of the tart
Return the remainder of the apples to the heat and continue to cook until they are all soft and squishy - you may need to add some water if this mixture gets too dry - it depends on the apples that you use as to how much water you will require. You don't want the mixture to be dry, but you also don't want it to be too wet. When this apple mixture has collapsed you can remove it form the heat - this will take about half an hour.

Back to the pastry

Remove the pastry form the fridge and roll it out with a rolling pin (or a bottle of wine - whatever you have on hand!)until it is about 5mm thick
Gently ease the pastry into the flan tin, ensuring that you have covered the base and sides - remove any excess pastry from the top edge and prick the base of the pastry with a fork all over
Cover this with cling film again and return to fridge to chill for about 20 mins. Whilst chilling, make the creme anglaise

CRÈME ANGLAISE

Ingredients:

6 eggs yolks(at room temperature)

65g caster sugar

2 vanilla beans (seeds removed)

500ml milk

Method:

Beat egg yolks and sugar together until light and fluffy
Add vanilla bean seeds and vanilla bean pods to the milk in a saucepan - bring nearly to the boil and then simmer gently for about 5 mins - allow to cool for a couple of minutes
Slowly add milk mixture (minus the vanilla pods) into the egg yolk and sugar mixture, beating constantly so as not to cook the egg yolks
Beat until mixture is all combined and then pour back into saucepan and return to a gently heat
Stirring constantly over a low heat until the mixture slightly thickens and it coats the back of the spoon - takes about 10 minutes - then pour into a jug and place in fridge till you are ready to use

Back to the Apple Tart....

The final stages...

Once the pastry has rested again in the fridge for about 20 minutes, it is time to blind bake the shell - this means simply to line it with baking paper, cover the base of the baking paper with rice and bake in the oven - bake at 205 degrees for 15-20 minutes, keep an eye that the edges do not begin to get too brown
Once the 20 minutes is up, remove the rice and the baking paper and fill the tart with the mashed apple evenly
The next step is all about the presentation, carefully lay out the apple slices that are just tender in a circular pattern over the top of the mashed apple
Bake in oven for a further 20 minutes
Remove from oven and whilst still hot, heat the apricot jam with a couple of tablespoons of water to make a glaze, brush this over the top of the pie and it is ready to serve!

Serve with Crème Anglaise (and Vanilla Bean ice cream!)

Enjoy!

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade

2013-04-07T05:45:00.000+10:00

But when life gives you vanilla beans....

Whilst visiting Malaucene Market earlier this week we stumbled across a stall selling a mountain of vanilla beans. They were divided into première (1st) and deuxième (2nd) classes but they were all so cheap in comparison to what we pay for them in Australia and they were beautiful, fresh and fragrant.

As I am not yet totally familiar with what the kitchen in my rental house is equipped with, but dying to get in there and do some baking, I decided on an easy but delicious Vanilla Seed Cookie. For those of you that have tried my Triple Choc Chip Cookie recipe that freezes really well, this is a similar recipe - make a huge batch of dough and roll it into logs, wrap it, freeze it and you have fresh baked cookies just minutes away whenever the need presents itself! (Bel, I know you will love this one too!)

VANILLA SEED COOKIES

 Ingredients:

2 x vanilla beans - split and seeds removed

250g butter - softened

1 cup caster sugar

1 egg

2 1/2 cups plain flour

 Method:

1. Combine vanilla bean seeds with butter and caster sugar beat till light and fluffy

2. Add egg, continue to beat till well combined

3. Sift in flour, stir to combine

4. To cook immediately - place small spoonfuls onto a lined baking sheet, (well spaced as they will spread) - bake for about 12 mins in a pre heated 180 degrees oven

5. If not using all of mixture immediately - roll into logs (about 20cm long) in baking paper, wrap in cling wrap and place in freezer. Will keep in freezer for about 3 months (as if it would ever last that long!) - when you want to use it, take it out of freezer, slice into about 1cm slices and cook as above - will take a couple of more minutes if cooking from frozen but you will get the same yummy taste!

Vanilla Seed Cookies with chocolat chaud! (Hot chocolate)

Enjoy!

PS. Don't throw out the empty vanilla pod - place it in your caster sugar container to make vanilla sugar.

Just when you thought you'd had enough chocolate...Easter in Paris!

2013-04-03T07:08:00.000+11:00

Spending Easter in Paris this year has been a real adventure! From the artistically painted chocolates, to the expertly decorated fish, there was so much chocolate on display you could hardly not try it?!

We visited the oldest chocolaterie...A La Mere De Famille...

A beautiful easter bunny from A La Mere De Famille

A La Mere De Famille - the oldest chocolaterie in Paris

A La Mere De Famille delights!

"Friture" - a traditional Easter treat which has come about due to an old "April Fool's" joke tradition - an April fool's joke in France is referred to as "un poisson d'avril" - direct translation - an April fish.

We also visited one of the more commercial institutions of Paris - Fauchon Paris - which as well as being a famous chocolaterie, has also become a fine epicerie with many lines of gourmet foods available.

Fauchon Paris is a haze of pink, with chocolates galore as well as macarons of every flavour and a range of exceptional ingredients.

My uncle suggested we visit Angelina whilst in Paris and shouted us an amazing afternoon tea whilst we were there - French champagne included (thanks Hendrikus!) - the best afternoon tea you can get! Angelina's dining room was opened in 1903 and works like a well oiled machine - the most amazing chocolat chaud blanc (white hot chocolate) you can get!

And my last place to talk about is Jacques Genin in the 3e. His chocolates were absolutely my favourite. (Unfortunately the glass in the shop was so highly polished most of the photos did not turn out great - I have included one below) - But really the taste of this chocolate could not be given justice in a blog post - you might just have to come yourself to try it out...

This is by Jaques Genin in the 3e.

And a few random choccie photos to finish off the post....

Joyeuses de paques a tout! (Happy Easter everyone!)

xo

A week in Paris could never be enough!

2013-04-02T07:43:00.000+11:00

It's been a week now since we landed in this fabulous country and we have had so many food adventures, I couldn't possibly write about them all in just one post, so this will be a summary of just a couple of them and over the coming days I will write about some of my other favourites - unless of course any of you reading this want to hear more straight away - then message me and let me know and I will fill you in on all the gory, gorgeous details!

During our week, we took part in two half day tours led by the beautiful Ute of Unique Taste Experiences in Paris . Ute led my family and I through some of the most amazing foodie spots in Paris. She had tailored our tour especially for us - keeping in mind we had a 5 year old and a 7 year old in tow so of course toilet stops had to be included as well as many patisserie, chocolaterie and boulangerie stops.

We visited Du Pain et des Idées (10e - 10th arrondissement) which was voted best boulangerie for 2012 with Christophe Vasseur as the "Super baker" as he introduced himself to us!

Christophe is famous for his bread that he is
now supplying to a lot of the best restaurants
in Paris

Outside his shopfront

Gontran Cherrier (18e) is giving Christophe a run for his money though as his artisan boulangerie is also amazing! This stop included sweet and savoury treats as we tucked into the simplest and most stunning baguette jambon....

Baguette jambon

Then on to the patisseries! We looked into the windows of many, and tried the wares of some but none could be outdone by Sébastien Gaudard (9e), with his artistic and beautiful sweet treats it was hard to choose between them but we forced ourselves!

Tarte au citron

Religieuse

The oldest patisserie was also visited - Stohrer has been operating since 1730!! Can you even imagine that?! This delightful pistachio and berry macaron was my daughters fave of all time! (It actually had a raspberry on top too but she got to it before Michael could photograph it so we replaced it with a wild strawberry from the tarte au fraise!)

Signing off now - I've just gotten hungry again...have you?

Amites,

Kim
xo

The beginning ......

2013-02-11T19:17:00.001+11:00

Nearly ten years ago, Michael and I were in France for my 30th birthday. It was then, as we ate a baguette et fromagè (baguette and cheese) and drank some amazing rouge vin (red wine) in an empty block of land in a suburb of Bordeaux that we decided we wanted to live and experience France "for real".

Now, nearly ten years later and with two kids to add to the mix, we are doing it! We'd love you to come on an adventure with us as we traverse through France, a little bit of Spain and wherever else the road may take us....