bleudauvergne

Dinner: I was just going to add the photo to the last post but I have to add the exchange that occurred at our house. I got home from work and made Toliver's high school lesson version after having slowly cooked the bacon which I sliced in chunks due to my laziness. The potato was grated raw and unpeeled in the moulinex, and I cooked according to directions except that I covered the pan for a moment in order to allow the potatoes to steam a bit. It tasted great but it wasn't crispy enough. Time comes to serve dinner and my husband comes in - I have said nothing. He asks - "in the mood for breakfast?" I said it's a good thing we live in France because nobody would ever know that these are breakfast foods in my home country. He laughed at me loud and hard. Too bad. We both loved the meal.

There was a time there when I was paying extra for a shot of winter wheat grass or something or other in my daily smoothie. Oh the 90s. Now back to oregano. I think I may have gotten some at the market, it was a pungent curly leaved mystery herb that I never did place. The leaves were stemming out in evenly spaced clumps, or buds. The fresh leaf tasted vaguely of lavendar. I let it dry and the dried product is a totally different animal, the lavendar flavor's completely gone, but its still got a nice strong pungent flavor. I threw it into meat braises. Could it have been some strain of oregano, I wonder?

(((((Cakewench)))))) I just want to chime in here that I know how you feel, and I hope that your comfort food lunch turned out just like you like it. I have two potatoes sitting in a basket at the house waiting for me (I had initially thought I might incorporate them into a soup) and after seeing this thread, in fact I'm thinking I might just prepare bacon egg and hash browns for dinner tonight. It's been literally years since I've had anything close to hash browns.

Lucy, I've rarely seen origano sold as fresh herb, like basil or parsley, and more often than not only because I had ordered it in advance from my greengrocer. On the other hand potted oregano plants are quite easy to find, so those who use it often grow it on their kitchen windowsill. What can be a problem is finding real oregano plants. Oregano is closely related to marjoram and there are many wild and cultivated varietals that, aroma-wise, land closer to one or the other. When you buy one of these plants in Italy plant the name on the shield should often be taken as a possibility of what it is, not as a guarantee . Slightly OT but herb-related: I was wondering if giving herbs off to customers as a gift is common where you live. In Naples it is pretty much the custom and I was a bit confused the first time I went shopping in Northern Italy, a few years back, and had to pay for my basil. I miss my greengrocer. . . ← You were quite luckyin Naples - as For Lyon the best you'll get is a few sprigs of parsley from the butcher if he is in a good mood. Otherwise, it's 80 centimes a bunch for any herb from the producers. I buy an enormous bouquet per week. As for Oregano - I somehow got it into my mind that this herb grew only in the wild and has not successfully been cultivated. Probably just another one of my romantic daydreams, although I read something like that somewhere... If you ever get a chance to snap a photo of what is offered at the market in dried form in Italy I would be very interested to take a look.

I would like to know if oregano is regularly sold fresh at the markets in Italy? I have never seen it in France, although we do use it here dried from time to time. I have always thought that it was an herb that is normally used only after having been dried due to certain qualities that only come out when it is dry.

I recommend Moby's pasta class, it is fabulous. You can incorporate herbs in the dough - I was making lots of whole wheat pasta using only whole wheat flour and whole semoulina. Recipe here for whole wheat pasta using basil

There's something very appealing about radicchio and also wilted wild chicory (not the frizeed type) at this time of year. You can incorporate boiled roots chopped in chunks, pork slivers, and a dressing incorporating black mustard grains.

Yes, that's what it means. There are some dishes that I always try to get to the table on the third day. Try it. Breathtaking Oxtail braise, Anna.

Try this spice mix (you can add about a teaspoon to one bowl of soup): Tablespoons: 3 Paprika 1/2 to 1 cayenne 1 ground black pepper 1 salt 1 dried garlic (different flavor from fresh) 1 herbs de provence 1 dried onion (optional) I also mix this with olive oil to make a paste and paint meats with it from time to time. You can season meats with it and the garnish the soup as well. Another thing I do is add things just before serving, bits of sausage or country ham which have been browned separately and then placed in the bowl with the soup ladled over it, for example, leftover meats you've well seasoned and placed on top, I recently caramelized leeks to top some soup which were quite delicious and I imagine good over potato. Fresh chopped herbs, before or after puree do wonders. Chives, for example.

Lets see, we served a Grand Cru Chablis with the octopus a la greque when Bux came to dinner.. This same wine went into a pate de fois de vollaile the day after. We also served one with the soup course at Thanksgiving dinner. I think though, that on a day when I wanted to just have a nice glass of wine, a glass of a very good Chablis would be right at the top of my list. I agree with ctgm that Chablis should be kept from oak. It covers all of the delicate flavors.

I attest to the greatness of Swisskaese's favorite choclate pound cake recipe! Delicious, dense, and chocolatey.

Well, its another friend's birthday. She appreciated this chocolate pound cake gussied up in three layers with a chocolate butter and cream ganache even though it was a bit lopsided.

These "feves" may be typical to Lyon, since in the south we see that they actually use a real bean in addition to the santon. Funny that you should mention breaking teeth. When we lived in L.A. we got our galette from a French bakery in Westwood. They asked us if we wanted them to put the feve inside or not. Huh? They explained that some people don't realize that there's a feve inside and might break a tooth and they don't want to get sued. I guess here in France there's not much risk of that since everyone knows it's inside. Here's some pics from last night's galette - The santon La voiture en bois - (the "feve" was a queen so that's filled out our collection to 5 of each.)

In my case, the first thing I'd do is smell and taste the duck fat direct with no intermediary of a potato. Small spoon of duckfat into mouth. I agree with fifi, fats can pick up odors unless well sealed.

I toss the feves and santons in a box on the mantle every year - just fished them out. Here they are for anyone who's curious. The little donkey, the cow, and the king were from our current boulanger (I love them best). The boats and I think the knight come from I think Bannette, it was a theme that year (we ate lots of galettes...) The mermaid is from Le Gribiche, a wonderful patissiere on Cours Lafayette in our old neighborhood. The "feves" are generally all the same - either a king or a queen. I don't remember where the rest came from. I completely agree! I should tell her. I think she was just thinking of something to add to the conversation - The ladies were saying they wish they hadn't started filling them. Ptit pois, when did they start filling them? Do you know?

I was discussing this with my boulanger the other day and he said the same thing. There is also another cake (no filling) that is quite popular among the galettes des rois purists which is more like a brioche, and is topped with candied fruit, yes? I wonder if this is an evolution of the aguignette, but round shaped, or something else. Some bakeries put both a feve and a little santon in the galette - the person who gets the feve is the person who buys the next galette and the little santon gets to be king. I love the filling - a colleague mentioned that she just could not take the rich fatty filling - so she replaces it with apple. To each her own...

Les Gens With recipe for Tartine Poilane-

Beautiful, Monica. You've fed my soul today.

I like the idea of incorporating wasabi into the seared tuna cream sauce.

I have used it in Tartiflette. I think its better than the ham normally used in my recipe.

It's a very easy way to identify American diners in French cafes and restaurants. Not necessarily holding the fork but the combination of the fork hold and the cutting, placing and switching. It is particularly American.

Although not a decade old, a Cantal is just wonderful as it gets up on 2 years. It takes on a transformation of flavor that you can only describe as multi-dimensional, a lot goes on. It develops a mellower tone and a creaminess while at the same time blooming on a sharpness as it finishes that is really transporting. While you're somersaulting out into the meaning of sharpness, at the same time you have that solid volcanic mountain base holding you steady and reassuring you that yes, this is the best Cantal you've ever had.

Between Christmas and New Years we went for a bouillabaisse at Pothuau in Hyeres. I can't say that the experience took me over the top as fine cuisine but that was not our expectation - it was really quite a nice way to while away an afternoon, and we were not dissapointed. Our expectations are simple: adequately rich and pleasantly seasoned soup, a good rouille, and a nice variety in the fish. The restaurant is located on the water, a little retro gem of a place, not fancy, wood panelling, cool service, wrinkled tablecloths, cheap serving spoons, but all of the details covered. Guests here dress casually. At lunch, they had a full house, and everyone was there for the same thing, except the children who got heaping plates of frites and other kiddie food. They take the order by the number of people in the party, and serve the fish and potatoes on a cork plank. The fish was literally dumped on the plank, and I had to hold back on my instinct to be the food stylist and arrange them before taking the photo (I took the photo as is). The larger tables had much more spectacularly heaped planks, as our party consisted of only three people. The soup was rich, hot, and well seasoned with saffron, garlic, and paprika. The soup was refilled once during the meal. We were happy with the variety of fish, which I took upon myself to carve up throughout the meal as my husband and his childhood friend had much to catch up on. This was a lesson in the anatomy of about 6 different kinds of fish, there was a total of 16 fish on the platter (there were some little ones which were delicious), plus mussels and an ample sprinkling of calmari. The bouillabaisse here does not normally feature crab or langouste. We slowly carved our way over the course of about 3 hours through all but one last slice of eel, which we left on the plank. There was no way we could have finished the potatoes. My favorites were the St. Pierre and the Rascasse. I made a list of the fish and will add it later. Preparation of the croutons involves rubbing the cloves of garlic over them, spreading with the rouille, and topping with a sprinkle of cheese. Our meal was accompanied by a very nice rose from the region. This bouillabaisse will put you back €40 a head plus wine. Restaurant Le Pothuau, port des salins 83400 Les Salins d'Hyères .04 94 66 40 37 (best to make a reservation one day out.)

Cake as a concept covers a lot of ground in my mind, because it's all tied up with people and friendships spanning many years. We only had cake on special occasions when I was growing up. The actual process of eating it is only a fraction of what I think of when I think - Cake. First there's the batter. The batter as it comes together is always very satisfying, mainly because home made cakes are so easy to prepare and the payoff is so high. Many people just adore it when you bake a cake just for them, it’s a very nice gift. I love the smell and taste of a vanilla flavored genoise just before it goes into the pans for baking. Greasing the pan is a task that was always my job as a child. I remember the pans of my mother's kitchen, we had one large rectangle that she used to make sheet cakes, the two round pans, and one small rectangular pan with a dent in one corner. The time that the bare cake comes out of the oven and is set to cool marks a low point in the process for me. It doesn't smell right until it is cool. A warm cake can't be decorated. I must do chores or otherwise occupy myself. I think of the times when I didn't have the patience to wait and either broke it into pieces in the process of taking it out of the pan or ruined a frosting job because it wasn't cool enough. The biggest and best part of cake is the decorating process. I love to do it, even if it turns out sloppy - it's the part with the most heart. I love to experiment with fillings and icings, I love to add the last details, pipe things, think of the best fillings, nuts, berries, caramel or chocolate layers, fillings incorporating preserves, cream (not too much cream), etc. My absolute favorite part is the last step when I mix up a little batch of royal icing, color it a persons favorite color, and pipe their name on the cake. I don't like cakes that are too sweet, and have adjusted a recipe to suit our tastes. At my house, the frosting must be made with real ingredients, no shortening. We use Julia Child's creme au buerre anglaise incorporating kirsch. Audes' birthday cake: 4 eggs 1 1/2 t. vanilla 125 g. cane sugar 1/2 t. salt 40. g. butter 125 g. cake flour in U.S., type 55 in France 1 t. baking powder (optional) (I say this because I once used self rising flour by accident and it turned out fine - the above cake does not incorporate rising agents other than the egg) Prepare the pan, measure all ingredients, melt butter, preheat oven to 350F/180C. Beat the eggs and sugar at high speed until it turns a pale yellow and gets nice and thick and yummy. Once the sugar mixture is thick, quickly fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture which has been sprinkled over the top. add 1/2 of the butter, then another 1/3 of the flour, then butter and end with flour. Bake 30 minutes in a round pan. When cool, slice it through the middle to make 2 layers. *imho, The best accompaniment to a wedge of chocolate cake at midnight is a large glass of cold whole milk.

For recipes where you cook them for longer periods, one thing you might try is the braising method which begins on the stove and then after more liquid is added goes into the oven, for an overall longer cooking time. Check out Julia Child's method in her first volume of Mastering the Art. You could replace leeks by the topinambour (French name for Jerusalem Artichokes). At my house, sorry to say, we just don't eat them after one particularly bad experience, although I do like to take pictures of them.