bleudauvergne

Wow it looks wonderful.

Ah, yes. One sound that is very satisfying is the sound of teeth clicking together while chewing. If you obscessively chew long enough it does happen.

What makes a good sausage? Fat content (%)? Kinds of fat? Very good casings information, and descriptves, I'm appreciating this. Unsalted So far I've seen duck, all manner of poultry, pork, lobster and scallop... Hmmm... My defenses are melting, melting... Peter, oh please yes do share your spice mixture with us, fingertips and handfuls included, and could you also mention how much of this you use by the kilo or pound of meat?

This reminds me of a time in my earlier days here when I met an American waiter here, in a French cafe. The waiter who took my order noticed I was American (I ordered scrambled eggs and hot cocoa at 10 am - dead giveaway) and sent the American waiter to talk to me. I was a bit offended at first, because I spoke perfect restaurant French at the time, wondering why they felt the need to send the rookie American waiter to me, but then I just thought it was nice that they thought of me, after all. The waiter had been on the job for a couple of weeks. I would have thought he was French from the way he held himself in general as he waited on the other tables though. When he spoke to me, however, it became obvious at once that he had extensive experience in a chain type environment in the States. He squarely put both hands on the back of the chair, maintained direct eye contact, put one foot forward and leaned, like he was doing a stretch in a casual kind of way, bending down closer to my level, and the cloth that was draped over his arm got over the chair in front of him in a perfectly natural but completely out of place attempt to look like he was my friend. At a glance I could tell immediately that the other waiters were completely disturbed by what this guy did. They were looking at him like some kind of specimen. He stuck it out though, over time, and I admired his perserverence to really get the French waiter thing down because it is so completely formal here. Kneeling at the table - I think this may be chain behavior. If he's holding a ukaleili I guess that's alright.

This thread reminds me of certain sausages I miss from home, a sausage with fennel that my sister's mother-in-law used to make... It looks like a nice idea. Nullomodo, there must be some relatively lo-tech methods for stuffing them, what did people do before kitchen aid? I saw somewhere a device where they fill a tube upon which they have affixed the casing, and then plunge it down, forcing the meat inside. I have no doubt that you could rig something like this up with a wide funnel extended with a pipe of some kind. I have found that even the most trying tasks become much easier once you've got a system going. I may be simplifying things too much, though.

I agree it depends on the international context. In China it was considered an insult not to toast to a new contract or even our business relationship with the customers, several times. Ah the wonderful feeling of sickness after charming them into opening the letter of credit to our specs...

What? How many times must we repeat that eating with all five senses is not exclusive to the French? The article starts with: Let me try to envision this. Picture yourself in an Airport. Ooops, having trouble with the idea of anyone eating with pleasure in this scenario. Except once my (French) husband enjoyed a krispy cream donut at the airport in New Jersey. I'm sorry but even French airports have crappy food....

I will look to this thread for inspiration in the weeks to come, I plan to hold out until it is absolutely inevitable.

I did that once, it should be alright.

I grew up in a large family where our parents' hopes for our behavior at the table were expressed from time to time, but not strictly enforced, especially not enough to cause power struggles or battles by the time I came around; there were just too many people, and too many things happening at once. In an enviroment like that, inevitably some things are going to be overlooked. When I was 17, my father extended an invitation to meet me for lunch in one of the fanciest restaurants in town. This was a first for me in many respects. I really will never forget it. During the meal he explained everything - from which utensils to use when, to the exact orientation of the knife when I wasn't using it, what to do with the napkin. He said he invited me in order to go over what they might have missed while I was growing up. It worked like a charm. I learned how it was done (in America) in a very special way and always inwardly thanked my father for that lunch whenever I found myself in a formal setting. I could relax and enjoy without ever worrying at all. I am not one to judge if a person doesn't know any better and uses the wrong knife or fork. But there was this one guy I knew in the Army who used to completely gross everyone out whenever we found ourselves at the same table with him, smacking noises, grunts, displaying the contents of his mouth when he chewed, somehow angling whole steaks or slabs of liver into his mouth, spitting unwanted chunks of slimy gristle onto his plate like a dog dispelling feces. I mean it was utterly amazing and horrifying to watch, even among friends. He managed to gross just about everyone out and pretty soon nobody wanted to eat with him. I used to sit with him from time to time just out of pity (I mean he was a really nice guy aside from that one problem he had), and I tried a couple of times to gently prod him in the right direction, but he would have none of it. I wonder what happened to him in life after the Army from time to time. The poor guy probably never progressed into any vocation requiring eating with customers (or not for very long, anyway), due to that particular disability. After the wedding to the Frenchman, things got interesting again. By then I was old enough to know that when in Rome, yes, its really much better to do as the Romans do. With that in mind, I have simply followed the example of the hostess when dining in a social context. This worked rather well at the beginning. The only time things became confused was when I was the hostess. I have learned all over again how to set a formal table, the composition of seating arrangements, who to serve first according to rank at the table, who serves what foods and drinks (alas there is a pecking order for this too), how all of the cheeses are cut, how to hold the fork, where to place the knife, bread placement (that was a particulaly painful one) etc. At home when no one's around we tend to jumble the two like we do languages, I guess according to the style of the food we are eating. When we do receive Americans in France we both begin American, but if they are experienced diners in France, it tends to switch back. It's really a matter of consideration. If the person I am dining with is clearly not following any particular convention, I honestly don't mind one way or the other. If someone cares or might care about it, I'm likely to follow whatever rules are determined at that particular table. The rules are a nice thing to be aware of even if they are not always strictly followed.

Looking forward to your stay in HK! Great international blog! I really enjoyed a meal I had at Felix at the Penninsula

It looks fantastic! What kind of sausage did you use? And other ingredients? Do tell!I must say I love those plates! ← Wendy, it really looks just wonderful.

I will also be doing this in January - When schedules are back in swing and more relaxed for planning. I will not be making the sausages at home.

Happy Birthday dear Suzi - We very much enjoyed our buche de Noel on Christmas eve, and discussed going back to get another. This year with the family it was a cream bouche with mangoes at the bottom. Unfortunately after Christmas there's nothing left, and they just don't make more after Christmas, even if you ask. The bouche at Mamy's at Christmas dinner which was all chocolate, very rich with a croustillant base, but I doubt it came anywhere close to the one you had. For the decorations on top, did your bouche include the meringue mushrooms, the axe, and the trees, or have they done away with that on the Hermes bouches? We had several different decorations, including white chocolate balls which contained scenes and looked like they'd been smashed open by the axe, a kind of gnomey looking santa, a fence, an evergreen, and of course the meringue mushrooms. Holiday greetings to all.

I think we should consider Paula Wolfert's cassoulet - it's a good recipe and one I have on the shelf. In any case, I'm in!

Ooooh dat sauce!

Marlene, your talk of snow and sunrooms brings back a flood of memories. Reading about your quiet moments this morning was very uplifting. Thank you. Myself from a transplanted Southern family in a very snowy part of New York state, I grew up on cheese grits in the winter for breakfast using that lovely tangy cheddar only found hovering near the border with Canada. I suggest preparing the grits according to the package and grating in a nice dose of that wonderful cheddar that is perhaps produced in your region. Then there's shrimp and grits - for a brunch. That's an all time favorite that I guarantee you cannot help but love. Now a general question for this Canadian pie, I have two questions, one involving the syrup, and one involving the syrup. Can I use grade A New York State light amber maple syrup (as is an ample supply brought to me by my mother) instead of grade B and can I use syrop de canne in place of Lyles Golden as it is the only sugar syrup available to me here? Thanks!

Wow! What an utterly inspired and inspiring thread! You have given me a wonderful subject to daydream about. The 'tamales' I've made to this point are simply not up to snuff. This is really exciting! That mole masa is just the most amazing edible foodstuff I have seen in ages. Thank you sooo much for jump-starting my culinary senses.

This looks like a great recipe, I'll use it the next time I have them. Thank you!

Wow that looks really good.

Wow those maple leaf pancakes looked absolutely wonderful. Deep fryer, deep fryer... Oh there are so many things you can do with them. I wish I had one. Simple frites (french fries) would be nice to try. Fish! Fish and chips! You could do different vegetable chips. What's the best oil to use in the deep fryer and can you use it more than once? I always wondered about that.

We had pigeon for lunch today. I bought 2 for each of us since they are such little birds. The last time we had quail one each was not enough. They cost about €2 each already larded at the butcher. The birds fit nicely on the spit. I made a "vinaigrette" using melted butter and a coarse household vinegar, and some salt. Since these birds don't cook very long I don't worry about the vinegar drawing out the fluids. Grill on the spit for 20 minutes on 270 degrees celcius. Just enough to crisp the outside. Served with leftover lentils which were initally simmered with a heavy sage bouquet and finished just before the meal with yesterday's chicken foot stock. One of these birds was enough, really. They are extremely meaty in comparison to quail. We saved the other two for later. This was followed by an escarole salad and the cheese plate. It's a wonderful season.

Oh no, I can't stand it when a recipe has been dumbed down for what they perceive to be the lack of sophistication for the "grand public" - because the product of a dumbed down recipe is never as good as the original recipe. It seems ironic that when we discuss the "grand public". The idea of the "grand surface" comes to my mind. And these chefs are not presenting recipes for grand consumption from the supermarket shelves for their ease and instant gratification. They are presenting recipes that reflect the history and the respect for each and every step in creating a magnificent dish that realistically is called for in its preparation. They don't pretend that there are any shortcuts. And I contest that anyone who is familiar with the basics of home cooking can execute this recipe if they do it with care. I completely agree with you that the language is overly flowery for the recipe, and that this is a fault in the style of the writing. Chefs are not professional food writers and this one evidently cannot craft the text to adapt to the "grand public". I think that if Ducasse had found someone who could write about the processes in a more accessible way, the book and even this recipe as a product would be much less disturbing to you. But don't you think that serious home cooks want to be treated with the respect of getting the original recipe with all of the ingredients and steps, instead of a "show" recipe that makes it look simple as any instant supermarket product, and will not render the final result which could be possible if they had taken the care to express it correctly? When given a choice, is it better to make it look easier to the grand public, or to present the authentic recipe? French Haute Cuisine : Dead or Alive? The question that Ptpois within raises in this discussion stands out to me: Should we be so brazen as to claim it's possible to execute these recipes at home, and if not, why are these chefs coming out with cookbooks? What is their intention? What is the point? Does this have anything to do with what one is served in a restaurant? I perceive a direct line to grandmother's kitchen in the writing and the philosophies behind so many great chefs in France. They are reminiscing about their childhood experiences and influences, and in modest ways allude to these images. The popular press instantly picks up on this and we see cooking shows, showy coffee table books and little tomes from the chefs recalling their earliest childhood memories as they experienced the kitchen from the level of the skirts of their grandmothers. Ptpois is pointing out that this popular culture marriage between home cooking and the great chefs so prevalent now is not resulting in any improvement anywhere. Especially since right now in France the chefs are reasserting themselves - the complex way Ducasse presents his Christmas Chapon a case in point. Does this arise in light of challenges coming from other countries?

I'm glad it caught your attention. Poulet de Bresse have blue legs. Sorry if the photo is disturbing. Now if anyone actually appreciates chicken feet and has any stories or recipes it would be really nice to discuss them. So far we have heard from a few different viewpoints, uding them in soup, different sauces for asian preparations, stories about how the feet have been involved in cooking from childhood - I'd love to hear about more.

We were there recently and had a nice hamburger and fries in the hotel just next to the train station. It was the first burger I'd had in ages - with onions lettuce, tomatoes, sauce mayo, bacon and cheese, which was a bit dissapointing (the cheese). They were alright. I suspect we would have appreciated them even more had we spent the day skiing. Not much snow at all right about now. But that could change. Sorry I can't help you with fine dining options in Chamonix. You might check out the Megeve Thread, which is just next to Chamonix, and features Marc Veyrat's winter restaurant. When we went to Megeve for the weekend last year we could not afford a meal chez Veyrat, and sadly enough we still cannot afford to dine there, even lunch.