Dave Hatfield

We will all miss Lucy - sorely! Here is a link to her Montignac Method thread. I've never read it, but have used his way of eating for many years with great success. For whatever reason John's link seems to be broken.

LindsayAnn - Justement as we say over here. Calm down. They clearly say it isn't 'caviare' and it isn't. \ BUT ,,, its not bad at all. Lump fish eggs (caviare being Sturgeon eggs) taste pretty good and can do very well as a substitute for the real thing. Retired cheapskates can't always afford the real stuff & don't necessarily want to support Mr. Putin so use lump fish.

And.... ← So.... Paris is not France & the question of manners is more European than merely French. The French IMHO are better than most when it comes to manners & politeness. Parisians are no better or worse than Londoners, New Yorkers or Romans when it comes to manners when confronted with a foreign tourist. The question is really concerning the difference where applicable in manners at private functions amongst supposedly polite adults. One nations correctness is anthers rudeness in some cases.

Well put! And spot on. My wife (who is English) Also says that a lady whose wine glass is being 'neglected' can quietly signal this fact by gently lifting her glass slightly then putting it back down. Another wine signal at least in Europe is that one is not supposed to drink all of the wine in your glass. A small amount should be left. This applies to both genders. Drinking your glass to the last drop implies that your host is either very slow or stingy with the wine.

A google search brings up many many red onion chutney recipes. Also, You can look at this one on Delia Smith's site, page 2 has a red onion chutney recipe. Not exactly the one you are looking for, but can be adapted.

I'm in agreement with menton1. A nice trip, but I wouldn't stay anywhere this upmarket. I'd be more inclined to try Logis de France if the Chambre d'hotel is plunging into the deep in a bit too soon. More upmarket, sort of in between, are the Silence Hotels Sort of a silly name; it gets lost in the translation, but these are charming places. We've stayed in many over the years & never been disappointed. Yes, you can make it from the chunnel to the Loire in a day. About 6-7 hours I'd guess using the autoroutes until you get close. In addition to Menton1's comments about Relais et Chateax which I agree with is the high probability that most of the other guests will not be French. You are more likely to meet Americans & Germans this time of year. Don't know if this link will work, but if so it gives you your driving itinerary from Calais to Onzain. 4 hours & 45 minutes, toll fees 32.80 Euro. Same deal here. Onzain to Bordeaux.4 hours according to Michelin so a pretty days drive. Work out a nice place for lunch. Links seem to work, just a bit slow to display.

I am amazed that in this long standing thread contributed to by so many illustrious eGulleteers that nobody has mentioned one of the most interesting & authentic French cook books. That is "Goose Fat & Garlic" by Jeanne Strang. Lots & lots of recipes beautifully explained accompanied by wonderful descriptions of the rural life in SW France. I use it frequently. IMHO every bit as good as Paula Wolfert if not quite as slickly produced. Try it you'll like it.

Funny, I've rarely encountered a Brit in this area, even though it is on their "favorites" list. ← That could be because the Brits in that area are better integrated into their communities than, say, the arrogant Angloegotists that took over Cannes/Nice in the 19th century. ← John - I wouldn't argue your point about Provence, but I'm not so sure about the Dordogne expats being all that integrated. Sarlat on market day in the summer is like being in a prettier Brighton. Hard to find a non-english speaking local.

Nice pictures! Did you have onion soup? Sounds as if you were a bit disappointed; too bad. C'est la vie.

HAAHA yeah right like any "post holiday guilt" could be strong enough to keep me restrained from cheese....yeah right! I got a sheeps blue with heavy viening today (cant remember name, will look and tell you later). Its good, not nearly anything as good as my neil's yard stiltons blue! I also picked up a raw milk gyuere (sp...I am drawing a blank - what is going on with me here!) and a goats brie.....mmmmm still enjoying my cheese, like always! ← Knew we could count on you! Your blue sheep is probably similar to a Roquefort. Did you know that Roquefort and Stilton are the same bacteria? Just that Stilton is cows milk. The English classic is Stilton with a good vintage port. Now that's good!

We knew the tile would darken some when sealed - we tested it by wetting it at the store before purchasing. Anyway, the sealer darkened the tile much more than we thought it would and I was really disappointed at first. Then it grew on me... while darker than I initially hoped, the greens in the tile and the green in the granite go together beautifully and it makes the room look more rich (and finished). Here's a before and after shot of the backsplash: Too late now, but there is a sealer product called 'Dead Flat' its a variation on polyethylene. Seals beautifully and does not change the colour below at all. We tested it with a friend who was putting in stone counter tops and it came out best of the 5 types we tried. It also came out by far the best on the red wine stain test. (that is spill red wine, wait two hours then try to clean up. Maybe this will help other remodelers. edit: Sorry about the loss of quotes. Don't know what I did wrong.

Sandy - glad to see your post. Was beginning to think that nobody was eating cheese any more. Post Holiday guilt? Somebody's out there discovering new and/or better cheeses; let's hear from you!

Can we try to not be too Paricentric? Please. I know that Paris is THE place and deserves lots of attention, there's a whole country out there. Meanwhile, here's a link I'm sure that Felice knows, but deserves to be in a guide. France Festivals Lots more where that came from.

Deconstruct the duck. Same as for doing a turkey as described here This allows each piece to be cooked correctly. Otherwise I've never really had a duck roasted whole that really worked for all parts.

Well, I think that the excursion from the Loire Valley to Bordeaux will consume the better part of a day. A pretty good distance. Perhaps an alternative might be the TGV from Paris-Bordeaux, just under 3 hours. IMHO Bordeaux is lovely, but a bit staid. My favorite départements in the Southwest are Dordogne and Lot. Literally hundreds of castles (the fortified type, not the luxurious Loire Valley type) also ancient caves with paintings literally 15-17,000 years old! Staggering, make reservations. Grotte de Font de Gaume in Les Eyzies, and Grotte de Peche Merle in the Lot are the best of the bunch for me. The food also excels, and some of the Chambres d'hote in this area offer a Table d'Hote, which means dinner at a community table with the other guests and the hosts. An unforgettable experience. Also the "bastide" fortified villages are quite fascinating. And although its a popular area, the Dordogne doesn't have the touristy-ness of Provence, and is much more down-to earth. Enjoy! ← Pretty much wholly agree. That's why I suggested the Pau area, far more interesting than Bordeaux IMHO. We find the Dordagne very beautiful, but a bit too full of Brits. The Lot is terrific & Pech Merle is a must see. By the way, there's a one star within a few miles in the Cahors direction. Can't recall the name, but Michelin will find it for you. While at Pech Merle cross the River to St. Cirq le Popie. A spectacular village even if a bit touristy. We normally don't brag, but just South of the Lot is Tarn et Garonne which is pretty special in a lower key way.

In response to Cacao hereare a few suggestion from an earlier post. The Aillaide recipe can be found in Paula Wolfert's "Cooking of SouthWest France." My favourite for a special occasion is with the foie gras. A bit expensive, but you're both worth it.

The first fusion meal no doubt occurred when the cro-magnons met the Neanderthals. A "Who did we eat for dinner" thread was started shortly thereafter by the Neanderthals.

Follow John's advice. If you decide on Bordeaux you might also want to check out the Pau area. Its not far to travel, you have great wines, great restaurants and great scenery as you're close to the Pyrenees. Pau itself is a neat town and Jaracon has a great 2 star restaurant called Chez Ruffet. From there its an easy drive up through Toulouse and then East to get to Michael Bra's. Be warned though its a long drive. A good 7 hours from Bordeaux. Once you get there there is nothing much unless you want to buy knives from the famous village nearby. Try here for some opinions including mine about the restaurant. If you go I think your best bet would be to book a night at the hotel as well as the restaurant. You need to be very clear headed to drive the nearby roads. If you decide to go to Bra's let us know; we're on the way and can give you a cup of proper English tea as you pass by.

menton1's advice is very sound. Your best bet is to focus upon 2 or at the most three areas that really appeal to you. From Calais you can certainly make it to the Loire valley in a long day's drive. You could pick a base & explore the area both East & West. From there a hop down to the Bordeaux region via the A20 & A62 is another day's drive. You will find lots of wine & fine restaurants. Spend time there. Come back via Caen stopping wherever strikes your fancy. We tend to use the auto routes for the long hops & avoid them otherwise. Indispensable is viamichelin for route planning as well as restaurants & hotels. Another must use is: Logis de France for hotels. As you narrow your search there are plenty of people on this site who will be happy to give you local knowledge. Good luck! PS: Forgot to mention that the quickest way to get to the Loire from Calais is via Paris. Fear not, if you decide to take this route I'll send you directions on how to painlessly navigate your way through Paris.

Tut Tut Busboy according to my sources this dish was invented in the 1860's at Delmonico's restaurant for a certain Mrs. LeGrand Benedick by Chef Charles Ranhofer. Recipe as follows: Eggs à la Benedick - Cut some muffins in halves crosswise, toast them without allowing to brown, thn place a round of cooked ham an eighth of an inch thick and of the same diameter as the muffins one each half. Heat in a moderate oven and put a poached egg on each toast. Cover the whole with Hollandaise sauce. I also note that somewhat later in the 1890's the recipe was again published, but this time specifically calling for English muffins. Although I may or may not agree with your aversion to said muffins historical accuracy impels me to raise the question? Does your aversion extend to white flour English muffins as well? If not then I agree. If so then what would you serve them on? Note: The original recipes are non-specific as to which type. ← I can't match you for historical research. And I'd like to get it out on the table that there are many types of whole wheat and whole grain breads that I mange with great enthusiasm. But, there have been way too many marketing types messing with perfectly wonderful breads by making them "whole wheat" in an attempt to layer a perception of healthiness atop what was already a fine thing. As far as English muffins are concened, the Busboy family is quite in love with them, to the extent that our hamburgers are always eaten on muffins, my children would give up fruit and vegetables to live entirely on them, and some of my most treasured childhood memories involve visits to my granparents' house, where their modestly more affluent lifestyle allowed for English muffins and butter, rather than the toast and margarine of my parents' house. I still remember Thomas's back before they were pre-forked. ← Wonderful! We're in agreement. Not sure I'd go as far as hamburgers, but I'm going to give it a try. If that is I can find an English muffin in France. May have to make my own. We can now leave the sauce discussions to the 100's of experts who haunt this forum.

Tut Tut Busboy according to my sources this dish was invented in the 1860's at Delmonico's restaurant for a certain Mrs. LeGrand Benedick by Chef Charles Ranhofer. Recipe as follows: Eggs à la Benedick - Cut some muffins in halves crosswise, toast them without allowing to brown, thn place a round of cooked ham an eighth of an inch thick and of the same diameter as the muffins one each half. Heat in a moderate oven and put a poached egg on each toast. Cover the whole with Hollandaise sauce. I also note that somewhat later in the 1890's the recipe was again published, but this time specifically calling for English muffins. Although I may or may not agree with your aversion to said muffins historical accuracy impels me to raise the question? Does your aversion extend to white flour English muffins as well? If not then I agree. If so then what would you serve them on? Note: The original recipes are non-specific as to which type.

Wonderful answers from the erudite concerning cheval, but What about the turkey's, Turkey's?

Ok, I'll bite.......What? My simplistic answers. Horse meat is, perhaps, considered too cheap and mundane to grace a restaurant menu. People don't go out to a restaurant to eat horse meat. I do remember many years ago eating horse meat in a student restaurant somewhere near the Sorbonne. As for dinde I see it on menus down here all the time all year long. You just have to hang out in the cheaper restaurants. What I don't see any more is whole dinde in the shops, not even our local poultry specialist has it outside the holiday season. I'll have to try a special order in July & see what happens. Related question; I can't recall ever seeing a recipe for horse meat in a cook book.They must exist; mustn't they?

This thread has a lot of information about making the sauce. Almost as many techniques are there are posters. Personally, I start with less lemon than I know I need, make my emulsion and add more lemon near the end to get the amount of 'bite' I want.

There's a whole kitchen thread that I started last year somewhere on the site, but I can't find it any more. Anyway, the IKEA kitchen cabinet innards are great! A pain to put together until you figure out their cryptic diagrams, but easy once you do. What we did was to use IKEA cabinets, BUT not their doors. We simply chose the cheapest doors, never unpacked them & took them back and got credit. We had a local cabinet maker do doors to our specification. In our case solid oak with a simple pattern. We saved a ton of money compared to custom cabinets. Our guy said that he couldn't build cabinet bodies of that quality at anywhere near that price. Here's couple of pictures of the result: We also find that the glasses, paper napkins & bed linens are bargains.