Dave Hatfield

Wish I'd know you were there. We were passing through on our way home; would have loved to have met you. Sounds like you're having a grat time & from the descriptions choosing well. If you get the chance try one of my favorites which is gaperon. Have a safe trip home.

Sorry to hear about everyone's problems. Hopefully they'll all sort themselves out without too many tears and a good outcome - eventually! Maybe we should trade kitchen remodel horror stories? I suspect there are more of those out there than stories of smooth dailing through the process. Anybody want to start?

Better late than never I guess so here's a link to mt Cassoulet recipe that I posted in the French forum last year when I was new to eGullet. one day cassoulet Its post #17 Sorry, at that point I didn't know about this thread. One of the reasons behind this version was that it uses ingredients that are, mostly, fairly easy to obtain in the USA, Uk, Netherlands &, of course, France. A few notes: 1) the pot. Wolfert's ideal is great if you can get one, but a cast iron casserole or a big glazed ceramic pot works well as well. I happen to use a big green ceramic pot that I've had for years. 2) beans. I used Great Northerns in the states & use flagolets here in France. Both work well. 3) sausage. Here it's easy , I just use Toulouse sausage that I can get any where. When in the states I hade sausage patties using the recipe in Julia's original "Mastering the Art....." Pre-frying the patties then breaking the into bite sized pieces works a treat. 4) The cut up pork rind is a must to get the right consistency. 5) Wine. My personal preference is for a really good Cahors. Its strong enought to stand up. Corbieres or a Bergerac come next. The Bordeaux & Burgandies are wasted when drunk with a dish as strongly flovoured as this; in my opinion anyway. 6) Serve with? Nothing else other than perhaps a very simple salad afterwards to clear the pallet for cheese. Try this you'll like it. I'll be making one soon so will try to do an illusatrated version of the recipe then. PS: I'm not the world's greatest speller or typist, thus lots a errors, but usually this gist comes through.

Sounds like you saw & smelled the best part. The sooner the better.

I do believe that this requires some explanation ← Gotcha! Glad Arne filled you in.

Exactly - the best of both worlds, really. Just orderly enough for this anal retentive New Yorker, with enough French laissez faire and style to make it wonderful. Dinner on our second night in Strasbourg was absolutely, totally and completely one of the best meals of our trip. It cemented Strasbourg in my affections forever, and I have some really terrible news: I did not bring my camera along that night. I carried my little clutch, and had no room for it - I didn't expect what we got! Late that afternoon, after lunch but before Christian, we took a walk and happened to turn down a little street called rue des Sangliers, which cuts from Place Kleber, the commerical center of the Grande Ile, to la Place de la Cathedrale, where our hotel was located. We passed the most adorable little vinstub, called Chez Yvonne. We were both complete enchanted with what we could see through the windows - it looked a bit more old-fashioned, and more restaurant-y than pubby, than some of the places we'd eaten thus far. The name sounded familiar to me, so when we got back to the room, I checked my eG printouts (oh, yeah, they came all over Europe with me, baby), and found this: Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but we decided to go through with eating there in any case. And, boy, am I glad we did. I have to admit, I do not have clear recollections of everything Louisa ate, and I can't remember the name of the bottle of Riesling we shared, but I'll do my best. We arrived at Chez Yvonne around 8:30, and were seated in the upstairs salon. To our right were a pair of men who were on their first courses when we arrived and who lingered over their cafes until after we left two and half hours later. The hostess brought us the menu, wine list, and the specials, which were outlined on a chalkboard and propped up on the table to our left (A table later occupied by a delightful couple from Bucks County, of all places - we had lots of Pennsylvania stories to share, since Louisa and I met at Bryn Mawr.). Louisa decided on the fig and goat cheese tart with a green salad, and for her main, the quenelles de foie with sauteed potatoes and - wait for it - yet another green salad. The menu went into absolute raptures about those potatoes - where they were grown, how they were harvested, and so on. I started with a special - foie gras poele. My French isn't too bad, but my food vocabulary, oddly enough, is sadly lacking, so I wasn't quite sure what poele (with a circumflex over the first e and an accent agu over the last - I've never been able to figure out accents on my American computer, sorry!) meant. But foie gras is good in any form, so I felt quite safe. For my main, I chose the poussin braised in muscat, which came with spaetzle. Our entrees arrived, and I discovered, to my delight, that poele means seared! (I looked it up when I got home, and discovered that the noun, poele, means skillet.) There were two lobes, each with an incredibly thick, crispy, seared crust, drizzled with a caramel sauce, sprinkled with fleur de sel, and accompanied by a few luscious, dark grapes. This was the best foie gras I have ever had in my life - the crust was thicker than I've had, but in a good way, and the interior was like liquid held together by some kind of alchemy, a lusciousness that contrasted with the crust and blended with the slightly bitter caramel. Apparently, the faces I made as I ate it were a sight to see - and I wasn't alone. Louisa tasted it (again, I am a VERY good friend), and we agreed that it was the absolute Platonic ideal of foie gras. The fig and goat cheese tart was also fantastic - rich and earthy, with gorgeous figs and a delicious green salad with mustardy vinaigrette alongside it. The tart went really well with the Riesling, as did the foie gras. Our mains were similarly excellent. Louisa's quenelles were...um...unphotogenic, to say the least. Slightly pink, they came to the table dressed in a creamy sauce, with a green salad on the side and a Staub skillet of the famous potatoes placed in the center of the table. One bite, though, and you got right over the quenelles' appearance. They were rich, tender, and so full of creamy flavors that it almost tasted like eating butter, but better. And the potatoes? It's not often that you encounter two Platonic ideals in one sitting, but I think we managed to do so. Never before have I had a potato that tasted so much like a potato - and I've eaten lots of potatoes, some right out of the ground. Finally, my chicken. Small, delicate, and perfect, it arrived at the table in the middle of a large plate, sitting in a shallow pool of dark brown sauce. I couldn't resist - I reached out and dipped just the tip of my finger in the sauce and tasted it - it tasted like essence of chicken, like concentrated chicken-ness. The skin wasn't crispy, but it wasn't soggy, either. It was like slightly wet gold, full of flavor and with a darker taste than the chicken itself. The chicken was tender and juicy, and even the spaetzle were good, pan-fried rather than boiled, and tossed with herbs and butter. After devouring my foie and my chicken, I couldn't face dessert, but I ordered a coffee. Louisa ordered lemon sorbet drowned in lemon eau de vie, which was delicious and very, very strong. After dinner, we headed to Les Gayots for a few drinks. I'm sorry to report that whatever champagne they have by the glass is kind of icky, but happy to tell you that all you need to do to get chatted up by two Brits is be the only two English-speakers in the bar. We stumbled home, four drinks later, tottering the whole three blocks to the hotel to gulp down water and air out our smoke-filled scarves. Walking home tipsy, something I generally associate with Second Avenue and the need to avoid frat boys shouting into their cell phones in front of my building, is an experience made infinitely better by the towering shadow of that cathedral. ← Megan, what a wonderful trip report; I'm loving every word of it. Takes me back to my first adventures in Europe more years ago than I care to admit to. You are doing a great job of describing the places, the food, the ambience and the excitment of new places. Can't wait for the best of the trip. The way you describe them I think the two dishes are far more erotic than platonic. Ideal, yes, but sensually so. No matter, they sound scrumptious whether platonic or erotic. Keep it up. Please!

Of course, Strasbourg is the Foie Gras Capitol of France, though perhaps not many people realize that. Here's a scan from the Strasbourg Yellow Pages - note that the category is "Foies" - you just don't see many yellow pages any more with a category called "Livers": As you stroll the streets of Strasbourg, you can stop in just about every fifth store and buy it freshly made in terrines and other preparations, you can buy those same preparations canned, and you can buy the various duck and goose livers raw, and wholesale. From a restaurant in the Strasbourg suburbs, here's their first course, the Quadrilogie of Foies Gras: Foie gras of duck, foie gras of goose, marbled foie gras with artichokes and Sauternes, and smoked foie gras! (I should credit the restaurant: Auberge du Cheval Blanc, in the town of Schweighouse-Sur-Moder.) ← Quite a few other locations in France would hotly dispute Strasbourg's claim to be the foie gras capital. Its sort of like who has the best casoulette.

docsconz's post gave me an idea. You could turn the magret into confit. When I was making my own confit de oie I always used the breast as well as everything else. As I recall in the 'good old days' the usual way was to use the whole duck. It is, I think, only fairly recently that magret has become so popular and of course the producers can get a better price for the breasts as magret than as confit. A bit expensive as I can buy a cuisse for 2-3 Euros and a magret costs between 4 & 6, but it might be pretty luxurious as a treat. May just give this a try next time I find magret on sale.

What a great report! I had the pleasure of reading it upon our return from a vacation. Glad it was that way as I wouldn't have wanted to have to wait between installments; getting it all at once was great. Beaune is a favorite place. Did you by any chance buy a cellar rat while there? Your timing was good did you see any of the wine harvest while there? For your next walking trip you might want to check out Logis de France. They also put together some nice walking/ dining/ room packages. Usually a bit shorter than a week , but always reasonably priced. Or, after you've visited Lyon you can head our way. Lots & lots of great walks (I have over 50 short walks stored on my computer.) We have some of the best villages & markets in all of France. Parisot is truely in La France profond.

What did you cook? Learn? What color did you choose?

Ok, back now & a little disappointed not to see more activity in this thread. No matter. I've arranged to take the pictures of my next kitchen next Wednesday. This one is purpose built for a friend who runs a small cooking school. Now that I think of it maybe I'll do the school kitchen & her older 'regular kitchen.

Been away in the Uk for three weeks so am just catching up. Lots of interesting things seem to be going on. Will do some picture posts as we get sorted out, but needless to say we had a good time in the Uk sampling their wonderful cheeses. Got caught up on stilton, a whole range of cheddars, Shropshire blue (we stayed in Shropshite for 2 weeks), Cheshire, wenslydale and a bunch of other favorites. In addition we sampled English chevre's, brie's and other knock offs of French varieties. Mostly they were pretty good. I'll do a separate post of some of the new very interesting and delicious cheeses we'd never heard of before. Great trip, but it's nice to be back home. Bought brie, cabencou, laguiole and St Augur yesterday just to start getting stocked up.

Can't remember the last time I bought a pre-prepared meal. Just can't see the point given their general mediocracy and high (relatively speaking) prices. The sugars are bad enough, but once you've read the dreaded E numbers you'll really be put off. Fresh frozen individual ingredients can be great & I do buy them.

Very true. Try translating: Rolly polly pudding or spotted dick from the english or chitlins or rocky mountain oysters from the American. Doable, but not literally. Got to go eat my bubble & squeek now.

I hesitate to jump in with all these experts about, but here's how I do magret. Cut a criss cross pattern on the fat side. Try to not cut into the meat. Liberally salt this with coarse sea salt. Season the meat side to your preference. I like thyme & crushed juniper berries with a bit of pepper, but its your choice. Place in a medium/low frying pan fat side down & saute for 10-15 minutes. Pour the rendered fat off several times. When the fat almost stops rendering turn the heat up to high and cook the fat side until it is just nicely browned & crisp. Now come some options: 1) Turn magret over & still at high heat cook until the meat side is browned. Its normally served quite rare. 2) Same as #1, but our off all fat then start browning. Add 1/2 inch thick slices of foie gras & cook just until browned. Won't take long. 3) After rendering fat put the magret fat side down on your BBQ & brown, turn over & cook meat side. Favorite sauce is: Ailliade de Toulouse. A mix of walnuts & garlic pounded into a paste in your mortar, then mixed with walnut oil & just a bit of water, then a bit of finely chopped parsley. I'm sure there are many other ways, but these are pretty classic. Enjoy

A confession. Due to various circumstances I have yet to get over & photograph my next kitchen. I promise I will, but.. We're leaving for a three week trip to the UK so I won't be able to get it done until our return. I'm hoping that the kitchen where we're staying (a thatched cottage on a house swap) may be worth doing. I hope so. It has an AGA. In the meantime it would be great to see some other kitchens. I'll look forward to viewing them when I get back.

I started a similar topic over in the France forum, but limited the responses to Paris. A pretty romantic place, but not the only one. The question in this topic is: Where did you have your most romantic dinner (to date) or Where would you go for a special romantic dinner if the world were your oyster and cost/distance were not issues. Or Answer both! Have fun.

Ah! Paris when you're in love. Maurice Chevalier & Edith Piaf in the background. A magical time. Where would you go for the most romantic dinner possible? A three star? That little out of the way bistro? A cafe on the river? Where? I've already disclosed that I asked my wife to marry me in a Paris restaurant. It was both Valentines day & her birthday. She said yes and I'm sure to this day that the right restaurant in the right city helped me get the right answer. We spent the whole next day looking for a hat for Linda to get married in. We found one, it looked great & we went to Julien, then a great old standby, for dinner. let's hear your answers. Dave PS: John, have I laid it on too thick?

I've said it before and I'll repeat it; the answer to the quantity and price dilemmas is to eat at lunch and snack at night. My friend the food critic and I had a very fine lunch today with 3 courses, wine and coffee for 81.20; I am not stuffed at all; we walked afterwards a bit; and I'm ready for a very light bit of cheese tonight. ← I wholly agree with John, lunch is the thing to do. Most of the time. For reasons of romance maybe take what you've saved and have a special dinner one evening. The question now becomes this: What is 'the' most romantic restaurant in Paris? Since I don't live there anymore I'm not qualified to answer. My canidate would be "Toit de Passey", but I don't think it exists anymore. It had great food, ambience and drop dead georgeous views across the rooftops to the Eiffel Tower. I asked my wife to marry me there 18 years ago.

Thanks for the write up. We're now looking forward to our stay at the hotel & meals at the restaurant even more than we were before. We'll be staying two nights in about a fortnight's time. We know the Lewis family as Tom's parents are friends & close neighbors here in France. We've eaten Tom's cooking at his parents home, but never had the opportunity to visit the hotel & restaurant until now. By the way, Tom is an Uncle (again) his sister had a baby girl earlier this week. We'll definitly post something from our visit.

Day late & a dollar short. Went to the super market today. Answer to Felice's original question. graisse vegetale It is in the dairy case, at least it is in my HyperU, and its called graisse vegetale genericallly. There seem to be quite a few brands several featuring the fact that they're made of sunflower oil. Now we know for next time.

OK, just to complete this topic for now here's what happened. We asked around & managed to get an invitation to the pre-fair tasting at HyperU last night. HyperU had rolled out the red carpet for the evening; free shopping baskets! Unheard of. It was fun, lots of nice simple nibbles, not too many people (the fair opens today to the general public) and lots & lots of wine with staff around to help out.. There were about a dozen or so wines open for tasting; as one would expect these were the wines on 'promotion'. There were some nice wines included. There were well over a 100 different wines on offer ranging from some very nice Bordeau's to some really inexpensive stuff. In most cases there was a plentiful stock of everything on offer. We ended up buying a pretty good stock for the winter. I had studied the flyer & the special wine section in "Le Point", but didn't buy any of those. Our best buy was a 2002 Corbiers, oak aged from Domaine Chris Limouzi. It was 4.65 Euros/ bottle in the flyer, but on the shelf it was marked as 16,10 Euros. I asked the HyperU clerk what was going on; he checked & said the 16,10 Euro price was for a case of 6 bottles! Whoopee! (We did our old Trader Joe's trick I have to admit. We bought a case, took it to the car, opened a bottle, tasted, liked it, then went back & bought a lot more. Fortunately, none of our French acquaintences saw us.) We had a really nice time doing this & chatting to the local 'experts' I'd recommend the experience to anyone. The kicker was that after we'd paid for our wine we were directed to the information booth where were given a voucher for what amounted to 15% of what we'd bought. We can spend it on anything in the store, but I think I'll use it to buy more wine.

I'm blushing. Nobody ever called me sweet before. You're so diplomatic. Also, very European with all of these metric measurements. How many cups is that? Only in France. Good idea which I will try if I can get my duck fat pure enough. Think that between us we're working towards a universal all singing, all dancing recipe. Think we can patent it?

Maybe better as an amuse? Its not a lot of soup for an hors d'oeuvre. See this link as an example.

Wonderfull! wish I could have said that. I ranted a while back about 'complicated' food. Chez Panisse defines my idea of 'simple' cooking and your lovely write up says it all- beautifully. Thank you!