Dave Hatfield

Kitchen #4, here we go. This is one of my favorite all time kitchens. To me it is the quintessional (is that a word?) farm house kitchen. It’s warm, inviting, and spacious and you know the moment you walk in that the food & conversation will be excellent. It truly reflects the personalities of D & A who had it built & designed and who are wonderful people & wonderful hosts. Background The kitchen was part of a whole house renovation D & A did in 2000. The kitchen was the only living room in the farm house at that time. It is about 23 feet square. It features a massive fireplace and an evier. (An evier is a stone sink, very traditional in these parts and a very desirable feature.) The before pictures show part of the room. Corner of room before. Before, window & evier. The broom is ready to start! Essential Elements A large room was essential as D & A knew they wanted a farm house style kitchen in which they could entertain and one which would take their large dining table. They wanted plenty of storage space and all of the modern conveniences. The La Canche stove was another must have. (Eat you hearts out again) as was a TV. (D likes noise when she cooks.) Limitations The floor had to be reinforced to take the weight of the new stone floor. It weighs 3 tons! D & A wanted to keep the evier open, but it just wasn’t possible so it was renovated anyway & can be partially seen behind the stove. They would also have like to have kept the fire place open, but it lost too much heat up the chimney & was messy so the wood burning stove was installed.. Right side as you come into the kitchen Straight ahead as you come in. Note the evier behind the stove. Left side. Door to the rest of the house is just to the left of this picture. The cat's name is Wally. He matches the stone floor. The Welsh dresser is on the left wall as you enter. Equipment All of the standard stuff, top quality. THE La Canche stove, of course, in stainless steel. Looks and is a serious piece of equipment. Now 6 years old yet still looks new. It will probably outlast me. Sorry about the light. It is stainless steel. Gorgeous isn’t it. Cabinets The cabinets are from Italy and were purchased through Mr. Naa in Toulouse. The black granite worktops also came via him. Flooring As mentioned above the floor is solid stone and is very heavy. The fact that there is no sign of wear after 6 years attests to the ruggedness of this material. The stone also matches both the kitchen design and the farm house look. (Well it should look like a farm house since it was one!) Here’s that beautiful table which seats 10 easily. Many a memorable meal served here. Yes, they get used all the time. Design D did all of the design herself. It was up to Mr. Naa to fit things into her design. Construction D & A did none of the construction themselves. The plan was for 3 months of construction; it actually took 4. Having a site manager helped. Costs were on target with the overruns being balanced by the under budget items. No problems in the relationship. Now I’m going to start showing you some of my favorite parts of this kitchen. Here goes: Guardian chickens. A whole flock! Just sitting around the evier gossiping. The boss The boss’s buddy. Mrs. Boss Some people call all of this clutter. I call it interesting and think these fascinating & unusual pieces are what makes this kitchen so warm & welcoming. There are so many neat things that I could have easily taken twice as many pictures. I call this the ‘whatsit’ A few baskets for fun. Last, but not least my favorite duck. As I hope you can tell I really love this kitchen. D & A’s taste is wonderful and this kitchen reflects it. It is always a treat to be invited for lunch or dinner. The warmth, the food & the companionship are second to none. We’re very fortunate to have friends like this!

Ah Hah! I was about to ask Lucy what she was talking about, but you saved me the embarassment. I've never heard of this anywhere in Europe, but I did go to a restaurant like this in New Orleans a few years ago. In this case an old house with the living rooms as dining areas with 2-4 tables & the bedrooms as private dining rooms seating up to 10. Can't remember the name, but the food was good & the wine excellent. We (5 of us) were told about this place & decided to try to get in, no reservation of course. When we got there it was obvious that the place was packed & our chances for a table were little or none. I decided to try anyway as we were there. Just as I reached the entry & before I'd said anything the maitre'd looked at me & asked; "are you the Fitzwater party?" I immediately said yes & we were led to a very nice small private room. We had a great meal & never did figure out who the Fitzwarers were or what happened when they arrived. I've felt guilty ever since.

Here's three solutions: 1) stainless steel or enameled cast iron roasting pans. Cast iron's my favorite. 2) Slow roast your meat. The temperature doesn't get hot enough to burn the juices. Do the flash at the begining. 3) Always deglaze with wine using high heat & a wooden spatula to scrape everything off. Even if you don't want to make gravy (if not, why not I'd ask?) it still makes pan cleaning easy.

Got my copy of the A-Z of French food today via the mail. Its absolutely great! Many thanks for the tip John. This little book is easily portable for those who want to use it in restaurants and is far more comprehensive than anything else I've seen. Thanks again.

Bummer! I've yet to meet a reliable contractor. They survive only because their competitors are as lousy as they are. Like your attitude! Don't let the ba.....rds get you down.

gfron1, here's one way to correct this situation. 5 easy steps. 1) Buy Farm. 2) Buy cows, sheep & goats. 3) Milk said cows, sheep & goats 4) Make cheese from milk. 5) Eat cheese & live happily ever after. An alternate solution is to move to France. I know some good Real Estate Agents in the area. Think we all are. In what follows I'm going to be parphrasing my favorite cheese expert, Patrick Rance. Patrick was the owner of Wells Stores in Streatley, England which was in my opinion one of the greatest cheese shops of all time. Ideal temperature for storage is 55-60 degrees F. Fridges are too cold & too dry. A cool garage or, if you're lucky enough to have one, a cellar are ideal. If possible keep the humidity high; around 80% is ideal. Here's some more tips from Patrick. - Once you've cut a soft or semi-soft cheese cover the cut edges with Saran wrap, keep the film fairly tight. BUT don't cover the crust tightly let the air get at it. If possible store the cut cheese on a slope, cut side up. - Hard cheeses should be stored on their largest cut surface. Waxed paper is good for storing hard cheeses, but clingfilm is not. - Do not use foil to wrap cheese. For longer term storage cheesecloth or muslin is good. Keeping the humidity up is important. - Buy little, buy often! is his advice. I think, however, Patrick was assuming that you have a knowledgable cheese source. With a few exceptions I found when we lived in the states that cheese was stored far to cold in the stores & certainly in the supermarkets. Warming it up to room temperature helped, but with soft cheeses (brie, camembert, etc,) it took longer. I'd have them out at kitchem temperature for at least 24 hours sometimes more. A great pleasure in the early 80's was to be able to go into 'The Cheese Place' in Berkley & be asked when I wanted to eat my Brie afterI ordered it. They had Bries ready to eat that day, the next day & ... Heaven!

Those more expert than I can probably give a better answer than I, but here's my understanding. Crottin's seem to be made pretty much everywhere in France where goats cheese is made. It has to do with the size & shape and the method of making the cheese. The crottin's in my pictures were local, made here in the Tarn et Garonne. I've seen others from all over. On the other hand Crottin de Chavignol is an AOC cheese. The AOC means that it has to be made in a designated area by a recognised producer. The AOC designation was made 'official' in 1829. The AOC area is in the Eastern Sologne a burgundian outpost East of the Loire. Mentions of goat cheese in the area go back to 1573.

Went to market yesterday & suprise suprise I bought some cheeses. Started with Crottin which is a type of chevre. Madam was selling older ones moulded into all kinds of shapes. She said they were pretty strong & that I should try a piece of a younger one. I bought some of both, but did choose the smallest of the older ones. The younger Crottin The elder. A little bigger around than a silver dollar. Both excellent, the younger very smooth tasting. The older sharper. And, no, in this case I did not eat the rind. Earlier in the thread these was some discussion about ripe cabecou's. Here's some I bought yesterday. These were, to my taste. close to perfection. Ripe Cabecou. Note how they're just begining to run along the edges. The find of the day, however, is below. This is one strong cheese. Real sweaty socks stuff! Does that look good or what? It's called Saint Germier and comes from a farm about 20 miles East of Toulouse. The village is Teyssode & the farm's name is Cazes-Hautl. Here's the label. As you can see its raw milk Brebis, 50% MG. Haven't been able to find out anything else about it, but suspect that its a real local name & may only be made at this farm. I'm just going to have to drive down & see. These topped off a really nice dinner.

Don't believe it! You? Speachless! An oxymoron if there ever was one. Nice kitchen though; isn't it?

Here we go! Kitchen #3 and we’re all going to be jealous; at least I know I am. Y & A only recently finished this absolutely beautiful kitchen/ dining room. It shows what can be done when the partners are in synch and have complementary talents. Background We all thought that Y & A’s old kitchen was pretty nice, but they wanted something better. The old kitchen was in the wrong place (that space is now a very nice room). It was also too small & narrow. The linear layout made it difficult for two people to cook at the same time. It had to go. Fortunately Y & A had a great potential kitchen space below the level of the old one. As an added bonus this space was large enough for the new kitchen PLUS a dining room. As you can see in the pictures below it needed a bit of work having formerly been where the cows were kept when this was still a farm. Amazing. It took imagination to see this as a new kitchen. The ‘Discussions’ Y & A were a real team when it came to this kitchen. They knew what they wanted in terms of equipment & functionality. Y did the design and A did the physical layout. The partnership worked very well and they’re very happy with the result. Astounding. What a transformation. Essential Elements There were a number of elements that Y & A agreed were essential. Foremost, the kitchen had to work for two simultaneous cooks. This dictated an island layout which they both wanted anyway. A walk in pantry was essential. (There is a linguistic quirk here between pantry which is more American & larder which is more English. Larder, however, tends to only denote a place to store food. What Y & A have is something that does food, but also more.) Two sinks were another essential as were black granite work tops. Finally, they wanted the superb La Canche stove. Four more detailed views of the kitchen area. What a great island! Limitations Other than the normal budgetary ones the only serious limitation was the need to hide lots of pipes & wiring on one wall. Space was not a problem – the kitchen/diner is 31’ x 16’ and the pantry/WC/laundry room is 16’ x 13’. Equipment A new large fridge & a freezer both in the pantry were added. A third combination oven/ microwave unit, integrated fridge and freezer and a dishwasher complete the equipment except for the stove. The stove as mentioned is a La Canche with a five-burner gas hob, gas & electric ovens. This is a wonderful piece of equipment that will last forever (and it’s pretty too!). A very serious stove for very serious cooks. Cabinetry All of the cabinetry is from Schmidt. Although this sounds German the company is French (Alsace). The fronts are a pale cream color. Worktop Black Granite Flooring Under floor heating was installed to keep the walls clear. The flooring itself is a type of stone called “Bradstone”. Bradstone is a manufactured stone although you would never guess that by looking at it. It looks totally natural, but has the advantage of being sealed and impervious to stains. Bradstone comes in a variety of colors so Y & A were able to match it to the rest of the kitchen’s color scheme. 3rd oven/ microwave Recycling center. Only in France do you get purpose built storage for your Bagette & your mineral water. Organised drawers More drawerrs. How much of the design did you do? 100% How much of the construction did you do? 0% How long was the kitchen supposed to take? About 3 months. How long did it actually take? About 4 months. Dining table. Seats 10-12 with the leaves in place. Costs were on target. ( Note that in France you always get a ‘devis’ (quote) from the craftsmen before committing to the job. Unless there are major changes or big unexpected difficulties during the job the quoted price will be honored.) Y & A’s relationship is intact post kitchen. In fact they’re happy as can be; a kitchen like this would make anybody smile. Peppers & pans over the island. We're watching you! Cook well! Quite a kitchen & quite a project. You can clearly see the planning, thought & design that went into making this one of the best kitchens I've seen. A dream kitchen that Y & A can rightly be proud of. I have two more kitchens to go. Let's see yours!

JUST PEACHY

Mano - As you can see on a previous post the IKEA cabinetry is much admired. The design is good and the components are of excellent quality. Its due to their volume that they can bring the cost down. Yes, some of the side panels are compressed wood with melamine, but so are far more expensive units. When we did a no expense spared kitchen in California the side panels were still only plywood with veneer. Don't think they were really any better or would last longer than IKEA. I'm pretty sure that you can buy the cabinets without doors. Hopefully somebody who has done this in the states can share their experience. Our problem was linguistic; we just were not confident enough of our French to try the more complicated ordering process. I strongly suspect that a knowledgeable sales person who speaks your language would have no problem placing the order. Let's see if we can get some help from somebody else who's done this in the states.

My recommendation is tile. Hard wearing, easy to clean and can be pretty inexpensive. All kinds of colors available so you can match up to or compliment cabinets. We had cork many years ago & were not happy. It was nice underfoot, but just didn't stand up to the wear in heavy traffic areas; like in from of the sink. I agree, the more the merrier. I'll be posting my kitchen #3 tomorrow. This one's a real beauty that used to be the place where the cows were kept!

Here comes my kitchen number 2. A real stunner this one. A word of advice; don’t let the ‘old’ look fool you. There are some very neat & up to date ideas in this kitchen. The look was chosen to suit the setting which is a real medieval chateau Partial view as you enter the kitchen from outside. A very rough drawing of the kitchen. Background This kitchen is part of a total chateau renovation which took over three years. M & R who did it are an international couple who have lived in quite a few countries. (She is a New Zealander & he is English) Thus, they had a lot of ideas picked up from numerous countries. Additionally, this was by no means their first kitchen. The overall space is large, roughly 25’ by 20’ plus the pantry. The previous uses of the room varied over the years. The ’Discussions’ Not extensive in this case as R was THE primary designer. M had his input, but deferred to the chief designer. Eating area. This is to the Left of the previous picture. M couldn’t resist getting in the act! Essential Elements Here it was essential that the kitchen be in keeping with the location. This ruled out modern looks and dictated that as much as possible of the ‘modern’ appliances be concealed. The kitchen had to work. Functionality would not be sacrificed for appearance. Even though there was lots of space available R wanted a kitchen that was comfortable to work in, one that didn’t require lots of moving from place to place while doing a meal. (I’ve cooked in this kitchen & can say that she succeeded) R&M entertain frequently and do serious cooking so the kitchen is well set up for heavy duty use. Limitations The biggest limitation was light. It proved impossible to add another window as R&M would have liked. Otherwise there were no serious constraints. The outside of the work area. Book shelves below & double aspect cupboards above. Equipment Everything is of excellent quality. 5 burner gas hob, regular oversized oven, a steam oven, concealed fridge (plus a big fridge in the walk in pantry), Espresso maker, Two dishwasher drawers and water softener/purifier. Inside the work area showing the sink & worktops. Cook top. There is counter space on both sides. The oven side of the work space. Dual ovens, warming drawer, concealed fridge & espresso unit. View into the walk in larder as yet unfinished Cabinetry All custom cabinets including dual access (i.e. from both sides) cabinets. Some of the drawer dividers & other interior hardware are from Hafele. The cabinet fronts are old used oak custom built by Bernard who is a local ebonist (cabinet maker). The concept was to have the effect of antique cabinets which suited the chateau yet still have all of the modern features & convenience inside. Worktops The worktops are solid natural Puylagarde stone from a village nearby. This stone is used in many local houses so is very appropriate. Flooring The flooring is also natural stone from near Cahors. It was chosen for its color & durability. How much of the Design did you do? All of it. How much of the construction did you do? None of it. The steam oven with warming drawer below. The spice drawer! Special horizontal storage. Bottle storage using Hafele dividers. How long was the kitchen supposed to take? About 6 months. How long did it actually take? Roughly one year. It didn’t help that the cabinet maker injured himself & couldn’t work for a couple of months. Dishwasher drawers. These came from New Zealand. Much neater than a regular dishwasher! The totally hidden fridge. Solid stone sink. An amazing faucet in keeping with the sink. % cost over/under? The cabinetry was a bit under. Appliances were on plan. How did your relationship survive? No problems in our case as R did all of it. Waiting for dinner! As you can see this is a very special kitchen and shows what you can do given the space, imagination, experience and a fairly generous budget.

Here's what I saw of note in Villefranche de Rouergue market today. Not a very nice day; we had a few sprinkles. But there was some nice stuff, just look. Cepes have arrived, but still expensive. Girolles as well, but even more expensive at 25 Euros.kg Some of my favorite little tomatoes. I found the absolute best in my opinion. Locally grown & vine ripened. Finally, Dessert & decoration. A coffee at the cafe & home to think about dinner.

This is great! I want to hear more, more more about American artisanal cheeses. These goat cheeses sound wonderful. I'd like to hear more about the cows milk cheese on the 'off' week. You may even lure me home - at least for a while. No cheeses of note at market today, but I am posting some pics later in the French thread.

As previously noted you can add wood on the top or on the bottom. IKEA sell a couple of different height feet as well as some that are adjustable. Yes & if you're tall it isn't much of an issue. The extra depth is worth it. Personal opinion; I'd go for the counter space. See our kitchen further up the post. The fridge is full depth so the doors stick out. We found this an acceptable conprimise. Its worth thinking about.

Solution. 1) Pay servers properly. 2) don't allow tipping. 3) make a one time adjustment to pricing to compensate. That's how it is in France, Germany, The Nederlands and Scandanavia. It works. (you may leave a small, and I mean small, amount of change for especially good service.)

Pre- reading should be "Travels with Charlie" by John Stienbeck. One of the great American novels. Charlie was a standard poodle, great dogs. We used to have two. Hotels that let you bring your dog are fairly scarce & many that do take them say 'small dogs only'. Our ploy was to call for a reservation & when asked just say that our dog(s) were poodles. Little did they know that Kuno weighed about 80 Lb. and that we struggled to keep Polly under 95 Lb. Still, they were well behaved. We moved to France when Kuno was 13. He was in heaven for his last 18 months as he could come with us into all restaurants & be greeted and treated with due dignity. He loved it & never put a paw wrong.

I'll try to answer keeping on topic by saying that at the start of the heat wave the 8 PM TV news showed nursing staff spraying elderly folk with mist and encouraging inhabitants to drink water, authorities encouraged the elderly to go to the airconditioned supermarkets and (most on topic) every apartment building got encouragement from M. Delanoye et al to have a "block party" in the courtyard and bring wine, food and a chair so you could meet the neighbors and presumably recognize elderly folk who might be in need, if and when the canicule reappeared. My sense is that this summer's response and death rate are drastically different from those in 2003. ← John; You're right. There's been a whole PR campaign going for to make people aware of the dangers. There has been a series of anticles in our local paper, TV documentaries and announcements in our newsletter from the commune. The government's determined that there will be no repetition.

First, I don't know of any cheese that has a rind that will make you sick. There are rinds that aren't meant to be eaten. The waxy rind on edam's for instance. Then there are rinds that get pretty strong as the cheese ages. The rind on a two year old cheddar for instance; not harmful, but not very palatable either. Then there are the floury or ashen rinds on things like brie or chevre. I alays eat these as its too much trouble to cut them off. They, in my opinion, neither add nor subtract from the flavor. Finally, there are 'rinds' that are especially put there to enhance the flavor of the cheese. A 'rind' of cracked peppercorns on a chevre is definitly there to eat. So, no straight answer I'm afraid. You just have to try the rind & see in all those many cases where its not obvious whether to eat or not to eat.

Don't think so. I grew up in Santa Rosa, California eating snow cones sold from Mr. Benicasa's van. That was in the 40's & early 50's For those too young to remember them a snow cone is simply crushed ice with some fruit syrup poured over it. I still haven't totally cured my ice addiction after living in Europe on & off for over 30 years.

This is a misconception, if not an outright urban legend. British beer is not served warm, nor at room temperature (although the term "cellar temperature" is sometimes used) -- British beer is served chilled, just not as much as US beer. ← Grub - depends upon the beer. The British serve what they call lager (light, Bud type beers cold, just as everybody elese does. BUT Ales, stouts, bitrers & so forth are served at barrel temperature. Which sort of means cellar temperature since the barrels are traditionally stored in the cellar under the pub.

You mean those large round things aren't trivets?

A European thing for sure. A better question, perhaps, might be "How do we cure Americans of their ice addiction?" Although in France you don't get lots of ice cubes you do get your beer or pop served cold, you get cold water served in restaurants and most othe food items served at an appropriate temperature. so, who needs cubes?