eGfoodblog: Dave Hatfield

[Dave Hatfield]

4th of July in France. Even though the French were on our side during the war of Independence they don’t normally celebrate the 4th of July. July 14th is their Independence Day. In one local hamlet, however, they do!

This is due to our friends Donald & Annabel. Donald is the only other American I know for miles around. He & Annabel live in a hamlet with a population of 14; twelve of whom are French. Several years ago they decided that they would celebrate the 4th by inviting everyone in the hamlet to a traditional American picnic. Of course, they also invited us as the ‘other’ Americans plus a few other local friends plus the citizens of the hamlet had a few friends & family who had to come as well. The picnic ended up with about 25-30 people. We’re not sure that the French contingent truly understands what it is they’re celebrating, but there’s nothing the French love more than a good party whatever the occasion may be. The French tend to call it the D-day party.They all appreciate D-day & remember it.

Please remember that the youngest resident of the hamlet is over 70 and that their native language is Occitan, not French and you can see where the uncertainty arises.

The food is classic 4th of July picnic food. Burgers, salads (see Mary’s recipe) pies and so forth. The first year Donald tried to serve American hot dogs, but was politely given to understand that they were not well received. So, no hot dogs now; we barbecue fresh duck & Toulouse sausage instead. Everybody likes hamburgers though. Lots & lots of wine and beer are served of course. We start about 4 in the afternoon & go on until whenever.

Village politics are now entering the picture. Last year Madam X & M. Y got into a feud. It took quite a lot of diplomacy to get them to both attend the picnic. They sat as far apart as possible. Knowing that their owners were at loggerheads their dogs decided to get into a fight & had to be separated! It turns out that the feud is about who ate whose plums. It continues. This year no amount of diplomacy could persuade the two to come at the same time. Eventually, M. Y went to Donald & Annabel’s for a drink the evening before and Madame X came to the picnic. This year the dogs behaved themselves.

Marcel, the local Shepard.

Coco, world's worst sheepdog. If not kept on his lead he will attack the sheep. He oozes charm though!

Not everyone is totally relaxed. Madame is still not convinced that all is well.

Everybody has a good time and as the evening goes on the bottles of Eau de Vie start appearing. (Think French white lightening; very, very strong) Then the singing starts. It ends up as a very friendly competition with the French speakers doing their favorites & the English speakers trying to match them song for song. The French win as there are more of them & they seem to be better at remembering the words!

Once again La entente Cordial is strengthened. I do love living in France.

[Dave Hatfield]

Tomorrow. We're having a good dinner, seven people. Most of the menu is accessible I think. Here's the ingredient list:

!/2 avocado per person

A thin slice of smoked ham per person

Butter

Garlic

A package of flaky pastry (pate feuillet)

Smoked salmon Or trout slices, 4-6.

Fresh dill

1 quail per person

More garlic

Herbs de Provence

1 eggplant per 3 people

Fresh leeks to suit

Cheese to your taste

Granny smith apples

1 lemon

Flour

Sugar

The menu is:

Baked avocado with ham & garlic butter

Salmon/trout en croute

Roast quail with baked Eggplant & sautéed leeks

Cheese

Tart Tatin

The quail may be a problem. You could substitute a chicken leg/ thigh piece if the quality is good.

In any case this is a nice menu and easy to cook. We'll have fun with it.

Good night all!

[SuzySushi]

A clamp to hold a small wheel of brie in shape while slicing it into strips?

[prasantrin]

If i try to think as a Frenchperson, I would narrow the gadget's uses as having to do with bread, cheese, wine, or cigarettes. My vote is as a cheesemold. Do you make your own cheese at all?

I would use it as something from which to hang poultry when drying out the skin, making it extra crispy when roasted.

[Smithy]

You use it to support the strainer that's holding the olives as they drain.

This is a terrific blog! I can't think like the French (je nais parlez pas Francais) but I do love the snapshots of the countryside and village life. The caption really makes the photo.

Edited to add: or maybe it's an ash tray.

Edited July 5, 2007 by Smithy (log)

[BarbaraY]

I'm loving this and think your 4th of July picnic is great.

Love the doggie, too. I have met only two standard Poodles but the were very nice dogs.

I have no idea what you use the clamp for but am waiting with baited breath to know.

Madame does not look happy.

[LindsayAnn]

Dave,

The with holiday I have been so busy i just now noticed your blogs (and I love egullet blogs). However, I am especially interested in THIS blog. I have read and had conversations (posting conversations that is) on the cheese thread (speaking of, where has all the action been on that thread? *tears*). I am a "dave fan". You a man of my own heart. Although I am a young 25 years old I love my cheese and have tried more than most. My fiance wont even be in the same room as I when I eat some of the more smelly/stinky cheeses that I adore. Therefore, with all of your experience and the great cheese selection that you have at your fingertips I idolize you. You, sir, are a mentor to me. A cheese mentor! HAHA

I look forward to this entire journey. Horray! And thanks Dave for sharing a little piece of your world with all of us!

[Dave Hatfield]

Dave,

The with holiday I have been so busy i just now noticed your blogs (and I love egullet blogs). However, I am especially interested in THIS blog. I have read and had conversations (posting conversations that is) on the cheese thread (speaking of, where has all the action been on that thread? *tears*). I am a "dave fan". You a man of my own heart. Although I am a young 25 years old I love my cheese and have tried more than most. My fiance wont even be in the same room as I when I eat some of the more smelly/stinky cheeses that I adore. Therefore, with all of your experience and the great cheese selection that you have at your fingertips I idolize you. You, sir, are a mentor to me. A cheese mentor! HAHA

I look forward to this entire journey. Horray! And thanks Dave for sharing a little piece of your world with all of us!

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I'm blushing

See cheese post later today.

[Dave Hatfield]

This is driving me crazy.

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Me, too.

You wouldn't use it as a corkscrew, would you?

No, probably not

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WE HAVE A WINNER!

Not a confident one, but a winner nonetheless.

here's the story. A few weeks ago we went over to Jean-Claud's place to see how the renovations were coming along. He's doing up a stone barn. The work is now nearly finished and the place is looking great. We ended up having dinner with about 12 French friends. We were intrigued when Jean-Claude started opening the wine with the drainpipe clamp. Necessity is the mother of invention they say. In this case he couldn't find his regular corkscrew in the building mess. Voila! A new type of corkscrew is born. Linda liked it so much that it became a cadeau from Jean-Claude.

I though that it would make a good mystery item.

Amapola, PM me to set up your dinner.

[Dave Hatfield]

Cheese

Four little chevre's. Aren't they pretty?

I adore cheese; in fact it’s a rare day that I don’t eat some. You’ll see me as a regular contributor to the cheese thread on this forum. This little write up is on my thoughts about cheese and I’ve stuck in lots of pictures just to whet your appetites.

Brie and Montsalvey ready to eat.

Once again we are lucky to live in a country where excellent cheeses are readily available. France at last count supports over 600 varieties of cheese; however this is fewer than they make in Great Britain if the British tourist board is to be believed. No matter as both countries do themselves proud. We buy most of our cheeses from the mobile cheese mongers who come to the various local markets. Some are like a normal shop and offer a wide variety; others are the individual producers or local coops. The supermarkets are a very good source as well since they keep their cheeses properly and high turnover ensures good freshness for the younger cheeses.

Blue de causses. Very local, very sharp.

I think my love affair with cheese started in the early 60’s when I first visited & lived in France. I didn’t know much, but I did know I liked all the cheeses I was offered. The only pre-France cheese I remember is Tillamook from Oregon. (My grandparents lived in Eugene) When I returned to Europe in 1967 we first lived in Brussels where good cheese was readily available and then when we moved to England I began to learn more about British cheeses. Unfortunately that time was a low spot in British cheese history so really good cheeses were difficult to find. Fortunately, I was visiting France on a regular basis so could buy there. I used to try to always plan a little shopping time into my business trips so I could take back cheeses, pates and bread to England.

Another blue, St Augur. Mellow & nutty. Commercial, but good.

When I moved back to the states in 1982 I lived in Emeryville, California for a while; this was only a stone’s throw from Shattuck Avenue & foodie heaven. Alice Water’s Chez Panisse, Pig by the Tail, Monterey Market and, above all, the Cheese Place all in one block just about. The Saturday ritual was charcuterie, cheese, then lunch upstairs at Chez Panisse. There was hardly anywhere else to buy good, well kept cheeses so even after I moved I made the pilgrimage to Berkley on a regular basis. 1988 saw me back in England. I was in Newbury so I could easily get up to Streatly & Wells Stores. A lot of people, including me, believe that Patrick Rance was THE key figure in the resurrection of English cheese. Certainly his shop was a delight; full of the best cheeses both English & French all in perfect condition. His book on French cheeses is a must have for anyone serious about French cheese.

A pallet of cabeques. Goat milk & made within 5 miles of Parisot.

’93 and back to the states. Berkley cheese still going, a good cheese shop in Carmel and that was about it. Moved to Chicago which was a cheese desert, even the WholeFoods wasn’t very good. Rhode Island next where the Providence WholeFoods was excellent. Thus we survived and did Ok until we moved to France permanently in 2002.

Lunch! Note the crisp bread instead of regular bread. My concession the keeping my weight down.

For the past 5 years I’ve been fully able to indulge myself. I’ve learned about a lot of new (to me) cheeses and am still finding & trying new ones all the time. We make frequent visits to the UK to see friends & family so I’m also getting up to speed on their excellent spectrum of cheeses.

Cheese labels from the really good cheese shop in Villefranche de Rouergue.

I’ve spread some pictures throughout this in no particular order just to liven it up. Most are from past posts or my blog. All are good cheeses.

Tomme fermier. The real thing. There are a lot of bad tommes out there.

My advice to anyone concerning cheese is to keep tasting, keep experimenting and keep trying to find good vendors who know how to treat their product properly.

St Felicien. A great favourite. This one was really ripe and extra delicious.

[Dave Hatfield]

Here's how to make the tarte Tatin we are having for dessert tonight.

Ingredients:

6-8 apples. Granny Smith's by my choice. Others like Golden Delicious

1 Lemon

11/2 cups sugar

3 oz butter (unsalted)

Enough pie dough (pate brisée) to cover an 8 inch frying pan.

Method: (pre-heat oven to 425 F (220C )

1) Make your crust & put it into the fridge.

2) take the zest off the lemon & put it & the juice from the lemon into a large bowl with 1/2 cup of the sugar.

3) Core, peel and cut each apple into 1/8ths. Immediately put them into the bowl with the sugar & lemon. Stir to cover.

4) Put the rest of the sugar & the butter into the frying pan. Over high heat melt the butter & sugar, stirring frequently. It will start to bubble and turn brown. Keep going.

5) The mixture will start to separate. Don't panic. Keep going until the mix just begins to smoke. Take off of the heat.

6) Now start layering the apples into the pan. VERY CAREFULLY. Its hot. Do two layers as shown.

7) Put back on the high heat & cook, basting frequently, until the apples soften (about 15 minutes) Covering with a lid between basting's helps.

8) Get your crust out of the fridge & roll it out to a diameter that is at least 1 inch more than the pan diameter.

9) Turn the heat off. Fold the crust in half and place over the apples. Trim the edge all around then gently push the crust just inside the pan. Prick a few holes to let steam out.

10) Put in the hot oven near the top. As you can see I have a pan with a removable handle. Otherwise a pan with a handle that will take the heat or you can almost close the door to the oven and leave the handle sticking out.

Cook until the crust is brown. A test for doneness is to gently tilt the pan to one side; if you see lots of juice run to the lower side its not done yet.

11) Take the pie out of the oven HOT HOT HOT!! Again tilt the pan. If the juices still look a bit runny even though the crust is brown put the pan back on high stovetop heat for a while until the juices are thicker.

12) On this pie I was a bit quick. I should have let it brown a bit more. Also, even though the juices didn't run much on the tilt test I should have cooked the pie a bit more.

13) Here's the tricky part. Put a plate over the top of the pie then quickly turn it over.

As you can see the juice is somewhat runny and the pie top should be browner. It will still taste great, but I would have liked a better example for the blog. C'est la vie!

Picture of the finished pie later.

[gariotin]

Dave, as always, the cheese pix and comments are so inspiring. Thanks for the wonderful reminders of what we are missing - even tho the selection and quality of French cheeses is so much better here in the States, we are missing the "real deal" of raw milk soft-ripeneds and chevres. That St. Felician is a beaut!

The little Whole Foods in Providence hearkens back to the "old days" when the chain was called Bread & Circus. It is still a wonderful little store and does an amazing job merchandising lots of delicious products in such a little space.

I am really enjoying your blog and had to laugh remembering that I once offended you by mistaking the avatar pix of Rupert for a rabbit!!

[Dave Hatfield]

Recipe for ailiade de Toulouse:  yes, I'm asking.  Please!

The dinner looks terrific.  I didn't see anything that had looked molded or clamped.  I didn't see any free-standing terrines or cheesecakes that looked like they'd been molded in a collar of parchment paper held in shape by that clamp.  I'm still thinking. 

This might be one of the best ways even to develop new uses for old stuff, eh? 

←

I haven't forgotten. Here is the recipe:

This is a sauce made locally here in the Rouergue and which is a traditional addition to magret. I first learned of it from Jeanne Strang's book "Goose Fat & Garlic". I highly recommend this book by the way. If you like the Paula Wolfert book on South Western French cooking you'll also love this book. In addition to the recipes Jeanne describes a way of life that continues in this area, but is slowly fading away.

NOTES:The recipe quantity will serve 4-5 people, but I have discovered that the Aillade freezes beautifully so I usually at least double up & keep a nice pot for next time.

Use walnut oil if at all possible. I've used olive oil & even truffle oil when I didn't have walnut & although they work well its just not quite the same.

Ingredients:

75 grams fresh walnuts

50 grams raw garlic

150 milliliter walnut oil

Salt & pepper

A small handful of Parsley

Some water.

Method:

1. Mix the walnuts & garlic together and process in a food processor or blender until very smooth. You may need to add a bit of water to keep the mixture flowing, but not too much. ( the traditional method was to do this step in a mortar & pestle, but the food processor is much easier.)

2. With the processor running, slowly pour in the walnut oil. Process until the Aillade is nicely smooth. If necessary add a little water until you achieve a mayonnaise like consistency.

3. Add salt & pepper to taste.

4. Add the parsley.

5. Serve with magret or place into a ramekin, seal with film & freeze.

I know this sounds very garlicky & strong, but believe me it offsets the duck beautifully. My wife always insists on Lyonaise potatoes with this so she can eat more Aillade.

[Jean Blanchard]

Dave,

Great blog! I will be in Provence and Paris in September so I am particularly enjoying it.

The cheeses look wonderful. Chicago now has a very good cheese shop that I travel from the suburbs for an hour to get to. Nothing as good as France, of course, but still better than what was previously available to us. Since I was French in another life and am living vicariously through you, can we see more of your home?

Jean Blanchard

[Marlene]

Dave, I love tart tatin, and now I need to try your recipe! I notice you are making it ahead. Do you serve it cold, or re warm it for service?

[Abra]

I love it that you're giving us so many recipes. I can't try them right now, but vicariously, I'm cooking every one!

When you say fresh walnuts, do you mean green ones?

[Dave Hatfield]

Dave, I love tart tatin, and now I need to try your recipe!  I notice you are making it ahead.  Do you serve it cold, or re warm it for service?

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Marlene. I normally serve it at room temperature.

Family members like it with a scoop of ice cream. A la mode, but the British it turns out don't use that term. We had a huge discussion on this with both family & British friends. Yet another linguistic difference.

[Pan]

[...]Family members like it with a scoop of ice cream. A la mode, but the British it turns out don't use that term. We had a huge discussion on this with both family & British friends. Yet another linguistic difference.

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Do they have a term for it, other than "with a scoop of ice cream"?

[Anna N]

Dave,

Following your blog with interest! A very good friend and eG member introduced me to a local cheese store and I had some of the best cheese I have ever tasted (it wasn't French though!). Your potato salad recipe was right on time for me as I had planned a salad for tonight. Love your corkscrew.

[Dave Hatfield]

I love it that you're giving us so many recipes.  I can't try them right now, but vicariously, I'm cooking every one!

When you say fresh walnuts, do you mean green ones?

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No, those are better used for making wine.

I just mean that you are better off with walnuts from this year's crop & ideally ones that you have shelled yourself.

[Dave Hatfield]

[...]Family members like it with a scoop of ice cream. A la mode, but the British it turns out don't use that term. We had a huge discussion on this with both family & British friends. Yet another linguistic difference.

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Do they have a term for it, other than "with a scoop of ice cream"?

←

Not that I know of. Maybe the French have an expression that I don't know. Normally, they just ask "avec glace?"

A la mode in French is "of the fashion" Up to date, fashionable, in other words.

[Corinna Dunne]

This is a sauce made locally here in the Rouergue and which is a traditional addition to magret. I first learned of it from Jeanne Strang's book "Goose Fat & Garlic". I highly recommend this book by the way. If you like the Paula Wolfert book on South Western French cooking you'll also love this book. In addition to the recipes Jeanne describes a way of life that continues in this area, but is slowly fading away.

Dave, I'm really enjoying your blog, it captures French life so beautifully. And I love the picture of madam! You mention that old ways of life are fading, what traditions/practices are dying out and what is remaining steadfast?

[Kouign Aman]

In the aillade recipe, do you skin the walnuts first ?

That sauce sounds so good I can smell it.

[Dave Hatfield]

I've been getting ready for tonights dinner. As you could tell from the menu this ones a little more elaborate.

Just look at what Linda has done with the table!

Beautiful what? All flowers are local.

What you'll get now is mostly my workflow as opposed to actual recipes. This is what I was doing to get ready pretty much in sequence.

I started with the eggplant dish. Cut off the end; make some deep slits into it (5-6) and insert garlic slivers into the slits (the garlic has been marinating for 30 minutes in olive oil)

Garlic slit close up.

Next I coated the eggplants with the oil the garlic had be soaking in sprinkled on Herbs de Provence & some salt. Then I wrapped them in foil ready for the oven.

The leeks got chopped up & put in a pot with butter ready to saute.

Next came a little experimental dish. (we'll have to see how it turns out)

I took some purchased flaky pastry (pate feuillette), rolled it out & covered it with thin slices of smoked trout. I then put some fresh dill leaves over it and rolled it up from both sides towards the middle.

I trimmed the ends then cut it into 7 equal pieces. Its now ready for a baking tray and the oven later.

The quail came next. They were stuffed with minced garlic, coated in oil, Salted & peppered then covered with thyme from the garden. Arranged on their tray & ready to go.

Next I put the cheese on a plate. Tonight is very simple on the cheese front. St Nectaire (2 of them) and L'epic which is a raw milk cows cheese from the Aubrac.

Finally, I tidied up the Tart Tatin.

I also somewhere in the process made the garlic butter that I'll need for our avocado & ham starter. I can't do much prep on this as it has to be last minute.

Anyway, I'm ready to cook now. I'll use two ovens to make the timings easier. And will have plenty of time to enjoy our guests.

More later.

[Dave Hatfield]

In the aillade recipe, do you skin the walnuts first ?

That sauce sounds so good I can smell it.

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No don't skin the walnuts. Just try to get the best freshest ones that you can.

Mine come from our tree & I have to fight Rupert, the poodle, for them. He loves walnuts and is an expect at cracking & eating them. He gets every bit of meat leaving only the shell. He gets fat every fall when the walnut start falling.

edited for typo.

Edited July 5, 2007 by Dave Hatfield (log)