eGfoodblog: Dave Hatfield

[gariotin]

I like seeing everything before it is cooked so that we can see the "before" and "after". I agree with someone else's comment - you can almost smell the garlic, herbs, oil, etc from the pix. These photos are making me feel starving - I am going to make lunch!

[Dave Hatfield]

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

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Can you give me the name & address of the Chicago cheese shop? We have friends who would love to know about it.

Here's a few pictures of the house:

As you can see its a converted farmhouse in local stone. It was a house, a barn & a hanger.

Our dining room looking towards the kitchen

Entry to kitchen showing our 'guardian' chicken.

We are just at the edge of the village surrounded by farm land. Its a nice spot.

[rgruby]

Dave,

I asked upthread about Spanish and Italian ingredients.

What about north African? Has any of this influence seeped into the countryside or is it confined to the larger cities.

Merci encore for starting this thread! C'est fantastique!

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[Dave Hatfield]

Dave,

I asked upthread about Spanish and Italian ingredients.

What about north African? Has any of this influence seeped into the countryside or is it confined to the larger cities.

Merci encore for starting this thread! C'est fantastique!

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

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You can buy the ingredients fairly easily.

There are also quite a few restaurants even in small towns featuring North African cuisine.

Lots & lots of places in the large towns & cities. Especially in the banlieues.

Its like anywhere; the larger the place the more sophisticated and varied the cuisine.

[Dave Hatfield]

We had a great time at dinner with lots of good conversation.

As is usual the best laid plans oft gang awry. One lot of guests turned up as 4 instead of the 3 we expected.

How we coped, pictures and description in the morning.

PS: I'm amazed to have, so far, seen no comments about the mystery item's identity.

[Kouign Aman]

I was amazed I didnt figure it out once I started wondering what role the woodscrew played. I even typed out an early comment on that screw then decided not to post it. For that matter, I've actually used a woodscrew, with a pair of visegrips, to open a bottle of wine. Im in quiet awe of amapola for figuring it out. And stunned amazement at my blindness. And now I want to make one for my dad to use 'cause I think he'd get a kick out of it.

[bavila]

Your cheese shots make me ashamed of the orange sticks (oh dear and "American" slices brought over by a friend for our 4th celebration yesterday) in my fridge. Ugly American indeed.

Here's a question you may be able to give a more definitive answer to than anyone else I've asked. Should all blue cheeses be avoided by someone allergic to penicillin? Is the mold the same in Stilton, Roquefort and gorgonzola? My toddler son may be allergic to amoxicillin, and I just want to be sure I don't inadvertantly send him in to anaphylactic shock.

As for your tart tatin, would it be inauthentic to slice the apples more thinly? I'm more of a pastry lover, and therefore find a think wedge of cooked apple an unwelcome obstacle to my pastry consumption.

Merci!

[petite tête de chou]

We had a great time at dinner with lots of good conversation.

As is usual the best laid plans oft gang awry. One lot of guests turned up as 4 instead of the 3 we expected.

How we coped, pictures and description in the morning.

PS: I'm amazed to have, so far, seen no comments about the mystery item's identity.

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Is the mystery item used to hold grape vines? What a lovely home you live in. And in such beautiful countryside. Wow.

[Jean Blanchard]

Dave,

The name of the Chicago cheese shop is Pastoral Artisan Cheese at 2945 N. Broadway. They have been featured in Food and Wine as one of the best cheese shops in the states. Thank you so much for the pictures of your home. I'm seriously jealous!.

Jean

[gariotin]

The reason I'm not commenting on amapola's correct answer is because I am jealous - it was right there for us to see and I wanted to win that dinner!!!

As to bavila's question, the mold in many blue cheeses is indeed a type of penicillium - p. roqueforti. Gorgonzola is made with p. gorgonzola and I can't get a definitive answer on Stilton. I consulted 3 different books - 1 called The Story of Stilton - and found no exact info. I am not sure about the relationship between amoxycillin and penicillium, so I would check with your pediatrician. If they are related, I would stay away until he is much older - sometimes we grow out of those things. And there are so many other wonderful cheeses he can enjoy!

[SuzySushi]

Here's a question you may be able to give a more definitive answer to than anyone else I've asked. Should all blue cheeses be avoided by someone allergic to penicillin? Is the mold the same in Stilton, Roquefort and gorgonzola? My toddler son may be allergic to amoxicillin, and I just want to be sure I don't inadvertantly send him in to anaphylactic shock.

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bavila -- Getting off-topic here, but after being given penicillin many times as a child, I developed an allergy to amoxicillin as an adult, and I still eat blue cheeses with no problem. However, I've read that all blue cheeses should be avoided. I'd definitely check with your pediatrician or an allergist before feeding them to your son.

[Marlene]

Here's a question you may be able to give a more definitive answer to than anyone else I've asked. Should all blue cheeses be avoided by someone allergic to penicillin? Is the mold the same in Stilton, Roquefort and gorgonzola? My toddler son may be allergic to amoxicillin, and I just want to be sure I don't inadvertantly send him in to anaphylactic shock.

Merci!

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I'm not Dave, but I may be able to shed a bit of light on this. I, too am allergic to penicillin. Deadly so. However, I can eat blue cheese in small amounts. Too much, and I get ill, but not the same reaction as I have to penicillin and blue cheese.

However, If your son is very young, and you aren't sure of his amoxicillin allergy, then don't give him any blue cheese or other mold based cheeses for now. Young children who already have an allergy or sensitivity to something, could easily develop further senitivities. This came from my doctor when we thought my son was allergic to milk. Introduce small quantities, but wait until your toddler is at least 5 or 6 years old.

[judiu]

I am quite allergic to most(maybe all) penicillen products (hives, wheezing, etc.) but am not bothered by bleu cheese dressing, but then again, I don't actually eat the chunks of cheese, just the "sauce".

[MarketStEl]

Great pix, great recipes, and charming anecdotes so far.

Before I get into what I had planned to blog about today I thought that I would share the following with you.

In the NY Times today there was an article about potato chips. Here's the link to the article.

Now, its fine to be chauvinistic about potato chips, but we hardly have a monopoly on them. The British are great lovers of crisps (chips being French fries in the UK) and sell a huge variety of types and flavors.

The French do pretty well with potato chips, but not to the extent that we or the British do. As you much expect the quality is pretty good here in France. There is not, however, the the wide variety of types & flavors that are available in the states or the UK. Plain, crinkle cut and a few flavors; that's about it. You rarely see anything like a Frito (my favorite)

What I can get, however, are bags of truly hand made potato chips which are the greatest.

Happy 4th!

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A minor quibble, and maybe your mind got them confused with sister brand Lay's -- the first national brand of potato chips -- but Fritos are corn chips, which are different animals entirely -- and different from tortilla chips, which are also made from corn, as well (for one thing, they're thicker; for another, they're usually saltier and have a softer crunch than tortilla chips).

Do they have anything like Fritos in France? Or tortilla chips?

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.

(remainder of this glorious post snipped)

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I'm guessing that one reason French supermarkets do better by their cheeses than US supermarkets do is because both the retailers and the consumers in France know their cheese, and the consumers wouldn't stand for the industrially-produced-and-packaged varieties that dominate American supermarkets. Or am I romanticizing the French supermarket?

And since we're on the subject, I have to ask: Is Philadelphia Brand cream cheese sold in France? (I guess I should follow this up with "And if it is, why?")

[...]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"?

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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.

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I'm guessing that this term carries with it a slightly different connotation than the similar au courant?

[Pan]

[...]And since we're on the subject, I have to ask:  Is Philadelphia Brand cream cheese sold in France?  (I guess I should follow this up with "And if it is, why?")[...]

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I'm interested in the answer, too, but let's remember that in Chufi's latest blog, she made an American-style cheesecake with Philadelphia cream cheese manufactured in the Netherlands that did not include guar gum or any other kind of gum as an ingredient. So if Philadelphia cream cheese is sold in France (and I believe it is), it may be different from and better than the version sold in the U.S.

[Smithy]

As you can see its a converted farmhouse in local stone. It was a house, a barn & a hanger.

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Your house is gorgeous, inside and out! Now for my comments and questions:

In this context, what's a hanger? I don't see a place where an airplane would fit, but that's spelled "hangar", and maybe you're talking about a meat locker.

Thanks for the ailiade recipe! I love walnuts. I love garlic. I'd guessed that garlic would be involved, based on the name, but I hadn't guessed the walnuts.

I hadn't guessed that a drain pipe clamp could be a corkscrew, but I'm just kicking myself over that.

I always did wonder how "a la mode" could possibly imply "with ice cream". I guess I still don't know.

Oh, and finally - my compiments on the dinner photos! The table setting is beautiful - stunningly so. The food will no doubt live up to it. I do have to admit, however, that I can hear my grandfather yelling with consternation, in the back of my mind: "Too many forks!" He never could work out what to do with all that tableware, and loved embarrassing my grandmother with his ignorance.

[little ms foodie]

[...]And since we're on the subject, I have to ask:  Is Philadelphia Brand cream cheese sold in France?  (I guess I should follow this up with "And if it is, why?")[...]

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I'm interested in the answer, too, but let's remember that in Chufi's latest blog, she made an American-style cheesecake with Philadelphia cream cheese manufactured in the Netherlands that did not include guar gum or any other kind of gum as an ingredient. So if Philadelphia cream cheese is sold in France (and I believe it is), it may be different from and better than the version sold in the U.S.

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i've never found philly while visiting my friend in paris but end up using fromage fraiche as a substitute.

i agree- your house is awesome! exactly how i'd want my french farmhouse to look!!!

[sharonb]

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.

You mean St. Marcellin, I think...

Dave, this blog is excellent! I am loving every post of it. I miss rural France! I used to spend my summers in the Berry.

To answer the question about Philadelphia, it is available (at least in Paris) in big stores like le Bon Marché and Galeries Lafayette and a few upscale Monoprix stores. The label tends to be in English and German, so I think it's imported from somewhere closer than America (though no idea if it's different than the American version; I'm not a cream-cheese fan - though I did make a cheesecake once that turned out right; I made one another time with St. Moret, a French product that's similar, but it was much thinner and had less tang.

As for "à la mode" - no idea how it got applied to ice cream, though it's a traditional way of preparing beef stew! It's even shortened to "bœuf mode" but was originally "bœuf à la mode".

Edited July 6, 2007 by sharonb (log)

[SuzySushi]

Did some searching & Googling of "a la mode" as it refers to food.

The print edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (compact edition) has no reference to the term being used for ice cream, although it does refer to the beef dish.

The "official" story traces the origin of "a la mode" meaning "topped with ice cream" to a professor named Charles Watson Townsend, who liked to eat his apple pie with a scoop of ice cream and introduced that dessert to Delmonico's in the mid-1890s. It was then publicized by The New York Sun. See: History of Apple Pie

[Dave Hatfield]

Dave,

The name of the Chicago cheese shop is Pastoral Artisan Cheese at 2945 N. Broadway.  They have been featured in Food and Wine as one of the best cheese shops in the states.  Thank you so much for the pictures of your home.  I'm seriously jealous!.

Jean

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Jean, Thanks I'll forward the address to my friends.

[Dave Hatfield]

The reason I'm not commenting on amapola's correct answer is because I am jealous - it was right there for us to see and I wanted to win that dinner!!!

As to bavila's question, the mold in many blue cheeses is indeed a type of penicillium - p. roqueforti.  Gorgonzola is made with p. gorgonzola and I can't get a definitive answer on Stilton.  I consulted 3 different books - 1 called The Story of Stilton - and found no exact info.  I am not sure about the relationship between amoxycillin and penicillium, so I would check with your pediatrician.  If they are related, I would stay away until he is much older - sometimes we grow out of those things. And there are so many other wonderful cheeses he can enjoy!

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You can come to dinner anytime you are in the area. All you have to do is bring the cheese.

I've always thought that Stilton & Roquefort were the same bacteria; the difference being Cows milk for Stilton & Sheep's for Roquefort. ????

Much more learned answers down thread.

[Dave Hatfield]

Great pix, great recipes, and charming anecdotes so far.

Before I get into what I had planned to blog about today I thought that I would share the following with you.

In the NY Times today there was an article about potato chips. Here's the link to the article.

Now, its fine to be chauvinistic about potato chips, but we hardly have a monopoly on them. The British are great lovers of crisps (chips being French fries in the UK) and sell a huge variety of types and flavors.

The French do pretty well with potato chips, but not to the extent that we or the British do. As you much expect the quality is pretty good here in France. There is not, however, the the wide variety of types & flavors that are available in the states or the UK. Plain, crinkle cut and a few flavors; that's about it. You rarely see anything like a Frito (my favorite)

What I can get, however, are bags of truly hand made potato chips which are the greatest.

Happy 4th!

←

A minor quibble, and maybe your mind got them confused with sister brand Lay's -- the first national brand of potato chips -- but Fritos are corn chips, which are different animals entirely -- and different from tortilla chips, which are also made from corn, as well (for one thing, they're thicker; for another, they're usually saltier and have a softer crunch than tortilla chips).

Do they have anything like Fritos in France? Or tortilla chips?

Not confused. Its just that I like Fritos even more than potato chips. And, no there is nothing like them in France.

Interestingly Lay's are a huge brand of potato chip here in France as well as in the states. Don't think they import though.

[Dave Hatfield]

Your house is gorgeous, inside and out! Now for my comments and questions:

In this context, what's a hanger?  I don't see a place where an airplane would fit, but that's spelled "hangar", and maybe you're talking about a meat locker.

Thanks for the ailiade recipe!  I love walnuts.  I love garlic.  I'd guessed that garlic would be involved, based on the name, but I hadn't guessed the walnuts.

I hadn't guessed that a drain pipe clamp could be a corkscrew, but I'm just kicking myself over that. 

I always did wonder how "a la mode" could possibly imply "with ice cream".  I guess I still don't know.

Oh, and finally - my compiments on the dinner photos!  The table setting is beautiful - stunningly so.  The food will no doubt live up to it.  I do have to admit, however, that I can hear my grandfather yelling with consternation, in the back of my mind:  "Too many forks!"  He never could work out what to do with all that tableware, and loved embarrassing my grandmother with his ignorance. 

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In this context a 'hangar' is on open faced barn. The left side of the house was originally open. The stairs & veranda were added during the renovation.

I'm with your Grandfather. I don't see why we need more than one fork, knife & spoon. My wife is in the same boat as your Grandmother.

[amapola]

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.

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Wow, now that I see how it looks in use, I think I'll have to run to the nearest DIY store and buy us one of those. That is a GREAT piece of dinner party equipment!

Thank you so much for your kind award for my desperate guess. Unfortunately, we have no plans for the near future to head your direction but when and if we do, I would love join you at that gorgeous table...

[Dave Hatfield]

You mean St. Marcellin, I think...

Dave, this blog is excellent! I am loving every post of it. I miss rural France! I used to spend my summers in the Berry.

To answer the question about Philadelphia, it is available (at least in Paris) in big stores like le Bon Marché and Galeries Lafayette and a few upscale Monoprix stores. The label tends to be in English and German, so I think it's imported from somewhere closer than America (though no idea if it's different than the American version; I'm not a cream-cheese fan - though I did make a cheesecake once that turned out right; I made one another time with St. Moret, a French product that's similar, but it was much thinner and had less tang.

As for "à la mode" - no idea how it got applied to ice cream, though it's a traditional way of preparing beef stew! It's even shortened to "bœuf mode" but was originally "bœuf à la mode".

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Nope, its St Nectaire. St Marcellin is also delicious, but looks & tastes a little different.

I'll get some and put iy up on the Cheese thread.

We don't find Philly cheese in our supermarkets down here. I've never tried to make a cheescake here myself, but a friend does them very successfully using fromage fraische. You do have to drain it well before using.

We seem to have the definitive a la mode answer further down.