The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

No, not Christmas (although I love Christmas), but summer vacation in my beloved France! As much as I love living in The Netherlands, I simply adore life in France. The people, the language, the culture and let's not forget- the FOOD!! For a greedy guts/ wine freak like myself, this is definitely as close to paradise as it can possibly get!

We are headed to South- West France this year- Aquitaine, to be precise. Now, if you're familiar with France you might know that the capital of this region is Bordeaux- and what comes to mind when I say Bordeaux?? WINE!! I think I'll cry when we visit places such as Pomerol and St- Emilion- pretty much in the same way I cried last year when we saw the signs pointing towards Chateauneuf du Pape.

But if only that was all the area had to offer! This region also produces Bergerac, Sauternes, Cognac and Armagnac, fantastic duck products and even truffles! On our itinerary are also visits to Esplette (piment d' esplette!), Bayonne (ham!) Agen (prunes!) and Marmande (tomatoes!). That's just a taste of how we plan on eating and drinking our way through this region in two very short weeks. If you could only see my face as I write this!!

Oh and I should also mention that I came across this restaurant while reading Rick Stein's French Odyssey- La Tupina. Supposedly they have the best frites in France (fried in goose fat)! The center of attention, however, appears to be the magnificent oven where all sorts of meats are roasted right before your eyes- OH-MY-WORD!

Count on a lot of succulent descriptions and sumptuous photos upon my return!

Au revoir!

Dinner Party at Chez Nous!

There's nothing I love more than entertaining. Put me at the head of the table, surrounded by good friends,good music, good food and good wine and I'm a happy woman. Yesterday I hosted another lovely six- course dinner for some of my friends. The theme was France (actually, the theme is always France at chez nous)so the menu looked a little something llike this:

Apéritif
cranberry pate
saucisson sec
baguette (from our favorite bakery, Le Fournil de Sébastien)
black olives
mini- plum tomatoes
The apéritif was enjoyed in our garden with Pastis and a crackling fire in the background.

Entrée
Oeufs mayonaise
Such a simple dish- just some boiled eggs covered with garlicky mayo and served on a bed of salad.

Plat principal
Lamb chops marinated in lemon juice, olive oil and fresh herbs- served with a mixed green salad and some more of that heavenly baguette from Sébastien. I made a simple vinaigrette for the salad and we drank some Louis Bernard Côtes du Rhône with that.

Fromage
Brie
Port Salut
Limburgse kaas
Red currants
(and more wine, of course)

Dessert
Homemade salted caramel ice cream. Lots of happy faces when this one was served!

Digestif
A variety of licquers served with coffee of choice and my special chocolate rosemary cookies.

(The music for this event was a mix of Brel, Aznavour, Wende, Brigitte & Serge. Oh, and a little Doris Day thrown in for good measure.)

But aside from the food, it truly was a great evening because I seriously have the loveliest, most gracious friends in the world. Not only did they show up with very thoughtful presents (wine and chocolate!), but they also helped out, played the guitar, sang and laughed a lot. Here's to more dinner parties like this one! I think the next one will take us to Italy- mangiare!

A Trip Back to My Youth

After our market trip yesterday, we walked into what the Dutch call a 'toko'- basically, it's a food store that sells all kinds of foreign products, mostly Asian. I love visiting these shops because they usually carry a wonderful variety of spices, grains and beans. Actually, it's the perfect place for vegetarians, vegans or people who consume little meat (like myself). You'll find so much more than the few varieties of canned beans they sell at your average Dutch supermarket! I even found Nigella seeds once!

But yesterday...
There, in a little corner, we had a tiny bit of Colombia, my birth country. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about life there (I was a baby when my parents moved to New Jersey). What I do remember was being surrounded by a good dose of Colombian cooking and culture when I was growing up in the States. That's why I was so excited when my eyes fell upon a little box of Triguisar!! Triguisar is a cooking spice I vividly remember my mom using. It wasn't readily available in the States, but I remember she would sometimes get it when she would travel to Colombia or relatives would bring her some when they returned from a visit. The spices basically consists of cumin, a little garlic and some salt. They're usually used to season meats, soups and stews. I remember that distinct smell coming from empanadas (small meat pies). When I opened that little package, I was transported to a house in New Jersey where Sundays usually meant a dinner of sudao (stew with meat, potatoes and other vegetables) served over rice. Of course, the sudao was seasoned with Truiguisar!

Then I spotted a very familiar looking block of panela (a product obtained from boiled sugarcane). My parents tell me that I cried the whole way on the plane ride from Colombia to New Jersey beacuse I needed my aguapanela con leche!! Honestly, I must've been two the last time I drank this, so imagine my delight when I was standing over the stove yesterday boiling a chunk of panela in a little water! Probably just like my mom and granny did more than 30 years ago!

I also spotted some crackers with a familiar Noel logo. I never had them before, but I do remember that little 'Santa Clause' (not sure if it's Santa though!) on many food packages brought over from Colombia. They were pretty good! And for good measure I threw in some Kool Aid (not Colombian, of course!) but very familiar- our fridge was never without a pitcher of that brightly- colored drink.

All in all, it felt like I had taken a trip back to my youth today. Amazing how that was possible simply through taste and smell!

Bold Little Salad

Here's a great salad which is really simple to throw together for a quick and tasty outdoor lunch or light dinner. The ingredients are summery yet the flavor simply shouts at you from the plate- that's how bold and intense this little salad is!
We enjoyed it alfresco for lunch yesterday with a glass of Bordeaux.

Here's the recipe:

Bold Little Salad
Serves 3-4

2 cans of chickpeas (400g per can)
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
3 spring onions, chopped
leftover roast chicken, or from your rotisserie counter, shredded
4-5 tbsps capers
15-20 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on their size
juice of half a lemon
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Simply throw all the ingredients into a large bowl, give everything a good stir and serve!

Rhubarb! Rhubarb! And More Rhubarb!

Just in case you've ran out of ideas, here's the recipe for my rhubarb, apple and vanilla compote. Decadent over ice cream but just as good served over some fromage frais- for breakfast!

Rhubarb, Apple and Very Vanilla Compote
Makes about 750-800ml

600g rhubarb, cleaned and chopped in small pieces
2 Braeburn apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 tbsps orange juice
1 fat vanilla pod, halved and seeds scraped out, use the pod as well
300g gelling cane sugar

Put all the ingredients into a heavy- bottomed pan and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. Pour into sterilized jars.
Note: I don't bother removing the vanilla pod from the compote.

Takin' it Easy in the Springtime

As far as I'm concerned, this is the best time of year- foodwise. It feels as though we've left the heaviness of the winter behind us and have awoken to the lightness of new things- asparagus for example, and rhubarb, and of course, peas!

A simple springtime meal can consist of a plate of green asparagus, fresh from the market , grilled to perfection and drizzled with good olive oil and the slightest sprtiz of lemon juice. A succulent lamb chop on the side wouldn't hurt, but in all honesty, I'm fine with the asparagus alone. Perhaps a dessert made with rhubarb- a pie, if I don't mind spending some extra time in the kitchen, or a simple compote served over a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Here is an example of one of my ridiculously easy springtime meals:
-pea soup with chives and fromage frais
-grilled lamb burgers
-a mixed salad tossed with a classic vinaigrette
-sliced crusty bread and good butter
-dessert: rhubarb compote with vanilla ice cream

Enjoy the spring!

New Discoveries in Foodieland

Last Saturday while we were shopping in Hilversum (our new 'place to be'), Hans decided to walk into a bookstore, just to browse. Before we were even inside, I spotted a rack filled with paperback travel-foodie books. There were two that caught my attention Heimwee naar La Douce France (Nostalgic About La Douce France) and Savoir Vivre. Both by a well- known Dutch writer, Onno Kleyn. A writer whom I never bothered looking into and now, one whom I'm trilled to have discovered!

Kleyn declares himself a francophile and that's clearly evident in every passionate word he writes about France and particularly, in the way he writes about French food. His book, Heimwee Naar La Douce France, does not have any pictures yet it is the type of book that makes you want to run into the kitchen! I love his simplistic approach to the French kitchen. There's nothing complicated about his recipes and the results certainly prove that. Last weekend I made the most fabulous crème brulée and oh boy was it easy!!

And today...
I was craving one of those beautiful fruit tarts you see in every French bakery. The kind that you're not really supposed to make yourself but rather buy. I turned to Onno for a recipe and once again, I could declare another culinary success- and it was literally, easy as pie!

Here's the recipe:
(adapted from recipe for Tarte aux Framboises, as featured in Heimwee naar La Douce France)

Tarte aux Fraises

Pastry
1 egg
pinch of salt
125g caster sugar
125g cold butter
250g flour, sifted

For the crème anglaise
100ml milk
tiny pinch of salt
3 tbsps vanilla sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp flour

500g strawberries, halved
1-2 tbsps strawberry jelly

Put all the ingredients for the dough in the food processor and pulse until the dough comes together. You might need to add a drop or two of cold water. Chill the dough for about an hour.

Bring the milk to the boil. Make the pastry crème by beating the egg with the sugar and salt until thick and creamy. I did this with my Kitchen Aid. Add the milk little by little while whisking. Add the flour and continue to whisk. Cook mixture until it thickens and then cook for another minute or so. Cover with a little cling film to prevent a skin from forming and set aside.

Roll out the pastry and lay it over a 28cm tart pan. Blind bake for about 20 minutes. Cool and remove pastry shell from pan.

Spread the crème over the shell and cover with the strawberries.

Heat the jelly until it glistens. Brush over the strawberries and marvel at your brilliant creation!

Satisfying my Cravings

I suddenly got the urge to bake a good old- fashioned cake the other day. I wanted something that would make the house smell heavenly, something a little summery (not that it's summer, except in my head) and something that would be easy to throw together in between housework and lounging in the garden.
Quatre quarts! What a perfect idea! But how would I make it 'summery'?? After a few minutes in my pantry and a lot of 'hmmm's' and 'oooh's' I decided to spruce up my version of this classic French cake with a good handful of dried red berries and a touch of lavender (don't you just love lavender in baked goods??).
The results were certainly worth boasting about- a beautifully scented, red- speckled, buttery loaf which went above and beyond satisfying my cravings!

Here's the recipe:

Quatre Quarts with Red Berries and Lavender

250g all- purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
225g soft butter
225g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
1 tbsp dried lavender (suitable for cooking)
120g mixed dried red berries

Soak the red fruits in hot water for approximately 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
Preheat oven to 165C. Line a 28 cm rectangular cake pan with baking paper.
Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Add the baking powder and the lavender and stir thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, whip the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and add them little by little to the butter and sugar mixture.
Fold in the dry ingredients and the red fruits in two batches, stirring thoroughly after each addition.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about an hour and 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Allow to cool on a wire rack bevore serving.