“How did it get so late so soon?” Dr Seuss
For the month of August I am going to stay home. Not budging a smidgen! OK maybe Messanges or Dijon or such, but no further.
I could whine about the landscape man who said he was coming at the beginning of April and still has not come to work here. Job too little?
I could really complain about the heat!! OMG it has been so hot..30-37 C or 87 - 98 F. Note it is humid here too and no air conditioning, at least at our house.
But I will not give any more space to my complaints of the month.
We went up to Paris to see our favorite Aunt and Uncle ( and only aunt and uncle). They were to visit Gevrey, but due to a snafu, we met them in Paris instead. Ah Paris, and luckily it was not that hot. We had a lovely time time and enjoyed seeing them immensely!
 |
| Pont Alexandre and the Grand Palace behind |
 |
| Other end of the Pont Alexandre and the Eiffel Tower- G Eiffel was born in Dijon..Dec 15 1832 |
 |
| Eiffel tower with the sun!! |
 |
| Picnic in the hotel with wine from Gevrey |
Then later this month our friend came from England. We did some wine tasting and she went home with 34 boxes of wine in her car. Wine here is so much cheaper than it is in England.
 |
| Cheers...a little Crémant from Parigot |
We also visited Lyon, a city that has had the title of Gastronomic capital of the world. This year however, the final decision has not been made, but the decision for the title is between Dijon and Lyon. Could it possible go to little Dijon? On verra.
 |
| Roman Theater |
 |
| Notre Dame |
 |
| Lion |
 |
| Marionnettes started here 1808 |
 |
| One of many wall murals in Lyon |
Now that the heat has lifted for a few days, Keith is off on his bike camping in the northern part of France (north of Paris). I will know more when he sends his update later today. He came home from Iceland ready to rest a little, and so he did. A few days he was out very early to get 50 km in before the heat of the day took over.
Recipe of the Month
Chicken in a mold
I made this aspic for dinner one day thinking it would be the perfect for a hot day. And it was, and so good. However,I will not deceive you, it takes time to make it. It is worth the time, so do not shy away from this recipe, it is a perfect summer dish. I thought it was so pretty I took a photo just to show it off.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups broth ( I used about 1 cup vegetable and 1 cup chicken-also I had
about 1/2 c of gelled chicken broth under the roasted chicken) - 1 large carrot diced fine
- 1/2 cup fresh peas (not Keith's favorite vegetable, so I only used a few
for color-add more if you like) - handful of chopped parsley
- 1 cup fresh green beans cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 Tablespoons Marsala
- 1 roasted chicken ( I had 400 grams of chopped chicken)
- 1 packet of gel (or 4 sheets)
- 5 cup mold
PREPARATION
- Prepare the 2 cups of broth ( taste the broth, it should be flavorful- add
salt if needed) - Add one packet of gel to the broth (this is based on one packet for 2 cups
liquid-check the instructions on the gel packet) - Set broth aside to cool
- Chop all the vegetables
- Cut the chicken into small pieces ( since it was hot outside, I had bought
a small roasted chicken so I did not need to turn on the oven) - Chop a handfull of parsley, leave asome leaves for decoration
- Plunge the peas into boiling water, after a minute add the carrots and
beans - Boil for another minute and then put into ice water ( I put the vegetables
in a sieve in the boiling water so it was easy to transfer to the cold
water). You want the peas cooked but not mushy and the carrots and beans to
have still a little crunch. - When broth is cool, add the Marsala ( optional but it adds a little
flavor) - Put a small amount of the broth into the mold and put into the
refrigerator for about 20 minutes (1/4 inch) - When it has started to set, place some parsley leaves on top and return to
the refrigerator - Now it is time to mix the rest of the ingredients together. Add the
parsley and vegetables to the chciken and mix - Add most of the broth and mix again making sure it is all mixed well
- Remove mold from the refrigerator and put the chicken mixture into the
mold and pressing down - PRESS press press
- Pour the little remaining broth over the top and press again
- Put into the refrigeraot for 3-4 hours, until firm
- Unmold and serve
- I had maynaise mixed with cornishons, capers and a splash of lemon juice
