Spring has sprung in Gevrey, but not so in Chicago. I am on the road, doing a little tour of the USA. I started my trip in Chicago and arrived in some freezing weather. Light flurries had stopped, but the wind off the lake was cold. Had a great visit with my cousin, Val and her husband and daughter.
By mid-month in Gevrey the fruit trees were blooming and I expected roses to flower in the next few weeks.
On the 18th of April, I went to Ava Missouri. Typical spring, with sun one day and rain the next.
Before I left, I took some photos of a few flowers. I had gone to the river Saone with MT to search for flowers that grow in wet fields, but alas, no flowers. We searched for over an hour, down little tractor paths even, but nothing. Although others had posted photos of the fritillaire pintade, this year we were not lucky.
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| fritillaire pintade |
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| Wet fields and the river Saone in the background This area had major flooding this spring |
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| Village near the Saone |
Desperate for flower photos, I went to my backyard.
I have taken other photos with thoughts of posting some, but the photos are in Nikon format and I can not upload. Here I at my sisters I do not have the software to convert from Nikon RAW to jpg. So lots of photos in the May Blog.
Have walked down the dirt road to see the creek (rather more like a river in my book). Went to Branson and met up with Connie and Steve for lunch. What a nice visit, all too short.
I will keep it short this month, and sign off here.
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Potato Dauphine
This is a recipe of Julia Child’s, Potato Dauphine. Simple layers of sliced potato with creme fraiche (or cream or sour cream) and cheese.
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| grape hyacinth |
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| plain old dandelion |
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| a flower on my Rosemary (romarin) |
Have walked down the dirt road to see the creek (rather more like a river in my book). Went to Branson and met up with Connie and Steve for lunch. What a nice visit, all too short.
I will keep it short this month, and sign off here.
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Potato Dauphine
This is a recipe of Julia Child’s, Potato Dauphine. Simple layers of sliced potato with creme fraiche (or cream or sour cream) and cheese.
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Servings: 4 - 6
Ingredients
- 2 lb / 1 kg starchy potatoes
- 1/2 clove unpeeled garlic
- 4 tbsp butter, chopped into small cubes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 cups grated gruyere cheese
- 1 1/2 cups creme fraiche or sour creme or cream
- 2 tsp thyme leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- Rub a baking dish (square 21 x 21 cm / 8 x 8") with the cut garlic, then smear with 1 tbsp of butter.
- Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/8"/3 mm thick.
- Spread 1/3 of the potatoes in the dish, then top with 1/3 of the cream, salt, pepper, cheese, thyme and butter
- Repeat for the 2nd and third layer, finishing with the cheese.
- Cover with lid or foil, and bake for 1 hour to 1 hr 15 min or until the potatoes is soft (use a knife to test), then remove the foil and bake for a further 10 until the top is bubbly and golden. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
You need to use starchy potatoes as they break down when cooked, becoming nice and fluffy on the inside and golden and crunchy on the top. The best to use are Russet
