Janvier 2018

Saint Vincent
Blue sky, not this year!

January 2018

New Year celebrations are behind us and the month of January is done.

Here in France, and here in the Côte D'Or, everything is flooding. It has rained most of January. If not raining, we have had misty days. I think maybe 4 days without rain so far!

We are not in danger here, no basement to worry about, and no creeks nearby (except for the underground stream, somewhere below- but so far it is OK!!)


It has been a mild winter and we saw a rose in bloom on Sunday and some daffodils in bloom last Friday! My rose has buds all over that are pushing out. I think there have been only a couple of nights below freezing. No hard freeze yet. So will it be an early spring, or will winter arrive in February? Just hope the rain ends so I can get out a little more.

The end of January is the feast of Saint Vincent (22nd of January) . He is the patron saint of the vignerons. Here in Burgundy, and especially here in the Côte D'Or, it is always celebrated. Each wine village has its' own celebration, but the region also has the big celebration.
For the regional celebration, the chosen village sets up for a weekend of celebrating, eating and wine tastings. About 100,000 people will visit over the weekend.
Gevrey Chambertin will host this grand event January 2020. The theme for 2020 will be "Aromes".
We have started to make the decorations this January. I am back on "making paper flower duty" on Monday afternoons. We have started with a deep royal purple. The group has been making about 1000 flowers per session!

While listening to the others talk last week (while making flowers), it struck me how much more the French walk then, I think, Americans. Many walked to the Salle (where we work) to make flowers instead of a car ( yes, I used the car, it was a rain on and off day and I do not walk in the rain). Many of the woman are around my age and older belong to walking clubs and go on routine hikes.


I am working on photos for the photoclub exposition at the end of May. The theme this year is "Detail". Here are some photos I am working on right now.Have to have my final choice by the first of March. Comments or critique is welcome.

1. Mushroom detail

2. Pomegranate detail

3. Machine graphics

Keith has been working in the shop (garage!). He has been working on dovetail joints by hand. Now he is moving on the a couple projects. I was thinking he should start on an ark, just in case!
With the weather his bike rides have been curtailed.
He continues going to Bligny on Saturdays to work on the train cars. Always repairs to the cars, lots of painting and engine work to be done.

I have tested a  recipe this last month. I have always wanted to make a pâté, but tried once and it was not very good. So I found a recipe for pâté en croute (in crust) and tried it this month. And VOILA, it worked.  Here we can get pâté en croute that is small (along rectangle about 2.5 inches cubed). I bought the pan and made the recipe in it. Trying all sorts of new things Results, very very good.

And on food, I tried a recipe from Cooking Light called "Tuscan Chicken with white beans and Kale". Very good winter dish. Link :RecipeHere 

That is about all from here. Have a good month.

Recipe of the Month

Velouté de chou- fleur ( cream of cauliflower soup)

There are recipes for almost all vegetables that are "velouté" here in France (velouté means a soup that is blended and smooth, oncteuse). It is great to have warm soups in the winter and these are fast and easy soups. I had this served for lunch ( and oh what a lunch) on Sunday with a few morels of smoke trout on top.
 Note : you could top with ham or bacon (do not overpower with toppings, just a little)

Ingrédients

• 1 cauliflower cut up
• 2 medium potatoes cut in cubes
• 4 cups of water
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 1 cube of chicken broth
• Pepper
• Salt
• 2 ounces of butter
• 2 Tablespoons of cream

Preparation

1. Cut up the cauliflower and the potatoes.
2. Put the cauliflower, the potato and the chicken broth cube and water in a sauce pan.
3. Add the oregano, salt (depends on how salty the broth cube is) and pepper
4. Cook over medium heat until the cauliflower and potatoes are done (test with a knife, it should penetrate easily)
5. Add cream and butte
6. Mix in blender (careful not to fill blender with the hot soup) until creamy
7. Test salt and pepper seasoning

Decembre 2017

Grenade _ see below

Happy New Year

2018

Very soon we start another year. It is amazing how fast the years go by.

And resolutions? For me, same as last year, and just maybe I will do it this year.

The grocery store has been filled with chocolate for Christmas. Other Christmas goodies in the grocery store at Christmas; foie gras, oysters, turkey and capons, salmon, special aperitifs, fancy cheese (covered in something to make it festive-( one of my favorites is one covered in dried cranberries),  pain d'éspice (gingerbread), lots of puff pastry treats to heat up and serve, and of course holiday wine, crémant and champagne.

We often go to the Alsace for the Christmas marché (christmas market). We first go to Colmar and stroll through the Christmas booths and check out all the goodies. There are food booths with sausages, cheeses, jams, cookies, honey, waffles, wine, spirits, vin chaud (mulled wine), chocolates, candies....Then artistinal things to buy; Christmas ornaments, santons, lace, scarfs, hats, pottery, candles, knives, jewelry, wooden cutesy things,wooden toys , pictures made with remarkable marquetry, ....

Also the decorations everywhere, a little more like Christmas that I grew up with in Minnesota. Here in Gevrey it is more toned down, although some people now put lights on their houses.

After strolling (flanner) the different Christmas markets , picking up a couple christmas gifts and some Munster artisinal cheese and a chunk of nougat, we drove up to Eguisheim. 

Here are some photos of Colmar.

Now we have seen it all, a Christmas Bar Carousel

Nougat- so many flavors! I would have gone for the
 chocolate-caramel, but
it was Keith's treat, so he picked fruit rouge

The man selling the nougat had cold ears!

Storks are big in the Alsace, they nest there in the summer. I was tempted to buy MT a stork hat for Christmas, you can buy them all over.

More photos;

Now that is a ginger bread house

Canal in Colmar

Old building, panels are all painted

Christmas market booths

Got a photo of Keith even!

Then the 6 km drive to Eguisheim. I took a few photos there too. The market is smaller, but the village is decked out for Christmas.

Christmas decorations galore

Goodies to eat- note the gingerbread men hanging

We spent a lovely evening in Eguisheim . We had finished our wine tasting at Domaine Gruss and  visited with the patrons ( we have been going there for 17 years), we strolled through the marché, and Keith found his Beerwicka (one of the things he looks forward to buying there at Christmas-it is fruit cake), and then we enjoyed a very excellent dinner. Eguisheim is a beautiful village.

The next morning we left Eguisheim with wine in our trunk and smiles and best wishes for the holiday all around. It was a sunny day, so I tried a photo of the The Ballon d'Alsace There are a few named mountains in the Vosges, The Grand Ballon, The Ballon d'Alsace and the Petit Ballon, and probably more.

Ballon d'Alsace- taken from the moving car!

Other than our one night trip, not much for the month of Decemeber. It has been misty and wet here, very little sunshine. I do not like going out in the wet weather, so have not.

The Friday before Christmas we went to the marche in Nuits Saint Georges. There is a butcher there that has great beef, and we wanted some tenderloin for Christmas eve. We bought beef and jambon persillé and some foie gras. Then we bought some brussel sprouts from a vegetable booth. As we started to circle the other booths with cheese, saucisse, oysters, breads,.jam, honey.....etc, when we looked at each other and decided to leave before we bought more food than we could eat! Never go there just before lunch!

During the grey days, I have been working on my photos for the May exposition for the photo club. This year the theme is "Detail". Not a lot of ideas yet, but I have been working on it. Here are a few attempts, including the opening photo above.

Mushroom 1

Grranade N° 2

Another Grenade -N° 3

Mushroom 2

Eolienne

Keith is well but has a bit of cabin fever.He left  for a ride this afternoon. It ise sunny and up to 12° C.  today , can not beat that. I know the US is under an extreme cold spell. Glad I am here.

RECIPE of the MONTH

Meringue Candy

When I make mayonnaise, I have leftover egg whites. So I whip up a batch of meringue candy.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 egg whites (from large eggs, at room temperature)
• pinch cream of tartar
• pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• (last batch I added some crushed dark chocolate, pretty good)

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). 
2. Butter and flour a baking sheet or use cooking paper
3. In a glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy using an electric mixer. 
4. Sprinkle in sugar a little at a time, while continuing to whip at medium speed. 
5. When the mixture becomes stiff and shiny like satin, stop mixing, and transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag. Note this is for fancy candy, I use a teaspoon and drop a teaspoon on the paper
6. Pipe the meringue out onto the prepared baking sheet using a large round tip or star tip.
7. Place the meringues. Bake for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the meringues are dry, and can easily be removed from the pan. ...
8. Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature

2016 January

Jan 23 2016 !

Janvier  2016

A new year has stated and not a lot has happened. In fact, as far as writing a blog goes, not much material to work with, but I will" blab on" nonetheless.

As for a weather report...we actually have had at least two days of winter. Nights are still in the 30's, but above freezing, and the days warm (high 40's to 50's).

But for most  of January, it has been raining or foggy. Very few sunny days. That is normal.


I am frustrated because the photo expo theme this year is COLD (Froid). How does one take photos of cold when it is 50 degrees!!
I am working on a few ideas, but yikes, what a challenge. Here are a couple of photos...the one day it was cold, I went over to the ponds (étangs) and took a few photos. Final photo for the expo are due in 2 weeks!!

Not really in the running, just a photo of swan on ice.
Not sure if he was stuck, but the day was warming up
fast, soon to be 50°

Lone feather (plume) on the ice.

A puddle with ice, I added a little blue, it was
muddy brown

not in the running either, could not get the clarity
and angle I wanted (in photoshop)
Dawn and moss on the wall with a little frost

Made an ice candle

Frosty morning one day and really frustrated
by the theme This is the car window

Back to Iceland photos- at the glacier

some frost on a couple planks for crossing the ditch
at the étangs (ponds)

Surprisingly I have not taken that many walks, or to be precise, pretty walks with photos. The 3km walk I do from the house is not entirely picturesque, especially now in the winter.

But a jump back to the beginning of January. On the first of January, we had MT and Christian over for lunch and onion soup...mmm mmm. There is nothing open on January 1st, so getting together with friends is a pleasant way to pass the afternoon. Friends, food, and wine; what more is needed?

We also caught up with some friends that we had not seen for a long time. We had them over dinner mi-January. We talked until 1am (yikes), it was a nice evening and I guess we had a lot of catching up to do.

Now,back to walks. I went over to the étangs (ponds) twice in recent weeks. Here are a few photos. MT went with me the first time (that day my batterie died and I was not able to take some photos- sniff). That day it was a walk without the dogs. We saw lots of ducks, unfortunately, they swan to the other side of the pond. But swans (cygne) were there and so were the coots(foulque).

coots

swans

There was an egret too, but that is when my battery failed! It is an interesting place to visit during migration (not sure when that season will be this year since
the season is so mixed up), but a lot of different ducks pass through.

mushrooms also popping up

Late afternoon photo et the étangs - was trying to capture the
frost, but it is not evident

And life here in Gevrey? The vinges are always part of life here. It is the season to cut back the vines and burn the branches (sermants).

Barrels are often used for burning. Add a wheel
and it can easily be moved.

One other photo from the bedroom window one evening...sunset was gorgeous.

I want to talk about restaurants a little. First the one around the corner from our house. It has new owners now. It is a true bistro, open for lunches. They will take reservations for special occasions on Friday or Saturday nights.

Many of these small establishments are found around France. Workers here in larger businesses get a lunch allowance. These bistros accept these lunch coupons. So the lunch is a starter, main plate, cheese and dessert. Some places include a glass of wine or coffee, others do not. Lunch runs about 13-14 euros. The new owner is a chef and so far the food has been very good. This is not haute cuisine, but a good lunch.
The other place we just went to, is Asian. Lunch buffet (all you can eat) is 12.80€ ( they do note that if you leave a plate full of food you will be charged an extra 5€). So take small portions and return if you need more! Sometimes the fair is fried, but thi,s place had a section of raw food, you fill the plate and go over to have it cooked for you in a wok. You get a choice of sauces. Not bad for the price. The food here in France does not get very spicy, the french palette is not for chilies (or piquante), so it lacks a little zest. But I have to admit after all the years here, my mouth has gone soft. Habeneros are right out! One changes.

The kitchen glass stove-top is slowly giving up. The unfortunate news is that all the connections are behind the cupboards. So we are thinking about how to attack this problem!!!

I am not working on the photo book. JH is adding the words to all the photo (it is believed that a native speaker should write the captions -I AGREE) .
The association had it annual meeting, I am still treasurer, among other things. Planning for this years outings, always fun to go and explore nature or history.

Pottery continues, of course with some great and beautiful creations !!

And as mentioned above, PhotoClub. Our annual photo is posted here if curious. Some people in costumes, others just being silly, and this is before the glass of Crémant and galette de roi.

(LINK: http://www.refletsechos.fr/2016/01/soiree-du-7-janvier-2016/)

I have written in other years about the Gallete de Roi, the pastry that is for the fete de Epiphany. It usually is in the bakery by the end of December and still being sold mi-January. So a slice of this is served at the both club meetings and any other occasion that lends itself to serving a treat. This is a buttery layer pastry often filled with marzipan.  

So ending on a high note of food, I will segway into the recipe of the month

Recipe of the Month

This recipe is very good. It does require a little vigilance, watching the pot! But it is so good on a winter day, along with some cold cuts (charcuterie) on the side and a green salade. It is not hard, so do not be put off by the length of the recipe, it is just a matter of "watching the pot" long, scrape and stir.

THE BEST FRENCH ONION SOUP    

From: Cook’s Illustrated

Serves 6    [well maybe six, or maybe 4...depends how hungry you are]

Notes:
For the best flavor, make the soup a day or 2 in advance. Alternatively, the onions can be prepared through step 1, cooled in the pot, and refrigerated for up to 3 days before proceeding with the recipe.

Ingredients:

Soup

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 3 pieces
• 6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds), halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices (Make sure you get Yellow)
• Table salt
• 2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (They recommend Swanson Certified Organic Free Range Chicken Broth )
• 2 cups beef broth (They recommend Pacific Beef Broth)
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme , tied with kitchen twine
• 1 bay leaf
• Ground black pepper

Cheese Croutons

• 1 small baguette , cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 8 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)

Directions:

For the soup:

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Generously spray the inside of a heavy-bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with a nonstick cooking spray. 
3. Place the butter in the pot and add the onions and 1 teaspoon salt. 
4. Cook, covered, for 1 hour (the onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). 
5. Remove the pot from the oven and stir the onions, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot. 
6. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until the onions are very soft and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, stirring the onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.
7. Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. 
8. Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until the liquid evaporates and the onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing the heat to medium if the onions are browning too quickly. 
9. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pot bottom is coated with a dark crust, roughly 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary. (Scrape any fond that collects on spoon back into onions.)
10. Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping the pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes. 
11. Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown. Stir in the sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until the sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.
12. Stir in the broths, 2 cups of water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot.
13. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. 
14. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. 
15. Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.

For the croutons:

While the soup simmers, arrange the baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

To serve:

Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1 3/4 cups soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

SUE NOTE: This is the original recipe method. Here I put the grated cheese in a bowl, the toast bagette slices in a basket and the pot of soup on the table. Each person add the crouton and cheese, and then ladled the HOT soup on top. Works every time.