Janvier 2015

Jan 2015

"Bonne année, bonne santé" or "Meilleurs vœux" (Good year, good health and  Best Wishes).
These are the regular greetings throughout January (only the first time you see the person after the new year ) .

It has been a bit of a roller coaster month. It all started Jan 7th with the shootings at the Charlie Hebdo head quarters. The magazine is low humor (we have never bought one), but here in France, people were upset because of the cold blooded murders (face to face) and the main issue as "FREEDOM". Freedom of the press, freedom to speak, the basic freedoms of the french culture were attacked. " Je suis Charlie" was a symbol that "you attacked ME and MY freedom". It was a very emotional week and there was the sense that the french were united against terrorism, terrorism that starts to take away our rights.
The french national motto is "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité" ( Freedom, Equality and Fraternity [brotherhood]) , much the same as the American saying "Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness". 

We did not live in the US at the time of 911, I assume it must of been the same emotion of coming together at a time of tragedy.

And although the 3 men were caught and shot, this new reign of terrorism probably has just started, and it will be worldwide.

Keith and I went into Dijon where estimates of 35,000 -50,000 people gathered (estimates varied!).

Dijon Jan 11, 2015

Now to a lighter topics.

It has been a month of fog, mist, rain and a little snow. I have walked my 2 miles a couple of days in light rain (and was soaked), but did not go out the last 2 days when it really rained all day.

One day there was a little frost. I am working on using a macro lens, results not perfect yet, still lots to learn.

This morning there was a little snow, we have not had much yet this year. I went out and took a couple of photos before it all melted!

vines behind our house- with a snow flake on the lens

snow on the pines

another angle of the vines behind our house

The big event for the month of January is the St. Vincent celebration. This year the BIG one was held at Gilly-Vougeot. It is not that far from Gevrey. So I decided I would go on Saturday and take photos of the parade (the statues of St. Vincent for each village are paraded through the village before the mass and after the mass). I vacillated between arriving  at 7am or 10:30am. Finally I looked at the weather, transportation options.... and picked the after mass parade at 10:30am. There was not a convient train to Gilly at the time I wanted, so Keith dropped me off a Chambolle at 10am. I walked the 3.5 km into Gilly (Keith was taking the car to Bligny). I bought a train ticket to return to Gevrey.

The walk through the vineyards was chilly! First I arrived in Vougeot and then walked over to Gilly. The two villages are divided by the highway (which was closed for the weekend). Unfortunately, I had my camera on a delayed photo!! so it took a double image and ruined most of my photos. Some of the still ones were better, since the subject did not moved when the camera did the second exposure. All in all I had a fun morning and met many people I knew while walking around. It started to snow and the temperature dropped so I jumped on the noon train back to Gevrey. Here a some of my photos. The theme for this year was "Sur le chemin des moines" (On the route of the monks)...the monks worked the vines 900 years ago -therefore some scenes here and there with monks (cistercienne).

Monks - Vougeot

panels that were along the road

another panel- made with paper flowers

last panel photo

Monks- the cheese at the monastery Citeaux if well known

at the round about -main highway

many houses put up some decoration

monks working the vines..some of the people were dressed in
costumes

she was walking around....

another house with a little decoration for the occasion

and the perfect way to go on a picnic

Gevrey's statue of St Vincent

Pretty good photo of Messanges's statue

Villages have banners too in addition
to the statues- note all those behind,
still in line for the parade

another statue for Savigny

He is from the "confrérie des chevaliers du tastevin"
at Clos Vougeot, who are part of this celebration.
(this one a bit fuzzy...and a little of the person who kept stepping i
in front of me when I was taking photos!)

Gilly - a little garden

a cabot made with ceps -Gilly

Sharing a bottle of wine after mass- Church in Gilly

Gilly - monks praying

the major of the band

and then the drums

another banner

banners for the villages hung around the village

a band dressed in costumes playing as I walked
across the bridge (train tracks below) to go to the
train station

I know, even though I ruined my photos, I stuck 25 on the site! Also, our friend Tom took some great photos. He started at Clos de Vougeot at 7am! His photos are on his site at :http://www.thehungrycyclist.com/blog/2015/1/27/saint-vincent-tournante-2015-photography-word.  Tom worked with Keith as a guide for DuVine. He is putting the finishing touches on his Bed and Breakfast the next two months ( The Hungry Cyclist Lodge). Wonderful place in Auxey-Duress if you are looking for a bike tour, wine tour, gourmet tour... http://www.thehungrycyclist.com/lodge/ .

As I said, playing with photos lately. Trying some indoor photos since there is so much rain!

Making boeuf bourgogne, so I had the
mushrooms

Also with PhotoClub, I am putting the final touches on the 2 photos for the May exposition. Have to submit the photos in two weeks.

Walking, yes I am still walking (missed a couple days when it was raining hard). Have not been on many walks in the woods due to the weather, but have just a couple photos of a cold day.

Stairs and setting sun

2 friends

trees on the horizon

Late afternoon and Flipper leading the way

Flipper

Checking out the ducks

Setting sun on icy pond

Egret standing guard

In pottery, I am working with raku and some ideas. Have to see how some of these ideas work. Trying  some glass in the piece, or I am going to try copper too. I have a final piece in mind that I want to make, but have to see what effects I get first.

And so the month of January closes.

Recipe of the Month
Italian Chicken
Easy recipe and light also. Give it a try.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound boned chicken breast ( I used without skin-see note below)
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary
pinch salt
pinch fresh ground pepper
1 cup fat free or low fat chicken broth (low salt too if possible)
       -OR 1/2 cup broth, 1/2 cup white wine
1 16 ounce can white beans ( cannellini ), drained
3-4 Tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes (be generous)
Olive oil or olive oil spray

PREPARATION

1. Put skillet on medium heat
2. Add about TBS of Olive oil or spray pan
3. Add chicken, rosemary salt and pepper 
4. Saute for 2-3 minutes
5. Add broth, beans, dried tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low medium and let simmer....maybe 8 minutes -UNCOVERED
6. Check that chicken is done
7. If still to much broth, remove chicken and bean mixture to the serving bowl and reduce the broth. This should be not be soupy, just a minimum of broth to make the dinner creamy.

NOTE: I used chicken without skin and chopped into bite size pieces. I wanted to make sure it cooked through. The chicken can get dry, so be careful not to cook too long. FOLLOW -UP
Tried again and cooked the beans with everything except chicken on low so all the flavors could mix. Left it to cook on low for about 1 hour. Then browned the chicken pieces and added to the bean mixture. To the heat up to cook chicken and reduce any liquid that was still left. - worked a treat.

It will soon be 2015. Guess that makes me a year older too(zut).

We went to the Alsace (northeast of here) for a "Christmas fix" and wine. Everything is so decorated at this time of year.  Alsace celebrates Saint Nicolas (6 dec) and not Pere Noël. The influence for Christmas is more germanic than french in the region. Just a little note, Strasbourg has had a Christmas market (Marché de Noël) since 1590.
The weather was warm, so there was no snow this year. Here are a few photos of Eguisheim, one the prettiest villages in France. In the summer, there are flowers everywhere.

Our hotel, waited for a car to leave, then this one pulled
in, so I gave up and took a photo

Walking down the main street- le Grand rue

Winemakers place

Plaza with church behind -Pope Leo IX (1002 - 1054)
was born here, so statue of Leo IX

Stork nest on top of church bell tower
The Alsace is known for its' storks(i.e. in the
summer, they migrate south for winter)

Nativity scene

Another winemaker

Part of the Christmas market (Marché de Noël)

Other half of the market- fountain still running
since it was warm

Market at twilight time

Very Christmasy stall with wreaths, santas, dolls...

Want a wooden tree?

Store next to the market

Same store, need Alsacienne pottery?

Pretzels (Bretzels) are big in the Alsace. Vin chaud is mulled wine

We stopped at this stall in the market to buy some sausage
(dry sausage is called saucisson)
and some cheese (sorry I left my purse in the photo)
Very good saucisson and cheese. In fact we
bought some foie gras saucisson...

We only stayed one night. It is about 3 hour drive to Eguisheim. Usually, we arrive in the afternoon, then go to Domaine Gruss for a wine tasting, buy wine, then across the street to the hotel, have dinner and leave the next morning (with our wine). Keith loves an Alsacienne dinner with Riesling, and we like Domaine Gruss.
Alsacienne wine is not as sweet as the German versions. Most of the white wines are drier.

Speaking of wine, for those of you who like french wines. The prices on some Bordeaux wines is down (this is not wine from the big names, but some of the regular Bordeaux wines). So Keith has been experimenting. How low can we go in price and still have a drinkable, agreeable wine? We have been down to 3€ (one we had below 3€ was not so good). Tonight we had a nice St Emillion that was about 5.50€. It was quite nice. We have done this with Burgundy wines too, and 3€ is about the limit there too. Just thought I would toss that note in.

We had a very nice Christmas at chez Hoquet. This year,  we had wild boar. It was delicious. We started with fish and salad as the entre (entre here is the starter course- entrance to main course), then wild boar with mashed potatoes and an incredible sauce, followed by the cheese course and then dessert! WHEW...Of course some very fine wine was served with each course. You eat slow and talk and relax. Dinner like this takes a few hours, not minutes!!
I did not think to get out my camera until later, so here is a photo of the cheese!

Need I say more...

One member of chez Hoquet had not been invited to sit at the table.

although he did score a few scraps later!

As always, we passed a pleasant afternoon, eating, drinking and enjoying our friends.

We have had such a warm fall. Not a lot of rain and many days in December were between 45°-55°. Some foggy, but warm. Well, that finally changed and we started to get a few nights below freezing (0° Celsius).  This morning (27 dec) everything was white and -1° C.  I got up a little after 7am, and of course the sun was not up yet. Everything had a pink glow. Hard to capture in a photo, but I tried anyway. By sunrise it was raining, and now there is very little snow on the ground.  Photo out the backdoor, actually through the door, I was not going to open the door with the wind blowing!

It was a softer pink, but because of lighting (or lack thereof)
it comes out a little more in the sepia tones. Should level
the horizon!!

Recipe  of the  Month
Truffles

My truffles

These are so good. Bit fussy to make, but not that hard. A melon baller makes it a lot easier. Get creative and use other flavoring, or roll in nuts or sprinkles or...
INGREDIENTS

Creamy inside

•  ¼ cup butter
•  3 Tablespoons heavy cream
•  2 Tablespoons orange liquor (or other flavoring) -I used 3 TBS orange juice
•  1 teaspoon orange zest
•   4 ounces chocolate semi sweet (chopped)

Coating outside

•  4 ounces chocolate semi sweet (chopped)
•  1 Tablespoon oil or butter

PREPARATION 

1.  Melt butter in sauce pan
2. Add cream and bring to a boil while stirring
3. Take off the burner
4. Stir in chocolate and orange liquor and zest
5. Stir until smooth
6. Cover with film and put in the refrigerator until cool and firm
7. Have a cup of boiled water ready, the melon baller and a cookie sheet covered with Parchment Paper
8. Dip melon baller in hot water then into chocolate for a nice ball shape. Place on paper. Continue  until chocolate is all gone (dip in hot water each and every time)
9. Put cookie sheet in the freezer for at least 30 minutes
10.  Just before taking the chocolate balls out of the freezer, melt the chocolate for the outside coating in a bain marie. Add oil  and stir well until very smooth
11. When chocolate is melted, with two forks, dip ball in chocolate and then return to paper. Dip each one in the chocolate, careful to cover totally. Work quickly so ball does not melt.
12.  Leave until totally cooled and hard on the outside..takes a little while-do not panic. You could put in the refrigerator to hurry the process.

ALL DONE… now eat one to be sure it is good!


Bibeleskaes  

This is a sauce used with potatoes. Much like sour cream and chives, but this is even better. Hmm, could be the fat content in the recipe (ya think)!! Also, it does not have the sour taste that sour cream has. Fromage blanc is not sour. We had this while in Alsace with potatoes browned in butter (now had bad is that for the health!). We both flipped over it, it was so very good. It is often put on baked potatoes too. Then of course, notice the ham on the plate in the photo I added.

It may be hard to make in the USA, unless you can get the Fromage Blanc. Not sure the greek yogurt would work as well. Notice from the photo how thick the sauce is.

INGRÉDIENTS

1. 800 gr (28 ounces) Fromage blanc (ou Fromage frais) à 40% fat [substitute Greek Yogurt, or Queso fresco]
2. 200 gr (7 ounces) Crème fraîche épaisse (thick) 30% fat
3. 50 gr Ail ( 2 regular cloves GARLIC), minced
4. 100 gr (3.5 ounces) Echalotes ( 2 small or 1 large shallot or mild onion) chopped fine
5. 30 gr Ciboulette (CHIVES- about 3 Tablespoons) chopped fine
6. 10 gr Sel - salt to taste
7. 1 gr Poivre - pepper to taste

Just blend everything together and refrigerate for about 2 hours for flavors to mix. Take out a little before using so it is not icy cold. Stir again and serve.

Novembre 2014

November 2014

Shaggy mane mushroom that I found in
Gevrey while walking.

Busy month, at least the first couple weeks were busy. Last couple of weeks I have had a cold and have been housebound. The abnormal fact about this month is that I did not take many photos! So not a lot to add to this Blog.
And so it goes.

We have had an unusually warm November, until today. The temperature has been 50°-65°, warm indeed. This morning (Saturday the 29th  nov) I got up and it was 4° Celsius outside! Brrrrrr ( OK 4 degrees C is 39° F).

On November 8th, we were invited by the mayor for a little ceremony and a glass of wine. This was to celebrate our french citizenship. It has been a year since we got our citizenship, but the city of Gevrey only does this every so often. Not a lot of people becoming citizens in a city with 5,000 habitants. Most are already french.  The paper did an article about it too, but I did not attach it because it was in french.
It was a nice ceremony. The mayor said a few words, and then Keith said a few words ( no surprise there). Members of the city council were also there, as were Marie Thérèse and Christian.

Halle de Réception de Gevrey.
Keith had a few words to say too.   Photo by MT Hoquet 

Mayor of Gevrey giving us some documents
Photo by MT Hoquet

Photo that was in the newspaper
Susan-et-Keith-nouveaux-citoyens-francais

With the article in the paper, we have had our 15 minutes of fame.


Also this month, the association had the  3 Expositions ( one in the Haute Côte, the Côte and the plain for the villages of the commune of Gevrey) for the Centennial. A busy time getting that done. On the 12th of nov, there was a talk about the soldiers and the wine allowance each soldier was given per day. There were lots of numbers given, but just think of transporting all the wine to each and every camp!! There was also a chart on all the diseases that wine could cure (I believe, yes I do- well maybe not some of the things on the list)! This was the first war, so around 1914! Two men were present and dressed as french soldiers. After we had a dinner with them and those from the Assoc that wanted to participate. Wine, pate, salads, cheese and dessert.)

Pinard des Poilus
2 soldiers in 1914 military uniforms

Back to the 11th, Armistice Day. Keith and I joined in on the ceremony at the monument aux morts ( monument to those that died in the war). First everyone gathered at the center of the village and then marched with the band to the monument ( two blocks maybe). At the monument a wreath was laid, the mayor gave a speech and the band played.

Lined up with the band and the fireman

Ceremony at the monument

There were about 200 people at the ceremony. After everyone was invited for a glass of wine. Keith and I looked at the crowd trying to get into the Salle de Fête and decided to skip the glass of wine!

I must admit, with the cold I have not done my daily walks...mea culpa! Have to get back into action.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving dinner. Marie T and Christian celebrated with us, as usual. We had a very traditional dinner with firsts cream of broccoli soup, then turkey, mashed potatoes (see recipe below), stuffing, beet salad and pecan pie. The thing about the turkey this year, he was very long (only about 11 pounds) and barely fit in the oven. But the the new thermometer, he was perfect! If you are into wine, we started with a white from Ladoix (the vines are right next to Charlemagne) and then a red, Chambolle-Musigny Bonnes Mares 1998, both were very nice!

Another project this month is the start of planning what to do for the Photo Expo. Hard work thinking and thinking!! I may have mentioned that the theme is multiple photos. I have been working on the idea of putting photos that are graphic into a P. Mondrian type Boogie composition, and calling it Graphic Boogie. Getting the balance is the trick. The other, making a mosaic with 1 x 1 cm photos of flowers...hmmm that would be about 2,000 little pieces! Do I have time?

Keith has been riding when the weather permitted. He sold one of his antiques bikes to a man who has started a small bike museum. Project, cleaning the garage.


Recipe of the Month
Potato casserole ( mashed potato casserole )

This is an easy recipe that can be made the day in advance. Makes it easy to do ahead and it is good.

Makes 5 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature ( I used abt 2 oz of cream cheese and abt. 2 ounces Boursin cheese with herbs and garlic)
• 1 cup sour cream ( or creme fraiche)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick)  butter 
•  2 tablespoons plus of butter for topping before cooking -cut into small cubes (never skimp on butter for the mashed potatoes!)
• salt and white pepper

1. Place the potatoes in a pan and boil until tender; around 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes well.

2. Purée, mash or rice potatoes. Do not overwork the potatoes, they become gummy if worked too much.

3. In a pan, heat creme fraiche (or sour cream), cheese and butter. Watch carefully and stir so it does not burn.

4. Transfer the potatoes to the baking dish. Dot the top of the casserole with the 2 tablespoons of cubed butter. Let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day. Remove from the refrigerator an hour before the final baking.

5. When ready to reheat, position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375 F.

6. Uncover the casserole. Bake it until the top is lightly browned and the casserole is heated through, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

adapted from Rick Rodgers writes in his new cookbook, “The Big Book of Sides.”