Claudine, Oui c'est Francais

Everyday Food Dinner Tonight

There are a lot of great things about the Martha Stewart website but just one of the many features is the daily emails that you can sign up for. The Everyday Food Dinner Tonightis a great feature. Since I am in my Post Tour Depression and feel lost  without my Anne Willan, Julia Child and Patrica Wells cookbooks I love the daily email when I don't really want to think about dinner.

The other day the feature was Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta cheesealong with Orzo pasta and green beans. It looked great so I printed it up and got the ingredients. It was fast and delicious even with a few modifications that I made. Instead of the green beans I used sugar snap peas and instead of mint I used basil. The Feta was a lovely touch and this recipe is a real keeper!

 

For your Body & Soul

Today Martha launched her newest website Wholeliving.com.It is the new on-line home of the Body+Soul magazine for those seeking a healthier, more balanced and sustainable life.

The new website includes more than 1,000 features including easy, healthy recipes, interactive photo galleries, ideas for stylish eco-decor, green cleaning tips, life coach advice, exercise videos, natural stress busters and more.

Try a wonderful No-cook meal like this beautiful Arugula, Frisse, Red Leaf salad with Strawberries.

 

As well as the new website there will also be a new green living show on Martha Stewart Radio on Sirius 112. It will air Monday-Friday at 10am Eastern.

New Martha Crafts

It's no secret that Martha knows what she is doing. She has a incredibly creative group of people working for her and the result is some great little items for me to buy. Her new addition to her Martha Stewart Crafts line, Create is rolling out new items available at Walmart or online. There is more new items coming to Michaels as well and I hear that the new Halloween stuff is even better then last years.

A new Crepe Paper Peony kit. I love these, I do have a slight problem when I see the crepe paper flower kits. I even found one the other day at Michaels for $2 so I had to have it. I better have a giveaway on my blog again.

Martha scissors now in her signature Martha Green color. I have the MS ones from Michaels in the cream colored handles but I am pretty sure I need all the tools in green as well.

Eyelet lanterns that are super cute. My friend Mike is in love with these and they would even make great decorations as Christmas since they look a little like snowballs. Not just for weddings.....

Wedding Cake for my friend Eva

When I took cake decorating classes last year my friend Eva was the happy Guinea pig. Since I would normally see her the day after my classes I would bring her leftover cake. She started requesting the flavor she wanted....white she always would say. I have a issue with the White and Yellow cakes. Exactly what flavor is a color? What does Yellow taste like? So she would always get my favorite French Vanilla, do you think I would make regular American Vanilla?

So Eva's daughter was getting married and she asked me to make the cake. Her colors were a raspberry pink and a tangerine orange. She found a picture of a cake she wanted and I went from there. It turned out pretty good, that is until I got there. Upon arrival I opened the back of my car to find the filling on the two middle levels trying to escape. It was a good thing I brought my emergency kit with all the frosting and tools, I was able to fix it up when I got there. It wasn't perfect but since it was all on one side, we just spun it around.

 

It took a long time to pipe all of the swirls on there, they went on a little rough but I was able to clean them up once they dried a little

Congratulations Tanis and Gary!

The End of the Tour.. Pommes Frites

It is the last day of the 2008 Tour de France, and yes I am already in my Post Tour Depression. What am I suppose to do with myself every morning at 5am? I was up very early today to finish the wedding cake I was making, more on that tomorrow. So I was able to see the very start of the race live and awake. You know like way back when before we had DVR's, three years ago. As they ride into Paris through the Alma tunnel where Princess Diana died and then onto the Champs Elysee and then around the streets 8 more times with the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe in the background. What's not to love!

So tonight was a classic Bistro meal. Steak with a Cognac, peppercorn cream sauce, Pommes Frites and Haricot Vert with Garlic. A meal John really got on board with, what man doesn't love steak and potatoes.

So now the Tour is over and so is my Tour de French Cuisine. I can't go back to eating just any old food now. But don't worry I won't start making meatloaf. (I know there are lots of people that love meatloaf, so I mean no disrespect)

Viva la tour!

Stage 20, Cerilly to Saint-Amond-Montrond ; Tourte du Saumon

Almost to Paris and the Champs Elysees and then the tour is over. Today the tour was in the very heart of France for a individual time trial. Each of the riders ride alone with them starting them 3 minutes apart. This is where the tour is won or loss.  So for dinner in between baking cakes for a wedding cake tomorrow I made Tourte De Saumon from Anne Willan's French Regional Cooking cookbook.

Basically it is Salmon in Puff Pastry with mushrooms. I changed it just a little bit though. Mrs Willan's recipe called for raw salmon to be minced with the mushrooms in a food processor. I just did the mushrooms with a bit of butter and egg yoke. I rolled out the puff pastry and placed the salmon in the middle, spooned the mushrooms over it and then sealed it closed. I tried to cut it into a fish shape, it sort of worked.... It may look like a blob on the plate but it was really good. I don't think I have found one recipe in the last three weeks that I wouldn't make over and over again.

Stage 19; Roanne to Montlucon- Coq au Vin

We are almost to Paris, only two more days and then it is all over.... Good thing we have DVR's so I can save some of the tour to watch over and over again.

The tourtoday rolled from the Rhone Alps region thru the Burgundy and Lyonnais area and then finished in the Auvergne region. So I decided Coq au Vin was the thing to have tonight. Is there anything more French then Coq au Vin, even people that don't know French food, know Coq au Vin. Depending on the region it is made depends on the wine that is used. It also has onions, mushrooms, carrots and garlic. It is another one of those recipes that need to be planned ahead of time. But it turned out great and tasted fantastic...

It needs to marinate at room temperature for 6 hours or overnight in the refrigerator for at least 10 to 12 hours. So easy to do the night before.

Stage 18; Bourg-d'Oisans to Saint Etienne; Grillade Mariniere

The Tour is now in it's final days, I am already sad that there is only three more days. Stage 18 left the town of Bourg-d'Oisans located next to Ecrins National Park the largest and highest of the seven French National Parks and ending today in Saint Etiennewhich is located just 40 miles outside the city of Lyon and use to be the capital of French Cycling. The last time the Tour stopped here was in 2005 when Lance Armstrong won the time trial and then onto his 7th and final tour.... oh those were the days.

So for dinner tonight, thanks to Anne Willans French Regional Cookingcookbook we are having Grillade Mariniere De Calence or Sailor's Steak with anchovies and Gratin Dauphiois,Potato Gratin with cheese and cream. Grillade Mariniere has a sort of shaded past. According to my cookbook the story goes: "In the centuries preceding the railway barges were pulled up the river by draught-horses. Not needed for the journey downstream the were killed by the sailors (marins) who made them into a good steak dish flavored with Provencal anchovies, onions and white wine. But nowadays using a good steak like a sirloin is in better taste" Thank god for that, I may eat snails and sushi but I draw the line on horses. Maybe that is what happened to my pony Buttercup when I was younger.

Gratin Dauphinois is the perfect side made with sliced potatoes, cream and Gruyere. Melted cheese, whats not to love!

Stage 17 Embrun to Alpe d'Huez; Fondue Savoyarde

Stage 17 of the Tour de France, the Queens stage as they call it. This is the stage of all stages, the one all the fans wait for. It doesn't happen every year. So when Alpe d'Huezis on the route you can't help but be excited. Alpe d'Huez is filled with 21 hairpin turns filled with over a million fans that have been camped out and waiting for over a week. Part of the appeal of a mountain stage is that the riders move a little slower. On a flat or downhill stage that can go up to 50 or 60 mph. Thats a lot of waiting for them to whiz right by. Here is a picture of Alpe d'Huez with the route highlighted. The other thing about stage 17 is that when the get to Alpe d'Huez, they have already gone over two other huge mountains. There are cars that can't do it, much less a human being.

So what is more perfect for a stage in the Alps...... Fondue Savoyarde or Cheese Fondue. Fondue is mostly known as a Swiss dish, but Fondue is derived from a French word, fondre (to melt)or fondu (melted)The recipe I made was a very common one using just white wine, Gruyere, salt and pepper and Kirsch. I cut up some baguette and made some more roasted potatoes as well as some asparagus and sauteed mushrooms. It was very good and very filling.

I used the Martha Stewart Fondue set from Macy's, it is very lovely and comes with all the pieces. But there is nothing that works better then the one my mom gave me that she got in the 70's. It is a horrible orange color and plugs in but it works better then any other one I have ever used. Maybe Martha can make a electric one in Martha blue.... that would be a lovely idea....

Stage 16: Cuneo to Jausiers, Fricassee de Poulet

 We are winding down to the last few days of the tour, oh what will I do next week. I go through a little Post Tour Depression when it is over every year. But this year has been extra great since I have been cooking along with the Tour.

The Tour today started in Italy, they have been there since Sunday and yesterday was a rest day. So they took off from Cuneo riding over two huge mountains and then arrived back into the Provence town of Jausiers. 

Another great cookbook is the Provence Cookbook by Patricia Wells, she is expert in the world of French cuisine and a teacher with classes in Paris & Provence. How wonderful would it be to go to France and take classes with Patricia Wells and Anne Willan.... I will happily take donations for my cause....

So for dinner I made Fricassee de Poulet a l'Ail et a l'Ail Confit or Fricassee of Chicken with Garlic and Sweet Garlic Confit. I started the Sweet Garlic Confit the night before, it was 5 heads of garlic that needed to be pealed. I learned a little trick from Martha to make that a little easier. Bowl some water, throw in the cloves the garlic for a few minutes. Then drain the water and put into a bowl. With a bowl just a little smaller put inside of the other bowl so you have made a bit of a circle with the two bowls and shake, shake, shake. It will help get all of the outside off of them so that you aren't pealing 40 cloves of garlic.

The rest of the process for the chicken was very easy, just brown the chicken in butter and olive oil with salt and pepper on the chicken. After it has been browned on all sides take out and then throw in the 20 other cloves of garlic,put the chicken back in and cover tightly for 20 minutes. After that take the chicken and garlic out and then put in the Sweet Garlic and white wine and cook down and crush the garlic into a paste.... Oh so good!

Along with the chicken I made Les Pommes de Terre du Max Haut also from Patricia Wells. They are your basic roasted potatoes and I make something like these all the time, but these were so crispy outside and tender on the inside. Wonderful!!!!