Claudine, Oui c'est Francais

Stage 14 Nimes to Digne-les-Baines; Boueuf de Daube a la Provencal

With only one week to go the tour is in the lush region of the Provence. Starting in the town of Nimes,which is historically known for it's textiles and is where the name Denim came from. The finish commune of Digne-les-Baines is said to be the sunniest place in France as well as the town in Les Miserables

Boeuef de Daube is one of those dishes that can be found in different regions of France, each with their own twist. I made a la Provencal from Julia Child, but of course. At the end you add a paste of anchovies, capers, vinegar, olive oil and garlic. But to take a few steps back, you need to start this one nice and early. Julia says it needs to marinate for 3 to 6 hours and then the cooking time is up to 3 hours as well. First you marinate it in white wine, some call for red wine, but the white is said to be the original way it is prepared. Along with the onions and carrots, they sit in the happy little juice and soak it all in

After it marinates it is put into a French oven and layered with the bacon, onions, carrots, tomatoes and mushrooms and then the beef after it is rolled in a little flour

and then placed in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. After the first hour you can start to smell it around the house, with 2 hours to go it was torture.

Using my Martha Stewart mortar and pestle to make the Provencal part, anchovies, capers, olive oil, red wine vinegar and garlic.... good stuff!

The broth was excellent and the dish had a wonderful flavor to it. I highly recommend it. Even Martha Stewart has a version to make as well. Give it a try....

Stage 13 Narbonne to Nimes- Bouillabaisse

The Tour is now in the Languedic area heading into the famed Provence region. I was having a hard time finding a recipe that would work. John would not be to happy if I made Tielle de Poulpe Settoiseor Octopus Pie. Besides where the heck was I going to find the Octopus. So Bouillabaisse it was, with tilapia, scallops and clams. I used the Julia Child recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. When looking at another Julia book tonight that my grandma gave me, I found it signed by Julia in the front, that was a nice little find.

Pate de Fruit

Another lovely little French treat, Pate de Fruit. Martha's daughter Alexismade a bunch of these in different flavors during the holidays and they were so lovely I have wanted to make them since then. What a perfect time to try them.

I found a recipe by Jacque Pepin, we have a kindred spirit, his daughter's name is Claudine. Ok, so I am the only one, but I did get to meet him once and I am sure he feels the same way....

They turned out really great and oh so delicious... so I will share them with you. I can't wait to make some other flavors now.

Jacques Pépin on a French classic: "Pâtes de fruits, or fruit jellies, are very popular around the holidays—and usually expensive."

ingredients

• Two 12-ounce bags frozen raspberries, thawed (4 cups)
• 1 1/4 cups seedless raspberry jam
• 1 cup sugar, plus more for coating
• 3 envelopes unflavored powdered gelatin (2 tablespoons)
• 3/4 cup cold water

directions

Lightly oil an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Line the dish with a piece of wax paper that extends 4 inches beyond the rim.

In a food processor, puree the thawed raspberries with the raspberry jam and the 1 cup of sugar. Strain the puree into a medium saucepan. Boil the puree over moderately high heat, stirring often, until reduced to 3 cups, about 10 minutes.

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water in an even layer. Let stand until the gelatin softens, then heat the water in a microwave for 20 seconds, until the gel­atin dissolves completely. Stir the melted gelatin into the raspberry puree, then pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Let cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

          Just before serving, unmold the pâte de fruit onto a work surface. Peel off and discard the wax paper. Using a sharp knife, cut the pâte into 1-inch squares or triangles. Spread about 1/2 cup of sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll the pieces in the sugar to coat. Arrange on a platter and serve.

Stage 12; Lavelanet to Narbonne- french burgers

Ok, we fell off the scheduled menu for one day. John asked for a hamburger, so I Frenched it up for the area that the tour was in. Narbonne is in the Languaduc region of France, right next to the Provence region. The area is known for it's olives, olive oil, anchovies and garlic. Roquefort, the capital of the lovely strong cheese is also near there so it made it's way into the burger.

I sauteed some onions and garlic, quiet possibly one of the best smells ever. Added the Roquefort to the burger and then served it with some Pomme Frites with garlic and parsley.

Stage 11; Lannemezan to Foix---Poule au Pot

After a rest day the tour started up again and it was into the mountains... and ending in the pretty little spot of Foix. We are down at the beach and some Poule au Pot or Chicken in a Pot sounds pretty good....

Martha made this on her show using Anne Willan's recipe. It took some time and has a few steps but the results are great. Very light and lovely comfort food in the classic French fashion.

Stage 10- Pau-Hautcam....Confit

Stage 10 of the Tour de France and Bastille Day and to add to the goodness, Chicken Confit was on the agenda tonight. The tour is still in the Southern part of France and almost to Spain, but today we was another day in the mountains and those are the best days to watch.

Confit is a basically a technique used to preserve food, curing it in salt and then slow cooking in fat. I know, it may sound a little gross. But the fat is actually olive oil, and you can save the olive oil. Traditionally and what most people have had is Confit de Canard, or Duck Confit.  But you can also make Confit de Tomates, which is slowly caramelized tomatoes.  Confit takes some time to make, the recipe on Martha Stewart by Anne Willian for Duck Confit takes about a week and and a few days. Well I didn't plan ahead enough so I found a Chicken Confute. But now that I know the goodness, I am off to find some duck and in a week or two, Confit de Canard will be mine!

here is the chicken getting ready to go into it's long slow slumber of 12 hours in a 200 degree oven. The best part is that afterwords you can strain the olive oil and save it and use it in savory dishes or used like butter. What a great way to reuse something and not throw it out.

I sure wish I could say that is what mine looked like, but since I didn't do the "store in the refrigerator for a week method" mine oh so lovely just fell off the bone. This is Anne Willan's picture. But I did make the greens with the Perfect Mustard Vinaigrette....

Tuesday is a rest day for the Tour, I will go through with-drawls but then it is back on Wednesday. I told John he can pick whatever he wants for dinner. He could have asked for meatloaf (I cringe) but no, he wants grilled steaks and potatoes.....potatoes or Pomme de terre.... (evil laugh.....)

Le quatorze juillet, Viva la France!

 

14 Juillet , Viva la France!

Bastille Day is the 4th of July of France, it is held on the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille which was the beginning of the end of the French Monarchy and my favorite Marie Antoinette. By the way, she never said "let them eat cake"

Oh how I wait for this day, a day of watching the Tour de France, eating French cheese and putting out the French flag. I'm sure our neighbors think we are crazy....

Today I started out by getting the Confit into the oven for it's long long day slowly cooking in olive oil. A quick visit to watch my little friends, but I had to bring a French Madeleine with me for them. Then it was back home to pack the picnic basket and head to the zoo.  

Now those that know me won't be surprised at all, but when I pack a picnic it means, a picnic basket, a cooler and another bag filled with other necessities. It is Bastille day after all, so it was all French goodness!  Wonderful French cheeses like Comte, triple-creme brie, Chaumes and goat cheese. Baguettes, Pate, grapes, Dijon mustard and some sliced ham. I got my inspiration from one of the many pictures that my grandpa took of his food when he was in France.  That's my grandma's hand in the picture. I didn't bring the Dubonnet with me to the zoo but maybe I will break that out later

 

Here is our little bunch at the zoo. John and my sister, Madeline and Payton ready for some lunch

And I must say I am very proud that my favorite little Francophile tried the Pate, and she liked it and had quite a few tiny toasts with Pate. Next thing is escargot.... I think she will eat it, no problem

Oh yes, we had baguette as well, I missed a picture of her chewing on the end of it. I will teach her how we tear the bread, much more rustic that way.

And here is a sneak peek of my chocolate macaroons, more on those later this week.

and last but not least, how cute are these two? (the one driving is of no relation to me)

off to watch the Tour, do a little something French today... 

because as Martha would say:

c'est une bonne chose

Stage 8 & 9 Cassoulet

due to spending the last two days in bed (what a fun way to start my vacation) Good thing Stage 8 of the tour ended in the French town of Toulouse and then began Stage 9there today.  So Cassoulet was on the menu for today.  Cassoulet originated in the South of France in Castelnaudary and it's near by neighbor Toulouse has also taken it on as it's own with a small variation. All Cassoulet has haricots blancs (white beans) duck or goose confit and sausage. In Toulouse the meat is normally pork and mutton.

Since I didn't have time to plan ahead on the Confit, I found a easy cassouletrecipe that was a lot faster then the classic French ones. The only problem with this recipe is that it never had the oven temperature on it. I looked at Anne Willian's and she said 400 so that is what I did, it came out great.

Stage 7: Brioude to Aurillac- La Truffade

Stage 7of the Tour de France still riding south and getting close to the mountain stages, the best part of the tour. The finish tour of Aurillac is still in the Auvergne region and known as one of the coldest and most rugged area od France. Aurillac is also the capital of umbrellas, making more then half of the umbrellas in France. Learn something new everyday here at Good Things. 

A famous recipe of this region is La Truffade, a Potato cake with Cheese and Bacon. What's not to love. It is pretty rich but in the winter in that region they need something to stick to their ribs. This would be a great holiday dish. I made a lovely piece of Salmon with it for dinner since Aurillac is traversed by the Jordanne River.

I have been hit by a pretty bad sinus infection/migraine the last few days so I didn't try my dinner. But John said it was very good.

Stage 6: Aigurande to Super-bess

Stage number six in the 2008 Tour de France and we are till heading south. Super-Bess is located in the Auvergne area. It is famous for it's winter sports activities, and makes the perfect finish with it's steep climb to the top.

So for dinner tonight I made a Blue Cheese Salad from Auvergne. A simple and light salad with lettuce, walnuts, grilled baguette topped with Saint Agur Fromage and a simple Dijon French vinaigrette.