France, food, family, and friends

I spend a fair amount of time looking at the pictures in iPhoto on my computer.  I now have 30, 581 of them.  The vast majority of them are of France, food, family, and friends.  That pretty much covers my interests.  Yesterday, instead of grading papers during my free period, I started thinking about dinner.  That lead me to think about the pesto and cherry tomatoes I happened to have in the refrigerator.  And the box of bowtie pasta and can of olives in the cupboard.  That lead directly to thoughts of this salad made last year by O, Frenchie and fellow food lover.   He chaperoned the French students' trip to Durham. The search for the salad photo took a while.  (I got distracted by photos of the Eiffel Tower, food markets here and in France, picnics, baseball games, family trips to the beach...)
Anyway, this is O at the Durham Farmers' Market.  The Ex-Ex and I lost him and found him later eating a goat cheese sandwich made for him by Dave of Elodie Farms.  Sneaky Frenchie!  Savoring this deliciousness all by himself.  Embarrassed to be caught eating cheese for breakfast?  Around me?  I hope not since I would eat Dave's cheese any time of the day.  And especially on fresh homemade bread.

O's son loves to cook, too.  Here he is making a cake for his school's vente des gâteaux in January.  They held several bake/cake sales to raise money for their trip to visit us!

The ingredients for his gâteau au yaourt--

The sale was a great success.

I had some of the salad for dinner last night.  The Ex-Ex decided to have some of the leftover Easter Soup.  But I caught him sneaking bites out of the salad when he thought I wasn't looking... That's okay.  There are leftovers for dinner tonight!

I decided to add roasted chicken this time.
This is really good pesto from the supermarket.  Not homemade.

Olivier's Pesto Pasta Salad

1 16-ounce box of bowtie pasta, cooked al dente
Fresh mozzarella, cut into bites
Black olives
Cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
Pesto
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large salad bowl, mix all the above ingredients.  Use as much or as little of the ingredients as you like or wish.
The roasted chicken was a nice addition, too.

Bon appétit, Olivier!  Merci pour la recette!

New look?

Just testing out the new Blogger look.  Hope it will be user friendly.  I tend to be a creature of habit and a believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" but it is hard to have that philosophy when technology is involved.  New stuff is always on the horizon.  So, here's my first post using the new look.  Of course, maybe it doesn't look different once it's published.  We'll see.  Or maybe that's the next change.

Oh!  I made some lovely scones this morning.  I love to make them.  I don't know why.  I just do.  Especially on Sunday mornings.  This time, I used Nigella Lawson's recipe called Lily's Scones.  I didn't have any cream of tartar, though.  I tore my cabinets apart searching for the little container I was sure I had.  No luck.  So Google to the rescue.  Subsitutes for cream of tartar.  Seems there isn't really a substitute.  Just leave out the baking soda and use baking powder.  When I was in France in March, MLQ aka Mme P asked me the difference between baking soda and baking powder when we were looking at my recipe for Nutella cupcakes.  First we had to figure out the French words and then that answered her question.  She had both on hand.  I did google it on my iPad, though, to get some info.  I guess I am just not very curious about the whys of things.  If I am told that whatever the product is works and then it does when I use it, I am good.  I also did not use vegetable shortening.  I do not keep that stuff in my house anymore.  I used the equivalent amount of butter.

Back to the scones.  First the dough--

Next, in the oven--

Ten minutes later, out of the oven, ready to be eaten by the Ex-Ex as he reads the paper--

Lily's Scones
makes 12

3 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
4 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 c. cold unsalted butter, diced
2 Tbsp. vegetable shortening, in teaspooned lumps
1 1/3 c. milk
1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash
*I used 5 teaspoons baking powder instead of the cream of tartar and baking soda
*I used 6 Tbsp. of butter and no shortening
*I also added 2 teaspoons sugar

Variation:  Add 3 ounces of raisins or golden raisins for fruit scones, or the same of amount of dried sour cherries, with or without the finely grated zest of 1/2 orange.  To make cheese scones, add 3 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, grated.  (As you can see, I used dried cherries.)

Preheat oven to 425˚F.

Sift the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar into a large bowl.  Rub in the fats till the mixture goes like damp sand.  Add the milk all at once, mix briefly- briefly being the operative word-- and then turn out onto a floured surface and knead lightly to form a dough.

Roll out to about 1- 1/ 1/4 inch thickness.  Dip the cutter or knife into some flour, then stamp or cut out 12 scones.  Place on baking sheet close together- the idea is that they bulge and stick together on cooking-- then brush the tops with the egg wash.  Put in the oven and cook for 10 minutes or until risen and golden.

Always eat freshly baked, preferably still warm from the oven.

(The Ex-Ex doesn't seem to mind eating them a day or two after they are baked!)

Bon appétit, Blogger!

Garlic fix

This mysterious bag appeared in my school mailbox on Tuesday.  Hmmm, I thought.  Then I looked inside and gave an Oh yes! full of joy.   (Officer Tim, our security guy whose office is just off the mailroom, probably wonders about me sometimes.)

My dealer had come through once again.  Our computer guru, a man of great patience (especially since each middle school faculty member was recently handed a brand-spanking-new iPad), is also a farmer.  He loves to grow garlic and has hooked me up a couple of times.  Oui, me personally.  (When he brings it in for everyone I am lucky if I can snag one bulb before the vultures descend and take them all.)  Seriously.  This stuff makes the grocery store look and smell fake. 
Today I decided to make what I will now call Easter Soup.  Why, you wonder?  Well, because my family always has ham for Easter lunch.  Is this an American tradition, my Frenchies would ask me, ham, du jambon, for Easter?  I have no idea.  I guess.  Je suppose.  Both Son 1 and Son 2 were here for lunch.  But both of them left the next day.  (We celebrated on Saturday since Son 2 had to drive back to Tennessee on Sunday.)  So, even though I sent Son 2 back to his home with a bag of leftovers, we still had some left in our refrigerator.  Ham sandwiches are only interesting once, in my opinion.  The Ex-Ex never complains, bless his heart.  Armed with the knowledge that I had the garlic, onions, celery, white beans, and ham in the house, soup came to mind. 

The pot of deliciousness is simmering as I write.

Easter Soup

My soups are a little of this and some of that.  Be creative.  Add whatever you want.  Make it your own!

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3-4 small cloves garlic, finely chopped
3-4 stalks of celery, sliced
Thyme and/or herbes de Provence**
2 bay leaves
Salt, to taste
2 15-ounce cans Great Northern Beans
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
30-ounces vegetable broth
Ham

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven.  Sauté the onions and celery just enough to soften them.   Add the garlic and heat for no more than 2 minutes, stirring.  Add the thyme and herbes de Provence.  Stir.  Add the broth and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil.  Taste, add salt, if desired, and adjust seasonings.  Add the beans and ham.  Add water if more liquid is needed.  Heat to boiling again, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 20-30 minutes.  Remove bay leaves before serving.

**I have to tell this story from the March 2012 trip to Paris.  I will now think of it every time I use herbes de Provence.  We took the students up to the top of the Eiffel Tower at dusk so they can see the lights of the City of Light come on.  A sight truly not to be missed.  (Google sunset times and buy your tickets accordingly.)

A  couple of hours later, after we descended, we found a little pizzeria nearby so the little darlings could have dinner.  Arles Lucy was checking out the English menu that the waiter had given her.  She leaned over and asked me a question-- What are grasses of Provence?  What?  I looked at my French version and found herbes de Provence.  Herbe means grass as well as herb.  Whoever translated that menu didn't speak English.  Another delicacy on the menu?  Lawyer in vinaigrette sauce.  Oh yes.  Avocat.  The French word for lawyer as well as avocado.  I didn't dare ask.  I just hoped it was the latter they were dishing up.

Bon appétit, garlic!  Merci, KS!

Robert Doisneau

Google has inspired me again.  Today's doodle is in celebration of Robert Doisneau.  Today would have been his 100th birthday.  I have long admired his black and white photos.  I have had calendars and post cards of his work.  Today I'm borrowing a photo, though, from Wikipedia and the doodle from Google.
Here is M. Doisneau--

Go to his website and check out his lovely photos.  They make me smile and miss Paris terribly.
I wish that I'd been able to see the exhibit of his photos of Les Halles that was held at the Hôtel de Ville when I was in Paris last month.
This one sums up my professional life!  Some things never change...  1956?  2012?  France?  Durham?

This short YouTube video shows the making of the doodle and some of his work--
 

Bon anniversaire, Robert!

Forgotten columnist?

I was a newspaper columnist for a few months. Maybe even a couple of years. I am not sure. I could count them, though, because I carefully clipped all of them out and stuck them into a scrapbook.

I sent extra copies and even photocopies of the articles to Mama Mildred up in the mountains. I stalked a food truck, interviewed a local chef, wrote about feeding my Frenchie friends when they came to Durham, researched wine-making in North Carolina, and watched a talented chocolatière make her goodies, just to name a few of my adventures.
But all things must come to an end, I guess, and all of a sudden my columns stopped. A new food writer popped up. Weekly columns, too, not monthly ones. I read them. Admittedly with a twinge of jealousy and grudgingly with respect for her writing. I appreciate my first editor's enthusiasm for food news from France. I will forever be grateful to him for taking a chance on me while I was on sabbatical and allowing me to zap columns to him electronically across the Atlantic Ocean. I remain puzzled as to why the editor who took over never returned my emails or acknowledged receipt of my offerings. Oh well. As Chef Erick would say "C'est comme ça, Teresa." That's just the way it goes sometimes. But I do mourn the loss of the anticipation I felt upon getting out of bed on Wednesday mornings and going out in my pajamas to get the paper.

The Sabbatical Chef will stay busy writing this blog, eating, and trying new recipes, though.
Perhaps something chocolate is what we need right about now? A talented young lady in my 8th grade brought this deliciousness in to share with her classmates yesterday. Merci, Marguerite! C'est trop bon!

Chocolate Mousse Cake

From How To Be A Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson; Hyperion, New York; 2001

11 ounces best bittersweet chocolate
2 ounces best milk chocolate
3/4 cup unsalted butter
8 large eggs, separated
Scant 1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
9-inch springform pan
Heavy-duty aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 350˚ F and put the kettle on to boil.

Line the inside of the springform pan with foil, making sure you press the foil into the sides and bottom of the pan so that it forms a smooth surface.  This will prevent water getting into the cake when it is cooked in its water bath.

Nigella note and quote:  "For some reason people are put off by the words water bath, but if you think about it, it isn't so very hard to wrap a cake in foil, plonk it in a roasting pan, and then, when the cake mixture's in, pour hot water into that pan.  And that little bit of extra effort makes a cake of such a dreamy, light texture."   No kidding?!

Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave or double boiler, and let it cool.  In another bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugars until very thick and pale, as creamy as mayonnaise; the mixture should form and fall in ribbons when you lift up the whisk.  Stir in the vanilla and salt, and then the cooled chocolate mixture.  Whisk the eggs whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form, then lighten the chocolate mixture with a briskly beaten-in dollop of whites before gently folding the rest of them into it.

Pour the cake batter into the foil-lined springform, which you have placed in a large roasting pan.  Add hot water from the recently boiled kettle to come about 1 inch up the sides of the cake pan and carefully put the roasting pan with its cargo into the oven.

Cook for 50-60 minutes.  The inside of the cake will be damp and mousse-like, but the top should look cooked and dry.  Let it cool completely on a cooling rack before releasing it from the pan.  This calls for a little bit of patience, because you will need to peel the foil gently away from the sides.  Just go slowly and remember that this a very damp cake, and you won't be able to prise it away from its foil-lined base-- though it's easy enough to tear off excess foil once you've set the cake on its plate.  Dust with confectioners' sugar if you want, and serve with crème fraîche and maybe some raspberries.

Bon appétit, Nigella, Marguerite, and food writers everywhere!

Cupcakes

I have just been given the newest version of the iPad. And I was even asked to be one of the "experts" at our faculty training today. I find that kind of funny, but I did spend hours and hours trying to figure out how to blog and send emails with my personal one before I went to France in both January and March. What I really was itching to do all day was get home and take some food photos. (According to the ads for this thing the photos are the best possible -- something with retinas... I don't need many technical details, just point, click, and upload!) I really don't think that our computer gurus or my middle school director will read this and wonder why they put this thing in my hands. I do promise to use it in class, too. Especially when the little darlings get them and we can work on our class blog, research Paris projects in class and not fight for computer lab time, use it as a whiteboard to conjugate verbs, etc.
Anyway, I did get home to my kitchen finally and my advisees will be happy tomorrow. I found a new book when my Frenchies were here last week while we were checking out Barnes and Noble. One recipe caught my eye--



(I am even seeing some shadows in there!)


Raspberry & Lemon Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

From Cupcakes & Muffins published by Weldon Owen Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia, 2011

Makes 12

1 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup fresh raspberries, plus 12 extra, for decorating (I did not have any raspberries, but I did have some seedless all-fruit raspberry jam so I substituted about 1/3 cup of this for the fruit)
4 teaspoons confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Frosting

9 ounces cream cheese, chopped, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cupcake tin with paper liners.

Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift the flour and baking soda into a small bowl. Fold flour mixture into butter mixture, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour.

In another bowl, mash 1/2 cup fresh raspberries and confectioners' sugar together, using a fork. (I did not add sugar to the jam, I just mixed it in.) Mix in zest. Fold into the cake mixture.

Spoon into cupcake liners to 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until cakes test done with a toothpick.

Cool in pans for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

To make frosting, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar together with electric mixer until smooth. (I added a couple of drops of raspberry flavoring to the frosting, too.) Spread over cooled cupcakes. Top with raspberries. (I used some raspberry dark chocolate M&M's for decoration.)




We'll see what the kiddies think tomorrow! Think I will ask them to guess what the flavor is.

Bon appetit, iPad and cupcakes!

Where are the accents???

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

Somehow I missed this one until just a couple of weeks ago as I was watching the videos on CMT.  The Ex-Ex and I weren't caught on camera on the top of La Tour Eiffel in 2008.  Maybe if I had legs like hers and wore heels?  Who cares?  It's a beautiful song and there are lovely shots of handsome Tim, beautiful Faith and the City of Light.



Bon appétit, Paris!  See you in July!