The Perfect Meal

The Perfect Meal, Harper Perennial, 2013

This is the book I am now reading and cannot put down even though I know that I will be sad when I have finished it.  I found it while looking for a guide book on New York last month.  I bought it purely based on the cover.  When I got it home and read the back, I was afraid I would be disappointed in Mr. Baxter's views about the demise of French cooking and eating traditions.  I was afraid that he, an expat Australian married to a French woman and living in Paris, had come to the conclusion that it is impossible to find a good meal in France these days.  Instead, he decides that he will prepare the perfect (albeit imaginary) meal, offering up the best of France's traditional recipes.  I am most of the way through the book and he is making his choices, doing tremendous amounts of research (oh, the things writers must go through), and offering wonderful history lessons and stories along the way... all about food, bien sûr.  It didn't hurt that he decided upon kir royale as his apéritif.  It just happens to be my favorite, either royale (champagne) or regular (white wine).
From my January dinner cruise on the Seine with ACIS--

A recipe for kir is found in this blogpost:
http://thesabbaticalchef.blogspot.com/2010/11/fall-in-provence.html
Mr. Baxter's recipe is at the end of this post.

Yesterday morning, I read the chapter entitled "First Catch Your Madeleine."  Mr. Baxter's dad was a pastry cook so cakes are near and dear to his heart.  He writes about financiers, macarons, cannelés, and finally madeleines, a little cake he says this about:

"Above all, I remained steadfast in my devotion to the madeleine, though not solely for culinary reasons.  How many cakes could be said to have inspired a literary masterpiece?" (p. 81)

He is referring to Marcel Proust's À La Recherche du Temps Perdu (I immediately jumped up and downloaded a portion of it, Swann's Way, onto my Kindle, as well as the complete work in French-- it was free-- for when I have finished The Perfect Meal).  Proust immortalized the madeleine in his writing, so Mr. Baxter and his daughter head to the town of Illiers/Combray, Proust's hometown for more research into these little cakes.

Inspired, I decided that madeleines would make a very nice July 4th dessert for the Ex-Ex, Son #1 and me.  (Son #2 is at the beach with a friend.)  I had some nice juicy strawberries on hand and Cool Whip (even after a taste test of that and the real homemade stuff, they love it anyway-- what can I say?) and decided to make Strawberry Shortcake with a French twist.

Out came Mildred the Mixer to whip up the sugar, lemon zest, eggs, and vanilla.

Then the madeleine pan was buttered and dusted with flour.

The batter rested in the refrigerator while we grilled and hung out on the newly powerwashed and stained deck (home improvement project of the summer done!).  Son #1 loves to grill sausages.  He seasoned them with Old Bay, garlic salt, Italian seasonings, and red pepper flakes this time.

I decided to eat one with a little slice of Brie under it.  Yum!

There is hope for that boy yet.

The madeleines were a success, too.  The Ex-Ex even has a few left for breakfast this week.
See how happy he is!

Classic Madeleines
from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table

Makes 12 large or 36 mini cakes

2/3 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 c. sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl and use your fingers to rub them together until the sugar is moist and fragrant.  Add the eggs to the bowl and beat, using the whisk attachment or a hand mixer or whisk, for about 2 minutes, or until the batter is light colored, fluffy, and thick.  Beat in the vanilla extract, then, using a rubber spatula, fold in the dry ingredients followed by the butter.
You can use the batter now, but it's better if you give it a little rest.  For real convenience, you can spoon the batter into buttered-and-floured madeleine molds, cover, and chill, then bake the cakes directly from the fridge.  In either case, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
When you are ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400˚F.  Place the buttered and floured molds on a baking sheet and spoon the batter into the molds, filling each one to the top.
Bake large madeleines for 11-13 minutes, minis for 8-10 minutes, or until they are golden and the tops spring back when prodded gently.  Remove the pan(s) from the oven and release the madeleines from the molds by rapping the edge of the pan against the counter.  Gently pry any recalcitrant madeleines from the pan using your fingers or a butter knife.  Transfer the cakes to a rack to cool.
Just before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar, if you wish.

Kir Royal Florian
from The Perfect Meal

Place a coffee spoon of Florian Confiture Pétales de Rose in the bottom of a champagne glass.  Add some lychee-based liqueur such as Soho or Lichido to taste, and top up with cold champagne.

Bon appétit and happy summer reading and baking!

The Green Monster

Okay, so I know deep down that jealousy isn't a pretty thing.  But we all suffer from it.  Don't even try to deny it because you will be lying.  You aren't perfect any more than I am.  Beware of those who act like they are.  You heard it here.  Wise words for a Tuesday morning here in piedmont North Carolina as the long lost sun is trying to finally make an appearance and dry up some of the flood waters we have been experiencing.  The source of this morning's green monster (no, baseball fans, I am not talking about where the Boston Red Sox play their games) raring her head?  Arles Betty's clan is in Paris.  Well, part of them are.  The other part will leave today or tomorrow.  Paris + Dordogne = fun.  I have spent time with Arles Betty and her boys.  They know how to live.  And laugh.  And pop corks.  Another friend, Señor, is a couple of weeks into his month-long stay in Europe.  He posts photos all over Facebook and I was doing okay until he posted photos of foie gras on French bread in Lyon.  I can only take so much before I snap.  I know that some folks won't eat it because of where it comes from, how the geese are raised, etc.  I went to check out a facility back in 2008 in southwest France with Dr. Turkey.

Part of the Arles 6 Reunion group during our day in Saint Émilion.  I think you can figure out who Dr. Turkey is--

That's okay.  More for moi.  My French friends indulged me in January and I ate it several times.
Once with The Best Guide in Paris (my first meal within a couple of hours of landing)- this was just the appetizer...

And chez Mlle de Tavel with Mme P--

With champagne, bien sûr...

And my favorite rosé--

I got all experimental and decided to top one bite of foie gras with Mlle de Tavel's dreamy potato-cèpe mushroom concoction--

The best thing I've ever eaten?  Maybe.
I have spent several hours this week with iPhoto trying to organize, delete, and categorize my (now)  27,952 photos.  Mostly, I have been sighing and drooling and thinking to myself how lucky I am.  I have amazing friends and I have seen and eaten some good stuff.
So, I will now put the monster to rest.
Since she cannot be photographed (kind of like a ghost, you know), I will Skitch her.  (Heaven help me, but last week while strolling the aisles of A.C. Moore, I bought myself a box of oil pastels. )

Arles Lucy, what do I do with these things?!  Attempt Lavender Drawing #3

 or The Leaning Tower of Eiffel #2?

My artist education was stunted in 6th or 7th grade when I tried to draw trees for Mrs. Sproles. In my next life...

This is best I can do with Ms. Monster.  (I got a little carried away with the pink stamp thing... and can't figure out how to erase stuff without spending at least an hour, so they get to stay.)

Bad hair day, huh?
Anyway, I set out to write about the trip to New York City with the Ex-Ex but got seriously distracted.  Next time.  Stay tuned for the riveting story of how I managed to drop a hot dog smothered in ketchup and mustard all over me, the Ex-Ex, and Times Square within two hours of landing at LaGuardia.

How about a way to use some of the blueberries sitting in the refrigerator?  I couldn't bear for mine to go to waste, so I made this.

Bleuberry Clafoutis
(serves 6)
from My French Kitchen by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde

The original recipe is for cherry clafoutis.  You could use peaches and nectarines, too.
I added lemon zest with the blueberries.  

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature, for the dish
1-1/2 lb. blueberries
3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
3 large eggs
1-1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar, for serving

Heat oven to 350F.  Butter a shallow oven-proof dish.  Spread the berries in the dish.
Put the flour and sugar in a large bowl, mix together, and make a well in the middle.  If using lemon zest, add it in the with flour and sugar and stir.  In another bowl, whisk the eggs; add the milk and vanilla and whisk to combine.
Slowly pour the liquids into the dry ingredients, beating constantly until all the liquid has been added and you have a smooth batter.  Pour over the blueberries.
Bake for 40 minutes, until the batter is firm to the touch and golden on top.  Sift with confectioners' sugar on top and serve just warm.

Bon appétit to all my adventurous friends!  Bon voyage!

Adieu, Uncle Beno

The world lost another fine character this past week.  Benjamin Gibbs Philpott, the BFF's big brother extraordinaire, headed off into the sunset.  He will be sorely missed by his son, his wife, and his baby sister.  Not to mention the church full of friends and family members at his funeral on Friday.  I loved Ben because his sister loved him.  I got to know him over the years, most memorably at Sunset Beach.  After I returned from sabbatical in 2008 and the Ex-Ex and I reunited, we re-tied the knot there on our original anniversary, July 24.  The party was fabulous, held at the King-Philpott compound.  Good food, good drink, six boys, one girlfriend, and Gran Helen.  This is how I will always remember Ben.

Photos of the day--

The happy couple...

My family after the ceremony

My BFF and best maid/matron/buddy/look-a-like/QOATM rocking the pink cowboy hat with me

Ben and his bride

Ben and his family

BFF's oldest and Helen (I wonder what he was up to, too, Gran)

Helen surrounded by the girls-- she treated me like a daughter

The master working his magic with Frogmore Stew (note the amazed, hungry looks!)

The secret ingredient?

That night, Ben introduced me to Frogmore Stew, but he also introduced me to M.F.K. Fisher and her writings about food and France.  Ben knew me well enough to know that I would devour her books.  He was a reader and a writer.  I kept up with him through his blog, which he started back in 2009.  His buddy Lee made us laugh and cry with his remarks at the memorial service.  He also read this entry from Funkybeno.  A fitting way to say good-bye.
I am sorry if I have made you cry, BFF.  I want you to remember this fabulous day, too, though, in the midst of your sadness and tears.

I am not what anyone would call a religious person anymore.  I only very sporadically attend a church service.  I was, once upon a time, a very faithful Baptist.  I have not forgotten God.  I still speak with him on a daily basis.  I just consider myself more spiritual now, embracing all that is good in all religions, but not what people have done since time began or continue to do to one another in the name of religion.  Several of the passages from the service at Grace Episcopal Church struck a chord--

2 Corinthians 

We do not lose heart.  Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.  For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

Doesn't that describe love?  The love we have for all those we hold so dear, but who we will have to let go at some point?

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul;
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his Name's sake.
Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I like the image of God/Jesus as a shepherd who looks over his flocks and cares for them.  I don't believe in a God who punishes people by sending horrible afflictions and death.  Humans are the ones judging, not God.

John 10: 11-16

Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away-- and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.  The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.  I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.  And I lay down my life for the sheep.  I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.  I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.  So there will be one flock, one shepherd."

I saw this little guy in a field near Les Baux de Provence on Thanksgiving Day in 2008.  I watched him and his buddies frolic and play for several minutes that day.  A joyous sight that I will never forget.  They leap and run around in circles!

We will never forget you, Uncle Beno.  And we will party again someday.

Never better!

The recipe for Frogmore Stew can be found on this Sabbatical Chef blog post:  Context
It is on the menu for the upcoming trip to Sunset.

Many thanks to Deirdre and the BFF for some of the photos.

Bon appétit and happy memories to all!

Simple pleasures

We had a storm yesterday that blew in and blew out pretty quickly, taking the 95˚ temperature and humidity with it.  Thank goodness.  Bright blue skies this morning for my walk.  The BFF wasn't feeling well so I went solo.  Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance company has a trail close to chez moi and I decided to take that route.
There's a path through "the woods"--

An employee garden to admire

guarded over by the BCBS cow (we have these all over town).

Flowers along the way

I listened to Billy Joel and spent about 45 minutes enjoying the morning.
I came home to toast, jam, and coffee.  There is not much simpler than that.  Or more delicious.

Strawberry jam from Lyon Farms.

Simple ingredients.

They have a weekly spot at the Durham Farmers Market and their produce and products are always top notch.

Here's a simple pleasure for Rusty, the cat.  The Ex-Ex brushing him.  He loves it so much that he can't sit still for long.

And finally, here is a very simple summer vegetable dish that I made a couple of nights ago.  The Ex-Ex doesn't care for hot tomatoes, but he did try it before leaving most of it for moi.  The leftovers were good cold the next day.  It's ratatouille-ish.   Just no eggplant in this version.  I think that next time I will add a layer of eggplant.  Caramelized onions would be good, too.  Red pepper slices, maybe.

Baked Zucchini-Tomato Slices
from Tina Arnold

Slice zucchini in half.  Slice off the rounded part of the bottom to make the slices stable.  Place the slices on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper for easy clean-up.  Brush the slices with olive oil.  Sprinkle with minced fresh garlic.  Top with sliced tomatoes (I used roma), sprinkle with salt and pepper, if you wish, and /or herbes de Provence.  Top with mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheese.  I picked some fresh basil leaves off the plant on my deck and cut them up with kitchen scissors to place on the cheese.  Bake in 350˚ preheated oven for about 30 minutes until soft.

Bon appétit!  Enjoy summer!

Avoidance and an empty nest

I have been avoiding both my blog and writing for the past few weeks.  I cannot explain it.  I love this blog.  I love to write.  The end of the school year is always very busy and I have more writing than I care to acknowledge-- writing exams, writing progress reports, writing what seems like thousands of emails...  I have been too worn out to write for fun, I guess.

Now the school year is over.  My 33rd year has come to a close.  Last Thursday was the official end.  And it ended with a bang.  I won the F. Robertson Hershey Award, given annually to one of the faculty members.

I was nominated by one of my colleagues.  The award is named for the head of school who took a chance on me.  He interviewed me, a 21 year old college junior/senior, and offered me a job teaching middle school French, after making me promise that I would go to summer school and actually graduate.  ($9500 a year seemed like a fortune back then.)  The award was presented to me by the retiring head of school, a man I admire and have enjoyed getting to know over the course of the past 14 years.  (I figured out it was me when joie de vivre popped up in the description... I am thrilled that that expression was used about moi.)
Our nest is empty this summer.  Son #1 has been on his own for a couple of years now.  Son #2 came to us in late April with a proposal to live at the coast with one of his buddies.  He will be interning there with one of our North Carolina senators in July so... "Of course, it only makes sense to live at the beach for the whole summer, Mom."

He is working in a sushi restaurant, his first experience as a host/server.  The deal was that he had to have a job and he managed to make that happen.  So, it's just the Ex-Ex and me.  And the cats.  Can't forget them.
For the first summer in quite some time, I am not working.  I just finished a two-day iPad meet-up, as our tech guru likes to call the summer workshop.  I am feeling more competent.  What am I going to do with myself this summer?  Well, first of all, I am taking the Ex-Ex to The Big Apple.  Yep, we are heading to New York City for four days.  I've been busy cashing in frequent flyer miles and searching for a hotel in mid-town.  I have two other summer ambitions... exercise and writing my book.  I've started my morning walks.  The writing is starting to flow again.  I think it is going to be a very good summer.

Avocado and Tomato Summer Salad
from Tina Charlene

2 avocados, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 c. grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half, if you wish
2 c. cucumbers, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 red onion, diced
4 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of one lime
1/4 c. olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Lettuce, if desired

Toss all ingredients in a bowl.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve on a bed of lettuce, if desired.

8 servings

Bon appétit et bonnes vacances to all teachers and kiddies!

Thanks to our wonderful 5th grade science teacher for lending me her nest long enough to photograph it!