Tea and cookies

At the end of a very long Tuesday which feels like a Monday except for the 7:30 am meeting I conduct on Tuesday mornings, this is the ticket to relaxation.  The whistle of the tea kettle.  My favorite blue and yellow mug chosen for me by a French friend who knows how I feel about the colors of Provence.  Sophie's lavender honey from the Arles market.  Homemade cookies.  And my pajamas.
That's it for today.  Excuse me while I sip my tea and listen to the tea kettle.


French Lemon Sablés
makes 3-4 dozen, depending on size

1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1-2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest, or to taste
2 eggs, separated, at room temperature
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. coarse white decorating sugar

Combine granulated sugar and lemon zest. 
Beat butter on medium speed of mixer until smooth and creamy.  Beat in sugar-lemon zest mixture and salt until combined, about 1 minute.  Beat in egg yolks.  Store egg whites in refrigerator until ready to use. 
On low speed, gradually beat in flour until dough looks moist.  Divide dough in half; roll each half into an 8-inch log.  Wrap in parchment paper.  Chill at least 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Unwrap logs.  Brush with reserved egg whites. then sprinkle with decorating sugar, rolling to make sure sugar sticks.
Using a sharp knife, cut each log crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices.  Place 1 inch apart on baking sheets.  Bake 12 minutes or until lightly brown around edges.  Cool on pans on racks for a few minutes.  Transfer to racks; cool completely.  (Or not!)

Bon appétit, Tuesday!

Provence A-Z

Actually, I like the French title better--  Provence Lover's Dictionary.  I bought the French version in Arles while living there.  The BFF found the English version this past summer at one of the local dollar stores for $1.  No kidding.  After she confessed about how much she paid for it, I went and bought all the copies in the store (this would be the earliest I have ever bought a Christmas gift).
Anyway, I've been thinking of looking through my 26,474 photos and seeing how many of the entries in the book I have taken photos of.  Quite a project, n'est-ce pas?  Oui, sans doute, but I will then be able to make a list of entries I do not have photos of and then next time I am in Provence, snap photos.  A worthy project, I think.  A good use of my time.  A goal.  And not to brag or anything, but I know exactly when I will be back in Provence.  I have two trips planned.  January 16-20, 2012 and March 7-13, 2012.  Am I lucky or what?
Shall we begin?
In the introduction to the book, there is a Thomas Jefferson quote (quite the lover of all things French, too, just like moi):   
I am now in the land of corn, wine, oil, and sunshine.  What more can man ask of heaven?  He said this in Aix-en-Provence, March 27, 1787.
En français:  Je me trouve actuellement dans le pays du blé, du vin, de l'huie et du soleil.  Que demander de plus au paradis?
I am a bit confused about the translation-- le blé isn't corn, it's French for wheat.  So how do I find out what TJ really said?  Did he say it in French or English?  (Several minutes later...)  I googled and googled and couldn't find the quote.  Oh well.  Back to our story. 

I am very fond of this statue of Mr. Jefferson in Paris.
Here is the map of Provence from the English version of the book.  I am not sure who is the artiste.

Accent
The Provençal accent comes under quite a bit of scrutiny.  It can be almost impossible to understand.  While I was in Arles, we would frequently go to a café in the Place du Forum for our apéritif or apéro, if you really want to sound Provençal.  The owner was a friend of Érick's gang, but I was never able to understand a word coming out of his mouth.  He was a Marseillais.  I have no photo of him... I imagine he thought I was a deaf-mute anyway since I never uttered a word in his presence.  Taking his photo would have seemed weird.  The only words of Provençal that I have learned have come from listening to Moussu T e lei Jovents.  Great music.  For example-- ma polida means my pretty one.



Ail
Also known as le divin bulbe.  You cannot cook (or eat) in Provence without mass quantities of garlic.  Pas possible.  I now go into a semi-panic when I realize I am out of it.  A saying from way back in the day:  Bon ail contre mauvais oeil.  It supposedly was protection against the evil eye.  Whatever that was.

As I sit here and think about evil eye, I hope that none of my students read this.  I am known for having quite an evil eye when someone acts up in class.  They may start throwing garlic at me.  Hmmm.  Think I'll move on.

Aïoli
I am crazy about this stuff.  It is really just fantastic homemade mayonnaise with enough garlic in it to cure anything that ails you.  Well, I am still not sure about the evil eye.  Chef Érick felt it was his duty to teach just about everyone who came for a cooking stage how to make it.  Grating garlic against the tines of a fork, drizzling in the oil olive, wearing your arm out trying to get it just right.  I wish I had video-taped him making it.  But here are a couple of photos of him in action--

There are more A's in the first chapter of the book, but I have to get myself out of my pajamas and be more constructive than sitting in front of my computer for hours and hours, so I will leave you with Peter Mayle's recipe for aïoli.  It is so good served as a dipping sauce for boiled potatoes, carrots, hard-boiled eggs, escargots (yes, snails), boiled salt cod, or anything else your little heart desires.  I have already posted Chef Érick's recipe.

Aïoli
for 8

16 cloves of garlic
3 egg yolks
Half a liter of the best olive oil you can find (cold pressed)

Peel the garlic.  Put cloves in a mortar and crush them to a pulp.  (Or grate them on a plate with a few squirts of lemon juice by rubbing the garlic against the tines of a fork pressed against the plate.  Then put the garlic into the mortar.)  Add the egg yolks and a pinch of salt, and stir until the yolks and garlic are thoroughly blended.  Then, drop by drop, start adding the oil, stirring (and never stopping) as you go.  (It helps to have a partner for this.)  By the time you've used about half the oil, the aïoli should have thickened into a dense mass.  The rest of the oil can now be added (and stirred) in a continuous, steady flow.  The aïoli become thicker and thicker, almost solid.  This is how it should be.  Add a few drops of lemon juice and serve.

While in Arles, I watched a Moussu T video of an aïoli contest.  I think it is the equivalent of our Southern barbecue contests.  Really.  Vraiment.

Bon appétit, les Amoureux de la Provence!

Saturday colors

Could there be anything more glorious than a blue sky on a fall Saturday morning?  No, I don't think so.  Forget cleaning house and washing clothes.  It just isn't right to stay inside.  Especially not when there is a breeze blowing and the temperature is around 65˚.  This kind of morning begs for a trip to the Durham Farmers' Market.  Here are some of today's sights.
Pumpkins galore

Peppers

Sweet potatoes

Garlic

Flowers

Tomatoes

Simple beauty everywhere

A great morning for strolling and working up an appetite. 
Breakfast at Mad Hatter Bakeshop and Café.
The Biscuit

(I think it looks like an octopus!)
Breakfast Burrito

After breakfast, a walk down Ninth Street, with a visit to The Regulator Bookshop.  (My book will be sold here as soon as I get it written...) 
Then the beginning of the Duke-Maryland field hockey game.

And finally, home to make Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast. 
Fall is my favorite season.

Perfect Pot Roast
10 servings

1 whole (4-5 pounds) chuck roast
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 whole onions
6 whole carrots
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 c. red wine (optional- you can use beef broth instead)
2 - 3 c. beef stock
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat.  This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else.  Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast. 
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Then add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter-olive oil split).
Cut two onions in half and cut 6 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel the carrots if you wish, but you don't have to).  When the oil in the pot is very hot, but not smoking, add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.  Throw the carrots into the same very hot pot and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.  Remove them to a plate.
If needed, add more olive oil to the very hot pot.  Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over.  Remove the roast to a plate.
With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.
When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2-3 cups).  Add in the onions and carrots, as well as the thyme and rosemary.  Put the lid on, then roast in a 275˚F oven for 3 hours (3 lb. roast) or 4 hours (4-5 lb. roast).
** My ovenproof pot is not large enough for all that, so I heated up the Crockpot (slow cooker), put it all in there and cooked it on high for about 4 hours.

Bon appétit, l'automne!

Bon anniversaire, John!

photo:  http://www.mellencamp.com/index.php?page=news&n_id=1499

It is John Mellencamp's 60th birthday today.  Malheureusement, I was not at his concert at the Olympia in Paris this past summer.  He was spotted around town with Meg Ryan, his main squeeze.

I sound like a gossip columnist, n'est-ce pas?  I don't follow celebrity gossip much, but I have been a Mellencamp fan for a long time.  Back when he was John Cougar.  I've seen him in concert a couple of times even.  But not in Paris.  Hélas...
You should know, John, that cupcakes were consumed in your honor today.  Not just any cupcakes, but Nutella cupcakes.  Did you eat any Nutella crêpes while in Paris?  I hope so!

Enjoy a vintage music video of one of my favorite songs.  Feel free to sing along and even get up and dance a bit yourself if the spirit moves you!
Does this bring back memories, Ex-Ex?





 Bon anniversaire, John!

For the love of Nutella

I have not fallen into a Nutella coma... yet.  I haven't done anything except lick assorted bowls, spoons, beaters, fingers, and spatulas.

I haven't even sampled the finished product.  But these babies have to be good.  The batter was seriously delicious.  The buttermilk gave it a welcome tang, what with all the chocolate and sugar.  Here they are.

Yes, two are indeed missing.  No, I really haven't tasted them yet.  The Ex-Ex and College Boy ate one each pre-icing.
I decided to pipe the icing on even though I am really bad at it.  Then I decided to have a Miss Cupcake Contest.  Bored?  Maybe.  But here are the finalists.

Miss Blue

Miss Purple

Miss Green

Miss Yellow

Miss Orange

Miss Blue isn't very photogenic, is she?
Miss Orange (my new favorite color) is a little too Halloween-y for me just yet.
Miss Yellow is a bit too pointy on top.
Miss Purple (I wanted her to win) is just too flat.
The winner is Miss Green.
I will eat her for dessert.  That's her prize.
And I need to stop now because I am starting to worry me.


This recipe came to me from the BFF who saw it on Jessica's (the Cupcake Queen) Facebook page, who got it from www.goodlifeeats.com.  I just always feel compelled to cite my dealers sources.

Chocolate Nutella Cupcakes with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting
(makes 3 dozen)

Cupcakes:
2/3 c. Nutella
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. cake flour
1 1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
2 1/2 c. buttermilk

Frosting:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. Nutella
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lb. (about 3 3/4 c.) confectioners' sugar

Line 3 dozen muffin cups with cupcake liners.  Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar for 5 minutes, until it is pale and thick.  Add in the butter.  Mix until combined.  Add in the Nutella and mix, then the buttermilk.  Beat until well incorporated.
Add the flour mixture in 3 increments and beat until smooth.  Divide batter into the cupcake tins.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Do not overbake.  Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
Cream the butter and cream cheese in the large mixing bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the Nutella and vanilla and continue to cream.  Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar as you continue to cream.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Beat on high speed until fluffy and smooth, adding milk or additional sugar, if needed.

Bon appétit, Nutella!

October has arrived!

What is there not to love about October?  Cooler weather, blue skies, leaves changing colors, making stews, soups, and bread, drinking red wine, hot chocolate, and lait chaud.  Taking one of these

and making this.

But that's not what I am making today.  College-age son is home so I am making Pioneer Woman's Pot Roast and mashed potatoes.  My boy need home-cooking. Oh, and nutella cupcakes.  But I can't give the recipes and photos until I actually make them and that means I have to head out to the grocery store in just a few minutes and then start the process of making my house smell heavenly.  The roast has to stay in the oven for 3-4 hours.
Today's big news is that I've found a new Frenchie cooking blog and possible new virtual pen pal.  My 8th graders have subscriptions to Yabla, a French video series.  For next week's assignment, I found Annette making crêpes on a French TV station.  I then went to her blog, left a gushing note (well, as much as I can gush in French... not quite the same, I am sad to admit), and now can find more food stuff en français.  I am happy!!  Her blog is La Dinette d'Annette and I have officially subscribed to it.
So, off to Harris Teeter for supplies and an afternoon of cooking.  With the windows open and the sun streaming in.

Bon appétit, Octobre!