Salus or "health"

On my way to Punta del Este, the pearl of the Atlantic, we made a detour to Minas, in the middle of the smooth hills of de Lavalleja area. I love the quietness of these hills or "sierras" and everytime I can I do this pleasant pilgrimage.

Salus MIneral water is bottled here, a water that comes from a local spring called the Puma Spring (la Fuente del Puma).

There is a cozy Inn with a very good restuarant. I had a delicious sirloin strip with roasted potatoes and onions compote.

My guest lamb chops, and we both opted for the typical local flan (custard).

The whole meal was wrapped in agua mineral Salus!

A special note about olive oil. It's delicious and locally produced in Rio Negro. I have contacted the producer to get a bottle (or tin) before I head back to Paris.

Bon appetit!

Club de Pescadores, Montevideo

Among the restuarants I have tried several in Montevideo, the Club de los Pescadores (Fishermen Ckub) was a pleasant discovery. The large room is built along the sea cost, wth a very pleasant view.

I had Brotola, a local fish (what else?) which came done on a "plancha", with a salad. The fish filet was very big and fresh.

My friend Cecilia, who introduced me to the place (and invited me!), had pork chops.

After all the pastry I had at the Oro del Rhin, I have cut on pastires, so we had the main course and coffee only, with the usual Agua Salus.

By the way, tomorrow I will be going to the Agua Salus source near Minas and will write about it.

Bon appetit!

Rheingold: no Wagner but food!

This post is not about Wagner's music but about food!
When in Montevideo, Uruguay, I rush to the Confiteria Oro del Rhin, an old styled pastry and tea shop, located in calle Colonia and calle Convencion, which has managed to survive the economic turmoil of this little South American republic.

It was founded by German immigrants and used to offer first quality select pastries to go, and had on the other side of the shop a large room with tables and chairs to sit and enjoy the food served.
Though quality has faded a bit with time and economic distress, it still offers in the same old styled large room good quick meals and pastries.

If you go for breakfast (it opens at 8:30), you have a choice of brioche toasts and butter and/or peach jam, medialunas (local croissant) plain or with ham and cheese, and any pastry you like, with tea, coffee, chocolate, or the local cortado (like a machiato). I regret the orange juice is bottled in a country known for the quality of its oranges and citrus and where ANY cafe serves a large glass of delicious fresh orange juice for a few pesos!

If you go for lunch, the large room is very animated and full of men and women of all ages in business geer, who are having one of the many quiches and tarts with a salad, or "croquetas de arroz" with a salad, or hot sandwiches. The most common drink on the tables of the healthy conscious clients is Agua Salus, a local mineral water. This very good spring water comes from the hills of Lvalleja and is bottled near Minas in the so called Puma's Fountain.

Tea time is my favorite! The broad array of home made pastries makes my choice a very difficult one! Mil hojas, bombitas with custard, chocolate or "dulce de leche" filling, palmitas with iced sugar, and the cake the shop is famous for, the Tree Cake or Torta Arbol (top picture) a cake built in extra thin layers over a pastry cylinder with its very particular shape similar to a tree trunk, hence its name.

Enjoy!

Tao in Amsterdam!

This cute bichon is Tao, and it is my daughter's. Tao, 6, is a well traveled dog. He lived with her in Ithaca, NY and Cabos, Mexico. But when she left for Singapore in 2006, he stayed behind, at my place, because of the restrictions to import dogs in her new home. So Tao was a part of my Parisian life for two years.

Now she has moved to Amsterdam and last Thursday I took Tao in the Thalys to his new home.

Bonne installation, Celine and Tao!

My deck in spring

Such a bright day in Paris today!
All my windows (and I have ten!) are wide open, the sun is all over my flat.

Typically, Parisian stone buildings built under Baron Hausmann, the great urbanist, have a balcony in both the second and the fifth floor.

I live in the second floor, so I have a long balcony on one side of the building and from the bedrooms you can see red geraniums.

I cleaned them today. I do not like geraniums that much, but they're faithful, and always give me flowers - even when I forget to water them. True is that they are resistant.
The red bright flowers are a nice contrast with the black iron work of the balcony. I have one such pot in front of every balcony door.

Now, in the front side of the 1865 building where I live, where my living room and dining room are, the balcony was replaced by a deck when the restaurant underneath made an extension, at the turn of the century (19C that is). The name then was "La Coupole", I believe; and it is now Le Congres Auteuil - a fine restuarant which I recommend.

I am soooo lucky to enjoy a big enough deck . They are very rare in Paris.

I have plenty of plants, little bushes, and small trees on this deck.

I also have two chairs, and tables, some with plants, some to use when we have tea or a drink outside.
I enjoy having coffee here in the morning quiet.
I love flowers, and it is now the right season to enjoy them.

My favorite colors? Pink, blue,purple ... Dana and Brian gave me this beautiful azalea when they came for dinner a two weeks ago. It's fully blossomed and the shocking pink flowers are beautiful!

Red & white table

I wanted to use my white Jacquard Francais tablecloth (gift from my dear friend Elizabeth) , but didn't want my table to look too formal. I opted for square red plates, with a smaller Chinese Qing design plate for the appetizer.
The water tumblers are Crystal Daum, and the wine glasses, regular glass (the quality shows dramatically in one of the pictures! Compare the beautiful transparency of crystal with the simple glass).
Knives, forks, are stainless steel Ercuis. Note the little mother of pearl spoon on the right, which we used for a verrine (another post!).
The center of the table is a colorful pot pourri where I mixed the petals of some of the roses I recevied for my birthday last month. The bowl is mouth blown glass bought at Biot, near Nice, a town famous for this trade.

Spring at last: Tea on my deck

Sunday: Beautiful day today in Paris! We thought spring would never arrive, but today, my deck was sunny and full of Spring freshness!

In the afternoon, I served tea with two cakes, one Quatre-Quarts, and an Orange "cake" ("cake" is how it is called in French), both on Chinese plates.

I proposed two types of tea, a green Long Jing Cha (or Tea of the Dragon Well) in a Chinese teapot and an Earl Grey, bought in London last week at The Tea House, Specialist Tea Merchant on Neal Street, near Covent Garden. This is my favorite tea shop in London!

The cups are Laura Ashley's and the sugar pot, rice china from China.

In London, much more than just Stilton ..

While in London last week, I was introduced by a friend who is attending a course on design at Saint Martin's to a fabulous cheese shop at Neal's Yard. Jen,, you took me to the right spot!
The name of the shop is Neal's Yard Dairy, the sales assistants are very friendly and patient; they help you choose by sampling different cheeses. Many cheeses have a sign with the name of the farm where it comes from.

http://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk/
I got Colston Basset Stilton, Montgomery Cheddar, Kirkham's Lancashire, and Doddington. The Montgomery Cheddar was simply delicious, and the Stilton, stunning.

Red or yellow cheese?

A French friend used to say when you visit the Netherlands you are asked if you want yellow or red cheese! Of course, France having so many different types of cheese, he felt he did not have enough choices there. But he had forgotten that Dutch cheeses were a delicacy during the reing of French King Charlemagne!

I always try to eat local products when I travel. I was in Amsterdam for two days and found delightful cheese shops that cater many different types of the classic Gouda, Edam, Maasdam, Mimolette. Some have cumin, which adds a sharp note; or herbs.

Enjoy!

Auberge Gourmande by the Loire

On the way to Tours, between Blois and Chaumont sur Loire, we stopped at the Auberge Gourmande for lunch. The tables were set with taste, with delicate Gien plates over a white impeccable tablecloth.
We ordered the menu at 27 Euros per person and enjoyed a tasty and well prepared meal.
As apetizer I had smoked fish on a bed of salad (home smoked), a main course of Loire fish baked with a garnish of vegetables, a large cheese platter with plenty of local cheeses to choose from, and a mouthwatering desert (chocolate, chocolate ..) We ordered a Touraine wine which was perfect with our meal. Service was excellent. We'll come back!

Auberge Gourmande. 5, Rue André Raimbault 45130 Baule, France+33 2 38 45 01 02

http://www.auberge-gourmande.fr/carte.php

The Sarthe and the Rillettes

Some time ago I did a post about the Sarthe, a vast area 160 miles west of Paris, famous for its 24 hours car race (24 heures du Mans) and the Rillettes.
We are spending a weekend at Saint Vincent du Louerer where Mr LeHoux, master of the Rillette charcuterie, has won (yet again!) a medal in a regional Rillette Contest. Rillettes is a spread of pork meat/fat, diced and cooked for hours in iron pans (see picture) and seasoned with art! It is served cold as an apetizer. (see http://aworldinapan.blogspot.com/2007/08/celebration-and-rillettes.html)
Nowadays, rillettes are made of duck, goose, chicken ... but the original recipe is with porc meat.

Feuillettes aux asperges

We invited very good friends for dinner last night. They were in Paris only a few days and both love cooking. I went to the market in the morning and saw asparagus. The first of the season (from the Gard, in Southern France - though my favorite are from Saumur). As a starter, I made individual feuillettes with a creamy sauce using the water were the asparagus had been cooked. I spinkled Sumak on top, this acid spice a friend brought me from Turkey last month. We had them with a Pouilly Fume. I served lamb in garlic sauce as a main course, with a green beans garnish, a cheese platt er, and Chocolate Fondant for dessert. All recipes are available at A World in a PAN

Cooking techniques: Mirepoix

You my find recipes that call for vegetables cut in "mirepoix" and I thought the best way to explain this type of cutting in small, small dices, was to take a picture!

Here we have 1 onion, 1 carrot, and 5 button mushrooms cut in mirepoix. When we cooked them in 2 Tbsp of unsalted butter, we started with the carrots (3 minutes), then added the onions (3 minutes), and finally the mushrooms 3 minutes; which means that altogether, the carrots were cooked for 9 minutes, the onions 6, and the mushrooms 3. We used them to stuff free range chicken breasts - which later were poached in a leek and water cress sauce ... miammm.

Thank you Mary-Laure , for giving me the Blogging With Purpose Award. I am sure you all know Aurea, her blog. It brings sparks of gold in daily life in Paris (Arts, Fashion, Botany, Etc.). Right now she's blogging from Uruguay, and I warmly recommend you read her posts.I'd like to pass on this award to
1. blogger Cooking and Eating in the Windy City. Erin, whom I recently met in Paris, blogs out of her hometown, Chicago, with taste, emotion, and plenty of good recipes.
2. blogger Lucy's Kitchen Notebook whose blog I have discovered very recently and visit regularly since.

3. blogger World Eatz. Blogger Simone shares with all of us incredibly tasty recipes.
4. blogger Mademoiselle Green , who delivers chronicles of fashion and beauty, art and design, culture and celebrities in Paris.
5. blogger Morsels and Musings for her collection of detailed and eclectic recipes.

Award-winners, here's what you should do:
1. nominate 5 blogs which haven't had this award before
2. each of the blogs must have a purpose
3.the nominated blogs must make a link back to this page
4. the logo from the award must be put on their blog and it must link back to this blog!

Bon appetit!

A beautifully dressed table!

My friend Martha has incredible taste when it comes to dressing tables or decorating her home. She likes to mix ancient and modern, rustic and sophisticated. Last night, she had dressed a bare table (without a tablecloth) and used mats. The beautiful wooden table comes from her husband's grandparents, whose family is from the region. She has two modern chic chairs on each side of the table. The embroidery mats and napkins were bought in Bruges when she first visited Beligum, after arriving in France. She loves her sharp Lagiole knives. The glasses are hand cut Bohemia crystal.

Hot wine at Montsoreau

This morning, we walked along the Loire, amidst chateaux and mansions made in "tuffaut" (limestone), all the way to a charming town called Montsoreau. This town harbors a delightful little market every Sunday morning.

Weather is beautiful today, but still brisk , and we had a warm wine at a local bistro, "Le Petit Bistrot". The speciality of the house is that it is made with a dry white wine from Touraine (AOC).

Spring in the Saumur market!

This morning in the local market in Saumur, in the Loire valley, the production felt like spring!
Fresh turnips, red radishes, spring onions ... and more.
In France sellers have to display the origin of the vegetables (and all ingredients) being sold, all these come from Saumur.

A simple avocado salad

Last night we had a simple avocado salad. One ripe avocado, a Romaine salad, coriander, a sweet "cevennes" white onion, a green pepper, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame seeds. Simply delicious!

In the picture the onion seems soft because I slice them, put them in a bowl, pour boiling water, and let it stand a few miutes before I drain it and use it. My stomach appreciates!

Greetings from ...

Greetings from ....

Family: Mother, Jean-Louis, Marie-Laure, Celine.

And friends: Elizabeth, Martica, James, Sylvia, Nora, Marie, Eric, Jeanne-Marie, Renee, Alvaro M, Raul, Jen, Fafa ...

Thank you.

And a family spring dinner with Jean-Louis, Celine, Fafa and Jen.

You see: my Jacquard Francais (X-mas gift from Elizabeth)white damasse table cloth, I use white damasse napkins from another table cloth that match perfectly well.

The water glasses are hand made blown glass (X-mas gift from Fafa in Egypt), and I surrendered to the large wine glasses trend (given by friend Jamini).

I used white Limoges porcelain plates, with a Chinese colorful smaller appetizer plate.

My silver fish forks and knives are Chritophle. To rest knives, I use the chop sticks rests that I buy in Asia (These are Chinese, but I also have Japanese).

As last Saturday night, I used the shocking pink candles and table center.

In the menu:

Sea Dim Sum as appetizer, then a salmon "en croute" (cooked in puff pastry), with a garnish of sauteed vegetables, and Celine's famous Chocolate Fondant for dessert.

Great day!

Roses, and tulips, and perfume of flowers

I am so lucky to have had so many flowers for my birthday!

Pink tulips, which I put in a beautiful St Louis Crystal vase Jean-Louis gave me for a wedding anniversary years ago.

Plus a bouquet of orange-yellow roses which I put in a green hand made ceramic vase I bought in Kenya.

Then the tallest roses you can find at the flower shop, birthday present from Jean-Louis, held in a craquele vase.

And roses, roses, and more roses, in the perfume my daughters gave me: Paris, by Yves Saint Laurent (exquisite).

Fun and friends

We all had a very good evening! Our meal started with the duck terrine, served with onion compote, water cress salad, Echire salted butter, and "country" bread from Les Grillons. Then I served stuffed chicken breasts in a sabayon of water cress. The chicken breasts where stuffed with mushrooms, carrots, onions, and foie gras. Everybody said it was delicious! My cheese platter consisted of only cow fresh milk (not pasteurized) cheeses; it had three cheeses that are aged in wine, a classic Camembert, and Fourme d'Ambert (blue), all bought at La fromagerie d'Auteuil (see post). For desert, I had done an intense chocolate mousse (very intense) in a meringue vacherin shell, prepared a few days before. Jean-Louis served a Haut Mongeat 2004, from Bordeaux. And I had plenty of beautiful flowers whcih I wil share with you tomorrow.

My table is ready

I have set the table! I am using a colorful Jacquard Francais table cloth a dear friend gave me for another birthday, and the napkins are so strikingly beautiful, that I have put them on the plates. The glass are Baccarat , and the cutlery Christophle. I bought two shocking pink danish candles that are held by all white candle holders. Artificial roses in the center add the final touch.

Getting ready for my birthday

Sunny day in Paris today. Many will say "at last", because we have had quite a bad spell of rain these past days.

I am getting ready to celebrate my birthday, and want to share with you the appetizer: A Duck Terrine. I started preparing it yesterday, marinating all the meats with Port Wine, Noilly Prat Vermouth, Armagnac, thyme, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and garlic. Then I cooked it 1 1/2 hours in a "bain marie" (double boil), pressed it with my husbands box of screws (heavy), and now I am going to put it in the fridge till tomorrow.

Come here for more!

Tao had a hair cut

I'm not sure it was the best thing to do, it's been unusually cold in Paris these past days, but Tao had a haircut and he looks very cute!

Easter Brunch in SFO

The cupcakes were very delicious. Becky made a tasty mushroom omelet with hash brown potatoes and we had wonderful fresh fruit and juice. Quite a feast!