Thursday 15 February 2024

Brussel Sprout salad

Salad of Brussel sprout and apple
A great salad served with a slice of foie gras, Parma ham or smoked slices of duck breast. or salmon fish cakes or frikadelle
for 6 people
250 gram / pound of Brussels sprout 1 big tart apple ( Granny Smith)
1 medium finely chopped onion
optional : walnuts and kale can be added
Clean the Brussels sprouts and either finely chop them with a knife, mandolin or a food processor. chop the apple very fine as well into matchsticks, mix it in a large bowl with the red onion.
Dressing
2 tablespoon of red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
1 small spoon of honey
1 clove of garlic , finely chopped 100ml 1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper olive oil
Add vinegar, honey, mustard, salt & pepper together , and then add slowly the olive oil so the dressing emulsify
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix it well, refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Tuesday 2 January 2024

French 75 Cocktail


We introduced a new cocktail to our repertoire recently. It is so simple to make and absolutely delicious. I am sure you will love it!

Ingredients for 4 servings

30ml Tanqueray Gin
10ml sugar syrup 
20ml fresh lemon juice 
lemon zest for dressing
Champagne 

Method

In a cocktail shaker with ice add the lemon juice syrup and gin and mix thoroughly. Once mixed add a little of the mixture to 4 champagne flutes. Slowly add champagne. Decorate with lemon zest and serve. 




Monday 27 November 2023

Red Pepper, Carrot and Chilli Soup


This festive soup is ideal for lunch. It is warm and very nourishing. 




Ingredients for 2 litres ( serves 6)

4 X red peppers
4 X carrots
I X onion
1 X garlic
1 x chili 
1 x salsify 
1 x potato
2  litres of home made chicken stock 
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a saucepan bring the stock to the boil. Cut all the vegetables into small pieces and add to the stock starting with the potato ,onion, salsify and carrot and then garlic and chilli. Boil gently until tender (5-8 minutes). Let it cool. Blend the soup in a blender and reheat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with warm garlic bread. 

Friday 25 August 2023

Frederic Eckhard , Spokesperson for Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, has lunch at Kerrouet House!

 Second birthday party by Frederick Eckhard


23 August 2023


When our friends Poul and Niall heard that I had turned 80 in April, they invited me to lunch for a second celebration. They run the French Dining School in the tiny village of Kerrouet in Brittany. They renovated a centuries-old house in the village which serves as a home and a school.


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Poul, left, and Niall.

A special treat for us would be seeing our old friend Chris. Our last time together was pre-Covid. He has a secondary home in the area and introduced us to Poul and Niall. Chris is a beekeeper, among other things.


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There were currently three students in residence, two of whom were cousins, Meghana, a recently certified medical doctor with a special interest in nutrition, a graduate of the University of Chicago, and Emily, who just took a degree in economics in Dallas.


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Meghana, left, and Emily.


The third student was Hillary, a judge from Sydney, Australia. Her husband was playing golf in Ireland for two weeks, so she took a detour to Brittany. She was busy in the kitchen.


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It was a lovely day. Kathryn brought a treat for Scooby-Doo, a dog that Poul and Niall found abandoned in the woods several years ago. A red rubber ball. She became very popular with him.


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We started with appetizers, served with champagne. This one was lump fish caviar with homemade mayonnaise and chives.


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Meanwhile, Emily and Meghana joined Hillary in the kitchen. Emily was working on the first course, mussels in saffron soup.



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While Meghana worked on the main course, warm smoked salmon.


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The table was set on the terrace.


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Niall sat at one end. He is the CEO of the Dining School—Chief Entertainment Officer.


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First came the mussels and saffron soup.


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Yumm.


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Then came the delicious salmon.


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Chris and Hillary enjoyed it.


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There was the ritual assortment of cheeses.


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And a strawberry tart for dessert.


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We all enjoyed it immensely.


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For you ambitious cooks, here are the recipes.


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Frederick now runs a very worthy charity which helps educate women in Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world. French Dining School are very happy to support this charity and you can too! Here is a link: www.bwefund.com

Saturday 5 August 2023

Alsace feast comes to Kerrouet

Alsace is world famous for its unique foods and wines and today we were fortunate to be invited by our lovely neighbours ( visiting from Mulhouse) to taste some home made choucroute with a variety of delicious cuts of meats and sausages. 

We started with a cocktail punch of sparkling wine with a cognac twist and a salted bread called a Kougelhopf:











The mains followed with each dish being amply served with choucroute, and seven pieces of pork including  kassler, collet fumé,  palette fumée sans os, montbéliarde,viennoise, lard fumé and lard frais. The potato added extra comfort on this august wintry day! 

What a delight it was to be served such delicious Alsatian delights in our own Breton village! 

Tuesday 1 August 2023

Ladies retreat - a St Gilles gitê treat!

Ladies who would like to stay in the nearby village of St Gilles Des Mené have the option of a B&B with Tracey. She has a beautiful Breton traditional stone house but you could swear you were in Crete once inside! 



A stone house to stay in Kerrouet


Students on the cooking course also have a lovely traditional Breton stone cottage to stay in. Only a few minutes walk away from the school. It’s called Papillion; it has two bedrooms, a bathroom with shower upstairs and a nice cosy kitchen/diner on the ground floor. It also has a private courtyard with parking space. 
Here are some photos: