New Year’s Eve Dinner 2019

Sunday, 29 December 2019

New Year’s Eve Dinner 2019

Menu

Amuse bouché 

Oysters and caviar

Starter

Foie gras terrine with a pear salad

Middle

Lobster ravioli in a lobster bisque

Sorbet Gewürztraminer sorbet with Prosecco

Main

Stuffed saddle of lamb with truffles and pommes fondant

Cheese board

Dessert

Chestnut cake with saffron sauce, prune and Armagnac ice cream

Seaweed Crisps

For thousands of years people all over the world have benefited from the vegetables of the sea. In recent times knowledge was lost in parts of the world and it’s only in recent times in Western Europe that seaweed is being valued again as a source of vital minerals and vitamins. Of course the Bretons never forgot the value of their seaweed or goémon as they call it. To this day the goémoniers go out in their boats armed with a special rotating hook to collect it. The hook is called a skoubidou!! 

The beauty of seaweed is that in most cases one can pick one’s needs directly and quickly. All you need is a basic knowledge of seaweed, what areas are safe from pollution and the time of the tides! 

I was on the Plage du Môle at St Malo on Christmas Day. It was low tide and one had almost the whole beach to oneself :

Plage du Môle St Malo Bretagne France

Laminaria digitata at low tide



I was looking for a very common kelp seaweed called laminaria digitata otherwise known in Ireland as leathrach, in England as oarweed and in Japan as kombu! It is usually attached to rocks exposed at low tide and you simply cut a little of each plant. It grows fast and furiously so don’t feel guilty. 

This seafood is high in glutamates and can act as a great flavor enhancer as well as being used commercially as a food alginate additive. My main interest however was simply to make some delicious seaweed crisps which according to some accounts taste of bacon! 

This is so easy if you have access to a bbq but you could just as easily use an oven instead.

Ingredients 

10 lengths of freshly collected oarweed

Method

Wash the seaweed thoroughly rubbing by hand under cold water removing any sand and debris. Then drop the seaweed carefully into boiling water and let simmer in a large pan for one hour. Watch the seaweed change color from brown to green! 

Remove the seaweed and let dry. I find leaving it to cool and refrigerate overnight improves the texture of the crisps. 

Prepare the BBQ and if you can get access to some little pieces of turf this will greatly benefit the overall smokey taste. Place the seaweed across the bbq and leave until crispy and almost black. Don’t forget to turn as required. The crisps should be ready in about 10 minutes. 

Remove from the bbq and let rest. Keep in a dry place and use as a simple tasty crisp or as an addition to other dishes on your menu. They are great with oysters and scallops and yes they do inexplicably taste of smoked bacon! 

Seaweed has a high iodine and mineral content so don’t overly indulge. Always seek the advice of your doctor if you are pregnant or have a medical condition. 

A Danish Christmas

On the 24 December it is the custom in Denmark to have a celebratory Christmas dinner. One starts off with gravad lax ( marinated salmon with gin, pastis and dill) and here with finely sliced raw Brussel sprout. 

The main course is slow roasted duck (stuffed with apple , prunes and orange), red cabbage and  carmelised potatoes.

For dessert the Danes normally serve a rice pudding (cooked in a duvet!) with almonds and a red cherry sauce.

As it’s Christmas coffee, cognacs and cigars are obligatory! Happy Christmas!! 

Moncontour at Christmas

It's that time of year when we all get to visit the Christmas markets. These vary in size depending upon where you go but in all cases you have the opportunity to purchase local products and taste some vin chaud.

Last night we had the opportunity to visit the wonderful medieval walled town of Moncontour which is a joy to wander around at any time of the year. It did not disappoint. The streets were busy with lots of folk out enjoying the festive cheer and sheer joy of street theatre. People eating, drinking, watching street entertainment and enjoying the smell of hot wines and tasty roast pork on the mobile BBQ's. People catching up with local neighbours and friends they had not seen in ages. Kids running around doing what kids do. Moncontour adds an added magic by opening its famous costume store and allowing the locals to hire medieval costumes which they then wander around in adding to the enchantment of the night.

Its a small town so its easy to get around and explore without getting lost. The only problem is parking your car which I recommend you leave outside the citadel and walk up the steep narrow streets to the top of the town.



Make a note when you see Le Contre Temps Bar as you cant leave the town without meeting Patrick and tasting some of his lovely tapas and beers.





These red radish were the largest I have ever seen and so pretty too! I nearly bought then to hang on my Christmas tree!



So the Marché de Noel is a wonderful opportunity to catch up with last minute shopping or last minute gossip or both depending on what you find and who you bump into!



Seeing so much food we were starting to get hungry so we made our way to Le Contre Temps Bar and ordered one of Patrick's famous Bara Breize or Breton Tapis served by a pint of the locally brewed biére rouge from the Brassserie de Launay.



I love the simplicity and generosity of the Bara Breize. Under a massive slice of wholemeal freshly baked bread you get to sample various tasty local  goat cheeses and a range of delicious home smoked sausages along with some pickled cornichons. I love them all except you have to be a local to fully  appreciate the finer qualities of the  saucisse andouille!

Le Mené - La Ferme du Bigna

Great to find some lovely cold pressed hemp oil being grown and produced just a few minutes away on the ferme du Bigna in Plessala. It has the taste of fresh peas and is delicious served on salad or vegetables. 

Hemp oil

Dimitri Guérin and Ronan Rocaboy are committed to produce a variety of organic products on the family farm. 

Look on their website for special products  and gifts for the festive season!

They also produce a wonderful rillettes de poulet and a  terrine de champagne aux figues which would fit nicely in any Christmas stocking!! 

Here is a link to their farm:

https://www.lafermedubigna.fr/

Pumpkin Soup

It’s Thanksgiving Day and what a great starter for your family dinner!

Pumpkin or Butternut squash  soup 

serves 6

800 gram of pumpkin, peeled de-seeded and cut into cubes

25 gram butter

1 clove of garlic crushed

1 large onion peeled and chopped

1.liter of chicken stock 

salt and pepper to taste

dash of lemon juice 

100 ml. of milk

150 ml. of dry white wine

Method

Glaze the onions in butter so they are soft, add the pumpkin, white wine and chicken stock, boil the ingredients till soft.

Blend the vegetables and stock, flavour with salt, pepper lemon juice and add milk to get the right

consistency , strain and whisk a bit of butter in the soup before serving.

Serve the soup with bread croutons. 

Lovely Gite to stay in for the cooking school

We have another lovely gite on our list for students on our cooking courses. It has two double bedrooms, two toilets/1 bathroom, lounge, kitchen and delightful garden. Here are some photos: 

The gite is four minutes drive from the cooking school in the village of St Gilles de Mené. 

Fresh Croissants

You have to be in the right mood to make croissants. Ideally 24 hours before you want to eat them! There is a bit of a routine to getting them just right so it’s good to be focused on what your up to. However follow a good recipe and a few good guidelines and you will be able to enjoy those croissants as much or even more than those you buy down the high street. 

For 20 croissants you will need:

Ingredients

625g Strong White Bread Flour 14g Fast Action Yeast

75g Caster Sugar

10g Salt

400g Butter

250 dl Water

Method

  1. Place the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl making sure the yeast doesn’t touch the salt straight away as it will kill it.

2. Slowly add the water until there is no mixture left at the bottom of the bowl.

3. Knead the dough for around 10 minutes until it is smooth and the ingredients are

evenly mixed in. I use my hands but you could use a food mixer. 

4. Place the dough back in the bowl and refrigerate. This will make it easier to work

with.

5. Weigh out the butter. Place in between two pieces of parchment paper and bash with

a rolling pin until it resembles a thin rectangle. The butter goes in the fridge to firm

up.

6. After the dough has rested, flour the work surface and roll out until it is wide enough

for the butter to be placed in the middle, once it is wide enough place the butter in the middle and fold the dough into the middle. Roll out the dough and fold into three. This needs to be done 3-5 times. Each time a turn is done, the dough must be placed in the fridge so the butter firms up. Leave overnight for the dough to rise.

7. Next day, line around 3-5 baking trays with parchment paper to avoid the dough sticking.

8. Cut the rested dough in half and roll on a lightly floured surface. Once it resembles a rectangle trim the edges. The Croissants can now be cut big or small.

9. Once cut, roll up tightly and slowly.

10. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough.

11. Place the croissants onto the baking tray well-spaced apart as they will otherwise stick together.

12. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise for around 1.5-2 hours.

13. Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius or 180 if using a fan oven.

14. Brush the risen croissants with egg and egg yolk, this helps form a lovely glaze once baked.

15. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Once baked, let them set for 10 minutes to cool. Put the coffee on and treat your self to the extraordinary experience of the croissant!