Frederick Eckhard - A very distinguished visitor!

 All our visitors are special and a large number of our students arrive as strangers and leave as friends! However we had a very distinguished visitor last week. Frederick Eckhard, former Spokesman for UN Secretary Kofi Annan and his lovely wife Katheryn. We have been friends for some years but it is only recently, having read his book,  ''Kofi Annan: A Spokesperson's Memoir'' that I have realised the extraordinary career  Frederick has had: https://amzn.eu/d/30UQPvx

So you can imagine how pleased I was that Frederick joined us for lunch and took the time to write up an account of his visit afterwards:

Lunch with Poul and Niall

8 May 2023

 

We’ve known Poul and Niall for at least six years. Poul is from Denmark and is a chef; he runs the French Dining School in a little village in Brittany called Kerrouët. Niall is his partner and is from Ireland. (Niall’s cousin Méabh keeps the books for our Burkina Faso association Chance for Change in New York as a volunteer; she lives in England.)

 Poul had a student Norm, originally from San Francisco but currently living in Paris, who is a Peace Corps Volunteer who worked in Burkina Faso. Poul thought we would like to meet him and so invited us all to lunch.

 Poul and Niall live in a 16^th century house that they bought as a ruin and renovated; they opened the school ten years ago.

We relaxed in a comfortable room recently added on to the old house.

Poul poured us some champagne, then returned to the kitchen.

Norm joined him as he prepared the first course—French white asparagus. 

Kathryn and Niall chatted while waiting patiently for lunch. Niall has what my Irish grandmother called “the gift of the gab”. Well he is the CEO Chief Entertainment Officer ! Totally entertaining!

Then the asparagus arrived. Délicieux!

The main course was Salmon Fishcakes! Here's the recipe:

A knockout!

Of course, in France - there has to be a cheese course.

Served with bruschetta made that morning by Norm.

And finally, a strawberry sorbet for dessert.

                                             photo from The Irish Times

If you would like to book a course—see their website: www.frenchdiningschool.com.

Quiche for a Royal Coronation!

I only met King Charles once when he was a young man and at the time the world’s most eligible bachelor! I had to fight against a line of determined ladies who were equally keen to get an eyeful of princely magic and was surprised to see what a small guy he actually is in the flesh. 

I don’t agree with his recipe for Coronation Quiche. There is a limit to the amount of greens you can add to a quiche without turning it into a pie and spinach with broad beans are unlikely bed fellows even in a Kerrouet quiche. My advice is to stick to the classic French recipe of Quiche Lorraine. After all wasn’t the monarchy French with Guillaume le Conquérant back in 1066 and all that?!

serves 6

ingredients for the dough

175 g of wheat flour 

1/4 tsp salt

100 g of cold butter

1 tablespoon water

1 tbsp olive oil

6 lean slices of bacon, chopped

4 large eggs

250 ml cream

150 ml milk

140 g Gruyère, Comte of french Emmental cheese, finely grated

nutmeg

Method

Preheat the oven to fan 180C. 

Heat the oil in a frying pan and stir fry the bacon for a minute or so until lightly cooked.

dough

Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and crumble it into the flour mixture until it resembles grated cheese. Add the water and pick up quickly dough. Press it out into a greased pie form (about 22 cm in diameter). 

Put the crust covered in the refrigerator for at least ½ hour. Pre-bake the pie shell in the middle of the oven.

Beat the eggs, cream and milk together with a fork then add the cheese, nutmeg and plenty of seasoning. Stir in half the bacon and carefully pour the mixture into the baked pastry case,  then scatter over the remaining bacon.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the filling is set, starting to turn golden and slightly puffed up above the pastry case. Allow to cool a little before removing from the tin. Serve warm or at room temperature, with a green salad or cold with the neighbours with English wines of course!! Enjoy your quiche and Coronation Party! 

Domaine de Roschevilaine

Only a 90 minute drive from our cooking school, the Domaine de Rochevilaine is a Relais & Chateaux hotel on the sea point of Pen Lan near Vannes in southern Brittany. Noted for its outstanding position, history, gardens, spa and cuisine we decided to visit. They offered a special « Anniversaire de Naissance ”rate for two persons which included the Cardinal House, a  Gourmet Breakfast, 7 course tasting diner with Champagne and a celebration cake.

Who could resist? We were not disappointed!

The Cardinal House 

The pool and spa facilities were excellent with sauna, hamman and special treatment rooms for message and well-being facilities. I particularly enjoyed the citronella tea!

The bar and restaurant.

Dinner was reserved from 7.30pm so we first had an aperitif in the bar. The sommelier recommended a champagne rosè called Jacquart which was delicious. 

We were also offered some exquisite appetizers and the oyster in oyster crumble was particularly good.

The seven course tasting menu was inspired to celebrate the best of its one star Michelin Chef and fisherman Maxime Nouail:

 Langoustine tartare with artichoke and shellfish ice cream:

 Shark carpaccio with fresh seaweed and Daurenki caviar:

 Roasted lobster, creamy carrots, shell vinaigrette and sesame crumble:

 Roasted pigeon, morel mushrooms and peas with a pea purée:

 Buckwheat cone, creamy fresh goat cheese with lemon, fig and candied onion:

 Arlette, citrus cream, bergamot sorbet:

 Caramel millefeuille, caramel profiterole, caramel ice cream and birthday candle:

The very knowledgeable sommelier who has worked in this restaurant for over 24 years recommended the Lombard champagne for the main courses

The Flavigny-Alésia for desserts

Following coffee and petits fours we headed back to the bar for a cognac. 

We gave them a 9 out of 10. 

https://www.domainerochevilaine.com/

Stay at the old Bakery - Le Mené

Students attending the cooking school now have the option of staying in a beautiful old bakery. It is based in the town of Collinee a few minutes drive from the school and students have the use of a beautiful lounge and garden during their stay. Award winning breakfasts are offered as well as free lifts to and from the school by arrangement. 

Here is the link: https://www.gitesdarmor.com/fiche-hebergement-22G430198.html

Pear Salad

Salad of Pears

A great salad served with a slice of foie gras, Parma ham or smoked slices of duck breast.

for 6 people

3-4 pears , not too soft

Half a lemon.

Peal the pears and remove the seeds, cut the pear in slices and put lemon juice on them so they don’t

get brown.

Dressing

1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar 

1 small spoon of honey

salt and pepper

olive oil

2 tablespoons of fresh thyme

Add vinegar, honey, salt & pepper together , and then add slowly the olive oil so the dressing emulsify.  It’s good if the acidity is high with the sweet pears. 

Brioche Bread

When Marie Antoinette allegedly asked why the peasants couldn’t eat cake, it was brioche she was referring to which was then the bread of the nobility. It is soft and delicious toasted as a base for foie gras. 

Ingrédients:

12,5 g / 0.5 oz fresh yeast

4 tbsps milk

1 tbsp sugar 

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

250 g. / 9 oz Flour 

125-150 g / 4.5- 5.25 oz  soft unsalted butter 

1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tbsp of milk to egg wash the bread

1 litre / 35 fl oz. bread tin or

8 small brioche tins

Method 

We recommend using a food processor to mix the ingredients. 

Mix yeast and milk in a bowl and add half the flour and let it rest for 15 minutes .

Whisk the eggs into the dough and add salt, sugar and finally the rest of the flour 

and let it mix well for 10 minutes in the machine. Then add the soften butter.

Then let it rest for an hour and let it rise; when that has happened, mix it a few minutes more in the machine. Now pour the dough into a nonstick bread tin and let it rise so it fills out the tin, approximately to double in size.

Pre-heat the oven to 220C / 430F. Egg wash the bread. Bake the bread for 10 minutes at the high heat and then turn the oven down to 190C / 375F and finish baking the bread for 20 minutes so it is a golden colour and baked through. 

Take it out of the bread tin and let it cool before cutting it.

The 8 small brioche only needs 15 -20 minutes in total and are great as “baba au rhum”

Limoncello Cocktails

There are as many recipes for limoncello as there are for panna cotta but this one is a very popular one at Kerrouet House. It has all the fruity lemon notes but grounded with Martini Branco and Prosecco. 

Ingredients:

 2cl Limoncello

 2 cl white Vermouth

 1 cl lemon juice

 10 cl Prosecco

+  ice cubes, lemon slice, orange slice and rosemary sprig for serving.