The French Show London 2012

Well we survived the French Show and London too. It was a hectic few days but very rewarding on so many different levels. We met hundreds of lovely people all doing just what we are doing - following their dreams and making their business in France work. There were numerous estate agents selling French property and these were surprisingly very busy (what recession?) with lots of interest from well heeled visitors. The English still love France according to Owen Coke (A Place in Brittany) who was exhibiting at the show. This was reiterated by Frederick Bonneau (Manoir de la Vigniere) who was kept very busy dealing with a constant queue of enthusiastic visitors. It was also nice to see three other cooking schools (including Isabelle Mellinger - Spoontrip) exhibit their programmes. We were impressed by the number of people who expressed interest in our courses. Things are definitely busier than ever this year and we are already taking bookings for summer 2013! We had the pleasure of meeting the acclaimed musician, Frederick La Verde, who enthralled everyone with his performances playing his extraordinary mobile piano! We were also delighted to meet Rudolf Junginger of Art de Brique who has some wonderful architectural designs for your new home in France!

We were also introduced to French Radio London. This is London’s first terrestrial French language radio station, broadcasting 24/7 on DAB, on the Internet and on their iPhone App. Created to serve London’s 400,000 French residents, they not only air internationally renowned French titles, but believe that their mission is to discover new talent in French music and bring new French sounds to the UK.VIVE LA FRANCE!

French Dining School (London)


We also checked out our winter cooking school, French Dining School (London) located right in the heart of central London. Just a few minutes walk from Berkeley Square in Mayfair, this school will soon provide additional courses in French cuisine for all our cooking students from December to March each year.

Another enjoyable aspect of London life is car spotting and we simply could not resist falling in love with this little beauty!

Gastronomy of the Basques - Leche Frita

"Bar Asador"



One of the advantages of running a summer cooking school is the opportunity it allows to explore other gastronomic cultures and cuisines when the school is closed for the winter. This November we took off in the car heading south towards the Basque country. From Brittany that is only 8 hours drive or 776k. As usual we took the country roads as we were in no hurry and we enjoy exploring the route just as much as arriving at our destination!

This route took us through some exciting areas including the Loire, Bordeaux, Cognac, La Rochelle, Biarritz and Bayonne. There are lots of wonderful places to explore in all these areas and we could easily have spent a week in any one of them but it was November and we cruised south towards the sun along with our coffee flask and Poul's delicious home smoked ham sandwiches which were prepared earlier in the morning as part of our empty the fridge routine before leaving!

We arrived at St. Sebastian, or Donostia as the city is called by the locals, at 7pm and found no trouble checking into our hotel (Hotel Europa, 52 Calle De San Martin www.hotelhusaeuropa.com) where a charming receptionist called Helen was on hand to look after our every need. Our car was quickly parked up in the car park by the hotel staff and once our bags were safely deposited in our rooms, we were advised of the best places to go for a drink and a meal all within 5 minutes walk from our hotel!


We headed direct to the beach and within minutes found ourselves marveling at a beautiful bay with a grand promenade all lit up by exquisite old street lamps.
In northern cities it is rare to see people out simply walking in the evening! Fear of crime, cold, noise or just lack of walking space are all to blame. However in Donostia, it seemed everyone, babies, young couples,singles, groups, older couples , grandparents and great grandparents were all out walking and talking along the seaside and enjoying their evening stroll. The sound of the waves could be heard crashing in on the shore which added to the magical scene. It was hard to believe we were in a city of almost 200,000 people given the sheer splendor and size of the bay. It was not until daybreak however that the extraordinary beauty of the natural cove really became apparent.I was minded of Sydney Harbour.



In fact Donostia far surpasses Sydney with its natural beauty and historical and architectural heritage. Just climb up the old castle fortress which overlooks the city and bay to see without doubt one of the best views in the world! It's no surprise the Basques have always called this place their spiritual home! They were here well before the Spanish and Catalans came to Spain and well before the French came to France!They have no intention of leaving! The place is a bustling economic and cultural success with enormous civic pride. The city is clean and without graffiti which adorns the walls of most European cities. The success is apparent in the streets where ordinary citizens appear well heeled, the shops and restaurants are busy and most of all in the sophistication and confidence of its renowned gastronomic culture. Walk into any bar like "Bar Asador" as we did and see for yourself. Prepare to be very impressed.








The Basque word for tapas is pintxos and it is generally accepted that the Basques have the upper hand when it comes to Spanish culinary matters. The sheer variety of dishes is amazing and we spent most days and evenings trying out various mouth watering samples of delightful combinations ranging from simple open sandwiches of serrano hams, wild mushrooms, numerous pepper dishes, manchego cheeses, hot seafood and fish dishes prepared on request. We tried eels with red peppers, green peppers with anchovies and an unusual dish of fried milk called Leche Frita which is so delicious and unknown generally we just had to photograph it and research the recipe which is given below:



To make Leche Frita you will need for 4-6 people:

6 eggs
60 gr. cornstarch
60 gr. flour
120 gr. sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 / 2 l. milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
100 gr. icing sugar (powdered sugar)
1 knob of butter

Method:

Put milk in a saucepan to boil.In another saucepan, put the beaten eggs, sugar and vanilla. Then add the flour and cornstarch in saucepan second and stir until well blended. Then add the milk bring slowly to boil, stirring constantly, cook for five minutes. The cream should be very thick, if not, add more cornstarch, diluted in milk and added gradually until it reaches the proper thickness.

Pass the cream through a strainer to keep large lumps from forming.

Put a frying pan on heat with enough oil.

The portions are passed in flour and egg, are coated well on both sides and fry in the pan.

When browned, served in a source sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

For effect why not add a good liquor and serve as flambé.

Traditional Christmas Pudding

It's not a very well know fact that King George 1 of Great Britain and Ireland was known as "The Pudding King"! At precisely six o'clock on December 25th 1714, his first Christmas in England, he sat down to a pudding made with the following ingredients!

For 3 puddings

680g finely shredded suet
453g eggs weighed in their shells
453g each of dried plums, stoned and halved; mixed peel, cut in long strips; small raisins, sultanas, currants, sifted flour;sugar and brown crumbs
1 tsp mixed spice
Half nutmeg grated
2 tsp salt
0.28 litres new fresh milk
Juice of 1 lemon
Large glass of brandy

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients, moisten with eggs, beaten to a froth; add the milk, lemon juice and brandy Stand for at least 12 hours in a cool place. Turn into buttered moulds. Boil for 8 hours at first then for 2 hours before serving. I understand that King George enjoyed this pudding so much he insisted it was made for every Chriatmas and so became a culinary tradition at Sandringham!

Salmon & Scallops with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

This is a very simple dish to prepare and surprisingly good with the lime juice infusion on top of the roasted sliced potatoes.

Serves 2. Preparation time 25 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato (¾ lb), peeled and sliced
crosswise ½ inch thick
6 oz salmon fillet skinned
6 oz sea scallops
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice,
2/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 celery rib, thinly sliced crosswise
1 fresh chilli, finely chopped
½ cup fresh cream or crème fraiche
½ cup coarsely chopped coriander

Method

Place a baking sheet in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450°F. Arrange sweet potato slices in 1 layer on hot baking sheet and roast until tender and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Divide between 2 plates and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.
While potato roasts, cut salmon and scallops into ¾-inch pieces, toss with 1 Tbsp lime juice and ¼ tsp pepper. Cook onion in oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, about 3 minutes. Add celery and chilli and cook, stirring occasionally, until celery just begins to soften, about 2 minutes.

Add cream and bring just to the boil, then add seafood (with juice) and simmer until just cooked through and cream is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 Tbsp lime juice and ¼ tsp salt.

Place the salmon and scallops on top of the roasted potato slices. Sprinkle with coriander and serve immediately with a nice crisp glass of white wine.

Oysters, Scallops, Coet de Boeuf and Rugby

The world rugby final between France and New Zealand yesterday allowed us the unique opportunity to enjoy the game with our French friends, Fabrice , Nelly, Bruno and Philip. The exclusive and rather secret private members bar in Yffiniac was open early that day (well 10am on Sunday morning is rather early for me) and so we kicked off with a very enjoyable black coffee expresso just as the game commenced! Within minutes the All Blacks were in the lead. I assumed the French would be thrashed by New Zealand as everyone had been saying it was luck that had got them to the final (Wales should have been there instead)! I must confess to being very impressed with the way France managed to control and continually push the All Blacks right through to the end of the game. Yes the All Blacks won but it was a very close call and France came very near to running away with the tiny Webb Ellis trophy cup!

There was nothing small about the oysters we enjoyed at half time! In fact they were the largest oysters I have ever eaten! Fabrice had purchased them earlier that morning. They were Paimpol oysters from further up along the west Brittany coast. The oysters were served with bread and butter and a classic cool Muscadet wine. All absolutely delicious. What a civilised way to enjoy a game of rugby I thought!



The game may have ended but the gourmet meal was just beginning. A bbq (still possible in Brittany in October) was quickly set up as we enjoyed a tasty Jura whiskey. I learned a wonderful trick for getting the BBQ alight. No need to mess about with fire lighters or nasty chemicals. Just place some paper inside the charcoal, pour some sunflower oil over the paper and light with a match. Voila a bbq is quickly alight and hardly any smoke either. So simple I wondered why I had never thought of doing it myself!

We were called to the table where a nice bottle of Rully awaited us along with a dish which is very popular in Brittany. Coquilles St-Jacques à la nage.



I just love scallops but had never had Coquilles St-Jacques à la nage before! The scallops were served swimming in a delicious creamy soup the recipe of which is given below. It was marvellously impressive; the texture of the scallops were just right firm with a powerful bite combined with the mouth watering sea tangy taste of the soup.

The cote de boeuf was initially grilled first for a few minutes on all sides to seal in the juices and then placed upon the bbq where it sat until it was done.



We like our beef on the bleu side and it was set aside to rest for five minutes before being carved and brought to the table. The beef was served with a delicious golden potato gratin and a classic French mustard. A slight sprinkle of sea salt from Guerande was the only touch required to make this a perfect dish for a Sunday Roast Rugby World Cup Special!



Anyone who knows Fabrice will know he takes his wine very seriously. We were served a delicious Santenay 1er Cru 2000 with the Cote de boeuf followed by a rare bottle of Saint Sardos (Pech de Boisgrand) 1995 with the cheese board. We finished with a delicious light chocolate mouse accompanied with a home made apple crumble, light too with a lovely crisp edge and not too sweet.



Coffee with vintage armagnac completed our meal and with the sun still shining we decided it was time to take a stroll and walk off some of those calories - how nice to be beside the seaside and so off we went along the old railway line which is now appropriately called Promenade Harel de la Noë after the engineer who designed all the bridges along the route.



Recipe pour Coquilles St-Jacques à la nage:

2,5 kg de coquilles Saint-Jacques entières (soit 600 g sans les coquilles)
2 citrons
1 orange
1 branche d'estragon
bouquet garni
1 tête d'ail
300 g de blancs de poireau coupés en petits tronçons
250 g de carottes coupées en fines rondelles
1,5 litre d'eau
sel et poivre en grains
poivre de cayenne

Résumé :
Une part de cette recette apporte : 167 kcal, 25 g de protéines, 1 g de lipides, 13.5 g de glucides, 2.5 mg de fer.
Préparation
pour Coquilles St-Jacques à la nage

Ouvrir les coquilles, détachez la chair et lavez les noix à l'eau courante. Séparez les blancs et les coraux des barbes qui les entourent.


Préparez un bouillon de légumes :

Mettez les barbes dans une casserole avec 1 litre d'eau et le jus d'1 demi citron. Faites bouillir 10 min et filtrez le jus.

Remettez-le dans une casserole et ajoutez les morceaux de poireaux, de carottes, 2 à 3 rondelles de citron, 2 à 3 rondelles d'orange, les grains de poivre, le poivre de Cayenne, le sel, l'estragon, le bouquet garni et la tête d'ail entière. Laissez frémir à couvert pendant 25 min.

Faites pocher dans ce bouillon les noix de St-Jacques, 10 min avant de servir. Otez du bouillon la branche d'estragon, le bouquet garni et la tête d'ail. Servez les coquilles très chaudes, dans la nage avec les légumes.

Chasing Hares and Medieval Ovens

Brittany is full of little secrets just waiting to be explored. It is easy to drive through these tiny villages and miss the historical gems right there on your doorstep. I know the beautiful 8th century church (of St Gall) at Langast (my brother got married there and my dad played the organ). It is the third oldest church in France and well worth a visit. Go in the morning and enjoy a very reasonable priced lunch in the adjacent restaurant belonging to Yann (how can he do a three course lunch for 11 euros?!). Then continue your journey along the pleasant route of the D76 in the direction of Plouguenast (incidentially the first town in France to be lit by electricity!), you will pass the little village of Le Vieux Bourg. By all means enjoy the unusual and revamped 12th century church right in the centre of the village but don't forget to seek out the medieval stone oven just opposite.


If you are lucky like we were yesterday, you will see this oven in use and I can verify the bread is absolutely as real bread should be - with just the right texture, the taste, the smell is just wonderful. You can eat this bread alone nothing else is required! The flour is milled by millstone and is so different to the touch. To find the watermill which is still in use today, simply follow the route of the hares! You will need some knowledge of the local dialect, Gallo, which is still spoken around here to ascertain which road to take off the D76. So drive slowly as you leave Le Vieux Bourg and watch out for the signs to Goutte es Lievre literally meaning "hare sighting place" and follow the lovely road down to the river and the 13th century moulin which still has a working watermill.

What is more you can in this place at the right time actually take part in original communal bread making exercises! Yes large troughs of flour and water are kneaded into dough by numerous busy hands some tiny and some not so little but all relishing these ancient practices and singing the traditional songs which go along so well with such life enforcing embraces.

So thank you Jean Paul and Theo for some lovely loaves and a wonderful insight into bread making in ancient Brittany. If you would like to get involved in making your own bread in the traditional manner you can find more info from Jean Paul on Tel 0671619655 or email amindupain@wanadoo.fr

Beef Wellington

One of the last cooking classes this year saw us cook a Beef Wellington dish otherwise known here in France as Boeuf en Croute. It is rare to see this 1960's dish served in restaurants today which is surprising given how delicious it is. It was a nice main dish to complete a full week of cooking and all our students thoroughly enjoyed themselves in the process. People assume Beef Wellington is an English dish but apparently it has more to do with New Zealand than the UK having been developed there in 1966!






Here is the recipe:

1 Kg of beef tenderloin
1/2 Kg of puff pastry
1/2 Kg of mushrooms
Mustard- in France Dijon in Uk English Mustard
12 slices of Prosciutto
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
2 Eggs
Method

Your beef tenderloin should be of the same thickness as your dish; season it with salt and pepper and seal it on a hot pan in olive oil. Brush it with mustard and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Blend the mushroom in a food processor and then season and fry on a hot pan to remove water content.
Take cling film and open out on table. Line the base of the cling film with slices of parma ham and add the
mushrooms on top. Add the beef in the middle and roll all up and place in fridge for 20 minutes.
Prepare the puff pastry by rolling it out on floured surface and brush with two eggs whisked previously.
Take your beef from the fridge and remove cling film. Place beef on top of puff pastry and roll up and seal it
with the egg mix. Brush again with remaining egg and bake in oven at 220 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with port wine sauce and seasonal vegetables.

Wine
Serve with a nice full bodied red wine.