Cocktail’s at Kerrouet House

As the CEOC  ( Chef Excellent Opérateur de Cocktails) at Kerrouet House, I am responsible for arranging drinks and cocktails for all thirsty hard working students on our cooking courses. 

Some drinks are obvious such as champagne when we have oysters or the pairing of wines when we have our starters, mains and desserts all of which are overseen by Poul as sommelier as well as Chef. 

Some of the cocktails we offer have been invented at Kerrouet House like the Kerrouet Royal ( sparkling wine cognac and cointreau). Another cocktail invented at Kerrouet House is Pink Deniall. This is a combination of grapefruit cordial and rosé.

Oysters and champagne 

Pink Champagne anyone?




Queen Mum’s Gin & Vermouth Martini! 



Bollinger of course! 





G&T’s Kerrouet style! 



Bouchinot - a local liquor made from apples and honey - served with white wine. 







Lillet - a French martini mixed with tonic! 




Bouvet - a red sparkling wine from Saumur a small vineyard in the Loire. 



Wine maker’s drink! Red wine and cassis! 

Negroni with aperitifs

Ker Royal - a sparkling wine with black currant liqueur 

Life is too short to drink bad wines!! 

Making Kimchi

Most people have heard of Kimchi and how healthy and delicious it is. So here is a very basic recipe: 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized cabbage

• 1/4 cup sea salt

• 4 cups water

• 1 tablespoon grated ginger

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru) and 1 chili julienned

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 2 green onions, chopped

• 1 small carrot, julienned

Instructions:

1. Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters. Remove the core and chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces.

2. Dissolve the sea salt in the water to create a brine. Submerge the cabbage pieces in the brine, making sure they are fully covered. Let them soak for about 2 hours, occasionally turning them over.

3. Rinse the cabbage thoroughly under cold water to remove excess salt. Drain well.

4. In a mixing bowl, combine the grated ginger, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, sugar, chopped green onions, and julienned carrot. Mix well to create a paste.

5. Gently squeeze out any remaining water from the cabbage, then add the cabbage to the paste mixture. Wear gloves and massage the paste into the cabbage, ensuring each piece is coated.

6. Transfer the kimchi to a clean, airtight jar or container. Press it down firmly to remove any air bubbles and to help the fermentation process.

7. Leave the jar at room temperature for 1 to 2 days to begin fermentation. Afterward, store it in the refrigerator.

8. The kimchi will continue to ferment over time, developing more flavor. It’s typically ready to eat after about a week, but you can taste it along the way and decide when it’s to your liking.

I recommend a book on Kimchi with lots of recipes ´ Of Cabbages & Kimchi ´ by James Read. 

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.