An Indonesian Feast in the South of France

 I can't believe that more than a month has flown by since our last World Food Evening. This is a post that I've been meaning to write for about five weeks now.
Oh well...it's summer. Blame my tardiness on lazy, hot days and lots of rosé.
In late June we took a little culinary journey to Indonesia. Everyone agreed that it was one of the best nights so far. All of the food was fabulous!

We sat outside on our friend's roof terrace and savored a beautiful summer's evening.
Sadly, it was our last evening at their house as they've sold up and are moving soon. We decided a Champagne toast was appropriate (and really, isn't Champagne always appropriate?) to celebrate their new adventures.
The first course was a cold dish of steamed vegetables with a peanut sauce dressing called Gado-Gado. The flavors were cool, fresh, a bit spicy and absolutely wonderful.
fresh and peanuty Gado-Gado
The hot dishes were Chicken Rendang and Bami Goreng served with steamed white rice.
When I first heard about the Chicken Rendang I was worried. I'm not a huge fan of dried coconut and it appeared that this dish had an ultra coconutty sauce. Luckily, the spices and chiles and coconut milk totally balanced the out the flavor, so I was barely aware of the shredded, dried coconut. It was delicious!
Is it weird that I love coconut milk but hate dried coconut? Yeah, probably...

The Bami Goreng was sublime. The perfect combination of noodles, diced ham and shrimp with spicy and sweet flavors.
Here's the recipe.

coconutty Chicken Rendang and Bami Goreng

Dessert was not along the theme of the evening, however.
We had three birthdays to celebrate so we decided to have a traditional birthday cake. My contribution to the evening was a dark chocolate layer cake with dark chocolate frosting, complete with birthday candles.

Plans for the next evening are in the works. We'll be cooking the cuisine of Cuba sometime in August. Mojitos will be mandatory.

Some of our previous World Food Evenings:
Manhattan Cocktail Party
South African
Turkish
American BBQ
Spanish
Brazilian
Mexican
Italian
Southeast Asian
An Evening at the Races

Photo du Jour - Cobblestones

Cobblestones sprinkled with a few drops of rain.

Photo du Jour - Vintage

One of my favorite vintage French signs.

Happy Birthday Mother!

Feliz cumpleanos Mama!

Photo du Jour - A Very Good Year

With the plentiful sunshine and long, hot days we've been having, it looks as though the grapes are coming along nicely.

Photos du Jour - Almost...

Basking in the sun and loving the warm air. Clearing out the cobwebs and the clutter. Throwing open the windows and letting the house breathe. Waiting for asparagus and strawberries to arrive in the markets.

It is almost spring.

Photo du Jour - Ail Rose de Lautrec

Fragrant, pungent and juicy Ail Rose de Lautrec.

Simple breakfast

Cold morning today in Paris. Got up at 7, had a big glass of half fresh water, half orange juice, got a shawl and a long overcoat and walked Tao, my daughter's bichon, for 15 minutes. Air was so brisk that I told him "Let's go back to the warmth of our home, Tao!". He agreed!

Back home, I used my French press to make fresh coffee. I'll have to buy coffee next week. My dear Brazilian Santos coffee that I bought in Brazil last year is almost finished.

I took yesterday's baguette and cut a 5 inch piece, and then cut the piece in three thin slices that I toasted.

I looked for some jam in the fridge, and saw I had to open a new jar from my collection of home made jams. I took one at random. It was strawberry! Delicious smell! Wonderful taste!

By then, the day was breaking.

Photo du Jour - Cassis

Cassis is one of those wonderful, old French port villages. It is an enchanting little place that oozes with Mediterranean charm.
After several visits over the last 15 years, I find it as alluring as ever.

Photo du Jour

Fred the cat lives in New Orleans. He's rather, well...um, round.
And he likes to sit up like this, which I find very endearing.

Yes, he has a slight thyroid problem. Yes, he is on medication for it.

Photo du Jour - Please, Oh Please....

Wishing and hoping that the pizza will fall.

December

Why does December always seem to spiral out of control?

It starts quietly enough. An event jotted down in the calendar here, a doctor's appointment there.
Then another invitation arrives. A lunch is planned. Another appointment is made. Friends are invited around for drinks and nibbles. The sous-préfecture decides that they need to see you in person for the first time in 5½ years, an outing that will take up at least half a day. Another Sunday lunch with friends means another day disappears. You realize that the grey in your hair needs immediate attention so you book an appointment at the salon and Oh My God, only 16 days until Christmas Eve and almost every day has something planned and you haven't even started working on your Christmas cards or decorating and both of your niece's birthdays are coming up so cards and gifts must be purchased and mailed and your wedding anniversary is looming and lunch reservations must be made and you've promised your husband potato latkes for the first night of Hanukkah and there's that Christmas concert to attend and you've promised your friends a ride to and from the airport and you've agreed to dog sit over the holidays and Christmas dinner needs to be planned and shopped for...

Every year, the same thing. It's amazing how it happens. And I don't even have a job or kids to work around.

December. Is. Out. Of. Control.

Does everyone else feel this way?

Photo du Jour - Moulin

An old, stone windmill base sitting in a vineyard. They are scattered all over the Minervois.

Photo du Jour

An early coquelicot. By May 1 there will be entire fields in bloom.

La Fête du Fromage - Five Cheeses to Try in France

Last week I wrote about five fabulous French cheeses that can be found in cheese shops or online in the States. I hope it helped to inspire some of you to try something new!

Unfortunately, many French cheeses aren't available overseas as they are either unpasteurized (and that is viewed as dangerous for some reason) or simply aren't exported by their producers. So in honor of this week's La Fête du Fromage I have put together a short list of luscious French cheeses to taste the next time you come to France.
I just know that these will entice you to get those plane tickets purchased!

When you arrive in France and find yourself in front of a large display of all sorts of strange looking, wonderfully smelly cheese at the Fromagerie, you can be confident that you are familiar with at least a few of the names and impress the person behind the counter when you ask for these five.
Believe me, you won't be disappointed.


1) Brugère - pronounced brew-jhere
A wonderful silky, slightly chalky textured fromage de chèvre that is a delight!



2) Tome Basque
A refined, sophisticated cheese with buttery and hazelnut flavors. It is super smooth and melts in your mouth. I love this one!



3) Camembert Brebis Fermier
A very special ewe's milk cheese from the Languedoc-Roussillon, made in the style of Camembert.



4) Cendré de Champagne
A luscious, creamy cheese with a slight smoky flavor from its ash covered rind. Truly sublime!



5) Chèvre Frais
In four stages of affinage. If you have the chance, try them all to find your favorite. Be sure to have some honey or fig jam to serve alongside.

In the warmth of a 14C home

After this beautiful "mulet" fished in the waters of the Atlantic by Jean-Maurice, near Ile d'Yeu, and cooked to perfection in the oven by Marie, Jean-Maurice opened his birthday present. Then we relaxed by the fireplace in the living room of this fantastic old presbyter. Watch the fireplace and ... relax.

Getting ready for my birthday

Sunny day in Paris today. Many will say "at last", because we have had quite a bad spell of rain these past days.

I am getting ready to celebrate my birthday, and want to share with you the appetizer: A Duck Terrine. I started preparing it yesterday, marinating all the meats with Port Wine, Noilly Prat Vermouth, Armagnac, thyme, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and garlic. Then I cooked it 1 1/2 hours in a "bain marie" (double boil), pressed it with my husbands box of screws (heavy), and now I am going to put it in the fridge till tomorrow.

Come here for more!

La Fête du Fromage - April Round Up

Presenting April's La Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event. I am very pleased to see some new faces along with some old friends here this month.


Attack of the Killer Zucchini (don't you just love that name!) contributor Sarah tasted Picolo, a triple-cream cow's milk cheese from the Andante dairy. It looks wonderfully rich and creamy, and how can you go wrong with a triple-cream cheese?

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Danielle of Savor Culture took some time away from settling into her new home and playing with her darling new puppy to taste Gabriel, a cow and goat milk cheese produced on Bittersweet Plantation in Gonzales, Louisiana. Next time I'm in New Orleans I plan on giving this one a try!

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A batch of garlic-infused Fromage Fort was whipped up by Becke, the Columbus Foodie. This recipe is perfect for all those uneaten corners and bits of cheese sitting in your refrigerator. Just blitz them up in your food processor with some white wine, garlic, salt and pepper, and you've got yourself a delicious cheese spread that is perfect for eating with crackers or slathering on a baguette. Yum!

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My contribution to La Fête is something new; Tomme d'Estaing. This is another one of the Aveyron cheeses that Betty brought for me to try last weekend. It is a soft and buttery unpasteurized cow's milk cheese produced near the picturesque village of Estaing. The rich mushroom and nutty flavors paired perfectly with our local, Minervois red wine. If you ever find yourself in the Aveyron, this cheese is a real treat!

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Thanks for participating everyone! Hope to see you again next month for some more cheese tasting festivities.


If you would like to join in the 8th Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event in May, please have your entries to me by May 13. I'll post the round-up on May 15.

Tell us why you chose this particular cheese. Tell us how it tasted. Tell us about its texture and aroma. Did you eat it on its own? Or with something? Did you drink anything special with your cheese? Would you recommend it or not? Is there something unusual or interesting about it?

• Photos are wonderful, but not necessary
• Entries must contain the words La Fête du Fromage and contain a link to Chez Loulou
• Posts should be written specifically for La Fête du Fromage and not entered in any other food blog event
• Please send the link to your post to louloufrance (at) gmail (dot) com with the words Fête du Fromage in the subject line

Photo du Jour

Hanging Garden

Maurice and Co.

Happy to report that all is well in snail land. Maurice and Co. are contentedly munching away on a combination of fennel fronds, thyme and parsley - with no idea of what fate has in store for them.

Artichokes: how to prepare them.

I cleaned the artichokes, removed a few bottom leaves, cut the end of the leaves with scissors, boiled them in a pressure cooker (17 minutes).

I like them warm but you can eat them cold as well. I put them on a plate (first picture on the left).

A plain artichoke on a dish is beautiful. You need not add anything (like a silly parsley leave!). One way of having them, is with a simple vinaigrette: 3 parts of olive oil,one part of wine vinegar, salt, pepper. You remove the leaves one by one, dampen them in the sauce,and eat them.

Once you remove the leaves, you get to the "heart"of the artichoke. It has a sort of velvet. You have to remove it as it is not edible. The heart is tender and tasty. You can eat it with a vinaigrette as well.

I prepare them with White Truffle Olive Oil, and you can see the recipe in my website (list of recipes, home page bottom right). It's simply delicious!

Bon Appetit!

Chinese New Year!

Xin Nian Kuai Le! The end of the year of the tiger saw me landing in Beijing. It was just a couple of months before the Chinese New year which had been a good one for my family, for sure, we had been posted in China. The winter of 1986-87 was very very cold and in the frozen whitness of Beijing I discovered the warmth and joy of this celebration.
It seems so far .. it's again the year of the Tiger ... that was ... 24 years ago .. oh, my!
So, to all my Asian friends: Happy New Year of the Tiger!

Since then, almost every year, we have a Chinese banquit together with friends who, like us, lived in Asia. Today February 13 I am having a special meal at my place and I thank Anncoo for the two recipes she sent me: A stir and pork chops in orange sauce. Visit her blog for more! I went to Chinatown which was crowded and full of smelss and found small red tigers. I bought eight and placed one per guest.

I also bought fake paper money, attached it with a red ribbon (I didn't have red envelopes) and placed it in a basket to have it ready to give every guest when they leave. This will spell a prosperous year for all!
As usual, my two little friends smile and wish us well!

Feb 14. My menu:
4 cold dishes

Pork by Anncoo
Stir by Anncoo
Chicken curry (Chinese curry)
Beef with onions

Spicy Prawns
Lacquered pork
Lacquered duck
Steamed Scallops

Steamed rice

Soup

Mangoes, oranges, and Lychies

We offered QingDao Beer, fruit juices, Mao Tai for the campei's, and ... white Rully Burgandy wine.

How fun!

La Reine-Claude - Recipes for Crumble and Sorbet

Simplicity is the keyword of summer.  Especially when it comes to dessert.

I have a hard time enjoying a rich chocolate mousse or any heavy, cream based desserts during the summertime.  There are so many varieties of fruit available right now, so that's where I focus my attention. 
And for the moment the super sweet, diaphanous green prune reine-claude is at the top of my list.

Reine-Claude Plum Crumble

• 2.2 pounds (1 kilo) reine-claude plums
• 3-4 tablespoons sugar (or vanilla sugar)

topping:

• 1 cup flour
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) butter, cut into cubes
• 4 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 4 tablespoons ground almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Rinse the plums, cut in half and remove the pits.  Mix the fruit with the sugar and place in a deep baking dish.
3. Process the flour and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then add the sugar and ground almonds.
4. Sprinkle on top of the fruit and bake till the fruit is bubbling and the crumble topping is golden, about 40-45 minutes.
5. Serve warm or cold, however you like.  Vanilla ice cream is optional, but recommended.

If you're not in the mood to turn on the oven and want something sweet and refreshing for dessert, then try this sorbet.

Reine-Claude Sorbet
from Recettes de Cuisine and translated into English
serves 4

• 2.2 pounds (1 kilo) ripe reine-claude plums
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon plum brandy (optional)

1. Dissolve the sugar in the water in a pan over medium heat and cool.
2. Wash and pit the plums and finely purée them in a food processor.
3. Add the lemon juice and sugar syrup to the fruit purée, mix together and chill until cold.
4. Mix in the optional plum brandy, transfer the purée to your ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions.
5. Scoop into a covered container, freeze until firm, about 2 hours. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen).

You might also like these recipes:
Green Gage Summer - my famous 20 minute company tarte
Green Gage Plum and Pistachio Crumble
It's All About the Jam - Again!

Dear New Orleans

I'll be seeing you tomorrow...






...looking forward to another fun and festive Carnival season!

I know it is extra special this year, with the Saints in the Superbowl and all. Can't wait to celebrate with you.

Love,
Loulou