Xin Nian Kuai Le!!!

Xin Nian Kuai Le or Happy New Year!!!
As every year, I have organized a Chinese banquit at home for some of the friends whom we met in China or who have lived in Asia ...
I went to Chinatown to buy the necessary ingredients, including one little rabbit for each guest, since this is the Year of the Rabbit.

I felt SO nostalgic of our years in China ... the dragons were dancing in the streets to the sound of the traditional drums and plates ...

Then came the fireworks .. and it was just like in Beijing back in 1987, when we celebrated another Year of the Rabbit the first year we were there ... There was so much joy, noise, color!
Back home I set the table with all the bits and pieces I have from Asia ... and put inside each glass a golden rabbit, hoping they will rbing good luck throughout the year to our guests!

The table looked lovely, I think! And as you may see, there are so many Chinese antiques on my dinning room!

Menu

Cold cuts with 1000 years old eggs as presented in Beijing
Sauteed jiao si
Spicy Shrimps
Braised Chinese cabbage and other vegetables
Sweet and Sour pork
Beef with onions (brought to the table in a hot plate)
Sauteed chicken
Duck with vegetables
Beijing soup
Fried nooddles
All served with a choice of Alsace Riesling wine, QingTao beer, Mao Tai, and tea

Le Timbre, a Parisian restaurant

My good friend Daniele knows many restuarants, book shops, and hidden places in the 6th district where she lived as a student. She invited me Chez Marcel and not long ago, and recently treated me to le Timbre an intimate restuarant (12 tables) at 3 rue Sainte Beuve, very close to Luxembourg Gardens. The traditional cuisine carte is written on a blackboard and placed outside de restaurant; here you can have an excellent three course meal for 32 Euros (appetizer, 8 Euros, main course 17 Euros, dessert 7 Euros). All the dishes are prepared by Christopher, the owner, in the rather small kitchen. Following Daniele's advice, I chose an Hure de Joues de Porc as an appetizer; it was served warm with a light capres sauce. This choice would not have been the one I'd had done alone! I'd said ... mmm... pork cheek .. not for me. However, I must say it was really delicious! The main course was boudin our blood sausage, served over three Spanish style red peppers (pimiento piquillo), duly peeled, roasted, and stuffed with home made mashed potatoes. Dessert, which had to be light after such a meal, was a delicious abricot and peach compote with a home made crumble on top, served on a verrine. I have made this dessert many times since and have had great success!Coffee was served with a home made biscuit.

For reservations, call 01 45 49 10 40.

A quick fix for a Sunday

Short of ideas? That's how I felt Sunday ... I had been too lazy to go to the open market and I was stuck with an almost empty fridge!
I opened the fridge and saw what I had: I id have dry tomatoes in olive oil, goat cheese, and the usual onions (this time they were red), thyme, flour, butter, and the rest ...

I prepared a pie pastry with the butter and flour (2 cups of flour, salt, 1 stick of butter, 1 Tbsp of water). I made a circle.

I heated the oven at 375F.
I cut five red onions in slices and "melted" them (without browing) in a pan, previously heated with 3 Tbsp of olive oil.

When done, I spread the onions on the pie crust, added the dry tomatoes that I had chopped.

Then I took the goat cheese (a cylinder) and cut it in slices that I distributed evenly on top of the onions.

Thyme, sea salt, olive oil, and 2o minutes in the oven. Miam!

We had it with a salad and a rose wine from Bandol ... and pretended we were still in Provence!

Photo du Jour - le Presbytère

The old Presbytère in our village, now rented by a musician.

Photo du Jour - Dormant Vine

A walk through the snowy vineyards yesterday.
The vines have been pruned and are sleeping. Wrapped up tight against the cold.

Photo du Jour - Over the Canal du Midi

Blue skies and hot, sunny days. Summer in the Languedoc is here with a vengeance!

Too hot to turn on the oven except for the early morning. Summer recipes are keeping us cool.

melon and serrano ham
panzanella
cold tomato soup with basil
pasta with cherry tomato, garlic, arugula and feta cheese
fresh peach tart
cherry frozen yogurt

A glass or two of icy cold rosé doesn't hurt either.

Photo du Jour - Church Bells

The church bells ring 24 hours a day, twice on the hour and once on the half hour.
They can be heard from miles away and are one of the only sounds of civilization that I hear when out walking in the vineyards.