Photo du Jour - Scallops and Sardines

Scallops in le Marché Couvert in Cognac were only €7,90 a kilo. Down here in the Languedoc they cost more than twice that.
And check out those enormous silver sardines! (on the right)

Giant Microbes Invade the Earth!

Today has been a bit, well...strange.

I really needed something to make me laugh. Lo and behold, my friend Donna (whose baby is due today - c'mon kid, we're waiting for you!) must have read my thoughts and sent me a link to this site.

Giant Microbes





sleeping sickness on its own and three in a "Petri dish"




yeast on its own and in a "Petri dish"

I absolutely love these! These are just 2 of the 30 plus plush germs, cells, diseases and microbes they've created. People amaze me with their imagination and sense of humor.


Donna, thank you for making me smile.

White morning in Paris today!

Cold, clod, clod winter in Paris this year. I have been doing some hearty warm dishes I will share one later today, I'm off for a while but wanted to share this short video with you all.

Hitting the Road

the destination - Rodez
the reason - Betty

I'm off to the Aveyron!
I'll be crossing that really big bridge and driving though Roquefort, Laguiole, Cabécou and Bleu des Causses country.



A reminder: Only a few days until La Fête du Fromage World Cheese Tasting Event!
Please have your entries to me by November 13. The entire round-up will be posted on November 15.

• 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

Waking up in Santa Monica

It is a classic to complain about the long flight between Paris and LAX (13 hours when non-stop). This time I was flying via Cincinnati and when we landed there there was a T storm that delayed our flight of one hour - one long hour it seemed! We left Paris a Noon, local time, and arrived in LAX ... 16 hours later. The time difference between Paris (GMT +2) and California (Pacific time) is 9 hours ...
But arriving in LAX is always so cool - and I mean it! The air is fresh, the sky is blue (yes!), and the atmosphere casual. 75 F, my ideal temperature!
Jet lagged to my bones, I woke up early this morning, right before sunrise and had the pleasure of discovering the gorgeous view from the living room. We're borrowing a friend's flat and the view is fantastic!

From my bedroom, I can see the usual tall tall palm trees that are so much a landmark here.

I have already ordered a digital camera, so I will be taking better pictures soon; though I feel my Nokia cell phone has done quite an acceptable job!More to come soon!

Photo du Jour - Clementines

Extra-sucrée - extra sweet clementines.
A sure sign that winter is on its way.

Le Verger at Chambellain in the Loire Valley

I seldom write about my professional activity, A World in a Pan in this blog . But I feel I have to share this experience with you all! One of the tours I offer is a 2 1/2 day/2 night gastronimic tour at Le Verger , luxury Bed & Breakfast near Angers, in the Loire Valley. As you see, we did everything with class! As owner Anthony Murphy says in his website, "Le Verger is a stone manoir built at the turn of the centuryset in a magnificent eight acre secluded private park surrounded by mature trees and lush landscaped grounds just at the entrance of the charming old village of Chambellay".
We hosted a fun food loving international group of nine participants, eager to explore Angevin cuisine. Some highlights: Our welcome drink was a Soupe Angevine ... and as the picture shows .. it's not so much about soup ... This cocktail is made with Cointreau, which is produced near Angers, and Cremant de Loire, a local dry sparkling wine. The menu included "galipettes", giant stuffed mushrooms that we prepared together.
I captured here part of the smiling group in the state-of-the-art spacious kitchen Anthony (in the middle) designed. I recently shared with you my recipe of French Toasts and I am sure Anthony won't mind me sharing his recipe of Pain perdu with you:
Ingredients for 8 servings
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 Tbsp of maple syrup (or honey)
a loaf of country style-bread that you let dry one or two days before using
5 free range eggs
1 1/2 cup of light cream (creme fleurette)
1 tsp of vanilla, 1 tsp of Cointreau, a pinch of salt.
Steps:
Melt the butter with the brown sugar and maple syrup in a heavy pan over low heat. Stirr constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Pour into a rectangular baking dish (13 x 9). Cut six 1-inch thick slices of bread and trim the crusts. Squeeze gently the bread slices in one single layer. In a separate bowl beat together the eggs, cream, vanilla, Cointreau, and salt until smooth. Pour over the bread. Cover with a film and keep in the fridge at least 8 hours. Remove the pan from the fridge. Preheat the oven at 350F. When the oven is hot, bake uncovered until pale golden, about 40 minutes. Serve immediately with confectioners sugar.
More adventures in my next post and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MAMANS! (thank you Joyful for reminding me)