Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

The above picture was taken in our kitchen last night. It was an evening of dining by candlelight with a wood fire crackling. It wasn’t an intentional romantic meal, but a necessity because of a power outage from rain and a windstorm. David made braised rabbit, an old recipe from Marcella Hazan that he has made before. The meal put us in mind of the food of France, though it’s an Italian recipe. Europeans often enjoy meats that are less common in the U.S. While in France, we tried Lapin (rabbit), Snails, Pig Snout, and Beef Cheeks—though I should mention, one of us ate the Pig Snout and it wasn’t me! It’s always interesting to explore such unique cuisines, and it reminds me of our recent experience with a celebrity master chef from a restaurant in Phu Quoc. His culinary creations brought a similar sense of discovery and bold flavors to the table.

While onboard our Viking Ship that sailed from Avignon to Lyon on the Rhone River, we dined very well.  Here is a sample menu:

Escargots a la Bourguignone: baked escargots with shallots, garlic, parsley and butter, pictured above.
Kir Royal: cassis sorbet with sparkling wine
Beef Tenderloin with four warm spices, Vitelotte potatoes mousseline, oyster mushrooms
Tarte Croustillante au Chocolat Noir de Valrhona: Crisp dark Valrhona chocolate tart with mango salad

The beautiful dishes went on for a week and we enjoyed every one of them. My compliments to our chef Daniel for outstanding service.

Sorry for the blurry picture.  The staff was very open to satisfying our every need.  Chef Daniel was kind enough to make a special escargot dish for me to photograph.

We arrived in Paris on Oct. 4th, my birthday.  We chose to eat at a small restaurant across the Seine from Notre Dame Cathedral called Le Petit Châtelet.  Steaks were cooked over an open fire by our friendly hostess.

If you get a chance to visit, try to get a table in either of the second floor windows with a beautiful view of Notre Dame.

Another evening, we discovered a small 16 seat bistro called Le Coup de Torchon.  It was very close to our apartment in the Latin Quarter.  I learned something on this trip.  After walking all day, it is smart to have good dinner options close to where you are staying.  We no longer have the stamina for evening jaunts and navigating the Metro system.  Le Coup de Torchon was a quiet oasis in the busy Latin Quarter.  Coup de Torchon translates loosely to ” Clean Slate”.  I have to admit that I was curious about the one quiet, but helpful, waiter and the one chef in the kitchen.  By the way, I just checked out the restaurant on Trip Advisor.  Someone snapped our picture while we there and posted it along with his dinner pictures.  Check it out.

The Veal Stew was delicious and the prices were very reasonable.  We actually ate there twice and ended our second visit with a hug and handshake to our sweet waiter.

No trip to Paris would be complete without a visit to Cafe Varenne, one of Ina Garten’s favorite hangouts in the St. Germain des Pres region.  We met a couple from our cruise ship there.  They also followed up the cruise with time in Paris. Jen and Renon were so much fun to be with and we are hoping that they will come to visit us in Lake Lure from their home in Houston.

Slow roasted lamb shank is one of the entrees on the menu.  Also we saw several people sharing Cafe Varenne’s famous 7-hour leg of lamb.  It is presented whole and then sliced into serving pieces in the kitchen.

I will end this with David’s dish of Pig Snout.  He said it was good.  But I prefer to leave you with the rabbit recipe.

RABBIT WITH ROSEMARY AND WHITE WINE (Marcella Hazan)

3 to 3 1/2 pound rabbit, cut into 8 pieces
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup celery diced fine
1 garlic clove, peeled
2/3 cup dry white wine
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Salt and Pepper
1 bouillon cube and 2 tablespoons tomato paste (or mustard) dissolved in 1/3 cup warm water

Soak the rabbit in abundant cold water overnight, in an unheated room in cold weather or in the refrigerator.  Rinse in several changes of cold water, then pat thoroughly dry with cloth or paper towels.

Choose a sauté pan that can contain all the rabbit pieces without overlapping.  Put in the oil, celery, garlic, and the rabbit, cover tightly, and turn the heat on to low.  Turn the meat occasionally, but do not leave it uncovered.

You will find that at the end of 2 hours, the rabbit has shed a considerable amount of liquid.  Uncover the pan, turn the heat up to medium, and cook until all the liquid has simmered away, turning the rabbit from time to time.  Add the wine, rosemary, salt, and pepper.  Allow the wine to simmer briskly until it has evaporated, then pour the dissolved bouillon cube and tomato paste or mustard mixture over the meat.  Cook at a steady, gentle simmer for another 15 minutes, or more, until the juices in the pan have formed a dense little sauce, turning the rabbit pieces over from time to time.  Transfer the entire contents of the pan to a warm platter and serve promptly.

Printable Recipe

There is no better way to start a blog post on Paris than with French bread.  Baguettes are available in every Boulangerie in France and it seems that every other person that you see on the street has one tucked under his/her arm.  This was my attempt at duplicating it a while back.  You can find the recipe here.  We are back from our two week trip to France and are slowly easing back into our normal time zone.

On a drizzly day in Paris, we walked from our apartment near Notre Dame Cathedral in the 5th Arrondissement to the Place Vendome in the 1st Arrondissement.  We were with our French friends Laurent and Carole.  Place Vendome is home to the Paris Ritz Carlton where Lady Diana was staying before her unfortunate accident.  The Ritz is temporarily closed for renovations.  All of the high end jewelry stores are also on the square.

We also visited the Palais Royal.  The inner courtyard was transformed in 1986 by a controversial art installation known as Les Colonnes De Buren.  The artist, Daniel Buren, envisioned a conceptual grid of varying heights of black and white striped columns.  Many thought that the whimsical columns clashed with the classical architecture surrounding them.  But today it appears that people are enjoying the whimsy.  There was even a bride and groom posing for their photographer on two of the taller columns.

Our French friend Carole also posed.  I couldn’t enhance the previous picture because it was on another camera, but this was from Instagram on my iPhone.  Love the options for enhancement on Instagram. Love Carole’s French elan.

On a sunnier Fall day we spent some time in the Luxembourg Gardens.  The Luxembourg Palace was commissioned by Marie de’ Medici, the widow of  Henry IV.  She designed the gardens to conform to designs from her native Florence.

David got up early one morning and walked the several blocks to Notre Dame with the intention of climbing to the top of Notre Dame Cathedral to commune with the gargoyles.  I am pleased to report that he made it to the top.

The 400 steps winding upward were a challenge but he was proud that he made it.  Not bad for a 70 something guy.  The views of Paris were awesome.

We enjoyed visiting the iconic Shakespeare and Company.  This bookstore has been around for decades and was a hang out for some of our most illustrious American authors.  Browsing the books was enjoyable and we also appreciated the staff who Googled information for us.  It is such a friendly place.

After leaving Shakespeare and Co. we crossed the bridge to the island of Ile de Cite to walk through the Flower and Bird Market.  It is always a tranquil place in the busy city.

We ended a day with a river cruise on the Seine.  J’aime Paris.  There will be more about restaurants in my next post.

We leave for France on Tuesday.  It has been a long time in the planning.  In honor of our upcoming trip, I made Mimi Thorisson’s Pain D’Epices.  It is a humble spice bread that is good in so many ways.  Serve it warm smeared with butter, top it with hummus for an appetizer, or spoon on your favorite jam. It can be anything that you want it to be. It is both sweet and savory. The following are some of the places that I am considering visiting in Paris.

We will be staying in the Latin Quarter on this trip.  We previously stayed in the 7th Arrondissement near the Eiffel tower. I am very familiar with that area of Paris.  The Latin Quarter is in the 5th Arrondissement on the Left Bank.  There are so many historical points of interest there. Our apartment is a block from the Sorbonne, the famous Paris University specializing in the arts, humanities, and languages.  But it is also close to Shakespeare and Company. The original bookstore was opened in 1919 and was a refuge for many early American writers like Hemingway and Ezra Pound. The current location is close to The Notre Dame Cathedral.  Le Petit Châtelet is next door to Shakespeare and Company.  Even though it is in a touristy area, the restaurant is authentic and charming with a delightful view of the cathedral.

Le Caveau du Palais is in a quiet pocket on Ile de Cite.  The restaurant is what the French call charme fou, utterly and incredibly charming.  It is on Place Dauphine, a tranquil triangular park. Outside seating is a pleasant option while watching elderly men playing Pétanque in the adjacent park.

It would be a pleasant place for lunch.

With Gingham curtains at the windows and the smell of wood smoke in the interior, Robert et Louise has been a Marais destination for generations.  Specializing in steaks cooked over a wood fire, it would be a good choice on a cool evening for French comfort food.

But for our special night out, we have chosen Chez la Vieille.  “La Vielle” literally means old woman.  The restaurant was started by French cook Adrienne Biasin who had a strong French temperament.  When it closed in 2012, Chicago born chef Daniel Rose (of the popular Paris “Spring” restaurant) decided to re-open it.  It has been redesigned but retains many of the old school dishes like blanquette de veau.

I will try to post to the blog while we are traveling.  But I will definitely be posting pictures to my Instagram account.  Hope you follow me there.  Au Revoir.

PAIN D’EPICES (Mimi Thorisson)

5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup almonds finely chopped
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup lavender honey
1 large egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan with butter

In a large bowl, combine the flours, almonds, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.  Add the honey, melted butter, and egg yolk and mix well.

Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Unmold and let cool at least slightly before serving.  This is good at room temperature.

Printable Recipe

 

We are looking forward to our trip to France at the end of the month.  Planning a wardrobe that I can take in a carry-on bag has been a challenge.  Since we have to change planes in Spain before flying to Marseille, I decided that I did not want to risk lost luggage.  Besides, I like the idea of simplicity.  I will be taking 2 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of black slacks to go with the above tops. On the plane I will wear a light jacket with my comfortable travel clothes.  We will be in France for two weeks. On the first week, we will be on a Viking Cruise.

The cruise will be on the Rhone River traveling from Avignon to Lyon.  We are looking forward to visiting Arles where Van Gogh painted many of his works of art.

 We have spent some time in Avignon on previous trips so have decided to do an optional shore excursion to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Constructed in 1316 as a summer residence for the Avignon Popes, the area has thrived as one of the world’s most celebrated wine producing regions.  The excursion includes a tour of the chateau ruins and a wine tasting in one of the area’s wine cellars.

There will be several more stops along the Rhone River before we arrive in Lyon.  I am looking forward to getting to know more about this gastronomic and cultural community.  If only we had enough time to visit Restaurant Paul Bocuse.

We have booked a Veranda Suite for our trip.  One of the advantages is free laundry service so that I will have clean clothes for our trip to Paris.

Our Paris apartment is in the Latin Quarter very close to the Sorbonne.  I am still working on the details of our week there.  I will keep you posted.  The planning is almost as fun as experiencing a travel adventure.

My thoughts are with Florida and all of our friends there.  We have two of our Florida friends staying with us this week.  Our weather is supposed to be windy and rainy starting this afternoon.  Hopefully we will not lose power.

Asheville North Carolina is a mecca for fine dining. One of the top hot spots in town is a Mediterranean restaurant called Rezaz (pron. “ray-zuhs”), located just blocks from the entrance to The Biltmore Estate and which may have been developed with the aid of services like the new hampshire tax id.  Chef/ owner Reza Setayesh has traveled and trained widely resulting in a worldly palate. His emphasis in the dining room is on Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, but at his Chef’s Table anything goes. He loves to give free rein to his culinary expertise.

When Sam ( My Carolina Kitchen ) and her husband Meakin invited us to join them, along with BIL and SIL Stuart and Sandy, for  a chef’s table dinner we immediately accepted.  Meakin arranged for us to enjoy a 5 course French Provencal dinner with wine pairings.  The kitchen was warm and inviting on a rainy night.

A nice touch was the pandelier overhead.  It is a metal sculpture made from saute pans used during the restaurant’s first decade.

We were fortunate to have a highly trained waiter to explain all of the chef’s dishes to us.  Our anticipation was rewarded with the following courses.

The first course consisted of three seafood preparations.  At the top left is a Smoked Salmon Rillette served with a toasted baguette and sliced radishes.  Bon Appetit has a similar recipe here.  Next to the salmon is Moule Curry (Mussels in a curry sauce with breadcrumbs).  At the bottom is a Trout and Crab Galantine ( A Trout roll stuffed with crab) with arugula pesto.

Our second course was a Pan Seared Sushimi Grade Cobia (Swordfish) a la Provencal, Sauteed French Gnocchi, Seared Scallops and Summer Vegetable Ratatouille.   My, oh my, this was delicious.  Summer on a plate for sure.

The next course was one of my favorites.  It was a Duck Leg Confit in a Cherry Gastrique Sauce.  The duck was moist and crispy from cooking in its own fat.  With it were Yukon Gold Potatoes and Sauteed Spinach.

The next entree course was a study of three lamb preparations; a Grilled Lamb Chop, Lamb Navarin (Stew) and Lamb Gigot (Roast with French thyme and wild rosemary).  It was served with a Parsnip and Potato Mash,  and an Arugula Pesto.  It was wonderful, but we were getting full.

For dessert we had a Summer Berry Clafouti and a Lemon and Berry Sorbet with a Touille Cookie.  The sorbet was so refreshing and the clafouti was just the right size.  Next time I make one, it will be a bright mix of berries like this.

As we drove back over the mountain from Asheville to Lake Lure we were sated, happy and thankful that we could spend such a lovely evening with friends.  It was a truly memorable experience.