Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

Peaches n’ Cream is a Southern tradition.  Fresh peaches, sliced and topped with whipped cream are hard to beat.  But I just entered the weekly contest over at Food 52 and we were asked to come up with a recipe for a cobbler, crumble, crisp, pandowdy or any other buttery topped fruit dessert.  Since peaches are in season here in the South, that was my fruit of choice.  The expression “peaches n’ cream” led me to the idea of cream in the dessert.  But not just any cream.  Bailey’s Irish Cream came to mind.

I really liked this combination.  The Bailey’s Irish Cream added a rich note to the peaches but was not overpowering.  The crumble topping was enhanced with a touch of cardamom and cinnamon.  And if you add a dollop of whipped cream flavored with Bailey’s and sugar you will be a very happy camper indeed.  No matter how well I do in the recipe contest, I am happy that I came up with this summer dish.  It is best enjoyed on a screened in porch after dark with a chorus of crickets serenading you.

PEACHES n’ IRISH CREAM CRUMBLE

There are more posts coming on our trip to France, but I felt the need to get back into the kitchen at Lake Lure and do some cooking.  I haven’t abandoned France all together because this recipe came from Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.  Pork tenderloin is such a versatile cut of meat.  You can cook it whole on the grill, slice and pound it into medallions, or in this case just cut it into eight even chunks and saute it briefly with flavorings.

Family and friends stayed at our cottage while we were on our trip.  I had left a bag of oranges in the produce drawer of my refrigerator and for some reason they were still there when we got home.  Not wanting to waste them, I found this recipe that puts oranges to a good use.

This was a quick meal to pull together.  I served the tenderloin with couscous and broccoli.  The orange sauce flavored with cardamom was very refreshing.

I had many wonderful meals while traveling, but it is good to be back in my own kitchen cooking the kinds of food that make me happy.

FRESH ORANGE PORK TENDERLOIN (Adapted from Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan)

4 large navel oranges
1 large pork tenderloin, about 1 1/2 pounds
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon mild oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 medium onion, finely chopped

Peel 2 of the oranges all the way down to the flesh, then cut between the membranes to release the segments.  Cut the segments crosswise in half.  Remove the zest from the other 2 oranges with a zester or vegetable peeler, being careful to avoid te white cottony pith if using a peeler; if you removed the zest with a peeler, slice the strips into lon thin strands.  Cut the zest into pieces 1 to 2 inches long.  Squeeze the juice from the 2 zested oranges.

Cut a large tenderloin into 8 pieces.  Try to get the thickness of the pieces as even as possible, so they will all cook in the same amount of time.  Pat the slices dry between paper towels.

Put a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter and oil.  When the mixture is hot, add the pork slices, without crowding, and brown them for 2 to 3 minutes on each side; season with salt and pepper and cardamom when you turn the pieces over.  Add the orange zest, juice, and onion, season everything with salt and pepper, and give the pan a stir.  When the sauce produces one little bubble, reduce the heat to low and cover the pan.  Cook the pork at the gentlest simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the orange segments, cover, and continue to simmer for 3 minutes more, or until the pork is tender and cooked through.

Remove the lid, and if you think the sauce needs to be cooked down a bit, transfer the pork and orange segments to a warm serving platter and boil the sauce until it reaches the consistency you want.  Taste for salt and pepper and serve immediately.  Garnish with fresh sage or parsley if desired.

Printable recipe

There were hideous atrocities committed during World War II; too many to even contemplate.  But one of the most vile of them occurred in the small farming village of Oradour sur Glane near Limoges, France.   Today it is called the Village des Martyrs and is visited by school children from all over France.  I did not know the story before this trip.

On June 10th, 1944, four days after D-Day, a Waffen-SS division of Nazi soldiers on their way to Normandy entered the village and massacred all of the men, women and children.  Many of the children were infants.   They killed 642 people and then proceeded to burn  the whole village down.

The women and children were herded into the village church and tear-gassed.  If they tried to escape they were machine-gunned.  The alter of the church is pock-marked with bullet holes.  Only one woman escaped through the alter window on the left.

The plaques on the buildings indicate the names and occupations of the people who lived in the village.  The above plaque in blue is for a boulangerie or bakery with the shop owner’s name.  You can see the oven inside the structure. The plaque on the left indicates where some of the men were gathered and killed.

We walked the length of Oradour’s main street with other people making the pilgrimage.  Everyone spoke in hushed tones as they passed the gutted and burned buildings.  The town has been rebuilt in another location.  Charles De Gaulle wanted the original town to remain “as is” as a reminder of what happened there.  Today the ghost town has remained untouched for over 60 years.  Only one English word greets you as you enter. “”Remember””.   How could we ever forget?

After riding the motorcycles a long distance from the Normandy Beaches, through the Loire Valley and the Limousin region, we arrived in the Perigord region of France.  Specifically, we arrived in the town of Sarlat, world renowned for the best foie gras, walnut products and really great duck confit.

 After hauling all of our riding gear over to France, you can imagine that I have very little room in my luggage to bring anything home. But foodie that I am, I bought a one pound can of duck fat.  It will be great for frying potatoes.  We spent two days in Sarlat.  While the guys were off riding in the surrounding hills, we girls spent a morning shopping and having a fabulous lunch.

 My lunch started with a zucchini terrine with tomato coulis and lettuce.  I had several terrines on this trip and plan to start experimenting with them when I get home.  They are so colorful and refreshing.

My entree course was coq au vin with potatoes cooked in duck fat.

For dessert we shared a walnut cake with creme anglaise.  It was delicious-partly cake and partly pie.  I would love to make this at home too.

  They have a wonderful market in Sarlat where all kinds of duck and goose products are sold.

The Sunday market also includes fresh fruits and vegetables.  Cherries are in season right now.

Sarlat is a beautiful city.

In my last post I did not include our visit to Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy.  Right now there is a lot of construction going on around this rocky tidal island.  The old causeway to the island is being replaced and the only way onto the island is by way of shuttle buses .  The history of Mont Saint-Michel dates back many centuries, but the first monastery was built on it in the 8th century.  Today the Abbey and Monastery top the rocky structure with the town, shops and houses below.

Although it is one of those sights that everyone should see while in the area, it is very crowded and not a great place to have a bite to eat.  We pondered the menus of all of the restaurants and found them all to be similar and expensive.

They are known for their crepes and we enjoyed watching the crepe batter being mixed.

The view from the top is spectacular.

But the most spectacular view is from a distance.

We passed many castles back in the Loire Valley.  The one above is Usse and was the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle.  Since we toured the major castles on our previous trip, we chose to just view them from the outside this time.

Carol joined us in Loches, one of the most picturesque villages in central France.  Tulin and I were happy to see her.   It is always good to have another female along, especially when she is French and knows all of the best areas for shopping and dining.

We enjoyed our room with a view and spent a pleasant evening in Loches exploring the ancient city and the Loches castle, a stronghold of the counts of Anjou.