Post Christmas lunch 2022

 After a couple of years suspended from gatherings and dinners with friends, we decided to host a Christmas lunch with some friends while seizing on the opportunity to catch up on some pending issues at hand...

After having thought of the recent adventures in France, I was inspired to go a bit more "natural" with the menu...

A more simple setting with a wreath as a decor element was chosen...

Comfort food - velouté de légumes served with a dollop of sour cream. To obtain a flavourful broth. the vegetables (red bell peppers, onions, pumpkin, potatoes) must be pre-baked in an oven with a drizzle of olive oil and then cooked in a chicken broth with a bouquet garni. 

Boiled artichoke with a soft-boiled egg, sauce Béarnaise. 

Chicken baked with rosemary, garlic and butter. Served with potato puree, red wine sauce and poached vegetables.

To make the puree: 1 kg potatoes (soft meat type like Chat or Ratte which has a nice texture), 350g (facultative) of French butter, 2 cups full cream, pinch of salt.

Boil the potatoes and pass them through a riser. Fold in all the butter and then the cream. To obtain an onctueuse puree, it could be passed through a fine sieve using a soft spatula. 

 

Simple garden salads to be eaten with bread and cheese (below)...

A soft truffle-infused cheese from Bourgogne: le Crémeux de Bourgogne.

A fruitcake inspired by the city of Angers - orange flavoured with Cointreau (instead of using orange peels)

Ingredients: 1.5 cup of flour, 1 cup of almond powder, 4 eggs, 1 cup vanilla scented sugar, 250g French butter, a pinch of salt, selection of dried fruits (cranberries, black raisins, diced apricots, ginger confit, black cherry)

Soak the dried fruit mixture overnight with a cup of any brandy (Hennessy or Martell) and half a cup of Cointreau. Line a baking tray with butter and flour and the base with a piece of baking paper. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar, splashing a teaspoon of vanilla extract to help with the emulsification. Slowly fold in the eggs and half a cup of Cointreau into the mixture. Next fold in the sifted flour with 2 teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt and later the almond powder. Lastly fold in the soaked dried fruits. Bake at high heat for the first half an hour and medium heat for another 30 - 35  minutes until done.

In a separate bowl, squeeze and filter the juice of 10 - 12 oranges. Cook this juice with a cup of fine sugar until syrupy. Add half a cup to 1 cup of Cointreau to the mixture. Once the cake had cooled off overnight, slowly drizzle the syrup over the cake until it has saturated. Keep in an airtight container to mature for at least a month before consuming.

and for the little sweet something at the end, a specialty from Angers - the Quernon d'ardoise, which is a slaty blue chocolate with nougatine centre - made to imitate the bluish slate roof tiles of the region as a hommage to the slate quarry workers ... https://quernon.fr/la-maison-du-quernon/

They have a stand in the Christmas market in the city centre of Angers (starting 01 Dec 2022 for Christmas sales)

The beauty of Chenonceau, a chateau with a colourful history

 The chateau de Chenonceau is among the prettiest of castles in the French Loire Valley because it has the particularity of being perched over the river Cher (called enjambant in French). It was once the residence of Diane de Poitiers, favourite mistress to Henry II, who oversaw the project to improve and expand the chateau's structure and gardens. However, the king's demise saw the poor Diane chased out of the castle by the then queen Catherine of Medici and regent to the throne. Catherine did further improvements with her italian taste and the rest was history. the two sides of the gardens still reflect the different tastes of the two women today...

the entrance by the moat

Christmas is always a good time to visit chateaux because they could be decorated for the festive season. Above a decorated tree in the ticketing office. https://www.chenonceau.com/chateau-renaissance/histoire/ 

A long avenue of trees leading to the main gate of the chateau...

a pair of seraphines guard the entrance...

row of christmas lit trees leading to the main entrance

the weather was morn and chilly - at minus 1 degrees with wet winds

one needs to cross a bridge over the river to access to the entrance

the bridge overlooking the Cher river

very nice indeed

the entrance hall with typical vaulted gothic ceilings

view from the garden

some italian sense of aesthetics from the Medici influence?

the vast symmetrical garden a la francaise by Diane de Poitiers

the hallmark of Chenonceau - the bridge-structured foundation

the wilder gardens of Catherine of Medici

A meal at Chez Remi... a restaurant with a conscious effort

 I recently got to dine at a restaurant in Angers, France that serves meals from freshly obtained local produce and organic products whenever possible. Loved the concept as the cuisine was not pretentious and they offer hearty local flavours of the season at an affordable price.

The facade is rather simple and does not scream to passersby to come inside the restaurant. It is therefore an interesting discovery...

The first thing that greets a client - a pledge to stay clean from the use of pesticides in food.

the setting is cosy and classic bistro styled

the table setting is also pretty basic

I chose a standard lunch menu of 2 dishes at 23 Euro. The entree is a watercress and sorrel soup. Liked the rustic, dense flavour.

The main course was a choice between fish or veal. I opted for the later. Very well prepared and well seasoned. The accompanying mushroom was delicious. And with a cup of hot tea the total bill came to 26 Euro.

The online menu - it doesn't tell what it will serve because it is based on what is available seasonally...

A strange Bee moth, Melittia sp. from the forest

 This strange Sesiid moth resembles more like a wasp or bumble bee than a moth in flight and can be seen doing "aerial puddling" on damp pebbles. 

As can be seen clearly on this picture, the two forelegs hold on while the moth probe the damp pebble for minerals while the rapid humming bird-like flight keeps it afloat.