Vive la France
The page for ‘Francophiles’
I couldn’t resist the chance to share a little bit of France. I was converted to Francophilia BC - Before I became a Christian. When the French onion man used to call at our house on his bike, and bowl my mother over into buying several ropes more than she bargained for by kissing her passionately on the hand - and more. That Breton shirt and beret, that wonderful accent - he was just SO romantic. It was inevitable that I would study French one day.
Peter was raised in Geneva, bilingual, as he attended the International Primary School. At six foot four, he is my ‘petit suisse’! When we married, we expected a call across the Channel any day - and had to wait 34 years. Miracles don’t often come my way, but the extraordinary story of how we found our house there is in Autumn Leave - A Season in France. And yes, we still hope to retire there one day soon.
Autumn Leave Updates
Several people have asked for an update on the characters they met in Autumn Leave - A Season in France. Here are some:
- Our goat farmers have gone, and with them, the gorgeous cheeses and awful smell. The new young couple who have taken over told us that piles of manure had been left everywhere - and were potentially one source of our flies.
- Lavale is as devious as ever - there is a distinct possibility we may end up with a wind turbine in his field next to us. We will if he has anything to do with it, as he’ll be richly paid for it by the commune.
- Marguerite has become so enormous, she can barely get to the door. That, compounded by endless amounts of surgery, means I usually have to climb over a wall and break in if I want to see her. The windows are falling out anyway. Lavale won’t spend a bean on his tenant.
- And zer ‘as been a murder...it’s shaken the commune and rumours are rife.
- The church struggles on within its little shop in Montmorillon - and they are thrilled to have had visitors from the UK, alerted by a certain book! Thank you so much to those of you who have taken the time to go and worship with them and encourage them. Peter has been given 2-3 Sundays a month by our new diocese to minister there - a wonderful bonus.
Recipes
As a thank you, here are some of my favourite French recipes, courtesy of the meals we share together on the third Sunday of the month.
If you have any favourite French recipes, please send them to me and I’ll add them here for all us Francophiles to share.
Marinette’s Duck Cottage Pie
(available from any good deli - Waitrose and Booths stock it)
Puree of potatoes
(make mash, then add butter and milk and beat to a puree.)
Grated Gruyere or Emmental cheese
Open the tin and remove as much of the fat as you can.
Chop the meat and place in a shallow dish.
Cover with puree and then the cheese. Simple - but amazingly good.
Bake at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for around 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden and the pie is warmed through.
Marguerite’s Mediterranean Coley
Serves 4
600g Coley fillet, skinned and cut into cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
20 cherry tomatoes
Garlic, salt and pepper
8 black olives to garnish
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and peppers and fry for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Put the fish cubes in a casserole dish. Cover with the onion and pepper mixture. Then add the cherry tomatoes, the garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and bake at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 30 minutes. Garnish with the black olives and serve at once.
My Coq Au Vin
6 pieces of chicken
6 chunky slices smoky bacon - chopped
2 large onions, chopped (or 24 peeled shallots, if you can be bothered!)
250g chopped or button mushrooms
500ml red wine
500ml of chicken stock
2 mashed cloves of garlic
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp ground bay leaf
1 tblsp tomato puree
2 tblsp plain flour
Salt, ground black pepper
Fry the onions and chicken pieces until golden, then add the bacon and mushrooms for a few minutes.
Stir in the flour, until all the chicken and the rest are well coated, then slowly pour in the stock and the wine, stirring as it thickens. Add all the other ingredients and cook slowly for around an hour or longer.
A Very Simple Pear Tarte Tartin
4 dessert pears, peeled, cored and chopped into four slices or 1 tin pears, drained
1 tin or bottle of thick caramel sauce
1 packet puff pastry
Grease a large-ish flan tin (big enough to lay out 16 slices of pear, rounded side down, in a circular pattern). Roll out the pastry and using the flan tin as a guide, cut a round, slightly bigger than the tin. Arrange the pears in it.
Open the tin or bottle of caramel sauce and microwave for a few seconds until just liquid enough to pour over the pears. Take the pastry round and lay over the top, tucking the edges down the sides.
Bake on 180°/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 20-25 minutes until pastry is brown. Remove from the oven, loosen carefully and turn it over onto a serving dish. Serve with creme fraiche.
Annie’s Caramel Mousse
100g sugar
2 eggs, separated
500ml milk
4 dessertspoons of liquid caramel
Beat sugar, flour and milk, caramel and egg yolks, then slowly bring to simmer.
Allow to cool, then beat in whisked egg whites. This doesn’t set firmly - but delicious with madeleines to dunk!
Yvette’s Simple Sponge Cake
3 small yoghurt pots of self raising flour
1 small yoghurt pot of good quality cooking oil
1 small yoghurt pot of caster sugar
2 beaten eggs
Mix together and pour into a lined, greased, 18cm cake tin, and bake at Gas Mark 4/180°C or 160°C for a fan-assisted oven.
*NEW* Salmon Poitou
4 salmon fillets or steaks
1 onion, or 1 leek or 6 shallots – minced in a food processor
4 tbsps Créme Fraiche
8 tbsps balsamic vinegar
1 tsp French mustard
2 nuts of butter
Salt to season
1 tbsp water
Cook the salmon in a microwave on high for 3-4 minutes. Fry the minced onion or leek in the butter until golden, than add the remaining ingredients to make a sauce and pour over the salmon.
