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Showing posts from December, 2009

RESOLUTIONS TO GO!

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.....breaking into the new year. A depserateanglohousewife's way. Our society, regardless of women's growth, is masculine. Don't stop reading!! This is not a feminist rant!!!!! We seem to be continuously striving to win, to be the best, to be super slim with zero wrinkles, to earn the most money possible, to have a bigger car, to "upgrade" relentlessly, to get to "the top" ( just where is that on the map?)...ultimate success being measured by the degree of $$$$ rather than inner happiness. The money scale in itself is a male instrument. How many are we to have set up lists of incredible resolutions only to have them whittled away by procrastination, family obligations, work demands, and lack of time and energy.   There I am almost every January 1st, full of intention...I sleep in thereby putting off new 2  lap sprint around Jardin Public. My children are starving and need feeding...I eat a bowl of comfort Carbonnara Pasta with them, then anothe

JUST WHAT IS VEAU ORLOFF?

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...cooking for royalty! This post is in answer to the question, what is Veau Orloff? A 19th century Franco- Russian concoction which was created for Prince Orloff , the Russian Ambassador to France. Basically consisting of braised or roasted loin of veal, thinly sliced. Between each slice is a layer of "soubise," rice, onions, mushrooms. It is stacked sideways and topped off with a thick velouté type sauce then browned in the oven before serving. Its one of those kitchen goddess type dishes where you have to start planning 48 hours in advance....this is not a one pot sausage hotpot. However in this day and age where we tend to throw things together at the last minute, hospitality included, taking the time to prepare such a succulent meal is an excellent salve to stretched desperateanglohousewife nerves. It is not difficult to prepare but does take time. It is wonderful to serve this up on a winter's evening with a hearty wine from the Médoc or a chilled Pouill

OVER CHRISTMAS?

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...getting over Christmas. Its the 26th Dec and I feel like I have just finished a marathon, an eating marathon. Christmas lunch in France is far removed from anglo Christmas replete with its turkey,baked ham, cranberry sauce, plum pudding with brandy butter, mince tarts and christmas cake. And although my heart pines for these at Christmas I have to admit that the French fare was not too bad...home made foie gras terrine, asparagus pannacotta, veau orloff, cheeses so devine they could start wars... After the the last 48 hours of abusing (totally self inflicted) my body its time to do some raw food therapy. What  truthfully comes into my brain are images of myself scuffling unnoticed into cigarette stores, next image is sitting at an outdoor café drinking litres of tight tight expresso while puffing away on cigarettes - bowel relaxing therapy!! I do know that the raw food version is not only bettter for me but also more effective. So I will cut myself carrot cigarettes and si

NO PERFECT DESPERATE HOUSEWIFE

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....but what about HIM? I used to call myself an ardent feminist. I am now unsure about just how good a thing that actually is. Have we been under a delusion? As a younger women I would proclaim my mother's generation of 50's type housewives as mere accessories to their husbands. As a 40-something I am beginning to wonder just who was really onto a good thing... My mother never worked. My father used to bring her freshly squeezed orange juice, poached egg and tea plus the paper in bed every morning. A very early riser,a choice, she used to take the dog on long harbour walks.Mother had a house cleaner in 3 full days a week plus a gardener. Industrial cleaners used to come in once a year for a "spring clean". She was always available to help with flowers for school occasions, would always bake up cakes (plural) to sell at school charity runs. She did alot of charity work for hospitals and the Cancer Society which I now understand she gained alot of self-worth  f

WE WORKSHOPPED

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...Christmas spirit came. After a week of mumbling about the lack of Christmas spirit we made a bit of our own. In honour of all our offshore sisters we had a christmas "workshop"...8 women, mulled wine, swedish christmas songs, egg nog, christmas cookies and sweet treats, festive espumas, foie gras cocktail food, orange and clove balls, Perry Como...Had you looked through the window you would have seen us laughing, crying, cooking. Here's a couple of cocktail nibble ideas, both very easy and quick to throw together. Espuma Roquefort, Celery, Panacetta This recipe requires a siphon*.. 100 gr Roquefort cheese 50 cl cream 1 teaspoon lavender honey 1 gelatine leaf Celery, 2 branches cut into long slim battons Soak gelatine leaf in cold water. Meanwhile melt roquefort in cream over a low flame. Dry off gelatine leaf and add along with honey to melted mixture. Whip up mixture to eliminate any lumps and pour into siphon at least 3 hours before desired servi

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

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...where is it? British friend Emma came back to Bordeaux yesterday and told me about her walk down Regent St and all the beautiful Christmas decorations. Today she is going to decorate her home and bake hundreds of Christmas mince tarts.. American friend Janice flashed us an iPhone photo of her "Christmas Holiday Pagent" Christmas tree which she decorated last weekend. A tree of childhood Christmas dreams. . I bought a xmas tree yesterday and spent all afternoon decorating it with my daughter. I drove her nuts with my styalised colour scheme... No, Colombe I won't have green plastic bead chains on my zinc glass bauble theme tree!! I have baked my sister's wonderful Christmas cake.. There are truly beautiful Christmas fairy lights on the trees down the main avenues in Bordeaux.. I am having a Christmas Treat Cooking Workshop with at least 9 women here in my home on Saturday.. So why aren't we all feeling "Christmassy?" France is brilliant fo

ps. MORE ON BACKDOORS

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Euro Chicken?? After my " back door" medical rant yesterday I started thinking about Lemon Roasted Chicken. My nephew, amazing cook and TV cuisine programme writer and director, educated me on the epicurian delight of popping a lemon inside a chook before roasting...v European! Here is my take on what was an 80's classic, Lemon Roasted Chicken. Easy, relatively economical and total comfort during the grey season.   Lemon Roasted Chicken Pollo al Limone 1 free range chicken ( 1.25 kgs) 4 lemons 4 large cloves of garlic, finely sliced into strips 1 branch fresh rosemary 1/4 cup melted butter salt, black pepper   Wash lemons. Cut 2 into rounds and juice the other 2. Do not throw out skins of juiced lemons. Pre heat oven to 180°. Slice garlic into strips and de-leaf rosemary. Make small holes in the skin over the back of the chicken with the point of a small knife and insert rosemary and garlic. Rub chicken with salt and pepper. Incorporate lemon jui

THINGS MEDICAL

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...European preferential treatment of the "back door", more grief for kiwis! The 2 most terrifying things in a new country...the hairdresser and things medical. With two sick children, my mind today is on the latter. When I was a student in Switzerland I came down with a really bad throat infection and took myself off to the chemists for a rapid remedy. Not knowing the word for "throat" I pointed to my neck and said I had " a sore neck on the inside"...With the interest I attracted from everyone in the chemists I felt rather proud of my genius in international communication. Sadly my vowels weren't really quite up to United Nations standards and in fact, I had unwittingly said "cul" ( arse!!) instead of "cou" ( neck). However, ignorance is indeed a blissful state and I waited patiently for the chemist to return with a magic potion whilst everyone stared at me in total silence. She came back with a box of tablets which she