Pages

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Concert at Chateau Perroterie



Angel Blogger here!

Our singing group who were with us this week did a little concert last night for us & some of our friends. They came on a singing holiday to learn more about music & their voice. The week is to help them have more confidence in themselves climaxing in a performance. They really sang their hearts out, some were better than others but they all were so brave to get up & sing to a group of strangers. We wish them a safe journey back to the UK & thank them for bringing music & song to our space here in France.

Restoration of our ancient kitchen



Angel Blogger here.

My husband & I recently finished creating a stone circle for ourselves & for our guests. It was only completed 2 weeks ago & already is a great success with our friends & clients, children are particularly attracted to it. Not content with this achievement, my husband John has just started work on trying to rescue our ancient outdoor kitchen which is perilously getting ready to collapse. Parts of it are 6th century & the oven ceiling is amazing, the idea is to first prop up the old lintels, repairing the crumbling stone work around the lintels with a view of removing the roof & eventually re roofing to protect the inner parts of the building. The end of the kitchen has a small circular space which was a monk's cell, I would love to convert this into a meditation star chamber with a small fire in the centre. One day we hope to have it working as an extension to our kitchen with a pizza oven BBQ & bar for eating & drinking al fresco style. I will keep you posted as to its recovery fingers crossed it will survive. Its also the height of our season & to be starting this type of venture is probably madness, but that's very much our style. Watch this space!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Quiche Lorraine


Hi all Angel Blogger here.

Its been an intensive cooking period for me with lots of courses coming soon. The hardest part for me is getting confirmation of everyone's dietary requirements, not an easy ask, but the last thing I need is someone turning up with a peculiar diet or allergy. Here in France it is very difficult to get vegetarian alternatives, & as for Vegan well that is really tricky. I have slowly developed a great vegetarian collection of recipes tried & tested, even slowly getting my head around gluten free recipes. When I am in full culinary flight I even dream about cooking, in fact a lot of my best ideas come when I am asleep!

Today is a Quiche Lorraine event & is a real French favourite, with my guests. I hope you like this old favourite too.

Serves 6

250g Packet of good quality shortcrust pastry, unroll immediately from the fridge & line a large loose bottom flan tin. Cover with greaseproof paper, I don't bother weighting it down with rice, dried beans etc. Pop into a moderate oven 350, about 20 minutes then remove paper & bake another 5 minutes. Sprinkle 200g grated cheese of choice over the base, then top with 2 sliced tomatoes, a grinding of black pepper, then sprinkle200g of bacon lardons (which you have previously cooked) on top, if vegetarian leave out. whisk 6 eggs in a bowl, then in a jug measure 1/4 litre cream & 1/4 litre milk, add to the eggs, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, pour over the quiche, place back into the oven about 25-30 minutes till set. This quiche freezes well & is great for picnics or serve warm for a quick easy lunch with salad on the side. Bon Appetite!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Pavlova


Friends of ours who live in the grounds of Duras Chateau very kindly hosted a big charity lunch yesterday, my contribution was a raspberry Pavlova. The day raised hundred of Euros & the weather was perfect. There was over 130 guests attending & a fantastic jazz band.

I wanted to share a few tips on how to make the perfect Pavlova. I am lucky enough to have a Aga cooker which makes fabulous meringues, however any oven will do the job almost as well.

Serves 8

I use room temperature eggs separate the whites & save the yolks ( use for lemon curd or creme brulee). Place 6 egg whites into a scrupulously clean bowl ( I use my Kenwood mixer for speed) add 2 Tbsp of caster sugar per egg white, here I used 12 Tbsp. Mix on a medium speed till the whites become stiff meringue & you can turn upside down & it won't move. Spoon onto a baking sheet lined with Parchment paper or a silicon liner shape into a round, hollow the centre a little. Place in your oven on the lowest setting you can, leave for 3 hours till it is completely dry. You can switch the oven off & leave in the oven overnight. When the Pavlova is cool top with double cream & fruit of choice, decorate with mint leaves.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The perfect summer starter


Today we were once again entertaining clients over lunch. A lovely Irish couple who have booked a Yoga week next June.

They had travelled from Near Biarritz so were really hungry. We had aperitifs & nibbles to start as is the French custom. Then a beautifully refreshing starter a Watermelon & crab tian. Followed by pan fried fillets of red mullet sitting on a bed of sautéed leeks, onions & fennel. Followed by Eton mess. Today I am sharing the recipe for the starter we enjoyed.

You ideally need a cook's ring, pack in thinly sliced watermelon 2 layers, then in a bowl mix 2 prepared crabs white & brown, you can substitute fresh for faux crab if you like. Mix in a little mayonnaise enough to bind the crab, add curry paste to taste, a dash of lemon juice. Pack the crab on top of the watermelon. Place in the fridge for a few hours ideal for dinner party all the work is done in advance. When you are ready press down gently & slip the ring off, decorate with cucumber & a prawn. I make some coriander oil & add to some mayonnaise & a pinch of cayenne pepper this wants to be a decorative drizzle on the plate, yummy. I know you will love this dish, all comments really welcome. Love Angel Blogger. Serves 4.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Fetes Des Madeleine


My local town Duras is a really pretty little Medieval town. Every year at his time we celebrate a 3 day festival with night markets selling lovely local delicacies, there is lots of singing & dancing, of course the mandatory fireworks, its an excuse for the locals to have fun & let their hair down, it also commemorates the feast of Mary Magdalene on 22nd July. Mary Magdalene is a very important person in France, probably more so than any other country in the world. Poor old Mary has had a lot of bad press from the Catholic church in the past, she was portrayed as a prostitute, but this has subsequently been clarified & her importance is being rewritten. There are all kinds of legends & stories which have come to light in recent years, it has been suggested she may have been the wife of Jesus & that she fled to France with their children after the crucifixion. Thanks to the very popular Dan Brown novels, he inferred that she is buried under the Pyramid in the Louvre Museum. They also say that there are more statues of Mary Magdalene in France than Mother Mary. This area of France is alive with stories of her & The Knights Templar, hidden buried treasures, magical meridian Ley lines (energy lines in the earth) which connect important buildings & churches all over France, with secret esoteric messages waiting to be deciphered.

As this is a very busy time work wise for me I don't usually have the time to join in the festivities, but this morning I slipped down for breakfast with friends, something I love to do every Monday which is our weekly market. This morning it was particularly busy despite the gloomy weather. Our local boulangerie had a special table set up outside, with lots of yummy pastries & breads all available to taste free of charge. I just love the friendliness & the innocence which is still very alive here in my part of France. They certainly know how to enjoy themselves. Love to you all Angel Blogger.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Garlic prawn starter


We are still in holiday mode here in sunny France. Yesterday was the famous Bastille Day & is celebrated all over France ending with spectacular firework displays. We went to Duras last night, it was the summer evening market with lots of food stalls & long communal tables where you eat & drink with friends & holiday makers.

Today we were lunching at our neighbours Chris & Natalie's & some family friends. Chris made a delicious garlic prawn starter. He heats some olive oil, garlic, a shallot, little chilli, heat through add prawns Coriander & a squeeze of lemon. Decorate a plate with pretty salad leaves, spoon the prawns onto the lettuce & pour over the pan juices, eat straight away. Angel Blogger x

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Chicken pesto pasta


We have had a group of 20 young people staying here at Chateau Perroterie this week. They left earlier today relaxed happy after a fun stay.

Its always a busy day when we have people leaving. So I like to cook something simple & quick for supper. Tonight I tried an experiment & we really liked the end result. Please let me know what you think!

Slice 2 chicken breasts into thin slithers, sprinkle over salt & pepper. I have a vegetable cutter which makes pasta, I made courgette pasta from 1 large courgette. Heat some olive oil into a frying pan & sauté the chicken pieces sprinkle over 2 chopped garlic & mix in. Meanwhile cook some Tagliatelle pasta (I freeze pasta slightly under cooked & simply pop it into the boiling water, when it returns to the boil switch off) drain reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta stock. Mix the courgette into the pasta stir in the pasta water. In a small saucepan spoon 4 tsps of pesto sauce warm through then add 1 large tbsp creme fraiche stirring till it is a smooth sauce. Season the pastas, add 1/2 the pesto sauce serve in a bowl place the chicken on top & drizzle over the rest of the sauce, scatter some basil leaves over eh Viola!

Serves 2

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Courgette garlic brie soup


I love this soup recipe & as my friend Natalie was coming for lunch today this is what I decided to make to kick off the meal.

Cut up a large onion 4 cloves of garlic, in a large pan warm some olive oil, add the onion & garlic gently sauté for a few minutes till golden. Add 4-5 large courgettes sliced a glass of white wine cook for 5 minutes add a litre of vegetable stock salt & pepper, bring gently to the boil reduce & simmer for 30 minutes. Blend the soup & allow to cool unless you want to eat it straight away.

At this stage allowing the soup to rest for a few hours or overnight will only improve the flavour, you can freeze the soup at this stage.

Reheat the soup slowly, crumble in 150g of Brie or any other soft or blue cheese. When the cheese has melted into the soup add a generous splash of cream. Serve & scatter on croutons.

Serves a generous 4

Enjoy love Angel Blogger x

Monday, July 4, 2011

Summer starter



Gosh can't believe it has been a week since my last Blog, its been a very busy exciting time. Now its time to take a breathe & relax for a few days.

Last night we did a 21st Birthday dinner party for 20. It was a beautiful evening & we set the table outside on the terrace. The sunset was just amazing & the dinner went really well.

The starter was a beautiful smoked salmon remoulade, filled with goats cheese & cream cheese. A very pretty dish & with a little preparation it can be done the day before. On the night it is a very simple case of setting on the plate quickly, perfect for a dinner party.

Lay a double layer of cling film on worktop. Lay 4 slices of smoked salmon overlapping. In a bowl mix 75g goat's cheese & 50g cream cheese, I use Boursin with garlic & herbs. chop a Tbsp of gherkins & 1 Tsp capers, add to the creamed cheese. spread along the centre of the salmon. Take edge of cling film & carefully roll up the salmon & then twist ends to tighten the whole roll. Put into the fridge for 24 hours. I like to use an oblong plate decorate the edges with scattered rocket leaves, cut the salmon roll into either 9 large or 12 smaller slices, the cling film will easily come off. Place 3 on each place in centre of the plate, I like to drizzle a nutty lemon vinaigrette around or you can add thin slices of strawberries. Crack some black pepper over serve immediately.

Lots of love Angel Blogger