Really busy at the moment getting our property winterized, so a speedy easy supper needed. A quick look in my fridge where I found 2 chicken breasts, some jambon sec,  jar of cranberry sauce, & a piece of blue cheese. Here's what I have done.

Between 2 pieces of greaseproof paper place a chicken breast then let all your stress of the day out by hammering the meat (tenderising more chefy term) till its flat & twice its size. Spread a good spoonful of cranberry sauce onto the chicken followed by some crumbled cheese. Gently roll the breast forming a parcel shape, then lay out a couple of stripes of dried ham, place the chicken parcel on the edge & again roll till the breast is encircled in the ham, place in a roasting tin, then drizzle over some olive oil & salt & pepper. Cook in a moderate hot oven 400f, for 20-25 minutes, leaving enough time to have a soak in the bath with a chilled glass of Rose wine. Very satisfying end to a very satisfying day. Hope you too enjoy this sometime.

Love Angel Blogger.

Canasta card night

Well autumn is finally here & Brrh is it cold. With the cold evenings comes the ritual of beautiful log fires & cosy comfort food. Our good friend Jayne has invited us to an evening of cards or Canasta to be precise. I offered to supply supper & I decided it was time to drag out my autumn winter recipe book, this is a version of Delia Smith's Shepherd's Pie, I say version as I have tweaked it over the years.
2 Onions diced
2 Carrots diced
2 little white turnips
chopped fresh thyme & fresh parsley
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 Tsp cinnamon
280ml chicken stock
1Tbsp tomato paste
250g minced beef
250g minced pork
Salt & pepper
2 sliced leeks
Handful grated cheese.
Sauté onions in olive oil (5 mins) add carrots, turnips for a further 5 mins. Remove the vegetables, brown the pork & beef add the veggies, season, add cinnamon & herbs, the flour which will absorb any liquid left in the pan. Add tomato to the stock, add to the pan, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, cover & cook for 30 minutes or place in a warm oven 300F 1 hour. Mean while boil a pan of potatoes I like half potatoes half celeriac easier to digest. Mash them with lots of butter leave to cool. Heat a medium frying pan with butter add the sliced leeks & cook till golden, set aside. When the meat base is ready spoon into a casserole dish which will take it all, then top with the mash, then layer over the buttery leeks, & finally a scattering of cheese. Place in a moderate oven 350f till cheese is melted & the whole dish is hot through. 

A further variation for vegetarians, omit meats & fry some cubed aubergine add to the other vegetables, you could also add a tin of chopped tomatoes or cooked lentils, substitute the stock for vegetable & follow the recipe as above.

Birthdays are to be celebrated, and yesterday I was lucky enough to be thoroughly spoilt. We stayed at one of my favourite hotels www.chateaudesanse.com near to St Emilion. We know the restaurant manager Jennie who is a sweetheart & really looked after us. We dined in the restaurant I choose the Maigret de Canard (duck breast) which was just to die for, with a lovely ginger & lime sauce, washed down with a local Bordeaux red wine which is exclusive to the hotel purchased from a nearby vineyard Juillac. To follow a chocolate fondant with amaretto ice cream. I am one very happy girl.

On days when I am really busy & time is against me, & I need a quick fix lunch I throw together a Pizza.A quick look in the fridge & I found salami, mozzarella, red pepper, tomatoes, anchovies, & parmesan cheese. A casual assembly of these ingredients on a ready made Pizza base, then place in a  moderate oven about 350 F cook for 20-25 minutes.It was a very yummy combination, the down side was I realized my fridges needed sorting out & 2 hours later 3 sparkling clean fridge freezers.

Its the most beautiful autumn morning the sun is continue to shine here at Chateau Perroterie, it makes me wonder if this Indian summer is ever going to end. Just in case we do have a sudden dip in temperature I am cultivating my delicate herbs, just a touch of ground frost & they are finished. All my herbs are in the ground as they grow so much better & of course I need a huge quantity, if your's are in pots great, just keep a watch & if frost is forecast bring them in doors. All I do is cut the herb to near the ground pull the leaves off if the stems are a bit tough otherwise include them, throw a large bunch into a food processor chop till fine then trickle some olive oil (not the good stuff) until it forms a paste. I line a baking tray with parchment paper & place a heaped teaspoon onto the paper, usually a spoonful is the equivalent of a stock cube measure. Then I pop the tray into the freezer for a few hours. I use Zip bags, label them, then I have a few weeks supple of frozen herbs. The good news is they are as flavoursome as if you had just picked it from the garden. I also did Tarragon, Parsley & Basil. Now my freezer is an exotic space full of tasty seasoning for the winter months. A tip I always add the frozen nugget straight into the pan or casserole no need to defrost because it does that pretty quickly on its own especially when you add it to a hot liquid. A golden rule with adding seasoning's whether they are fresh, frozen or dry, TASTE BEFORE YOU ADD ANY FORM OF FLAVOURING. You can adjust the flavour gradually but if you add too much its very difficult to correct. I hope you enjoy your frozen herbs if you choose to do the above. Love Angel Blogger.