HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year

Just back from a fantastic 2 weeks in the UK, visiting friends & experiencing 3 different Christmas celebrations, necessitating in much eating, drinking & enjoyment. John & I have brought back a few kilos & I don't mean luggage, so Wednesday is the start of less excess & lots of healthy resolutions!

New Year's Eve brings with it a time of reflection, making me feel a touch nostalgic & appreciation for all that we have had & what is yet to come. We send our best wishes to all our clients old & new & a very happy, peaceful 2013.

THE DELIGHTS OF LILLE

On our way back from UK we stayed in the beautiful city of Lille in northern France  the shops are to die for, perfect for indulgence even if it was just post Christmas. After a busy morning shopping there is nothing nicer than to restore one's energy with a delicious lunch. We discovered the famous Aux Moules restaurant, you cannot book, you have to queue, we waited 20 minutes but wow it was worth it.  John choose Moules mariniere, I decided to go for the parsley, cream, garlic version. Just thinking about it brings back juicy memories, with chunks of baguette to soak up the juices. 

This is the easiest dish to make & deceptively filling. Simply Sauté a sliced shallot in butter, add as much diced garlic as you like. Add a glass of white wine, bring to a gentle boil, toss in 1 kilo of cleaned & de-bearded mussels, toss in the juices, lid on reduce the heat a touch, then about 4-5 minutes later check to see if all the mussels have opened, if necessary allow another minute. Any mussels which remain closed, discard. Pour in fresh cream to enrich the juices. Spoon into 2 bowls, sprinkle over chopped parsley for colour & texture, serve with lots of bread, cold beer & french fries, Or as in our photo serve in cooking pot which restaurants tend to serve to the table. A little tip - it's fun to eat the Moules with an empty mussel shell, simply use the two sides as pincers, then pull the mussels from the shell.

CHRISTMAS STARTER

Christmas is fast approaching and I'm sure everyone's wondering what special things they can come up with, with perhaps a touch of difference, something easy, can be prepared in advance & just needs a bit of time in the oven, hopefully I have come up with just the thing. I tried this out yesterday, I was looking in my fridge for inspiration and as always found some lovely tit bits, the remnants of some delicious pate de foie Gras needed to be finished. our chickens despite all the rain we have been having lately are laying their mandatory 6 eggs, so as I hatched a plan (excuse the pun), why not make a foie Gras brûlée. Sophisticated  but light the perfect starter. So sleeves rolled up I began creating a surprisingly tasty little dish.
I blended the pâté, which by the way could be any type of smooth pâté you wished even vegetarian. I mixed in my small blender 300g of pâté with 120ml of heavy cream, your looking for a smooth consistency. Bring 240 ml of heavy cream slowly to a boil, when a bubble pops the surface it's ready. Whisk 2 egg yolks in a bowl add a good pinch of chilli powder, dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, season with salt & pepper. Then add a little of the hot cream whisking all the while, slowly adding all of the hot liquid, or it may curdle, although its never been my experience. Pour into a jug (easier to fill pots), then fill the 6 ramekins. Place them in a roasting tin, & fill to half way up the sides of the pots with hot water. Pop into an oven 325°f after 20 minutes check, if their is a tremble then it's ready, otherwise allow another 5 minutes or so. Lift the roasting tin out of the oven, I leave the pots in the water for another 5 minutes, then remove to slightly cool.
Just before serving sprinkle brown sugar on top & caramelise under the grill or with a chefs blowtorch, serve slightly warm with toasted nut or fig bread. Eh voilà the perfect starter.