snowy scene

citrus spritzer

January at la Perroterie, & the weather has been interesting, to date we have had sunshine, blue skies, torrential rain, snow, gales, I think that about covers it. So not a typical January!

We have been inundated with enquiries, for 2013/2014, we are delighted with the response to our websites. It looks like we are going to have an amazing season, lots of fun in the sun, drinking by the pools, & cooking on the BBQ. Oh nearly forgot singing & dancing around our fire pit.

In my kitchen, I have been playing with my new gadgets I got for Christmas. I have a thing about all things kitchenallia! Secret Santa gave me a really clever citrus fruit atomiser, perfect for lemons, limes, & oranges, it's so simple, I just gently twist the plastic corkscrew end (sorry about terminology). The top is a spray, it gives a tangy zingy taste to salads, refreshes vodka cocktails, martinis.

spoon rest

multi veg peeler

 My second gadget is a very simple plastic heatproof clasp which pinches to the side of pans & your spoon or spatula clips on & it's just there ready for stirring - love it! The third present is a clear plastic disc with 3 different peelers, potato blade, zester blade for lemons, oranges etc, & third is a julienne blade, perfect for root vegetables especially carrots, so pretty on salads. Now I just need more kitchen drawers to fit them all in.

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.

ANTI VIRAL SOUP

I wish you could smell the aroma in my kitchen! I decided that it was time to make a really tasty soup which was high in vitamin C & anti viral, therefore immune boosting! If you can protect your immune system sooner rather than later with pro-biotic ingredients, you will have invested wisely. The holiday season will soon be upon us.  this can be both a fun & stressful period, Nothing affects your body harder than stress! So here is a little medicinal soup, I have created. I prescribe that the ideal dose is one large bowl to be taken once a week, & just what the doctor ordered, also it freezes beautifully. 

Take 2 large cloves of garlic, cut horizontally, place in a roasting tin that you can also put on the cooker hob. I large onion cut roughly, I large potato cut into small chunks. Pour over a good glug of sunflower oil, salt pepper, give a good stir. Cover tightly with foil. Then place in a hot roasting oven 400c for 30 minute. Take out the oven & remove the garlic halves, leave to cool. Add a 1/3 cup (125ml) water stir, recover with the foil, then place back in the hot oven for another 20 minutes, the idea is to get the vegetables really golden brown. Remove from the oven, place on the hob over a gentle heat, stir scrapping any brown bits on the bottom, add the squeezed out soft pieces of roasted garlic, add a 1/3 cup dry sherry, let it come to a bubble, then add 1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock, again bring to gentle boil, adjust seasoning. Put it into a blender till smooth. For a perfectly smooth soup pass through a Chinese sieve. I sprinkled over chopped parsley This soup will freeze well. 

Garlic has many healing properties. Anti fungal, anti viral, anti bacterial, helps prevent heart disease, purifies the blood, helps reduce high blood pressure, in other words a good all rounder. It's part of the Allium family which onion is also closely related. Garlic when cooked in the oven has a softer taste & is easily digested, the good news is your breath is less likely to be offensive as the cooking mellows the over powering garlic odour. PARSLEY is medicinal too, containing vitamin A & C. So you can see the wonders of this soup, not only delicious to eat but a foe in warding off winter colds & flu. 

BREAKFAST DELIGHT

It's not often that I have the time to indulge in a special breakfast, let alone a breakfast which is so naughty but nice! This morning however I woke with a real craving for American style pancakes, crispy bacon & lashings of maple syrup. So I headed off for the kitchen to create this plate of delight.

Ingredients

30 gram(s) unsalted butter melted.

225 gram(s) plain flour

2 teaspoon(s) baking powder (heaped)

1 teaspoon(s) white sugar

300 ml full fat milk

2 medium egg(s)

10 rasher(s) streaky bacon (or approx. 100g wafer-thin-cut pancetta)

2 teaspoon(s) vegetable oil (for frying)

I started by putting all my dry ingredients into a large bowl, I put the remaining ingredients into a large pyrex jug, whisked them together till smooth, then slowly adding them to the dry, whisking between additions, the batter should be thick, it is also possible by the way, to throw all the ingredients into a blender pulse till smooth. I like to rest the batter for an hour ( if you can wait that long ). Use a large frying pan add a little vegetable oil & wait till its hot, then add as many spoonfuls as your pan will allow, don't over crowd though! I can usually fit 5 in my large pan.When you see little bubbles across the surface of the scone it's time to flip them over. Meanwhile cook the rashers of bacon & keep warm. I like to make a stack of 4, top with 2-3 rashers & of course lashings of maple syrup.

These scones freeze really well, so you can always have a stash in the freezer to enjoy anytime.

This was undoubtedly a treat & probably one I won't repeat too often due to calories & cholesterol content, but once in awhile it feels great to have a splurge & simply cook what you really fancy. I recommend giving them a try maybe next weekend.

SEASONS END!

END OF OUR 2012 SEASON!

Our season for 2012 has ended & John & I are looking forward to a well earned break. We went to Bordeaux for the weekend to charge our batteries up, & despite the torrential rain it did not disappoint. Now we are back & focused on winterizing the property which is no mean feat! usually it takes 2-3 weeks then we can relax & think about next year. We are extremely encouraged with the many bookings already for 2013, & we have 3 bookings for 2014, amazing!

I have asked my clients what exactly it is they like about Chateau Perroterie, & apart from the peace & tranquillity  it's the food, so I will be posting interesting foodie recipes etc for your consumption, I would love any feedback you may have, as this will help with the contents of each Blog.

Just a final note, we would like to thank all of our 2012 guests for their business, & their repeat bookings. We are very grateful for the many compliments & suggestions, we hope you will think of Chateau Perroterie with fondness & remember the happy times.