Meat – Myfrenchkitchen

Et voilà! Le plat principal ( the main dish)! Beef tournedos with bone marrow and steamed vegetable parcels. The beef is local, from our Limousin department and couldn’t be more tender..it is cut from the filet and enjoyed with the marrow served on top, sprinkled withmy favorite fleur de sel..wonderful…I am a hypocrite, I can’t be a vegetarian! The sauce is made from a shallot, red wine, a few drops of balsamic vinegar and a few cubes of ice cold butter, whisked into the reduced wine sauce. If you have never made a simple red wine sauce like this, you are missing out on a succulent slice of life!

Une pincée de fleur de sel:

Tournedos cut from beef filet is the most tender pieces and need quick cooking.
Order of preparation to serve your tournedos/ 1. Prepare the vegetable parcels. 2. Bard the tournedos. 3.Cut the shallots for the sauce. 4.Cook the marrow. 5.Cook the meat. 6.Cook the vegetables. 7.Reduce the sauce. 8.Serve.
The cooking foil can withstand temperatures of up to 220degr. C.
The marrow can be removed from the whole bone beforehand and poached in stock for 3-5 minutes, instead of frying in a pan.
Replace 1 cup of wine with 1 cup veal stock for a lighter sauce.
Instead of cooking the vegetable parcels in the microwave, it can be baked in the oven at 180 degr. C for about 15 minutes.
Choose other vegetables, but keep to a maximum of three.
You can find professional cooking foil here and a demo on one way to use it.
Have fun!

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Our Christmas this year is once again in the barn with dry mossed branches from the woods, stuck in a pot, assisted with rocks and stones from the “building site” ( the house area)..pampilles from Marinell’s wedding, rusted keys, and last but not least..our little owls. I am also somewhat off faerie lights and went for tiny lanterns instead, burning with a tealight every evening till late night. It sort of replaced our candle we usually burn for December in memory of everybody we love.

Isn’t it great to just for once in a year let the child in us loose, whichever way you choose it…? I hope by now your tree is up, how simple or elaborate..I hope you have a tiny something with a bow under your tree for someone else…I hope you have a candle burning…I hope you have love for someone around you, and I hope your heart is filled with hope..

Tomorrow we will end our menu with an apple turret for dessert with a touch of amaretto..I just love dessert! One should enjoy dessert, small quantity, but it resounds off a meal beautifully..I can’t wait for tomorrow..why? Because I get to eat the dessert after I photographed it, of course!
I have to pass on another good French film; if you think you would like the previous ones I advised, you would like this too _ I am a sucker for vintage French films...La tranchée des espoirs.

à demain mes chers amis

Ronelle

It is a crazy time, the end of the year. Whether winter or summer, it is Christmas, gifts, parties, holidays, celebrations…and food. thank goodness it only happens once a year. I have decided to propose a menu over the following 5 days. A series of posts covering “Un Noël à la campagne“. (And non, it is NOT our Christmas menu.) I’ve chosen light food, a little bit more creamy, warm, cold, great French cheese and a showstopper dessert. But don’t fret. Most of the dishes can be made ahead of time and others without fuss or long processes. I hope it inspires you to play around with ideas of your own. The secret to a Christmas dinner is always… keep it simple and small and DON’T WASTE!

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..Apéritif :

..marinated herring and litchi cups and foie gras and mango bites..

..recette..

Pincée de fleur de sel:

Use any other fish you prefer, even tartare de poisson(raw fish).
Cut the litchis on the opposite sides of the stem to make for pretty “lids”.
Use small kiwis instead of litchis and crab meat instead of fish.
Eat with small demitasse spoons.
Keep in fridge until served.
Use ham or other preferred cold meat instead of foie gras.
When using cold beef, add some mustard between the layers.
Use other firm slices of fruit in season instead of mango.
Work on five helpings of each per person to leave room for the rest of the dinner to follow.

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Noël window displays in Paris:

On a cold evening last week in Paris, I grabbed mon chéri and my camera at 23:00 to go snap some images of Lafayette and Printemps, famous for their Noël window displays. Here are somze images and just for that child in you, click on the following images to see the displays in action.. These displays always make me giggle with pleasure!

..vitrine Luis Vuiton..

..ball..Dior- Printemps..

..Dior – Printemps..

..my favorite vitrine!..ice skating – Printemps..it reminds me of myself..on the ice, wrong way up and wondering how to camouflage my embarrassment in the most elegant way!

..at the ball – Printemps..

..la Fayette house..

..table exhibits;.

..Lafayette house vitrine

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The menu will continue tomorrow with the amuse bouche: Two salmon and avocado terrine.
A nice French film for December – Tous les matins du monde with Gèrard Dépardieu ane Anne Brochet. It won the Louis Delluc prize for best film and the César for best music in 1992.
Some links of the window displays:

à demain

Ronelle

Myfrenchkitchen

Category: Meat

Un Noël à la campagne 4: Beef tournedos with bone marrow and steamed vegetable parcels.

Un noël à la campagne 1: Marinated herring and litchi cups, and foie gras with mango toasts.

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