Starter – Page 34 – Myfrenchkitchen

A beautifully set table makes all the difference to a meal. Our good friends are leaving for Australia to visit their children for Christmas and we shared a lovely lunch this past weekend at their beautiful home in the French country side…saying our thanks for this year, our goodbyes as well as just sharing good home cooked food.

I present to you her gorgeous table.

A cocktail was made by another friend, Carol, perfect to start our afternoon off with….Tequila sunrise: Mix about 3 parts of orange juice to 1 part of Tequila. Slowly pour in some grenadine to have it sink to the bottom and serve with a slice of lime or lemon, or dip the glass rim in lime and sugar.

The demand was high for comfort food, so that was the menu for this sunny winter’s afternoon. Starting off with the Tequila sunrise got us into the mood to continue with a goat’s cheese amuse bouche in Joanna’s pretty rose coloured glasses.

Take some soft goats’ cheese, and roll into balls. Keep refrigerated until needed. Finely chop some black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, basil leaves. Add some olive oil, syrupy balsamic vinegar, a dash of lemon juice and some grated lemon rind. Mix it all together. Place a spoonful of olive mixture in a pretty glass, top with a goats’ cheese ball and finish off with a sprinkling of the olive mixture, a drizzle of olive oil and a small basil leaf. No quantities are given…taste as you go along and add or leave out as your taste-buds dictate. Adapted from a recipe of Sharon.

Then we followed up with a carrot and pineapple soup, lingered over heartwarming, old fashioned shepherd’s pie, creamed spinach and roasted parsnips with rosemary and maple syrup. A great wine and enthusiastic conversation brought us to dessert; steamed ginger pudding and a pumpkin flummery with rich, voluptuous home made custard.

The end of a memorable afternoon; a fire crackling in the fireplace, music softly sounding up in the background, the sun playing frivolously on the glassware, the intermingling of voices and laughter – like J.R.R Tolkien said: “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.“

Recently, our youngest has also left home leaving only the two of us for dinner. But I still make too much food. And I still buy too much food. In my fridge is a butternut, far too big for two people. We have had roasted butternut, risotto with butternut, butternut soup…and I still have butternut left. I’ve pushed it right to the back in the fridge. I don’t want to see it. At least for a while.

Butternut soup with orange.

1 Tablespoon of organic coconut oil
About 500 g of butternut, peeled and cubed
1 big shallot
750 ml of vegetable broth, organic
350 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
grated rind or one orange
bouquet garni(parsley stems, thyme, bay leaves wrapped and tied in green part of leek)
salt and pepper

Sauté the shallot in the coconut oil until tranclucent.
Add the butternut and sauté for a few minutes more.
Add the hot vegetable broth, the bouquet garni and the grated orange rind and let simmer gently for 30 minutes or until the butternut is very soft. Remove from the heat and remove the bouquet garni.
Puree with a handmixer until smooth. Place back on the heat and add the orange juice. Bring the soup to a simmer and season to taste. If you have some undesired orange pulp in your soup, you can mix it again to a smooth consistency.
Decorate with some orange slices or a swirl of cream.
Serve warm with a hearty wholewheat bread.

Serves 4 as a main meal