Meat – Myfrenchkitchen

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

I initially thought I would post a recipe for “du vin chaud” (mulkled wine), to celebrate the last of my fall colour posts. But then I “fell” upon this recipe..red cabbage..beetroot…apples…pork fillet..and it won me over. So here I give you the voluptuous, dark reds of beetroot and purple cooked cabbage, lazy late-fall plums instead of apples and a juicy, tender pork fillet.

Une pincée de fleur de sel:

I used late season red plums, but use apples if you prefer.
Use cider vinegar instead of red wine vinegar if you use apples.
Add a handful of dry Gobi berries.
Avoid cooking the cabbage to death… remove from the heat when it still has a bite, because it continues cooking, reaching the perfect stage while standing a bit.
Also good with veal.
If you are vegetarian, the pork can be replaced by large roasted or stuffed mushrooms, or fish fillets.
Can also accompany a frittata or boiled eggs.

Recipe adapted from “Filet mignon de porc, chou poêlé; des recettes pour reçevoir; le grand livre Hachette.”

Yesterday was Beaujolais Thursday, the day when new Beaujolais and le vin primeur of the season are sold worldwide. It is tradition in our house to have a meal somewhere with a glass of Beaujolais. It is a day I always look forward to and this year was no different. It is also the last post of my autumn color inspiration and I can’t think of a better way to end it than to toast the wine reds of nature with a young Beaujolais 2012..

..Tchin tchin..!