seafood – Myfrenchkitchen

I love mussels and mu favorite is “moules mariniéres”, mussels in wine and cream. It is so quick to make and so delicious, we eat it often. The best time to eat mussels is from july to january. These mussels are from la baie du Mont-St-Michel. I dont give exact quantities, taste and add as you go along.

Moules mariniéres(mussels with white wine and cream)

Recipe:

About 1kg mussels
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
knob of butter
olive oil
1 lemon for zest and juice
glass of dry white wine
cream to taste
salt and pepper
fresh dill chopped

Put the mussels in a large bowl with water and salt and leave for 5 minutes. Wash and rinse under cold water, pull out the beard and discard any open and broken mussels.
Chop the onion and garlic and add to a big casserole.
Add olive oil and a knob of butter, and sauté the onions and garlic until translucent.
Add the glass of wine and some freshly squeezed lemon juice to the onions and leave to cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the mussles, cover with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes or until the mussels have all opened up completely.
Add the cream, turn off the heat and scatter the chopped dill and lemon zest over the mussels.
Season and serve the mussels immedately with bread to mop up the juices and a glass of white wine.

Serves 4

Pinch of salt:

The saltwater before rinsing helps to remove sand from the mussels.
Discard all broken mussels and those that are already open.
Dont cook the mussels too log to avoid them being tough and rubbery. Check on them, it takes only 3-5minutes.
Replace the dill with fresh parsley.

Baguette for the delicious cream sauce

Scatter with freshly chopped dill

Mopping the sauce with some fresh, crusty baguette.

Tomato velouté is my most favorite soup. Since childhood I loved my mother’s creamed tomato soup. In summer it is gazpacho and in winter a velvety soup.

The recipe is so easy…I can only say what I used and then it is up to your own taste. Taste and taste and taste again. Unlike for a summer gazpacho, I don’t use fresh tomatoes for the soup. They are bland and tasteless. I use good quality Italian canned tomatoes which make a rich flavorful soup. It would be perfect if you have bottled your own tomatoes in summer.

La recette:

A large can of tomatoes make about 2 to 3 large helping(2 of those helpings are mine…). Add to a saucepan with a bouquet garni, the juice and grated zest of 1 orange, 1 TBSP of sherry(Jerez) vinegar and 2 cubes of sugar. Rinse the can with 1 cup of vegetable stock and add to the soup.
Simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes.
Leave to cool a little and mix with a hand blender to a creamy soup.
Remove the bouquet garni and adjust the seasoning…orange juice, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Fry some scallops only on one side and season with salt and pepper. Remove and keep aside. Deglaze the pan with some freshly squeezed orange juice .
Serve the soup in warmed soup plates. Place a scallop, cut in half in the soup and drizzle the juice from the pan over the scallops.
Decorate with a slice of orange and serve immediately.

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A visit from Jack Frost.

Mr Jack Frost showed up this morning. Totally unexpected. He just showed up without any call beforehand, without any warning. I actually find that a bit rude, just showing up like that at someone’s door and at a very indecent hour in the morning at that! But there he was in all his glory when I opened the door this morning. I couldn’t control the shiver that ran instantly through my body. We expected him, but I so hoped he would skip his visit to us this year. Alas…

A very interesting character he is, this Jack Frost. Definitely not someone to take on without gloves. But speak of handsome! He has a disarming charm that cannot be missed, even if he’s rather cold and sometimes somewhat foggy and distant. Definitely not a boring character. But as handsome and charming as he is, he has a slippery side that I just don’t trust. I always feel unsure of my step around him. I have lost my balance around him before which resulted in me seeing my own butt and bright stars all at the same time. I’ve learnt my lesson since…don’t be fooled by the charisma of Mr Jack Frost!

I sighed heavily on the sight of Jack Frost in front of me, just outside my barn door. Bof OK, he’s here, what else could I do but accept his arrival…after all, we are known for our hospitality here at Coin Perdu! So I decided to make the best of it. I dug into my linen closet for extra warm linens and blankets and duvets, all the time thanking the good Lord that this guest only shows up once a year and immensely grateful that he doesn’t stay the whole year. Now that would be unbearable!

I wondered how long Mr Frost would stay this time? I didn’t dare ask for fear I wouldn’t like the answer. In any case, the sun came out and he took the road. I had no idea where he had gone off to or when we would see him again. He is like that, this Mr Frost…always takes off somewhere when the sun shines and returns in the early hours the next morning. Oh well, he’s here now for some time. I might as well accept it and make the most of it. I think I’ll go make a tomato soup for tonight. Mr Jack Frost will be cold when he gets in. Tomato soup will make him happy