Quark deliciousness

Sitting on the couch doing my French devoirs while enjoying a snack of dense German bread with Belgian speculaaspasta and a cup of Dutch anijsmelk after a delicious four-day Thanksgiving long weekend. R and I stayed in the city, making several daytrips to escape the hustle and bustle and take in the mildest autumn weather I've ever experienced in the Northeast. With no particular plans, we ended up in:


- Hoboken, NJ for a view of the NYC skyline and the Empire State Building lit up in Thanksgiving colors. After watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, R and I walked downtown to catch a ferry over to Hoboken, a cute little city directly across the Hudson. It has an open waterfront area with public and green spaces, tall residential buildings, and the beautifully renovated Lakawanna train station which also has the NJ Path to WTC.

Two blocks away from Hoboken's waterfront is Washington Street, a cute residential/downtown area with brownstones and shops, including an authentic German bakery. The proprietors are a German/Armenian couple from Cologne who live right above their bakery and have clearly have found their calling. Breads, pretzels, pastries—they do it all with love. Though I'm not a fan of dense German bread (being a fan of lighter French bread), I love bread that is baked with care and love.

If you're in Hoboken, stop by for a chat with the friendly owners and order the puff pastry with raspberry and quark, a light and creamy cheese that reminds me of French fromage frais. The owner/baker says everything (except for the beverages) are imported from Germany. I'm not an expert on German pastries but I thoroughly enjoyed biting into the flaky exterior that yielded into a creamy raspberry center. Perfectly tart and creamy and not too sweet. This place is a true gem which I plan on revisiting soon.

- The upper Bronx where there's a long stretch of paved cycling paths. R says there's about 60 miles up there and we may return next spring for some long rides.

- Cold Spring, NY for a hike and a bit of fresh air. For the past few months I've been starving for a bit of nature, wide open space, and quiet. Cold Spring was definitely the answer....the train ride there via Metro-North Railroad was an easy 70 minutes from Grand Central Station. We sat on the left side and had nice views of the Hudson and the mountains surrounding it. It reminded me a little bit of the countryside in France, but the Hudson highlands are much smaller than the mountain ranges in Rhone-Alpes.

The hike was listed as strenuous because of a steep 10 minute climb at the beginning. The rest of the hike was nice with long views of the Hudson and the small towns dotting both sides of it.

Being in Cold Spring made me more nostalgic and homesick for France and our simple life there. Tomorrow will mark 6 months since my move back to the States. Not a day passes by that I don't think of the amazing year R and I spent together and everything I learned on our adventures. When I daydream, I often think fondly of our house, the mountains, and the people (and animals) I came to know and love in la campagne. I count the days until our visit in February when I can see them again!

More on foraging and mushrooms

This Saturday I'm heading to the Bronx with the NYMS to do some foraging.

This is a placeholder blog for photos and stories from that day.

To tide you over, here are some foraging and mushroom porn links!

On FB: Foragers Unite!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/magazine/26lives-t.html
http://foragingpictures.com/
http://www.avachin.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/magazine/26lives-t.html

http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/urban-forager/

On baking bread

Recently I started making bread again. With the cooler temperatures we've been experiencing in NY, it's bearable now to use the oven and what's better than a fresh baked bread you made yourself?

Although NYC may have great places to eat, it's not easy to find good French bread. You know, the kind that uses only water, salt, yeast and flour and has a thick crust that crackles when you bite into it.  Something with a bit of chewiness, and that just tastes damn good.

Cannelle Patisserie has some nice looking loaves, and I'm sure Epicerie Boulud, Bouchon, Sullivan Street Bakery have good breads too, but most places have appallingly bad bread that has too many additives. Not only is there lack of crunch, but the whole thing is pasty white and stays moist for way too long (i.e. there are preservatives, or it's high in fat which helps keep it "fresher" longer). Surprisingly I found a pretty ok baguette at Fairway Market on the Upper East Side. Fairway also has a pretty nice cheese selection just like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Unfortunately the only NYC locations are in the UWS, UES, and Red Hook, Brooklyn. I'm hoping that a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, or Fairway opens soon near Jackson Heights.

Though I haven't baked for Alice Waters like this woman who wrote about it in the Atlantic Monthly...I did find a quick and easy, No Knead recipe in Alice Waters' Book entitled "In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart". The recipe (in the book and) below is adapted from Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery. I recently made a loaf using all purpose flour, and today I started one using 100% whole wheat flour. I can't wait to try it tomorrow, after a 14 hour rising period.

No Knead Bread
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Is it October already?

Welcome to October! I've been busy the past few weeks...all good things I promise you. First after renting out my Boston apartment, I revved my job search into high gear. I looked for jobs, contacted recruiters, researched companies, updated my resume, wrote cover letters, did phone interviews, met hiring managers at onsite interviews...sometimes I even had two three-hour long interviews in one day.

It was an exhausting September. In the end I received two, almost three job offers. I'm happy to say that they are all good companies. I decided on one stellar company and I am so excited to begin the next chapter here in NYC.

Naturally (and sadly) it also means my one and a half year sabbatical is about to end. I return to work as a project manager at an interactive agency on Monday!

So what have I been doing lately besides job searching and interviewing? I spent the past few weeks recuperating from a bad cold, visiting Queens County Farm's apple festival, and foraging for mushrooms in Staten Island & Forest Park, anticipating the iPhone 5 (which turned out to be the iPhone 4S), mourning the demise of Apple's genius, diving into retail therapy (after a year of not shopping except for food), it felt nice going out to the city. I met R several times in the city to have lunch, met my friend M in the city to do some bridal shopping. M and her French fiancé are engaged to be married next July in Ile de Ré, France.

Also I started French classes at Alliance Française. I'm taking Conversation and Grammar, Niveau B1. More to come on that!

Here are two interesting articles about foraging:

Nona Brooklyn: free range chickens in the park? Yes, you bet.
One Hungry Chef: I like his theory on shopping and foraging.

Mushrooms on my mind

The seasons are changing here...there's a nip in the air in the wee hours of the morning. I've recently joined the NY Mycological Society and am back in mushroom heaven. Recently R and I went to NJ in search of mushrooms, namely the maitake, or hen of the woods mushroom. I found a big one, and at Monday's forager's meeting, a very nice woman brought big chunks of one she had harvested in Pennsylvania.

Most days whenever I'm walking, I have my eyes focused downward, and then once in a walk, high up. I'm hunting for mushrooms. I'm wild about them actually. Wouldn't you be? In these modern times when we more often than not source our food from the supermarket, it's nice to be able to find your food right at the source.

Mind you, I stay clear of eating mushrooms that I find right next to walking paths or on side walks. And of course, before I eat, I make sure to find a few specimens to bring to my local mushroom experts for identification and confirmation. And I do a spore print!

I've got mushroom mania...the colors, the smells, the patterns. I met an artist recently who does spore print art...now how cool is that?

A slideshow of some mushrooms I've found in NYC and NJ

Babar celebrates his 80th birthday

In May R and I visited the spring rummage sale at the Croix Rouge Française to say hi to our friends and fellow volunteers. This group does great work and are some of my favorite old active people. What I learned in France was that retirement doesn't mean sitting all day on your fesse!

Laying in a giant mountain of plush toys and dolls, R spotted the kingly Babar—with a gold crown atop his head, spotless bright green suit, and black shoes. Babar stood out from the rest of the other peluches there, and R bought him for us, to bring to the U.S. as a reminder of France. Earlier I had found a beautifully illustrated French version of Babar at the Christmas rummage sale, so we needed to add to our collection.

At first Babar graced us with his presence in France, and now he's sitting in NYC after having survived the transatlantic trip in R's suitcase. He wasn't any worse for the trip, and recently we were lucky enough to meet Babar's author/illustrator, Laurent de Brunhoff.

September 10, 2011—R and I were so thrilled to have met Laurent de Brunhoff and his wife Phyllis Rose at Books of Wonder in NYC. Laurent graciously signed and illustrated my copy of his latest book, Babar's Celestville Games. Phyllis Rose autographed Babar's Yoga for Elephants, a project that the de Brunhoffs worked on together. The couple took our address in France and will be sending us a paper invitation for Les histoires de Babar exhibition in Paris which is planned for later this year.  

We recently found out that our Babar is special—not only is he proportionately made and the best example of a Babar toy the de Brunhoffs have ever seen, Babar speaks and sings in French. We put some batteries into him and he recounts 5 or 6 stories and sings about 15 different songs en français. Magnifique!

Links:
The 80th Anniversary of Babar
Les histoires de Babar at the Les Arts Décoraftifs Musée in Paris

A roundup of cool edibles

There's a statistic out there that New Yorkers eat half of their meals out—whether it's at the local deli, a street vendor, food truck, or at one of the 13,000 bars and restaurants in NY.

In recent months R and I have been dining much more outside our home...first out of necessity when we were still apartment hunting, and now because there are so many temptations in our neighborhood. While NYC has many options, those in the know come to Queens which is sort of like a small version of the UN. Walking down the streets below the 7 line, there's no shortage of places to whet your appetite.

Queens is a food mecca of sorts and you don't have to empty your wallet for a delicious dining experience.

Consider Flushing Mall's Food Court. I hear it's closing at the end of this year to make way for a parking lot for the new Flushing Commons development. Before I say goodbye to this place, I'm planning on eating there as many times as possible....and try stinky tofu for the first time!

Or the Roosevelt Food Court which closed down a few years ago. What a shame we never got to try the goodies there.

Here's a quick round up of eats and culture from the past few weeks.

Xi'an Famous Foods

81 St Marks Pl
(between 2nd Ave & 1st Ave)
New York, NY 10003
Neighborhood: East Village

(212) 786-2068

If this place is good enough for Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmerman, then it was certainly good enough for me to try. I brought my Chinese friend M for company. We each ordered a stewed pork bun ($2.50 each); she was prudent and ordered a cold buckwheat noodle dish ($5.00) while I tempted fate with a spicy chewy noodle dish called Concubine's Chicken Hand-Ripped Noodles ($6.00).

Verdict: Xi'an, home to one of China's most amazing treasures, the terracotta warriors, is also known for its yummy spicy cuisine. The spicy chewy noodle has a great texture and is very different than the hand-pulled noodles from Lan Zhou. M and I only scratched the surface of this little resto's offerings. Next time I promise to sample the lamb buns and other not so spicy noodles.

Martha's Country Bakery
70-30 Austin St

Forest Hills, NY 11375
Neighborhood: Forest Hills

(718) 544-0088

Verdict: "A balanced diet is holding a cookie in each hand"......a sign seen at Martha's Country Bakery. R and I visited it for the second time in as many years. This time we had just finished dinner so we only wanted a small nibble and settled on a smallish cherry tart for $3.95 + tax. The results: a flaky but not overly buttery crust, a great cherry not too sweet fruit filling, none of that canned mess. A bit on the expensive side compared to the delicious fruit tarts in my small town in France but I wanted to do a tasting. Besides Martha's, Forest Hill is home to a few other places I'd love to try next: World of Cheese and Homefront.
 
Udon West
150 E 46th St

(between Lexington Ave & 3rd Ave)
New York, NY 10017
Neighborhood: Midtown East

(212) 922-9677

Verdict: Situated across the street from the Grand Central branch of the NY Public Library, it's a small unassuming place except for the large signs outside which enticed me inside to try their little Japanese tapas dishes. A bit cold that day, I had my mind on a big bowl of hot udon soup to warm me up. First, I love the vibe of this place...the entire crew shouts a welcome whenever anyone enters, then you're seated and served a hot cup of green tea right away. I ordered chicken teriyaki which came with jasmine rice, a salad, and miso soup. The chicken was moist, juicy, with the right ratio of salty and sweet. The salad was fine but the miso was delicious! It was clear they don't make miso from a bag, or a can...it tasted fresh, deep, and briny.

Cool edible NYC, Queens-style

In the few months that I've been here, I've found so many cool new places to try in the greater NYC area. We all know that NYC has always been cool (loud, dirty, but cool). And in recent years Brooklyn has become super cool. But what about Queens?

I'm a fan of Edible, a publication about local, sustainable food. This week I found out that there's an Edible Queens!

A new season in NY

Bonjour septembre! With all the moving, settling in, and frequent trips from NYC to Boston, this summer slipped by too fast. Then it was the Labor Day long weekend. Before summer escaped us, R and I decided to visit Luna Park, a new amusement park situated right along the beach in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

If you're in Manhattan or Brooklyn, and itching to get out of the city, it's a nice ride on the F train to Coney Island. From Queens or beyond, be prepared for a lengthy subway ride. Despite the distance it was worth the trip, if only for people watching, walking through the flea market next door, or watching riders on The Slingshot get shot up in the air. Imagine a reverse bungee cord ride. No thank you!

What will I remember from my first trip to Coney Island? Luna Park with its amusement rides and many games and fried food stalls, typical of any amusement park you might visit in the U.S. Anticipating unhealthy options and succumbing to fried stuff at Luna Park, we actually ate in Koreatown before hopping on the F train. However I secretly wondered what a deep fried Oreo would taste like.

There on Coney Island we said goodbye to summer by taking a walk on the boardwalk and pier where locals were throwing in lines. I saw bait and lines, but no actual fish being caught.

I'll miss summer but autumn is one of my favorite seasons anyway. Besides fall fashion, I like smelling the crispness in the air, the leaf peeping, and the mushrooming! With the rains this past summer, most notably from Hurricane Irene and then Tropical Storm Lee, I predict a good crop of mushrooms this month. Even in a city as large, sprawling and dense as NYC, mushrooms are growing for those who know where to look. If only I could predict where to find them...

A hike up Le Parmelan

Back on May 18, yes that was nearly 3 months ago, R and I spent a spectacular day hiking up Le Parmelan, near Annecy in the Haute-Savoie. From a distance it's easy to pick out Le Parmelan from the other mountains in the area—it is massive and cliff-like. You can see its gray rock face for miles and miles away.

The summit, or la tete, of the Parmelan is 1,832m, which is over 6,000 ft. We parked at the lot near Le Petite Montoir path which we decided to take up—it's longer but not as steep as Le Grand Montoir. In total we ascended 660m which is about 2,165 ft! On a clear day the panorama from the top is impressive. Lucky for us, R and I picked a clear day with steel blue skies.

On the way down, we decided to take Le Grand Montoir—faster and much much steeper. For someone who's afraid of heights, I did pretty well, thank you very much. I also thank Le Parmelan's caretakers who put up some chains and handrails so hikers have something to hold onto to as you make your way down the steep steps and narrow ledges. Oh, we also had to climb over a few huge fallen trees that blocked the path down. In the end it was 100% worth it for the 360 degree views of the Alps, Lac Annecy, and even Mont Blanc!

The Parmelan is classified as difficile but I found it much harder to descend than to ascend. Both R and I were happy to reach the parking lot and even happier when we got home and took a nice long shower. Despite being completely sore for two days afterwards, our randonnée up Le Parmelan was easily one of my favorite days in France. Have you seen anything more ridiculously beautiful?

A walk in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland

Before heading back to the States, R and I did a few hikes near our house and some day trips in France and Switzerland.

In late May, we made a trip to the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. On the way back we took the Jaun Pass home. It was a gorgeous day and knowing that R and I would be back in the US before we knew it, I fully appreciated all the beauty before us. I wanted to capture everything with my lens, but in the end I opted to take it all in. But you know me, I did manage to snap a few to help us remember our trip!

My NYC kitchen and pantry

I don't know about you, but it's definitely hot enough for me this summer. Last year we didn't need air conditioning because mountains and trees cooled us. Here in the city, even with the plethora of trees in Jackson Heights, the heat and humidity have been stifling.

When the heat's on, I usually don't feel like turning on the stove, and absolutely not the oven! Do you feel the same way? But recently I started stocking my pantry and added essentials like good sea salt, light soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, distilled vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, vegetable oil, and fish sauce. And for any good pantry, you must have garlic, shallots, onions, lemons, limes, cilantro, scallions, couscous, and jasmine rice. And oatmeal and prunes too. Not to mention butter.

With this and all the good stuff I picked up at this weekend's farmer's market, I've started cooking in my small NYC kitchen and I can't stop! A quarter the size of my French kitchen, it's much smaller and the layout is not great but it'll do for now. There's a full size fridge, stove with microwave on top, and a half size dishwasher. I lament the fact that there's not enough storage or counter space. And no disposal but that's ok. I'm collecting fruit and vegetable scraps for composting which I can donate on Sundays to the farmer's market. Even though I'm back in the States I still would like to hold on to several things I started doing while in France like composting, living simply and as close to nature as possible.

At the farmer's market, I was enticed by the many offerings. Without any recipes in mind, I picked what was visually pleasing. Vivid yellow summer squash, bright red onions, tiny MacIntosh and green pears, and some cucumbers. We couldn't pass the Red Jacket Orchards stall without taking home their delicious all natural rhubarb juice and plum stomp made in Geneva, NY.  On our way out, we stopped to purchase Ronnybrook Farms' all natural yogurt drinks and a bottle of milk. Buying the milk in a glass bottle reminds me of the times R and I bought fresh fromage blanc, bleu de Gex, crème fraîche, and raw milk from our local fromagerie. If you bring back your bottle, you get your bottle deposit back. We still have our milk bottles in my kitchen in France, which means we have to visit le fromagerie when we next visit!

With my bounty, I've made lots of salads and eaten a mostly vegetarian menu this week including an easy salad of cucumbers, red onions, and tomatoes. I dressed it with some extra virgin olive oil, pink salt, a little twist of pepper, and lemon rinds, left over from making strawberry lemonade. For R, I made a no-mayo potato salad using baby red potatoes dressed with a vinaigrette with herbs de Provence, olive oil, a drop or two of distilled vinegar, and two big heaping tablespoons of whole grain French mustard. I also braised some romaine lettuce with garlic, shallots, and the leafy greens from the farmer's market red onions. I used the yellow summer squash in a quick ratatouille cooked in my favorite pot, a 5.5 quart cherry red Le Crueset which my sister gave me one year for Christmas.

To beat the heat and humidity, I pureed the remaining strawberries in a blender, tossed in a bit of sugar, and then added some rhubarb/apple juice. Then I poured this mixture (seeds and all) into some popsicle molds. Voila! Six hours later, R and I enjoyed our strawberry/rhubarb pops! Sweet, tart, and cold enough to cool us down in this city heat.

Transplanted in new soil

Today someone I met recently asked for a link to my blog and I happily shared it with the knowledge that it's been a long time since my last update. I've taken a respite from writing because I've been preoccupied with moving and planting roots in new soil. Moving and setting in is a process, and moving to NYC has been both an exhilarating and exhausting process.

Since moving back to the States two months ago, R and I traded our big country house and garden in the Juras for a small 1 bedroom in the quaint neighborhood of Jackson Heights, Queens. For those of you who have visited NYC and not ventured out to Brooklyn or Queens, you are missing out!

R and I are getting to know our neighbors and the neighborhood which we chose for many reasons: its proximity to the city, the many trees that provide natural air conditioning, the farmers markets nearby, and its closeness to a certain yummy French patisserie and boulangerie. We've also noticed it's not as noisy here (relative to Manhattan and other areas in the city). There's a bit of craziness that comes with the quaint—within a 10 minute walk to Roosevelt Ave is probably the most culturally diverse part of Queens, where you can hear Hindi, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Nepalese, and much more.

Small adventures await outside our door step, no passport required! If we head in one direction, we're in Little India, where every single inch of sidewalk seems to be taken up by ancient men with long interesting facial hair selling whatever your heart may fancy. Their sidewalk tables are covered in jeweltone scarves, prayer rugs, sunglasses, plastic toys from China that squeak, move, and flash. If nothing strikes your fancy at these tables, don't worry. There is something for every impulse you may have....something for every sense. If you're a Bollywood fan, then you need to make a trip out to JH and rummage through the CDs and DVDs for rent and sale.

I'm sure one of Little India's stores and grocers will catch your attention—here you can find everything from the haut de gamme to the bas de gamme in flowing saris, head scarves to spices, Indian pickles, aromatic boxes of Indian mangoes. I've found myself returning a few times to Patel Brothers, which is an Indian supermarket chain much like Hong Kong Supermarket is for Chinese groceries or HMart is for Korean goods. 

R and I have become big fans of Indian sweets which are very close to Middle Eastern sweets which we enjoyed in France. We're (quite) fond of (mango) kulfi, a delicious ice cream treat which you can buy on most streets in Little India. So far we've tried mango, vanilla cardamom, and pistachio. More to come of Little India in upcoming pieces.

Heading north, we cross over to the Spanish speaking part of Jackson Heights. A short walk away is Elmhurst and then Flushing, home to probably the largest community of Chinese in NYC. Just this weekend, after a delicious breakfast of croissants and apricot tart at Cannelle over the Sunday New York Times, we followed the music to Northern Avenue and watched a parade celebrating Ecuadorian culture. Unbeknownst to me, I picked the right color to wear that day: yellow, for Ecuador!

Now that we've mostly settled into our new home, I have a bit more time to write and enjoy NY. And also to cook. I have an enviable number of ethnic markets to browse and shop from. I was thinking of starting a new version of my blog to capture my adventures in NYC but for now I am resting here. I hope to share more with you in the coming weeks and months! R and I are here to stay for a while, so there are many adventures ahead of us.

Boston and New York, New York

It's been about a month since I last wrote here...so much change has happened. First R and I have since moved back to the U.S. I traveled in late May, first to Boston where I have an apt, and then just this past weekend to Brooklyn where R and I are staying in a hotel temporarily until we can find a new home in either Queens or Manhattan.

Instead of the clanging of cowbells and the church bells on the hour every hour, I've heard techno music blaring at 8am on a Sunday morning. Yes...unbelievable. We're on the 7th floor of a brand new business hotel in Brooklyn so the noise is muffled a bit, except for a constant buzz from traffic and people down below. And today there is some work being done in the hotel, so I hear drilling every so often.

Anyway R has started working and I am spending my time looking for work and for an apt, as well as new tenants for my Boston home. So I'm quite busy and haven't had time to focus on writing as much as I'd like to.

The past few weeks have again flown by...and I already feel nostalgic for the countryside of France, and the gentle life we had in the mountains. But alas New York calls (sometimes too loudly) and France is only a plane ride away. Also if all works out, R and I may be living a few blocks away from the best French bakery in Queens...Cannelle Patisserie in Jackson Heights. The baker is from Bretagne (or Brittany) and has worked for Chez Henri in Cambridge, as well as the Waldorf Astoria here in NYC. Feast your eyes on these treats....

Goodbye barbecues

Countdown to Boston: 6 days left in la campagne. I can't believe how fast time is flying. Today more bricolage, packing, eating leftovers from last night's BBQ with friends, and attending a local Comice Agricole with hundreds of cows and other animals. This afternoon the horse farmer brought 3 horses, one brown and two white ones to our house. They will be eating all the grass around the house, as we won't be around to mow the lawn ourselves. For these beautiful creatures, I've saved some super crunchy bread...they love it as a treat.

Yesterday as R and I lay together in the hammock under the cherry and mirabelle trees, the beautiful blue skies turned gray and threatening. Not wanting to get up, we laid there, listening to the crickets and watching the wind push the clouds away. It was a bit chilly but we were snuggled against one another, me seeking warmth and R hoping to catch some zzzs before our friends arrived for a barbecue in the garden. 

I had to sigh while looking at the mountains and trees before us. So beautiful. Truly, I love la campagne and will miss it terribly. 

Lucky the skies held back and we had a great barbecue with our friends. Foodwise I made quite a bit..marinated chicken in a tandoori bbq mix that a Scottish friend gave me; then pork in a peanut buttery pate sauce; merguez sausages; turkey brochettes. For vegetables, grilled onions and zucchini. Sauteed red beans using Nigella Lawson's recipe. And a creamy homemade polenta served with this fantastic kale, bacon, and mushroom sauce using 4 different kinds of kale picked straight from our garden. Instead of pancetta, I used lardons fumés. For dessert, slices of Royal Gala apple and poire Williams, and also some chocolate chip cookies for my friends who are addicted to them! 

It was so much fun having them over and playing with the kids. Food is best enjoyed outdoors and surrounded by friends, preferably without any utensils (but with plenty of water and napkins).

Mushroom club and Marie-Christine

Last September, four months after my arrival in France, Richard and I just happened to catch the last hour of a local expo on mushrooms. We agreed to go, expecting to spend 20 minutes or so looking at whatever specimens were on display. I thought there might be a buvette or something featuring local food made with mushrooms. But what we found was much much more.

I was totally surprised at the huge variety of mushrooms that the club had gathered in only 2 days! There were about two hundred different kinds of mushrooms, all arranged neatly by family and color. Besides the chanterelles and porcinis, I saw many new shapes and colors, even vivid purple, green, and flourescent mushrooms. Roger, the co-president of this club and also the mushroom expert for our region was there with his microscope and mycology tomes.

At this expo I met the club's secretary Marie-Christine who answered my mushroom questions and welcomed me to join them on their next sortie. I jumped at the chance to go on my first ever mushroom foray. After that first sortie Marie-Christine added me to the club's email list and Richard and I were both invited to every single outing and meeting.

Marie-Christine and the others took me under their wing..perhaps it was my enthusiasm for learning. Or my youth because the rest of the members were in the 60s and 70s. Or the fact that I usually arrived at meetings with baked goods. Whatever the case it was, it doesn't matter because I was happy that I got to know them. I later found out that you can't just join this club...you're invited at the request of the members. Knowing this, I feel extra warm and fuzzy knowing they adopted me.

This past Friday's wild orchid and pink butterfly walk went as planned despite the shocking news that we lost our friend Marie-Christine on Thursday morning to cancer. She was 60 years old and in good health and doctors discovered the cancer too late, after it had metastasized.

Marie-Christine was a kindred spirit...we had become good friends very quickly. With some people I feel like we've known each other forever. She was one of those kind of people who made you feel welcome, who opened her heart, and shared her passions. For MC, her passions were her family, mycology, speleology, and genealogy. 

She welcomed me into the mushroom group, tutored me, and despite my broken French and her broken English, we got along like the best of friends despite our age difference. MC, I will always remember your positivity, good humor, and laugh. Thank you.

Au revoir la France

Just as France is feeling like home, and I've made some good friends, we are moving again to start a new adventure abroad. R has accepted a great job opportunity in NYC, and for the past few weeks we have been spring cleaning inside and outside the house, as well as finishing up some bricolage. It all feels a bit surreal really.

Au revoir la France—I arrived as a stranger and part as an admirer and friend. Re-bonjour à Boston and New York City where R and I will make our new home come June. So much to do and pack and see and eat before we skip back to the other side of the pond.

Last weekend it was sunshine and rain. Amazing meal in Annecy-le-Vieux under tree-covered terrace. Cleaning and purging stuff. Red Cross Bric & Brac. Antique cars meetup. 1922 Bugatti. Special goodbye BBQ. Champagne. Sausages. Japanese crepe-like thing that was so yummy. Seasoned sushi rice triangles. Homemade blueberry mousse Charlotte.

On Tuesday R and I spent a day hiking up the Parmelan, a steep mountain to climb. It took us 6 hours round trip—we took the Petit Montoir up, and then the Grand Montoir down. The latter was extremely steep in many places, so much so that I had to hold onto rails and chains that were attached to the large rocky surfaces along the route down. While descending our path was blocked at one point by several huge fallen trees. For someone who is a bit afraid of heights, I was grateful for the extra security. One of my favorite days with R and a great memory of France. I was so very sore at the end of the day and a little bit the next day, but the climb was worth it, if only for the stunning views of the Alps, Juras, and Lac Annecy.

One year anniversaire

One year ago today I arrived in France. My year has been so beautiful and memorable because of everyone in my life—my R, my family, my friends here in Europe as well as the ones back home.

I've laughed, loved, traveled, learned to drive a manual, mushroom hunted, hiked, eaten great food, absorbed history and culture, gardened, cooked, read, written, and generally loved all of it.

March, April and May have been incredibly full—the beautiful weather has continued and my garden is flourishing. I've been so busy the past few weeks, with a project I've been working on as well as with the garden and some travels.

Busy, but not too busy for cooking or for eating, mind you.

Last week I made an entire pot of braised lentils from Le Puy. I thought I had made way too much, but I need not have worried. My friends and I ate almost the entire pot of lentils with our barbecue.

Using some fine cornmeal I had in the pantry, I made baked polenta from scratch. It was much easier than I had expected though I did have to spend some time stirring it quite well and them breaking up the chunks that had somehow formed despite my constant stirring. Today I panfried thin squares of the polenta, laying whole sage leaves on each side, so you end up with slightly crispy sage in each bite. There was still cornmeal leftover after the polenta which I used for a savory cornbread. For a bit of kick I crumbled up some bleu d'Auvergne. And for a bit of color, I cut some of the young green shoots from the scallions in the herb container on my balcony. All in all it turned out light, fluffly with a bit of savory in it—it suited my salty side, but R's sweet side thought my sweet version of cornbread was better. To each his own :)

Way back in February I bought two bags of soybeans with the intention of making tofu from scratch. I also bought a tofu mix in a box...the box contained two bags of powdered soybean (which you add to boiled water and then stir like mad to break up any chunks that may form) and two bags of coagulant (which you have to add after you remove the tofu from the stove to firm it up). I have to say that it looked looked like tofu and moved like tofu—but it tasted off. I'm not sure what I did exactly in what seemed to be a simple process, but I will try again.

The other night I felt like making something with my various jars of Indian spices. I decided on this Red Kidney Beans Curry because I had all the ingredients at hand and it sounded exactly like what I was looking for. The dish came out very well, but instead of 2 large tomatoes I chopped up 5 or 6 plum tomatoes. I omitted the red chili powder because it came out very savory and spicy on its own.

Because R requested red bean ice cream the other day, I decided to make some Tsubushi-An, a chunky version of red bean paste using some Japanese Azuki beans. I used a very simple recipe, and it came out delicious. Perhaps the paste will find its way into steamed buns for red bean buns, or maybe into red bean ice cream as R hopes.

And for my sweet tooth, as well as to thank all my neighbors and friends for all their help and warm welcome since I arrived a year ago, a lot of cookies!

Tulip fields near Hillegom

Tulip fields near Hillegom and colza fields in France. Breathtaking in every sense.

More Keukenhof and tulip fields

The Keukenhof's many greenhouses were exhibiting different flowers and arrangements, many of them playful. R and I played dress-up at one of the exhibitions, with me donning a bright yellow boa, then picking up an accordion. This was so much fun!

Narcissus and daffodils in an interesting shape

Cyclamens in hot pink

Champs des fleurs: Keukenhof

I've always wanted to visit the tulip fields of Holland. Lured by dreams of colorful champs des fleurs, and a well-timed canal tour outing with R's family and aunties, R and I headed north.

Driving through the beautiful French countryside, we couldn't help being thankful for the continuing great spring weather and the thousand shades of green in the fields, meadows, and mountains. At this time of year, the green is cut with vivid blazes of yellow colza, a plant that is grown en masse in France, Germany, Belgium as well as the Netherlands for its seed which is turned into cooking oil. With the windows rolled down, the scent of colza permeated the air as we drove by fields of it on both sides of us.

In the Netherlands we visited a number of places, including Leiden a cute university town with many cafes and canals...more canals than in Haarlem and Amsterdam. While there we visited the nearby Keunkenhof, a stunning garden/art space set next to the tulip fields.

Paris

It's been almost a month since Paris, and I've finally gotten around to posting more photos of Paris. There were so many good ones to choose from, and I had a difficult time selecting one over another. Hope you enjoy these.

To read more about Paris, you can follow these links to my recent posts on Paris:

Paris: I Walk for Patisseries
Paris Je T'aime

Le Puy-en-Velay: Chemin Le Puy and Restaurant Tournayre

Le Puy-en-Velay. Definitely one of my favorite cities on this Easter trip. R had visited it years ago and did not remember it being very notable. On this trip he was happily surprised to find a cute city with a pedestrian walking zone, many old buildings, a few great Saturday markets and many friendly locals. While there we noticed that there were a few backpackers..and then found out that Le Puy is a popular starting point for pilgrims in France wanting to walk the Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle. Following the Chemin Le Puy to Santiago, the average pilgrim covers about 1522 km or 945 miles (and that's only one way)!

Vieux Lyon and Croix Rousse: Roman ruins and traboules

After Paris, R and I were in Lyon to complete some paperwork. While there we decided to spend the remainder of our day wandering around Lyon's old city, Vieux Lyon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For an ancient history buff like me who studied Latin for years, I was in my element and happily entertained for hours walking and "trabouling" through the old city, learning about Lyon's ancient and not so ancient history.

Roman Lyon
Lugnudum, now Lyon, was established by the Romans in 43 B.C. and enjoyed prosperity for over 300 years as one of the most important Roman cities, behind Rome of course. Using Lugnudum as a base, the Romans expanded their empire into the rest of Europe. It was not all plunder and pillage though—while in Lugnudum, the Romans built aqueducts, two theaters, and an odeon.

InCuisine in Lyon

Hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend—R and I started our Easter holiday on Friday, heading south in search of sun, great food, and adventures. The sun was shining, we had breakfast packed, and I even brought my knitting in hopes of finishing my curly-whirly scarf before summer begins. Much to our dismay our adventure started a bit slow...first, the French state decided to start road maintenance two days before Friday and the start of the long Easter weekend (the French work Good Friday but have today Easter Monday off). As a result, minutes after getting onto the Autoroute, we were stuck in a traffic jam for more than an hour! Le bouchon (or traffic jam) was so bad that many people got out of the cars and were walking around on the autoroute! However after about an hour, traffic resumed and we were on our way.

As we drove from Ain through the different villages located in the different départements, I loved watching the scenery change as we passed from one valley into another valley. I especially loved driving through the Massif Central and the Rhone River valley, where the Côtes du Rhône wines are cultivated. Of all the cities and villages we visited, my favorites were Lyon and Le Puy-en-Velay.

The sweet scent of spring

A selection of photos of springtime in France, at home. The weather is fantastic and the lilacs are in bloom. First the light purple ones, and now the bright fuschia ones (photos to come of these hot pink ones later). Whenever I'm outside and I pass the lilacs, I smell a sweet scent. I can't help but smile. What a simple pleasure it is to be where I am right now. Enjoying the smells and sights of spring. Besides the lilacs, the irises are starting to bloom and the strawberries and groseilles look promising with tons of flowers on them. Unfortunately I have not found any more morilles even though I'm searching around the strawberry patch every day.

Lilacs, the sweetest scent of spring

We've started barbecuing in the garden, and Poubelle (who joined our family last summer) is always nearby whenever we're grilling. Just the other day, when my back was turned, he jumped onto the picnic table and made off with a chipolata sausage. I wish I had a photo of him running away with the long sausage flapping against his face. He was so happy with joy eating it in a corner of a garden...that we couldn't stay angry at him for long. Not knowing right from wrong, he came back within minutes after his large lunch and sat on the bench next to me, looking cute and probably hoping for more.

Baguette à l'ancienne

After returning from Paris, I got excited about learning how to make a good baguette. My first foray into bread was more than a year ago, when I tried to make bread from scratch using the original NYT's article on No Knead Bread. The bread came out fine but it wasn't what I was looking for...not like the ones I've eaten at my local boulangerie.

There are so many recipes online and I had a difficult time deciding on one, but Appie Pie Patis and Pate's baguettes à l'ancienne looks like the elusive recipe I've been searching for.

I gave it a try and it came out great! Crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside. Complex tasting. Next time I will underbake a little since my oven gets so hot so fast.

Paris: I walk for pâtisseries

Paris is a sprawling modern city, divided into 20 arrondisements or districts. Starting from the city center le 1er arrondisement, the city spirals out like an escargot to le 20eme arrondisement. Lined with many tree shaded boulevards, wide trottoirs, or sidewalks, it's a perfect city for strolling during the day or night. For R and I, it's one of our favorite things to do when we arrive in a new location. To take a long walk, visit the local grocery stores and farmers' markets. And since we're in Paris, to people watch and visit Paris' many green parks and public spaces. I feel that I get a really good feeling for a city when I walk through it.

Paris, je t'aime

Having lived in France for almost a year, I still hadn't yet been to Paris, the epicenter of the French state and the capital of all things delicious...croissants, macarons, and chocolate. Pourqoi pas? I don't know...but who doesn't love Paris, especially in spring when the city is just waking up from winter, and it's about a month away until the start of the tourist season. After some planning (and reading articles to get me excited for Paris. Scroll to the bottom for my complete list of articles), R and I chose the first weekend in April just because...the weather forecast looked promising and we hoped to find the flowers in bloom in Paris' many green spaces.

Nous avons arrivés à Paris après a quick 2.5 hour train ride via the TGV, or le train de grande vitesse. R and I brought reading materials, breakfast, and my knitting, but we ended up watching the show out our window. This is no Acela train. The TGV is quick (understatement), and we sped by quaint villages with big churches, stately châteaux, meadows with sheep, cows, and old stone farmhouses. To me, this is France..the beautiful flowing countryside. I sighed appreciatively as R and I pointed out different things to each other as we sped by them. Before we knew it, 2.5 hours had passed and our train was approaching Gare de Lyon, our destination.

Swiss knoepfli in a herb butter sauce

Sorry I haven't posted any stories or photos of Paris yet. Since returning from Paris last Monday night, R and I have been quite busy, doing daytrips to Geneva then Lyon. And on top of that, we've had brilliant weather. Warm enough that I'm wearing skirts, shorts, and my Tevas everyday.

On Friday I spent many hours shaping the garden, planting seeds and transplanting some of the seedlings that had been germinating in the serre, including tomatoes, leeks, salad greens, courgettes, kales and kohlrabis. After a long day of gardening and on my knees, a good warm shower never felt better. As the sage, chives and thyme plants are growing strong, I decided to make something using fresh herbs. And what better then a big plate of Swiss knoepfli or spätzli which is sort of like German spätzle.

Cookies and travels tomorrow

Day 1 Arts Expo: Success! Many people enjoyed my photography and took my business cards. And I sold over 60 euros worth of cookies to benefit Japan. Surprisingly the oatmeal raisin cookies were a bigger hit than the chocolate chunk ones. All the apple spiced ones got bought up quickly as well. 

The cookies sold so well that I ended up baking two more batches late into the night tonight. My Japanese friend M will be selling the cookies while R and I are away this weekend. 

Some hints of where we're going: Canal St Martin. Shakespeare and Company bookstore. Mark Bittman article from today's NYTimes.com about Four Restaurants Worth a Metro Ride. Le Seine. Notre Dame. Champs-Elysees. Galleries in the Marais. Pierre Herme. Lenotre. Tour Eiffel.

We're heading to Paris, the city of lights, and love. Weather is expected to be sunny and in the 70s. 

I'll be back online on Tuesday with tales from Paris. Bon week-end à tous.

Japan and Arts Expo

This weekend my town is putting on its annual arts exposition, and I'm going to be part of it. The past few days I've been working on a Keynote slideshow, highlighting some of my photography of food, landscapes, and portraits. I've selected the photos, the music, and have the transitions all done, and have spent an entire day trying to get an exported QuickTime version of the slideshow to play on an ancient circa 2002 Windows laptop. It has been frustrating times, but I think R and I've finally got it playing now. R stepped in after I declared I was ready to throw the dinosaur out the window, which I may well do after this expo. Just in case the old thing chokes during QuickTime playback, I have a PDF backup that visitors can manually click through.

In addition to showing my photography, I'll be busy baking a ton of cookies to sell, with all proceeds to benefit the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. My friend S has said that Western media has chosen to report on the nuclear reactors, but there are hundreds of thousands of people who have lost everything and they need all the help you can give. I see this on the Dutch and French news every night, and I have many great Japanese friends, so I'm doing my own small part to help.

Please donate at Global Giving or at your local chapter of the Red Cross. Thank you.

 

Daytrips to Ambronay, Meximieux and Pérouges

This week really flew by for me. Did it for you? I've been busy lately—for times like these I stick to simple dishes that take less than 30 minutes to make but deliver on taste. Lately I've been making simple couscous or pasta dishes. Try this and let me know what you think. Take simple spaghetti and toss it with caramelized shallots, shiitake mushrooms, petit pois, and soy sauce. For a bit of heat, I add hot pepper flakes. Why is this dish so good? It must be all that umami flavor from the shiitakes and soy sauce.

So what have I been up to this week? Travels, baking, and more. On Thursday R and I celebrated a friend's birthday in Geneva at her photo studio. For that I baked chocolate chip cookies and a bacon mushroom leek quiche. Why chocolate chip cookies? Because my friend is American, and if there's one comfort food I missed when I first moved here, it was an honest to goodness American cookie, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Over the past year I've experimented with different recipes and ingredients. After many tests, I finally have a few cookie recipes made using local ingredients. The results? A crispy crust leading to a chewy interior. And the French like it because it's something new and "foreign".

A-gardening

As the weather gets warmer, I've been spending more and more time outdoors, working the garden. You know, preparing the ground for planting, turning the compost, and nurturing seedlings in the new serre that R built last Tuesday. This is the first year I'm germinating most of my plants from seed—so far, I have two kind of tomatoes, two kinds of basil, coriander, mesclun salad mix, two kinds of kale, kohlrabi, and scallions. The kohlrabi and kales are about an inch tall and the rest are just starting to emerge. The broccoli, chives, and mint I potted last year have survived the winter, mostly outside. I've been on broccoli watch the past two weeks—a tiny baby broccoli head sprouted and is getting bigger by the day. Just the other day the plant grew another teeny head below the main head. Exciting!

Au Jardin Botanique

While R attended to some business in Geneva, I spent the afternoon strolling through the Jardin Botanique, situated near the United Nations and Lake Geneva. In the sun, it felt like 70 and my sweater and spring down jacket quickly got tossed in my backpack.

By the time winter rolls into spring, I'm not as excited anymore about fall and winter fashion, and I long to forsake winter's heavy layers and accessories for t-shirts, shorts, skirts, and sandals. Yesterday was definitely a t-shirt and jeans kind of day. I hope that before long, I'll be wearing sandals again.

If it's been a particularly bleak winter (as it's been for my friends and family in Boston), there is no better cure for the winter blahs than a burst of spring color. 

On dining and restaurants

This past weekend R and I were invited by our kind friends to a very nice restaurant. Ce resto n'est pas étoilée, mais c'est pas mal. Though Reygrobellet is not Michelin starred, it is quite good and featured in the 2011 Michelin Guide Rouge. Pas mal is a faux ami and actually means very good (though literally translated it is "not bad").

Far from being a country bumpkin (ironic because that's where I'm living now), I grew up in Boston and worked in NYC for a while. I've traveled the world, and seen many things, and so I thought I'd know what to do when sitting down to a meal in France, right? Sort of.

I know the general rule of working from the outside in when using utensils, but what about where to place your bread? Why isn't there butter on the table for bread?

Tarte aux coings, pommes et poires

I love this simple apple tart...it's the American pie's lighter French cousin. The crust is a layer of thin puff pastry, pâte brisée, then a thin layer of quince jam, followed by a layer of very thin slices of apples and a pear. I used about half a stick of butter or 4.5 tablespoons to make the tart.

It's a delicious treat, very light and not too sweet. I often have this with tea, or just straight out of the oven. Usually I make this tart with different varieties of apples, but today I had some Williams pears, so I added one for a hint of pear deliciousness. A tart worth making from scratch.

Dinner at Reygrobellet

Tonight R and I dined with our friends M and C, at a restaurant they recommended in Saint-Germain-de-Joux. A quick fifteen minutes drive from our village, R and I knew the restaurant Reygrobellet by location because we've driven past it countless times. What we didn't know was that Chef Muriel has a reputation in the area for her fresh local cuisine, using ingredients such as juicy poultry from Bresse, vegetables from farms in the Savoie and l'Ain, and French specialties such as frog.

A field of snowflakes

If the blooming forsythia in our garden is any indication, c'est déjà printemps. But on our walk today, R and I found fields upon fields on snowflakes. Confused? Enjoy a pictorial story of my day with R and learn more.

Vivid yellow forsythia blooms on the tree outside my kitchen. When I'm cooking, this is my view.

Legacy of the Brothers Michelin

R and I are preparing for a trip to Paris soon, and I'm researching sights to visit and places to eat. This has started me thinking about France and its food heritage.

Food and artisans are taken seriously in France and the French are justifiably proud of it. President Nicholas Sarkozy even put a bid to declare French cuisine a "world intangible heritage"—and last November 2010, it was awarded thus by UNESCO. Paris and Lyon have large international food and agricultural salons  twice a year, with many smaller fairs spread through the year in different régions and départements. In 1992, France started a new autumn tradition, La Semaine du Goût, which has spread abroad to other countries in Europe and beyond. Basically it's a national week devoted to taste and gastronomy—a chance for people to appreciate and learn about local foods and their cultural heritage, as it applies to cuisine. The French even take the art of table setting to a higher level in Le Grand Prix Des Arts de la Table. Viva la France!

Recently I learned about Le Meilleur Ouvrier de France awards—a future post will cover MOF, but today I wanted to know what's all the fuss about les etoiles? Back in February, I noticed that our local bookstore featured a stack of Michelin Guides Rouges in its main display window. Now that I'm living in France—the birthplace of the Michelin Guide—I wanted to know, "What is the Michelin guide, is it related to tires, and what do the stars mean anyway?"

Light and fluffy cornbread with homemade jam

Today we found ourselves sans pain again! Oh Mon Dieu...my R loves his bread and it's a constant joke every day as we both monitor the level of bread we have in the kitchen and the freezer. We always keep at least one or two loaves in the freezer for emergencies. Yes, we have bread emergencies, like today and yesterday in fact. R's favorite bread isn't made on Sundays and it sold out early on Saturday. Why??? I don't know...but there is probably some law against bakers toiling on a Sunday.

Given our dire circumstances, I decided to make cornbread. Light and fluffy ones. To serve with the three homemade confitures our neighbors P and D gave us recently. The cerise jam was made using cherries from our trees; and the cassis/groseille and mirabelle confitures were made using berries and prunes from their garden. Mmmm. Pinch me because I think I'm in heaven.

It is a brilliant 17C outside, and I have mail from the U.S., so R and I are walking down to La Poste soon. Make some cornbread and let me know how it came out for you.

Luzerner Fasnacht Photos

During Carnival season, many Swiss-German towns and cities organize Fasnacht festivities. The Luzerner Fasnacht—known for its informal and inclusive style—stands out from other Fasnachts held in Basel, Bern, and Zurich, among other cities.

In Luzern locals and tourists alike are invited to masquerade themselves—the more whimsical, creative, and colorful the better.

Fasnachting in Luzern

Today I made beef rendang using a paste I purchased in Maastricht on my last trip to the Netherlands. To the paste, I added small chunks of beef, champignons de Paris, carrottes, lentilles, a teaspoon of fish sauce, two pinches of salt, and two teaspoons of dark brown sugar. Then I simmered the beef and vegetables for an hour, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed. The scent of star anise, chilies, garlic, cloves, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves filled up the kitchen...and the gurgling sounds of the simmering beef made me hungry. To offset the heat in the dish, I served it with crispy, crunchy chunks of cucumber and steamed white rice.

Spring is near..we can feel it in the air. Early this week, R and I spent two wonderful days at the Luzerner Fasnacht. We chased away the ghosts of winter with thousands of colorful revelers, singing and dancing our hearts out in old Luzern.

Warm people, creative costumes, great street food, and some of the best Guggenmusig bands. I've heard this is THE Fasnacht experience. Cities like Zurich and Bern are copying the Luzerner's "march in any direction you want " style.

Vietnamese green mango salad

The market square was busy and colorful today. I strolled past all the tables, looking at the beautiful greens, reds, purples, oranges..and every hue in between. One of my favorite experiences is walking through the entire farmer's market first, to survey what is available and fresh. Then I will circle around a second time, this time stopping at the stands I am interested in. Today was no different than other days...I love the happy commotion that is the French farmer's market. Whenever I'm buying food, there is no real recipe I have in mind. Instead my purchases are based on color, smell, and shape, and what's in season (if possible). I often pick ingredients that look pretty and/or interesting..or vegetables that I don't ordinarily buy. Like le citrouille (pumpkin) and les navets, or purplish-white turnips I bought last week. Once home with my goodies I'll look through cookbooks and websites for inspiration.

Today when I saw green mangoes at one stand, I couldn't resist buying two large green ones. To that I added four bright yellow lemons, and three heads of broccoli. At the supermarket I purchased jambon cru, des fraises (strawberries), du pain, and concombre.

Soufflé aux poires

Happy Peanut Butter Lover's Day! Today's forecast was 7 C and sunny—but winds and gray clouds loomed overhead on the drive to Geneva. While R was visiting with a former colleague near the Palais des Nations, I planned on spending an afternoon with my new camera strolling the grounds and visiting the greenhouses, or serres, of Geneva's Jardin Botanique. But "the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry" wrote Robert Burns'.

The day didn't go as planned—en route to Geneva my mobile rang—KO, from last Friday's missed connection, was free today and could come meet me in the city! We met at le jardin, and from there we followed Rue de Lausanne vers centre ville to do some shopping at Manor, a large and fancy Swiss department store with its own fancy-schmancy supermarket in the cellar. It was so refreshing to spend time with someone who is as passionate about food and France as I am. Hours flew by as we chatted about life, love, moving to France, and food. She's returning home to San Francisco at the end of this week but her plan is to move here in August. That is something to look forward to!

When I got home, the four poire williams sitting in the cherry bowl were calling to me. I couldn't resist buying these pears at the market last week—not only were they a beautiful shade of yellow with patches of pink red, but their parfum was amazing. My initial plans were to use them in a tarte aux poires, but after a week of neglect, the pears were becoming spotty brown and too soft for a tart. Listening to the wind blowing outside, I decided to make something warmly appealing..a confiture des poires, which I'll whip into a soufflé aux poires tomorrow, if the confiture lasts past tonight! It is simply amazing what a few good ingredients can become.

Har gow recipe

Coucou mes chéris. Le Bise was blowing again today and we opted to stay indoors, as we're going to Geneva tomorrow. So when MC from my mushroom club wrote and proposed bringing her daughter over to meet me, I quickly responded "Oui!" and invited both mother and daughter over for un apéro. MC likes Chinese food and has been very polite in refusing my invitations for un apéro whenever she's dropped me off at the house, so I was excited she was coming for a visit and decided to make har gow for her to try.

Har Gow Recipe, adapted from the recipe by Wantanmien on YouTube. Even if you don't understand Cantonese, I recommend watching the video first to see her technique before following my recipe.

One of those days

This weekend started promising on Friday....then became a bit frustrating, but in the end, it worked itself out. Have you ever tried to meet up with someone and because of one thing or another, it just didn't work out? And you had no idea how to contact them?

Friday I was expecting my friend D's new friend KO to come over for lunch. KO, an American currently living in San Francisco, is visiting her French boyfriend this week in my neck of the woods. KO is contemplating a move to France near Geneva this summer so she and her boyfriend can be together. Unlike me who moved here with little to no knowledge of French or France aside from a that vacation in 2000, KO has some working knowledge of French, having studied it abroad in Paris and Angers. But understandably she's still a bit anxious about moving so far away from her friends and family without knowing anyone in this part of France except for her boyfriend.

Busy cooking day..

This morning I woke up to snow falling outside!! Not a day too soon because this weekend is Le Retordica, an annual husky race on Le Retord. I've been looking forward to this event for a while now, checking the mountains and metéo each day. This morning's snowfall was beautiful while it lasted but then it turned into mist and then rain during our walk, washing the few centimeters of snow away. Due to the moisture in the air, and the fact that I was also feeling under the weather, I didn't end up taking any pictures with my new telephoto zoom lens.

Upon returning home, I dived into several recipes that I'd wanted to try recently...

Fun with new camera

Over the past 10 days since I've received my Canon, I've taken 600 or so photos! Half of them are practice shots, as I'm acquainting myself with Canon's many options and settings. The other half are sort of artistic shots taken on walks and hikes, or when I'm feeling creative in the kitchen. I am still learning about the Exposure Triangle of aperture, shutter speed and ISO. View the few dozen photos I've posted on Facebook.

Dinosaurs in Plagne

The heavy rains stayed away this weekend, but it was still moist enough to be pretty chilly here in the Juras. In spite of the weather, R and I decided to explore Plagne, a small village in the direction of Nantua, where dinosaur tracks were discovered in 2009. The Dinoplagne trail is open year round, but during the winter months the site itself is covered with plastic sheeting, in an effort to protect the tracks from the harsh effects of winter. Despite the limited access, it was still a great experience, and I was in total awe of the natural beauty of the forests, and of space and time.

Un diner pour dimanche

Une sieste sounds good right about now, especially after a 4 hour lunch, cooked by moi meme. To start, Cerdon, a bubbly pink wine we picked up from the friendly vitner last fall, served with peanuts, preserved plums, and prunes.

Then chilled hiyayakko tufu with shaved ginger, scallions, sesame seeds and soy sauce. Store-bought tofu, but I'll be trying my hand at making tofu next week.

Cute overload on kitties

I'm not the only midnight snacker. Since the summer, we've been getting frequent visitors...cows, horses, spiders (who like to come inside when it's cold outside), a very lost pheasant, bats, and several cats who now make their home here.  

Poubelle, aptly named because he seems to eat all table scraps, everything except the cat food we buy for him. This summer he lurked around the garden whenever we were BBQing. By autumn, he allowed us to approach him, closing up the distance between us, him, and his food. Now he enjoys his days sitting on the balcony, catching some rays. Or sitting in the garden chair on a blanket, catching some zzzs. He is less scared of me, than of R, and he allows me to sit about 2 feet away from him. Does not tolerate being picked up.

Midnight snacking on spaghetti

Pasta snack attack

It's 1:08am and I'm craving something to nosh on....sweet, salty, or both? The options include Cadbury chocolate bars, purchased at Heathrow en route to France; homemade French lentil soup using beautiful AOC designated blue gray lentilles from Puy. In the end, tonight's leftovers called to me...spaghetti tossed with garlic and olive oil, petit pois, grape tomato, and crevette. 

Now R is playing DJ and we are rocking out to an eclectic collection of rock and everything under the sun. Best part of country living...and a well-insulated house is that we are cranking it!!

Tonight's playlist includes Algerian singer Khaled Cheb's "Aïcha", then a Dutch rapper, now "Madame et Messieurs...Encore une fois", followed by the original Italian version of "Gloria" by Umberto Tozzi, and now Kiss' "I was made for loving you", Yes' "Owner of a lonely heart". The closing number is Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler".

What are some great songs you love to rock out to? Please comment, as I need to expand my musical world! And more importantly, when no one is looking, what do you snack on?

French holidays

J’espère que vous avez passé un joyeuse Saint Valentin mes chéris!

R and I had a quiet Valentine's Day morning chez nous, each studying our own subject (him Cisco, and me my new Canon). Surprisingly, I was not as sore as I expected to be, a day following the 3.5 hour randonnée in Le Vuache. On Vday, gray clouds and lack of sun didn't deter us from going out for our daily walk. I felt a need to stretch out my leg muscles a little, not to mention my DSLR trigger finger too. For our walk, we chose nearby Grésin, where we had taken a fateful motorcycle ride last fall and gotten stuck in some muck and stones. This time, it was just our two feet that carried us across the Rhône onto le chemin des Espagnols (crossing the river via le pont de Grésin).

Hiking Le Vuache, on my birthday

This morning the late winter sun rose again on another February 13th, and I turned one year older. In Boston, I usually spend birthdays with family and friends—and sometimes not just one birthday celebration but one spread across several weekends with different friends. This happened last year. I felt lucky because some years, my birthday plans are foiled due to pesky Noreasters and blizzards! But this year, there is little to no snowfall in my part of the Juras. Instead of spending my birthday indoors, R and I got a little closer to nature with some new friends.

We met at the church at Chaumont, next to the mairie. I could tell this was going to be a great hike...because the starting point of Chaumont is just beautiful, with old farmhouses, a very quaint centre-ville composed of one main street basically, and views of the château ruins atop the highest point of Chaumont. Our group of fifteen (including me and R) were composed of expats from different countries around the world. We already knew a few Dutch friends, and quite coincidentally, there was a Scottish woman there who was also in R's softball league years ago. But for the most part, the rest were complete strangers, but not for long. During the day, each of us took turns leading the group. I started conversations with a good number of people who were hiking alongside me at different points of the trail, meeting a Norwegian (this time I knew a bit more about Norway), two Turkish, a Peruvian, a Hungarian-German, a Malaysian, a Scot, a true Genevoise (born and raised), and a few Swiss Germans. 

Celebration for CNY and Egypt

Two and a half hours of feasting with my French neighbors. We started off with cassis aperos avec les amuse-geules (literally amuse mouths) of salted peanuts, smoked almonds, and preserved plums which I brought back from Boston.  

Les entrées: housemade shumai with pork and shrimp, followed by lettuce wraps with Vietnamese eggrolls (nems), fresh mint, cilantro.  

Les plats principaux: Chinese egg noodles stir fried with red pork, napa, mushrooms, broccoli, julienned carrots and red peppers, onions, and garlic in an oyster sauce; steamed whole dorade royale in soy/ginger/scallion sauce.  

En dessert: Tarte aux pommes; coconut tapioca pudding perfumed with sliced bananas. Exhausted..but happy. Je suis prête pour une sieste.

Meat vocabulaire & cow's feet spotted

Give a French, American, Chinese, or Japanese butcher a cow or a pig, and you'll end up with very different cuts of beef. Why? Because it's inherent in the cuisine and culture, or is it culture before cuisine? Which came first?

I found a great wiki page deciphering different cuts of French, American and Dutch beef. With this in mind, I'm hoping to be better informed the next time I'm at la boucherie. For further reading you can also consult Posted in Paris. To find out more about the food you are eating read The Omnivore's Dilemma, or check out The Meatrix (which my friend R tuned me into years ago).

As a primer for my future market outings, I compiled this list so I could be a more informed buyer. That gorgeous round of fromage de brebis? It's from an ewe, a female sheep. My friend M's sister is a large animal veterinarian who specializes in cows (but she also knows a thing or two about sheep having participated in the 4H circles). Hoping you can correct me if I got any of the terms wrong. Thanks in advance!