Noël 2009, c'est fini!
I will keep a vivid memory of the cheerful carols we sang on Christmas Eve, and of the very gourmet/gourmand Christmas that we spent with our loved ones.
Just for the sake of sharing the joy, here is a sample of what was on our menu for this year's Christmas potluck dinner at home:
***Appetizers***
I'll give you just one that is typical to my hometown:
-Lyons hot sausage with truffles and pistachios, also called "cervelas truffé et pistaché" .
(see picture above)
I was so happy when I received some from my parents in France that I had to serve this special dish for my Canadian Christmas. I served the sausages sliced, and halved topped with a cloud of homemade chutney (date & apricot winter chutney).
Different types of Lyons sausages
Traditionally the hot sausage or 'cervelas' is served with steamed potatoes, or on a bed of lentils (so typical to the cuisine lyonaise). It can also be served in a brioche, it is then called saucisson brioché. Any option is equally tasty!
***The pièce de résistance***
- A 7-kg smoked turkey (a big mama turkey!) with a side of roasted vegetables (chestnuts, butternut squash, small potatoes, rosemary, paprika, onions and garlic), and cranberry sauce.
I'd like to report the fact that, on Christmas Day, I turned a vegetarian into a carnivore with that turkey. Incr-edible!
***Desserts***
-Chocolate Log
-Schwowebredle
-Gingerbread Cake
All 3 from Simone Morgenthaler's Alsatian cookbook-
-Crème Jaune à la Vanille ( a sort of custard cream)
-Chocolate Truffles ( stuffed with roasted almonds!)
-Christmas Shortbread Cookies
I will keep a vivid memory of the cheerful carols we sang on Christmas Eve, and of the very gourmet/gourmand Christmas that we spent with our loved ones.
Just for the sake of sharing the joy, here is a sample of what was on our menu for this year's Christmas potluck dinner at home:
***Appetizers***
I'll give you just one that is typical to my hometown:
-Lyons hot sausage with truffles and pistachios, also called "cervelas truffé et pistaché" .
(see picture above)
I was so happy when I received some from my parents in France that I had to serve this special dish for my Canadian Christmas. I served the sausages sliced, and halved topped with a cloud of homemade chutney (date & apricot winter chutney).
Different types of Lyons sausages
Traditionally the hot sausage or 'cervelas' is served with steamed potatoes, or on a bed of lentils (so typical to the cuisine lyonaise). It can also be served in a brioche, it is then called saucisson brioché. Any option is equally tasty!
***The pièce de résistance***
- A 7-kg smoked turkey (a big mama turkey!) with a side of roasted vegetables (chestnuts, butternut squash, small potatoes, rosemary, paprika, onions and garlic), and cranberry sauce.
I'd like to report the fact that, on Christmas Day, I turned a vegetarian into a carnivore with that turkey. Incr-edible!
***Desserts***
-Chocolate Log
-Schwowebredle
-Gingerbread Cake
All 3 from Simone Morgenthaler's Alsatian cookbook-
-Crème Jaune à la Vanille ( a sort of custard cream)
-Chocolate Truffles ( stuffed with roasted almonds!)
-Christmas Shortbread Cookies
It was my first Christmas as a married woman, and I had a beautiful, bountiful Christmas sharing with my in-laws, here in Canada. I felt like a child offering my homemade Christmas presents: orange marmalade, chutney, Christmas cookies and truffles, all wrapped up in hand-made gift bags. But I also felt the intense joy of receiving in front of so many generous earthly presents! I enjoyed every moment before, during and after the party. Perhaps like me, you too enjoyed that special moment when, once the guests have left, all snug in your slippers, you start to clean the place a bit, shove the colourful wrapping papers in the recycling bin, pack and store the leftovers in the fridge, and eventually pause in awe in front of all these wonderful memories and gifts that you collected over the day (See post on my other blog Christine Rochet-Jacob) !
One of the greatest gifts that we received came from my mother-in-law who is a great supporter of my culinary experiments. Ohlala! Quelle folie! She offered my husband and I a master Vita-Mix juicer-blender! Look at the beast...
One of the greatest gifts that we received came from my mother-in-law who is a great supporter of my culinary experiments. Ohlala! Quelle folie! She offered my husband and I a master Vita-Mix juicer-blender! Look at the beast...
I have read the instructions, and gone through the DVD with the Getting Started recipes. I feel ready to try my first Vita-Mix juices in a couple of days, i.e on New Year's Day. Fresh juice will sure help us cleanse the body from all the toxins accumulated over the holiday season, and start the new decade with a lot of vitamins and a lot of bravado! Yes. Let's get ready for a healthy detoxifying diet come January!
Now before we part, allow me to leave you for this year 2009 on a double-bill happy note!
For your viewing pleasure, I recommend you watch...
Now before we part, allow me to leave you for this year 2009 on a double-bill happy note!
For your viewing pleasure, I recommend you watch...
A Chef in Love (Les mille et une recettes du cuisinier amoureux)
Dir: Nana Dzhordzadze/Cast: Pierre Richard, Nino Kirtadze, Timur Kamkhadze, Micheline Presle, Jean-Yves Gautier/ Language: French and Russian with English Subtitles/ 1996/ 100 mins
This film tastes like a fairy tale about a bigger-than-life French tenor/gigolo/Chef. The title character of A Chef In Love is indeed a Frenchman with equal passions for his restaurant and his lover.
As cinematic banquets go, I enjoyed A Chef in Love ( I love Pierre Richard, and Micheline Presle, whom we hardly see, unfortunately...) but I must confess it left me somehow unsatisfied as parts of the plot was left unresolved. It tickled my appetite but...- je suis restée sur ma faim!
I therefore went for an extra serving of ''Babette's Feast''(Ahhhh!Ohhh!Wow!), and invite you to do the same!
As cinematic banquets go, I enjoyed A Chef in Love ( I love Pierre Richard, and Micheline Presle, whom we hardly see, unfortunately...) but I must confess it left me somehow unsatisfied as parts of the plot was left unresolved. It tickled my appetite but...- je suis restée sur ma faim!
I therefore went for an extra serving of ''Babette's Feast''(Ahhhh!Ohhh!Wow!), and invite you to do the same!
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