Grilled Eggplant

After a rough day, nothing makes me feel better than beautiful food.  

Eggplant, salted and grilled.

In a mortar with a pestle mash fresh basil with some garlic, fresh lemon juice and salt.

On each eggplant slice smear some basil mash.  Then layer up tomatoes, more eggplant and feta to your heart's content

Liberally drizzle with olive oil and give a good grind of Trader Joe's Flower Pepper.

Finish in the oven for about 15 minutes until the cheese is all toasted. 

Enjoy with some crusty bread and a rosé, preferably in the garden.  Breathe deeply and pretend you didn't lose your temper with the driver in the other car.

All better now.

(Inspired by this recipe.)

French Food, Friends and An Accordion Concert

Back in August we went wine tasting and picnicking with some friends.  Over lunch our Haitian friend, Ed, told us a hilarious tale of how he became a musician and how (among the many instruments he plays) he learned to play the accordion.

The story goes something like this:  Ed was in high school in Haiti and his father wanted to inspire him to do better in school.  So, he told Ed that if he raised his grades to a certain point he could have whatever he wanted.  So, he brought his dad a catalog and said, "I want this."  He pointed to.......an AK47.

His father agreed.  Ed worked hard in school and achieved his father's academic goals.  One day Ed comes home from school and his father gives him a box.  He opens it and finds, not his gun, but an accordion.  His father had decided that an assault weapon was not a good prize and got him an accordion instead.

Quite disappointed, Ed pushed the accordion under his bed and ignored its presence entirely.  After some time he had the following thought: "I'm the only one losing on this deal.  Now I don't have a gun and I don't have an accordion."  So, he pulled it out, got a teacher and learned to play the accordion.

Hearing this story over our picnic, I told him how much I had enjoyed the accordion music in Paris and how no French meal is quite complete without accordion in the background.  I told Ed how much I would love to hear him play.  He said that there was one problem: he didn't have an accordion.  I said that I had access to two!  We have Gana's dad's instrument and my mother has a beautiful accordion.  Unfortunately, none of us play.  He said, "Well, you make me a real French dinner and I'll come play the accordion."

Seizing the moment, I said, "Deal!"  We shook on it, in the presence of our friends as witnesses.  The only stipulation was that those who witnessed the deal also had to be present for the meal.

So, this past Friday we both made good on our promises.

Bouquet Garni for the bouef

My friend KayLee came over early in the day.  We were like two school girls preparing for a tea party!  We rearranged the furniture, set the table properly, cooked up a storm in the kitchen and generally played house.

MENU

L'Apéritif 

Champagne with hibiscus flowers

Hazelnuts

Olives

L'Entrée 

Provencal Tart

Chicken Liver Pate with cornichons 

Baguettes

Red Wine

Le Plat Principal 

Boeuf Bourguignon

Endive salad with roasted beets and goat cheese

More baguettes

Red Wine

Le Fromage

Feta Cheese Puffs

Various Cheeses 

with dried apricots and slivered almonds

More baguettes

White Wine

Le Dessert 

Red Wine Sorbet

Le Café 

Coffee creme 

Chocolate truffles

Le Digestif 

Cognanc

Thank you to Robert and KayLee for the almond champagne
and thank you, Jordan and Kristina for the wild hibiscus flowers in syrup

Provencal Tart, thanks to Kristina
Tomato, olives, roasted peppers, anchovies

Pate and Cornichons
(My first time making pate.  I don't know that I'll ever buy it again.)

Ed, playing his first song of the evening,
between  L'Entrée  and Le Plat Principal 

It just so happened to be a Russian song.
Jordan and I couldn't help it.  We had to dance.

Boeuf Bourguignon

I'm so glad he got an accordion and not a gun.

This was our Valentine's Day celebration a few days late.
What could be more romantic than French food and an accordion serenade.

Even River got a special song!

The rest of the children of the party had a French peasant's picnic upstairs. Homemade French bread, cheese, a little pot of jam, pastries and iced tea. When they had feasted they went downstairs for a movie and popcorn!

Cheese course.  Thank you, Nina for the delicious cheese puffs!

We laughed and told stories.  Dinner lasted about five hours.

Ed and Nina

Robert and River

As if the weather somehow understood our romantic and nostalgic mood, Saturday morning was gorgeous. We sat on the back porch sipping coffee, eating leftover bread and cheese, cuddling the baby and counting our blessings--namely our wonderful friends who know how to have fun!

Special thank you to my mom, whose accordion made it all possible.

Cheesy Bacon Pulls

Football season is here!  This is what you should be eating tomorrow after church while you watch the game.

1 unsliced loaf of round sourdough bread
8-12 oz. sharp cheddar, thinly sliced
6 oz. applewood smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup melted butter
2-3 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (basil, chives, parsley, etc.  Whatever you like!)

Using a sharp knife cut the bread going both directions.  Do not cut through the bottom crust.

Place cheese slices between the cuts.  Sprinkle with bacon and herbs, making sure they get in the cuts.

Pour melted butter over the bread, evenly.

Wrap the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.  Unwrap and return to the oven.  Bake until cheese is fully melted, about 10 minutes.

For a little extra kick add sliced jalapenos with the fresh herbs!

I warn you.  You will be hooked.

Homemade Ricotta

One of my oh-so-creative and foodie friends popped by yesterday and together we whipped up some homemade ricotta.  Yes, we actually did.  That's just how we roll.

Actually, it was all her idea and what an idea it was!  So delicious I could have eaten an entire baguette by myself and the whole dish of cheese, too!

The recipe was so simple that I think it just might be something I whip up on a Sunday morning and use to stuff some crepes with lemon and honey.  I'm drooling right now if you must know.

Here it is:

4 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Combine these ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.  DO NOT STIR.

When it's boiling, remove from heat and let it sit for 15 minutes.  You'll see that there will be curds and whey.    If for some reason it's not properly separating, add an extra tablespoon of lemon juice, gently stir and let it sit 5 extra minutes.

After the 15 minutes, strain it through a cheese cloth lined sieve or colander.  The longer you let it set the firmer (and more flavorful) the cheese will be.  We let ours drain for about 30 minutes, I think.

Baguette toasted with olive oil, topped with ricotta, tomatoes from the garden, cucumbers and coarse sea salt.

Toasted baguette with olive oil, topped with ricotta, yellow baby pear tomatoes from the garden
Fresh snipped basil and coarse sea salt

My personal favorite:
Whole grain baguette brushed with olive oil, topped with ricotta, fresh snipped tarragon
Drizzled with local honey and sprinkled with sea salt.

I could eat this all day long and not get tired of it