I walked to the post office after lunch yesterday, forgetting that it is closed on Saturday afternoons. It was cold and that kind of fine, misty rain was falling; not enough to be really wet, but enough to wreck your hair. I was feeling that it had been a wasted trip, but when I got home I saw that our wonderful neighbors, Yves and Heléne from Perpignon had arrived. They don't come every weekend during the winter, so it was a happy surprise that I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't gone for a walk.
We spent the afternoon at their place, drinking tea and eating a banana bread that I'd just made. Then they came over for dinner and conversation. We had wonderful evening, except for Maggie, who was protesting our use of the evil fireplace by hiding upstairs in the dark. Her loss, I'm afraid.
I really didn't have anything fancy to offer when I made the sudden and impetuous decision to invite our friends for dinner. I did have a moment of panic, wondering what the heck I was going to serve!
That's where some of the great frozen ingredients available in France saved my neck. First, I had a frozen onion tarte. These are terrific and I always try to keep one in the freezer for unexpected guests. But, clearly that wasn't going to be enough for four adults. I decided I'd make a hearty soup, but with what?
The French equivalent of "skillet" dinners tend to have different ingredients than U.S. mixes. My favorite has cubes of beef, baby carrots and cubed potatoes. I sautée that for a few minutes in a little olive oil, then add a variety of herbs and spices, especially garlic and dill. Enough water to cover, then toss in a couple of boullion cubes, bring to a boil and either simmer for 35 or 40 minutes, or, use the pressure cooker and cook on the veggie setting for 15 minutes. That's it. Perfect winter soup.
We finished off with a quick apple compote that I made using apples, hydromel (kind of honey wine) brown sugar, cinnamon and a handful of candied orange peel. I made some vanilla whipped cream to go with it and that was our dinner. Fast, easy and warming on a cold winter's night. I doubt I spent more than an hour getting the whole thing together.
Evenings with friends should be spent enjoying your friends, not sweating in the kitchen.
Ciao for now.
Randy
We spent the afternoon at their place, drinking tea and eating a banana bread that I'd just made. Then they came over for dinner and conversation. We had wonderful evening, except for Maggie, who was protesting our use of the evil fireplace by hiding upstairs in the dark. Her loss, I'm afraid.
I really didn't have anything fancy to offer when I made the sudden and impetuous decision to invite our friends for dinner. I did have a moment of panic, wondering what the heck I was going to serve!
That's where some of the great frozen ingredients available in France saved my neck. First, I had a frozen onion tarte. These are terrific and I always try to keep one in the freezer for unexpected guests. But, clearly that wasn't going to be enough for four adults. I decided I'd make a hearty soup, but with what?
The French equivalent of "skillet" dinners tend to have different ingredients than U.S. mixes. My favorite has cubes of beef, baby carrots and cubed potatoes. I sautée that for a few minutes in a little olive oil, then add a variety of herbs and spices, especially garlic and dill. Enough water to cover, then toss in a couple of boullion cubes, bring to a boil and either simmer for 35 or 40 minutes, or, use the pressure cooker and cook on the veggie setting for 15 minutes. That's it. Perfect winter soup.
We finished off with a quick apple compote that I made using apples, hydromel (kind of honey wine) brown sugar, cinnamon and a handful of candied orange peel. I made some vanilla whipped cream to go with it and that was our dinner. Fast, easy and warming on a cold winter's night. I doubt I spent more than an hour getting the whole thing together.
Evenings with friends should be spent enjoying your friends, not sweating in the kitchen.
Ciao for now.
Randy
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