Friday, October 7, 2011

Wanderlust ......... France



I have a serious case of wanderlust today: a nostalgic feeling for some beautiful places I’ve seen and an overwhelming desire to go back.

That’s not how the day started, however.  I actually woke up today with a very strong sense of regret.  Ever wake up and out of the clear blue you just start thinking back to a time in your life or a thing that you did that makes you feel really bad?   Why do we do that to ourselves?



I started thinking about what I did for love 10 years ago.

And it was all wrapped up in a place: La Belle France. 






Ever since I was a child, I’ve had a serious love affair with France.  I had a French provincial style bedroom set a la Sears and Roebuck, a French phone, a penchant for Impressionism and French design – like fleur de lis, toile, and matelasse coverlets.  I've had a love of the beautiful French language ever since fifth grade. 


My mother and I watched the French Chef religiously.  I remember my mother making French Onion Soup.  She made it the "right way", making a stock from beef bones.  Julia Child impressed upon me that there were standards for cooking, and the standards were set by the French.  One birthday, I gave my mother a gift of Julia Child's The Art of French Cooking.  When my mother passed away, those volumes were some of her things that I wanted to claim as my own.   


Of course, Gus lauded the praises of Maison Robert on his show.  A mon avis (in my opinion), Gus's approval lent a certain cachet to a restaurant whose merits were already well-established.


In my twenties, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet a woman with dual citizenship who introduced me to her life and joys across the pond.  Her first-hand accounts of shopping at the markets in the Dordogne region and her descriptions of walking through steep, winding paths to her medieval home in Sarlat, illustrated how beautiful daily life could be.








Since then, I’ve had the chance to live in France. In Paris, I studied French at the Alliance Francaise and completed a Wine and Spirits program at Le Cordon Bleu.  I’ve explored many beautiful regions of France and have so many memories of beautiful things I've seen - the open air markets, lavender fields, charming shops, provincial tablecloths - and things that I've done - like dining in a special place for hours with wine that perfectly enhances the experience and melds with the food.  I miss France and long to go back again. 








 Olives








Marzipan figures










Sausages






Boutique












Tarte tatin

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Birthday Cakes

It's that time of year when my three sons move up in age.  My middle guy - Justin - is turning 16 this month.  Here he is with his first birthday cake back in 1996.


He reminded me a bit of Linus from Peanuts, so I made him a Linus cake.


I've always been into cakes.





One of my favorite cakes is the One-Two-Three-Four Cake - a recipe given to me by my sister Dottie.  It's a delicious, dense, three layer, vanilla cake.


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1 c. butter or shortening (or 1/2 c. each)
2 c. sugar
4 eggs, separated
3 c. flour
1/4 ts. salt
3 ts. baking powder 
1 c. milk
1 ts. vanilla

Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.  Combine dry ingredients and add alternately with milk & vanilla to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.  Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.  Pour into 3 9-inch round greased and floured cake pans.  Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes.  Let cool a bit on racks, remove cake, and cool completely.

This cake is nice with a basic buttercream frosting or...



2 unbeaten egg whites
1 ½ c. sugar
5 TB cold water
1 ¼ ts. cream of tartar
1 ½ TB light corn syrup
1 ts. vanilla

Place first 5 ingredients in the top of a double boiler.  Over boiling water, beat ingredients with an electric mixer or a wire whisk for 7 minutes until peaks form.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in vanilla.


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Here's another favorite cake of mine from my sister Marcia. She sent me this recipe, along with a note that I've kept from her since June of '92.  In it, Marcia wrote:


"I plan to tune into Gus some afternoon - but I'm hesitant about doing so.  I know how contagious this sort of thing can become.  I'd have recipes galore which I'd probably never get around to making."

And your point is...?


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Spumoni Cake with Chocolate Glaze