Day 1693 (Wednesday) 26th January 2022
It was another beautiful day and we were both busy and all over the place.
Huw dropped me off in Beaulieu where I spent 90 minutes with Odile. He then took Kisbee up as far as the garage the owners of the villa have rented, parked there and walked up to the villa where he picked up a step ladder and carried it back to the garage. While he was at the villa he met the estate agent and the new owners and they want to meet him again on Monday to discuss continuing working at the villa. He picked me up in Beaulieu at 10.30 because I had a Teams lesson with Cedric at home at 11 – 12.30. When that was over he took me to Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat where I spent an hour with young Oceane. While I was doing that Huw caught the train from Villefranche to Nice to pick up the villa owner’s Mercedes which has been in a garage being repaired, which he drove back to the garage.
I caught the bus home and in Place de la Paix I saw that someone has been to Ventimiglia market because they had the same pyjamas as I bought there.
When I got home Badger was super playful and I had an hour keeping him entertained until Huw came home.
Our lavender is doing well, especially considering it’s January.
French Food-related Terms in English
à la carte
Food items that can be ordered individually and not as part of a set meal are ordered à la carte. The French word carte means card or menu. For example, a true à la carte menu would list each item separately, with individual prices: chicken legs, 4 euro; broccoli, 2 euro; rice, 1 euro 50, and so on.
à la mode
This French expression means “according to the fashion” and can be applied to clothing, furniture, dances, or anything that goes in and out of style. In US usage, the term is applied as a post-modifier to desserts. It usually means “with ice cream,” as in “pie à la mode.”
apéritif
An apéritif is an alcoholic drink, taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite.
au jus
Chiefly US, au jus is used as a post-modifier to indicate that a dish, usually meat, has been prepared or served in a gravy containing its own juices.
au gratin
A dish prepared au gratin has been sprinkled with breadcrumbs or grated cheese browned in the oven or under the grill. The French verb gratiner means “to brown.”
baguette
A long, thin loaf of French bread.
bon appétit
A salutation before eating.
café au lait [ka-fay oh lay]
Coffee taken with milk.
cordon bleu
Literally, “blue ribbon,” the expression reflects the sense of “first class.” In culinary usage, “a cordon blue” is “a first-class cook.”
crème brûlée
A cream topped with caramelised sugar, served as dessert.
cuisine
The ordinary word for kitchen in French, cuisine is also used to describe a manner or style of food preparation.
en brochette
A brochette is a skewer. En brochette refers to food cooked, and sometimes served, on brochettes, or skewers, like shish kebab. Food served en brochette is generally grilled.
maître d’hôtel
Maître is French for master. The maître d’hôtel is the host or manager of the “front” of a formal restaurant, the part that serves the customers. British speakers shorten the phrase to maître, but American speakers refer to this person as the maître d. The responsibilities of a maître d’hôtel generally include supervising the wait staff, taking reservations, and welcoming guests.
omelette
A dish traditionally made of beaten eggs fried in a pan and folded over. Sometimes other ingredients are added to the egg mixture.
petit four
A small fancy cake, biscuit, or sweet, usually served with coffee after a meal. The literal meaning is “little oven.”
plat du jour
Literally, “plate of the day, the plat du jour is a dish prepared in addition to the usual menu, available only on that day.
pot-au-feu
The literal meaning is “pot on the fire.” It can refer to a large traditional French cooking pot or to something cooked in one, usually a thick soup of meat and vegetables.
Prix fixe [Pree- feex]
A prix fixe meal typically includes several courses, but, unlike à la carte pricing, prix fixe indicates that all the courses are included under one “fixed price.”
19. roux [roo]
A mixture of fat and flour heated together and used in making sauces and soups. In the United States, a spicy roux is a staple of Cajun cooking in New Orleans.
sauté
The French verb sauter means “to jump.” Vegetables that are sautéed are fried in a pan with a little butter over a high heat, while being tossed from time to time.
sommelier [so-mel-yay]
A sommelier is a wine waiter or wine steward.
soupçon [soup-sohn]
Soupçon is French for suspicion. In cooking, a soupçon is a very small quantity or slight trace of something, “a pinch.”
soupe du jour
Like the plat du jour, the soupe du jour (“soup of the day”) is the advertised specialty on a given day.
vinaigrette
A vinaigrette is a dressing of oil and wine vinegar, sometimes with herbs used with salads and cold vegetables
pièce de résistance [pee-es duh ray-seez-tahnce]
In general usage, the phrase may refer to the prize item in a collection. For example, “The museum’s pièce de résistance is an exact reproduction of an American eighteenth century carpenter’s tiger maple chest.” In reference to food, the pièce de résistance is the main or most difficult-to-resist part of a meal.
Speaking of Pot-au-Feu, here’s the recipe
Classic Pot-au-Feu
For this dish, the chef braises two cuts of beef—shank and rump roast—with marrow bones and then separately cooks leeks and carrots with more marrow bones until everything is deeply flavourful and tender. When serving, you can mix the horseradish with the sour cream to make a tasty garnish.
By David Duband
Recipe Summary
Active:
45 mins
Total:
5 hours
Yield:
6 to 8
Ingredients
1 large onion, quartered
6 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, cut into 2 1/2-inch lengths
12 celery ribs, halved crosswise
6 medium carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
4 meaty beef shanks (about 3 pounds), 1 1/2 inches thick
One 3-pound beef rump roast or bottom round, tied
4 parsley sprigs
4 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Salt
Eight to ten 2-inch marrow bones (optional)
8 quarts water
6 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
6 medium turnips, peeled and quartered
1 pound rutabagas, peeled and cut into eighths
1 1/2 pounds unpeeled small potatoes, about 1 1/2 inches, scrubbed
Freshly ground black pepper
Horseradish, whole-grain mustard and sour cream, for serving
Directions
Step 1
In a large pot, combine the onion and half each of the leeks, celery and carrots. Set the beef shanks and rump roast on top of the vegetables. Wrap the parsley, thyme and bay leaves in a piece of moistened cheesecloth and tie into a bundle. Add the bundle to the pot along with the peppercorns and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Add 2 of the marrow bones and the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer, skimming occasionally, until the rump roast is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
Step 2
Transfer the shanks and roast to a large bowl and cover. Strain the broth and return it to the pot. Boil over high heat until reduced to 10 cups, about 45 minutes; skim off the fat.
Step 3
Add the remaining leeks, celery and carrots to the broth along with the parsnips, turnips and rutabagas. Cover and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are just tender, 30 minutes. Add the remaining 6 to 8 marrow bones and the potatoes. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 40 minutes.
Step 4
Untie the rump roast and cut it across the grain into 6 to 8 slices. Cut the shank meat into 2-inch chunks; add the meats to the pot and simmer until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the broth into shallow bowls. Add the meats, marrow bones and vegetables and serve, passing horseradish, mustard and sour cream at the table.
Suggested Pairing
Powerful red Burgundy, such as a bottle from Gevrey-Chambertin.
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