PAPILLES EN EVEIL – Déjeuner - And, here's the rest of the story...

I've had this written and ready to publish ages ago, but I was waiting for Brigitte's photos before I actually published it.  However, no photos, yet.  So, here's plan B:  I'll publish this and send the photos (with captions) when I get them.
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Lunch was great fun and a huge success !  There were eight of us, 2 Japanese, 1 Brazilian, 1 Portuguese, 1 Chinese, 1 French, 1 American/French, and me.  Quite the international mix!

My sundaes were a big hit.  We made the hot fudge sauce and caramel sauce, and I brought bananas, strawberries, pineapple, walnuts, whipped cream, and maraschino cherries.  It was fun watching each person build her own sundae!  I think the caramel sauce was the favorite sauce – mainly because it seemed to be new to most of the women in the group.  And, everyone seemed pleased to take some of each sauce home.

I’ve included my rough English translations of recipes.

 Sueli, our Brazilian, was in charge of the entrée (appetizer). It would make an excellent dinner salad on a hot day and is quite impressive in presentation! 

Here’s the recipe:

SALPICÃO DE CHICKEN
 Ingredients
3 chicken fillets
3 carrots grated
2 apples (crunchy)
50 g of raisins
1 sm can of corn
1 sm can of green beans
1 sm can of peas
10 cl of light cream
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
Parsley, salt, olive oil
1 lemon
Straw potatoes
4 pineapples

Method

·         Cook chicken fillets 10 minutes chicken fillets with a little bit of salt water, when the chicken is cooked and cold, pull it apart into small pieces.
·         Grate carrots and add a few drops of lemon juice
·         Cut apples into small pieces and put a few drops of lemon juice (to keep them from turning brown).
·         In a dish, put all the ingredients and mix everything.
·         Season with mayonnaise, light cream, parsley, salt, olive oil
·         Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
·         Before serving  the salpicāo, cut the pineapples in half, remove the contents of the fruit.
·         Put the Salpicāo in the pineapple halves and at the last minute add a handful of straw potatoes.
·         Garnish with pineapple bits and serve.

 

Misa, our hostess, chose a sort of Japanese stew for the plat.  You’ll find the flavor is a little different from what we’re used to in a stew but very yummy! Here’s her recipe:

Nikujaga (Mijote de-de-potatoes with meat)

Ingredients (for 2 people):
100 g of beef (or pork) chopped
3 potatoes
1 onion
1-2 carrots
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sake (rice wine)
200cc of dashi (fish stock)
a little oil
salt, pepper

Preparation:

• Peel vegetables and cut into pieces.
• In a saucepan, make Brown the meat, add the vegetables and sugar. Mix well.
• Dilute the broth and Moisés meat/vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil and add the sake and soy sauce.
• Remove the foam with a spoon if necessary.
• Simmer over medium heat about 20 minutes.
• Put in a bowl and add a few cooked green beans to give color.
• Serve with rice.

And, here are my recipes for the dessert sauces.  They are both very simple to make, but you’ll do a LOT of stirring!

Hot Fudge Sauce

1 c white sugar
2 tbs flour
1/3 c cocoa
2tbs butter
1 c milk

Mix ingredients together in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil until sauce thickens.  (Hot fudge sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.)

 

Caramel Sauce Recipe

Cook time: 10 minutes  Yield: Makes a little over one cup of sauce.

1 cup (210 g) of sugar

6 Tbsp (85 g) butter
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

1. First, before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait for hunting around for ingredients. If you don't work fast, the sugar will burn. Safety first - make sure there are no children under foot and you may want to wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water.

2. Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as the sugar comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. Note that this recipe works best if you are using a thick-bottomed pan. If you find that you end up burning some of the sugar before the rest of it is melted, the next time you attempt it, add a half cup of water to the sugar at the beginning of the process, this will help the sugar to cook more evenly, though it will take longer as the water will need to evaporate before the sugar will caramelize.

3. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

4. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note than when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. This is why you must use a pan that is at least 2-quarts (preferably 3-quarts) big.

5. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. (Remember to use pot holders when handling the jar filled with hot caramel sauce.) Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm before serving.

Here’s The Reader’s Digest version of the directions:  1-melt sugar, stirring contstantly 2-when melted sugar comes to a boil, add butter (continue stirring!) 3-when butter is melted, remove pan from heat and stir in cream (keep stirring!) 4-when the caramel sauce is fully mixed and looks smooth, you’re done.

 
So there you have it!  Bon appétit!  (Pictures of all of the above to come...)

Lunch at la Brasserie des Brotteaux

The sun was shining yesterday and so we decided to take a walk with the idea of finding a lunch spot along the way.  We ended up at a restaurant we have eaten in before and both like a lot – La Brasserie des Brotteaux.  The food is quite good, the service is great, there are linen table cloths and napkins, the décor is fantastic (LOTS of art nouveau), AND it is celebrating its centennial year. 

There is stained glass and tile everywhere – all art nouveau, of course.  David is a great art nouveau fan so with the décor and wonderful food he was a very happy camper. 

This restaurant is also a favorite of local residents, and there always seems to be lots of families enjoying a meal together.  On sunnier days we like to eat outside and watch the neighborhood traffic.  On this occasion, however, we were happy to dine inside as it was a bit brisk outside in spite of the sun's efforts.

So what did we have?  David had Onglet de Veau Jus à la Sauge Pourpre with Gratin Dauphinois (veal with sage and gratin dauphinois), and I had a special, Cuisse de Canard (duck leg) that was so tender it literally fell off the bone and the sauce was amazing.   And for our wine, David chose Moulin à Vent AOC Pierre Marie Chermette « Les 3 Roches » 2011.  What a delicious lunch, and what a great way to enjoy a sunbreak !

So, next time you are in Lyon, be sure to dine at La Brasserie des Brotteaux  - you won’t be disappointed!  Here are some images to help you picture it.

 

Here's the entrance.

And, the elegant dining room.

The bar - notice the art nouveau over the mirrors.

More art nouveau with an explanation (in French) shamelessly copied from their website. 

 

PAPILLES EN EVEIL , the AVF International Lunch Group

Apparently, any local member of AVF can propose an activity.  And, if it gets board approval and he/she can make it go, it becomes an authorized AVF activity.  That’s the way Andrée-Anne put together her Découverte de la France class, and that’s the way Brigitte bravely created her Péapilles en Éveil‏  (“Stimulating your taste buds”) lunch group.

Brigitte’s idea seemed pretty simple.  First, get the word out via the “Flash Info” (AVF monthly newsletter) that anyone interested in meeting monthly in a member’s home to prepare and eat an entrée(appetizer here), plat (main course), and dessert should meet with her at the AVF office at an assigned time.  Second, explain her concept and sign up all those interested.  And, third, work out a schedule for a year’s worth of monthly luncheons so that 8 of us at a time would get together.  That’s where it got complicated!  You can imagine what a miracle it is to find a date and time each month that fits into the calendars of 8 women; I think that’s still the most difficult part of pulling this off since each month seems to have its reschedules and changes in venue.  Otherwise, it’s pretty straightforward:  the hostess is in charge of the plat (and wine, of course), another has the entrée and another the dessert.   It’s understood that the person in charge of a course brings all the ingredients and the recipe, and everyone is involved in preparation (and clean up).  The members of our group are pretty diverse: Chinese, Japanese, Argentinian, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, French, me and another American who has lived in France for most of her life.  Brigitte remains calm and totally charming – she’s a wonder!

So, taking a deep breath, I volunteered to host the December lunch.  (It was scheduled for a couple of days before we were going home, which added to the stress.)  How was I going to accommodate eight ladies when our table seated 4?  How on earth was I going to arrange things in the kitchen so that eight women could be preparing a meal at the same time?  What could I have been thinking!?!  (Needless to say, I didn’t sleep the night before.)  Well, it went off perfectly, thanks in good part to David's suggestions and help moving things.  David escaped to ride his bike at 10AM as everyone started arriving and returned at 2PM (actually David says it was 3!) to find the party still going strong.  Here are some pictures to give you an idea of how it worked out.

David took this picture just before he escaped.

Brigitte took this one of us in the kitchen.

And, here we are enjoying the fruits of our labors (and some wine).

So why am I telling you all this?  Because I’m in charge of the dessert this coming Thursday at Misa’s apartment.  The dessert should be typically American, whatever that is, and fairly quick and easy to prepare.  After a long exchange of emails with Brigitte, we agreed on ice cream sundaes; we will be making caramel and chocolate sauces and preparing fruit and other toppings.  Each person will “build” her own sundae.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Whenever anyone would ask why we go to Lyon, David would invariably cite the weather.  How much more sunshine and clear, blue skies are in Lyon.  HA!  I think we’ve had about 2-3 beautiful days of sunshine and blue skies since we got here on May 2^nd.  All the natives are telling us how their  Spring weather has been “very unusual” as they continue to blow up their water wings and work on their arks.

Some parts of France have really been hit hard by the rain.  Pictures like this one of Dijon are competing in the news with the Film Festival in Cannes and the latest political scandals and crises.  Some areas  (including parts of Dijon) have even been evacuated due to the flooding.  And, here,
in Lyon, the water level in the Saône River has been so high that barge traffic was halted because the barges couldn’t get under the bridges. 

Unfortunately, there’s more on the way.  One  local meteorologist predicts a month’s worth of rain in the next week with a little thunder and lightning thrown in for good measure.  That prediction sounds about right since we've gotten 1 3/8 inches in the last 24 hours.

Hopefully, this deluge will end before too long - the unfortunate folks who were evacuated can reclaim their homes, and everyone can get back to their normal lives.  In the meantime, think sun and carry a large umbrella!

Learning about France via AVF

First a quick explanation for any new comers to our blog…AVF (Accueil des Villes Française) is a government-sponsored organization designed to help foreign newcomers to France and French returning to France after living elsewhere get integrated into life in their city.  We have enjoyed the classes, soirées, and outings available via AVF since our first stay in Lyon.

One of the classes we have particularly enjoyed is Découverte de la France (Discovering  France) which meets twice a month. La matrice, Andrée-Anne, often assigns topics for people in the class to research and present. 

Today, Jannie (from the Netherlands) talked to us about the string of chateaux (click here if you’d like more info on them) along the Loire River.  Most of them started out as fortifications and later evolved into more palatial edifices.  Jannie spent most of the time today introducing us to Château de Saumur.  Construction was begun in the 12^th century and completed in the 15^th century.  It was built under the auspices of Saint Louis and has served as the fortification and palace for the dukes of Anjou, a château for the kings of France, a prison, a munitions depot, and now houses a museum for the city of Saumur.

The château is quite impressive, and as you can see in this picture, was sited to have an unimpeded view of its surroundings and the river.

Definitely something we’ll put on our growing list of “things to see.”

Lunch with Estelle

Estelle, as many of you know, became a part of our family as an exchange student.  Our daughter, Jill, in turn, stayed with Estelle’s family.  It proved to be a great match, and we have become a part of Estelle’s extended family along with Jill.  One of the things we enjoy about our stays in Lyon is our periodic lunches with Estelle; our first one this visit was today.  As always, a good part of our conversation was catching up on which family members on both sides are doing what.

La Gare de Lyon Part Dieu

Estelle and her husband, Laurent, have two boys, Paul and Victor.  Both are in “College” which is the French equivalent to Middle School.  Paul is the older of the two and is, I believe, 13 years old.  He has been studying German and English in school for three years, and today Estelle put him on a train for Stuttgart at the Part Dieu station.  He will be staying with the family of a boy who stayed with Estelle’s family in March.  It’s only for a week, but what a wonderful opportunity and experience! 

Estelle is a veteran of several exchanges – in Germany, Ireland, and the US.  Her last exchange was as a part of the Rotary Exchange program.  She found, to her delight, that some of the students who were Rotary Exchange students in the US when she was not only have a FaceBook page but are also planning a reunion this year in Barcelona.  She and Laurent are looking forward to this holiday with these former students and their spouses.   The attendees will be coming from all over the world.  Hmmm… I wonder how much of a “party town” Barcelona is; I guess we’ll find out in June!

Picard

If I were to choose things I’d like to transplant from France to the US, Picard would be high on the list.  Picard stores sell frozen foods – just frozen foods.  But, what frozen foods!  Everything from spices and sauces to veggies to fish to meats to desserts – any food one can imagine and many I had never thought of a “freezable.”  The food is available alone as a basic ingredient and also in a variety of prepared gourmet dishes.  The variety, taste and quality are amazing!  The normal assortment of frozen food items (think of a walk down Metropolitan Market’s frozen food aisle) can be found in any super marché here; Picard is just in a league by itself.  And, to top it off, Picard publishes books and monthly magazines with preparation tips and recipes.  (That’s where I found all my recipes for duck breast, for instance.)

So what did we buy on our first visit to Picard on this trip?  Gratin Dauphinois (a rich, creamy preparation of potatoes au gratin), lasagnes a la bolognaise, petits pois doux extra fin (young, sweet, tender green peas), aiguillettes de poulet au citron (filets of chicken breast

marinated with lemon – I first had these at Dominique’s; they are quick and easy to fix and delicious), paves de bœuf marinés à l’echalote (small, tender cuts of beef marinated in a shallot/wine sauce), steaks haches (the closest thing we have to these in the US is cubed steak, a poor comparison), beignets de crevette (shrimp tempura, ready for oven or micro), fleurettes de brocolis, and, of course, frites.  That should hold us over this long holiday weekend – isn’t France always celebrating one holiday or another?

 I can hear the comments now…”Don’t they ever think of ANYTHING other than food?”  Of course we do!  But, right now I think I’ll eat a caramel macaron.

Back in Lyon – May 3, 2013

Some people (more than we would have thought) have asked why we didn’t publish our blog very much on our last visit.  Well, frankly, we didn’t realize we had such a loyal audience, and, also, we (okay, it was really Anna) got lazy.  Mea culpa!  We’ll do a better job of keeping you informed this time.

We arrived in France yesterday.  Even with our non-stop flight Seattle to Paris and the usual, very pleasant TGV train trip to Lyon, we were both wiped.  We arrived at our apartment building, and (SURPRISE!) found the entry code had changed.  As we stood there, staring at the door and wondering what to do next, the gentleman who works next door at the insurance office came outside to smoke a cigarette.  He fortunately recognized us and helped us into the lobby through his office while his receptionist found the new code for us.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all problems were as easily solved?  (We remain amazed that some Americans persist in thinking the French are rude.)

Today we’ve been taking it slow and easy.  We started with a simple petite déjeuner across the street at Viténature, our favorite boulangerie, and a warm welcome from the owners, our friends, Phillipe and Angeline.   Later we had a very pleasant lunch with Dominique, our landlady and friend.  Then we went to the neighborhood Monoprix grocery store to pick up some basic food items and were greeted by our favorite clerk.  Later we walked over to Les Halles to Mons to get some compte cheese for David and some bleu cheese for Anna (the bleu cheese is amazing - creamy, tangy, just delicious!) and then to Sève to pick up a dozen butter caramel macarons for Anna.

 

Sève Caramel Macarons - They taste even better than they look!

Noticing a theme here?  Friends and yummy French food!