Okay, business time! I'll start with Christmas. We kept things simple and celebrated here on the farm - joined by Emmanuelle and her boyfriend, Paul, and Gabriel and his adorable 6yr old daughter, Melina.
(above) Our Giftmas Stash from us to E, G, P & M.
Christmas Eve: preparing for Crepe-fest '09. E & G made a 3-course homemade crepe meal for us! Boudin noir & potatoes, munster (and by munster, we mean basically a 1/2 wheel melted and put into one crepe each), and then apple for dessert. We were stuffed! And then headed to midnight mass with G's parents. Luckily, the singing and animated priest kept us awake!
Best Gift of the Night? A mini-pitchfork! G made Melina a pint-sized pitchfork for her to use in the barn, and I swear to you, I have never seen a child get so excited about a gift before in my entire life... especially one that they'll be using in a barn! Her reaction was priceless.
Christmas FeastAnd now - New Year's in Strasbourg! The majority of the pictures are from the absolutely delicious meal that Owen treated me to at La Table de Christophe. We were much to full and jolly to tend to pictures after our meal.
All gussied up for our night on the town.
Amuse Buche - seafood trio (sound familiar, Craigie)! At the top is salmon, dressing with a little bit of olive oil, African basil, and peppercorn. On the right was a chilled fish salad with lentils and saffron. And the left - my favorite - a warmed bisque, lobster maybe? I liked drinking it through the straw, but it made it tricky to slurp up the last sips without sounding like a pig.
Foie Gras - mmm. Accompaniments: warmed sesame toast, apple, chutney, balsamic reduction, and a little cube of Gewurztraminer gelatin.
My favorite course: seared scallops with the best broth/foam I've ever tasted in my life and some yummy little beans. The foam involved foie gras and some other seafood, I think. An updated post might be in order once Owen wakes up and corrects all of my food mistakes.
Palate-cleansing time! Small scoop of yogurt sorbet, doused in a generous shot of schnapps. I think the little crunchy guys were pistachios? And a banana chip. I just remember it being a lot of booze. Bonne Annee!
Final Savory: Veal. Accompaniments - boiled potatoes, zucchini, and carrots. Slightly disappointing considering the greatness of our other courses (the meat was definitely over-cooked), but I suppose it's the kind of stuff we needed in our belly to prepare us for a night on the town.
And what's a meal without cheese!? All 4 cheeses were great - munster, tomme, bleu... and a cheddar, I think? The ooey gooey one was my fave.
Dessert! Starfruit, some kind of almond cake topped with meringue (and a ground cherry - they love 'em over here(, and an almond ice cream. The best part? The tiny raspberry drizzle!
Ahh, cafe. Their mignardises were little meringue balls and a chocolate. After the cafe, the clock struck midnight and we sent a round of champagne to the kitchen (which consisted of two people: the owner and a dishwasher). Bon bon bon!
Back on the streets, we joined George Clooney and the rest of the celebration. Just had to snap a photo because good 'ole George is EVERYWHERE in France in ads for Nespresso.
And finally, my best attempt at capturing the madness. Yes, it's blurry. Yes, I was full of wine and champagne. Yes, I continued walking while taking the picture. Firecrackers whizzing by, everyone hugging and shouting BONNE ANNEE at the top of their lungs. A great, fantastic evening.
And 2010 is already proving to be a great year! Coming up - posts about the process of making our cheese, champagne tastings in Rheims, and our 3-night stay in Paris with O's sister and her boyf. Stay tuned!
All gussied up for our night on the town.
Amuse Buche - seafood trio (sound familiar, Craigie)! At the top is salmon, dressing with a little bit of olive oil, African basil, and peppercorn. On the right was a chilled fish salad with lentils and saffron. And the left - my favorite - a warmed bisque, lobster maybe? I liked drinking it through the straw, but it made it tricky to slurp up the last sips without sounding like a pig.
Foie Gras - mmm. Accompaniments: warmed sesame toast, apple, chutney, balsamic reduction, and a little cube of Gewurztraminer gelatin.
My favorite course: seared scallops with the best broth/foam I've ever tasted in my life and some yummy little beans. The foam involved foie gras and some other seafood, I think. An updated post might be in order once Owen wakes up and corrects all of my food mistakes.
Palate-cleansing time! Small scoop of yogurt sorbet, doused in a generous shot of schnapps. I think the little crunchy guys were pistachios? And a banana chip. I just remember it being a lot of booze. Bonne Annee!
Final Savory: Veal. Accompaniments - boiled potatoes, zucchini, and carrots. Slightly disappointing considering the greatness of our other courses (the meat was definitely over-cooked), but I suppose it's the kind of stuff we needed in our belly to prepare us for a night on the town.
And what's a meal without cheese!? All 4 cheeses were great - munster, tomme, bleu... and a cheddar, I think? The ooey gooey one was my fave.
Dessert! Starfruit, some kind of almond cake topped with meringue (and a ground cherry - they love 'em over here(, and an almond ice cream. The best part? The tiny raspberry drizzle!
Ahh, cafe. Their mignardises were little meringue balls and a chocolate. After the cafe, the clock struck midnight and we sent a round of champagne to the kitchen (which consisted of two people: the owner and a dishwasher). Bon bon bon!
Back on the streets, we joined George Clooney and the rest of the celebration. Just had to snap a photo because good 'ole George is EVERYWHERE in France in ads for Nespresso.
And finally, my best attempt at capturing the madness. Yes, it's blurry. Yes, I was full of wine and champagne. Yes, I continued walking while taking the picture. Firecrackers whizzing by, everyone hugging and shouting BONNE ANNEE at the top of their lungs. A great, fantastic evening.And 2010 is already proving to be a great year! Coming up - posts about the process of making our cheese, champagne tastings in Rheims, and our 3-night stay in Paris with O's sister and her boyf. Stay tuned!
.jpg)
Glad you had a wonderful xmas and new years! It's nice to be around people who love and care about you. :)
ReplyDeleteYour meal at La Table de Christophe makes me feel stuffed just looking at it. And George Clooney? He could sell me anything.
Thanks bebe :) Our NYE meal wasn't incredibly belt-busting... the Frenchies know how to portion meals so you're not left feeling like you need a wheelchair to get out the door.
ReplyDeleteNow if they could only combine George Clooney's presence with the meal... :)