French food Friday...French 75

photo and recipe from here

Bonjour mes belles,

I hope that you all had a very happy Christmas.  Our's was spent with French Boyfriend's family and as you all know the French love their food and believe that it should be sdavoured slowly hence dinner on Christmas eve did not finish to around 1am on Christmas day and as a result I was a little worse for wear.....mixing drinks is never good and next time I plan to stick to champagne only.

Christmas day was a repeat of Christmas eve and I started my day with macarons and finished the day with macarons hence I have had my "macaron fix" for a while.

Yesterday was spent recovering and we are planning on having a quietish week-end if such a thing exists....

This week's recipe is a festive one and is one that I am planning on using New Year's eve.


It dates back to World War I, legend has it that this now-quintessentially French cocktail was created by American officers during the war who were inspired by the power and smoothness of the French 75mm rifles.

French 75 Cocktail

Serves: 4

You Will Need:
60ml Gin
30ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
30ml Sugar stock
Champagne or Sparkling Wine

Method:
1. Mix gin, lemon juice and sugar stock together.
2. Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain equal amounts into the bottom of four flute glasses.
3. Top with chilled bubbles. It’s a delicious drink and a perfect aperit.

1. Mix gin, lemon juice and sugar stock together.
2. Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain equal amounts into the bottom of four flute glasses.
3. Top with chilled bubbles. It’s a delicious drink and a perfect aperit
Read more at http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/lifestyle/recipes/533636/french-75-christmas-cocktail.html#MUSCLsI4P5APVSh8.99

à votre santé, Leeann x

from our house....

amicalement, Leeann x

Joyeux Noël....

 

Here's wishing you and yours a Joyeux Noël .

amicalement, Leeann

French Food Friday...Buche de Noel

photo and recipe from here


Bonjour mes belles,

I hope that you are having a fabulous week in the run up to Christmas, not many sleeps to go now.

This week's recipe is a personal favourite of mine, simple and very yummy.

Buche de Noel

Serves: 6-8

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins

Prep Time: 50 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

INGREDIENTS

• melted butter, for greasing
• 175g caster sugar, plus extra for dredging
• 75g plain flour, plus extra for dredging
• 20g cocoa powder
• 3 medium eggs
• 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur, such as Kahlúa
• 125ml double cream
• 175g plain chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur
• 50g melted chocolate, plus extra for drizzling
• 6-7 holly leaves
• icing sugar, for dusting

 

Method

1. First make the holly leaves to decorate the cake. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of very gently simmering water. Stir a couple of times until smooth. Using a small paintbrush, coat the non-shiny sides of the holly leaves with the mixture. Leave to set, then paint on another two coats. Chill until set.
2. Heat the oven to 200˚C (180˚C fan oven) gas mark 6. Brush a 33cm x 23cm Swiss roll tin with melted butter. Line with baking parchment and grease the paper. Dredge with caster sugar, then flour. Knock out any excess.
3. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together three times until they are thoroughly combined. Set aside.
4. Whisk the eggs in a bowl with the sugar until the mixture leaves a trail for a few seconds. Gently fold in the flour mixture with a large metal spoon – don’t over-mix or you will lose valuable air but make sure there are no pockets of flour. Fold in the coffee liqueur.
5. Gently pour the mixture into the prepared tin, checking for any pockets of flour as you do so. Lightly level the surface and bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges shrink away from the tin.
6. Lay a damp tea towel on the work surface followed by a sheet of baking parchment. Dredge the paper with caster sugar. Carefully turn the cake out onto the paper. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then carefully peel away the top baking parchment. Trim the crusty edges. Make a small nick 2cm from the edge of one short end at each side of the Swiss roll. Roll up from the short end with the paper still inside. Transfer to a wire rack, seam-side down, to cool.
7. To make the ganache, put the cream in a small pan and bring to the boil (this is important). Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Leave to melt, stirring a couple of times, until smooth. Set aside until the chocolate is at room temperature.
8. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a free-standing mixer (or use electric beaters) and beat with the ‘K’ beater on a medium speed until it is thickened and lighter in colour – do not overbeat as you want it to be soft and fluffy. Beat in the coffee liqueur.
9. Unroll the Swiss roll and spread the ganache over. Roll up tightly again and place seam-side down on a board – don’t worry if it cracks, as this will add to the log effect.
10. Using a teaspoon, drizzle melted chocolate from side to side across the log. Peel the holly from the chocolate leaves, arranging them on top of the cake. When the drizzled chocolate has set, dust the log with icing sugar.

....bon appetit à tous, Leeann

a little inspiration...

photo from here

Bonjour mes belles,

The days appear to be disappearing vite and I still have what seems like a million and one things to do....

Yesterday we went shopping and I thought that French Boyfriend would buy me a lovely wreath from the local florist, to hang on our front door, but no, he bought me the base in which to create a wreath so I need to go a wandering in the forest and find me some lovely branches and ivy.....you may recall that a couple of years I took wreath making classes so I have a feeling I will need to refer to the notes that I made back then.

This year ours is natural Christmas so the image that I have posted today is very inspiring and I love the tray piled high with moss and the bulbs look stunning......

 a hunting and wandering I must go, Leeann x

9 days to go...

Bonjour mes belles,

Wow lundi matin, the weekend passed quickly and we have 9 days to Christmas day. Trying not to panic but think that I will be one of the last minute shoppers, which in a way I have come to enjoy, as shopping on Christmas eve always has an ambiance all of it's own.....the marche de noel has started in Bergerac and I am looking forward to visiting the very cute wooden chalets and the weather is mild so bearable for the brave stand holders as they are not heated.
A million and one things to do as per normal so I had better get moving....

Bonne et douce semaine à tous, Leeann x

hunting and gathering...

Bonsoir mes belles,

Today has been a "hunting and gathering" type of day......I have been hunting and gathering greenery to decorate Maison No. 20 but have realised that despite telling French Boyfriend  "stop cutting , I have enough " I now realise that I need more. 


Just need to work out how to break this news on FB who is not quite so keen on hunting and gathering.....the idea of trudging around in alsmost freezing temperatures whilst I point out which branches I prefer is not his ideal sport!

I just need to find a way to break it to him gently.....think that a dessert maybe called for so it is off to the kitchen I go...

à demain, Leeann x

decorating the natural way...

 

photo from here

 

Bonsoir mes belles,

 

I don't know about you but I am looking forward to starting the decorating, not long to go now.

 

There is something about hunting and gathering that I enjoy and plan to do lots of it next week. Hunting for moss, pine cones and lots of lovely greenery. Nothing like a touch of green and the smell is lovely and fresh when you enter the house. Add a few lights and a few decorations strategically places and the job is done.

 

Hence when I found this article, it was exactly what I needed to get me in hunting and gathering mode.

 

amicalement, Leeann

a touch of rouge....

photo from here

Bonjour mes belles,

I hope that you are having a good week. I am slowly working my way through my list of things to do before the big day. 

I ordered the table cloth that you see in the photo above along with a couple of table runners and some napkins incase I get cold feet at the last minute and feel it is too red and resort to a taupe tablecloth with red table runners.

As normal French Boyfriend is his laid back self telling me not to worry, it is just another day and if the shops run out of food we can always have roast chicken......

Hence I feel the need to do some shopping sooner rather than later. That said it is market day tomorrow so I am sure that we can get most of what we need at the market tomorrow.

à tres bientot, Leeann x

it is beginning to feel...

.......a lot like Christmas. The Marche de Noel starts today in Bergerac and for me that it is the signal that Christmas is on the way.

One week to go and still lots to do.......I have better get moving. 

à demain mes belles, Leeann x

Twinkling lights... a few photos

Bonjour from a chilly SW France,

I hope you are having a good week, ours in turning out to be a good one but no snow yet. It would need to warm up in order to snow.

Last night we headed into Bergerac to do some shopping and I managed to snap a couple of photos in between shopping.

We even bumped into Santa while we were there......

the first time he was his reindeer and the second time, he was reading a book.....Pere Noel is certainly a laid back fellow in SW France! 

Loved the wing style lights, they are my favourites as you know from last years photos.

As we were leaving I snapped this photo of the lovely lights decorating the old bridge that leads into Bergerac, they really do take my breath away each year that I see them.

I am in the process of washing a lot of the treasures that I found at the weekend so it is back to work that I go.

à demain, Leeann x 

making a list...

fabulous photo from here

Bonjour mes belles,

I hope that all had a fabulous weekend. I think that ours was the best so far, yesterday was spent tresure hunting on a sunny but chilly day and Saturday was the highlight of my year.

We had a stall at a local Christmas fair where trade was brisk with young female shoppers.....little girls love to shop and I love seeing their outfits, boots, skinny jeans, fabulous coloured jumpers and one even wore a tutu over the jeans....fashionably hip!

The day finished with a concert and mulled wine served with mince pies.......fabulous and I do not have many of the mulled wine spices left in stock.

As most of you know I adore making gingerbread cookies almost as much as French Boyfriend loves eating it so when I saw these fabulous trees made from gingerbread cookies on one of my favourite blogs I thought this is something that I would like to try hence I have started a list of all theh things that I need to do this week and making trees like these is on my list.

Have you started making a list, dites-moi.... 

amicalement, Leeann x

 

the count down has begun...

photo from here

 

I do not know about you but I am happy to say au revoir to November and say Bonjour to December, my favourite month of the year.

 

I have already started baking for Christmas and my plan is to spend cold days baking whilst listening and singing all to Christmas carols.

 

It is cold here today and the forecast is for another chilly day tomorrow so you know where to find me.....

 

 

Trés bon week-end à tous, Leeann x 

Hanging in my hall....

My petite boutique is accessed using the same entrance as for Maison No. 20 so I have started to hang a few decorations for Noel, in order to get my customers in the Christmas mood.

The rest of the house will be decorated at the begining of December which is now not that far away.

I found these vintage ice skates at a local vide grenier back in Spring of this year and was happy when I found them as I have not seen any like them here in SW France which is  probably due to the fact that there is not a lot of ice skating that takes place in the winter.

Note it took me a while to thread the ribbon as the ribbon was a lot wider than the holes, hence I really had to push it through but I got there in the end.

Have you started any Christmas projects yet? I am finding that pinterest is full of ideas and I love seeing what other people are pinning and/or are making for Christmas.

 

Bonne journée à tous, Leeann x 

Printemps Vitrine Paris, Noel 2012...

Bonsoir mes belles,

I hope that you like watching this video of the Printemps Store in Paris, Christmas window display created by the very fabulous DIOR......click here to view.

....à demain, Leeann x