A winter’s day….

nothing much beats French Onion Soup 

We’ve hit the zero degree days and all this morning we have had a gentle sleet falling. It melts as soon as it hits the ground so the temperature is not quite cold enough for a photo opportunity.

This is just the weather for staying inside and cooking. We’ve tried a few new recipes as well as the traditional. Lot's of soups like carrot and coriander, chicken and corn, minestrone, thai vegetable, and of course, french onion.

We've also discovered a local dish called potée . The supermarket sells the vegetables in packs and separately a mixture of the meats - sausage and pork. You just throw them all in a large pot with stock and cook long and slow. It is delicious on a cold day.

Potée ingredients

One of the most common ingredients in this region is duck. It's reasonably priced and very easy to find in it's various forms. In summer we pan fry aiguillettes ( duck tenderloin) and serve with a marmalade and whisky sauce. But in winter one of the best ways to eat it is confit. The duck legs are cooked very slowly in duck fat until almost falling apart, then they are pan fried to crisp up the skin. It's not hard to do as the duck is sold at the supermarket already cooked and in a layer of fat ready to fry. Served with potatoes also cooked in the duck fat and this is a favourite dish. And we are told that duck and goose fat ( also popular here) are good for you !

confit de canard aux frites

I've been making Tarte Tatin for years in Australia and even brought my favourite pan with me so that there is no problem  making them here.

a simple apple tarte tatin

But I've also learned to make madeleines. These are a lovely small cake made in a fluted mould and dusted with sugar or often drizzled with honey.

Yum !

With the weather the way it is and the Six Nations Rugby competition starting tonight,  we will be hibernating for the weekend. So, I have just baked a fruit cake and I'll be making meat pies for saturday night.  A pity Australia isn't playing.

can you get anymore french than this ?

Bon week-end mes amis