Pain D'Avignon (Boulangerie-Cafe)

The next time you visit Hyannis, MA, or if it is on the list of places to visit in the future, you may want to drop in for a cup of coffee or purchase one the various gourmet items for retail.

Pain D'Avignon Bakery is located near the airport in Hyannis.......how convenient. In fact, you actually pass by the cafe as you leave the airport property.

Inside the 15,000 sq.foot facility they bake their own Artisan breads, croissants, pies and pastries for many of New England's hotels and speciality shops, including Whole Foods and The Market at Pine Hills.

Also, the cafe is rented out for private parties or business events~one more note, they will FedEX any of the breads anywhere! Should I mention the Cranberry Pecan Rustic, Kalamata Olive, Raisin Pecan,Whole Wheat or French?

Location: 15 Hinkley Road, Hyannis, MA ~508.778.8588 www.paindavignon.com

Gurgling Away the Summer

I just had to show everyone this darling little pot~I have used them for tea, milk, lemonade,water and sangria......just about any liquid you can pour. When you fill the pot half way, air gets trapped in the handle and it actually gurgles when you start pouring. Comes in oddles of luscious colors. A great conversation piece and ice-breaker! Email me if you want to know where to get one.

How About A Date!

We grill many times during the week. I love cooking anything I possibly can outdoors -something about that taste the oven just can't top! This salad is perfect for steak or beef, burgers included. I love the range of colors as well as the texture and taste.....it represents summertime and a summery lightness all on one plate!

The highlight for me in this salad is the date....I don't use them too often in salads and why, I don't know. I enjoy eating dates right out of the package or stuffed with cream cheese, topped with a small sliver of ginger. The dressing I made , which I did not photograph, is very simple yet packed to the gills with intense flavors. I know there are numerous other dressings that work well with this simple salad. The dressing you might use will depend on the meat or fish you are cooking. I made my dressing with orange juice, white wine vinegar and walnut oil.

I just cut several wedges from the bibb lettuce and scattered them on a platter. Also, I sliced blue cheese into pieces and arranged the cheese on the wedges. Cut up a few dates, grab some walnuts and there you have it~ a robust salad that will compliment your barbecue and delight your taste buds!

Food for thought this Memorial Day

   This Memorial Day holiday we are on the road riding our motorcycles, not cooking, in Washington, D.C., with Rolling Thunder, a group of advocates for all America's armed forces nationwide and seeks to bring POW/MIA issues to the political forefront. Estimates vary, but as many as five hundred thousand motorcycles roar down Constitution and Independence Avenue in formation  showing support for those who have served and are serving in our military today. It is impressive to see the thousands of on-lookers crowd along the sidewalks and curbs to salute and wave to the riders who have taken their holiday to come to Washington to speak for those who cannot.

 For those readers who have family members that  are serving or who have served this country, thank you for your service........

Rhubarb Sangria

Not in my wildest of dreams did I ever think to add rhubarb to my repetoire and list of exotic cocktails, but guess what?And how very refreshing it is! I should clarify that by saying if you happen to enjoy rhubarb.

I have been reading a lot of recipes which include rhubarb and there are many floating around this time of year. My mother and grandmother grew rhubarb, but it was consumed strictly for pies, jams and chilled soups. They both would have enjoyed this drink.....cheers!

Rhubarb Sangria

1 C. sugar

3/4 C. water

1 bottle of sparkling rose-have it in the grocery stores

5 oz. of brandy

1 C. of red wine

2 t. lime juice

3 large stalks of rhubarb cut into 3/4 inch sections

1 t. vanilla

1 T. powdered sugar

Begin by cleaning the rhubarb stalks-chop and setting aside. Bring the sugar and water to a boil until the sugar has dissolved. Add the rhubarb.Let the rhubarb sit in the sugar solution for 5 to 10 minutes.Watch that it doesn't become too soft. Add the brandy, red wine, lime juice, vanilla, powdered sugar and stir vigorously in serving pitcher. Add the sugar water with rhubarb. Now add the sparkling rose wine at the last minute. Pour into glasses filled with ice and garnish with fruit.

Springtime in NYC

I really had not planned to be in New York for the weekend, but it turned out to be one of the best I have had in years. The rain stopped, the sun decided to pop out and people began filling the walkways and aisles. Their carts and baskets were overflowing with the produce and spring delicacies brought in from NY and a few other surrounding states.

The vegetable pictures are from the market located at Union Station. The variety of vegetables ranged from wild arugula to wild ramps with their beautiful flat broad leaves to mushrooms and French fingerling potatoes. There was no shortage of anything. I only wished I was having a dinner party that weekend ~ everything I would have needed was right there in front of me! The asparagus was piled high and beautifully displayed tempting every "passer-by- er". Home-baked pies and breads were also in abundance. Did I mention the cheese and fresh butters? For a brief moment I thought I was in France~ New York City, you were beautiful this weekend.

Spring Dessert ~ Clafoutis

Just arrived from France ~ spring has sprung! A friend of ours lives a few hours from Paris where she runs and operates a beautiful countryside B&B. Her home rests between fields of mustard, which were in full bloom, and wheat . For miles and miles all you could see were oceans of yellow and green~it was gorgeous! She prepared a grand lunch for us. We actually sat in the foyer with the intention of receiving the best part of the sun for that time of day. It was perfect in every way. For dessert we were served the traditional Clafoutis (Cla-foo-tea). Warm from the oven, there could not have been a better dessert.

I don't know if there is a standard

recipe for Clafoutis, I have tested many.

This recipe was heavy on the fruit side and very shy on the flour side. I tried to remember the ingredients my friend used~ no pen at the table , but easy to remember.

1 3/4 cups of mixed fruits.

1 cup of flour.

3 eggs.

2 cups of milk.

1/2 t.vanilla.

1/4 t. salt.

1/2 cup of sugar.

1 T. butter.

Butter and lightly flour a 9 inch pan or tart pan. Place the fruits in the pan. In bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Slowly pour in the milk. Whisk until blended and smooth. Add the eggs, one by one, whisking after each one. Add the vanilla. Pour the batter over the fruit. Dot with the butter and cook in oven at 400 degrees and bake until puffed , about 20-25 minutes. That's all I remember~ and I think it's right.

Modern Technology- only a dream

Rich, poor.....famous and not so famous, there are always plenty of smiles in areas like this on the river. It breaks my heart to know there are children in the world today who struggle to survive. But, this is life.......

Thrashing the grain from the stocks can be quite a challenge, especially on windy days. Notice the woman in the bottom photo is beating the rice stock with a stick. This goes on for hours a day. I loved the little girl's flip - flops! The next picture is a man standing beside a thrashing machine. How does he ever breath?

Tonle Sap ~ Fresh Water River in Cambodia

Getting off the beaten path while traveling is something I think many of us really enjoy. Wish I could do it more often. There are endless surprises along the roads!

The body of water where I

photographed is actually a combined lake and river. It is the largest fresh water lake in South East Asia. During the monsoon season, the river water is pushed up from the Mekong River into the lake. There is so much water that the nearby fields flood, along with many of the forests and farm lands. Hence, a flood plain which provides a perfect breeding ground for fish. Everyone fishes. After the fish are caught, they are dried and sold at the local markets ~ notice the person squatting on the makeshift drying platform. The fish are rotated several times a day to complete the natural drying process.

Life on the river continues with no interruptions when the flooding occurs. The school are floating as well as the grocery stores. Peddlers selling their wares go up and down the river all day long. Even the restaurants are floating~ cooking takes place right there on the drifting boats. Sometimes there is even a little time to play~

Floating Islands ~ Iles Flottantes

Had one of those moments this afternoon wondering what could we have for dessert.....not that we really needed any tonight. Always some eggs, sugar and milk around, so off to the library!

Custard

5 large egg yolks.

1 t. vanilla.

2 1/4 cups of milk.

1/2 cup of turbinado sugar.

For the meringues

3 large egg whites.

1/3 cup of superfine sugar, plus 2 T. more.

Toasted, sliced almonds for garnish.

1/2 cup of turbinado sugar for the caramel.

I heated the milk in the microwave to give it a head start. Whisk the yolks in a bowl that can be placed in water. Fill a pan with at least one inch of water, place bowl in water and heat the egg mixture until a custard consistency. Keep whisking. This will take about seven to ten minutes. After the egg mixture has thickened, pour and cool in individual bowls and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool.

For the meringues, I was not to sure how all of this was going to shake out, but it did! Line a cookie sheet with a dish towel. Fill a skillet with water and bring water to a light boil. While the water is getting ready, beat the egg whites until soft peaks have formed, gradually adding the sugar. Take large spoons and gather up the egg whites and then drop into the simmering water. Simmer for thirty seconds on each side. Remove meringues with slotted spoon and place on the towel lined tray. Repeat until you have about ten to twelve meringues. You have just made the islands!

Place two meringues in each bowl and add the almonds. Heat up a small pan and add the sugar. Heat until it melts and turns golden in color. Drizzle the caramel on top of the meringues. Server warm or chilled.

Risotto pea soup with mint~

There is always a bag of peas in the freezer, right? My kids needed bags of frozen peas to place on injuries when they were playing sports in school. The formation of the bag on a knee or ankle seemed to do the trick. Now days, the peas just exist, tucked away waiting for some useful purpose.

Well, today they are being put to use~not the same peas......

Ingredients for soup:

1 onion, chopped finely.

3 T. butter.

1 cup of risotto.

1 1/2 quarts of chicken broth.

2 T. of olive oil.

6 oz. of chopped pancetta.

2 T. of chopped fresh mint.

Salt and pepper to taste.

grated parmesan cheese for topping.

1 12oz. bag of peas, thawed or fresh.

Melt butter in pan and add onion and ham. Cook over medium heat for five minutes or until the onions are translucent. Place half of the peas in a food processor with the olive oil until pureed. Add the rice to the onion mixture. Pour in the broth and the pureed pea mixture. Simmer for fifteen minutes, uncovered. Keep mixture stirred. Add the rest of the peas, salt and pepper and cook for another eight to ten minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir in the chopped mint. You can add a bit more broth is you feel the soup is too thick. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cheese. Serves four~ just a nice Spring soup!

Let-us be creative!

Not only do the French have a gusto for food, presentation is right there next in line! Deciding on a centerpiece, according to Susan Loomis, should consist of no pressure and be fresh and enticing ~ how is this for enticement?

Susan concentrated on what was at hand and went from there. At an outdoor market located not too far from where we were cooking, Susan picked out some fresh herbs and tossed them along side this beautiful head of lettuce.To add a bit of color, she popped a few sweet grapes for contrast. Susan was able to turn something so simple into something spectacular with the wink of an eye ~ she constantly entertains a la Francaise. Now, my version was not as extensive, but I gave it a whirl and tried my hand with the raw ingredients at hand. My lettuce creation is the picture on the top. Try one yourself this Spring with all those beautiful green leaves from your garden.

Nutmeg ~ topping off the rice pudding

To help celebrate the arrival of Spring, I splurged this afternoon by making one of my favorite desserts, rice pudding. I poured all of the whipping cream into the mixture leaving none for that little dab on the top. Then I remembered that special little jar tucked away in the spice drawer. As soon as the top was twisted off, I could tell this was indeed going to be a treat.

I started buying whole nutmeg a while ago. Now it is difficult to use anything else. I love the color that is exposed as it slowly shrinks in size. There is such a difference in the taste by grating it yourself. I was in Whole Foods in January and they were selling (giving) plastic containers filled with the nuts for 25 cents. I grabbed up as many as I could and passed them out to all my friends. Never knew so much excitement could be created by such a little nut~

A few of you may be aware that I opened a store sometime ago. I have dedicated all my time to that business and my family and have not had the time to keep up with posting. I have missed

reading so many of your posts and
looking at the great photos of your creations ~ things are slowing down and I have a bit of free time which I have not had in months! Hopefully, I can now do some catching up!

My Big Purchase

A trip to Dehillerin is always a treat. How do they ever remember where everything is in this place? After you have compiled your list and  located what you wanted to buy, you discover one more item that you just have to have in your  kitchen.......well, this is what I found, that one more item that I still can't believe I dragged all the way back home to Florida. My blind-baked crusts will never shrink or puff up again, not with these. These pie weights are special~they will work because I purchased them in Paris.....and from the legendary store so many of us enjoy. No more beans or rice when baking my crusts!

Pommes Farcies Aux Poireaux Et Creme-Apples with leeks and cream

 Not very often do I venture into the world of leeks. I don't quite exactly know why, but I think it has something to do with grit and sand~just when I think I have scrubbed  and rinsed until my fingers have shriveled, I will bite down on something that should not be there. There first time I was preparing leeks, I was completely unaware  about washing and the importance of cleaning between the leaves and root areas. Complete disaster  as you can imagine. My latest experience proved to be a success in every respect! This recipe is adapted  from  Susan Loomis, author of On Rue Tatin. 

   1 C. water

   1 Dried bay leaf

   Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

   4 Large apples

   2 T.unsalted butter

   The white part of four large leeks, WELL rinsed and diced

   2 T.  to 1/4 C. bottled water

   1/4 C. creme fraiche or heavy cream

   Sweet cicely or flat-leaf parsley leaves for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the cored apples in a baking dish and pour the water around the apples. Remember to remove one strip of skin from the apple so it does not burst  during the baking process.  Add the bay leaf to water. Lightly salt the inside of the apples. 

Place 1 T. of the butter and the chopped leeks in heavy saucepan, cook and stirring until leeks are transparent. Add the water, stir and cover pan. Continue cooking until leeks are tender, about 10 minutes, adding additional water if needed to keep the leeks from sticking.

Transfer cooked leeks to a bowl where you add the cream. Stir and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Gently fill each apple with equal amounts of mixture, pressing it into the cavity and mounding it on top, if possible. Top  each apple with 1/4 of the remaining butter.

Bake in center of oven until apples are tender and leeks are golden brown for about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, serve on warmed plates and garnish. Serve immediately.

Sunday in the Park-Jardin du Luxenbourg

Here are a few pictures I just had to share-what a way to spend a Sunday afternoon! Joggers were pounding the dirt, babies pushed in exquisite strollers, bookworms parked on park chairs, all images of the unhurried Parisian.