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Is it time to turn the Christmas lights on already?
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12 November 2010
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Bonjour chers lecteurs! As I am writing these lines the wind and rain are raging against the windows of my tiny home office and banging so loudly on our flat roof I can barely hear myself type. Now there are two ways to face this situation. 1. Feel as miserable as these clouds pouring over our head (which I briefly considered two days ago after my umbrella folded backward with the wind and got stuck into an old lady’s hair), or 2. embrace fast coming Winter and get into hot wine, yummy soups and the festive spirit faster than those nasty raindrops can get to our underwear. I chose option number two and seized the opportunity we had friends over last weekend to bake my first christmassy cake, a gorgeous pain d’épices richly spiced with heaps of cinnamon, cloves, anis seeds and ginger. I was tempted to serve it to the tune of my favourite seasonal CD “Christmas with the Rat Pack“but prudently refrained from doing so after noticing big O’s eyes rolling at the mere suggestion of it. After six Decembers of Sinatra and his gang blasting “Rudolph the Reindeer” non-stop in our house, Olivier kind of moved on while I got stuck in the delightful corniness of this album, the suave voices, bell ringing sounds and their immediate feel good effect. I intend to have these intense sing along moments with Frank soon enough again, but in the interest of our marriage I thought I might be better holding off a couple more weeks… Now everyone, get ready for this week’s simple and warming soups, a gorgeous pain d’épices recipe and a quick, colourful and delicious edible building work. Don’t forget to check out the list of seasonal ingredients to inspire your shopping and have a read at the section on beef before buying our next roast. Have a great fortnight and see you in two weeks! Anne-Laure xx
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QUICK week treats
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Carrot and lime crecy soup
Busy: 10 min, Total time: 50 min
| Carrots and limes are a great pair together, limes adding a discrete acidulated touch to the sweet flavour of the carrots. This simple four ingredient potage is family cooking as I like it most. A no brainer to prepare and a deliciously rewarding and wholesome dinner, eaten with thick slices of bread and cheese on a cold evening. The carrots will tan your skin too, a most appropriate antidote to this week's ghastly weather... |
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Quick assembly Parmentier of pea and cauliflower purée with curried beef
Busy: 25 min, Total time: 25 min
| I made this dish earlier this week on one of those grey and cold days that have recently befallen upon us. In my world, these days call for serious colour therapy. I turned to my ever life-saving frozen peas and whipped up this delightful mix, as flamboyant in flavours as it is in colours. My children looked at it first with circumspection, then forked the whole thing in without further comments. A true compliment. |
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Weekend THERAPY
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Jerusalem artichoke velouté with curry and a touch of honey
Busy: 10 min, Total time: 40 min
| Don’t mix Jerusalem artichokes with artichokes. The stars of this velouté are sweet tasting, oblong root vegetables with a skin similar to that of ginger. Their nutty taste and starchy flesh make them the ideal ingredient for thick and creamy veloutés. Try this simple recipe which produces a succulent, unctuous soup with the same warming effect as a hot water bottle, albeit from inside out! |
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Pain d’épices fait-maison
Busy: 15 min, Total time: 1 hour
| Pain d'épices is a wonderful Winter cake my brother and I used to eat on Sunday afternoons by the warmth of our crackling fireplace. I revisited my childhood last weekend by baking one and I don't know whether it was the magical Christmas scent bathing the house while it baked, its richly spiced flavour or the sweetness of the honey or but all five children in the house kept coming back for more, making me the happiest baker in the world. |
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IN SEASON
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Starting this month:

brussel sprouts, cranberries, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, red cabbage, sloes
In full swing:

beetroot, broccoli, cabbage (savoy, spring, white) carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, chestnuts, chillies, courgettes, elderberries, fennel, garlic, hazelnuts, kale, leeks, lettuces, maincrop potatoes, marrow, onions, potatoes, radishes, rocket, peppers, pumpkin, salsify, shallots, spinach, sweetcorn, swede, turnip, walnuts, watercress, wild mushrooms, goose, partridge, pheasant, rabbit, venison, wood pigeon, apples, blackberries, damsons, figs, pears, quince
Last chance to buy:

artichoke, aubergine, butternut squash, courgette, fennel, fine beans, raspberries | |
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