My Living Room

Gateau au Chocolat with Buttercream Frosting I made today for the Bistro (Casual Restaurant)

                                          Omelette aux pommes de terre, gruyere, et chorizo

                                                                   My new neighborhood

                                                              Doors typical of this town

Peaches du Montebaun, Francais

Recipe for Lamb Belly Stew

Sear lamb belly on all sides to create nice caramelization and maillard reaction. Remove from heat. To the remaining hot fat, add carrots and onion cut in small dice. Saute until browned and add tomato paste (about 2 tbsp.) Cook out the raw flavor of the tomato paste and add white wine. Allow this mixture to simmer for a bit, until the alcohol evaporates. Put this liquid into a rondeau (the style of pot below) with lamb stock and seared lamb. Allow to simmer with a bay leaf and dried time for a couple of hours. This recipe is a bit vague, but stew is almost fool proof. Add the spices and vegetables that you wish. Clean out your fridge and add those carrot or celery scraps. You can hardly go wrong, unless you burn the meat or let it boil instead of simmer. Enjoy with baguette and a nice glass of wine!

                                          Ragout d'Agneau (Lamb Stew)

         Gateau Roule a la confiture de cerises (Homemade Jelly-Roll with Cherry Jam)

                                                       Jean-Denis' confiture d'abricot

                                                                      La Cuisine (The Kitchen)

Dorothee's Gateau Prune (Plum Cake)

The Grocery Store Across the Street

Semptembre 16, 2011 (Break time)

I am on a short break between lunch service and dinner service. Today I prepared plum and apple tartlets, made mushroom duxelle for Jean-Denis' veal stuffed with mushrooms, formed puff pastry for onion tarts, made quiche du jour (jambon (ham), gruyere cheese, minced onion, and egg/cream/milk/nutmeg/s and p/ mixture). Helped with lunch service and made the salads and dejeuner plat du jour (lunch plates). Tonight for dinner service we don't have many people on the books. Dorothee and Jean-Denis are perfectionists, however, so pressure will be here at all hours to only put out perfect products. Until next time, a bientot!