rhon

We find Morteau and Montbeliard sausages in the supermarkets. We prefer the ones from the deli or a boucherie rather than the vacu sealed ones in the fridge section. However, we rarely see them on menus which would be the only opportunity to try them if you were not self catering. We did see morteau on a menu last trip in Burgundy which, of course, borders the Jura.

While we do not eat out a lot, I do like to look at the menus outside to see what sort of things are being offered. We have had gesiers salad a couple of times at lunch, but I did not notice any last trip. We prefer gesiers de canard over gesiers de poulet. We like being able to have these things without relying on them being on a menu. The same applies to cheeses and charcuterie. Because we have a lot of picnic lunches when we are out and about, over the years we have tried a wide variety of the great cheeses and different types of charcuterie. - certainly a lot more than if we were having a cheese course in a restaurant.

So much to enjoy!!

StuDudley

Salt with snail retch. There must be some use for that!!

Stu Dudley

kerouac

Okay, here's an easy recipe that doesn't even require any cooking -- rillettes de sardine.

Mix a tin of sardines (the kind that still have their tiny bones are better but not obligatory), chopped shallots and plain yogurt in a bowl. The necessary proportions should be obvious to anybody with kitchen credentials. Mix in a bit of black pepper as well. Sprinkle chopped chives on top.

This is a truly excellent item for apéritif on melba toast or bits of baguette or anything that inspires you.

Coquelicot

Kerouac, I definitely won't be making that in France this spring but I can make it at home tonight. We have a stash of sardines in the pantry like you wouldn't believe.

rhon

We like sardines and I have a similar recipe. We are actually having sardines for dinner to night. I do a salad with potatoes, green beans, sardines and boiled eggs with tomatoes, olives etc. Sort of a salade composee. In France we use fresh sardines which we do not get here in the provincial city where we live.

We are feeling a bit deflated today as we were supposed to be flying out this afternoon. A problem has arisen. We have been watching a few things on you tube and now have MORE areas we want to visit !! P is already looking at gites.

Stay safe everyone.

Coquelicot

Rhon, your husband has the right idea. Researching is so much fun.

E and I don't need to plan our next trip because we have an unused spring 2020 plan already made up. We've heard from all our B&B hosts who are cheerful in confinement, and taking this very seriously. They all live in the country and feel privileged to have space around them. I've read in one of the local papers online that there's a lot of resentment of Parisians who fled Paris to their country homes and are putting extra demands on grocery stores and medical services that are not set up to handle that many people.

rhon

Well, we, of course,still have our 2020 plan, as well as 2021 which we had started thinking about. Now we have found some different areas to consider, so it is a bit of a shambles at the moment. It will probably change. But it keeps our spirits up. We are over the disappointment now as we watch what is happening everywhere. Home is the best place to be.
Kerouac, you came to mind the other day. We watched a couple of programmes about the Bearn area and I remembered your great report on the Gorges of the Kakuetta. It has been added to our list.

kerouac

I keep wanting to return there, but since it is at the opposite end of the country from me.... rather difficult.

YankyGal

I have a similar sardine recipe as well. Love it. I also make a sardine tart (or pie depending on my pantry) that I pulled off some French website a million years ago. Tomatoes, onions, thyme sautéed then baked in a pie shell, break up the sardines on top (bones included - they’re good for you!), bake for five more minutes to warm through.

kerouac

Canned sardines are one of the most neglected great and healthy foods of the world. They are spurned probably for a variety of reasons in our perfect world. The oil, the visual aspect, the gooey soft texture when all of the general food advertising says that everything has to be crunchy and crispy or else at least fluffy. Sardines just don't fit the bill, not to mention the fact that most people don't eat fish (google the statistics and you will be horrified if you like fish -- Americans mostly only accept to eat tuna and salmon, especially all of those who live in that big central empty space far from the oceans). My mother served us sardines occasionally when I was little but when I became an adult, they mostly dropped off my map. However, I would say that in the last 5 years my consumption of sardines has gone up at least 500%, maybe more. And I have never been happier.

I only recently began cooking fresh sardines from time to time (although they are a major barbecue item in France -- goodbye burgers!), but frankly I still prefer the canned ones.

1994

Love sardines of all kinds. Love the canned mackeral also. Grilled sardines are a big favorite.

annhig

I'm very fond of canned fish of all kinds including fish roe. Soft roes on toast with a sprinkling of cayenne are a great supper time treat.

StCirq

annhig, DH had a dinner of canned mackerel salad last night and gave tribute to you for the night he first ate mackerel in Mousehole.

We love pasta with canned sardines, roasted cherry tomatoes, arugula, and loads of shaved parmesan and olive oil. It's not French, but we always eat French so that's OK.

We eat loads of canned sardines. Deeee-lish!

annhig

That's nice, St C. Good memories.

Coquelicot

kerouac, we liked the rillettes. No baguette here, but we made do with toast.

Today I discovered that there will be a series of videos from restaurateurs in the Perche showing simple menus you can cook at home. The first one is from our favorite restaurant in that area. I know it won't be as delicious as if the chef himself made it and madame delivered it to our table while I was finishing my kir Normand, but self-isolators can't be choosers.


Now where can I find dorade and can I cook the potatoes in a waffle iron instead of baking in a mold?

kerouac

The official translation of "dorade" is just "sea bream". That makes it definitely less glamourous but probably just as good.

Just about every French "daily life" show on television at the moment has a celebrity chef presenting simple recipes at home. I consider it to be one of one of the major consolations of confinement, particularly the fact that the recipes are simple and not at all sophisticated.

gomiki

kerouac, I wish I could see those shows.

Coquelicot

gomiki, youtube has a lot of French cooking shows. My favorite shows are by Julie Andrieu. She has a long series called Les carnets de Julie that we appreciate as much for the scenery as for the cooking. Two of her more recent series are Paysans d'aujourdhui and A la table de... (she visits the kitchens of famous writers' or artists' homes and cooks the recipes they liked). All are in French, but c'est la vie. I don't care if I don't understand it all. Here's a link to her youtube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Lescarn...os?app=desktop

Another older one is Les escapades de Petitrenaud. I am linking to my favorite one, where he visits the Perche region, with a stop at the Cafe des Amis at around the 8 minute mark. It's one of our favorite places to have lunch but at the moment it's closed.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xrl1wm

I started this thread thinking we'd be cooking our own meals for a week this May, but now I feel that whenever we get back to France we should eat meals at all our favorite small restaurants. This period is hard on them and I hope they survive.

StCirq

We love Les Carnets de Julie as well. And the French Cooking Academy. Just google French cooking shows youtube and you'll find many to choose from.

Here are a few things we've cooked up in our kitchen in the past year...

Bread, cheese, tomato - lunch

Chicken something

Paddypan squash stuffed with lamb stew

Shrimp salad

Shrimp and rice soup and salad

Coquelicot

These all look good, StCirq.

Guess which photo is at a fine restaurant and which one we pulled together one spring evening.