Walnut and onion bread

I often bake this bread for the French Odyssey - Journey through France cooking classes, especially if we are making the walnut and Roquefort cheese terrine.  Walnuts are grown widely in SW France, and when I was in the Dordogne with various culinary tours we always took the group to an ancient walnut mill and [...]

By |2024-04-27T16:28:44+10:00April 27th, 2024|Breads, French Cooking Classes, French food, French Regional Cooking, Walnut and Onion Bread, Walnuts|Comments Off on Walnut and onion bread

Pithiviers with duck confit and mushrooms

On one of my early visits to France years ago, we stayed in a divine little Chambre d’Hôte, L ’Impasse du Temple, now called a Maison de Maître. It was located down a difficult to find narrow laneway, pre-GPS days, in a pretty, tiny town called Léran, in the Midi Pyrenées, near Mirepoix, a beautiful [...]

By |2023-08-19T16:49:05+10:00August 19th, 2023|Braising, Culinary Travel, Duck confit, Duck confit, Food, France, French food, French food, French Regional Cooking, On the Ridge at Kureelpa, Pithiviers - duck|Comments Off on Pithiviers with duck confit and mushrooms

Bûche de Noël – French Yule Log ‘Christmas cake’ – the tradition

At Christmas time, in our French Odyssey – Journey through France and the French Bistro Classics Desserts cooking classes we make this beautiful and delicious Bûche de Noël - French Yule Log 'Christmas cake'.  During the last class, I was asked about the French traditions behind this cake and so after a little research and [...]

By |2021-12-07T13:21:46+11:00December 7th, 2021|Christmas Fruit Cake, Christmas Fruit Cakr, Festive Food, Festive Food, French Cooking Classes, French food, French food, French Odyssey cooking class|Comments Off on Bûche de Noël – French Yule Log ‘Christmas cake’ – the tradition

In search of the perfect Tarte Tatin

Years ago, in 2007, I attended La Varenne Cooking School in Burgundy, and one of the many dishes we cooked there with the chefs was the classic Tarte Tatin.  The class was held in one of the beautiful kitchens of the Chateau du Fëy, the home of La Varenne Cooking School and its founder, Anne [...]

Pain d’épices – Burgundian Honey Spiced Bread

Pain d’épices is a Burgundian classic; it is a lovely unusual ‘bread’ or ‘cake’ made with rye flour, spices and honey, without yeast, using baking powder and bicarbonate soda instead. It tastes something like gingerbread, although ginger is not one of the spices I use. In France, it is sold in loaves, sometimes, in [...]

A simple classic Moules Marinière

For the classic, simple Bretagne ‘Moules Marinière’, the mussels are cooked with white wine and water; I am sure those Bretagne sailors’ wives would have used water only. These days various cooks use cider, beer or even red wine.  Add a bouquet garni of bay leaf, parsley, celery stalk, thyme and peppercorns, plus a [...]

By |2021-07-21T18:18:05+10:00July 21st, 2021|Brittany, Cook Real Food, French food, French Odyssey cooking class, French Regional Cooking, Moules mariniere, Mussels, mussels, Mussels - Moules mariniere, Recipes|Comments Off on A simple classic Moules Marinière

Bresse and the Chicken market at Louhans.

Cooking all these chicken dishes and stock as I have been in this  Covid-19 winter 2020, reminded me of some happier times and our visit to Bresse, the home of the famous Bresse chicken, la volaille de Bresse, and the Monday market day in the market town of Louhans in Burgundy. The summer of 2017 [...]

The Bresse Chickens – why they are so special, their story and AOC and AOP

Way back in 1957, Bresse chickens were the first food and the first chickens to be awarded the AOC, Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée and more recently, they received the AOP, Appellation d'Origine Protégée, accreditation. This AOP label is the European Union version of France's AOC, Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée.  It basically means the products with these labels [...]

Coq au Vin – a French classic regional dish

The Burgundian Coq au Vin and Boeuf Bourguignon share many similarities.  They are both regional Burgundian specialities, they both showcase the famous Burgundian wines, Bresse chickens, pork and Charolais beef. Their method of cookery is very similar as well.  When this dish is cooked with one of these Burgundian wines it takes the name of [...]

By |2020-09-01T16:52:52+10:00September 1st, 2020|Barging on the Betty B, Burgundy, Chicken, Chicken, Coq au Vin, Coq au Vin, Culinary writing, France, French food, French Regional Cooking, Recipes|Comments Off on Coq au Vin – a French classic regional dish

The Betty B Barge Burgundian Coq au Vin

In France, on our Betty B barge, I frequently cooked a simple coq au vin as it was easy to manage in my small barge galley kitchen, the ingredients readily available and it can be made ahead the day before and reheated.  I always tried to cook it in one pot! In France they have [...]

By |2020-10-12T14:13:51+11:00September 1st, 2020|Barging on the Betty B, Chicken, Chicken, Cook Real Food, Cook Real Food, Coq au Vin, Coq au Vin, French food, French food, Healthy Family Meals, Recipes, Waste recycling, Winter braises|Comments Off on The Betty B Barge Burgundian Coq au Vin
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