French Food Friday...Pêches "façon melba", cerises et sorbet citron

photo and recipe from here

Bonjour mes belles,

This week's recipe is an easy but delicious one.

The dish was invented in 1892 or 1893 by the French chef Auguste Escoffier at the Savoy Hotel, London, to honour the Australian soprano, Nellie Melba.

The French version is followed by an English version below.....

Ingrédients

• 500 g de cerises
• 8   demi-pêches au sirop
• 25 g de beurre
• 100 g de cassonade
• 1/2 sorbet au citron

Recette

Égouttez les pêches en réservant la moitié du sirop.
Lavez et dénoyautez les cerises, poêlez-les avec le beurre et la cassonade.
Laissez cuire 5 minutes en remuant délicatement de façon à ce que les cerises restent entières.
Puis ajoutez le sirop de façon à arrêter la cuisson, retirez du feu.
Dans le fond de chaque coupe à glaces, disposez 2 demi-pêches ouvertes, laissez tomber les cerises sur les pêches en conservant le jus.
Ajoutez une boule de sorbet citron, nappez de jus et servez aussitôt.

Ingredients

     500 g of cherries
     8 peach halves in syrup
     25 g butter
     100 g brown sugar
     1/2 container lemon sorbet

Recipe

Drain peaches reserving half the syrup.

Wash and stone the cherries, Fry them with butter and brown sugar.

Cook 5 minutes, stirring gently so that the cherries remain.

Then add the syrup to stop the cooking, remove from heat.

In the bottom of each cup ice cream, place 2 peach halves open, place cherries on top, retaining the juice to use in the next step.

Add a scoop of lemon sorbet, drizzle with juice and serve immediately.

..bon appetit à tous, Leeann

Mirror, Mirror...

Bonjour from a very sunny SW France,

Yesterday we went and picked up this fabulous mirror from very large house in the country.It is large and would look stunning when hung above a firerplace or simply hung on a wall. 

A friend came into the boutique this morning and said how could I sell an item like this? Unfortunately I can not keep all the lovely items that we find and my garage is full with items that I have bought with a view of using them later.....hence I am looking for a loving home for one fabulous and very French Mirror.

Speaking of the shop, it smells lovely at present as I have had a lot of new candles delivered this morning, all of which smell lovely. The new fragrances include Vanilla and White Ginger, Grapefruit and Green tea, Gerannium and Rose Petal and a new favourite  of mine; Fig and Wild Pear.

I love the packaging as the lettering on the tins has a vintage feel to it.

 

 

 

Also back in stock are best sellers Antique Rose and Linen and White Pepper. Back to the unpacking of stock I must go,

 

 à demain Leeann x

c'est magnifique...

photo from here

 

 



I just had to share this photo, I have seen most of the other photos of this stunning Château in the Gers but I have not seen this particular photo before today.....c'est magnifique n'est-ce pas?

Leeann x

love old postcards....

 





Bonjour from a sunny SW France,

We were hunting through lots of old postcards yesterday when we came across these antique cards relating to Eymet, the village that we live in and that French Boyfriend was born in.

 

We no longer have a railway station in Eymet, this building is now the Notaire's offices.

  

This is the village square which has not changed in over 100 years apart from the trees that no longer exist as it is now parking. I prefer it with the trees....

Love the card pictured above which features the words "a thought from Eymet"......

 

 

I am particularly fond of postcards that feature people as I think that it makes them more interesting and funnily enough old postcards with people in them, often have a higher value than those without.

 

Unfortunately I did not find any of my house, which used to be an old hotel, but will keep looking.

 

à demain, Leeann x 

 

my favourite tree...

Bonjour from a rainy, sunny and windy SW France,

Printemps has well and truly arrived, this morning we have had rain followed by sunshine followed by rain....I think that you get the picture hence it is not a good idea to leave the house without carrying both a pair of sunglasses and an umbrella. 

I just hope that the rain and the wind does not spoil the flowers of my favourite tree, which is situated a few steps from our house...J'aime le magnolia.

Très bonne semaine à tous, Leeann x 

fRENCH fOOD fRIDAY...Baguette & Butter Pudding

Bonjour mes belles,

I am in the food for making a favourite recipe of mine and it is a great way to use up left over pieces of baguette. It is delicious hot or cold......

 Baguette & Butter Pudding

Ingredients

• One Large Baguette
• Butter

• Sultanas or Dried Cranberries, or Both
• 4 Large, Free Range Eggs
• Caster Sugar
• Double Cream
• Milk
• Demerara Sugar
• Apricot Jam
• Baileys Adjust Quantities to Taste

Method

Serves: 2

1. Grease an Oval Dish.
2. Thinly Slice the Baguette and Butter on both sides. Layer the bread in the dish, sprinkling with the Dried Fruit between Layers.
3. Make a custard using 2 egg yolks, 2 complete eggs, 150g caster sugar, 300ml Milk, 300ml Double Cream and 4tbsp Baileys (or more to taste!)
4. Beat until smooth and creamy.
5. Pour the Custard over the bread and press down lightly with your fingers, so that the bread is submerged. Leave to soak for 15-20mins.
6. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar and bake in an oven at about 150C for 40-50 minutes.
7. Heat The apricot jam and brush over the baked dessert. Leave to stand for 15 minutes as the custard will keep cooking as it cools. Yummy! 

Bon appetit,  Leeann x

Spring flowers...

It is sunny one minute and rainy the next but is a lot warmer than a couple of weeks ago, meaning that Printemps is on the way.

We visited a local garden centre this morning and what a sight to behold with lots of lovely flowers everywhere.  

I just wish that I had taken my camera with me but I was in a hurry this morning as we only had a couple of hours in which to do the shopping....next time I promise to take photos.

à très bientot, Leeann x