Je suis fatigué, c'est le decalage horaire.

 

Monday's word was le decalage horaire or jet lag. I had only 4 hours sleep when I arrived at the Cavilam for my placement test. I could barely keep my eyes open to read the directions must less take the test. Luckily they didn't assume I was an imbecile and gave me a little slack. Could it be they are accustomed to this?
It was a busy day, new words, new friends and new abode and all in a new city. I was feeling like a fish out of water. By the end of the day, my mind was reeling and I was glad it was over. How I looked forward to bed. I thought 7 pm would find me asleep and dreaming. Alas at 7 I was wide awake! It took 2 hours before I could fall asleep. Nothing like conjugating french verbs to make one sleepy. I awoke at 0745 and had to return to school at 0845! I Was in such a rush I had time for only coffee. However, as luck has it, there is a wonderful Boulangerie next door to the school and at the break I enjoyed a croissant and a cafe creme!

This is the view from my studio. 
Bon journee!

Off to France

I am off to Vichy to study at the Cavilam. I'll spend the next month, speaking, writing and living French. A dream come true.

I'll visit friends and cook with Lynn at Jardins des Thevenets, and maybe sneak in a visit with Kate at Serendipity!

Stick around, I think it's going be fun!

Italian Tuna with French Mayo. A Wonderfully Easy Spring Salad

In New York, the temperature is 50 degrees and daffodils selling like, like well, like daffodils on a sunny spring day. Walking past Whole Foods Market, I could smell the fragrant spring flowers. Posies, Tulips, Irises and  Ranunculus were all competing for attention. Strawberries and rhubarb were up front in the produce aisle and everything was looking greener, brighter and more alive. 

Spring is in the air! 

Once I'm smitten with the bug, the food in my house becomes lighter fare. Today I opened my favorite Italian tuna, Genova Tonno

and added  Sclafani Capers.

I mixed in a dollop of my favorite French mayo, Delouis Mayonnaise and some fresh ground pepper.

I finished it with a little lemon juice, avocado and wild arugula. What I had on my hands was a lovely spring lunch.

So good in fact, my darling son wanted some. 

Happy Spring Everyone!

All photos and text are property of The Gypsy Chef.

Walkers' Ginger Chocolate Tartelettes

When the generous folks at Walkers offered me the opportunity to blog about their Biscuits and Oatcakes, I jumped at the chance. After all, what's better than blogging about the things you love? 

I became smitten with Walkers while I was flying London trips.  I would bring home my family's favorite biscuits. Heaven forbid we should live without Walkers' Oatcakes, Stem Ginger Biscuits, Shortbread Petticoats or those yummy Butter Digestive Biscuits.  Now these are all available on line at www.walkersus.com. It's nice to know you no longer have to travel to the UK to get the Walkers you love! 

One of my favorite pie crusts is made with the Stem Ginger Biscuits. Full of the sharpness of ginger, these biscuits are a top notch pie crumb ingredient.

It's a fairly simple recipe. Crumbs, sugar, powered ginger and butter. Press it into your pan and bake with or without your filling. Baking without the filling ensures a crunchy crust.  Tartlettes are a favorite at our house, so I usually make a dozen and always try to smuggle a few to the neighbors.

These bittersweet ginger tartelettes are very rich and addictive, so be warned! The ginger flavor of the crust marries well with the dark chocolate ganache. A dollop of whipped cream and the bite of candied ginger makes for a wonderful presentation.

Walkers Stem Ginger Tartelettes

Down load recipe here.

Walkers Stem  Ginger Biscuits Crust

For 12 tartelettes 

1 1/2 cups finely ground Walkers Stem Ginger Biscuits

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grind the cookies finely in a food processor, or place the cookies in a plastic bag and pound with a rolling pin until finely crumbled.

Stir in the sugar and ginger, blend well. Add the melted butter and toss making sure to moisten all the crumbs. Press into a tartelette pan. If you are using tartelette shells, making a once the crumbs are patted into the shell, place another tartelette shell of the same diameter on the top and press to evenly distribute the crumbs.

I baked the tartelette for 10 minutes at 350 degrees to dry the crust out and to keep it crunchy. 

Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache

Honestly, I just throw my ganache together. Here's a basic recipe you can change to your hearts delight. 

The ratio is 2:1 for chocolate and liquids.

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate

6 ounces heavy whipping cream

If you can find it, 2 tablespoons of The King's Ginger Liqueur makes a lovely accent

when added to the ganache.

Place the chocolate in a food processor and chop finely. Bring the cream to a boil, and pour it over the chocolate through the feed tube, while the processor is running. Allow to thicken.

Pour into a bowl and spoon or pipe into the shells.

If you are making the ganache by hand, chop the chocolate and place it in a bowl. Pour the boiled cream over the chocolate and allow to rest for 1 minute. Whisk the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is melted and smooth. 

Spoon or pipe the ganache into the tartelette shells and allow to cool. 

Garnish with whipped cream and diced candied ginger.

Stay tuned for more Walkers recipes.

All recipes and Texts are property of The Gypsy Chef.

A Feast for the Eyes, Giverny

After this.

We all need a lot of this.

 

When I was in Paris in October, my friend Kelly asked me what I would like to do. Without a moments hesitation I said, "Giverny". We spent the day surrounded by beauty, color, fragrance and light dazzled our senses. Now it's time to share that experience. To all my friends that have been stranded by winter storms, I offer you a feast for the eyes. Enjoy, you deserve it.

 

 

 

 Kelly and the quintessential Frenchman.

And of course nothing was complete with a delicious lunch. 

Pate served on country bread with salad dressed in vinaigrette.

All text and photographs are property of The Gypsy Chef.