Pages

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas Dinner, Fancy and French





Christmas dinner with friends
La vie est belle. Chapeau to Evelyne, my friend's mother-in-law! Un vrai cordon bleu.

Menu du jour

Aperitif
Goat Cheese
Mussels pizzetta
Garlic gressin
Champagne

First course
Gingerbread Foie Gras on toasts with chestnut sause
Alsatian sweet white wine

Second course
Homemade salmon blinis with onions, capers, and clotted cream with a touch a lemoncino
Moselle white wine

Trou normand

Third course
Breast of capon
Brussels sprouts rolled in serrano ham
Truffles
Bordeaux dry red

Fourth course

Cheese plate: Cantal tome, munster with cumin and moist ewe cheese
White grapes
Roquette Salad
Banette with sweet norman butter

Fifth course
Raspberry chocolate bûche de Noël
Rum balls
Coffee

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Petit Papa Noël

Ok, I admit it I've had a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year: Parents old and sick in a nursing home, no prospect for change in 2011, disputes with family and friends, a general malaise and ambivalence everywhere. On the best of days I feel helpless. However, I've always loved the holiday system and I can't help be inspired. Luckily, my oldest sister Sugie embodies the qualities of carpe diem (I would be wise to adopt that attitude too), so here we go off on our hommage to the present. We have baked cookies and cakes, made cheese balls, decorated trees, gone shopping and wrapped presents. We're getting a turkey... My brother-in-law is practicing his guitar for his role in a musical play. I know, I'll soon be chanting, ho, ho, ho! myself. My carefree childish nature never really disappeared, so I'm going to try to play Scarlet O'Hara. "I'll think about all those other things another day!" That movie had a happy ending anyway, didn't it? Honestly I don't remember.
So here goes my contribution to the Christmas fair.

Petit Papa Noël. Catchy little tune that symbolizes the French embrassing and making their own some Gallic version of a Norman Rockwell Christmas. Here it goes. Check out the Roch Voisine, Québecoise version of the carol. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CeGgCiFTHA@feuature=related

Refrain
Petit papa Noël
Quand tu descendras du ciel
Avec des jouets par milliers
N'oublie pas mon petit soulier.
Mais avant de partir
Il faudra bien te couvrir
Dehors tu vas avoir si froid
C'est un peu à cause de moi.


Ho Ho Ho
Rontay Merquiades