Paris

How I love Paris and all things French (Vincent Cassel etc etc)!  We're having a friend over for dinner and I'm beyond excited to try out a recipe called Petite Blanquette de Poulet a L'Estragon (chicken in an unbelievably creamy sauce).

Let's hope it looks as scrumptious as this when I'm done.  I'm not one for checking out calorific values on menus but this one seemed to scream heart attack, a whacking 1300 cals per portion, it will be so worth it though.  However as I don't want to give me and my fellow diners a clogged artery, I'm going to use 50% creme fraiche mixed with a bit of cream and hopefully I'll still get the richness of the sauce.

But on to Paris and all things French.  I was watching the penultimate episode of one of my favourite programmes (Sex and The City) and it's the one where Carrie moves to Paris to be with grimo ballet dancer Mikhail come artist Aleksandr Russian bloke (I literally gag whenever she has to kiss him) and I was just loving all the background scenes of Paris.

I think Paris is a place that you grow to appreciate. I don't care that the waiting staff in restaurants are rude or that they overcharge you to sit outside on one of their beautiful boulevards, the place is oozing beauty.  The last time I visited we went for an early drink on the roof terrace at  the Centre Pompidou.  I don't think it matters what time of the day but if you're able to, try and get there as the sun sets over Paris - it is breathtaking. You have a 360 degree view of Paris but not from some great height, just nine or so floors from the ground, which makes all of their buildings seem within reach and close enough to appreciate their stunning architecture.

Paris can be incredibly expensive but if you're willing to explore you should find some bars and restaurants to suit every pocket.  We have walked the length of the Seine trying to track down some little restaurant we've read about and sometimes it was worth it and other times not.  But what a way to discover a city.  I can't wait to go back there!  

And so this is the morning after the Petite Blanquette etc and it was very very delicious.  Not as time consuming as I thought it would be and I mixed the double cream with skimmed milk which seemed to lessen the blow.  I dished it up with some Watercress (with a little balsamic glaze) and some new potatoes.  We washed it all down with one or two bottles of wine and left the dishes for the morning.

It's Friday and the sun's shining

Being a flat-wife has given me more time to cook from the many recipe books I have in our kitchen.  When I was working I would race home via the supermarket and cook dinner most nights.  Now the racing is off I've got time to think about what I'm going to cook.

I've never been one for throw in the oven dinners even when I lived on my own, it didn't make sense.  No matter how well packaged and enticing these meals were they never really tasted fresh and I love the fact that I'm putting in my own salt, sugar, pepper etc and I know exactly where my ingredients have come from.  Also we now have so many recipes geared around people cooking for one that it would be silly not to http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/.

But not everyone has a love of cooking like I do but it really does help if you have the most simplest of cooking books.  I remember a friend buying his wife who was a novice in the kitchen, Heston Blumenthal's cookbook, it's food physics (even writing the word physics makes me feel light-headed) and even the more experienced of cooks would be incredibly challenged with his books.

And so last night I was making my favourite thai curry recipe.  It doesn't involve three heads of lemon-grass, a piece of galangal (which is ginger to you and I) and a partridge in a pear-tree; it's an authentic thai recipe but without the fuss.  Prep and cooking time maximum 15 minutes and that includes pouring yourself a glass of something yummy whilst stirring the pot.

And this is definitely in my top books of the year.  As well as my easier than easy thai curry there are soups, stews, kids food, mezze, dips, smoothies, salads, puddings all written out in easy to follow recipes.

Also at the beginning of the book there are pictures telling you what equipment you may need and what it looks like, so very important.  It's also a very light-hearted take on cooking, which is the way I like it.  Life's too short to be taking on a veloute (light stock to you and I).

I find the devil is in the preparation.  Pans to the ready, kettle boiled, utensils to hand and ingredients chopped.  And once the hungry masses are gnawing at your elbow you're ready to go.  And if you're lucky to get a "is there anymore?", you know you're onto a winner.


Happy weekend everyone and see you on the other side.