Still Dreaming About Brittany

Jean Yves and Nicole Jaquin who own and run La Ville Blanch in Lannion, have been dear friends for many years and Jean Yves cooking is more and more divine.  He began his professional life as a butcher and is a mater of gastronomic delicacies from the land and the sea.

We recently tasted his warm oysters on a flan of foie gras with buckwheat galettes and his beef cheeks on a puree of butternut squash both of which were really sensational.

  

For dessert, we had a cold mint and chocolate mousse which was just what our palettes craved.

I have done many cooking classes with Jean Yves and below is one of his simple recipes for French Clams.

Palourdes à l’ail et à l’orange 

1 3/4 lb littleneck or cherry-stone clams, scrubbed

1 cup    dry white wine

4 cloves  garlic, crushed

zest from 1 orange, finely minced

3 1/2 oz butter, diced

1. Place the clams, wine, garlic, and orange zest in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the butter
3. Serve in soup plates 

Yields 4 servings

Another Wonderful Thanksgiving Week in France, November 2014

     As you may remember, last year we celebrated Thanksgiving in France three times which was extraordinary.  This year merely twice, on the Saturdays before and after, but both celebrations were festive and delicious.
   
    Back in Picardie for the 8th year with our dear friends the Blancs, we had the largest turkey ever.  It weighed more than 20 pounds and barely fit in the oven.  As usual we began our meal with oysters

and finished with the most delicious "french" dessert, a vacherin (meringue cake) filled with homemade cassis/raspberry sorbet and topped with whipped cream.  So for us, our Franco-American Thanksgiving lives on.

 

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we joined American journalist friends, Joanne and Gerry Dryansky, at their Paris apartment for a traditional meal with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes and apple pie.  But, there were a few Eastern European touches with champagne.  We enjoyed Joanne's handmade piroshki (small pastries with meat) and incredibly flavorful chopped liver with black radish slices.

    So as you can see, Paris is truly a mecca for International celebrations.