Author Jana Kolpen "The Secrets of Pistoulet" ~ A Fantasy Visit . . .

Welcome!
This week I'm joining the Novel Bakers as we share our impressions of three of Jana Kolpen's charming books,  beginning with "The Secrets of Pistoulet".

>>But first a notice<< 
This one is more picture intensive than my usual posts,  so depending upon the speed of my photo storage place, your server and your computer ~ there may be a delay while the pictures load. 
My apologies for any inconvenience, friends.



Click image to learn more about the book.

A little background information ~

From the publisher:

"Everyone who passes through Pistoulet has a story which unfolds. All who spend time there leave with their hearts and minds transformed. Some never leave.

There is magic and mystery in the farmhouse known as Pistoulet, nestled in the remote, untraveled southwestern French countryside. ... The Secrets of Pistoulet tells the gentle tale of the healing power of magical soups and foods, while celebrating the redemptive and sustaining nature of shared meals among friends and family. With fold-out letters, removable recipe cards and pockets, and special vellum pages..." 

and a brief synopsis from the publisher's site:

"Far away in the remote, untraveled southwestern French countryside, there is a small village which contains two homes, an eleventh-century church, and a very special farm known as Pistoulet." Thus begins The Secrets of Pistoulet, a charming and beautiful little book filled with food, magic, and love. Part fiction, part cookbook, this richly illustrated book is reminiscent of the popular Griffin & Sabine:  An Extraordinary Correspondence

, with its collection of letters to be removed from envelopes, and recipes tucked into their own little pockets. Drawings, photographs, snippets of diaries, and mysterious maps decorate this tale of Mademoiselle J., who arrives at Pistoulet with a broken heart. There she is welcomed by the farm's tenants: Madame Claude; Monsieur Andre; the black dog, Marcel; and a chicken that lays golden eggs. Soon, such soul-strengthening dishes as Potage of Babble (guaranteed to cease excessive chatter), Potage of Passion (Cooks beware: this soup has been known to result in marriage proposals!), and Tart of Sunshine (sure to heat both body and soul) have Mademoiselle J. on the road to recovery."

~*~*~*~*~


Okay, it's me again ... Mari ~

As you probably know I do not live in France. 
I live in a wet and wild area of the Pacific Northwest in the USA.



That being said ~ 


Help!  Please dig deep and engage your most 
concentrated and vivid imagination as I attempt to turn 
my home/property into a special, ancient 
place located in the South of France. 

Ya, sure.
*grin*


I invite you to pour a cup (or glass) of your favorite

beverage and come along as I share my (ridiculously loose) 
interpretation of some parts of this imaginative
little book into pictures  . . .

~*~*~*~*~

Ready? 

Here we go:

Please come to the back of the house, it's much cooler here
under the canopy of tall trees ~

A little nibble and chat before our meal ~

Some cheese and crackers, and perhaps a glass of chilled 
wine from our Terrior?

It's true, most of the roses have passed until the Fall flush, 
but here's a modest, casual bouquet of other flowers for our small table.







The blue cheese is local and the other is a creamy Boursin-style . . .

...  I made the Boursin-style cheese from thick yogurt and herbs from the garden,
it's creamy and tangy at the same time (and it's good for you!) Easy to make as well.








A closer look at the bouquet ...

And the local Blue Cheese ~

These are real, picked fresh from the garden, but . . .

These below are not. 

My hydrangeas are a couple of weeks
away from blooming. But this is a fantasy post, remember?!  *grin* :)

Well, the sun is beginning to shine on the table and
it's getting a little warm out here ~


Would you like to go inside to finish our repast?
It will be just a simple meal of Soup and Bread...

With freshly made butter, just for you.

And a bowl of a Potage of Passion ~ 

Vegetable Soup, with which I took a few liberties. For instance 

substituting white kidney beans for the potatoes in the recipe, and changing
up the herbs and vegetables a bit.

And we each get a herbed "Celestial Crouton"  (recipe from the book.)

My star and crescent cookie cutters are too large for these croutons, so I
made the crescents by cutting the bread into rounds with the rim of a glass,
then -off set-  cut a section (a bite) out  of the bread-round to form
 the crescent using the same glass.

Since the title of the book reminds me of the French condiment

Pistou (which I usually float as a garnish on soup), I offer a

little bowl of it to spread on our bread if you like, or you can put

it in your soup instead.

Just a humble vegetable soup, but soothing, healthful and very satisfying.

~*~*~*~

And for dessert (again, I veered away from the recipes in the book)...

But in the story we learn our main character Mademoiselle J. was invited by

"the very beautiful and gracious Nathalie to stay in her Paris 
home overlooking Notre Dame, moments from the 
best glaces in the world."


And we also learn that "Modemoiselle J. loves glaces."

So I made Fresh Peach Sorbet with a hint of sweet almonds,

I think it's close enough to a glacé. *wink*

Peach Sorbet
Just a very few ingredients, and if you have some sort of
ice cream maker this recipe is soo easy!

This recipe is identical to the one I make, which has been around for years. 

For a change I added a few drops of pure almond extract 

along with the good vanilla extract in the recipe. Almond pairs
so beautifully with the flavor of peaches.

You can make this with either fresh or frozen peaches.

Sorbets are dairy-free if you have lactose issues, 

and if you have dietary concerns about sugar 

you can sweeten it with a Stevia product.



Thank you, my friends, for coming to visit and play today!
(The next time you come by perhaps the real hydrangeas will be blooming.)

Good bye faux flowers, until I need to pull you

out of storage again.  :)

Ending with a quote from the sheath of  this sweet book:

"The earth gives us food to nourish our bodies and we prepare 
the food with love to feed our souls and we serve it 
with compassion to make us whole."

~ Le Tresor of Pistoulet"

~ gros bisous, mes amis ~

Au Revior until Wednesday when we'll be visiting
Italy.

~*~*~*~*~

And a big thank you goes out to the Novel Bakers for 

inviting me to play along with such talented ladies.

Here are links so you can visit their blogs about Jana Kolpen's books:

Home is Where the Boat is 

Rattlebridge Farm

A Quiet Life

French Bread ~ Two Ways

I'm going to share two ways of making this bread  the recipe is the same in both cases, but the loaves are just finished differently. (I made a mistake the first time I made it, but we still loved the bread!)
The recipe makes one large loaf, or two medium size baguettes,  and you can use a bread machine for mixing the dough and for the first rise.





This the bread cooling when the recipe is made the way it was intended to be made ~ resulting in a nice  crispy-chewy crust with body.  
The interior texture is fairly fine, unlike a rustic sourdough;  no big holes so you can use it as a base for sandwiches and tartines, etc.
For the crispy crust version, egg-white wash is brushed on during the last few minutes of baking.

And below is my "mistake" version:






 I brushed the egg wash on the bread when I placed it in the hot oven. This way the crust is softer ~  perfect for when you don't want a pronounced crunchy crust. 
Kids and anyone with a dental issue would probably  prefer the bread made this way.  :0)
Either way, there is not much that can top the aroma (and taste) of freshly baked bread!
If you would like a copy of the recipe; you can find it HERE.


Coming next:
I'll share a couple of yummy ways I like to use French bread when it's a day or two old.

Crepes with Berries and Ricotta-Mascarpone Cream

I love the versatility of crepes, served plain with just a dusting of powdered sugar, or filled with savory or sweet fillings, they are always popular at my house.
And the good news is that you can make the crepes ahead, stack them and seal in an airtight container (I use resealable freezer bags) then store them in the refrigerator for a few days, or freeze for longer storage. (Thaw in the refrigerator and they are ready to assemble with your filling of choice.)
I have used Julia Child's master recipe for crepes for years, it's my favorite and it's foolproof. The number of crepes the recipe will yield depends upon the diameter of the pan you choose. You don't need a fancy crepe maker, a traditional (well seasoned) crepe pan will do, or a non-stick shallow pan (8 to 10-inch diameter) is the easiest size to work with.




This time for the filling I simply blended ricotta cheese  (or cottage cheese), some mascarpone and a  little drizzle of pure vanilla extract in the food processor.  Then thinned it with a little cream (about a tablespoon or two) to make the mixture silky smooth.
You can sweeten the mixture with a little sugar, honey, maple syrup, or agave syrup if you like
I simply piled the fresh berries around the filled crepes, then added a drizzle of seedless raspberry sauce* over the crepes, then sifted confectioner's (powdered) sugar over.
*Shortcut Raspberry Sauce:  A little raspberry jam thinned with some Orange Liqueur (or orange or apple juice) heated in a small pan on the stove top, stirring for a few minutes until the mixture reaches drizzling consistency.  You can add a little water to thin if the sauce seems too tight.
If you try these, I hope you enjoy them.

For a printable copy of Julia Child's Master Crepe recipe, please click here.
Thanks for stopping by today friends!
Blessings to each of you! ~ Mari xo

A Twist on Moussaka ~ Greece Meets France!

Greece meets France in this twist I devised as a shortcut for the Greek dish Moussaka, using what I had on hand  (most noticeably not enough eggplant to make the traditional Greek version!)
Instead, with some odds and ends of fresh vegetables from the  late harvest I made a batch of oven roasted Ratatouille, then proceeded with an adaptation of Moussaka.

Ratatouille ~ deliciously French!
I don't really use an exact recipe for ratatouille and that's just  what I love about dishes like this ~the option of adapting it to  suit ones own taste (or according to what combinations  of vegetables you happen to have.)

You see in the photo from back to front: Red and Green Bell Peppers, Onion, whole garlic cloves and Zucchini, Slender purple eggplant and ripe tomato chunks.

That being said, I prepare oven roasted Ratatouille  much like this as found on about.com/French Food.
It's wonderful to have a bowl of this savory treat in the fridge; good on toasted baguette slices, as a topping  or base for scrambled or fried eggs, as a side dish with fowl or meats, or main dish with grains, rice, or pasta.
 If it's not served warm, it's really best at room temperature so take it out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes to an hour before serving.

Moussaka ~ Delightfully Greek!
This time when making moussaka, instead of the usual eggplant  (or combination of eggplant and potatoes) as the vegetable layers  I used the ratatouille as the base layer, then a layer of spiced, sauteed minced lamb (you can use ground beef, or a mix of lamb and beef). I've seen versions omitting the meat altogether.


Right out of the oven.  (It serves more neatly if allowed to cool for 20 to 30 minutes.)

Over the meat another layer of the ratatouille,  and finally topped with a layer Bechamel sauce  ( medium-thick white sauce) and a dusting of grated  Parmesan cheese. The Parmesan cheese sprinkle on the  Bechamel sauce develops an appetizing golden brown while baking.
Keeper!! This can be assembled ahead and refrigerated until baking time; and it reheats well, too.
Using the ratatouille for the veggie(s) may not be "real" moussaka, but it is very, very good!

If you would like a recipe for authentic Greek Moussaka, this one is a favorite.  (I'm not sure I'll go back though!)

Thank you for stopping by today!
Blessings ~ m. xo

Warm Savory Mini-Cheesecakes with Dressed Baby Greens

Wow! Another brilliant recipe from Jacques Pepin ~ he  explains he tasted something very similar to this in a restaurant while vacationing in the Alsace  region of France. Though there it was served in a pastry crust. 
He used the same idea, but baked the cheesecake mixture in small ramekins, the insides buttered and sprinkled with fresh bread crumbs to facilitate easy removal from the molds.
I adore the contrast in flavors and textures here; the warm, creamy little cheesecakes liven up the simply dressed, crispy greens.



Rich, yet light and tender it was love at  first bite ~ the delicate cheesecake practically melts in your mouth. 
Whipped cream cheese, a little sour cream,  eggs and a few crumbles of blue cheese are the key ingredients.




Merci beaucoup to Chef Pepin for another winner!

I'll definitely be making this recipe again.  And if you try it, I hope you love it as well. :)
A printable copy  can be found on my recipe blog.

Have a wonderful week everyone!
Blessings, Mari xo

Black Olive Tapenade

I think it would be safe to say you must like assertive flavors in order to enjoy tapenade ~ and I do.
But wait ~ before I lose some of you! 
If you cannot tolerate strong flavors but like the idea of tapenade, Giada De Laurentiis has a wonderful recipe for a toned down version, using only canned  black olives and sun-dried tomatoes.  You can find the recipe here.

As far as authentic tapenade it originated in southern France (Provence),  it's name comes from the Provençal word for capers (tapenas.)   Traditionally made with mortar and pestle it is a blend of capers, black olives, olive oil, and anchovies. Most of the tapenade I have tasted also include a  clove or two or raw or roasted garlic.
Though apparently not traditional, some versions include pine nuts or other nuts, and I've seen a version that Jacques Pepin demonstrated using a dried figs, or apricots for a unique flavor twist.
Some add brandy to the mix as well, or finely grated orange zest, and there are versions of green olive tapenade,  as well as combinations of green olives/black olives  and artichoke hearts, too.
This time rather than a mix of oil cured black olives and  Kalamata olives I used only the latter, and as always  added a bit of thyme, a little lemon juice,  and freshly ground black pepper.
I've never tried making it with a mortar and pestle  (a labor of love!) I simply pulse the ingredients up using a small food processor, so easy and it keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for a  couple of weeks.

Called the "butter of Provence", I usually serve  it spread on toasted baguette slices,  but it's also good with crudites and as a condiment  in sandwiches.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Some additional suggestions for use from around the web:
* As a filling for Palmiers; spread puff pastry dough with tapenade and roll as for palmiers, slice and bake in hot oven, best served warm.
* Spread tapenade on pizza dough, top with feta or mozzarella cheese and tomatoes, then bake.
* Flatten chicken thighs or breasts, spread with tapenade, jarred roasted peppers, and cheese if desired, then roll and bake.
* As a topping for grilled or broiled fish.
* Tossed with hot angel hair pasta along with diced tomatoes, finely diced or shredded fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves.
* Add a little tapenade to your omelet filling.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

If you would like a reliable recipe for basic, traditional Tapenade you can find a printable version by following this link.
Thank you for stopping by today! ~Mari :)