B & B in Poitou Charentes, France

Mushroom & Turnip Parcels

2012-01-10T08:16:00.001+01:00

A transitional dish that works well for those late Summer evenings and Autumn lunches. Suitable for vegetarians but those omnivores among us won't notice the lack of meat.

Serves 4

Oven Temperature 180°C

Ingredients

250g field mushrooms
400g turnips, peeled and cut into a rough 2.5 cm dice
75g butter
100ml white wine (optional)
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1tbsp light soy sauce
½ tsp powdered wasabi (optional)
8 sheets of brick or filo pastry
40g melted butter
salt & pepper

Method

Put the turnips in a pan together with the wine and 25g of butter, top up with water to cover the turnips.

Heat the pan to boiling point and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until soft. Remove the turnips from the pan, reserving the liquid, and set aside to cool.

Return the pan to the heat and boil the remaining liquid until only a teaspoon of wine & water together with the butter remain.

Chop the mushrooms into a ½ cm dice. Heat a frying pan until hot, add 50g of butter together with the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Fry until the mushrooms are golden, turn off the heat and add the garlic stirring gently.

Place the cooled turnips in a blender together with the reserved juice and puree the mixture until smooth, add the wasabi (if using) and the soy sauce. Place the turnip mixture together with the mushrooms in a bowl and gently stir them together. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Set aside in the fridge to chill.

Take a sheet of pastry and, using a pastry brush, cover with a thin coating of the melted butter, repeat with a second sheet and lay this on top of the first. Then either push the middle of the 2 sheets of pastry into a deep muffin tin, or lay flat on a baking tray, spoon ¼ of the turnip & mushroom mixture into the middle of the pastry. Gather up the outer edge of the pastry and twist it so that it creates a ball of filling in the bottom with a frilly pastry top - as the butter cools & sets it will hold the shape.

Repeat this process with the remaining sheets of pastry and the filling. Allow the melted butter to cool before putting the parcels on to a baking sheet, then place in the oven for 25 minutes or until the pastry top is a dark golden colour.
Serve hot.

Chocolate & Orange Tart

2011-09-01T09:03:00.000+02:00

Serves 8 – 12

Ingredients

1 packet ready rolled puff pastry
500ml orange juice
125g sugar
25cl crème fraiche
25cl single gream
100g milk chocolate
100g dark chocolate ideally 70% cocoa solids
25g butter

Method

Grease and line a 25cm flan dish. Put the pastry in it and bake blind ( prick the base with a fork, line with greaseproof paper and cover with baking beans, rice or coins will work if you have no baking beans) in a cool oven (i.e 150°C) for 1 hour, removing the baking beans after 40 minutes.
The pastry is cooked when golden. Set aside and allow to cool.
Add the sugar to the orange juice in a pan, heat gently until dissolved, then bring to the boil and reduce until only 5cl remain and the consistency is syrupy.
Add the cream and crème fraiche to the syrup and warm to about 70°C. Remove from the heat.
Break up the chocolates into small bits, add to the cream mixture and stir gently, the latent heat should melt the chocolate without it becoming grainy. When a smooth mixture has been achieved, add the butter and stir gently again until smooth.
Pour into the pastry case and carefully put in the fridge to set for 4 hours. Remove from the fridge about 20 minutes before serving.

Peaches with Vanilla in Rosé Wine

2011-08-12T08:36:00.000+02:00

This is a great summer dessert and by using white peaches the colour contrast on the plate is really appealing. We use the local Anjou Cabenet wine, which is Demi-Sec, but any Rosé wine will work. You can prepare this a day in advance, leaving it to chill in the fridge.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 large ripe peaches, preferably white
1 bottle rosé wine
100g sugar
100ml water
water for boiling
ice cold water
1 vanilla pod

Method

Start by removing the skins from the peaches by using the following method:
Boil a large pan of water, remove from the heat, then gently put the peaches into it.
Remove the peaches in the order you put them in, immediately after you have added the last one, plunge them straight into a large bowl of ice cold water.
Take a sharp knife and cut through the flesh down to the stone, following a line all the way round so you end up with the peach in 2 halves.
Gently twist the halves, so that the peach splits in half (if for any reason you are unable to do this make another cut so you end up with quarters). Carefully remove the stone. Peel the skin from the flesh, this should come off easily having blanched them.
Put the halves or quarters in a fresh bowl and cover with the wine.
Meanwhile put the water, vanilla and sugar into a pan and heat. Bring to the boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and allow to cool before pouring the vanilla sugar syrup over the peaches and cover with cling film, allow to cool before putting in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Serve cold with crème fraiche or vanilla ice cream.

Spinach Roulade With Goat's Cheese & Bacon

2011-07-13T09:01:00.002+02:00

Serves 8 as a starter or 4 with a light salad for lunch. If you don't like Goats Cheese then use a cream cheese in it's place.

Oven Temp. 190°C

Ingredients

500g fresh washed spinach (or 250g frozen spinach which has been defrosted)
3 egg yolks
5 egg whites
3 tbsp flour
75g goats cheese
2tbsp crème fraiche
100g smoked bacon lardons
100g chopped walnuts
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
salt & pepper

Method

Plunge the fresh spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds and then drain. Allow to cool. Squeeze as much liquid out of the spinach as you can and place in a food processor. If using frozen then just squeeze as much liquid out as possible before putting in the processor.
Add the egg yolks, flour & 1 tablespoon of the crème fraiche. Pulse until well mixed. Add the nutmeg and season with the salt & pepper - it is a good idea to add more s&p than you think as it will dissipate during cooking.
Line a shallow baking tin with grease proof paper and cover with a little oil.
Whisk the egg whites to just beyond soft peak, then using a metal spoon or spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the spinach mixture. Pour into the lined baking tin and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until firm to the touch.
Meanwhile fry the bacon lardons until golden. Then blend the goats cheese and remaining tablespoon of crème fraiche until smooth. Stir in the lardons and walnuts, season to taste with s&p.
Remove the spinach from the oven, allow to cool slightly, then turn out on to another sheet of greaseproof paper.
Remove the greaseproof paper used for baking and spread the goats cheese mixture over the top, ensuring an even coating all over including the edges.
Take one of the narrow ends of the greaseproof paper and lift, pulling it gently towards the other end, the roulade will start to roll up in a spiral. Continue with this process until you have rolled all the roulade up. It is a good idea not to roll too tightly as the filling tends to squeeze out if you do, but it should be tight enough so that there are no gaps between filling and spinach.
Place in the fridge and allow to set for at least a couple of hours before serving.
To serve, cut into slices about 3 cm wide.

Elderflower Mousse

2011-06-03T10:05:00.001+02:00

This is a light delicate Mousse with a subtle and fresh flavour, everything you want from a dessert in Spring. We use our own Elderflower Cordial, but pre-made can also be used without detriment. Because of the delicacy of the flavour, any accompaniments need to be chosen carefully, dark chocolate is good (in fact we encase the mousse in a thin layer of dark chocolate). The perfect wine to go with this is a Chenin Blanc Demi-Sec, we use Domaine des Terres Blanches Blet Tendre.

Serves 6

Ingredients

120g sugar
28ml water
2 egg whites
200ml elderflower cordial
2 gelatin leaves
200ml whipping cream

Method

The first stage is to create an Italian meringue, which is not as difficult as it seems. The crucial element is to get the syrup temperature to the right level ie. 121°C.

Add the sugar to the water in a pan and gently heat to dissolve the sugar. Once this has happened increase the heat to bring the syrup to the boil.
Meanwhile whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl to form stiff peaks.
When the temperature in the sugar syrup reaches [b]121°C[/b], remove the pan from the heat and pour in a steady stream into the egg whites, whisking all the time. Continue to whisk until the meringue reaches room temperature.

Stage 2 is the assembly of the mousse.

Firstly soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for about 5 minutes.
Whip the cream until a ribbon consistency is achieved.
Pour the elderflower cordial into a pan and add the gelatin. Warm very gently until the gelatin has dissolved. Remove from the heat.
Pour the cordial and gelatin mixture into the Italian meringue and mix gently with a balloon whisk until smooth.
Using either a metal spoon or plastic spatula, fold the cream into the meringue mixture. When all is incorporated, spoon or pipe into serving dishes and refrigerate for 4 hours until set.
Serve cold

7 Hour Pork

2011-05-04T10:02:00.001+02:00

As the name suggests this is a slow method of cooking a tough meat. The cooking temperature of 90°C ensures that the meat remains moist. It works just as well for beef and venison, just use red wine instead of the cider. For presentation try to use a single joint, but large chunks will also be just as good. Do remember that you need to start preparation the day before and of course start cooking early enough in the day so that you can get the full 7 hours cooking time in before serving.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1kg pork shoulder
3 onions
3 carrots
2 bay leaves
6 cloves Garlic
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1ltr dry cider or apple juice
1tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper

Method

Day 1

Peel and roughly chop the onions, carrots and garlic, place in a large casserole. Add the pork, bay leaves and thyme and then pour in the cider or apple juice.

Leave to marinate overnight.

Day 2

Remove the meat and dry it off. Heat the oil in a pan and sear the meat all over so that it becomes golden brown.

Put the meat back in the casserole, cover with a lid and put in the oven at 90°C.

Leave for 7 hours.

Test the meat, it should be soft and yield to the touch, if not put back in the oven for a further hour. When cooked, remove the meat from the casserole and keep warm.

Remove the stalks of thyme (the leaves should have come off in the sauce) and the bay leaves. Puree the marinade until smooth, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and if a little sweet add either a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar.

Carve the meat and cover with the puree to serve.

Creme Brulée

2011-04-07T10:14:00.000+02:00

This is a version of the classic dish which we have found to be foolproof, if such a thing exists! The resulting dish is rich, creamy and smooth, even though it uses only single cream, which is a real bonus for us as we cannot buy fresh double cream!

Serves 4
Oven Temp. 150°C

Ingredients

4 egg yolks
80g caster sugar
140ml milk
350ml single cream
1 vanilla pod
caster sugar to provide the crust

Method

Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar until smooth.

Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds, add the seeds to the egg & sugar mixture, then add the milk and cream and combine with a whisk until smooth.

Put into the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Remove from the fridge and divide the liquid, pouring it through a sieve to remove any lumps, between 4 ramekins/brulée dishes.

Place the ramekins into a large roasting tin and create a Bain Marie, by pouring in boiling water into the roasting tin, to a level halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Carefully put the bain marie into the oven and cook for 1 hour or until the crème is just set.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the fridge.

Just before serving lightly coat the top of the crème with the additional sugar, then using a blow torch, if you have one or a very hot grill if you don’t, melt the sugar until a golden brown caramel forms. You need to take care at this point as it is very easy to burn the sugar, which leaves a very bitter taste.

To get a thicker crust repeat the sugar coating and melting process.

Serve cold.

Pot Au Feu

2011-03-02T23:42:00.002+01:00

Serves 4

This is our version of a classic French dish, it is great during the winter with a slightly reduced stock or at other times of the year leaving the stock lighter, see the method for the 2 different ways of cooking. It is important to use beef on the bone as it adds to the flavour of the sauce.

Oven Temp 160°C

Ingredients

2kg short rib beef or any other cut of stewing beef with bones
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
5 cloves
zest of ½ orange
1 cinnamon stick
1 ltr beef stock

Method

Place the beef, garlic, cloves and orange peel in a large casserole.

Pour in enough stock to cover the meat. Put the lid on and place in the oven.

If you want a rich sauce remove the lid after 2 ½ hours, to allow some of the stock to evaporate, and put back in the oven for a further 1 ½ hours. If you want the sauce to be light just leave in the oven for 4 hours.

Remove from the oven and take the pieces of meat out of the casserole, if possible remove the bones and carve the meat into large slices.

Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning.

To serve put the meat into a deep dish, pour some of the stock over it and serve hot.

Chocolate & Orange Mousse

2010-12-06T06:09:00.002+01:00

Serves 6

A rich dessert, based on a ‘jaffa cake’, that can be made in advance.

Ingredients:

For the mousse:
200g dark chocolate
3 eggs – separated
20cl cream
1 tbsp caster sugar

For the orange layer:
500ml orange juice
125g sugar
1tsp orange Flower water

For the top:
50g dark chocolate

Method:

For the mousse base:
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water.
Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then add the sugar and whisk in.
When the chocolate has melted add the cream and mix. Then add the egg yolks one at a time and mix well. Mix in the chilli. Then fold in the egg white sugar mixture.
Place into serving dishes and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

To make the orange layer:
Put the sugar and orange juice into a pan and place over a medium heat, whilst stirring, to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved increase the heat and bring to the boil, stirring ocaisionally to prevent it from burning.
Continue to heat until a medium consitancy syrup has formed, add the orange flower water and allow to cool. As the syrup cools it will thicken, when cold the consistency should be that of Golden Syrup. If it is too thin, simply reheat and reduce the liquid a little more. Too thick, just stir in a little more orange juice.
Pour the cold syrup over the chocolate mousse and return the dishes to the fridge.

For the chocolate topping:
Place the additional chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water as before and melt it, when it has properly melted pour a little over each of the chocolate mousses and allow it to form a chocolate cover for the orange syrup. Return to the fridge to allow the chocolate to set.

A more complicated method for the chocolate cover is to melt and then temper the chocolate and the cut out the chocolate to create lids for the orange layer. The advantage of doing this is that you get an even layer of crisp chocolate that will “snap” when you put a spoon into it.

Tomato Beurre Blanc Sauce

2010-11-01T15:20:00.000+01:00

The inspiration for this sauce came from one of our local restaurants, "Le Bon Acceuil" in St Generoux. It is extremely good with white fish, for example Pollock, Coley or Cod, (depending on your budget) which has been filleted and fried in a little butter. We serve it with Catfish, which is a speciality here.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 shallots peeled and very finely diced
250ml white wine
125g chilled butter cut into chunks
½ tsp tomato purée
1 egg yolk
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

Put the shallots and wine into a pan and heat until the wine is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer until only ½ teaspoon of liquid remains.
Remove from the heat, add a couple of chunks of the butter into the pan and whisk until all the butter has been absorbed into the liquid. Add the tomato purée and whisk into the butter.
When absorbed, slowly whisk in the remaining butter until a smooth emulsion is formed, allow to cool before whisking in the egg yolk.
Season to taste and serve warm with fish. If the sauce is too thick add a little wine to dilute it whisking all the time. It is important not to add too much wine as it can make the sauce too acidic.
To get a pouring sauce add a little warm water and whisk it until the right consistency is obtained.
Serve poured or spooned on to the fish.

Potage au Chevre

2010-10-06T18:30:00.001+02:00

This recipe seems to be very popular with our guests of all ages, (including fussy children!) the vegetables are merely a suggestion, you can use any that are in season.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 medium onion, peeled
1 potato, washed
1 medium courgette
1 carrot, washed
1 leek, outer leaves removed
25g butter or olive oil
25cl crème fraiche
100g soft goats cheese
1 litre chicken stock or water
1 tsp mixed dried herbs or 1tbsp fresh herbs (thyme, sage, Bay)
salt & pepper

Method

Chop the onion, carrot, courgette and potato into 1cm dice.
Chop the leek into the same size and wash.
In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and gently cook until translucent. Add the herbs together with the carrot, courgette, potato and leek. Increase the heat and add the stock/water.
Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until the potato is soft.
Add the goats cheese and allow it to melt.
Remove from the heat and purée in a blender. At this stage, if a smooth soup is required, pass through a fine sieve, otherwise return to the pan.
Add the crème fraiche and heat gently stirring to prevent it burning. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil.
Serve either hot, or better still warm, with bread.

Drinks Party Food

2010-09-01T22:12:00.002+02:00

Savoury Cake

A very easy savoury cake, which we have found is often served, cut into bite sized cubes, with an aperitif as pre-dinner nibbles. A little goes a long way!

Ingredients:

3 eggs
250g flour
150g chopped ham
100g grated gruyere
100g pitted olives (soak for approx 10mins before use to try & remove some of the saltiness)
15 cl olive oil
5 cl noilly prat
2 teasp / ½ sachet baking powder
20g butter
salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Sift the flour & baking powder together, then mix in the eggs, olive oil, noilly prat, & butter until you have a smooth batter.
Stir in the ‘flavourings’ (all the remaining ingredients).
Bake in an oven at 210°C for 10mins then turn down to 150°C for 35 mins.

Serve once cool.

Other flavour suggestions:
Bacon & cheese
Sun dried tomatoes, chorizo & paprika
Herb & olives
Crab Stick and Shallott (yes this one is for real and described by one of our French visitors as "Genious")

Shepherdess Pie

2010-06-05T16:00:00.000+02:00

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Onion peeled and chopped
2 Carrots peeled and chopped
2 sticks of Celery chopped
450g tin of Puy Lentils drained
100g Mushrooms chopped
1tbsp dark Soy sauce
Mashed potato
50g Butter
Salt & pepper
2tsp dried Mixed herbs
500ml Vegetarian stock
25g Flour
1tbsp Tomato purée
2 cloves Garlic peeled and crushed

Method

Melt half the butter in a pan and gently sweat the onions, celery and carrots until the onions are translucent then add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the mixed dried herbs and the tomato purée and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly (this will remove the bitterness from the purée).
Add the flour and cook over a moderate heat for 3 minutes, then add the Soy sauce and then the stock stirring constantly until you get a thick sauce.
In a separate pan melt the remaining butter and cook the mushrooms with a little salt & pepper until brown.
Add the mushrooms and lentils to the sauce and mix together add salt & pepper to taste.
Place in a deep oven-proof casserole. Top with the mashed potato and cook until the top is brown. Serve Hot.

Recipe for Vegetarian French Onion Soup

2010-04-12T06:48:00.001+02:00

When you think of this French classic, you may be tempted to think that it is always a vegetarian dish, when in fact a key ingredient is a meat stock, either veal or chicken. Our version replicates a dark veal stock, with a truly vegetarian alternative, it does take a little time but the results are worth it! The following recipe produces more than you need for the soup, but it is a great basis for a wide variety of vegetarian dishes and will last for about a week in the fridge. If you don't mind eating meat, substitute the vegetable stock with a dark veal stock. A final note, we use Rosé wine because it imparts a great depth of flavour and because the area produces some of the best Rosé in France.

Serves 4

Ingredients for the stock

1kg onions, peeled
500g carrots, peeled
500g celery
25g tomato purée
2tbsp olive oil
Sprig of thyme
3 bay leaves
3 ½ litres water

Method
Roughly chop the onions, carrots and celery. Mix the tomato purée and olive oil together and rub it all over the vegetables, place in a roasting tin and put in the oven 200°C. Roast for at least an hour until the vegetables are dark brown but not burnt!
Remove from the oven and put into a large pan with the cold water, thyme and bay leaves. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Skim any scum from the surface and simmer for 1 hour.
Allow to cool and strain off the liquid it is now ready to use in the soup.

Ingredients for the Soup

1kg onions, peeled and finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
50g butter
300ml dry rosé or white wine (see note above)
1.5 litres of the stock
4 slices of french bread, 2.5 cm thick (either a day old or dried for 30 minutes in a 150°C oven)
225g grated emmental
salt & pepper

Method
Melt the butter in a large heavy bottomed pan, when the foaming ceases add the onions, garlic and a tsp of salt. Sweat them slowly over a low heat for approx 20 minutes until they are light brown.
Add the wine and bring to the boil reduce the heat and simmer until half the volume of liquid remains.
Add the stock and simmer for a further 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place the soup into ovenproof bowls. Put the bread on top and cover them with the cheese then either put under a hot grill or in a hot oven until the cheese is golden.
Serve immediately whilst still very hot.

Tuna Paté

2010-03-01T22:24:00.003+01:00

Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients

150g Tinned Tuna
75g Butter
40g Crème Fraîche
¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
1tsp Smoked Paprika (if using the hot version omit the Cayenne Pepper)
Lemon Juice - approximately the juice of 1 lemon, but this will vary according to taste
Salt & Pepper

Method

Drain the tuna.
In a bain marie, or microwave, gently heat the butter until soft but not melted. Add the tuna to the bowl together with the crème fraîche and the paprika and cayenne.
Stir with a fork until thoroughly mixed, taste and add the lemon juice and salt and pepper until the correct flavour is achieved.
Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours and serve with toast.

Boulanger Potatoes

2010-01-28T12:23:00.000+01:00

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2lb / 900g potatoes
1lb / 450g onions – peeled & thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic – peeled & finely chopped
2oz / 50g butter
1ltr stock – preferably chicken but vegetable is fine
1tsp fresh thyme leaves
1tsp fresh sage – finely chopped
Salt & pepper

Method:

Peel the potatoes & place in cold water.
Put ½ the butter in a frying pan & when melted add the onions, garlic & herbs. Cook until the onions are translucent. Set aside.
Slice the potatoes into 3mm fine slices.
Take a shallow ovenproof dish and place a layer of potatoes over the bottom. Season. Then add a layer of onions. Layer more potato slices on top & repeat with the onions. Finish with a layer of potatoes. Pour the stock over the top until just below the top layer. Season. Dot the remaining butter over the top and bake in the oven at 190°C for 1 hour until crisp on top.

Boeuf Bourguignon

2010-01-24T19:05:00.003+01:00

A tradiditional French winter dish with many different versions, this is the one we serve at the Bed and Breakfast. The quantity serves 4 as part of a 3 course dinner, if you are serving it as a supper dish, we would recommend that you increase the amount of beef by 50%.

Ingredients

1lb / 450g trimmed stewing beef in 1” or 2 ½ cm cubes
4oz / 100g smoked bacon lardons
1oz / 25g flour
8oz / 225g small onions
8oz / 225g button mushrooms
½ bottle red wine
12floz / 375ml stock – preferably beef or dark chicken
2tbs oil or preferably dripping
1tsp mixed dried herbs
Salt & pepper
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme

Method:
Fry the lardons until golden brown. Remove from the pan, leaving the juice / oil to fry the beef.
Mix the dried herbs into the flour with a little salt & pepper to season. Coat the cubes of beef with the flour & knock off any excess. Brown the beef in batches in the pan that you fried the lardons in. As each batch is browned, add to a casserole with the lardons.
Once all the beef is browned, quickly fry the onions & add to the casserole.
Add any remaining flour & stir. Put in the bal leaf & sprig of thyme. Add the stock & red wine & mix.
Put in the casserole oven, with the lid on, for 2 ½ hours at 170°C fan / 180°C normal
Remove from the oven, taste & adjust the seasoning to taste. If the sauce is too thin, sprinkle with 1 tbsp flour – don’t worry too much about lumps as they will disappear in cooking. Put back in the oven & cook for a further 1 hour.
Remove from the oven, take out the bay leaf & thyme sprig before serving.
Serve hot with vegetables of your choice.

Recipe for Dry Cured Bacon

2010-01-21T17:06:00.003+01:00

Making your own bacon is easy, it does take a few days, but very little effort. The result is a tasty additive and added water free bacon.
The following brine mixture is a suggestion, but you can use any combination of herbs & spices in the mix. They do not dramatically alter the flavour of the meat but when cooked you will be aware of whatever you have used. If on the other hand you want the simplest flavour, only use the salt.
The equipment we use is cheap and easy, just a clean plastic storage box, anything as long as it is big enough to put the meat flat in it.
The type of pork used is up to you, a belly provides streaky, the loin will give you back or middle, depending which end of the ribs you use. It is important to use whole joints of meat not slices or steaks, your butcher should be able to provide the joint you want. The quantities given will be sufficient for about 2kg of raw meat.
The following method provides a relatively mild cure, the saltiness of the resultant bacon is dependent on the length of time the bacon is left in the brine.

Ingredients

1 kg sea salt
2 Tsp Juniper Berries
2 tsp black peppercorns
8 Bay leaves
125 g granulated Sugar

Method

Finely chop the bay leaves, put into a mortar, or a herb mill, together with the juniper and peppercorns. Grind to a fine powder/paste (depending on how moist the juniper berries are).
Add the sugar and grind until well mixed.
Put the salt into a large bowl, add the spice, sugar mixture and mix well.
Rub approximately 1/3 of the brine all over the pork and put into the plastic box, cover with the lid and put into a cool place.

The following day.
Remove the lid pour off the liquid together with any of the saturated salt.
Rub in another 1/3 of the brine, repeating the process from day 1.
Day 3.
Repeat the process from day 2.
Day 4.
Rinse the salt off the meat and put into fresh cold water for a couple of hours.
Remove the bacon and dry. Place on a wire rack in a cool place for a further 24 hours.
After this, wrap in greaseproof paper and place in the fridge.
It is now ready to be sliced and cooked, however if it is left for a week, to dry out and mature, it will be even better. It can be sliced now or left whole and sliced when required, (the second method will keep it fresh for longer)

Tartiflette

2008-12-07T12:36:00.004+01:00

Serves 4

This dish can be made ahead of time and just heated when required. As this is a rich dish, it goes well with a simple fresh green salad.

Ingredients:
2kg potatoes
4 small onions – chopped
2 fat cloves of garlic – crushed
½ a Reblouchon cheese (cut half your cheese cut into a small dice & the rest cut into slices)
200g lardons or streaky bacon cut into approx 1cm strips
10cl white wine
30cl crème fraîche
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper to season

Method:
Peel the potatoes and cook whole for approx 2O mins. Drain & leave to cool. Once cool, cut into approx 2cm chunks (or any size to suit).

Fry the lardons, then remove from the pan leaving the lardon juices. Add the onion & garlic to the pan and fry in the lardon juices until soft.

Mix together the white wine, crème fraîche & Dijon mustard.

Add the lardons, potatoes and wine, crème fraîche & mustard mixture to the pan with the onions & garlic. Season to taste (watch out if you are adding more salt as the lardons will be quite salty). Heat for a couple of minutes to thicken the sauce slightly.

Pour ½ the mixture into an oven proof dish & dot with the diced cheese. Then pour the other half on top & finish by layering the cheese slices over the mixture.
Bake at 200°C for approx 30mins, or until golden on top, bubbling & hot all the way through.

Serve at once with a fresh green salad.

2008-11-17T18:04:00.002+01:00

Christmas 2008

2008-11-16T14:01:00.001+01:00

The festive season will be upon us sooner than we think. We all look forward to the celebrations, spending time with family and / or friends, the eating, the drinking and so on. But with all this comes a downside – well, for some anyway. There’s the traditional panic of what to serve, the last minute Christmas gift buying, the dash to the supermarket to buy that forgotten item and the groan from the fridge and larder under the weight of all that food – a largish proportion of which won’t get eaten and will end up in the bin. Then there’s all the preparation of the mountain of food, the clearing up, the feeling that Christmas Day has been a bit of a chore because you feel you have to do it all.

Well, how about if you could have all the good bits Then after the big day are the days of turkey in one form or another. We’ve all been there. without the bad? Spend Christmas with us and let us take away all the stresses, so you can just relax and enjoy the season of goodwill. Use it as an excuse to stock up on wine, an extended booze cruise!

Imagine waking up when you are ready, coming down for a celebratory breakfast, the joys of opening presents left by Santa under the tree. Then taking the most difficult decision of the day – do you stay in, in front of an open fire or the log burner, or do you take a walk around our beautiful medieval town. After a light lunch continue to relax. There’s even the Queen’s speech for those that like the tradition. With our 3 reception rooms there’s plenty of space to be with other people or on your own.

Christmas Dinner will start in the early evening after a pre-dinner drink. This being France nothing is rushed. The 7 courses, designed in conjunction with our Consultant Chef Cristeana, will be served over several hours so that you get the chance to enjoy every mouthful and that at the end of the meal you feel replete – not stuffed like the turkey! To complement each course will also be a carefully selected different wine.

Our idea is that you can visit for a couple of days, rather than the 3 or 4 days that some establishments insist on, and that you can add on extra days at our normal rate should you wish to stay longer. The 2 days included in the package can be either Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, or Christmas Day & Boxing Day. Christmas Day is all inclusive, and included in the price on the other day, over above bed and breakfast, will be a full 4 course evening meal including drinks.

Prices:
2 Persons sharing a room for 2 nights 360€
1 Person for 2 nights 260€
For child prices please contact us
Included – All food and drink on Christmas Day
Breakfast and evening meal on other day

Christmas Day Menu 2008

Langoustine Cocotte
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Foie Gras with Fresh Onion Marmalade and Toasted Brioche
Or
Wild Mushroom Tart with Fresh Onion Marmalade
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Filet of Poached Wild Salmon with a Light Lemon Velouté and served with a winter salad
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Champagne Sorbet
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Roast Goose with Traditional Trimmings
Ille de Noirmoutier Potatoes Roasted in Goose Fat
Seasonal Vegetables
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Selection of French Cheeses
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Individual Bûche de Noël
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Coffee and Petits Fours

In the unlikely event that we are unable to source some of the ingredients, elements of this menu may be subject to slight change

Wine Tasting

2008-10-26T16:55:00.001+01:00

We recently received an unexpected invitation to a private wine tasting, and never being ones to turn down an opportunity to try new wines – with the excuse of adding them to the dinner menu at our Bed & Breakfast – we went along to sample what was on offer.

We were greeted with a firm hand shake, given wine tasting sheets (just how seriously wine tasting is taken) along with a tasting glass and pointed in the direction of the many wine producers and merchants. Faced with a range of wines from all over France, ranging in price to suit all budgets, and a great buffet to help soak up the large samples being offered it was looking like being a great evening! And so it proved to be…………………………… after a lot of tasting we eventually left with a healthy selection of clanking bottles and lighter pockets!

As we are so close to the Loire Valley, with Saumur being less than 60km away, these are some of our most local wines along with those of the lesser known Haut Poitou. There are so many Loire and Saumur wines available that it would be impossible to try them all - so to have a selection, some guidance and the chance to taste means we found some great new wines to add to our in house dining menu.

An unusual and lovely sweet Southern Loire white to be drunk either as an aperitif, as a dessert wine or, as we sampled, with blue cheese and also a gold medal winning fruity dry white Haut Poitou (Sauvignon Blanc) which is great to accompany a starter, fish or spicy food. With these and various others we are now pretty much there with the wine choices for our Christmas Day and New Years Eve menus. Watch this space!

Happy wine drinking……………………………………………….

Wine Harvest

2008-10-05T16:31:00.002+02:00

As we drive around the Loire Valley & the Anjou wine producing regions, we see that the vineyards are starting this years’ harvest, and as such the wine fairs have begun - promoting last years’ wines & previous vintages. They offer the chance to buy some wines to lay down & savour once fully matured in a few years time & of course there’s always plenty on offer that is ready to drink now! Prices seem to be reasonable once again, so a trip to France is always a good excuse to stock up on wine.

As we’re now into October, the updated monthly recipe on our website is for a yummy chicken dish, tried out and enjoyed by our bed & breakfast guests who have partaken of an evening meal. So take a look. However, as this means the September recipe is no longer there we have attached it below for those who missed it.

The Packages for Christmas or New Year in France with us are nearly finalized, and we are just sourcing the wines from the fairs to match the food before we publish them. Talking of Christmas, all invitations for the first weekend in December will have to be turned down as this is when the local Christmas market takes place in St Loup. Described by the locals as fantastic it has to be visited this year as we unfortunately missed it last year.

Chick pea, artichoke & sweetcorn fritters with dip

Starter for 6 or light supper/lunch for 4

1 tin (400g) chick peas
1 tin (400g) artichoke hearts
1 tin (300g) sweetcorn
1 small onion
2 eggs
Flour to bind
Salt & pepper

Drain all tins and rinse contents, the remove as much moisture as possible.
Finely chop the onion and add the sweetcorn.
Chop the artichokes (into pieces twice the size of a piece of sweetcorn) and add to onion & sweetcorn mixture.
Puree the chick peas and add to mixture above.
Beat the eggs & add to the mixture. Stir well. Season. Add flour to bind and mix to a wet dough consistency (dropping consistency).
To cook, either deep or shallow fry in teaspoon size balls – or fry in small patty shapes – until golden.

Dip – Mix together 3 tblsp crème fraiche, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 teasp lime juice & 1 teasp soy sauce, a small finely chopped chilli & ½ teasp Chinese five spice powder. Measures are approx – adjust to individual taste.
Also works well with a sweet chilli dipping sauce, a tomato salsa, blue cheese & cream dip, barbecue sauce . . . . anything goes!

Welcome

2008-09-21T17:51:00.000+02:00

After a couple of suggestions that we write an online diary, here we go…………………………..

To start, just a quick summary! We’ve had a good summer. Lots of very nice guests (one of whom has kindly written a fantastic review on TripAdvisor and described us as a ‘boutique bed & breakfast’ with ‘understated chic rooms’ – so we think we must have achieved our aim) of varying ages and nationalities, pretty good weather and a plethora of festivals and seasonal markets. The local Charentaise melons have been as fantastic as last year, as have the delicately flavoured white peaches. Next comes mushroom season, bringing a wide array or mushrooms which, although can be purchased locally, we are going to try and find ourselves on mushroom foraging trips. We’ve bought the book, so hopefully will be able to distinguish between those that are edible and those that range from mildly poisonous all the way through to lethal!

We’ve added a monthly recipe section to our website, the first recipe being of popular demand. So we hope you enjoy!

Summer seems to have come to an end though and Autumn is kicking in, even here, just south of the Loire Valley. Whilst the weather is dry and bright there is a slight chill in the air, so our thoughts are beginning to turn towards Christmas and New Year celebrations.

We think we have chosen our main feast menus, with the help of our lovely consultant Chef – Cristeana - combining traditional French with traditional English cooking and using locally sourced ingredients. Carefully selected French wines will accompany each course, so we should be in for some gastronomic feasts, and plan to have these on our website in the next few weeks. Watch those waistlines! It’s the other details that will also make for an enjoyable and relaxed time over the Christmas and New Year periods. All the traditional Christmas trimmings & maybe even something going off with a bang to bring in the New Year.

Well, that’s probably enough for our first diary entry, but we plan to keep it regularly updated, so watch this space.