Ten Minute Tabouli

The staples we always have in our house are: pasta, rice, lentils and couscous. You can make a thousand recipes with these ingredients, but today I decided to make tabouli. You can mix and match different vegetables and even add chicken or fish to this recipe. But if you only have 10 minutes, follow this recipe and enjoy!

Ten Minute Tabouli
serves 4-6

1 cup coucous
1 cup hot water
1 T. olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 small can of corn, rinsed and drained
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/3 cup dijon vinaigrette, recipe follows
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Put coucous in a bowl and pour in hot water, olive oil and salt to taste. Cover bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, dice vegetables, chop parsley and mint. Fluff couscous with a fork. Add all other ingredients, salt and pepper to taste and stir. Done!

Dijon Vinaigrette

We make a batch of this in a glass jar at the start of the week and keep it in the fridge. It is great on everything and much more healthy than any store bought dressing. I am adding measurements, but you don't have to measure this recipe. You can also substitute balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, different oils, etc. Once you make this a couple times, it will become a habit!

2 soup spoons good quality dijon mustard (i.e. Maille brand)
2 soups spoon red wine vinegar (homemade vinegar is best)
1/2 cup plus some olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a jar, shake mustard and vinegar, salt and pepper. Add half the olive oil and shake again. Add the rest of the olive oil and shake. Taste and add what is needed. Drizzle this on everything!

Chateauneuf du Pape

The rolling vineyards, Cinderella's castles, hundred year old vines, old men tending to their most precious possession...we are in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

What we tasted and recommend:
-Château La Nerthe "rouge" 2005
-Mont Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape "blanc" 2007
-Château La Gardine "Generations" 2005

Fun Facts:
-Chateauneuf-du-Pape means "new castle of the pope" and refers to the 14th century when the pope resided in the walled city of Avignon, just south of these vineyards.
-There are thirteen grape varieties (fourteen if you count the Grenache Blanc) permitted to be used in Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines. Chateau Beaucastel is the only producer to grow and make a wine from all.
-Many of the vineyards in Chateauneuf are rock beds with no visible soil.
-More than 90 percent of Chateauneuf-du-Pape is red, about 7 percent white and the rest...
-In 1954, the vitners of Chateauneuf mandated the following law about UFO's:
Article 1. The flying overhead, landing and taking off of aeronautical machines called "flying saucers" or "flying cigars," of whatever nationality they may be, is strictly forbidden on the territory of the commune of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
Article 2. Any aeronautical machine-"flying saucer" or "flying cigar"-that lands on the territory of the commune will be immediately taken off to the jail.

Best Kept Secret...

Walking through the stone village of St Maximin, we wondered if we were at the right place. A Sunday noon, the middle of winter and a rainy day, which is rare in the Gard region, there was not a soul in sight. The sign above the restaurant read Café de le Mairie, but we had reserved at La Table de Julien? As we walked in to the café, we were directed down a flight of stairs to a vaulted, candle lit dining room. Welcome to La Table de Julien!
Jennifer Henriksen, co-owner and wife of Chef Julien Lavandet, greeted us with a smiling, down to earth attitude that immediately put us at ease. The small, elegant dining room was filled with people from England, Belgium and France, all there for the same reason...the incredible food. This was our first time dining there, since we were never able to get a reservation last minute, and now we know why. The food was out of this world! Scallop carpaccio seasoned with lime and peppercorns, pan seared fois gras with a caramelized pear, homemade brioche spread with wild mushrooms topped with a perfectly poached egg, juicy beef tenderloin with a rich cocoa sauce, vegetable stuffed rouget topped with langoustine froth (pictured), and delicious desserts. A perfectly balanced Gigondas to sip throughout the meal and we were in heaven!
We reserved at this tucked away restaurant not knowing what to expect and left knowing we now have a new favorite restaurant. La Table de Julien is by far St. Maximin's best kept secret!

La Table de Julien
30700 St Maximin
Tél: 04.66.22.93.24

Melt Your Heart Away Fondue

Snow, snow, snow! It hadn't stopped in 24 hours and we were ready for something warm in our stomach. Everyone was talking about the Auberge la Fruitière des Perrières, a restaurant specialized in cheese, but they were booked for the next month! Luckily, a friend was able to get us a late evening reservation. Walking into the wooden chalet, you could smell the sweet cheese and smokey meats. We were starving! They sat us next to the stone fireplace and served us the house apèritif. The menu consisted of different cheese dishes, which is traditional in the French Alps. You can choose from:
Raclette- a large wedge of cheese is put near a fire and is brought to melting point. When the cheese is soft and about to melt, a layer is scraped of and eaten with potatoes, charcuterie & cornichons
Tartiflette- a gratin of potatoes, lardons & reblechon cheese
Fondue- mixed with local cêpes mushrooms & white wine, served with bread, charcuterie & cornichons
The best part of the menu is that they make all the cheese at their farm! We chose the Fondue aux Cêpes. The fondue arrived along with an abundant amount of charcuterie and bread, spread on wooden boards and old baskets. But my favorite condiment to eat with fondue is cornichons and their cornichons were divine! After we scraped the pot clean and could barely move, the server brought us a selection of digestive liquours...plum, raspberry, pear & "viperine"-a bottle that has a real viper snake inside. A couple shots of this stuff and magically you feel light again!

Auberge de le Fruitière
Les Perrières
74260 Les Gets
Tél: 04.50.79.89.22/04.50.79.70.04

Welcome to the World of Blogging!

Bonjour y'all! To think that a few years ago my email address was cancelled because I didn't check it often enough and now I am beginning a blog! Times change and so has my life. Now I am currently living in France with my French husband, Christophe. We have been eating our way through France for the past years and feel it is time we share our adventures! We hope you enjoy our mouthwatering experiences and invite you to join us one day on your own culinary adventure. We are starting a new business...Foodies in France, Culinary Adventures in France. We will keep you posted!