Tour de France

Last week, we went on this trip to France and visited Lourdes, Paris and Bordeaux. The first time I visited France a couple of years back ( the glorious romantic days with my husband) I fell in love with Paris...with the cobble stoned streets, the crowded cafes, the meticulously dressed people, the jam packed streets ...the breathtaking Eiffel tower, the museums , the architecture but most of all the food...! We enjoyed all that the french cuisine had to offer us..from chocolate crepes on the streets to stuffed snails and guinea fowls to exquisite wines and decadent desserts. My husband and I are big fans of food....we eat anything and everything that is laid in front of us...we dare to eat...(considering the fact that Bizarre foods with Andrew Zimmerman is our favorite show)..but unlike my husband I would probably pass on the shark fins and chicken feet.
Posted below are some of the pictures of the dishes I managed to take while eating, despite the stares and shrugs from the waiters.


Guinea Fowl stuffed with liver

Cannelloni stuffed with crab and lobster

Well, so this time when we visited France, it was a totally new experience. Travelling to Paris with a toddler and an infant is no joke...and I looked at Paris in a whole new way..! It is definitely no place for kids...gosh I miss those good ole days. Although the trip was great and we bonded more than ever as a family, my husband and I couldn't enjoy eating as much as we did when we first came. But we had to eat...so in spite of the obstacles we did land in some good top notch
restaurants and had some good food. Most of these restaurants offered foie gras which is a popular french delicacy made from regualr duck or goose liver as an appetizer with bread.
Foie Gras
Most of the villages we passed by from Lourdes to Bordeaux , were making Foie gras in their homes or small processing plants...In this area..Foie gras is as fresh as it gets. It was a pity we couldn't get some back home. Bordeaux was another great place for great food...the imagination and creativity that goes into making the french cuisine so delectable to the palate and pleasing to the eyes is so unique and so very ...french...no wonder it is the most romantic food to have. So, with that said, after every travel, food is what we remember the most.. In conclusion french cuisine reins supreme..( apologies to Iron chef America)

Mom's Mutton Chops

This recipe always reminds me of the days when my mom made it and we used to literally lick the plate clean. The lamb chops was her ultimate dish and for some reason mine never turns out quite like hers...although this is just enough to make me drool all over.....and lick the plate yet again..!

Ingredients :

Mutton Chops - 1 lb
Tomato - 2
Onion ( large) - 1
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 Tsp
Garam Masala - 1 Tsp
Jeera Powder - 1 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Chilli Powder - 2 Tsp
Pepper Powder - 1 Tsp
Curry leaves
Salt

Cook the tomatoes in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes. When cooked, remove from water, peel the skin and puree the tomatoes in a blender. In a pressure cooker, add oil, curry leaves and chopped onions and saute until the onions turn golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste, saute for about 3-4 minutes and then add all the powders. Add the pureed tomato and saute well until you see some of the oil on the surface. Add the mutton chops and season it with salt and cook for about 4 whistles or for about 45 minutes on medium heat. Once cooked, open the cooker and saute for a couple of minutes more until the gravy thickens. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with rice and salad or parathas.

Roll the Appam

Surullapam

Growing up, this used to be my favorite evening snack for tea. Mom used to make it all the time and I devoured each and every single one of them. Well today I opened my freezer and saw this big packet of grated coconut sitting for quite sometime and wanted to do something with it. It was tea-time and of course I made my mom’s surullappam. As I was eating them, my husband watched me intently as I was trying to take a bite with the whole thing intact..the delicate darlings that they are ...and he mentioned the reason why they were called surullappam is …apparently you just roll them up yet again (bottom to top) and eat them… which is a much faster way I guess!! True or not..or maybe he was just kidding..it definitely was a faster way to eat it...cas I had three down in no time at all !!!


Ingredients :

All –Purpose Flour – 1 Cup
Egg – 1
Salt – a pinch
Grated Coconut – 1 ½ Cup
Sugar – 4-5 tsp
Cardamom – 3-4


Whisk the egg in a bowl. Slowly add the all purpose flour. Add a pinch of salt and gradually add water. The batter should be very thin and should have a pouring consistency.


Crush the cardamom pods in a mortar and a pestle. In a bowl, combine the cardamom, grated coconut and sugar, mix well and keep aside.


Heat a flat pan or tava, rub some oil on the tava with a kitchen towel. Pour a ladle full of the batter in the form of a circle starting from the ends of the pan and swirl the pan so the batter comes to the center to form a complete circle. If you do see some holes, just pour a little bit batter to cover them up. This cook in seconds and there’s no need to flip. Add a spoonful of the coconut mixture in the middle and fold one side and roll it all the way to the other end. When serving, garnish with confectioners sugar.