Category Archives: Food

Architecture, Art, Eastern Europe, Food, Paris, Uncategorized, Weekly Blogger Round-Up

Weekly Blogger Round-Up: Origin of the croissant – Road Trip to Romania – Le Petit Palais

April 22, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 2 Comments

This week’s Blogger Round-Up is all Australian. French Moments shares the story of the croissant with us which is more Turkish orAustrian than French while Andrea from Rear View Mirror takes us on the ultimate road trip to Romania, a country that is definitely on my wish list. Gemma King from Les Musées de Paris, a newcomer on these pages, takes us through Le Petit Palais, one of my favourite museums in Paris. Enjoy!

The Formidable Story behind the French croissant

by French Moments, a Sydney-based organisation with an international focus which promotes the French language and culture to English-speakers worldwide. Their French team is all about the language, culture and experience

France is known for its “croissants”. It is up there with the Eiffel Tower and beret as a French icon. Here in Sydney, most people know that the croissant is a true French delicacy and it is loved in all its forms: plain croissant, chocolate croissant (“pain au chocolat” in France), almond croissant, ham and cheese croissant and more…

The idea of researching the croissant came to me in June 2011 when one of our French students asked me the meaning of the French verb “croître” (to grow). While explaining this word in French, I wrote on the board another word using the same root: “la croissance”. Immediately, the man pointed out: “then it’s like ‘croissant’!”. Read more

The Ultimate Romanian Road Trip

by Andrea from Rear View Mirror (formerly Destination Europe), a fellow Australian who, after 6 years of living in France, has given up her Paris apartment to live a nomadic life slowing travelling around Europe, experiencing each destination like a local.

I don’t know why I had such a poor opinion of Romania before visiting. I was expecting it be more like the Balkans and less like Eastern Europe. I was thinking it would be more than a little rough around the edges but in actual fact the cities are much like elsewhere in Europe with their beautiful historic centres, delicious traditional and modern cuisine plus some very cool castles. Read more

Le Petit Palais

By Gemma King, from Les Musées de Paris, self-proclaimed muséophile, and an Australian PhD student working between Melbourne and Paris. She writes on movies for work and goes to museums for fun.

Many Paris museums work because they adopt a single point of interest and run with it. Le Musée du parfum features nothing but perfume, but it investigates the topic like nowhere else. The good people of Le Musée Clémenceau seem to think nobody on earth has ever mattered as much as Président Georges, but by the end of your visit, you’ll probably agree. Paris museums go to all manner of extremes, favouring the most precise of objects (ahem, Museum of Eyeglasses) and exploring that object, its history and its specificities, with incredible dedication. These extremes of passion are often what make Paris museums so special. Read more

Food, French customs, Paris, Travelling, Turkey

Weekly Blogger Round-Up: Advantages of Paris in Winter – Surprising Things about Istanbul – Eating Rules for French Children

February 18, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 3 Comments

In this week’s Blogger Round Up, Carolyn from My Sydney Paris Life shares nine big reasons to love Paris in winter (even though it hasn’t snowed this year); Jo Karnaghan from Frugal First Class Traveler takes us to Istanbul in the first of a series of posts, while Mind Body Green gives ten very interesting eating rules followed by French children. Enjoy!

Nine Big Reasons to Love Paris in Winter

by Carolyn Barnabo from My Sydney Paris Life, writing about global families and change and life in special geographic places that have captured her heart.

With our global family and so many destinations on our ‘we should go there’ travel list, I’m often wishing we could physically be in more than one place at one time. I miss family members, I miss my share of special events, and I miss Paris.

Paris is a favourite destination any time of year. Here are nine big reasons I’m missing Paris in winter. Read more

Three things that surprised me about Istanbul

by Jo Karnaghan from Frugal First Class Travel, an Australian who loves to travel – especially in Europe – and who has gradually learned how to have a First Class trip on an economy budget, without missing out on anything!

I don’t know about you, but when I travel to a new place I always some preconceived ideas about what I am going to experience. My trip to Istanbul was no exception. I was delighted to discover some of my preconceptions exceeded my expectations, and some of my negative preconceptions were just plain wrong!

Visiting the hammam was heavenly

I wrote previously about how much I enjoyed my hammam experience at Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hamami. While I was looking forward to going to the hammam, I didn’t realise just how enjoyable it would be. A good session at a reputable hammam really is like a wonderful treat at a very exotic spa. If you like massages, facials and other spa treatments, I thoroughly recommend a trip to the hammam – there really is no experience like it! Read more

10 Eating Rules French Children Know But Most Americans Don’t

by Rebeca Plantier writing for Mind Body Green, CEO and co-founder of Fit to Inspire, an online and offline community inspiring women to greater fitness and well-being regardless of their age, shape or level of fitness.

How the French eat, age, dress, raise their children and live in general is a real talking point these days. So, as an American mother of three half-French kids, I figured I’d add my two cents to the conversation.

I lived in France before becoming a parent, but eventually it was my kids who taught me everything I need to know about eating like a French person: Eating, and staying slim and healthy, isn’t just about what you eat, but also how, when and why. Yes, French people enjoy junk food occasionally, and sometimes they eat between meals, but people don’t just let loose every day. There’s a code of conduct for food, for big people and little ones alike. Here, in 10 quick life lessons, is what my kids taught me about food. Read more

Food, Germany, Lifestyle, Weekly Blogger Round-Up

Weekly Blogger Round-Up: Saxon Switzerland – Dying Overseas – Chinese New Year Treats

February 4, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 6 Comments

This week’s Blogger Round-Up starts in Germany, in Saxon Switzerland, where Anda from Travel Notes & Beyond has inspired us to go on another cycling holiday this summer. Australian blogger Paula McInerney from Contented Traveller broaches the somewhat taboo subject of what happens if you die overseas while, on a less serious note, Adelina from Pack Me To, talks about all the wonderful goodies to eat at Chinese New Year. Enjoy!

Königstein – the Fortress of Saxon Switzerland

by Anda from Travel Notes & Beyond, the Opinionated Travelogue of a Photo Maniac, is a Romanian-born citizen of Southern California who has never missed the opportunity to travel

From Bastei Rocks our trip continued to the town of Königstein. From atop the table hill bearing the same name, Königstein – Germany’s largest fortress – towers over the Elbe Valley and the Saxon Switzerland landscape. Rising 240 meters above the river, the 24 acres rock plateau offers stunning views that rival with the famous Balcony of Europe in Costa del Sol, Spain.

Festung Königstein (as the Germans call it) started in the early 13th century as a medieval castle belonging to the Bohemian kingdom. In the 1400s the castle fell into the hands of the Saxon rulers and was later transformed into a monastery. In the mid 1500s by the order of Augustus, Elector of Saxony, a deep well (152 m) was drilled through solid rock on the site creating an important condition for the construction of a fortress. Read more

What happens if you die overseas?

By Paula McInerney from Contented Traveller. When they are not living in Australia, she and her husband Gordon travel the world, trying out houseboats, tatami mats, cave houses and over water bungalows, with serendipity as their watchword.

Strange conversations happen around our dinner table and one segued into what would happen if you died whilst overseas. Everyone’s response was varied, from leave me there, to bring me home. This then led into the conversation of whether people wanted to be buried or cremated and how they wanted their send off to be. Scattered over an ocean, under a tree in the bush, quickly and with no fuss, it all varied. It is worth discussing with your family and friends what you do want .. and around the dinner table is as good a place as any.

I myself think that if I died overseas just bury me there. Note the bury; I don’t want tot be cremated because it seems a bit too final. Yes, the derision at the dinner table was palpable but bad luck, I am entitled to my belief. Others wanted to be bought home to be buried, whilst some wanted to be cremated wherever, and their ashes bought home. Read more

The Best Part of Chinese New Year – the Food

by Adelina from Pack Me To, a Chinese American who’s been traveling for as long as she can remember and has lived in the Netherlands and Hungary. She loves telling stories, and eating and exploring her way around the world.

Happy lunar new year! January 31 ushered in the year of the horse. The best part of Chinese New Year for me is of course the food! There are so many delicious treats to be had during this festive holiday. As previously explained, the Chinese are a superstitious group. There are certain foods that are eaten during the holidays which are supposed to bring good luck and prosperity in the new year. Plus, they all taste delicious, so why not?

The Meals

During the 15 day festival, there are a number of meals where family come together to eat. In my family, we have a meal on Chinese new year eve with my immediate family, and sometimes with my father’s side of the family, and on day 2 of the new year, we have a meal with my mother’s side of the family. I love Chinese New Year food so much that one year my flatmate and I attempted to cook a massive new year dinner while living in Budapest for 26 people! We were crazy or what?! Here are a few of the must have dishes gracing the table. Read more

Food, Travelling, Uncategorized

Weekly Blogger Round-Up – Travel Insurance – Bergamot

January 21, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 5 Comments

Just a short Blogger Round-Up this week as I am still under the weather: Carolyn from Holidays to Europe talks about the importance of travel insurance and Sylvia from Finding Noon explains what a bergamot is. Enjoy!

A Real-Life Travel Insurance Experience

by Carolyn from Holidays to Europe, an Australian based business passionate about sharing their European travel expertise and helping travellers to experience the holiday in Europe they have always dreamed of . Carolyn also has a house to rent in the south of France.

Every time I travel overseas, whether it’s for work or pleasure, I always take out travel insurance before the trip. No-one likes parting with money for something that they may never use, however I have always believed it’s one of those necessary evils that you just have to pay for. In twenty-five years of overseas travel, I’d never made a claim – until my trip to Europe in 2010.

Our family had set off for a four week holiday in Europe – carefully planned between the end of our eldest son’s Year 12 exams and Christmas. As always, I had our itinerary meticulously pre-planned. All travel and accommodation arrangements had been pre-booked and paid in advance as I don’t like to leave anything to chance. We spent the first week in Paris and then another in the south of France and were just about to head to Switzerland, northern Italy and Slovenia when disaster struck! Read more

This morning’s cuppa

by Sylvia from Finding Noon, an American living in Paris who appreciates fine art, good music, succulent food, and breath taking scenery

Earl Grey is my favorite tea. It has been my favorite tea since I first tasted it, so long ago that I can’t even remember when. When I went through my purist Chinese tea and scorned any other flavored teas, I still loved a good Earl Grey.

Its the bergamot flavoring that I really love. What’s a bergamot? Its an orange! A tiny little orange from Southern Italy and it taste very much like a lemon. They don’t use the acid fruit of the citrus, but the fragrant oil that is in the skin. Read more

Food, French customs

My Fève Collection

January 15, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp Leave a comment

This is a photo of my fève collection from the galette des rois. You can click on it to see the fèves in more detail. You can see that some come from the same bakery (the two see-through carafes, the sugar and jam, for instance). I haven’t kept any of the less interesting white plaster ones. Anyone who wants to make their own galette can buy fèves on ebay and amazon or, alternatively, as someone suggested on Facebook today, you can use a whole almond!

The flat one with the gold leaf is the latest addition, brought home by Jean Michel from work.

Food, French customs

Photo of the Week – Galette & Crackers

January 12, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp Leave a comment

We were invited by our neighbours for a galette des rois. Liliane and Alain had bought two types – one with almond filling (frangipane) and one with apple filling just in case we didn’t like frangipane. I took along some Christmas crackers (or bonbons as we call them in Australia) which, surprisingly, I had found at Truffaut, the local gardening store, so we ended up with two sets of crowns! Françoise, being the youngest, should have gone under the table, but we let her close her eyes instead and indicate who should have which piece – not that Alain took any notice of her. He just went ahead and served according to the size of the piece! Jean Michel got the first fève and crowned Liliane who then got the second one.

Food, French customs, French language, Lifestyle, Weekly Blogger Round-Up

Weekly Blogger Round-Up – Getting Tough in French – Top 7 moments in France – A French library and literature

December 17, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 2 Comments

This week’s Blogger Round-Up starts with two expats talking about their experience in France. Wendy from Random Ramblings describes a major breakthrough in French while Bread is Pain shares her top 7 moments in France as part of the Expat Blog Award which I didn’t have time to enter this year. After you read her post, don’t forget to write a comment and help her win an award. Finally, Claire from Word by Word, source of many of the books I read, takes us around the media library in Aix-en-Provence and talks about the contemporary French literary scene. Enjoy!

Getting tough

by Wendy, an Australian Photographer and Psychologist living in Paris, enjoying life and working hard. Random Ramblings is where she shares a story or two.

Walking in the forest recently, I came across an elderly lady walking her dog. It was a little dog, playful and excitable a puppy perhaps. As the puppy ran towards me I bent down to pat it, to only hear the lady calling out ‘ne touchez pas’ french for don’t touch.

As I approached the lady she began to tell me the dog was young and needs to learn to not jump. I responded that I had thought she was telling me not to touch the dog. Read more

Top 7 “Moments in France”

by Bread is Pain, a 30-something American living in the Rhone-Alps, getting her master’s degree, learning French and slowly eating and drinking herself through the country

Being an expat has moments that are difficult, funny, exciting, even terrifying and no two countries are alike. Here are a few of the moments that France has to offer:

# 7: The Language Moment: The time you accidentally offend people.

Speaking in a different language is always complicated, no matter how long you have studied it. Every language has subtle nuances and phrases that are cultural not just linguistic. You may be able to understand every single grammatical rule of a particular language but still be lost when you are in a country that actually speaks it…and French is no exception. Read more

They’re Reading Thousands of Great Books Here, Cité du Livre – A Local French Cultural Centre and Library

by Claire from Word by Word, Citizen of Planet Earth, Anglosaxon by birth, living and working in France, who loves words, language, sentences, metaphors, stories long and short, poetry, reading and writing

Yesterday via a link on twitter, I read a provocative article in BBC News Magazine by Hugh Schofield entitled Why don’t French books sell abroad? It was an interesting, if superficial article, that made a few observations without going into any depth to understand the contemporary literary scene in France. It asked questions, reminded us of some old provocative stereotypes and did little to enlighten us on the subject of what excites French readers and why the English-speaking world aren’t more aware of their contemporary literary gems. Read more

Cooking, Food, Uncategorized

Fried Onion Rings on a 5:2 fast diet feast day

December 16, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 4 Comments

Apparently fried onion rings are an important part of Thanksgiving in America but most people buy them in cans which I can’t even begin to imagine. It would be like buying tinned battered fish surely. But I checked it out on the Internet and would you believe it, one of the popular brands is called French’s and they are called French fried onions which I have never seen in France …

I got the Thanksgiving information from the Bread is Pain Food blog but more importantly, I also learnt how to make them. Now in the past, this is not the sort of thing I would have even thought about making because of the calories. However, now that we practise intermittent fasting, I don’t have any qualms.

I want to give Jean Michel a surprise which is easier in a large house than in an apartment. He’s in the workshop trying to flush out the sludge from our in-floor heating system which has not been working very well this winter.

I’ve already prepared the baked vegetables – potatoes, sweet potatoes, sliced green pepper, parsnips, butternut pumpkin and beetroot. Yes, beetroot, bought raw and baked. I’d never heard of it until I had lunch at Susan and Simon’s from Days on the Claise. Delicious.

I’ve sliced the onion (you only need one for two people) and beaten the egg yolk and milk together in a soup plate. Bread is Pain’s recipe helpfully says “a little milk” so I put the equivalent of an egg yolk. I’ve put flour in another plate.

As soon as I hear Jean Michel raking the embers in the fireplace upstairs in order to grill the côte de bœuf, I put a centimeter of oil in a deep frypan (sauteuse) and turn on the heat. I dip the onions in the egg mixture and then roll them in flour after which I put everything in a zip lock bag and shake to get rid of any surplus flour as per Bread in Pain’s recipe.

When the oil is hot (I test with a small onion ring to see if it sizzles), I add a layer of rings to the pan. I turn them over and start to get a bit worried. They do not look like the photo in the recipe. I turn them again and lo and behold, they are starting to be golden. I had turned them too soon.

I scoop them all out when they’re done and put them on a paper towel then proceed with the next batch. This time, I am more expert. I try one. Out of this world! When they are all done, I take them triumphantly upstairs to an amazed Jean Michel. He doesn’t know they are onions and it takes him a couple to identify what they are!

I had thought they would be a bit greasy and heavy but they’re not. The taste is actually quite delicate. I’m going to make them for Christmas and stun the kids as well.

I love the 5:2 fast diet!

Food, Loire Valley, Restaurants

An Anniversary Celebration at La Maison d’à côté in the Loire Valley

December 9, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 10 Comments

Last year Jean Michel and I also celebrated the anniversary of our meeting in the Loire and were very disappointed with the restaurant we chose. This year, we were much luckier.

We arrived early too early for lunch at Montlivaut which is about 20 minutes from Blois in the direction of Saint Dyé sur Loire and on the way to Chambord so Jean Michel had the excellent idea of going a bit further on to Maslives where there is a shop that sells our favourite biscuits de Chambord. After stocking up, we went back to La Maison d’à côté (the house next door) in Montlivault and were the first patrons.

Jean Michel made his usual joke about reserving the whole restaurant, I took a few photos and we sat down. We admired the resolutely modern decor with its beautiful wooden beams.

We started with champagne, forgetting we were in Touraine (we should have remembered to order vouvray), but it was excellent and accompanied by some delicious little nibbles so we had no regrets. There is a weekday midday menu at 19.50 (dish of the day and dessert) but we were celebrating after all so we chose a starter, main dish and dessert for 39 euro. We had a choice of three dishes each time. You can also have a starter + main or main + starter for 29 euro or an Expression Menu chosen by the chef for 50 euro (including cheese) or 65 euro (including a second starter).

We were brought a patience on a cauliflower theme with an almond biscuit while waiting for our foie gras served with compote.

I then had veal with “forgotten vegetables” while Jean Michel had pintade (guinea fowl) with potatoes. Both were delicious. I chose a glass of local cour cheverny while Jean Michel had a glass of burgundy.

For dessert we had apple crumble and icecream and a lemon and almond dessert. Not very specific, I know, but unless I write them down (which I didn’t), I never remember the details.

In any case, everything was delicious. The products were of excellent quality and very fresh.

Madame Laurenty,the chef’s wife, told us that her husband buys from small producers all year round. We explained that as we are new to the area, we are still finding our way around. She recommended various markets, particularly Amboise on a Friday and the market at the Halles aux Grains in Blois on a Saturday and Montrichard.

When we talked about our difficulty in finding fresh foie gras to make our foie gras for Christmas while we are in the Loire this year, she suggested we talk to the chef. Ludovic Laurenty is passionate about his profession and generous in sharing his knowledge. He buys his foie gras from a producer in the south-west of France where they sing to the geese while they are force-feeding them so that they won’t be stressed.

We are going back to Montlivault next Thursday because Monsieur Laurenty is expecting a delivery of fresh foie gras and has offered to provide us with one. This year we want to try the coarse salt method so I’m hoping the Mesturet Restaurant will share its recipe on FaceBook. I’ll keep you posted !

La Maison d’à côté, 25 route de Chambord, 41350 Montlivault. Tel 02 54 20 62 30.

Closed Tuesday and Wednesday all year round. Open Friday evening, Saturday midday and evening and Sunday midday only from 17th November to 6th December.

Cooking, Food, French language

Friday’s French – raisins

December 6, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 18 Comments

I made my Christmas cake this week using the recipe handed down to my mother by her mother. For the last 8 years, I’ve been able to buy all the dried and candied fruit (peel) at my local market but the stall has closed so I’ve been chasing around Paris for such simple ingredients as currants and raisins. Not so simple in France however.

The word raisin is an interesting one. In French, it means grape and what we call raisins are raisins secs (dried grapes). However, in Australia (and apparently the other Commonwealth countries), raisin describes a particular sort of large dried grape.

The most common raisins secs in France are what we call sultanas in Australia, except that they are darker. However, you can buy sultanines here which are usually a golden colour and sometimes called raisins blonds.

Our currants, which are very small black raisins secs are raisins de Corinthe – currant is a degradation of the word Corinth.

As far as I know, there is no generic term in Australian English for dried grapes though raisin would seem to cover the lot in American English.

When hunting for my currants, sultanas and raisins, I came across other varieties of raisins secs: raisins de Malaga (in Spain), raisins de Muscat (like our muscatelles), raisin de smyrne, .

If you buy mélange de fruits secs, you’ll find yourself with a mixture of raisins secs and nuts, whereas dried fruit in English only includes dried grapes, figs, abricots, etc.

Now, that’s a word that doesn’t exist in French – nuts. You have to specify the type: walnut = noix, hazelnut = noisette , cashew nut = noix de cajou, peanut = cacahuète, almond = amande. They all come under fruit sec, but that’s not very satisfactory, is it?