Pumpkin Soup

Here's the best pumpkin soup recipe ever, invented by Loris.   We had an amazing pumpkin (potion) soup at a French vineyard for lunch --- smooth, fluffy, with a second soup of mushroom, again fluffy and cream, and then fine shreds of proscuitto on top.  

This one is quite different but even more delicious.

Ingredients:
Bacon, 3 strips, cut into lardons
Half large yellow onion, chopped
Olive oil (if needed)
2 cups pumpkin, cut into small chunks
Fresh basil
Bay leaf
Sea salt
1/2 cup creme fraiche

Instructions:
In a large pot, render the bacon.
Add oil if needed, add onions, and sauté until soften.
Add 1-1/2 cups water.
Add fresh basil, chopped.
Add bay leaf.
Bring to a boil, and simmer 20 minutes.  Remove from heat.
Blend with an immersion blender.  
Taste and add salt.
Add 1/2 cup creme fraiche, and whisk in.

Duck Breasts a l'orange

Duck is as common in France as chicken is in North America.   Buying chicken here can be a challenge, not sure why.   Duck on the other hand, in all sorts of forms, is on every menu, lunch and dinner, in restaurants.   We are so spoiled here.

We made this last night, adapting Laura Calder's recipe.   Orange sauce sounds so "Madmen", and I expected a gluey sweet sauce, but this recipe is sensational and orange really complements duck.   Using the orange zest is the key.

Ingredients:
2 duck breasts
4 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp water
4 large oranges
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2/3 cup stock
2 Tbsp. butter
Salt
Pepper

Instructions:
Take the duck breasts out of the frig.  Heat a saute pan on low heat.  While waiting for the pan to heat, with a sharp chef's knife, score the fat side of each breast diagonally into diamond shapes.
Put the duck breasts in the pan fat side down and fry gently to render the fat out for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the oranges.  Set a kettle of water to boil.  Get a sieve and bowl ready.
With a small sharp knife, cut off the zest of one orange in wide strips, leaving behind most of the white pith.   Lay out the zest strips on a board and, with a large chef's knife, julienne or cut it into 1/8-inch strips and put them into the bowl.   Pour boiling water over the zest and drain through the sieve.  Repeat two more times.
Squeeze 2/3 cup orange juice.   Segment 2 of the oranges.   You will now have a bowl of blanched zest, a bowl of juice, and a bowl of orange segments.

Remove breasts from the pan after 10 minutes and drain the fat out of the pan.  Turn the heat up to medium, put the duck breasts back in the pan fat side down.   Cook fat side 7 minutes, turn over and cook for another 5 minutes.   Remove to a piece of foil and wrap tightly to rest and keep warm.

While cooking the duck, make the orange sauce.   In a small sauce pan, cook the sugar and water for 3-5 minutes (until golden), stirring constantly.  
Add the orange zest, vinegar, stock, and orange juice and cook down, stirring often.  Stir in the butter.
Finally, add the orange segments and heat through.  
Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Carve the duck breasts into slices and place on platter.  
Pour orange sauce over and serve.

Blanquette de Veau

Another wonderful French dish is veal with a creamy sauce.   It did not appeal to me until I tasted it in several restaurants.   So here is our version, which was excellent.


Ingredients:
1-2 pounds veal, well marbled
Oil
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, small, whole
1 garlic clove
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried or fresh thyme or 3 cloves 
1 cup white wine 


1 cup creme fraiche
1 egg yolk
juice of 1 lemon


Instructions:
Heat a large dutch oven on medium.   Heat oil.
Brown the pieces of veal in batches.
Add 1-1/2 cups water and 1 cup wine.
Add vegetables and flavourings.
Bring to a simmer and cook 2 hours.
Take the pot off the heat and cool for 10 minutes.
Mix creme fraiche, egg yolk, and lemon juice in a separate bowl.
Add to the meat and stir.  If you add the creme to the hot liquid too zoon, it will curdle.
Serve with rice or noodles.

Plum Jam "Pluma Butta"

My memories of plum jam mum made when I was growing up are so clear I can taste the jam.   It had the plum skins in it and it tasted very plummy --- like nothing I've had since.   In those days, we ate a lot of jam, with toast, and "reische twiback".

So dad and I made some in September and it turned out great.   We had to use prune plums because no wild plums were available.   Everybody says the best plum jam is made with wild plums.   I guess I have to move back to Manitoba to get this type of food.

You have to use plums that are on the green side to get the tartness and you have to use the skins and stones for flavour and pectin.  Also, do not overcook so you will get mush, not chunks.

Bev and Bernie's Plum Jam

Ingredients:
4 cups (generous) of halved Italian prune plums, including skin and stones
3/4 cup water
2 cups white sugar

Instructions:
Put all the plums and water in a large pot.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes stirring occasionally but not too vigorously so that the plums stay in chunks.
Add 2 cups sugar and simmer for another hour, stirring gently but often to prevent burning.
Cool over night.