Galeries Lafayette in Paris opened its new store Lafayette Maison and Gourmet on 15th September 2014. Lafayette Gourmet celebrates food with the finesse that only the French know how. Its a feast for the eyes and senses, and if you are planning on visiting, make sure you have a hungry stomach and a few hours to browse .
Its not long until Halloween, and although its great fun for the kids, it doesn’t have to be only for the them. Entertain your friends with a a sophisticated and stylish theme evening this year for Halloween, using ghostly white, naturals, or black and white, white porcelain, white tablecloths and plates with jewel encrusted pumpkins and skulls. Add some rhinestones or glitter with sequins and pearls to your table to make it glamorous and chic. Black crows, spiders and bats add a touch of the macabre to finish it off.
We had booked a quiet weekend away at Big Bear Lake, a few hours away from Brendon and Kelly’s home. Paxton was a few months old and we thought a cottage on the lake would be a great way to chill and take walks with a 3 month old baby. I had forgotten how crazy it is to pack for a baby and a dog, but we eventually hit the road with a “warning” from the owner of the cottage to get there early as the bad weather was moving in, and would be there just after lunchtime. We had just reached the village and found our cottage when the sky turned dark and the snow began to fall. Within a few hours the hills were transformed into a winter wonderland.
Whether its Italian Crostini, African Corn Bread, Soft white Buns or healthy spelt Flatbreads, there is no denying that bread has been a staple food in man’s diet since prehistoric times. If we travelled to the far sides of the earth we would find that bread is eaten by almost every culture, each priding themselves with their own unique versions.
Here are my favourite versions of meals on bread from past posts. Click on either the image or the title below to get the full version and recipes.
The Duke of York Square Farmers and Fine food market takes place every Saturday in Kings Road, Chelsea, London. However is more of a food merchants’ market, than a farmers market. It is one of my favourite smaller street markets to visit when in London. It offers an amazing range of some of London’s finest produce . When you visit you can enjoy the generous complimentary samples available at most of the stalls which will be sure to tempt your taste buds for more.
These are seriously decadent chocolate tarts, yet each one has the smallest amount of chocolate in them, so don’t worry about your waistline, one of these will never make you fat. Firstly you will be using a dark chocolate which we all know is good for you, Bourneville, or a 70% cocoa chocolate , and each tartlet only has 30g of chocolate and 2 Tablespoons of cream in it. Sorted …… in my book thats almost guilt free .
Cinnamon Swirl Loaf is a quick, easy bake, and you have to make it. A plain Jane you may think, but this simple yet tasty Madeira style cake with its added sugary cinnamon turns it into a special little keeper. And if you are a beginner baker , you will be able to whip this up in no time. If you are into bakes with no cream or icing I would highly recommend it. I agree it will win no awards for looks, but once you have tasted it, you will make it again and again.
This soup is rich with the flavour of roasted carrots, onions, ginger and garlic. Add a squeeze of lemon and a dash of honey and its a health remedy in the making. Instead of cooking this soup on the stove, the ingredients are roasted in the oven and then blended with stock to the thickness of your liking. As we love chili in our family I like to add a teaspoon of chili to the final pot, but this is entirely optional.
Lemon and Basil Tart made the true french way with Pate Sucree and Lemon Cream. Its been two years since I had my first Tarte Citron at Jacques Genin in Paris. It was love at first taste, and I immediately bought Monsieur Genin’s little recipe book “Le Meilleur de La Tarte Citron”, even though I cant speak a word of French. Have a look at my post on Chocolates and Pastries In Paris from that trip. There are some amazing places to visit on your next trip to Paris.
Ruby Grapefruit and Ginger Curd is a fantastic alternative to Lemon Curd. Its super quick and simple to make .
There is always a bottle of Lemon Curd on the shelf in my fridge – its my all time favourite to add to Berries Yoghurt and Granola for breakfast, or to put in a pastry case, or Lemon Meringue Pie. So it got me thinking about all the other citrus fruits I could use to make into delicious curds. This ruby grapefruit and ginger curd is surprisingly subtle and not bitter like I was expecting it to turn out.