Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, we were away for the weekend and also spent quite a bit of time at the bank trying to get things straightened out there. This bank thing has reduced me to tears and I'm really not a crybaby. The status right now is that they have issued us new cards, (gold ones at no cost, whoopedy shit!!!!) and they have marked this urgent. They did this on Monday, December 3 and I plan to call them tomorrow, Friday, December 7, to see what the status is. I intend to be a real pest. I will make them call Paris several times to check on the status of the situation. If they ask me to be patient I will have a screaming hissy fit (which I am also not prone to) and ask them how dare they ask US to be patient any more. If they tell me to trust them I will start throwing things around and ask them just exactly WHY it is we should trust them?
In the meanwhile we had a purely delightful weekend in Aix visiting one of D's former students. They live in the house she grew up in up in the Hauts de Bibemus which is at the base of the Montagne Sainte Victoire of Cezanne fame. You can't actually see the Montagne Sainte Victoire from their house because it's too close to the mountain. Her father was an excellent architect and bought 4 hectares (~10 acres) up there in the 60s. He then built a small house and his studio up there. When they got more money he built another house and the family moved into that. Then he built the "big" house (which is not big like a McMansion) and the family moved into that. Later on they built a pool house which is also quite lovely. (A pool is a necessity up there much in the way it is a necessity in parts of LA that have developed in a fire ecology. This area too is a fire ecology so the pool is extra water to save the house in case of fire.) It's a very modern house done in the Japanese style but with local materials.
Her grandfather was an artist and a master of stained glass. He designed and executed the stained glass windows for Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. They have many of his paintings all over the house. Since there isn't much wall space (so many glass walls) they exhibit them primarily on easels all over the place. The house is just very comfortable. The design is so right, the proportions so correct that it's easy to be in.
One thing that M did introduce me to was French frozen food!!!! They have 3 kids (15, 13, and 11) and her husband underwent a very serious and risky operation on his spinal cord in September. He has been on disability since then and, of course, somewhat limited in his movements. She is being run ragged. But this does not prevent her from producing a fantastic meal with the help of frozen food! On Saturday evening we met them at the pool where their eldest was participating in a water polo match. By the time we got home it was quite late and I would have so understood if we just had sandwiches, but absolutely not. Instead we had Saumon a l'oseille et la crème fraiche. It was absolutely delicious so I had to shamelessly beg for the recipe. M was a little shy at first, but finally came through. Here's what she did. You put a bed of frozen oseille (sorrel) in the bottom of a casserole dish. Top it with frozen salmon fillets, then coat the top of the fillets with a thick coat of thick crème fraiche. Pop it in the oven at ~350 F and let cook for about 40 minutes. That's it.
I decided to try it out myself on Monday night when we had company. I went to Picard's (a French grocery store that carries ONLY frozen food) and bought sorrel, salmon, rice, and a frozen dessert cake. I put the whole thing together as M had instructed, popped it into the oven at about 7 PM and set the oven timer to turn on at 7:30 (dinner was at 8:15). It cooked for 1/2 hour when I turned the oven off but left the fish in there to finish cooking. During that time I popped the cooked rice into the microwave for 8 minutes. I had taken the frozen cake out 7 hours earlier and put it in the fridge to thaw. It was one of the most pleasant dinners I have ever prepared. I had time for my guests and didn't worry about a thing in the kitchen. Cleanup was also a breeze. The guests were very impressed with dinner. I will be going back to Pickard before I leave France!!
Now I imagine we can replicate the dinner in the States but not with such ease. Sorrel grows readily in the Bay Area provided you give it enough water and protection from those dastardly snails. It is perennial and "robust" as they say. I plan to harvest it on a regular basis and freeze it in ice cube trays. Of course salmon is available, and I expect you can find what you need frozen at Trader Joe's. Crème fraiche is easily made. Of course there is no way to replicate their frozen cakes which are absolutely delicious. At M & S's house we had a chocolate mousse cake on a delicious crunchy bottom crust. I bought a frozen macaroon/raspberry cake on a crunchy bottom. Also delicious.
Unfortunately I didn't take pictures. Our camera channels El Greco and we're always so disappointed in the results that I have quit trying. Sorry.
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