France-tastic

On Saturday night I hosted my first french dinner party! And it went of in fitting french style.

• Entrée: Soupe á l'Oignon
  
• Plat: Lapin á la Cocotte
  
• Salade Verte
  
• Fromage: Camembert et Roquefort
  
• Dessert: Tarte aux Fraises

I was a bit worried about such an ambitious menu in my kitchen, which has two stove plates and a microwave, but it was fabulous! (If I don't say it, I don't know who will- and I completely forgot to take any photos as proof!) And now I have a tasty french menu to impress visitors who come from faraway lands to visit me!

The day started very successfully when I was able to speak to all the appropriate people at the market to get all the necessary bits and pieces. Living in a new country (with a new language!) is what I think it must be like to be a baby. Everything is difficult, even the most routine day-to-day things like buying bread, and when you manage to do something that other people do without thinking about, it gives you a little warm glow of achievment, and you feel the need to tell people about it ("I bought cheese! Two types! And they understood me without my having to repeat it!! And I got exactly the piece that I wanted!") So, I got the cheese I wanted, as well as rabbit and vegies and a strawberry tart and bread and wine and lots of good things!

Less successful was an attempt to borrow a saucepan from Ruxandra. Somehow saucepan became pot became bowl, and she turned up with two salad bowls in hand. Hard to make a rabbit stew in! But my little kitchen managed to cope extremely well with the demands of the day, and the salad bowls had to watch from the sidelines.

And soon the cold, cold Paris night lurking outside was forgotten as Ruxandra, Cecelia and Dominic settled around my little table, and tucked into the steaming hot onion soup (minus the little melted cheese toasties, beyond microwave technology). By the time the rabbit stew made its appearance, everyone was warm enough for me to have stopped worrying about another riot if the rabbit was inpenetratable by knife, but luckily it was delicious! It had been cooking for around 3 hours in red wine, garlic and rosemary, and the meat was beautifully tender, falling off the bones, and the stew rich and warm and filling- Perfect for a winter night! All this richness was countered by a rocket salad before being added to by a gorgeous couple of cheeses and a strawberry tart (I make no apologies about buying dessert- french patisseries are always bought, unless you happen to be a patissier).

All in all, excepting for the broken table leg which sent only one wine glass and no plates flying, it was a highly successful night. Especially for me since I didn't have to brave the cold at the end of it, but only to give a little push to turn the sofa I had been warming for several hours into a lovely bed!

# posted by Jenny @ 14:23