Madame Prunier's Fish Cook Book.. HER first cook book!

Goodness ME.. YOU are already reading MY Blog! 

How do WE know this.. well, SHE received an email marked URGENT.. and in this email is a request for the recipe of the beurre de saumon fume. 

For tonight is New Year's Eve and a dear friend has decided that OUR first course of last night is what she is going to give her guests tonight. 

So it is with great pleasure that SHE gives it to YOU Dear Readers.. in memory of a lovely Godfather who gave HER that very grown-up lunch all those years ago and bought HER HER (not an error) first ever cook book. 

The title of which is.. yes, IS is correct, because SHE still has it, very dog-eared, marked, a little stained but very, very much beloved.

Madame Prunier's Fish Cook Book.

Madame Prunier was the grand-daughter of Alfred Prunier, who opened his original restaurant in Paris in 1872. His son, Emile, succeeded his father and moved the business to 16. Avenue Victor Hugo. It is still there.. a place that SHE loved and knew well.

It was his daughter, Simone, who was married to 
Jean Barnagaud one of her father's colleagues, 
who instigated the opening of the London 
restaurant in 1935.

The restaurant is no longer at this address, there is now a Caviar House & Prunier Restaurant on the corner of Piccadilly and St.James's. 

SHE cannot tell YOU what it is like because SHE has not been there.. but perhaps as a treat SHE will treat HERSELF to lunch there in the new year. And, of course, SHE will report HER findings.

Back to this fishy butter..

Pound 2ozs of smoked salmon and add 5ozs of butter. Pass through a sieve.

There it is.. it sounds, and is, very simple to make. 

Do not try and whizz it up in a food processor, it would be ok but it will not have the same taste, NOR the same texture, as the original.

Now.. I am off to doze on a door and SHE has to go out to walk off last night's noodles.. but not in the crisp air.. for it is overcast and drizzling.. the storm is fast approaching.

FlapFlap.. 

GeeGee Parrot.
December 31st, 2013.

Beurre de saumon fume.. Saumon fume.. Rump Steak.. Brown Bread Ice Cream to finish..

I plead guilty Mi Lud.. guilty as charged.. for I forgot to tell YOU the rest of the menu for last night's supper party.

WE started with slices of D cut smoked salmon.. there are two cuts of cutting smoked salmon, the very long, very finely slices are called long cut, the shorter, thicker slice is called D cut, because that is exactly what it looks like.. a capital D!

SHE served it with beurre de saumon fume.. which is French for smoked salmon butter.. this is truly delicious and much better if made the day before so that the taste of the fish has time to permeate the butter.

Why does SHE call it that? Ah well, over fifty years ago, SHE went to have lunch with HER lovely Godfather, Sidney Butterell, at Pruniers in St.James's. 

It was there that SHE had this delicious butter for the first time and in order to honour this French family of amazing culinary artists.. SHE always calls it beurre de saumon fume.

Don't worry mes amis.. I am sure SHE will give YOU the recipe!

Very finely sliced Rye bread and lemons were also on the table.. it was all very pretty and very tasty.. I had been bribed with a mini snacket of the fish in the YumYum HQ so that I would not fly down and molest OUR friends' plates.. YOU will be relieved to hear that I behaved impeccably.. sigh.

The dish of Rump steak with a Bordelaise sauce was delicious. As were the Spaetzle, the ricer had worked very well and SHE had pan fried them with a small amount of garlic.  

This was followed by a salad of the palest Chicory and glorious Radicchio.. crisp and slightly tart in order to cleanse their palates.

A charming roll of Goaty cheese came next.. it was creamy, perfectly ripe and then.. drum roll please.. came one of HER (very easy to make) favourite desserts.. Brown Bread Ice Cream with a sauce made of home grown golden Raspberries.

They have a totally different taste to the red Raspberries and I was unaware that SHE had smuggled any of these rare things into frosty part of chilly white larder.. aka freezer.

Coffee with crystallised Ginger completed their meal.. there was not a morsel to be seen on any plate or in a serving dish.. they had eaten the lot!

What a good thing I had that snacket before.. and that SHE is now going out for a very brisk long walk.

ME, I didn't eat everything like they did, I have no need for exercise, therefore, I intend to snooze whilst SHE stretches HER legs and breathes the crisp air. 

It is December the 31st.. tomorrow will be the first day of 2014.. if WE do not post again today, may I take this opportunity to say "Thank YOU" to YOU all.. for I have just passed the 2nd anniversary of writing MY Blog.. and it has been such fun.

And also, of course, WE want to wish YOU all, Dear Readers, wherever YOU may be, a very healthy, joyful and prosperous New Year.

GeeGee Parrot.
December 31st, 2013.

HOME MADE SPAETZLE WITH RUMP STEAK AND A BORDELAISE SAUCE..

Greetings to YOU all Dear Readers.. greetings.

Many too'ings and fro'ings are happening.. YOU had better keep up with MY language if YOU want to know what's a'going on around here.. it means that there is much movement of people.

For Tereza and her children have left to go and visit her family overseas.. apparently Caroline has had a visitor staying from France.. Myra is with her family in Paris and WE were supposed to be going to stay with friends but they, poor people, still have no electricity and so OUR visit has been postponed.

SHE got an email this morning from Debi, YOU know Debi, she used to live in London and SHE and Debi used to jaunt all over the place, then she moved to Sheffield to take care of her mother-in-law. WE went to stay with her in Yorkshire, it was the first time that I had been on a train!

It was such a strange experience! The carriage was almost empty and so I sat on the table and watched as.. silently.. whoosh.. the world whizzed by at high speed.

Anyway, Debi is now back living in America and is very near to her family, she has three sons and I think that two of the sons are married with families, so she is surrounded by her loved ones. 

She is living near Lincoln, which is a small town in the state of Arkansas, in the area called the Ozarks. 

There is saying about this region that it is not that the mountains are so high, it is just the valleys are so deep! For there is lots of water in the Ozarks with many wonderful rivers and the area is very famous for growing apples.

She wrote that they have a lot of animals that I have never seen living all around them. Fancy sharing a life with Armadillos, Deer, Possums, Raccoons and Wood Chucks! Why, they are names out of a Zane Grey novel.. Yes, SHE is that old.. 

Can Wood Chucks chuck wood? It would be most useful indeedy if YOU live in the country and burn wood.. as long as they 'chuck' in the right direction.. terrible joke GeeGee.

Oooh.. a text message from Sofia.. not a person.. the city.. in Bulgaria! Apparently it is sunny there and they have a temperature of 7 degrees 
centigrade!

The text message included the email addresses for Leonid and Marianna and her family and said that Tereza is reading MY Blog and that MY two small friends, Georgia and Rebecca, are "wolfing down home made pizza".

So now I can post them MY Blog and let them know how much WE enjoyed their company and to wish them all the very best for New Year.

Pizza.. flour.. this brings ME to the title of this post.. for tonight.. WE are having home made Spaetzle and Rump Steak with a Bordelaise Sauce with a Chicory and Raddicchio salad.

Yes.. YOU did read that right.. those delicious German noodles, SHE realised that SHE has, sitting in a kitchen cupboard, a very old Ricer and has found a recipe on line on how to make the 'dough'. It has several discs that slot inside and one of them will be perfect to make these delicious things.

Yes, SHE has someone coming for supper, so I had better stop now so that SHE can get HER act into gear and take out old Mister Duster and Waxy Polish to work their magic on furniture and drive old noisy old Dyson around.

So with a flap flap and a vroom vroom, I am off to bedroom door and WE wish YOU all a very happy day.

But fear not Diane, Rosamund and Pegeen.. for I will be reporting on the various YumYums that SHE makes but WE do want to know from Lotta in Hamburg, probably via YOUR mama Rosamund, how did YOUR Spaetzle making go?

GeeGee Parrot.
December 30th, 2013.

CHRISTMAS WITH 'SMALL' PEOPLE.. AKA CHILDREN!

Greetings Dear Reader.. We trust that all is well in YOUR world? OUR holiday was extremely uncomplicated.. WE suffered no hustle and bustle with those very norty non-existent planes or trains, no flooding and, or power failures.

I sincerely pray that I am not speaking too soon, for there is another big storm heading this way and there are people all over the County of Kent who have had no power since December 24th and a great deal of that poor county is submerged under several feet of water.

OUR River Thames, which flows right through the centre of London, has an enormous barrier which is positioned far down the river to prevent tidal flooding and this barrier has been raised in anger in order to prevent the capitol from being damaged but for those poor families down on the Weald of Kent, there is, and they have, no such defence as the rain has been torrential.

But the shocking thing has been the dreadful lack of response from the Utility companies which was and is continuing to be, beyond disgraceful. 

Especially as the weather forecaster had told us to expect a huge amount of rain and yet the companies did not have complete crews on stand-by for emergencies and are now offering paltry sums of money to appease these unfortunate families.

And sadly, on the Weald, a lot of building has been allowed to be done on what, in the 50's, was deemed to be flood plain, the rivers have not been properly maintained and severe flooding has occurred.


In contrast, OUR Christmas was very, very easy and I will, undoubtedly, make a lot of YOU extremely envious when I tell YOU exactly how easy it was. 

WE got up late, in fact, if truth be told, which it always should be, WE overslept and SHE missed Christmas Day morning Service at OUR church.

So up and into YumYum HQ for a light breaking of fast, buttered eggs and rye toast, scrummy. SHE dived into a cupboard and came out with a pretty dress, oh dear, I thought, SHE is going out.

SHE bathed, put on dress, did hair, did face, got coat and then did something most curious, SHE 
turned the radio off, I thought, that is a bit dull, I will have nothing to listen to but what was this!

For I was plucked off the top of bedroom door and placed in MY carrying box! I was going too and off WE went, up the stairs. I expected to get into a car, but no, WE climbed more stairs, SHE opened a door, creeeak and climbed even more stairs. 

Dear Reader, up lots of stairs, up and up WE went, until suddenly, WE were at the top of OUR house!

I was let out of MY box and lo and behold, there were two people to meet, Tereza, OUR hostess, and her nephew Leonid.

Then suddenly I saw two things I have never seen before, miniature people! SHE said, they are children. 

One was called Georgia and her sister was called Rebecca, such excitement, they had never seen a parrot sitting on someone's head before, so I took off and flew to sit on Leonid's head.. he had nice curly hair, such a comfy perch!

The girls hair was very pretty but straight and very glossy.. far too slippery for MY toes to stand on.

Lunch was delicious but by now, I was far too excited to settle and 'tuck in' like the humans were doing. I tell a gross fib, I ate almost a whole teaspoonful of ice cream, it was delicious and I had a small nibble of a very scrummydumptious Russian Honey cake.. yum.

Then.. it was truly HoHoHo.. Dear Readers.. for yet more people arrived, family friends.. mother Marianna, father Bobbie, three boys (names unknown) and an even smaller person.. Natasha.. and she was even younger than ME.. she was only five.. five, Dear Reader, so little.

I sat on her head and she laughed and then I sat on her daddy's head, I knew instantly that he had had avian friends in his youth, WE avian folk can always tell when a human has had or known another avian, it is like the secret handshake that some societies have.

What a happy day, such laughter they laughed as they talked and read aloud the silly jokes that flew out of those things that went bang when they pulled them.

Then it was time to walk down stairs and to go home, what a lovely day and all WE had to do, was walk upstairs mes amis, such fun it had been.

What a happy Christmas Day, I know that SHE has written HER thank you note but I want to say "Thank YOU" to Tereza and her family, for their kindness in inviting HER and for inviting a fat grey person to come too.. to share it with YOU.

GeeGee Parrot.
December 29th, 2013.
Post script.. I have, finally, realised why I prefer to stand on the heads of the bigger people.. aka adults.. it is because little people are too close to the ground.. so no offence little folk.. but WE avians like to be as high up as possible!

HOTEL DE LA POSTE, CORTINA D'AMPEZZO.. CHRISTMAS FORTY YEARS AGO..

Whoooo.. what a couple of windy days WE have had and the storm that blew across most of the country last night has caused a lot of damage.

WE feel very sorry for all the people who have had their homes damaged by either the water or the wind.. that norty W again..

So SHE and I are extremely glad that WE had not made any plans to go anywhere for the holidays.. but really, unless YOU know that YOU are going to be very cosy and snug when YOU get to where YOU are going, why go anywhere?

Yes, WE do appreciate that people like to go away to stay with their families or friends but the journey alone can be very stressful and it has proved to be this year especially as this appalling weather was forecasted a week ago.

YOU all know that SHE is very old but with an 
exceedingly good memory and SHE was talking to an old friend last week. He is one of the very few people still alive who knew Bill and HER all those years ago and they were remembering a very happy, completely stress-free holiday that they had had many years ago.

He and his lovely wife were with Bill and HER in 
a large party of friends all staying in the same hotel for the Christmas of 1973 and the New Year.

The Hotel De La Poste, Piazza Roma, Cortina d'Ampezzo, high up in the Italian Dolomites, was where they had a wonderful time for ten days.


Lots of 'good' snow had snowed and as the skiing conditions were excellent, the men, all as mad as hatters, were out on the slopes long before their women folk were even properly awake! 

The women awoke and met in the dining room to have a more leisurely start to their day, some went off shopping, some went off skiing, some went off 
to take lessons at ski school.. but what everyone did.. was to meet up for lunch at the Refugio Faloria which is halfway up the mountain for lunch and a mini snooze in the sun.. including all the men, who, of course, by now were ravenous!

Then there was more of the same or they changed it to, those that had shopped now skied and the others shopped or went back down to walk around the charming town but everyone had a great time.


They had dinner together en masse and a lot of 'masse' that was too! A very noisy bunch of people of several different nationalities all chattering and laughing.

The hotel was owned by an enchanting family, who truly knew and practised the art of hospitality. SHE has not been back but the friend, with whom SHE talked this week, has and he said.. "all that is 
different are the faces. The place is still charming, the food is still delicious and the atmosphere still warm and welcoming".

How very nice to hear that this hotel, which has been in existence since 1835, has been maintained at a such a high level of expertise and not been made over into some 'glitzy-bling'ed place.

They left Cortina just after the new year and were supposed to fly onto Geneva but then some BIG snow came in and nothing was going to fly anywhere but no matter, for once in Europe, there are, of course, no seas to cross, the only obstacles are mountains and both the French and Swiss universities are world famous for training engineers on 'narrow track'. 

So instead of flying.. they boarded a comfy train and chuff-chuffed their way up into Switzerland.

Adventures with Bill.. Christmas 1973. Long ago and before SHE had an African Grey Parrot.

WE are here in London for Christmas and the New Year.. SHE worked today and will work again on the 27th. SHE will go to HER own church and WE will have a very happy peaceful time.

WE are both going to have lunch with Tereza and her family on Christmas day.. Now, SHE knows that I will behave impeccably.. but the adults know that there is going to be a certain amount of very riotous behaviour.

How do the adults know this? Well.. there are two young girls who have never met an African Grey Parrot before, let alone had one sit and eat Christmas lunch with them at the same table.. WE know there will be many squeals and giggles when I appear..

So watch this Blog. WE will report back with more Tales of life in deepest Knightsbridge at Christmas time.

Now where is that box.. ooh.. I lurve a good box, it is almost as good as a big brown paper shopping bag.

And so WE wish YOU, Dear Readers wherever YOU may be, a very happy holiday, remember those whom are less fortunate and please, please remember to treasure those whom YOU love and please let them know that YOU do.

GeeGee Parrot.
December 24th, 2013.

IT WAS NOT LOST.. JUST HIDING IN A CUPBOARD..

What weather.. warm, wet and windy! All the Ws.

The North End Road was heaving with people and it took ages to wiggle through, it is a good thing that old wicker just rolls along behind and does not grumble, for he was full to the brim.

Not with food though, SHE went to the library first and found a lot of books by a new author that SHE has recently discovered.

So down the library steps they went with a hop and a skip and crossed over onto Sydney Street to catch a bus to Fulham Broadway.

Money came out of a hole in the wall, aka an ATM and off they went to market. Humous, carrots, satsumas, pomegranates, grapes, apples (cox), spring onions, celery, double cream, emery boards, newspaper, a chat and a laugh with lovely Karen and back home on the bus.

That carrot and ginger soup was very quick to make and the smell from YumYum HQ was delicious, I had a whole slice of MY favourite bread, German dark rye with sunflower seeds.  Heavenly stuff. SHE slurped soup and cheese and celery.

All of a sudden, SHE was in the hall pulling open the doors of the china cupboard, then bending down to get at the bottom shelf.

SHE straightened up and in HER hand was a rather odd looking vase. SHE looked at it with great affection and brought it into the kitchen to be washed.

It has a small circular base, a little plinth which opens up into a round, bowl like shape, then it narrows in to the top section of about 8 inches which opens out at the very top, the bowls are usually decorated, HER vase is engraved with deep slashes. It is a very beautiful thing.

Do YOU know what it is for Dear Reader? Guess.

It is a Celery Vase. And it was given to HER for Christmas many, many years ago by a dear friend, he was a great 'foodie', a wonderful cook and he knew that SHE would know exactly what it was.

The shop, where he found it, has long gone. It was in Ebury Street, the enchanting, very elderly man who ran the shop was a expert of all ages and all types of Glass.

YOU see them often in charity / junk shops marked at very small prices for they actually are the wrong shape for flowers and very few people know what their original use was.. 

But for keeping Celery fresh, there is nothing better, it is a vegetable that really does not do very happily stored in a chilly white larder, just scrape a little off the base and keep it in the daylight in water.. the taste will be quite different and it is especially good when served with a fine Stilton. 

SHE is reading the papers, I am grinding old Beaky on top of sitting room door. Outside it is tipping down with rain and WE consider that WE are very fortunate to be healthy and that WE live in a cosy, dry home, with electric light, food in the house and water in the pipes.

For WE are sad to know that there are far too many people, even in OUR own country, who cannot say that they have these things. 

GeeGee Parrot.

December 21st, 2013.

YOUR SHOPPING LIST.. IF YOU LIKE CARROTS & GINGER!

Good morning Dear Reader and especially to these three Dear Readers, Rosamund in Germany, Diane in Texas and Jo, who is far away travelling into the depths of the Panamanian jungle.

Why these three, well, YOU see they have been kind enough to let US know that they greatly enjoy MY Tales about food.

And so it is a very good morning indeedy.. for it is the end of the working week.. not that a lot of very serious work goes on in this house these days!

But food has to be cooked as WE have to eat and, therefore, shopping has to be done in order to get the ingredients into YumYum HQ.. so here, in time for YOU to add them to YOUR shopping list.. are the items needed to make that Carrot & Ginger Soup that WE wrote about in MY last post.

2 tablespoons of butter.
2 tablespoons of sunflower oil.
2 Onions.
2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled & finely chopped.
*500g of carrots, peeled & finely sliced.
2 litres of chicken stock.
*200ml of clementine or any orange citrus juice.
Sea salt and black pepper. (freshly ground).
*Very fine strips of lime & clementine zest.

The items marked * are highlighted as YOU may not have these in YOUR fridge or larder and will need to buy them. 

The quantity will feed four people.

Using a large saucepan.
Heat the butter and oil, add the onions and cook until soft and just starting to colour.
Add the ginger and cook for a few minutes.
Add the stock, the seasoning, the *clementine juice, bring gently to a slow boil, simmer until the carrots are tender.
Strain, place the solids into a blender with 1 cup of the liquid, blitz, adding more liquid if needed, until the puree is very smooth. 
Add the rest of the liquid and blitz again.
Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary.
Serve with the very fine two coloured zests on top.

There.. a tasty soup for lunch with perhaps some delicious cheese and crisp and crunchy celery.

And talking of celery.. that will be the subject of a post.. because SHE has just 'found' something in the china cupboard.

But now SHE is off to see Karen.. for fresh carrots and a bowl of 'orange' fruit.. ooh, I do hope SHE brings back Satsumas.. for I lurve them!

GeeGee Parrot.
December 21st, 2013.

HER SECRET SANTA HAS COME.. VERY EARLY!

Dear Readers.. WE are confused.. very delighted but confused.. and perhaps when WE tell YOU this Tale.. YOU will be too!

After supper WE did the washing up.. whoops, truth should always be told, SHE did that whilst I ate a persimmon, SHE washed the work surface, then opened the front door to take the rubbish out and saw hanging on the knocker, a plastic bag.

What was this, opening the bag, SHE said "oh, goodness ME" and pulled out of the bag, a pair of fur lined tan lambskin ankle boots, the tops of which are edged with rabbit, they are Italian and very elegant.

Tucked into one of the boots was a piece of paper, with, sadly, no address or telephone number but written in an large but elegant handwriting was a message which said.. ".... dearest, please forgive me for not knocking but I am catching the train to Paris and I am late. I do hope you like these, sadly they are too small for me but I know they will fit you. Happy Christmas, with love, C."

And the glorious thing is that they do fit.. and look as if C wore them only once.

But now it becomes most curious mes amis. the note was addressed to HER, so the package was not left on the wrong house door and they know HER well enough to know HER shoe size.. but.. who is C?

Doubtless C will contact HER when she comes back from Paris to find out if the boots fitted and then SHE will be able to say "thank you C... for the most beautiful Christmas gift of furry boots".

Until then.. C is HER Secret Santa!

GeeGee Parrot.
December 20th, 2013.

A SCARLET SOUP.. OF BEETROOT & CHICKEN STOCK.

Winter YumYum, is jurst scrummydumptious.. as, of course, are spring and summer YumYums.. but here in deepest Knightsbridge WE are in the depths of winter.. so this is what SHE and I are eating.. winter seasonal food.

For yes, most certainly, I eat human YumYum and with great pleasure too! YOU think SHE got to eat all that omelette last night?

And tonight WE had soup, because SHE went up to the city after the hairdresser and 'fell amongst thieves' ending up in Chinatown having a late lunch but none was brought home, pity that as I lurve Chinese food, sigh.

Never mind, in another of those bags that old wicker brought home yesterday were strange looking vegetables but I keep old Beaky shut these days because I was once rude about Celeriac. BIG mistake!

SHE washed them and put them into cold water to boil. Ah, I realised they were beetroots as soon as the water started to go that glorious colour! I lurve beetroot.

When tender, SHE drained them, roughly chopped two of them, sliced another into thin strips and put all the rest to cool before putting them into the fridge. NO point in using the gas for just 3 beets!

SHE took down fierce blender from the shelf, put in the chopped beets and about a cup of chicken stock, WE always have a stock pot going during the winter months and this weeks' stock is chick-the-lick!

SHE blitzed the beets, added more stock and blitzed it again, added the seasoning and then poured it into HER favourite bowl, adding a small amount of double cream and finely sliced strips of beetroot. SHE grated a lemon over the dish.

With a slice of Sourdough bread, it was a tasty, light supper. I had to wait for MINE to cool down before I could put old Beaky into MY bowl and WE had to have supper in the kitchen. 

WHY the kitchen? Well, parrots have a very quick digestive system and an off-white carpet and a parrot, who has just eaten beetroot, are not a great combination!

Winter soups are easy to digest, they keep YOU warm and are very tasty. WE hope YOU make and love them too. OUR soup this weekend will be carrot and ginger with a citrus mix, so don't go too far away. I will post that tomorrow morning.

GeeGee Parrot.
December 20th, 2013.

MAKING FONDUE.. FOR ONE PERSON?

Well.. shiver MY timbers or squirrel-the-dirrel!

SHE has been out and about and HER boots came back looking decidedly muddy, SHE must have been gardening, for in old whicker there were, wrapped in newspaper, the last of the roses, such lovely things, how on earth have they survived these dreadful winds? 

Other bags appeared from old wicker containing goodly things, a couple of just picked pointed cabbage and some onions which SHE had stored on a rack in Shack.

One of the bags contained lots of greens leaves, they were mostly of chard, spinach with the last of the sorrel, sorrel is a perennial but fairly tender and when frosts come, it disappears until spring time.  

SHE washed some, cut off the stems and the centre rib and put them into a pan over a gentle heat with a tablespoon of unsalted butter but NO water and stirred them.

When the leaves had given up their juice, SHE seasoned them and stirred in a tablespoon of double cream (WE had it in the chilly white larder because of the Kidney dish last night) and continued to stir until the leaves were dark green.


Then they were folded into an omelette that SHE had made at the same time.

YOU see, Dear Reader, the leaves were not really cooked as such, they were wilted or as the French say.. Fondue.. for one.. and a Parrot.

GeeGee Parrot.
December 19th, 2013.

BILL'S FAVOURITE DISH.. KIDNEYS IN THREE MUSTARD SAUCE..

Dear Readers.. WE have just slurped the most edibubble thing that I think SHE has ever made.. oh, the taste, the easiness of the cooking of it but the smell alone was enough to make ME behave impeccably, even though WE were in the YumYum HQ where I am known for MY evil badbat behaviour!

Not this evening though.. oh no.. I sat on Goosie Head and watched.. old Beaky drooling.

WE have a house full of food but SHE wanted this particular dish for supper, so with HER christmas cards and a parcel for Bruce in old wicker, SHE trotted off to the North End Road in search of the delicacy SHE required.

The very first time SHE had them was in Stuttgart when SHE was staying with Bill and a couple of his old colleagues, Bill used baby Pig kidneys and some smoked Bacon lardons.

He gently pan fried the lardons to make them release their fat, added the cleaned kidneys and cooked them until they had a bit of colour on both sides and took them and the lardons out of the pan and put them into a sieve over a bowl, kidneys produce a lot of juice.

Into the same pan went a knob of butter and then some finely chopped shallots, they were fried until they were soft but NOT coloured, he added some Calvados and a glass of white wine.. this liquid was reduced, then some thick cream was added.. is YOUR mouth watering yet?

Whilst this was happening, he had put on a pan of salted water to boil and our host, who had been making a batter, appeared to 'grate' this into the boiling water.. do YOU know what this could have been? It was, in fact, Spatzle, they are fresh German noodles.. very scrummy indeedy.

The creamy wine sauce was left to reduce a bit more, then he whisked in over a very low heat, three different mustards, a grainy Dijon, a fine but strong Dijon and a Tarragon Dijon.

Finally, the kidneys and lardons were placed back into the pan to heat through.. at NO time did the sauce boil!

They were served over the delicious Spatzle, it was so simple, had cooked quickly and was so very delicious.

Bill was a very truthful man and said that, in fact, that he could not take the credit for this dish as he had had it first in London with Lamb Kidneys.

A couple of months later he telephoned HER to say that he was coming into London for a few days and would SHE like to have dinner with him on his arrival day.. he told HER they would dining with friends and it would be a smart aka dress up dinner.

He was always so good in this way of telling HER what sort of clothes to wear, because sometimes, all he wanted, after a long flight and a busy day, was a pizza, an early night and they would both be in jeans.

Where did they dine? Why, at none other than Bill's favourite London restaurant. The Gavroche and what had he checked would be on the menu? 

YOU are paying attention, aren't YOU! For yes.. on HER dinner plate that night was the original.. 'Lamb Kidneys in a three Mustard Sauce'.

The same dish that WE have just eaten at home for OUR supper tonight.. on Spatzle.

With a Cox apple for dessert.. slurp the burp.

GeeGee Parrot.
December 18th, 2013.

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING.. Part Two. MOMENT SUPREME by Jean Patou.. Constance's signature perfume..

SHE was out and about with old wicker last week end on Saturday when HER mother decided to enter into this festive game.. there had been a hugely friendly competitiveness between HER parents as to who could find the best treasure at the best and lowest prices.

Therefore, SHE really was not surprised to 'feel' an arm snake through HERS and to smell that strange and extraordinarily wonderful perfume from Jean Patou in HER nostrils.. SHE has never known anyone except HER mama wear Moment Supreme.

But SHE had food and stuff to buy.. so off down the street SHE went to get limes and two bowls of persimmons from Karen. Humous, taramasalata, barberries, freekeh and dried white mulberries came from Ahmed. 

Duck breast and bacon from Dickinson, lastly two small Freeform cake tins from Select & Save, a brilliant emporium that sells everything for the home at very good prices.

With everything safely packed into old wicker, SHE said "Ok mama, I am all yours.. where are WE off to?"

Up the road towards Fulham Broadway.. nudged across to the other side of the street.. SHE always walks on the other side of the street so has never really noticed the Cancer Research Shop.

Nudge.. nudge.. through the door.. to the back and the book section.. now YOU all know SHE is a foodie.. Constance was the one who taught HER to cook and to read.. and what was there.. well, YOU do actually know because SHE gave YOU the names of these two marvellous cookery books in an earlier post.

But what was this? Some more 'nudge nudge' today when SHE was on HER way to work this morning! And two more wonderful cookery books in another Charity shop.

The Best of Masterchef - Since 1990 and The French Kitchen, that's what was there.. a collection of over 200 award winning recipes from one of HER favourite television shows and the other with 200 recipes from the Master of French Cooking.. aka HER culinary hero.. Michel Roux Jr.. who taught HER the secret of wringing water from potatoes!

And so it was really quite strange when SHE realised that SHE was 'alone' this afternoon.. bless them both, it is a good thing that they don't expect HER to spend 'serious money' whilst they lead HER all over London with them on their jaunts.

Shopping with HER parents.. is never dull.

GeeGee Parrot.
December 16th, 2013.

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING 'WITH' HER PARENTS.. Part One.

Now, of course, that is what a lot of children will be doing at this time of year.. except in HER case.. well.. it is a bit different.. for Hugo died in 1981 and Constance died in 2002. But this is what happened last week.

SHE was in that very happy place between being asleep and awake when HER nose started to twitch, for SHE was beginning to smell a smell.. the very familar smell of HER father's cologne.  

The name has long been forgotten but it is as if YOU mixed up a lime and a bay leaf.. WE think it is made by Trumper's of Jermyn Street.

Anyway there is was, wafting about as if Hugo had just sprayed it into the air. SHE got up thinking that perhaps SHE was imagining it but no.. the smell went with HER into the yumYum HQ when SHE went to turn on the kettle for OUR early morning mug of LapySang tea.

Having made the tea, SHE came back into the bedroom, opened MY cage and I shot out. Then SHE got back into bed.. and said in a clear voice.. "hello.. what's up.. what is going on?" And as clearly as a bell.. SHE heard HER father's voice say "time to go treasure hunting ....., get dressed, places to go, things to find, come on, chop chop".

Now I know YOU are all rolling YOUR eyes and thinking the old dear has lost the plot but SHE has been out & about when they have directed HER to a certain place in order to see something or find simply wonderful and it was Hugo, a couple of years ago, who directed HER into a funny little shop where SHE found a Lalaounis Sterling Silver collar for £25.00!

Go on line and do a search if YOU are not familiar with this wonderful firm of Grecian Gold and Silver Smiths.

Anyway, off SHE went, not knowing really where SHE was going but being gently nudged along, down the street, up to Sloane Street, onto a number 19 bus, which trundled through Piccadilly, up Shaftesbury Avenue and up to and along Theobalds Road and into the area called Clerkenwell.

Off the bus and now by foot into an area SHE used to know quite well when SHE worked for Studio owner all those years ago, a right turn brought HER into Leather Lane. Which is full of market stalls selling cheap clothes and shoes, lots of fruit 
and all the christmas decorations, holly, mistletoe, cyclamens, poinsettias.

SHE pottered along.. and then SHE knew why SHE was here.. for there, sitting quietly on a stall surrounded by a lot of very tatty rubbish, were two beautiful porcelain plates and a china casserole dish. 

The plates stand on a central plinth about three inches high and are for cakes or tarts, they are white with a gently scalloped edge and a hand gilded trim. 

In the centre of one of the plates, is a sprig of Honeysuckle, the other has a flower SHE does not know, so imagine a Cowslip but blue. They date from the 19th century and they are quite exquisite.

The casserole brought a smile to HER face, for the pattern SHE knew very well, there was absolutely no need for HER to turn it upside down.

SHE lifted the top to check the condition and then asked the stall holder what he wanted for the three items.

YOU would be foolish not to try and bargain in a junk or antique shop but YOU certainly do not try and beat down an elderly man who is standing in the cold in thin shoes and who, probably, won't sell very many of his stock that day.

So SHE paid his asking price, he wrapped them carefully in paper and a bit of bubble wrap and SHE left him with a smile and him saying to HER "Thank you and happy Christmas to you miss".

'Treasure' is to be found absolutely everywhere Dear Reader, for the beautiful casserole, which is in immaculate condition, bears the very famous stamp mark of Porcelaine de Paris - France and it was sold, the first time, by that very well known 
shop in New Bond Street.. Aspreys.

And the reason why SHE knew what would be stamped underneath the casserole? Well, many years ago SHE brought Constance the very same casserole - size # 3 - from the very same shop.

Coincidence.. ah well.. YOU might well be right Dear Reader.. but a very happy one.

GeeGee Parrot.
December 16th, 2013.

RUFFLE THAT TRUFFLE..

Yes indeedy.. YOU read that right. Truffle.

Now they are not exactly the kind of yumyum that YOU have just a'hanging about the kitchen all year long and SHE has not had a fresh Black Truffle in HER fridge for a very long time.

WE have jurst looked at the bit on the stats which tells us where Dear Readers are reading the Blog and WE saw, to OUR very great excitement, that there is a Dear Reader reading on the Bahamas.. now this is incredibly fortuitous.. because of the following Tale. 

There is a charming family living in OUR house, Tereza, Rebecca and Georgia are their names. I have not yet met them.. perhaps if MY behaviour was less of the BadBat variety I might get out and about more but I am young and sometimes do not realise that in order to get treats.. good behaviour is expected at 'most' times.. sigh.

Anyway, back to OUR upstairs neighbours.. Tereza sounds as if she is a 'cracking' cook. I have heard tales of pigs in blankets and other such delicious goodly things that SHE has eaten up there..

SHE has been invited to Christmas lunch with this family plus another guest who will be staying.. and SHE has volunteered to be the receiving depot for the perishable goods that will be delivered on December 23rd as 'les filles' are away until that day.

On the menu was something that sounds truly very edibubble indeedy.. but as the time approached of the family going away.. Tereza thought about this precious thing and realised that, horror of horrors, it might not quite make it to December 25th..

What to do? Well, generously, she sliced it in half and skipping down through the house late at night, she gave the other half to HER.. 

And so now YOU see why WE are very pleased to see that the Bahamas are reading MY Blog, for it gives HER the opportunity to say a very BIG "Thank you" to Tereza.. because that is where they have gone.. to Nassau and then onto one of HER most favourite places in the Caribbean.. 

The Eel shaped island of Eleuthera.. happy days girls.. happy days.. the Truffle is simply delicious.

Have a wonderful time and see YOU all on the 23rd. With love and a hug.

GeeGee Parrot & HER.
December 15th, 2013.

TO MARKET.. TO MARKET.. YES.. A FARMER'S MARKET ON SUNDAY.

Ugh.. he is so annoying that silly Mister Woe.. he thought that because there was no Goaty Curd in OUR house that he could cause gloom and despondency.. but haha.. SHE showed him that Black Truffle and he was out of the front door and up those stairs quicker than a flash!

Yes, Dear Readers, YOU read that right.. there is a Black Truffle living in the YumYum HQ.. SHE made some very delicious buttered eggs and then shaved slivers of Truffle onto them.. sorry Joanna, I know that YOU will be smacking YOUR lips and cursing HER at the same time.. but that is truly what WE had to break that norty fast this morning.

Afterwards, I settled down on top of the bedroom door and SHE went out in to the driving rain to catch a number 22 bus to Parson's Green. Why was SHE going forth is such foul weather? Well, at the Parson's Green Farmer's Market SHE knew SHE would find HER friend Goaty Mum.. aka Debbie of Ellie's Dairy.

Purveyor of all things Goaty.. but especially the product that WE absolutely adore.. Goaty Curd.

What was this.. NO CURD to be had.. oh dear, that is a sadness.. what are WE going to do? Sigh.. Luckily, Debbie will be at Wimbledon next weekend so all is not totally lost for plans for OUR Christmas fare. 

SHE had hoped to be able to try to use it today in HER White Cheesecake but that experiment will have to wait.

Debbie asked HER what were HER plans for the rest of the day.. HER response was going home to turn the heating on (for it is very damp dismal this weather), to make lunch and then to read HER two new books.

Which were found yesterday at a Cancer Research Charity Shop on the North End Road.. the first is called Beaneaters & Bread Soup - Portaits and Recipes from Tuscany by Lori De Mori and Jason Lowe. 

(YOU know SHE reads cookery books like novels.. if YOU had not realised this.. wake up at the back there, where do YOU think YOU are.. school?)

The second is one that SHE was thrilled to find.. 
Chez Panisse.. Pasta Pizza & Calzone by Alice Waters, Patricia Curtan and Martine Labro.

Both absolutely new.. untouched by human paw! 

But before books could be perused.. lunch was on the menu for YOU see, WE both like to eat with OUR meals.

Out of that chilly white cupboard.. aka fridge.. came several packets, fresh herbs.. a bottle of red wine came from another cupboard. Two large red potatoes and a couple of shallots came from the vegetable rack.

A pyrex dish was filled with salt, the potatoes were put on top and they put into the hot oven to bake for an hour.

She chopped the shallots into a frying pan and poured in some wine along with a bouquet garni of herbs. Hubble bubble this went as it slowly began to reduce.

Then SHE went off to do things that adults do on wet afternoons.. bit of laundry.. wrote some cards. And came back to check on the potatoes.. they were ready, so the flesh came out of their skins into a bowl, they were mashed with a fork, an egg yolk, some double cream, chopped parsley, salt and pepper were added, they were shaped into little cakes, rolled in flour and set aside.

Ah.. one of the packets has turned out to be Duck breasts. They are now at room temperature, SHE scored the fat and placed them fat side down onto a warm pan.. and cooked them in their own fat for about 12 minutes, this includes the couple of minutes when SHE flipped them over onto the other side. Out of the pan they came to relax.

The red wine sauce had veal stock added, the herbs removed and it hubbled-bubbled for a little longer, truly the smell was scrummydumptious.

Both butter and oil went into a frying pan, in went the little potato cakes until they were crisp and golden, they drained on paper.. Duck sliced, potato cakes on the side and that wonderful sauce on top.. 

What do YOU mean YOU cannot be bothered to cook for YOURSELF? How ridiculous.. Don't YOU like good food, don't YOU enjoy making something delicious? 

Now.. ok.. WE don't do something like this every day but SHE now has something cooked and ready  to take to work tomorrow which SHE will share with the others.. a salad and cold duck breast.. what could be nicer?

On a cold wet December's day.. it was jurst the ticket.. and no need for supper after such a late lunch.. well, maybe an apple or two!

GeeGee Parrot.
December 15th, 2013.

NORTY BLOGSPOT..

Has fiddled with MY Blog.. SHE went in to correct something in the previous post and norty Blogspot moved it up the newest spot.. so read the Tale about Gateau de Pommes de Terre Savoyard last.. because it is the latest!

GeeGee Parrot.
December 14th, 2013.

FROM AQUITAINE & SAVOIE.. TO A KENTISH VILLAGE.

Oh.. such a Tale of deliciousness I have to tell YOU Dear Reader.. where to start.. I suppose the beginning is always a good place.. so let's zoom back in time to the very late 1950's.

I know that not all of YOU were alive but SHE was and so was Constance.. the family lived in the County of Kent between two villages.. Biddenden and High Halden.

If YOU turned left out of the drive, YOU could stay on the main road and meander on a very curly-wurly road all the way to Biddenden or YOU could turn left and then hang a very sharp right and whoosh down a small country lane.. past the Archdales.. wonderful friends of HER parents. 

They were Captain 'Humps', Molly his wife, his son Gilbert and Freckles the dog. Humps had served in both WW1 and WW2.. Humps (DSC.. Distinguished Service Cross) had served with the Royal Navy on the Arctic Convoy and Molly had served as a Wren.

Onwards past the farm belonging to the Myles family, then a sharp dog-leg turn brought YOU to the house of more family friends, the Holbrooks. Colonel 'Alec' was the fifth son of a truly very remarkable military family. 

Their children were much older than SHE but they were renown for their winter parties, for in front of their house was the steepest hill and when it snowed, which it always did in those days, that hill became impassable which made it jurst the very best place for tobogganing! 

So let us zoom down that hill, turn left and screech to a halt.. for WE have reached the breathtakingly beautiful Tudor home of John and Paulette Hotchkiss and she and what she made are the stars of this Tale.

Paulette was adorabubble.. with no children of her own (a great sadness to her and her composer husband) she loved her friends children to visit or to be involved in their lives and so if and when Constance and Hugo had to go somewhere, SHE would spend the night with Paulette.

Paulette was French, she was born in the town of Bergerac which is located in the south west area of France called Aquitaine.. her father was from an old Aquitaine family, her mother was a Savoyard, from Savoie, an area of south eastern France.

And she, like her friend Constance, loved animals, 
cooking, family, friends, gardening and history.. not necessarily in the way I have listed them!

And the thing that she loved most was a houseful 
of people to cook for.. with her wonderful garden for her guests to spill out into.. but she was equally happy to cook for one small child.. aka HER.

And she knew that this particular child adored it 
when she made a Gateau de Pommes de Terre Savoyard, which is a potato cake wrapped with very thinly sliced air dried ham. So there was always one for supper when SHE stayed the night.. cold or hot.. it was equally delicious.

Fast forward many years to the 1980's and SHE, whilst staying with Constance who was now living in Tenterden, went to supper with Paulette.

John was now composing music up in Heaven and Paulette had made the decision to move back to 
Bergerac to be near to her family.. so it really was the Last Supper for these two old friends and the grown-up child but what was on the menu?

Yes, YOU guessed right.. it was a heavenly Gateau de Pommes de Terre de Savoyard.. with another to take away!

SHE will give YOU the trick of how to make this very scrummydumptious yumyum in the next Post as norty BlogSpot will not allow long Tales to be told.. so pippip. Slurp-the-durp indeedy..

GeeGee Parrot.
December 14th, 2013.

GATEAU DE POMMES DE TERRE SAVOYARD.. WITH SINCERE THANKS TO CHEF MICHEL ROUX Jr.

SHE did try several times to make these savoury cakes but somehow.. they never worked.. they fell apart and generally behaved in a most delinquent fashion.. so SHE had given up until last month.

Now what happened last month to rectify this culinary situation? Well, what happened was SHE was watching Professional Masterchef one night and HER culinary hero, Michel Roux Jr, announced that, for his skill test, the four contestants would have to cook a Gateau de Savoyard..

SHE practically exploded with excitement as there, on the screen, he told HER the secret.. that YOU have to wring the water out of the potatoes.

Who knew, not HER as SHE had never seen or watched Paulette make them.

Now bear with US because WE make these in bulk.. for SHE sees absolutely no point in heating an oven for one little potato cake.. so SHE makes several at a time.. for chilled and wrapped in tin foil they travel happily at the bottom of a basket.. they go to work with HER and several of HER friends love them too..

Ingredients:

Red potatoes.. about 6 of a large size.
Equal number of large onions.
Lots of strips of air dried ham or streaky bacon.
Chopped Prunes & whole Raisins. 
Salt and Pepper.. some dried Sage.
Butter.
A small bowl, but not too small!
A rack which fits over a roasting pan.
Pre-heat oven to Gas mark 3.

Peel the potatoes and then grate them over a large bowl.
Then taking a small handful at a time, place the potato onto a dry cloth, gather the cloth up and twist the water out of the vegetable. 
This takes some doing as the least water left the better they will be! 
Repeat until all the grated potato has been done.
Then finely chop the onions and fry gently in the butter until they are transparent.. NOT coloured.
Mix the onions with the potatoes, add salt and pepper and not too much dried sage, mix well.
Taking the ham / bacon, line the bowl so that the sides are not visible and the ends hang over the edge.
Then fill the bowl with the potato & onion mix and put in the fruit.
When the bowl is full, press the mix down and fold over the edges of the ham so that it covers the vegetable mix.
Invert the bowl, slide the little cakes out and place them on the rack and roast for about an hour.. the ham / bacon should be cooked.

They are equally delicious hot or cold..

To get the proper weights & measures, YOU can go on line and search for Gateau de Savoyard / Michel Roux Jr and they will be there.

For HER.. it is such a treat to eat these very delicious things.. they make HER think of HER lovely friend Paulette.. whom, upon hearing of the death of her friend Constance, wrote to HER the most charming condolence letter remembering those happy times spent with Constance in the 1950's and 1960's, of picking hops and other fruit for local farmers, driving vans for Meals on Wheels and starting the local branch of Riding for the Disabled with Mary Ireland and Jean Palmer. 

The power of food to unlock emotions.. SHE is a 
'little' wet-eyed with these memories.. all brought back by a simple potato cake.. made with love.

GeeGee Parrot.
December 14th, 2013.

THE BOOZY FRUIT & DRUNKEN NUTS..

They are very special these tall jars that SHE has tucked away in a dark cupboard, for one of them is over forty years old and it is the last jar of the first batch of boozy fruit that Constance made when she and Hugo moved to Andalucia in January 1973.

Constance took Raisins and packed them into large glass jars and topped them up with Pedro Domecq's Fundador brandy. 

Then she left the delicious fruit to sit quietly for several months to become fat and juicy.. and very delicious.

The other jars are full of a very different type of ingredient and the idea for them came to HER many years ago from a very, very old recipe book.. SHE taught HER mother this recipe.

SHE put fresh Hazelnuts and dried thyme, rosemary and oregano into a large jar and topped it up with Scotch Whisky.. they have to marinate for at least twelve months before YOU can use them. 

SHE uses these marvellous culinary ingredients in meat pates, pies and terrines.. they add an truly extraordinary taste and fragrance. Yum indeedy..

Winter food does not have to be glum or serious just because the weather's dreary and gloomy and SHE is, most definitely, HER mother's daughter.

GeeGee Parrot.
December 13th, 2013.

A TEXAN CHRISTMAS & THE LAST CALL FOR SALVATORE FERRAGAMO..

Whoosh.. We are going back in time.. back seventeen years to be precise.. to Christmas 1996.

Dagga Parrot and Peter Pigeon went to stay with a couple of HER friends.. they had lots of their own birds.. another two would not be a problem.

Knowing HER Boys would be happy, safe and very spoilt, SHE flew to spend Christmas and New Year with Edgar, an old friend, in the Texan Hill Country. This is an area of Texas, north east of San Antonio and not that far from the State Capitol Austin.

The Christmas bit of the holiday was VERY jolly indeed as Fredericksburg, the place where SHE was staying, was a' jumping.. with 'children' back from college and lots of folk in town staying with their families for the holidays.

This charming town was founded in 1846 by German immigrants and a huge amount of the original families are still living and working in the area. It is a FUN place to be and especially at Christmas!

The weather was chilly to fair.. but immediately
after Christmas it turned very cold indeedy.. chilly-billy on the hilly is a phrase that comes to mind.

The word went out from Traffic Police.. ONLY travel if absolutely necessary.. all of the roads were covered in black ice and conditions were extremely dangerous.

Luckily the house was one block off main Street so it was a short but very brisk walk to shops if one needed anything.. but no jaunting for four days can make a girl go stir-crazy.. 

And so when the driving ban was lifted and a dear friend said "do you want to come with me to Austin for the day".. well.. SHE replied quicker than a rat coming down a drain pipe!

Off they went.. to do food shopping for their New Years Eve party they were giving at the HUGE branch of a local food supplier, to have lunch with a couple of friends, to look at everything and ending up, after having a very successfully good time in all the year end sales, at a HUGE shop called Last Call..

I am sure that YOU will all agree that this is a 
very strange name for a shop until I tell YOU that this is a branch of Neiman-Marcus. With new merchandise arriving in their shops all the time, stock only has a limited time to sell or be moved on.. and this is where it goes.

Friend wanted to look at linens.. they agreed to 
meet in the coffee bar at 5pm.. SHE followed HER nose to the shoe department.. oh lordy.. SHE knew SHE had died and ended up in Shoe Heaven..

SHE has a small, quite narrow foot and there were literally hundreds of styles that SHE fell in lurve with.. "be sensible" SHE told HERSELF.. thankful that SHE had a pristine credit card with HER.. with a zero balance.

For there.. right in front of HER nose were some beautiful J.Renee pumps.. black suede with festive embroidery all around the shoe.. proper Christmas shoes.. for $60.00.. a steal. 

I regret to say that several equally delicious pairs of shoes joined their friends in HER basket.. happily all at similar very reasonable prices and then.. suddenly.. SHE felt faint and very weird.. for in front of HER.. all by themselves.. was a pair of over the knee black suede low heeled boots.

SHE maybe a Londoner but SHE is also a European and every self-respecting European woman can recognise a pair of Ferragamo boots.

SHE literally prayed.. bent down.. turned one over and squealed with joy.. oh hallelujah.. they were HER size.. slipping off HER shoes, SHE raised HER leg and slid the black silky babies on.. and was doing the twirl of happiness when HER friend walked up.. "Nice.. very nice indeed" was the comment.

In a walk in cupboard at the back of OUR home is HER shoe stash.. they are all in boxes or with boots trees or folded up with tissue.. and there these beautiful shoes and boots live to this very day.. taken care of most carefully..  for there will never be another day that SHE will be able to buy a pair of long suede boots by Salvatore Ferragamo for $100.. plus tax.

GeeGee Parrot.
December 8th, 2013. 

YOU get YOUR Christmas gift ahead of time!

It was not a slice of pure culinary delight that I bribed HER with.. it was a bag of mushrooms and some very scrummy eggs.. foodle-the-doodle.. there is nothing like a delicious mushroom omelette to make HER fingers tap on ole iPad!

I know it is not yet Christmas day but YOU will probably want to do or make a dummy or trial go at this recipe.. 

Yes folks.. this is OUR gift to YOU.. the recipe of the White Chocolate Cheesecake that SHE makes. 

For friends in the city, they get an actual cake but it would be a bit tricky sending it to friends and Dear Readers by mail / post.

SHE makes this every year and mighty good it is too.. there is a little addition to it which I will also give YOU at the end.

Are YOU ready? Then here WE go with list of ingredients.. but before that.. make sure YOU have a tin with a removable base and sides that open.. they are called 'Springform' in England, this recipe fits an 8" / 20cm base.

50g / 2oz unsalted butter.
150g / 5oz plain chocolate (NOT MILK) Digestive biscuits or Oreos without the cream.
300g / 10oz White Chocolate.
400g / 14oz Full fat Cream Cheese.
2 eggs.
150ml / 1/4 pint of Sour Cream.
1 teaspoonful of Vanilla Extrait.
Some fresh Raspberries or Pomegranate Seeds.

Preheat oven to 160c or gas mark 3.

Take the removable base out of the wall, butter 
and line it with non stick baking paper.

Crush the biscuits in a strong plastic ziplock bag with a rolling pun, YOU do not want chunks!

Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the crushed biscuit. Tip into the reassembled baking tim and smooth and press the mixture so that it is even. Put to chill into the fridge.. this can be done the day before.

Using an electric mixer or by hand.. Whisk the cream cheese and the eggs together in a large bowl until they are smooth, add the sour cream and vanilla and whisk again.. NO lumps please! 

Put a saucepan of water on to boil, place a bowl onto the pan and break the chocolate up into chunks.. stir gently, watching that the chocolate does not get too hot.. stir and heat until it is runny and fully melted.

Now add the chocolate to the cream cheese mix and whisk again. Remove the chilled tin from the fridge and pour the mix over the base, smooth until it is level.

Cook in the upper part BUT not the top shelf of the oven for 45 minutes. We put a dish of hot water into a baking tray and this sits on the bottom shelf.

The cake should be firm to the finger touch on the outer edge and just firm or set in the middle.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool, run a very sharp knife around the outside to loosen the cake, allow to cool thoroughly, release the catch on the Springform outer rim and then place in the fridge to chill.

WE usually serve it with a coulis of delicious Golden Raspberries! But SHE grows these.. yum.

If YOU can find them, then buy them and freeze them for they truly are the BEST fruits ever.. 

If not, then a couli of Red Raspberries or some fresh Red Raspberries, Pomegranate seeds or thin slices of Golden Persimmons would look equally wonderful..

The other way SHE does this is to put aside some of the cheese mix and adds to this some melted DARK chocolate, then SHE swirls this into the mix just before SHE puts it onto the biscuit crust.. it looks VERY pretty!

So.. there YOU have it.. wherever YOU may be.. HER Christmas gift to YOU Dear Reader.. 

Note to European Dear Readers.. SHE uses the own brand of White Chocolate from Lidl and Philadelphia Full Fat Cheese and HOMEMADE Vanilla Extrait!

MY next post will about about shoes.. SHE lurves shoes and a Texan store.. so come back soon to read more Tales from  ME.. a Blog writing red Tailed Parrot..

GeeGee Parrot.
December 8th, 2013.