Chicken Crawfish 30th birthday

I have not forgotten about you all! Juan and I are back in the US now but I still have so much to share with you from our trip! I don't know where to start. I actually was not feeling good towards the end of our stay (I must have caught a cold), thus the slowdown in my blog entries. Pardonnez-moi!

Juan celebrated his 30th birthday while we were in France and my parents organized a big family get together for him. It was one of these long meals that my family does at least 2 or 3 times a year: a long aperitif, a very long lunch with 4 or 5 courses, a walk around my village and usually some board games bonding time - Belote anyone?

When my Mom asked me what we should serve for this occasion, I remembered the 20th birthday lunch she organized for me way back then... My parents had ordered a big dish of Poulet Aux Ecrevisses from an excellent local restaurant. They truly know how to make this dish wonderful. I thought Juan's birthday would be the perfect occasion to do just the same again.Why not make it yourself you wonder? Our family gatherings involve close to 3o people so we sometimes shamelessly decide to spend more time with our guests rather than in the kitchen. (We did bake a lemon tart, a very chocolaty cake and a flan though).

Poulet aux Ecrevisses or Chicken Crawfish is a dish from my region, in which the sauce is the star. A combination of white wine,tomatoes, cayenne, cream, slowly simmered with crawfish and farm raised chicken. C'etait exquis!!! We served it with rice, to soak up all the juices.

Pictures speak a thousand words so I leave you here...

Good Food, Good Friends

Here's a dessert that will become a classic. It's such an easy recipe, believe me! It would be really hard to mess it up. Make this raspberry tiramisu a day ahead and serve it cold, with a clairette de Die , an Asti Spumante or even a Muscat like a Beaumes de Venise. I really enjoy clairette for its refreshing and sparkling taste. Its unique sweetness comes from the muscat grapes. It's like drinking sunshine!

Much like regular coffee and chocolate tiramisu, raspberry tiramisu is soft, creamy and airy.  This "Summer version" seems to even taste lighter! It is decadent and awfully delicious.  Not convinced yet? What are you waiting for! Believe me you will thank me!

I made this dessert last week when we got invited for dinner at the house of Kimmie and Joe, along with  our friends Brenda, Roger, Stephanie, Phil and Sohnne. It was a lovely evening. Kimmie and Joe are talented cooks and passionate people. Joe made unbelievable pates and rillettes -it reminded me of my grandfather, who has been making pates all his life. The highlight of the evening was their Cassoulet. It was the first time I met Kimmie and Joe but boy, we speak the same language - the language of food!

Raspberry Tiramisu (a recipe from gourmandises Pierre Herme)

For 6 to 8 people

about 20 lady fingers

about 4.4 oz of raspberries

For the raspberry coulis:

4.4 oz raspberries

2 tbsps of water

2 tbsps of powdered sugar

For the mascarpone cream:

4 egg whites

5 tsps water

1/2 cup of sugar

1 container of mascarpone (about 8.8 oz or 250g)

4 yolks

Prepare the coulis. In a fine mesh sieve, mash the raspberries. Push the mixture down to extract the seeds. Add the powdered sugar and the water and mix together. Reserve.

Prepare the cream. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt, until soft. Bring the water to a boil with the sugar and boil for 3 minutes maximum. Stream this syrup slowly over the egg whites while you resume the beating. The whites will be shiny and firm.

In a bowl, mix together the yolks and the sugar until smooth. Slowly fold in the whites.

Roll one ladyfinger at a time quickly into the syrup and lay in a rectangular dish (7.8 x 9.4) until you have a layer. Spread half of the mascarpone cream over. Add the raspberries. Do the second layer of ladyfingers, just the same. Cover with the remaining mascarpone cream. Keep in the fridge and serve the day after. 

When it's time to serve, sprinkle some cocoa powder over the tiramisu.