Somethin' to say? Was zu sagen? Des choses a dire?

Follow mrlemarquis on Twitter If you want to make a comment but can't find the "make a comment" box, which keeps on disappearing, just send it either to twitter, facebook or to me at: iwmpop@gmail.com , and I'll maybe publish it for you....Only said maybe....! Here's the latest one: (Who IS this guy called Keith.....) "I just wanted to leave a comment to say that (from personal experience), although you get a bit stinky for the first few weeks, after that you don't get any stinkier! And those olives do look nice, don't they? All the best" Keith

hungry?Thanks to Tina Concetta Marzocca.

Actuelle informations...New....Neu....

Due to illhealth I have decided to post my articles here:Just click on the link....


Depuis peu vous pouvez suivre des liens par voie du "Twitter" vers des articles amusantes et/ou intéressantes.......... Allez-y.... essayez. C'est en haut...
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For some time, you can follow links chosen by mr le marquis and presented on "Twitter". These links are intended to inform and amuse you - every day, or nearly, new ones ....Try it out! It's just above...
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Zeit einige Wochen Können Sie interessantes oder amüsantes Verfolgen durch "Twitter"... Fast jeden Tag was neues von mr le marquis ... Versuchen Sie es...Zu finden oben...

here it is....you wanted it....!

somebody (!) wanted to know so here it is...

simple local vegetables

Sunday 31 October 2010

Gammon..! Gepökelte Schinken? Jambon salaison....?


 Eigentlich gibt es keinen Wortwörtliche Übersetzung auf Deutsch um diese leckere Sache richtig zu Beschreiben. 
Vielleicht deswegen habe Ich es nie im Deutschland kaufen können! 
Angegeben als "der geräucherter Schinken" - das ist nicht ganz genau der Fall. 
Es ist leicht geräuchert, ja, aber es ist auch leicht, manchmal stark gesalzen. Britische Spezialität, es ist der Schinken eingelegt im "Salzsud" - manchmal geräuchert vor oder nach her, und es ist im Großbritannien und die Vereinigten Staaten als "braten" oder in dicke Scheiben geschnitten, gegrillt oder in der Pfanne fertig gebraten.
Es ist auch sehr oft als "Weihnachtsbraten" oder im "Kalten Buffet" zu finden. 

Das zeug ist wunderbar - sehr schmackhaft, schade das Ich das nie im Deutschland oder im Frankreich gefunden habe. 
Sollte es jemanden geben der weißt wie es wirklich im Deutsch oder Französisch heißt, bitte lassen sie mich wissen...!
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En effet - la description de cette produit, si goûteuse - si bon, n'est pas facile. Ni en Française, ni en Allemande existe un mot qui le décrit parfaitement.
Bien que c'est le jambon du Porc, mais parfois légèrement fumé, toujours salé, parfois très/trop salé, parfois pas assez... mais - toujours un délice.  

 Les Britanniques et les Américaines l'utilisent comme "Rôti de Noël"..... ou comme "escalope"  pour griller ou poêler - si vous regardez la texture vous pouvez voir que ce n'est pas "cuite"  - mais pas "cru" non plus! Accompagnez le avec des pommes de terre nouvelle - au vapeur, et une petite sauce a la Madère - quelle joie....!
On le trouve également comme "chaud-froid" sur les Buffets de la "Noblesse"....d'habitude a coté du poulet "chaud-froid"! 
S'il y a quelqu’un qui connais le nom propre et ou le trouver ici en France, qu'on me le dit! C'est une délice....! 
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 Since I ceased working for the British Army in Germany, I haven't seen or been able to eat any of this wonderful product which I so love.
Gammon simply does not seem to exist in France or in Germany. 
It is difficult, if not impossible, to find a translation for this neither salted, nor smoked, product! It is sometimes treated in both manners, sometimes too salted, needing rinsing or soaking in cold water before cooking, and sometimes lightly - sometimes heavily smoked...!
It is one of those very few products British or American that can have their place at all tables and at all events.
As a Christmas roast...........  or as a

"quickie" in the pan....... often garnished with pineapple

 rounds... or - as I used to prepare it often 
in "chaude-froid" sauce - a sauce made normally as a light Béchamel  or  
enriched with aspic and coated over the cooked piece (as done here with chicken)
 
   or simply cold - on the buffet, with a little cold jelly and a good mustard.
 In any case - however it's done, prepared and served, it is delicious, and if anyone out there knows what it's called in French and/or German - let me know!
It must exist, after all the country which produces so much, if not all, of British Gammon (Denmark) is a border neighbour with Germany....!

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iwmpop(mr le marquis)           -             Vauvert, France         -     Octobre 2010

Friday 29 October 2010

31 October......

 Gut - Heuer machen wir nicht nur "Halloween" aber wir Umstellen die Uhren auch noch....Die Geister werden müde sein....!
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So - this year it's not only Halloween, but clocks back as well.....the phantoms will be tired...!
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Alors - cette année ce n'est pas simplement "Halloween" mais on doit remettre l'heure aussi....les fantômes seront fatiguée...!
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   But....what shall we serve up - specially...?
If you go to "Google Search" and type in "Halloween Menus" you'll find 1,600,000 
entries...! Is that enough?
A celebration very "Americanised" over the last few years, it now tends to be a party style buffet that all the Draculas, Alucards, ghosts, one armed, one legged, still bleeding "things" partake of!
Main themes are, of course the pumkins, in various American styles like pie 
- something we rarely, if ever, eat in Europe.
Now is the moment to try it. Of course the colours black and red are the favoured ones, and many of the participants will wake up afterwards with very red eyes...
and a few with blackness in their souls...!
Naturally, one can serve the same things at table, in the normal way, just as a meal.
Eggs - with the colour white for the ghosts is a useful thing, tomatoes of course 
in red, black olives for black eyes...even the Lancashire dish of "black peas" 
could be used, as a purée - it's sinister enough, in taste as well!
How about some pasta - linguini - differently.....
(you could always look for a few live worms in the garden to decorate with, makes it wriggle a bit...!)
A bit of marzipan and your imagination... and off 
you go...a few "fingers" with a touch of bloody ice cream sauce - the same thing could 
be done in a (un)savoury style, using mashed potatoes instead of marzipan!
Of course, if you're just lazy, and if you're using your charcoal barbecue, 
you could just burn black something or other, but I suggest that maybe the meat 
isn't the best thing to burn.......! 
Even for those in the Brittany area (and elsewhere) there are seasonal dishes which COULD end up more serious than required...!
As a starter, how about a "bloody" cocktail.... 
after the obvious choice of aperitif...the bloody Mary.....?
Fish course - there is nothing more horrible (or delicious) than the "St. Pierre" 
(English - "John Dory") poached in the oven - whole,
  
with it's head still attached.....

On the main course, it's probable that grills will be out, so bloody meat shouldn't 
be a problem..  or even rarer...Or immersed for a 
while in beetroot juice, you'll have an even better colour....! There are stews 
and other longer cooking dishes that can be adapted to the colours needed, 
and with cut olives, capers and other things can be adapted for decorative effects....
you'll find something..  I'm sure...! 
Liver, heart, kidneys, all made for Halloween tables, or what about a "Steak Tartare"  
one of my favourites - all year around!

As dessert - the choice is great, from more body parts in marzipan or ice cream, 
or how about a real luxury..

Whatever - whatever, imagination is allowed.....kinky or not...!
... and don't forget to put your clocks back....!

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Roquefort......

 The king of cheeses...
Le roi des fromages     -    Die Könige unter...... die Käse....
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Hailing from a tiny corner, strictly limited - Geographically and in quality - this "modest" little cheese has everything you can imagine.
Taste, tradition and - of course, like all good things - it is suffering on all sides.
Supertaxed in the USA, as "luxury" - banned for a while from being exported/imported in European lands, USA and Switzerland, on the basis that it is a "Fromage cru" (any cheese made from raw, untreated milk - of any animal) and therefore susceptible to poison people (!) it has had many barriers to overcome. This, in itself, shows proof of its' quality.
Even in the USA - luxury taxed as opposed to the other things the Americans call "Cheese" - it still sells, even if it is sold in smaller quantity.  There are always people, everywhere, who want the best, and who can pay for it.
Here in France, it is still one of the favourites, not with younger people - it is an "acquired" taste, but its usefulness in many dishes, in particular simple omelettes filled with Roquefort, give an idea of the variety of French Cuisine, affordable for everyone - as it should be in a country where my ancestors had their heads sliced off....!
I'm going to give you a couple of "legends" and traditions, but first of all - What is it, exactly...?
Well - it is a cheese made from  "ewes" milk.
What - you didn't know that female sheep give usable milk? Well now you do! Obviously much smaller quantities than cows milk, this is the start  of the reasons for higher prices.
It is made, naturally, under the extremely strict laws regarding "AOC" products (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée), which means roughly "Zone of Origin Controlled".
Only milk from ewes born and raised in the small area comprising Larzac, the Aveyron, in France  are eligible to be used, and this is STRICTLY adhered to. The local producers guard jealously their secrets and their product. It is the only product, basically, that this area of France has, Internationally reputed............  and they have no intention of losing the reputation - as the Region of Camembert already has.
Larzac itself is perched high on a plateau, surrounded by extinct volcanoes, a "moon landscape" and until recently used mainly by the military for troop manoeuvres, now a part of the "obligatory" Tourists Tour de France, for both its countryside and its cheese!
I had the pleasure to be permanently stationed there as a Representative of the British Army from 1964 to 1967, and during that time, I had the great honour of being "befriended" by local people, most of whom earned their living   with some connection to the cheese, so I spent quite some considerable time with them in their homes and at their places of work.
In fact - the only reason that I left the area was because the then "boss" of France, Gen de Gaulle, changed the staus of France within the NATO organization, from full member to limited "non-military" status - so we had to leave!
You see - Roquefort has always had problems  with the politicians of this world...those who had good taste, and those who didn't!
Usable in all forms imaginable, here are a few:

 some little "choux" pastries...stuffed with Roquefort cheese....Simply in a green salad...used as "stuffing for all sorts of things...... the inevitable and not to be avoided "quiche" ....which I shall name
"Quiche Lozerian" or "Quiche Larzacienne" or something equally exotic!
Because....the history and legend of Roquefort cheese is quite "exotic".
It is said that the origin dates back over centuries, when a local shepherd, stuck up on the plateau all by himself, received daily visits from his "patron's" wife, who brought his daily meal if bread, cheese and wine with her.....Being French, this daily close contact could only lead to one thing...........amour, amore, liebe, love.....!
Of course, this often meant that the supplies were not consumed immediately, having other things "on his hands" or "on his plate" the shepherd often hid his foodstuffs in caves or rock fissures, to be consumed later - after consommation....! By the nature of "love triangles" the third angle, namely the husband, found out about these "goings on" and nipped them in the bud - or elsewhere, byforbidding his wife to take any more food to our poor Shepherd! This wouldn't work nowadays - the wife would simply sue for divorce and high alimony, but back in the good old days, she had to accept it!
Our shepherd waited and waited with rising impatience and other things.
Finally he recalled having hidden a day's supply some time before, and with hunger gnawing,.. he went off to find his lunch!
What he found was bread hard and mouldy and the cheese as well. Starving, he tried the cheese and found it remarkably good, even the "mouldy" bits.
In fact - later studies showed that the caves of Roquefort had the humidity exact to produce the fungus family "Penicillin" - the green bits in the cheese, and Roquefort cheese was born!
It's a nice little legend!
Whilst in Roquefort I had the honour and pleasure of being asked once if I could replace the English and German tourist guide for the tour of the "Society" caves, who had fallen ill - Of course I could - and did! Afterwards, my reward was a whole Roquefort cheese and a set of slides showing the tour! I also got the few francs some of the Tourists slipped into my hand...! 
I'll be coming back to the subject another time to develope "Legends & Anecdotes" of Roquefort....
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iwmpop (mr le marquis)           -          Vauvert, France         -        Octobre 2010

Sunday 24 October 2010

from time to time...de temps en temps... ab und zu.....

Hin und Zu sollten Sie sich an DER die soviel Muhe gibt Sie zu informieren....erinnern!
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Just now and then you should recall who it is who takes the time and effort to inform you...!
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De temps en temps il faut se rappeler qui Vous informe si régulièrement....!

iwmpop(mr le marquis)      -           Vauvert, France           -          Octobre 2010

A la recherche....Wanted....Gesucht....

 Depuis peu, on cherche un plat qui peut représenter Montpellier dans le mond "culinaire" - Regardez ici pour "La Clapassade" et d'autres choses d'un Cuisine de Pro...

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It's only recently the search for a dish representing Montpellier was launched. Look in here to read about "La Clapassade" and other things from a profi Kitchen...
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Es ist nicht lange her dass Mann die suche begonnen hat - nach eine Gericht die Montpellier im Suden-Frankreichs repräsentieren konnte. Lesen Sie hier noch mehr, und sehen Sie vieles mehr aus ein Profi-kuche... 
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http://www.pourcel-chefs-blog.com/blog1/2009/05/11/creer-la-clapassade-a-vos-cahiers/
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et voici l’accueil du Weblog des "frères Pourcel"...
and here is the reception page of the Weblog "frères Pourcel"
und hier ist die Seite aktuelle des Weblog "frères Pourcel"
Have a look in    -      Schauen Sie mal vorbei   -   Allez voir

http://www.jardindessens.com

http://www.pourcel-chefs-blog.com                   -          Jacques & Laurent Pourcel (Les frères...)
(ils sont sur "Facebook" aussi - They're on Facebook as well - Die sind auf Facebook auch)
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iwmpop (mrlemarquis)         -       Vauvert, France        -        Octobre 2010

Saturday 23 October 2010

Mis en place...Preparations.......Vorbereitungen.....

La mise en place est un des plus importantes devoirs dans la cuisine et Restauration professionnelle. Mal fait, c'est la garantie des GROS problèmes...mais - a la maison qu'est-ce qu'on peut faire?
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Mise en place (preparations) is one of the most important things to do in any professional kitchen or Restaurant, without it, guaranteed - nothing will work..! But what can one do at home...?
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 Mise en place (Vorbereitungen) ist eine die Wichtigsten Sachen im Professionelle bereich.
Ohne diese regeln zu folgen garantiert das ALLES schief gehen wird. Aber was kann Mann daheim machen...?
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"Mise en place", meaning preparation or putting things in place, is extremely important. How many hours do you spend turning like a whirling dervish in you kitchen. That's because the MAN (it's generally a man - who never uses it) who designed it didn't have a clue, and would only be there in urgencies.... or to cash in on the fire insurance...!
In professional kitchens and Restaurants, it is a different thing. There, it tends to be male chefs who design their kitchens, and men don't like turning around and around...!
It's also extremely important when you've got a Cooking Brigade of 20, 30, or more Chefs and very few Indians, all roaring out orders, commands, transporting things, decorating things. There's no time to LOOK for something. To the layman, it is total chaos, but after a while, you see a very careful and planned system.

But...in the home kitchen...is it necessary?
Oh yes - it is! It's just different.
Yes, the same basics apply, where a fridge is placed, where a chopping board is placed, where the oven is placed - therefore where the gas and electricity points are placed - right from the beginning - important stuff when you think that to prepare a meal for a family, a well organised wife, in a well organised kitchen will walk around 3 to 4 kilometres...! A poorly organised - double - or more! But that has to be arranged before even cooking!
In our homes nowadays, we have all sorts of "helping hands" dishwashers, microwaves...and...and...and...We also have access to various preparations "already done", like conserves, frozen food products, even salad and lettuce pre-picked and pre washed..!
As one publicity campaign stated "It's not because it's already done that you needn't do anything..!"
That is true. Although the basics have been done, there is no reason why you shouldn't make it all even better, adjusting the taste, the texture, the shape, the ingredients of foods already "prepared", but to do that, you have to have "prepared" a little yourself - in advance.
For example - why not prepare a mixture of salt and pepper in a seperate container/shaker? Only for use in the kitchen, you avoid wasting time looking for salt and pepper - only restriction I would put on this is to try to use fresh pepper, out of a pepper mill, but if not - then mix them.
You're going to need "seasoned flour" at some stage - why not do it in a quantity, and keep it well sealed in a box or a tin? Same thing for the old bread...why buy breadcrumbs that won't be as good as your own, made from left overs... prepare your own fishstocks and meat stocks from the "debris" left over of skinning, boning, trimming and fileting - they are so much better, and can be kept in a freezer for a long time, even as "ice cubes" simple to seperate and use.
How about your own herbs - on the window sill - in boxes - parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme,  ciboulettes, mint...... - all fresh, all ready  Decorative as well..!
Same thing with those oils you've got hidden away....Why not some cloves of garlic in the bottle, covered with oil, olive oil preferably, ready to give that touch of taste to your "aïolis", or anything else. Attractive and useful.
"Conserving" or "Freezing" is also a way to prepare - if you have access to large quantities of a certain product, like vegetables, fruit or other (like when "Papa" goes fishing) but those are not strictly speaking "preparation/mise en place" they are more ways of keeping a reserve, and I'll be dealing with that somewhere else.
These are only a few of many possibilities, give your imagination a "kick-start" - You'll find other - without doubt.
Here is an idea of a composition of fresh and often used Herbs which merit a place of honour in your kitchen area.
 (with thanks to "Jilly Harrison" who you can find both on "Facebook" and here:
 http://www.farmhousegites.com/

A little thought and you can turn almost anything into a meal worthy of an expert's table, all you have to do is "do something to something already prepared..."!

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iwmpop (mrlemarquis)         -         Vauvert, France          -      Octobre 2010

METEO chez moi-Bei mir-my zone

This is what it's doing right now....or nearly! Go with your mouse to the image and click....

Lecker...Tasty... Appétissante

Des bonnes choses - de presque partout...! Leckereien von fast Uberall...! Tasty things from almost everywhere...! *********
European Goodies...! Slideshow: Mr’s trip from France to Europe (near Dieuze, Lorraine) was created by TripAdvisor. See another Dieuze slideshow. Create your own stunning free slideshow from your travel photos.
******* iwmpop (mr le marquis)- Vauvert, France - Janvier 2011