We bought our house in France....Finally!!!

Even Michel Roux Jr couldn't make this dish look pretty but it it's bloody sublime.  The recipe is here and it's worth the effort.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAZWgdu1u0k

Our celebratory dinner tonight buying our little pad in France.

I KNOW!  What a horrid looking dinner but trust me on this, it was sublime.

Only my family get my blog and I love it that way.  Facebook, likes this and likes that.  Friends this or not friends that..... no not for me.  I like to live a quiet life and life's pretty simple this way.  I'll never change.  I will live my live as a rather antisocial individual but for my own records and that of my close fam... today will go down as one of the best ever.  We bought our little place in France.  Signeville, a village I did not know existed until 7 months ago is part of my/ our life forever.

A decent drop

Beef tartare with fennel, capers and fresh green peppercorns

Oeuf Poché Meurette (and yes more delicious than it looks thank goodness!!)

Duck breast, kumquats, pickles and quail cardamon orange blossom water sauce.

Duck breast, fully rendered skin, cooked beautifully rare to medium rare (i.e. on the rarer side of medium rare which is IMO the way to serve duck breast).  Quail stock reduced with spices of cardamom, black pepper and the addition of orange blossom water and honey at the end is the sauce here.  Kumquats that have been slow cooked whole and steeped in star anise syrup then the beetroot and white onion only just pickled to give crunch and clear acidity. 

Yum yum yumity yum.   It is a pretty dish but that does not mean it's pretty for the sake of it.  Sublime.