Signeville

After Metz, directly to Signeville (with a quick stop off in Neaufchateau for our shopping).  We bought deboned quail.  The French shops have these amazing things that would take you all day to do.  Servd simply with celeriac.    We bought rather delicious desserts.  We chose one each.  Ummm, yummm.....

Signeville was covered in hoar frost and I didn't get any photos!  I just was so pissed off with myself because it was so very pretty.  I had a couple of stunning morning runs in this  frost as my backdrop.  Basically means that all the trees are cristalised with frost and it's beyond gorgous.  How we love that little house, different every time we go with the seasons.  Katya loved it too (or told us so for the sake of her own safety, not sure which!).  Nah she loved it.  She's not one to mess around.  

I love this photo below:

I had bought some Christmas shaped biscuit cutters the previous time we were in Sig and pain d'epice spice mix (the traditional European spice mix which is a heady concoction of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, coriander, green anise seed and fennel.  They manage to get the balance just right.  Anyway moving along, Katya and I made said bikkies.  We sort of made up a recipe because we didn't have the exact ingredients (no golden syrup but we added a bit of icing sugar to the recipe and sprinkled extra raw sugar on top.  The result was more delicious than any Christmas biscuits I'd had to date.

Just jumping a little... we were in Signeville 2 nights on arrival and 4 nights again at the end of our road trip.  The photos below are at the end, a light dusting of snow.  It had snowed rather a bit 2 days prior and according to our neighbour had turned to a slick of ice which made coming and going impossible for a day or 2.  I would have loved to have seen it in snow, but the ice? No, not great for access!!!

 Champagne from our neighbour as a happy new year gift.  Very civilised indeed.

Coq au Vin cooked by me and Katya.  I love coq au vin.

Lemon dessert cooked by me and Katya.  Took some time too gotta say.  It had a white chocolate mousse in the centre and a soaked lemon sponge with a lemon mouse exterior.  The top was white chocolate.  The whole thing a complete delight, not too sweet.  But I wished I'd remembered to put on some freeze dried raspberries, they would have kicked it out of the park.