Our first dinner in the cave 2022....

Andy went down in the morning to clean it out and get it sorted.  There were a couple of wee Nudgie's playmates to be taken care of.  He's not a great hunter so we don't have many problems.  He's so cute. 

We ate pie. Specifically wild pork pie.  And that wild pork is such a treat.  It is sweet.  Not gamey.  It is tender and melting.  The best best thing to do for the environment is to eat locally killed meat which is otherwise a problem to other wild life and plants.  They breed prolifically. They are killers and can take over the natural environment.  Here, the hunting season started earlier in the past couple of years despite COVID for this very reason.  

Anyway, first dinner of the year in the cave, 2022.....

I brought up a bottle of Chablis for our wedding anniversary.  It's got a bit of wax on it from candles, but should be a good drop.  

Then we sat outside with a fire, it was an unusually warm night of 3 degrees.  No wind.  Very very pleasant indeed. With music.

 

My sourdough

I've changed my cooking method, which gives me time to score before popping it in the oven. So, I'm now going back to preheating the oven and popping it on a flat tray with a hot shot of water underneath.  I also have changed my ratios and it's not as wet.  I understand 100% hydration and I can do it, and having done it many times I've decided it's not for me. We like bread. To eat. And this is bread To Eat. (With proper French salted butter)

 

Our take on Thai jungle curry

It's a curry we absolutely adore.  And to get the wild boar. OMG, I think Dominique would  be sweating it if she knew we'd tuned it into a Thai curry.   Northern Thailand have these amazing curries.  No coconut, just loads of flavour and usually with wild pig.  So, today, in France, we ate Jungle curry with our wild boar.  The meat was meltingly tender, sweet and delicious.  With Thai curry paste, jasmine rice, a Thai dipping sauce but with our charred breads that aren't Thai but we love them.  If only we had access to fresh holy basil and coriander.  

My sourdough

I've been cooking my sourdough differently of late.  So, instead of using a pot, lid on for the steam when it's really difficult to score inside that deep pot.  I've been using the basic method of popping it in the oven and shoving boiling water in the bottom of the oven to create the steam.  The steam is necessary to allow the bread to rise before the crust becomes firm in order to get that gorgeous springy crumb and amazing crust.  The thing about this basic method is that I have the time to score my bread before it goes in the oven.  A very different technique and one I've had fun with. Andy made me a new lame.  He's so clever.

 

 

Our little cat....

His morning routine.  And it's the same every single day.  He says hello to Andy whilst I'm getting our cocoa and as soon as I'm back in bed he just cuddles up and snuggles into my arm.  He even drags my hand under him.  It's a very very cute routine.  Every single morning.  

 

So, the Sanglier. To get some perspective

Doninique texted us the day before to say she was giving us un morceau de Sanglier.  Which means a little piece of wild boar.  Andy was in his undies doing the vacuuming and lighting the fire .  I was on my run when Dominique knocked on the door. It's pretty casual here.  I see Olivier in his god knows what doing his farming stuff.  We've actually seen Philippe's undies hanging in the upstairs bathroom! 

Anyway..... what a treat.  To have this level of meat.  I can't explain.  We'd never be able to even buy it in other countries.  We will treat it with respect.   It's all zip locked and clean. I have high standards in my fridge and freezer.  I'm a super happy person writing this right now.  What an absolute treat. 

 

Wild boar, delivered to us.

 Freshly killed.  We separately wrapped it and zipped locked bagged it in the most hygienic way.

We cooked some tonight.  OMG.  It's unreal.  Tender and utterly delicious. We happened to talk to Fanny today on our way home from our afternoon walk.  She will happily eat this type of meat even though she's vegetarian for animal and environmental reasons.  They are shot, prepared and distributed to the village.  Nothing gets better than that because they are a huge nuisance here. They even opened the hunting season early to try and reduce the number of wild boar in this part of France.  I love Fanny's look on vegetarianism.  She is vegetarian for the planet.  That's cool.  

 

Spiced raw lentils .... and a beautiful sunrise in the winter

We had a beautiful morning.  A really pretty day in winter.

We did our day.  

Then cooked an unreal meal.  Of:

Spiced raw lentils (orange lentils soaked then added tempered mustard seeds, fresh red chilli, fresh ginger and finely grated celeriac (a brilliant combination which would be amazing with crisp skinned sea bass or bream. 

Andy did a potoato dish.  It was subtle and beguiling.  It had to be tasted to understand.  He cooked off onion, added precooked potato and toasted off an amazing spice mix.  A little tomato kechup and yoghurt.  OMG.  Delicious.  

We cooked red cabbage, simply with onion, cumin and gochujang.  Yep, that Korean chilli paste which is utterly addictive.  And it works with cumin so damn well.

With roasted turkey leg, cooked in spice but not tandoori style, just cooked in spices.  Very simply cooked.  

Chutney, raita, rice, charred flatbread.

One of the best 'Indian' meals we've cooked.  It's not authentic but it tasted amazing.

W

 

Veal stew....

Veal is good here..... very very very good.  It's expensive but we when we get it half price we nab it.  

It's milky veal.  Sorry little baby milk fed calves who live in dark sheds.  But we know that these wee things are treated really well during their short lives.  And they really do taste beautiful.  We made a veal stew.  Very simple.  Veal (tossed in flour and browned), with onion, diced celeriac, chicken stock, dijon and seeded mustards, a touch of vinegar, white wine, potato and loads of herb from the garden.  We served it with celeriac puree at the bottom of the bowls and then helped ourselves to the veal stew, with parmesan shavings on the table, lettuce cups, extra dijon mustard ... seriously delicious.  The subtle taste of the veal with those clean flavours....  And that meat was like butter.  It was unreal.  Yum.

 

Roasted cauliflour risotto with crispy sage and lots of cheese

We are so interested in where you can take risotto at the mo.  Tonight we did a cauliflower risotto, with little tiny shaved pieces of cauliflower added in the last few minutes.  Finished off with parmesan and very well aged gouda.  A parmesan and sage tuille. (This is the first time I've done that and it worked really well).  With a butter roasted piece of cauliflower.  Underneath the risotto was an extremely serious camembert topped with miso roasted cauliflower puree.  So, the camembert with all it's funky flavours melted.  Then you sort of drag that through to eat the the caramalised puree, risotto, crispy sage and parmesan tuille.  Freshness of baby gem lettuce and crispy bread.  Yum.  The photo doesn't do it justice.  At All.  

 

A serious celeriac risotto

I kid you not.  And vegetarian.  I shoved a huge piece of St Agur on the bottom of warmed bowels.  

St Agur is a beautiful sweet blue cheese.  I made a celeriac puree. So .... on warmed bowls was St Agur cheese,  then celeriac puree, then celeriac risotto, with a parmesan tulle and crispy celeriac.  Yum yum yum.  Khalas.

Celeriac risotto

We finished off our evening outside. With a fire.  Unreal.

 

Tandoori Turkey Pie....

Umm, yummmm

 

Tandoori turkey pie.  

Perfect flakey pastry.

Made by Andy.

Khalas.