What's a Kaki?

That's what we thought when we saw the sign in E.Leclerc yesterday, so we bought one or rather, three as the offer was 3 for 0,99€

They turned out to be what we know as Persimmon. Searching through online recipes for help on how to prepare them, we found lots used in salads, predominantly alongside hazelnuts, but one recipe by Martha Stewart, was for a simple dessert: Caramellised Persimmon with marscapone and lime.

Jean and Nick came over today giving us the perfect excuse to try out this recipe...which basically involved cutting the persimmon into half inch slices,

drizzling over some runny honey and grilling until caramellised.

This done, place on a serving dish and sprinkle with fresh lime juice and serve with a spoonful of marscapone.

And the result?? Well, there were none left and I think we all enjoyed them. I found them just the right blend of sweetness - the lime juice helped to cut through the honey - and we would certainly have them again as a light dessert.

We'll also be on the look out for trees locally, as we have noticed one or two with fruit (or to be correct botanically, berries) going to waste by the wayside.

Chicken in a Spin!

As mentioned last week, we have lived here for two years now and during that time we have used the oven frequently. We have baked, roasted, grilled and braised but we have never used the rotisserie.

Never, that is, until last evening...

It all began with a delicious meal cooked for us by Jean and Nick; succulent chicken, cooked to perfection on the rotisserie, and served with roasted vegetables... .

"Haven't we got one of those?" we pondered... So we came home, searched and duly found one in the depths of the most inaccessible cupboard in the kitchen.

Washed and primed, it made its debut yesterday evening....

And what a success! Such a success that we were in so much of a hurry to eat it,we forgot to take a photo; this will have to do!

Which left us with the question..... Why oh why haven't we been using it for the last two years???

Yet again, Jean and Nick, thank you for prompting us to explore our own oven!

Quick Cherry Pie...

As we still have a freezer full of cherries from our summer crop, Colin decided he'd make a cherry pie.

It was hardly worth mixing our own pastry; this pack of ready rolled was just forty one cents from the supermarket..

and because the cherries in the freezer had already been stewed, this made for a super-quick recipe!

All that was needed was to strain the cherries and place them on the pastry base. Top with the pastry lid, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with a little sugar, then pie was ready to put in the oven.

Twenty minutes later and the pie was ready to serve...

Hold on, Colin, it's not dinner time yet!!

Carrots with everything!

The last of the carrots were dug up yesterday so that we can rotivate the potager in preparation for the winter. Quite what we're going to do with all the carrots is yet to be decided. Carrots with everything, I guess!

One thing's for sure: there will be nothing wrong with our night vision!

Want-not Soup

At the end of the season when you've picked the last of the tomatoes and other vegetables, soup is the ideal thing to make. Not only is it nutritious and warming in the cooler weather, it also freezes well, so nothing need go to waste.

My recipe for "Want-Not Soup" is so called for that very reason.  Add whatever vegetables you have spare and every batch you make will be slightly different, which is an added bonus!

These are the ingredients I used to make my batch today:

Now for the method:

Tomatoes form a good basis for the soup. The quantity is up to you but they must first be skinned. I do this by bringing them to the boil in a large pan and as the come to the boil I scoop them out with a slotted spoon and, wearing rubber gloves to protect my hands, I peel off the skin which at this stage should come away without much difficulty. The peeled tomatoes can be put in a separate container until all are ready.

Once the tomatoes are all peeled pour away any water from the pan and return the tomatoes to it. Peel and chop your selection of vegetables (such as the ones shown above) and add these to the pan along with a vegetable stock cube (the Knorr one shown are really good). Then simply bring to the boil, cover and leave to simmer for about 45 minutes or until all the vegetables are soft.

Leave to cool slightly and then blitz with a whisk until smooth, or, if preferred, leave it chunky for a more rustic feel! Sometimes I put it through a sieve to remove the tomato seeds but this is optional.

Serve with a herb garnish or a swirl of creme fraiche:

It is delicious with fresh bread (I'm told!) and will freeze perfectly well until needed.

Preserving pears for the winter!

First I must thank everyone for their recipe ideas following our blog, Apple Harvest. I never knew there were so many ways of preparing apples and pears! They will provide a welcome break from my old standbys!

I decided to test some of our pears to see how well they would freeze and I was pleasantly surprised by the results. This is the method I used (the same can be used for apples...)

Ingredients
Pears
Sugar to taste
One lemon (or a few drops of lemon juice)

Method
Peel, core and quarter the pears.

Place in a pan of cold water and squeeze the lemon over (or sprinkle with lemon juice) to prevent the pears discolouring. Add sugar to taste - a couple of tablespoons will be sufficient for a pan full of pears.

Bring slowly to the boil and simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Leave to cool, then pack into freezer boxes and freeze.

Serving suggestion:

Defrost the pears slowly and serve with crème fraîche and seasonal berries for a simple but delicious pudding!

Stuffed Woodpecker

We thought we would share with you our latest recipe.

Roast woodpecker stuffed with hazelnuts and served with Grapes and Celeriac Puree.

Woodpecker is a bird that is available year-round. Young birds are best for eating. This recipe will cook the woodpeckers to rare - so ensuring maximum flavour.

• 4 woodpeckers, plucked and cleaned
• 2 lbs Hazelnuts
• Salt & pepper
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 celeriac root, peeled and cut into large pieces
• 1/2 lb small (seedless) black grapes (250 g)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• You will also need:
• Foil
• A masher

Preheat the oven to 266 degrees F (130 degrees C). Season the woodpeckers with salt & pepper and stuff with the hazelnuts. Heat half of the butter in a frying pan and brown the woodpeckers over a medium heat. Make sure that you also brown the legs (they may take longer than the breasts).
Place the woodpeckers on a baking sheet and roast for approximately 12 minutes on the middle rack of the oven. Take the woodpeckers out of the oven and allow to rest on a warm plate, loosely covered with foil. Now increase the oven temperature to 392 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Meanwhile, cook the celeriac for 15 minutes in plenty of salted water.
Snip smaller bunches of grapes from the bunch of grapes and carefully toss in the olive oil on the baking sheet. Roast the grapes in the middle of the oven for approximately 15 minutes.
Now drain the celeriac and mash to a rustic puree with the rest of the butter. Season the puree with freshly grated nutmeg, salt & pepper.
Divide the celeriac puree over four warmed plates, dish up the roast woodpeckers and place a small bunch of grapes on each plate. Drizzle with the grape 'gravy'.

 Bon Appétit...

Stop... only a joke but actually what I would like to do to the woodpeckers that have stolen ALL our hazelnuts. The only recipe change would be that they would be already stuffed!!!!!

Lunch ?

On our Sunday walk this afternoon following last nights and this mornings rain we came across quite a few large white snails (Helix pomatia) on the woodland paths.

This species is frequently farmed, and is called by the French name escargot when it is used in cooking.

This recipe description is taken from "The Art of British Cooking", by Theodora Fitzgibbon (no longer in print). The recipe itself is by Paul Leyton (1914-1998)

When ready to be prepared the snails (at least 1-1 1/2 dozen per person) should be immersed in water to which about 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon has been added. After about 6 hours add 2 more tablespoons of salt, and after another 6, or overnight, a further 2 more.

The snails should remain immersed for 24-36 hours, after which they should be drained, and all the snails will be dead. The lid must be kept on all the time, and any snails which have crawled up the sides must be put back in the brine.

Two large saucepans must now be prepared half full with boiling water (about 2-3 pints), and the snails put in for about 5 minutes, first in one saucepan, with a tablespoon salt, and then in the other, during which time the water must be boiling furiously. This serves to clean the snails, and the reason for the two saucepans is that one serves as the wash and the other as the rinse. The snails should be drained and rinsed under the tap for a minute or two. Now the snails are ready to be finally simmered and served with their sauce.

For the Court Bouillon

• 2 pints water
• 1 pint dry draught cider or dry white whine
• 2 bay
• sprig of tarragon
• 3 small sliced onions
• 3 small sliced carrots
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic
• pepper and salt 

For the sauce

• 1/2 lb. butter
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Cheddar Cheese
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon each dill, fennel, chervil, chives, lemon balm, finely chopped.
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon thyme finely chopped. 

Instructions
For the court bouillon bring all ingredients to the boil, add the snails and simmer slowly for 4 hours. Then remove the snails and cool, mouth down, on a wire rack.
For the sauce all ingredients should be beaten together and gently warmed. To fill snails with sauce, the snail is held in the left hand and nearly pulled out of its shell, the sauce is then forced into the shell with a small spoon. When full the snail is pressed back into the shell, and the snails put mouth up until the sauce sets.
To serve they are put on to a snail plate and put either into a hot oven for a few minutes to heat through, or under a hot grill to get sizzling hot. They are served with thinly sliced brown bread and butter.
The recipe should, once and for all, squash the legend that the English don't take time and trouble with their cooking!

Bon Apetit

Unfortunately we did not find the two dozen snails required so have not been able to try the recipe.