We drive over in the rain to visit Henrik’s cousin Yens and as we arrive we are treated to a demonstration of his new lawn mower, which is a little robot that continually trims the grass. After a short while, the rain stops and we sit out in the garden, watching the robot lawnmower at work, whilst we eat the feast that Yens has prepared for us

The meal consists of home made gravlax, (Gravad Lax meaning buried salmon) steamed mussels and smoked fish with egg. Beer and wine obviously. We spend a great day with Yens and Lisbet.

On a previous trip to Denmark with my sister Dot, Yens cooked us the most delicious pork dish and we have used his recipe ever since (see below). It was one of the funniest trips we’ve ever been on. We stayed in Copenhagen with Henrik’s brother and slept in a basement bedroom. It was very dark down there and as we opened the door, we were greeted with a full size male puppet with a huge beard. My sister and I nearly had a fit and never forgot that cellar. We did a lot of shopping in Copenhagen, including a 4ft candle holder, two metal chickens for egg storage, various bottles of drink and a huge suitcase, all carried on as hand luggage. Another time, we drove up to Sweden to visit the Orrefors glass factory and purchased some beautiful glass. We also took these on as hand luggage, weighing 40kilos! Those were the days.

We leave Yens and drive to Copenhagen, taking the ferry. We will be staying at Simon’s flat (Gitte and Henrik’s son) and they will stay at their daughter Marie’s flat. Both flats are lovely. Simon has completely transformed his place to a bright modern space filled with 1960s furniture. Marie’s flat is in the most lovely block, looking down on a huge recreational area. Town planning in Denmark is incredibly well thought out.

RECIPE FOR YENS’ PORK DISH

1 pork fillet

125g Danish bacon (Danish obviously – but any good smoked bacon will do!)

2 cloves of garlic chopped finely

Juice of a lemon

2 tbsp Olive oil

500gm cream

1kg mashed potatoes, made with butter and milk

Marinade the fillet in the olive oil, lemon juice and chopped garlic for 2-3 hours or overnight. Keep the marinade.

Take the pork fillet out of the marinade and brown in a frying pan for 5 to 10 minutes and then put it in the oven for 15 minutes at 180ºC Fan. Reserve the meat juices.

Make the sauce up using the meat juices, some of the marinade, lemon juice and cream. Heat through thoroughly and add salt and pepper.

Chop the bacon into small pieces and fry until crispy and leave aside.

Take the pork out of the oven, make sure it is cooked through. Slice into medallions and arrange on a plate. Pour the sauce over and garnish with the crispy bacon. Serve with the creamy mashed potatoes.

God Apetit

We have known Henrik and Gitte since the 1980s, when we lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I met Gitte at the local medical centre where she was a nurse and we have been friends ever since. They live in Silkeborg in Denmark and have a summer house on the coast in Bonnerup Strand.

In Bonnerup there is the most marvellous market on the harbour, selling the freshest fish you could ever wish for. Every day at the summer house, we love to walk down to the harbour and choose something for the evening meal. The market also make their own hot fish cakes, and at lunchtime, we sit outside eating them with a beer and Gitte’s homemade bread.

The market has a restaurant and we have eaten there on several occasions. The cold fish platter is lovely (see recipe below).

One of our favourite dishes is Gitte’s Chilli Crab and she has promised to send me the recipe. It is delicious but incredibly messy to eat. Recipe and photos to follow!

RECIPE FOR DANISH SEAFOOD PLATTER

Peeled prawns

Crayfish

Herrings (Ikea do the best but most supermarkets sell herrings in jars in various sauces)

Smoked salmon

Brown bread

Mayonnaise

Simply put all the ingredients together on a plate with a mixed salad and strips of cucumber. Serve with brown bread and a crisp white wine.

God Appetit

For Ed’s birthday I have organised a weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix. The circuit is only about an hour from Empuria so we set off early in the Corvette. The roof is off and we drive along the Mediterranean coast playing Down the Road Apiece by the Stones and Willie Nelson’s On The Road Again – such great travelling songs.

The Friday of the Grand Prix weekend is usually a quieter day and when we arrive the parking is relatively easy. We check over the huge team lorries. These lorries contain all the cars and equipment needed for the Grand Prix races and we’ve often seen them driving up and down the motorways of Europe.

We have a tour of the pits and see Lewis Hamilton, Vettel and Rosberg. We walk along some of the track and check out our seats up on the stand, near the starting line. We stop for something to eat and drink in the vast food village that offers every kind of meal. Spanish, French, Mexican, English, Chinese and American to name a few. After a long hot day, we drive back to Empuria for a quiet evening.

On Saturday we drive back and watch the qualifying rounds. Trackside is the noisiest place on earth and we need earplugs to drown out the roar. We sit up in the stands with a great view, watching as Hamilton and Vettel vie for pole position. Another fascinating day for us petrol heads.

Sunday we leave Empuria early and arrive in time to get a good parking space. We’ve brought a picnic today as the food stalls will be extremely busy. We watch as the paparazzi surround the drivers. Then the celebrities arrive in their private helicopters and are shown to their hospitality suites above the pits. We spot David Coulthard and a few other ex drivers, who are commentating on the race.

We wait for the lights to go green and suddenly the cars are off with an unbelievable roar. Hamilton and Rosberg are neck and neck as they round the third bend of the first lap, they suddenly smack into each other and take each other’s cars out. We can’t believe that they’re out on the first lap. The cars have to be lifted from the track so the safety car comes out and slows all the drivers down. We stare in disbelief as Hamilton and Rosberg do the walk of shame and head back to the pits. Eventually the track is cleared and the race continues. The Dutch driver Max Verstappen wins the race – the first Grand Prix win of this young man’s career (he’s 18).

We watch the presentations and then the ubiquitous champagne shower over the spectators. We race back to the car to get away on the road to Empuria before the whole area becomes gridlocked. A fabulous weekend and one we won’t forget.

We’re too tired to eat out tonight, so pick up a rotisserie chicken from the supermercado and sit out on the balcony, watching the boats sail past on their way in and out of the port.

On Tuesday, we drive up the coast to Santa Margarita and have lunch in a seafront restaurant. I choose a seafood pizza with salad (see recipe)

SEAFOOD PIZZA RECIPE

2 tortilla wraps (tortilla in Spanish means small cake)

Olive oil

Selection of cooked seafood – prawns, scallops and smoked salmon (I cook the prawns and scallops in garlic butter and add the smoked salmon for a few minutes before serving)

Artichoke hearts cut in half

Pesto sauce

Brush the tortillas with oil and put in a hot oven (200ºC) for 5 to 10 minutes until they are crisp

Remove from the oven and spread the pesto sauce over the base. Add the seafood and artichoke hearts. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley

Serve with salad

Buen apetito

A few summers ago, we drove down to France with Joe and Jan to stay at our house in Chalabre and celebrate Jan’s birthday. We arrived mid afternoon and opened up the house. We emptied the food bags in the kitchen and the boys checked upstairs, opening up all the shutters. After a short time they came down to the kitchen and I asked if all was OK upstairs. Ed replied that yes, all was fine apart from a slight problem with Bees. We followed him up the stairs to the hallway and looked around – it seemed very dark. I looked up at the window and nearly had a fit – there was the biggest collection of bees I’ve ever seen. It was like a black lace curtain filling the window.

I immediately called our great friend, Pierre – he’s the best person to help with any sort of problem. He went in search of the local Bee Man in Camon. Meanwhile, I ran over to the Hotel De France and spoke to Didier. He then phoned his Bee Man from Chalabre (Jean).

“How many bees Madame do you think there is? Said Jean

“About a thousand?” I said, guessing.

“That’s nothing Madame, but I’ll come and have a look tomorrow”.

I went back to the house and Pierre’s Bee Man was already there. He took one look and said there was actually 25,000 bees and we could happily leave them there until next spring (months away!!!) and they will fly off. Not a chance I thought to myself.

We left the window and the shutter closed all night and taped up any cracks. I didn’t sleep much. Next morning, the nest had grown by 20cm!! I called Jean and asked him to remove the bees ASAP. He arrived around 10am, dressed in appropriate gear. He told us to wait downstairs in the kitchen. He proceeded to smoke the bees out and put them in a great big container with the queen. When he’d finished, we slowly ascended the stairs. Jean was now dressed in just a T shirt and jeans with the remaining couple of hundred bees flying around him. As I reached the door, the bees decided to welcome me, swarming everywhere – I went out the front door with bees surrounding my head, running up the street, screeching with every new sting I received. They also loved Ed’s beard, so he was stung too. Jean thought it was hilarious and told us that the bees love clean hair!!! After the bees had been removed, and safely installed in one of Jean’s orchard beehives, it took us another week to clean the windows and shutters of all the beeswax that had caked everything.

After all the drama with the bees, we finally start celebrating Jan’s birthday with a drink and cake at home before we went to Oliviers restaurant. The cake was a lovely lemon torte from our local patisserie – a sharp delicious gateaux.

In the evening we head to Mirepoix and Llobets Restaurant. Benedicte cooks the most delicious Frogs Legs with garlic in the pan. She always sends me out a dish of fresh spinach, picked from her own garden. This is lovely with a pat of butter (see recipe).

RECIPE FOR SIMPLE SPINACH

Fresh spinach

Butter and garlic

Wash the spinach well and put in a sauce pan. Turn the pan on for a few minutes until the spinach is wilted. Squeeze as much as the water out as you can (Ed’s grandmother used a Potato Ricer for this). Put the spinach in a dish, add butter, finely chopped garlic and a sprinkle of nutmeg. This is one of the most delicious, simplest dish ever and I eat it every time I’m at Oliviers – yum. If you wish, you can poach a couple of eggs and put them on top with some grated emmental. Also delicious.

Lizzie is a good friend of ours and we worked together many years ago. We are godparents to each other’s daughters and have spent many really great holidays together. She is an accomplished artist, who has her own exhibitions from time to time in Wales, where she lives. This evening we take her to Philippe’s Bar for a meal and we sit and discuss the coming week. She is particularly interested to see Dali’s museum so we book up for a return visit.

We have an early breakfast at Montserrat supermarket of coffee and croissants and leave for Figueres. Every time we go back to Dali’s spectacular theatre, we see something new. Today we discover more paintings and Installation Art that we didn’t have time to see before.

Dali’s painting of Gala (his wife) seen from both the back of the artist as he paints, and from the back of Gala, with both reflected in the mirror. Painting measures 60cm X 60cm painted in 1973.

Figure seen from the back painted in temper and oil on cardboard measuring 74.5cm x 53cm painted in 1925

As you walk up the stairs, you disappear into the mouth of the figure at the top.

We spend several hours in the museum and then drive back to Empuria where we sit by the water, having a drink. Joe and Jan will join us tonight and we decide to eat at La Tagliatelle, a great Italian restaurant in Empuria.

It’s difficult to choose from their great menu so we order several dishes and share them between us.

RECIPE FOR SEAFOOD SALAD

Assortment of lettuce, I use a combination of red and green lettuces, such as lollo rosso, baby gem and frisee, mixed with lambs tongue, rocket and watercress. You can buy a mixed bag of lettuce which contains most of these.

Smoked salmon

Fresh prawns (some peeled and others au natural)

Crab pate (see recipe)

Sun dried tomatoes

Put the mixture of lettuces on a large plate, along with the sun dried tomatoes. Use a good dressing, such as olive oil, mustard and sweet vinegar (Marc de champagne or similar).

Add the smoked salmon pieces (bite size), prawns and crab pate

Serve as a starter or main course. I usually make a salad for around 6 people and let them help themselves.

CRAB PATE

This will serve 6 on the salad

2 X 145gm tins of dressed crab meat (mixture of brown and white crab) OR 2 Cromer crabs if you can get them. Most supermarkets sell tinned crab. If you can’t get crab, use tinned salmon or tuna.

1 tbsp Creme fraiche

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1tbsp Chopped Chives

1 tsp tomato sauce

Pinch of chilli

Salt and pepper

Drain the crabmeat and remove any liquid with kitchen roll

Add the creme fraiche, mayo, tomato sauce and chives to the crab meat. Mix all together and add the chilli. Season with salt and pepper.

Form the mixture into small quenelles (use two teaspoons to shape these).

Place them in the fridge for a couple of hours to chill.

Serve on top of the salad or with toasted sourdough bread.

Buen apetito

After lunch we drive back to Empuria and are delighted that Didier and Marielle will join us for a few days. They work really hard at their hotel and don’t often take a break, so it will be great to spend time with them. They arrive soon after us and that night we go out to eat at Capitans. Marielle had a huge paraillade of fish, Ed’s choice was steak tartare and Didier had an enormous plate of calves liver, bacon and Rosti. I went for Lobster (chosen by Ali!) fresh from the tank. We love the atmosphere of this place and the waiters entertained us later with a few songs.

After the meal we walk down to the seafront. There is a night market with all sorts of goodies to buy. Marielle and I disappear to look at the shoes and handbags and Didier and Ed head to the watch man. None of us come back empty handed!

Next day we have a swim in the pool after breakfast and then walk down to Montserrat supermercado for lunch. For a supermarket they have an excellent menu with a wide choice of meat and fish and vegetarian. Ed and I are still full up from last night’s meal but Marielle and Didier in true French fashion, manage another huge feast.

Didier’s platter of ham with tomato bread is a common dish in Spain and is very often served with cheese. This is easy to prepare and is a great sharing dish to serve at home (see recipe).

The lunch takes a few hours by which time we all need a rest. We head back to the villa and sit by the pool with a cold drink, watching the skydivers jump from the ‘plane that flys over Empuria every hour. This is a jump too far for us but it is incredibly popular with the tourists who flock to Empuria in the summer season. We ask Marielle if she would like to try the experience, but she has never been on a ‘plane, let alone one she would have to jump out of!

They drive back to France the next day and it was a pleasure to see them.

RECIPE FOR PAN CON TOMATE

This will serve around 6 to 8 people as a tapas dish

2 large beefsteak tomatoes or 4 large on the vine tomatoes (use ripe, good quality tomatoes).

Crusty loaf – sourdough if possible as this soaks up the juices. If not a good baguette will work.

Olive oil

Maldon sea salt

2 cloves of garlic cut in half

Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally. Using the bigger hole on the grater, run the open halves up and down into a bowl, until all the pulp is removed. Discard the skin and core.

Cut the bread into thick slices (or cut baguette lengthways and then into pieces about 10cm long) and place on an oven tray. Rub the cut garlic along the bread. Drizzle olive oil over each slice and sprinkle sea salt on top. Put the bread under the grill for 4-5 minutes until it is slightly charred around the edges. BUT KEEP AND EYE ON IT as it can burn very quickly!

Remove the bread from the oven, spread the tomato pulp over the slices, drizzle with a little more olive oil and serve with ham and/or cheese. If you can get it, the Spanish Iberico ham is wonderful but Serrano or Parma ham is just as good. I use thinly sliced Manchego cheese which works wonderfully with the bread and ham.

The Spanish serve the dish on a special layered plate which looks lovely. I use an old fashioned three-tiered cake stand of my mothers which looks just as good and impresses my guests when it is presented.

buen apetito!

When we first moved to France in 2006, we had major works carried out on our Maison du Maître. We had some very good artisans and and a few not so good but all were great fun. One of the best was Christian the plumber and his work was excellent. He was an impressive figure – a big man who had a very light touch with his work. One of the most eccentric artisans we had was Danny the electrican, with the crazy hair. Danny would never switch off the mains when he worked with electricity but preferred to test the system live. No wonder his hair stood up on end! One afternoon I came back from picking Abi up from school and could hear singing up on the fourth floor of the house. I crept up the stairs and in the bathroom, leading from our bedroom was Christian and his assistant Jean, Danny the electrician, and Michel the plasterer, all singing along to C’est Si Bon! It was a sight I will never forget.

Apart from loving his work, Christian was also a great gourmet and adored his food. We would often discuss restaurants and recipes over our early morning coffee. One of his favourite places to eat was at the Château de Cavanac on the outskirts of Carcassonne. We have to say it is now one of our favourite places too.

To read the full story about Christian and our first night at Cavanac you can go back to May 2016 on my blog and read The Gastronome Plumber (after The Llobets story). You can also read about my adventure in the men’s loos at Cavanac with Christian!

The hotel dates from the XVII century has been totally renovated. It sits amongst beautiful vineyards and the wine produced from the estate is served in the restaurant. Below are just a few samples from the four course menu

First course – Half Lobster and fresh salad, local oysters, buffalo mozzarella with fresh tomatoes and truffle oil.

Second course – Pan fried foie gras with fig sauce and spiced bread, snails in Carcassonne sauce, pan fried scallops with bisque sauce,

Main course – Cassoulet with duck confit, suckling pig, braised lamb with herbs, slow baked caramelised pork ribs, beef fillet with pepper sauce.

Dessert – Pear belle Helene, tarte au citron, strawberry and vanilla vacherin.

The price of the meal, including superb wines from the Château’s vineyards is 45 euros – almost the same price as 15 years ago. A truly wonderful place which we adore. To see this amazing hotel, press on the link below. http://www.chateau-de-cavanac.fr

We meet up with Sue and Willie who have just flown in from UK. They are very impressed with the hotel and the food and we thoroughly enjoy our stay at this wonderful place.

The following morning we drive back to Chalabre and call in to see Marielle and Didier with their son Julien, at the Hotel Du France.

We have been friends with the Limouzy family since we moved to France (see the First Night in Chalabre story on my previous blog under May 2016)

They are busy today with a crowd of bikers arriving to eat. Their midday menu is three courses with wine for 14 euros. We decide to stop and eat. His grilled moules are delicious (see recipe) and we thoroughly enjoy the lunch.

RECIPE FOR GRILLED MOULES

serves 4

Allow about 10 per person – approx 1kg of mussels, scrubbed and beards removed (throw any that do not close when cleaning)

100ml white wine or chicken stock

100g butter

3 cloves garlic crushed

30g breadcrumbs mixed with 30g finely grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

Bring the white wine or stock to a boil. Add the mussels – put a lid on and cook for 5 minutes until all the mussels are open. Throw any that haven’t opened. Remove from the saucepan and drain. Split the mussels and throw away the empty half shells. Place the mussels on an oven proof plate.

Reduce the wine/stock to about half. In a bowl, combine the butter, garlic, parsley, oil and reduced stock and mix into a paste. Spread the paste over the mussels, sprinkle the breadcrumbs and parmesan over the top and grill until golden. Serve with fresh bread to mop up those delicious juices!

Bon appétit!

We eat at Pura Brasa restaurant in Empuria tonight. It’s an attractive looking place with spectacular interiors. Select your meat and they will cook it to your preference. It arrives on a hot plate, cooked to perfection. Delicious. One of their specialities is Wagyu beef which is produced from a Japanese breed of cattle. It is the fine marbling of fat throughout the meat that gives it such a delicious and tender flavour. These cattle are now bred in several countries, including Great Britain, where there are herds in Yorkshire and Scotland.

We start with a glass of Rosé – all the wines are available by glass or bottle, which enables us to select different wines with each course.

After dinner we walk along to the marina where the moon illuminates all the boats.

We walk on to the seafront and can see the lights of Rosas in the distance. A friend of ours took us along the coastline in his boat and pointed out all the sights of this beautiful place.

We continue along the seafront end up at El Capitan for a night cap. Ed orders a whiskey and an espresso and I have my usual cortado (a short coffee with milk).

In France they serve an espresso with three small puddings – Cafe Gourmand. It is an easy dessert to produce at home. I make a dark chocolate mousse (see recipe) and put it in a ramekin or small glass bowl. Add a scoop of good ice cream or sorbet in another dish and thirdly a couple of large strawberries (dipped in white chocolate) in another dish. Place these three small dishes on a plate, sprinkle with icing sugar and present it to your guests. It looks stunning and makes a good wow factor on the dining table at the end of a meal.

RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Serves two as a dessert or four in smaller dishes for Cafe Gourmand

120gm dark chocolate (use a good quality high percentage 70-80% cocoa if possible)

2 eggs separated

Break up the chocolate into small squares and place in a bowl over simmering water (NOT boiling or the chocolate will go dull and don’t let the bowl touch the water) just gently stir the chocolate until it has melted and remove from the heat.

Beat the egg yolks and add them to the chocolate, whisking thoroughly all the time until the mixture is smooth.

Whisk the egg whites until they reach a soft peak and fold them into the chocolate mixture.

Pour the mixture into serving dishes and chill for a couple of hours in the fridge. You can add a teaspoon of cream and a sprinkle of grated chocolate on top if required.

If you’re making Cafe Gourmand, place a chocolate pot on the plate, and add any other two dishes with it. I have made it with a sliced fig, clementine segments, tiny apple pastry, macaron, profiterole, mini muffin, scoop of sorbet or ice cream and any other combination that looks good together. Serve it with a small cup of strong coffee and you have your very own CAFE GOURMAND – Bon Appetit!

Tomorrow we are driving up to Carcassonne to meet with some family and friends and will stay at the wonderful Chateau du Cavanac who have the most wonderful hotel with an incredible menu – a demain!

Under a block of luxury apartments in Empuria, is Philippe’s Bar. It’s a lovely friendly little place run by Mirmou and his team. Tonight is gala night with music and dancing. The bar is frequented by Dutch and Spanish and a few English and Irish (namely us). Tonight we are served a five course meal for 25 euros including an aperitif, wine and live music.

It’s a laugh from the beginning. The organist warms up with a few well known numbers and then people are up and dancing. We watch in fascination as seemingly staid and somewhat boring looking people suddenly turn into animated, graceful and coordinated dancers.

Mirmou serves us a cocktail of Codorniu (one of the nicest Cava wines in Spain) and stops for a chat. He can’t speak much English but he speaks French (like most of the Spanish) and I chat away to him and catch up with all the news from the bar. When we first met him he would greet us with what sounded like “Allo Cheese-my”. We thought maybe it was a Catalan greeting – no. Maybe a Spanish greeting? – no. German or Dutch? – No. Turns out it was an English greeting he had picked up from a crowd of Londoners, who had thanked him with a friendly “Cheers Mate” as they left. So ever after we christened the place Cheesemi.

After a few more drinks we brave the dance floor and enjoy a dance. Then I am asked for another dance, and another, and another. By the end of the night I had many new admirers!

During the winter, the Tramontana wind comes across the Pyrénées and hits the region and has been known to blow for several days. This year it was so severe that a boat was lifted out of its moorings and onto the jetty. The word Tramontana comes from the Latin meaning “across the mountains”. During this cold snap we go to Philippe’s bar for the Goulash soup (see recipe). It’s spicy and delicious and served with fresh crusty bread. A good dish to warm us up before the sun comes back.

GOULASH SOUP RECIPE

Serves four

800g Stewing steak cut into 3cm pieces

1 large onion chopped into 2cm pieces

1tbsp olive oil

1 large clove of garlic crushed

1 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp sweet smoked Paprika

500ml beef stock

400gm tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 Red or green pepper chopped into thin strips about 4cm long

Salt and pepper

Sour cream or yoghurt

Parsley or paprika

Brown the beef in the hot olive oil then remove to another plate. Turn the heat down and add onion and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and put the meat back in. Stir in the flour and paprika and coat everything. Now put in the beef stock, stir everything and bring to a boil. Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato purée and season with salt and pepper. Bring back to a boil. Remove from the heat and cook in a preheated oven 160ºC/140º FAN for one and a half hours. Remove from the oven, add the peppers and put back in the oven for 45 minutes. Test to see if the meat is tender and then serve in bowls. Add a spoonful of sour cream or thick yoghurt on top and sprinkle with a little parsley or paprika.

Some recipes add diced potato along with the pepper, which you may prefer to do. This also makes the dish go further.

VRUISE CRUISE NEWS

Jude and Phil spend their last evening dining at the captains table and enjoy a wonderful supper.

After the meal, Phil and Jude are presented with some leaving presents. Phil is not sure how to wear them.

They have had a wonderful cruise despite Phil’s emergency rescue and Jude’s sore feet. In the meantime, they have enjoyed all the captivating scenery throughout Norway and look forward to their return trip next year.

RECIPE NEWS

Here’s some pictures of tried recipes (see previous posts for recipes)

Carl and Laura’s rotisserie chicken (before they ate it this time!)

And this is Cheryl’s white Sangria

Cheers!