In My Kitchen: September 2023

It's funny how time passes and every month when I look back on my food photos it feels like an eternity ago, but it was all within the last month! 

Bretagne

We start August with four days in the countryside where we stayed in a small rural town called Saint-Lyphard, it has a church, a brasserie, a couple of boulangeries (one old and one modern) and strangely a huge supermarket. 

These buckwheat chips are just about the most delicious and addictive snack on the planet. I could eat the entire packet on its own! 

We were near the salt marshes of Guérande and picked up some cooking salt, salt with thyme and these pickled plants from the marshes. We could have gone to any one of dozens of shops but we ended up getting it from a shack on the side of the road. 

The food we had by the sea was just incredible. Here we had mussels and chips, a classic

A whole fresh crab to share with some excellent dijon mayonnaise

This was the best meal we had on the trip, from a Michelin recommended (not starred) restaurant. Monkfish with small shells from the sea and charred vegetables, in a delicious creamy sauce tasting of the sea. 

Back in Paris... 

We are finally settling into our "real" life. There's been plenty of ups and downs for me, and often when I'm feeling down S goes out to get a special treat for me. He's a sweet man (what a pun!) I'm a little embarrassed to review how many of treats I needed in August, but this one from Pierre Hermé was super amazing. 

 

The shell is made from white chocolate and the inside is all citrus flavours with a strawberry rhubarb compote set in the middle. 

Growing a few herbs on the window planter for some peace and green 

I discovered Boursin at the recommendation of a Canadian friend and it is really delicious!

One day when I had energy, we made these dumplings for dinner. It was to mark the Asian grocery delivery day!

Most days we have a simple lunch like this, a baguette from downstairs (often still warm), some vegetables and things to pick at.. 

Figs are very good in August and here I'm having it with a piece of cheese on my own bread. I haven't been baking much since bread is so good in France, but I hope to get back to it in full swing soon.. 

This teaset was a wedding gift from one of S' friends who ordered it from the Imperial Palace giftshop in Beijing. The cups are tiny (one mouthful!) but pouring out the tea is soothing. 

I know this is not technically my kitchen but a picnic we had in Giverny where we visited Monet's house and garden, one of the most incredible gardens I have ever seen. Giverny was a beautiful little town that is completely overrun by tourists and the restaurant prices were pretty eyewatering, but we brought our own picnic and bought an excellent 1.20 euro baguette from the local boulangerie. No matter where, they still have to serve the baguettes!

Amsterdam...

I went to Amsterdam for a few days to visit my friend from Darwin at the end of August. We met while working at the hospital together in 2011 and kept in touch through all the years of us living in different countries. I was really grateful to see a familiar face in Europe.

So much cheese! After stuffing myself full of samples, I went back to France with a big chunk of classic Dutch gouda. 

When in the Netherlands, apple pie is a must. Look at how much apple is in this pie! I love the soft sweet smells of cinnamon. 

One of the curiousities of France is that people don't eat peanut butter. But the Dutch love peanut butter and there was a huge section in the supermarket! So I got myself 1kg for the next little while.. 

Famed to be "best fries in Holland", I lined up for these fries with truffle mayo from Manneken Pis. Now it was pretty good, crispy exterior with a nice soft interior, but not sure it was worth the 20 minute queue! 

We had this "house special" at a Surinamese restaurant, a hodge-podge of rice, noodles, tempeh, vegetables and beef rendang (and a rice cracker). The spicy and savoury flavours were so refreshing, I forget sometimes how much of an Asian stomach I have. 

Finally the curveball this month is this beautiful jigsaw that I started doing (it's almost finished now). It's a watercolour of fruits and vegetables, and the bright colours really lift my day. 

For those IMK friends who follow regularly you will know that I recently relocated to France and I think in August the enormity of all the life changes has finally hit all at once. There's a lot to contend with in a big mid-life change like this. I think if I had been 20 or even 30 I would have been a bit oblivious, but it has been a lot harder than I imagined at 40. Some days I don't feel like eating or cooking, which is really a huge departure from normal for me. We are both trying to hang in there.. 

I'm sending this to Sherry of Sherry's Pickings, thank you Sherry for this little monthly ritual that brought me some joy today!