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Really Big Mushroom

My wife and I purchased a home in France earlier this year.  The house, which is in the town of Orthez, in the Pyrénées Atlantique Département, is for the present our vacation home and eventually intended as a place for our retirement. Since we will one day live in Orthez, I have taken to keeping […]

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My wife and I purchased a home in France earlier this year.  The house, which is in the town of Orthez, in the Pyrénées Atlantique Département, is for the present our vacation home and eventually intended as a place for our retirement. Since we will one day live in Orthez, I have taken to keeping

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Bastille Day 2011 Photos

Here are a few photos of this year’s Bastille Day Party at Le Pichet.  The turnout this year was stellar from the minute we opened the doors.  Clearly the ambiance on Bastille Day is not the usual, calm Le Pichet experience.  If this look like fun to you, make sure to mark you calendar with

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[portfolio_slideshow]

Here are a few photos of this year’s Bastille Day Party at Le Pichet.  The turnout this year was stellar from the minute we opened the doors.  Clearly the ambiance on Bastille Day is not the usual, calm Le Pichet experience.  If this look like fun to you, make sure to mark you calendar with

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Summer 2011 Menu at Cafe Presse

  The summer menu for 2011 arrived at Cafe Presse last Thursday July 21.  As everyone who lives in Seattle is aware, the growing season in the Northwest is way behind schedule due to the unusually cool weather we have had this year (some people would say “the total lack of sun”).  But finally we

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[portfolio_slideshow]

  The summer menu for 2011 arrived at Cafe Presse last Thursday July 21.  As everyone who lives in Seattle is aware, the growing season in the Northwest is way behind schedule due to the unusually cool weather we have had this year (some people would say “the total lack of sun”).  But finally we

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Roasted Chicken

I was recently asked by Seattle DINING if I would give up the recipe for the Whole Roasted Chicken for two that we serve at Le Pichet and Cafe Presse, to be featured in their “Chef’s Kitchen” section.  I agreed (the feature is scheduled to appear on their website beginning sometime in July 2011) and,

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[portfolio_slideshow]

I was recently asked by Seattle DINING if I would give up the recipe for the Whole Roasted Chicken for two that we serve at Le Pichet and Cafe Presse, to be featured in their “Chef’s Kitchen” section.  I agreed (the feature is scheduled to appear on their website beginning sometime in July 2011) and,

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How do you make sour starter anyway?

Haven’t you always wondered how to make a sour bread starter?  Are they hard to make?  Can you keep them for a long time?  What does a sour starter actually look like?  Although I have a fair amount of experience with baking bread, I had never tackled this particular aspect of bread making and therefore

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[portfolio_slideshow]

Haven’t you always wondered how to make a sour bread starter?  Are they hard to make?  Can you keep them for a long time?  What does a sour starter actually look like?  Although I have a fair amount of experience with baking bread, I had never tackled this particular aspect of bread making and therefore

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Cheese Label from Maison Jean d’Alos of Bordeaux

Here is a new cheese label that recently turned up at Le Pichet.  It is a great example of the odd, esoteric sorts of designs you often find on French cheeses.  This one comes from Jean d’Alos, Fromager and Affineur of Bordeaux.  A “fromager” is of course a cheese seller or shop and the addition

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[portfolio_slideshow]

Here is a new cheese label that recently turned up at Le Pichet.  It is a great example of the odd, esoteric sorts of designs you often find on French cheeses.  This one comes from Jean d’Alos, Fromager and Affineur of Bordeaux.  A “fromager” is of course a cheese seller or shop and the addition

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New Menu Day at Cafe Presse

The Spring menu rolled out at Cafe Presse on April 19, 2011. Spring means the end of many of our Winter favorites, like onion soup, Axoa and oysters.  But it also means the arrival of Spring produce and traditional warm weather dishes like Steak Tartare.  Local rhubarb, asparagus, radishes, leeks, herbs, spring onions and peas

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[portfolio_slideshow]

The Spring menu rolled out at Cafe Presse on April 19, 2011. Spring means the end of many of our Winter favorites, like onion soup, Axoa and oysters.  But it also means the arrival of Spring produce and traditional warm weather dishes like Steak Tartare.  Local rhubarb, asparagus, radishes, leeks, herbs, spring onions and peas

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Cheese Label Art

I not usually the sort of person who collects things.  Well, some may argue with that assertion but if you leave aside books and old menus, I don’t collect much.  The one exception is cheese labels.  I have saved the labels from cheeses for since the period when my wife and I lived in France. 

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[portfolio_slideshow]

I not usually the sort of person who collects things.  Well, some may argue with that assertion but if you leave aside books and old menus, I don’t collect much.  The one exception is cheese labels.  I have saved the labels from cheeses for since the period when my wife and I lived in France. 

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Macerating Liqueurs at Home

Recently I have been a bit fixated on the idea of making my own macerated liqueurs at home.  I should probably note that I get fixated on one thing or another fairly easily, with the result being a number of experiments that hopefully lead to a result with which I am happy.  If I am

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[portfolio_slideshow]

Recently I have been a bit fixated on the idea of making my own macerated liqueurs at home.  I should probably note that I get fixated on one thing or another fairly easily, with the result being a number of experiments that hopefully lead to a result with which I am happy.  If I am

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Foie Gras Terrine for the Holidays

January 06, 2011

It is hard to image the holiday season in France without foie gras. During an October visit to Maison Lafitte Foie Gras in the village of Montaut (note: our friends who live in Montaut would undoubtedly correct me on this point…by the traditional definition, Montaut is a Bourg, not a village, the difference being that a Bourg has a doctor. With a population of only 600 however, feels distinctly like a village) in France’s Chalosse region, General Manager Fabian CHEVALIER told me that his annual production cycle was driven by the sales demands of December, when a majority of the year’s output would be sold. Both for Christmas and New Years, foie gras in all its forms is a must. However, working with foie gras can be a daunting prospect for those who haven’t had the experience. And given the cost of good quality fresh foie gras, mistakes can be expensive. Fortunately, if you follow few simple steps carefully, a great foie gras terrine is really not that complicated.

Each year at Le Pichet, we serve foie gras in terrine as a special for the Holidays. But you might say “foie gras seems too fancy and expensive for Le Pichet” and you would generally be right. However, given the importance of foie gras to the season in France, we make an exception in December.

Foie Gras Terrine for the Holidays Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

January 06, 2011

It is hard to image the holiday season in France without foie gras. During an October visit to Maison Lafitte Foie Gras in the village of Montaut (note: our friends who live in Montaut would undoubtedly correct me on this point…by the traditional definition, Montaut is a Bourg, not a village, the difference being that a Bourg has a doctor. With a population of only 600 however, feels distinctly like a village) in France’s Chalosse region, General Manager Fabian CHEVALIER told me that his annual production cycle was driven by the sales demands of December, when a majority of the year’s output would be sold. Both for Christmas and New Years, foie gras in all its forms is a must. However, working with foie gras can be a daunting prospect for those who haven’t had the experience. And given the cost of good quality fresh foie gras, mistakes can be expensive. Fortunately, if you follow few simple steps carefully, a great foie gras terrine is really not that complicated.

Each year at Le Pichet, we serve foie gras in terrine as a special for the Holidays. But you might say “foie gras seems too fancy and expensive for Le Pichet” and you would generally be right. However, given the importance of foie gras to the season in France, we make an exception in December.

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