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Gemonimo

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    et qoi???

    in French Culture

    Posted

    Hello hoverfrog.......

    Is he cute? Just kidding! From my experience it is best to be firm but polite and most important of all, build a good relationship with his wife/partner because human nature being wht it is, she will hold you responsible and could wreck your reputation if she so wished just because he stepped foot in your house......

    Christmas

    in French Food and Wine

    Posted

    Let me know how it goes vervialle, and Sweet 17, if your OH doesn't eat meat, what will you be cooking? I only ask because this year among the carnivores chez moi I will have a vegetarian niece and her polish fella, and, well, down here in duckland vegetarian dishes are few and far between. I did google up a few polish recipes but there were too many x, y and z for me to understand.........

    Christmas

    in French Food and Wine

    Posted

    Pleased to be of service vervialle......

    You will need a deep fireplace as the 'braise' will take up quite a bit of space. We use 'pieds de vigne' which are the stalks as opposed to the 'sarments' which are the long branches on which the grapes grow but I guess any wood that doesn't spit would do. As the gigot will be hanging from the front of the chimney, you will need to make sure the hearth is extended a bit to catch all drips, wood etc. I use a piece of 'fer forgé' which normally would go at the back of the fireplace and hold it up with a breeze block or two.

    To hold the gigot you will need to have some sort of hook. My late OH drilled hole into he manelpiece and then fabricated a longth of fer sort of like an elongated letter S to fit into the hole, over the mantelpiece and down to receive the lamb.

    Now comes the easy bit. Attach the lamb with strong cooking string leaving a long loop to go over the above metioned hook.The lamb should be hanging about 30-50cm aove the dish that collects all the juices. Make sure it is solid as you wouldn't want it do drop off - quelle catastrophe! The idea is that you twist the string and as it unwinds the lamb is cooked on all sides rather like a rotisserie. It is really very elementary and so much fun. I marinate the lamb for a night and when it is hanging (over an ovenproof dish) I baste it.

    Make sure you have enough wood to hand, adding enough each time so that the heat remains constant.

    As everyone will want to baste and twist, you can sit back with a glass of bordeaux and listen to carols from Kings College Choir (or if you prefer, Bruce Springsteen.....).

    Alchohol

    in The Complete France Post Bag

    Posted

    Thanx Sweet 17 for your encouragement.  On re-reading my post it seemed a little 'nombrilistic' and for that I apologise.  I really only wanted to encourge Chris, Meg and anyone else out there that what you are doing is really worth the effort for you and those who love you.  Jen

    Alchohol

    in The Complete France Post Bag

    Posted

    Sometimes posts on a thread like this one are too distressing and personal to reply to, but here goes.  The circumstances under which I arrived in France are too complicated and sad to go into but suffice to say I found myself here in France with three school age children, no OH (disappeared) and certainly no child support.  After a huge struggle to find a job and make something of my life (this was seventeen years ago), I met a lovely but nonethless complicated mad and as they say, I remade my life.  My lovely new man was an alcoholic but a funtioning alcoholic although he had previously drank spirits, when he entered my life he only drank wine (he was a viticulteur) which didn't help.  To cut a long story short, we had ten years together of ups and downs but he never stopped drinking even though he really wanted to. He had a heart problem and high blood pressure and his heart was at the limit to its endurance and his cardialogue told him unless he stopped drinking he would be dead within six months.  That night he agreed to go into detox the following morning and I packed his case and told him I'd stay with him as long as he needed me there.  The next morning I woke to go to the clinic with him but he had already left and was to be found in the local bar.  He couldn't help it, it was stronger than him.

    Things continued much as before until one night a few months later when he fell from the mezzanine of our house (which was under reconstruction following a fire) where I found him unconcious.  The SAMU and pompiers did everything they could and transported him to  Bordeaux Pellegin Hospital where he was on a life support machine for three days until it was turned off.  In spite of his alcoholism and the damage to his heart and lungs (he was a smoker), he corneas and kidneys were transplanted so his last act on this earth was one of generosity. His family hold me responsible for his death as I didn't force him to take his pills and I didn't force him to go into detox.  They never understood that if someone wants to recover from alcoholism they must take the responsibility for their own health and accept the support and love that friends and family give. This was five years ago and never a day goes by when I think of what our life together could have been without alcohol. 

    Christmas

    in French Food and Wine

    Posted

    And why not a chapon?  I know they are expensive but certainly worth every euro.  This year we're having a 'gigot a la ficelle' cooked in the fireplace.  It's lots of fun and everyone takes part with the basting in between drinking..................... 

    Jen

    Adopting French ways.....

    in The Complete France Post Bag

    Posted

    Buerk! But her bunny sauté is probably to die for!  In terms of grossness, we were invited to meet my daughters boyfriends grandmother who was renowned for her home made pâtés, confits, rillettes etc. so I was pretty confident we'd be in for a good meal, and we weren't disappointed.  After the meal I excused myself and slipped off to the loo and discovered,  on the floor next to the lavatory, a basin full of tripes,  pork and heaven only knows what all waiting to be turned into saussages. Knowing her husband had rather bad eyesight, we never accepted another invitation..................!

    Adopting French ways.....

    in The Complete France Post Bag

    Posted

    Bread on a plate?  That means more dishes! I was happy to adopt the habits of my french paysan  OH when I met him - same plate from entrée through to the cheese but I couldn't get to grips with turning the soup bowl upside down......... Rustique or what!  And he cleaned his knife with his bread before cutting the cheese.

    Jen

    FIREPALCE

    in House Renovations

    Posted

    A couple of questions Pete - well three, actually. How big is your barn; will the foyer/insert be your only source of heating and what will the style (traditional, contemporary) of the barn. If the barn will just be one large high ceiling area, a standard insert or Godin style wood burner might be disproporionate to the room, but as Shimble said in his post you do need to speak to a professional. Jen

    soil pipes

    in House Renovations

    Posted

    [quote user="J.R."]

    Regrettably I gave no thought to the practical reason for the existence of some building regs[:)]

    Mine are all glued!

    I have just reread your post and my reply "why are you worried?" -  because there may have been, and is, a good reason for the building regs.

    Wish I had thought that rather than I can do what I want, "ni vu ni connu" which by the way is the phrase given to me by my Maire when I aired my planning concerns[:D].

    [/quote]

    Re: The songs we are singing

    in The Lighter Side

    Posted

    Sorry Frenchie, I'm absolutely cyber-nul.  In fact, I'm waiting for my youngest to get back from the fac in Bdx to show me how to link, paste, blah, blah, blah.  In the meantime, the music was Morningtown Ride by the Seekers (an Australian Group from the, er, cough, splutter, '60's).  http://youtube.com/watch?v=TOaLLsV_WvM.  Perhaps you can tell me which keys to press so I can impress junior when he gets home (with laundry).  Jen

    Re: The songs we are singing

    in The Lighter Side

    Posted

    Ah! The songs we sang to our children......... I sang 'Morningtown Ride' to my little ones and am now waiting for the petits enfants to arrive (they are not in any hurry) so that I can sing to them as I tuck them in.  Precious moments.  http:youtube.com/watch?v=TOaLLsV_WvM

    Jen

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