Nostradamus

We spent the whole of last week in Paris, mainly for the January sales, but also to visit museums like the Louvre, the Grand Palais, and of course, the newly partially rebuilt and renovated Cathédrale Notre-Dame. We were there during sunday morning mass - and yes, you can visit during masses; always has been like that as long as I remember. The grandeur of the place, the choir singing wonderful hymns, and the rich history, make Cathédrale Notre-Dame more than a simple visit: a spiritual experience, even if you're not a believer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame_de_Paris

Hyvää Joulua

 

Itsenäisyyspäivä the french way

The finnish Independance Day (december 6) deserve something special for dinner, to celebrate the event properly. And so we made a veal entrecôte "à la normande" (the Normandy way). The entrecôtes are seared a couples minutes each side, and flambé with calvados (apple brandy). Once it's done, put the meat on the side, and deglaze the pan with a glass of dry french cider (from Normandy or Brittany, depending on what you can find in shops). Add a bit of veal stock, let reduce the liquid for a few minutes, then add a few spoons of thick cream (like crème fraiche), salt & pepper, and put the entrecôtes back in the sauce to finish the cooking. The meat should be pink, and soft when touched with a finger. During this time, cut in slices or cubes a few acidic apples (like granny smith), and gently roast them in butter, add a bit of black pepper and a pinch a caster sugar until almost soft. They should have a bit of crunchiness left in them. Dress the plate sauce first, then the meat, and finally the apples on top. Serve with a light red from the Loire valley, or why not a chilled bottle of cider. Delish.

Almost Fisherman's pies

Take small ovenproof dishes, and fill them with whatever fishes or shellfishes you fancy. In our case it's cod, prawns and butter pan fried button mushrooms...

... then cover the mix with a creamy sauce made of fish stock, milk, cream, bit of flour, butter, dill and a bit of lemon juice. Now - and this is the critical moment - if you want to make a classic english Fisherman's pie, you add a layer of mash potatoes on top of the sauce.

15-20 min. in the oven at 175, and it's ready to serve. In our case, these fish pies were meant as a starter. For a main, the real Fisherman's pie is ideal. Don't forget a pint of ale.

 

Ooh what a disco sound

 Something to lift the mood as we enter winter...

THE GIBSON BROTHERS ooh what a life (1979 Official Audio)  

Wonderful Wonder

Stevie Wonder's 1982 classic hit "Do I do" in 12 inch extended version, with jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie at the trumpet and SW himself at the harmonica. One of the greatest piece of funk ever released, for me on par with Michael Jackson's "Don't stop till you get enough" (posted on this blog). The last 2min. see SW rapping on the beat. Genius...

Biking week-end in and around Hämeenlinna

We spent a week-end in Hämeenlinna, touring the city and the general area (roughly 50km) with our bikes. We did finish the 1st day having a diner in restaurant Carl-Wilhelm in Vanajanlinna, which is a golf resort & hotel, 8km outside the city. If you've never been to Hämeenlinna, there's a lot to discover, with some lovely landscapes. And the food is not bad either.

Cheesy - The Rolling Cheese

Cheese monger "The Rolling Cheese" in Töölö: 3 small pieces of (very) good french hard cheeses without bread or anything else + 2 glasses of ordinary french red wine: 47€.  If it's not a scam, I don't know what is! 

Now, this is what you can have at home...

... or that, and the ratio price/quality/quantity is still a better deal