Rhys Bowen's Blog, page 22
August 22, 2011
Showing some mussel
Only two weeks to go until Naughty in Nice comes to a bookstore near you.
And I'm continuing my month of French fun and facts with some thoughts on French fast food: Brittany is one of my favorite regions of France. My sister in law has a cute little house there and I love the low key life there, and also the food. The first time we visited her she took us to a worker's cafe and we ordered the favorite fast food lunch--moules et frites (mussels with shoestring fries). The mussels come simmered in wine and herbs, the fries in a paper tube.
We learned immediately that there is a right and a wrong way to eat them. We picked up our forks. Sue leaned across the table and whispered, "Please don't embarrass me. Watch." And she picked up an empty mussel shell and used it as pinchers to extract the next mussel. Soon we were old pros and the combination of flavors is incredible. Easy to cook too, if you don't mind scrubbing and preparing mussels.
Mmm. Now I'm hungry.
And I'm continuing my month of French fun and facts with some thoughts on French fast food: Brittany is one of my favorite regions of France. My sister in law has a cute little house there and I love the low key life there, and also the food. The first time we visited her she took us to a worker's cafe and we ordered the favorite fast food lunch--moules et frites (mussels with shoestring fries). The mussels come simmered in wine and herbs, the fries in a paper tube.
We learned immediately that there is a right and a wrong way to eat them. We picked up our forks. Sue leaned across the table and whispered, "Please don't embarrass me. Watch." And she picked up an empty mussel shell and used it as pinchers to extract the next mussel. Soon we were old pros and the combination of flavors is incredible. Easy to cook too, if you don't mind scrubbing and preparing mussels.
Mmm. Now I'm hungry.
August 20, 2011
Pardonnez Moi but ou sont les Parisiens?
If you happen to be in Paris this week you'll have made a startling discovery--there are no Parisiens there. The place is empty apart from tourists, of whom there are too many.Let me reassure you there has not been a great plague or invading army that has wiped out the population. It's just that this week is the feast of the Assumption of Mary (August 15th) and Parisians plan their annual escape from the city around this feast--when their city is too hot and full of tourists.
In the days when France was more religious August 15th was a big deal. Processions, and big parties for anyone called Mary (since your name day was more important that your birthday in France). I remember the procession at Le Puy, a small mountain town in the Massif Central--the procession winding up through the streets to the Cathedral, with ordinary people, dressed in their Sunday best, following, singing. It was most moving.
I wonder if it's still there in what has been described by the press as Post Christian Europe. Today you are lucky to find five people at Mass on a Sunday. Churches are closing. Priests are getting old and dying off.
And the Moslem religion? It is flourishing.
I didn't mean this to be a thought provoking post, but that is how it has turned out.
August 19, 2011
Easy and Delicious
I promised something a little more cheerful today, didn't I?
I've been thinking back to my time in Nice last summer and one of the strongest memories is of the food (isn't that always the way?)
They do great things with tuna and olives in the South of France, so here is something simple and delicious.
Tuna Tapenade
1 clove garlic
one can tuna in olive oil
3 large garlicky green olives sliced and pits removed2 Ts lemon juice2 Ts olive oil1 pinch thyme (or leaves of fresh thyme)ground black pepper
drop garlic into food processor to mince. Add tuna etc and pulse until its a spread. Great as a heavy dip with strong crackers or with a fresh baguette.
I've been thinking back to my time in Nice last summer and one of the strongest memories is of the food (isn't that always the way?)
They do great things with tuna and olives in the South of France, so here is something simple and delicious.
Tuna Tapenade
1 clove garlic
one can tuna in olive oil
3 large garlicky green olives sliced and pits removed2 Ts lemon juice2 Ts olive oil1 pinch thyme (or leaves of fresh thyme)ground black pepperdrop garlic into food processor to mince. Add tuna etc and pulse until its a spread. Great as a heavy dip with strong crackers or with a fresh baguette.
August 18, 2011
The Day France Changed
My post yesterday about Chanel being a spy during WWII made me realize how much everything changed for France in that short time. At the time I write about the English used to winter on the Riviera, living a lavish lifestyle with yachts and hundreds of pounds lost at the casino. It was still the France of lax morals, mistresses, champagne and savoir faire. Then the Germans marched in, people who resisted were shot, most people were starving, Jews were rounded up and sent off to a fate nobody believed at the time.
It's easy to be judgmental about those who chose to collaborate. I could never have betrayed a countryman or woman to the Gestapo. I could never have willingly helped the Germans but might I have entertained German officers in the hope of getting a little more food for my children? I really don't know because I haven't had to make those choices.
It's easy to judge Chanel too. She had lived in the gutter. She knew what it was like to be starving. And she had worked all her life to build the house of Chanel into the fashion icon it was. So if she had a chance to live well, to be able to re-open her fashion house in Paris, she probably jumped at it without too much thought. And after the war she paid for it, tried as a collaborator. She escaped the fate of many French girls who had done nothing more than be friendly to lonely German boys far from home. They had their heads shaved and were cast out from society. She had enough connections to keep going, although there was prejudice against her fashions for a long time to come.
This is day 13 of my month of French fun and facts, to celebrate the release on Sept 6th of Naughty in Nice, which features Chanel and other celebrities of the Riviera (including Mrs. Simpson)
Leave a comment for a chance to win a prize at the end of the month.
It's easy to be judgmental about those who chose to collaborate. I could never have betrayed a countryman or woman to the Gestapo. I could never have willingly helped the Germans but might I have entertained German officers in the hope of getting a little more food for my children? I really don't know because I haven't had to make those choices.
It's easy to judge Chanel too. She had lived in the gutter. She knew what it was like to be starving. And she had worked all her life to build the house of Chanel into the fashion icon it was. So if she had a chance to live well, to be able to re-open her fashion house in Paris, she probably jumped at it without too much thought. And after the war she paid for it, tried as a collaborator. She escaped the fate of many French girls who had done nothing more than be friendly to lonely German boys far from home. They had their heads shaved and were cast out from society. She had enough connections to keep going, although there was prejudice against her fashions for a long time to come.
This is day 13 of my month of French fun and facts, to celebrate the release on Sept 6th of Naughty in Nice, which features Chanel and other celebrities of the Riviera (including Mrs. Simpson)
Leave a comment for a chance to win a prize at the end of the month.
August 17, 2011
Was Chanel a spy?
This snippet of news that was sent to me yesterday could hardly be more timely for the launch of Naughty in Nice:
A new book suggests that Coco Chanel was used as a German spy during WWII (code name Westminster , after the Duke of Westminster, who was her pre-war lover)
Several friends sent me the link and asked if I knew about this.
Absolutely, and what's more I'm dying to write about it. It's too bad my series is only up to 1934 and I can't really skip ahead to the war yet.
But what I already knew was that Coco became the mistress of a German officer during the war. He had her write to her old business partner, Vera Bate Lombardi, who was living in Italy, having married Lombardi and wanting to be with him. The letter said that Chanel was reviving her fashion house and wanted Vera to come and help her. In fact the letter was to lure Vera to Paris any way she could. Once there she would be threatened and intimidated by the Gestapo until she agreed to be sent to England to work on Winston Churchill, who was a friend. There was even some hint that they wanted her to assassinate him.
Now you can see why I'm dying to use the story some time. Chanel was the ultimate survivor. She came from nothing, an orphanage after being abandoned by her parents, and used one rich man after another to achieve what she wanted. The fact that she was prepared to use her dearest friend in this way showed how little regard she had for people.
A more cheerful subject tomorrow, I hope.
It's Dayd 12 of my month of French Fun and Facts, leading up to the release of Naughty in Nice on September 6th.
A new book suggests that Coco Chanel was used as a German spy during WWII (code name Westminster , after the Duke of Westminster, who was her pre-war lover)Several friends sent me the link and asked if I knew about this.
Absolutely, and what's more I'm dying to write about it. It's too bad my series is only up to 1934 and I can't really skip ahead to the war yet.
But what I already knew was that Coco became the mistress of a German officer during the war. He had her write to her old business partner, Vera Bate Lombardi, who was living in Italy, having married Lombardi and wanting to be with him. The letter said that Chanel was reviving her fashion house and wanted Vera to come and help her. In fact the letter was to lure Vera to Paris any way she could. Once there she would be threatened and intimidated by the Gestapo until she agreed to be sent to England to work on Winston Churchill, who was a friend. There was even some hint that they wanted her to assassinate him.
Now you can see why I'm dying to use the story some time. Chanel was the ultimate survivor. She came from nothing, an orphanage after being abandoned by her parents, and used one rich man after another to achieve what she wanted. The fact that she was prepared to use her dearest friend in this way showed how little regard she had for people.
A more cheerful subject tomorrow, I hope.
It's Dayd 12 of my month of French Fun and Facts, leading up to the release of Naughty in Nice on September 6th.
August 16, 2011
Happy Birthday Julia
It's day 11 of my month of French fun and I'm back to French food today with a celebration:My commenter Liz reminded me that it would have been Julia Child's 99th birthday today. Happy 99th to a character who was larger than life in many ways and proof that eating food that tastes good because of lashings of butter does not lead to an early grave!I met Julia Child once, when my then publisher had flown in from New York and was taking me out to lunch in San Francisco. We went to a trendy new place that had just opened and there at the next table was Julia Child, with her husband Paul. And what's more, my publisher knew them, so we had a great discussion about what to order. My impressions of her were 1. how much she loved her husband and how solicitous he was of her, and 2. how much she enjoyed her food. She really was a large lady and completely dwarfed him
(he was quite old and frail by that time). And I remember one other thing: all through the meal my publisher and publicist were more interested in what she was eating than in me!I loved the movie Julie and Julia, by the way. Who couldn't? Meryl Streep has long been one of my favorite actresses and someone I'm dying to meet (so if you know her, introduce us!) And the fact that a five foot six slim woman could convincingly portray a big boned six footer was a real tour de force. Of course the directing and camera angles helped a lot but she ACTED that size.
I have a well used copy of the Art of French Cooking and I think I'll go up to the kitchen and decide what to cook in homage to Julia tonight. Coq au vin? Her boeuf bourgignon is sublime.
Any Julia favorites to share?
This month of French fun is in celebration of the launc of Naughty in Nice, on September 6th. Three weeks to go today!! Yipee.
August 15, 2011
The Scent of Trouble
Today I'm moving away (reluctantly) from food to talk about one of the most fascinating characters I've come across in ages--Coco Chanel. As I said in an earlier post she was way ahead of her time, she was as tough as any man, she used people to get what she wanted and yet she was, in some ways, terribly naive.
When she decided she wanted to create a perfume, Chanel No 5, of course, she joined forces with Pierre and Paul Wertheimer, who were millionaire owners of a perfumerie house. She was in many ways not a good businesswoman and when she needed money she virtually signed away her rights to her perfumes. Their relationship was stormy. They employed a lawyer simply to handle the lawsuits from "that bloody woman" but she ended up having no control over her perfumes.
It's amazing how timeless No 5 is, isn't it? I have a bottle on my vanity now. And now that I know about Chanel and what she went through, I will think of her every time I put a dab on my wrist and remind myself to be wise and prudent in business dealings.
If I'm writing about all the good things that come from France, then perfume has to be near the top of my list. I used to love Madame Rochas, Je Reviens, Anais Anais, and Chanel. Any other French perfumes that are favorites?
This is day 10 of my month of French fun, celebrating the launch of my new Lady Georgie book, Naughty in Nice, on Sept 6th. Do check it out on Amazon--pure French fun!
When she decided she wanted to create a perfume, Chanel No 5, of course, she joined forces with Pierre and Paul Wertheimer, who were millionaire owners of a perfumerie house. She was in many ways not a good businesswoman and when she needed money she virtually signed away her rights to her perfumes. Their relationship was stormy. They employed a lawyer simply to handle the lawsuits from "that bloody woman" but she ended up having no control over her perfumes.
It's amazing how timeless No 5 is, isn't it? I have a bottle on my vanity now. And now that I know about Chanel and what she went through, I will think of her every time I put a dab on my wrist and remind myself to be wise and prudent in business dealings.If I'm writing about all the good things that come from France, then perfume has to be near the top of my list. I used to love Madame Rochas, Je Reviens, Anais Anais, and Chanel. Any other French perfumes that are favorites?
This is day 10 of my month of French fun, celebrating the launch of my new Lady Georgie book, Naughty in Nice, on Sept 6th. Do check it out on Amazon--pure French fun!
August 14, 2011
Quiche me, my darling
Today I'm sharing my recipe for a perfect Sunday brunch, using the pate brisee recipe from yesterday. My husband is of the "real men don't eat quiche" variety but he adores asparagus. In fact he'd eat them every night if I let him. So I serve this asparagus quiche and he doesn't complain!You'll need one recipe of the pate brisee
1 pound asparagus washed and trimmed
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion peeled and diced
3 jumbo eggs
half cup heavy cream
three quarters cup swiss cheese.
salt and pepper to season.
First cook the pie shell blind (baked with sheet of foil then filled with rice or dried beans)
cook asparagus in boiling water for 2 minutes. remove and pat dry.
saute onion in butter. When transparent add asparagus and continue sauteing until asparagus are soft to a prod from a fork.
In mixing bowl whisk eggs, cream and half cup grated cheese. Add asparagus mixture then pour into pie shell. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and puffy (about 40 mins)
You could also substitute a frozen pie crust to speed things up, but it won't be as good!
I also add crumbled bacon to this sometimes. Any other suggestions?
This is Day 9 of my month of French fun... my countdown to Naughty in Nice on Sept 6th.
Add your comments for a chance to win a fun French prize!
August 13, 2011
Pastry to Die For
Day 8 in my month of French Fun, leading up to the grand release of Naughty in Nice on Sept 6,
and I thought it was time for some favorite recipes.
I absolutely love French pastries. Lock me in a boulangerie or patiserie and I would die happy. But I also love French savory pastries--quiches and onion tarts and the like.
What's more, good savory patry (called Pate brisee) is really easy to make.
For one tart shell take
1 and a quarter cups all purpose flour
pinch of salt
7 tablespoons cold butter
3 tablespoons iced water
1.combine flour and salt in food processor. Cut the cold butter into slices, add to flour and process until mixture turns pale yellow, like cornmeal
2. Gradually add water through feed tube while processing with short pulses. Dought should hold together when pressed between fingers.
3. Wrap dough in plastic film and refridgerate at least half an hour.
4. Spread flour on wooden board, rub rolling pin with flour, then roll out from center until you have a thin sheet big enough to fit over pie plate.
The secret is making sure butter is cold, water is iced and YOU DON"T OVERPROCESS.
This can be baked blind, using dried beans as filler for quiches or filled for turnovers.Tomorrow I'll give you my favorite quiche recipe.
Bon appetit!
Rhys
and I thought it was time for some favorite recipes.
I absolutely love French pastries. Lock me in a boulangerie or patiserie and I would die happy. But I also love French savory pastries--quiches and onion tarts and the like.
What's more, good savory patry (called Pate brisee) is really easy to make.
For one tart shell take
1 and a quarter cups all purpose flour
pinch of salt
7 tablespoons cold butter
3 tablespoons iced water
1.combine flour and salt in food processor. Cut the cold butter into slices, add to flour and process until mixture turns pale yellow, like cornmeal
2. Gradually add water through feed tube while processing with short pulses. Dought should hold together when pressed between fingers.
3. Wrap dough in plastic film and refridgerate at least half an hour.
4. Spread flour on wooden board, rub rolling pin with flour, then roll out from center until you have a thin sheet big enough to fit over pie plate.The secret is making sure butter is cold, water is iced and YOU DON"T OVERPROCESS.
This can be baked blind, using dried beans as filler for quiches or filled for turnovers.Tomorrow I'll give you my favorite quiche recipe.
Bon appetit!
Rhys
August 12, 2011
Certainly Madame!
One of the comments yesterday triggered a memory of my own. The poster wrote:
A favorite memory, though not about food. I went to the Carnavelet Museum in Paris specifically to see one painting. The room where the painting was hung was under construction. I was disappointed until I asked if there was any way I could get in. Certainly madame! The head curator himself took me to the painting, escorting me through the sawhorses and equipment!
Now the French are known for being remote, bloody minded and difficult. But my experiences are similar to yesterday's poster. In fact last year when I was researching Naughty in Nice I needed to look around the Negresco Hotel. Originally I planned to have a murder take place there. Now the Negresco is still a top hotel, reeeeeely expensive (try $1000 a night). I walked up the front steps and was stopped by a young man dripping with braid. You cannot enter, he said, looking at my non-designer attire. I told him I was a famous writer who wanted to write about his hotel. He took me to his boss and I handed the boss my card.
He opened his arms wide. "Feel free, madame," he said. "Go where you want to."
And so I spent two delicious hours poking into every corner of the Negresco hotel. Here are some pictures I took. I could also have helped myself to their priceless artwork collection, had I been criminally minded and carried a bigger purse!
It'sDay 7 of my month of French fun and counting down to Naughty in Nice!
Comment on your French experiences for a chance to win a fun French prize (no, it won't be naughty!)
A favorite memory, though not about food. I went to the Carnavelet Museum in Paris specifically to see one painting. The room where the painting was hung was under construction. I was disappointed until I asked if there was any way I could get in. Certainly madame! The head curator himself took me to the painting, escorting me through the sawhorses and equipment!
Now the French are known for being remote, bloody minded and difficult. But my experiences are similar to yesterday's poster. In fact last year when I was researching Naughty in Nice I needed to look around the Negresco Hotel. Originally I planned to have a murder take place there. Now the Negresco is still a top hotel, reeeeeely expensive (try $1000 a night). I walked up the front steps and was stopped by a young man dripping with braid. You cannot enter, he said, looking at my non-designer attire. I told him I was a famous writer who wanted to write about his hotel. He took me to his boss and I handed the boss my card.
He opened his arms wide. "Feel free, madame," he said. "Go where you want to."
And so I spent two delicious hours poking into every corner of the Negresco hotel. Here are some pictures I took. I could also have helped myself to their priceless artwork collection, had I been criminally minded and carried a bigger purse!It'sDay 7 of my month of French fun and counting down to Naughty in Nice!
Comment on your French experiences for a chance to win a fun French prize (no, it won't be naughty!)
