Dinners at the Farm

We had dinner at the Barberry Hill Farm in Madison, CT last night as part of the "dinners at the farm" movement. It was a very enjoyable experience and to me the ultimate proof of the value of the farm to table movement. Eating at the farm where the produce has been grown and freshly picked hours before adds infinitely to the taste of food. It also brings city dwellers in contact with farm animals and farm life. Most importantly this movement helps local farmers.

The evening began with aperitifs as we wandered around the farm. Local berries contributed to one of the most refreshing Sangria's I have tasted state side. This was followed by a tour of the farm and a chance to interact with the live stock and understand sustainable agricultural practices. The farm hands collect the left overs from farmers markets and use them to feed the animals. Nothing is ever wasted. They keep sheep and jersey cows as each of them grazes on a different type of grass and that keeps the pasture nicely trimmed. Mini eco-systems of bio diversity exist within the farm.

Left overs being re-cycled as feed for the Sheep.

Dinner was served under a large and beautiful canopy. The community tables made for easy conversation with one's neighbors and led to many interesting discussions. The diners had a common interest in sustainable agriculture and supporting the local farms and an interest in food. Some of them had driven two hours from Massachusetts or NYC. Good local wines, simple honest food with the freshest of ingredients and interesting conversation. It made a recipe for a perfect evening.

Dinner tent

Some of the sheep at the farm

The dinner was cooked in the open air on a converted fire truck with a prep kitchen in a tent beside it. The chef took care to create interesting pairings and do little to disguise the actual taste of the ingredients.

The make shift kitchen

They even made provisions for vegetarians and provided delicious alternatives. I never knew that haricot verts could be so crunchy and taste so good.

The butter milk panacota with local fruit was a divine and a perfect end to a magical evening. It would have been an additional bonus to have had access to some farm stalls and the great produce.

High Tea at Fitzbilly

The other gastronomic highlight of our trip was a proper tea service at Fitzbilly, Another Cambridge institution.

After a walk down the collective memory lane with family and visits to the ancient and hallowed dinning halls of Peter house, where they read and an afternoon of punting in the river Cam, we were ready for a good tea. So headed to Fitzbilly as the generations before us did. I loved the "Chelsea buns" and the melt in your mouth scones and real not out of a bottle "clotted cream". What an end to a magical afternoon of visiting Cambridge's oldest college.

I will soon write another post on the tea rooms in Connecticut, USA.

The Eagle - Lunch and the discovery of DNA

Our trip to Cambridge began with lunch at the Eagle. A historic pub in the heart of the university town and most famous for being the place where Francis Crick announced t

hat they had discovered the "secret of life".

"The Eagle" was originally opened in 1667 and is the largest pub in Cambridge. The atmosphere was invigorating and like many university pubs the conversation ranged across a variety of topics. Lunch was typical publican fare with beer on tap and some very good cider.

We sat in the "RAF Bar" During World War II, American and British fighter pilots had made The Eagle their hangout and spent whilst waiting for the call-up to fly on a mission. The whole ceiling is covered with initials and squadron numbers of the pilots from the two "air forces" - the United States 8th air force and the RAF by candle, lighter and lipstick. The graffiti remains restored to this day and makes for another interesting step back into our recent history captured and preserved in this 600 year old watering hole.

Antwerp's food street

On a recent trip to Antwerp I was pleasantly surprised by how cosmopolitan the city is and how many cuisines are represented there. For such a small city with a well preserved and beautiful medieval city center, there are a great many international restaurants located close together. On Statiestraat to be specific. A two minute walk from the gorgeous Antwerpen Centraal Station brings one to what can be termed as "Antwerp's own food street" with a potpourri of world cuisine. Mexican, Chinese, Argentinian, Lebanese and Italian food to choose from, all within a minute from each other and lining a cobbled that also housed traditional Belgian fare.

We were warned about the neighborhood but found it absolutely safe and buzzing with activity. An impressive collection of restaurants right on the edge of the border between the old inhabitants of diamond center and the newer middle eastern immigrants.

Can you match the beer and the glass?

While in Belgium be careful to use the appropriate glass for each beer. They take it seriously and picking the wrong glass is a big mistake. Belgium produces a lot of variety of beer for such a small country - over 8000 varieties. Every beer has its own branded glass. The brewery usually selects a glass form to accentuate certain qualities of their beer. A goblet, for example, lets the drinker's nose inhale the beer's aroma at the same time the mouth is drinking in the liquid. A tulip glass, for example, is very good for foam retention. A wider glass is required for top fermented beers so that the taste and aroma is enjoyed to the fullest. A facet glass is best for white beer so that its cloudiness and freshness are highlighted.

As one walks along the street side cafe's in Antwerp one can see four people at a table, each with a different type of glass. I found that fascinating.

A bit of chowpathi in Southington

Finally a decent Indian restaurant this side of New Haven, CT. Namaste is Southington serves up a good ragada patti and decent bhel puri. Less than a month old with friendly wait staff and good cooks in the back, this place makes for a good local Indian restaurant. The silver lining is the emphasis on fresh produce and authenticity. Namaste India is located at 151 Queen Street Southington, CT.

Kanda and Nimbu in Jamaica Man?

Akbar's restaurant in Kingston, Jamaica was like any other balti house in any other part of the world - low lighting, generic instrumental bollywood music and CTM. There claim to fame being that they cater for the Indian cricket team. A week of eating local cuisine and we felt like some Indian. A rather disappointing experience, until the Jamaican waiter asked us - " would you like kanda and nimbu?" huh? "kanda and nimbu (onion and lime to accompany the vegetable course)?"...wow he speaks hindi and it comes from spending years working for an Indian restaurant. How cool is that, man?

Norman burger anyone?

We choose a quaint old creperie in the village of Saint Mere Eglise, right round the corner from the church. The thinking being when in Normandy eat galletes and drink cider. All of us did except our friend Doug who decided to order a burger - and he was served one Norman style:)

Le Marche des Enfants Rouges

I love food markets - both the open and closed varieties. They seem to exemplify the spirit of the people, the place and its culture. Hence, I always make it a point to try visit the local market if there is one on during my visit. A highlight of our recent visit to Paris was a visit to Le Marche des Enfants Rouges. It is reputed to be the oldest food market in Paris, built under the rule of Louis XIII around 1615. The name, which literally means the Market of the Red Children, refers to the red uniform worn by
the children of the orphanage that was located nearby.

We walked through a labyrinth of narrow winding streets, aristocratic castles and medieval architecture to reach the market. This area was home to the noblemen who wished to be near the King's residence in pre-revolution France.

Located in the chic Marais district, the market is alive with the rich, vibrant colours and smells of fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese and flowers and the sounds of market clatter and chatter. We stopped for a pre-lunch aperitif consisting of a refreshing glass of white wine and some delicious cheese from the "massif central". First stop was at the cheese sellers to ask for a recommendation that would not be too soft nor too hard and would be perfect for a sunny day in the out doors. Then to the bread stall for a baguette. Finally, to the wine seller to order four glasses of wine and then to find a nice table in the shade. Ah, what a delicious meal.

The market is an ideal spot for lunch too. Freshly cooked dishes can be bought from the various stalls (Moroccan, French, Italian, sushi, cheeses, meats) and consumed at the communal trestle tables at either end of the market. On our way back from the market we spotted Chez Omar, reputed to be the best Moroccan couscous restaurant in town.

Every arrondessiment in Paris has an open market on two days of the week. A few closed markets like this one are open all days of the week. The Marais being mostly Jewish is open on Sundays and is a great foddie option when most else is closed. To learn what it feels to be a local visit a marche on Saturday for some shopping, a drink and some wine and cheese or lunch.

Viola - A Knighting Ceremony!

What I like most about Paris is her ability to surprise me. You can expect some thing extra-ordinary at every turn. You never know when you will suddenly come face-to-face with ancient and beautiful architecture, a 15th century abbey, a stunning fountain or "butchers knighting ceremony". I never seized to be awe-struck and love to expect surprises.
We were walking towards the Tour Saint Jacques and came across a ceremony resplendent with colourful pageantry. There on the top of the flight of stairs lined by men in blue cloaks and white aprons stood a resplendent knight being being dubed on the shoulders by a sword. All around the grounds stood men in blue wearing white aprons, while the bands played on.
We wondered what it was we were witnessing and asked some locals. This apparently was a Butchers ceremony and knighting of the butchers. A serious gastronomical professional affair. And were we privileged to witness it.
The story goes that the Tower of Saint Jacques is the last remnant of the ancient church of Saint Jacques de Boucher (The patron saint of butchers). It was built in 1509 to 1523, during the reign of King Francis I.The ancient church and its landmark tower welcomed pilgrims setting out on the road that led to Tours and headed for the way of St James, which led to the major pilgrimage destination of Sant'Iago de Compostela. A statue of Blaise Pascal is located at the base of the tower, commemorating the experiments on atmospheric pressure and meteorological laboratory is currently installed at the top of the tower.This is said to be the inspiration behind Dumas' play La tour Saint-Jacques-de-la-boucherie .

Calvados

We had heard of it and did not wonder much. All I wanted was good Cidre from Normandy, until we tasted Calvados. Magic potion or apple brandy.
M.Lemessier our landlord at Bayeux is also a Calvados judge and he was kind
enough open several bottles of Calvados for a tasting. To learn to differentiate
the 4 year old from an 8 year old and a 20 year old and to discern the difference between sugar induced liqueurs and a pure pomme.
We learnt of specialized glasses and how to hold them to keep the Calvados warm. Went hunting for the glasses and the cheese to accompany the Calvados.Delicious "stinky as my shoes" Camembert, Pont-l'Evêque and Levarot. Levarot used to be the poor peoples cheese,made of the water from the whey left over from butter.Still delicious.
So we went to the marche. Absolutely fantastic market. The bustle, the livestock, the fruits and the colours. It was a dream to be there in a true farmers market...the ones in the U.S are great but this was heaven.

Vegetarian Alcoholic!

What is normal in one world is rather strange in another. Our world views influence normalcy. Hence, a vegetarian who does not mind an occasional glass of wine is considered part of the norm in urban India and is a bit of an oddity in the west. France and Belgium have grown more vegetarian friendly than I remember. Yet, a vegetarian meal continues to be a tasteless pile of odd vegetables. What is nice though are the vegetarian entrees as a part of a formula. Practicing vegetarians tend to be more spiritual.
And so my host recently stated with a bit of incredulity: "you are a vegetarian alcoholic!"
Yes indeed I am - happy with my vegetable ravioli and the lovely glass of white wine:) and yes, i do eat cheese please. Love it indeed. No, no meat or fish:)and no am not an alcoholic. I do drink wine, though.
As I found out, that getting into a dialogue about my strange eating habits leads to being allowed to share a formula. Used to be unheard of - but then I am a vegetarian alcoholic. Cannot expect normal sane behavior from one...

Why eat cake when there is bread?

For there are breads and then there are french breads and finally there are pain's from Eric Kayser. One of my first activities after moving into a rental apartment in France is to go and find my nearest boulangerie for early morning breakfast runs. One of my favourite meals when in France. We got lucky to have Kayser as our local baker this last trip to Paris.

So it was a daily exercise in pleasure - whether to eat a pain au raisin, a chocolatine, bessaine or a baguette céréale. Ah, when you can have bread like that one goes straight to heaven. To have 60 varieties to choose from wakes you up.

And throw in some eclairs and tarte framboise (a crispy crust that melts in your mouth filled with delicate fromage blanc),paris-brest (filled with fresh cream and goodness) and chocolat royale for tea. Why oh why are there no true artisinal boulangeries in the US?

Le Farm - A gastronomic delight

Simple, honest, wholesome food with layers of after taste. That is perhaps the best way to describe Le Farm in Westport, CT. This farm to table restaurant is delightful addition to the growing gastronomic scene in the state.
The difference farm fresh, organic produce make to meal never seizes to amaze me. Delicious flavorful asparagus, morrels and pecorino with fresh, melt-in-your-mouth, hand made pasta - what more could one ask for? and how can one not be a convert?
Look out for seasonal produce and regular changes in the menu.