Talking Coq

Whilst Le Roi de Prusse is busy contemplating the practicalities of our imminent move to France; small details such as the legalities, taxation, where to buy paint, the fact that we can only bring over three of our four pets, the teeny, tiny issue of the fact that we both speak less than basic French… I’ve been concentrating on the most important question in the whole venture.. “What are we going to eat?”

First off, I must confess to being rather obsessed with food, not only the consumption, but also experimenting with new, unusual recipes.

This Summer’s World Cup was pure joy for me. It wasn’t because of my passion for the beautiful game. Rather that I challenged myself to produce meals – cocktails, main dishes and desserts – that came from the countries that were playing that day. This meant that, like the England football team, we experienced triumph and disaster, and at least greeted and digested those two imposters, just the same. Some triumphs were the Brazilian steak, Tuna Niçoise Salad and Japanese Teriyaki; they’ll probably appear on a menu again soon, regardless of the prowess of their football team.

However, quite a few were assigned to the “Well, at least we’ve tried it and now we don’t ever need to again” including a rather noxious Icelandic cocktail and the truly appalling Parisian style Pig’s Trotters. Basically, you split them in two, boil for several hours with stuff that normally makes anything edible, coat in breadcrumbs and roast. The best thing to be done after that palaver is to consign them straight to bin/dog and order a takeaway.

When we’ve visited France in the past, I’ve loved shopping at the markets and supermarkets for what looks fantastic that day, and with all the time in the world, spend the evening concocting supper, usually with wine that is not just an ingredient.

But I know, when we’re running a business, I’ll need to move it up a notch for paying guests. So, in this time before we move, I would really like to master some good, old fashioned French classics and some new variations on the themes. This means many hours are spent researching and trying out recipes for the perfect Coq, in every type of Vin, the best bourguignon, and I need to become proficient with my shucker.

So, in between missives from Le Roi, I will share the successes and failures as they arrive on the plate.

La Reine de Prusse