However, I am done with that test (for now) and ended up buying a ridiculously expensive skirt as a reward for my four hours of misery. Best part about the end of that week was that my family (french family) hosted a Fransgiving dinner for Ariana and I on Friday. I was so excited to a) have a home-cooked meal and b) celebrate the holiday in anyway possible. Eloise (my "mom") cooked an amazing four course french meal, complete with champagne aperitifs and lots of red wine.
The first course was a delicious salad in a light vinegar dressing topped with toast and foie gras. For those of you who have never heard of this French delicacy, you probably don't want to, it's basically goose or duck liver and fat. However, this kind was really good and I was able to eat almost half of my portion ( I am usually not a huge fan)
Ensuite, we had tender chicken in a thick prune and olive sauce, mashed potatoes, bread, chestnuts and lots of wine. Comme d'habitude, I smothered everything with the sauce and was a very happy camper. The chestnuts--which I have never had--were really wonderful. She cooked them until soft with butter and I believe I tasted some cinnamon. Yum.
Eloise mad fun of me for taking pictures of my food.
Then, of course, we had cheese. The French always have cheese and bread after the meal and before dessert. Eloise served Vaucherin, a speciality cheese only released in the fall. It is produced in the north-east of France and has a very strong, nutty flavor. It also literally melts in your mouth. I adored it, though Ari was not a huge fan.
Here is some background on vaucherin:
"The Vacherin identified as du Haut-Doubs is a very special cheese protected by French law. At the peak of perfection from November to March, by regulation it can be made only from the milk of two breeds of mountain cow during the winter months when their feed is natural hay. Indeed, the cheese originated in hard weather when farmers had to make their own small cheeses or lose the milk money – or so the story goes."
Et voila:
For dessert Eloise bought us cheesecake. It was such a sweet and unexpected surprise, as the French do not do cheesecake, though they adore it. We stayed, drank and chatted until 11--typical French dinner--and then ran to catch the sncf train to take us back to Paris. I had a wonderful time and was so touched that they put in so much effort to celebrate our holiday. Not to mention I have been dreaming about that chicken sauce ever since...
Friendsgiving:
Ari and I decided to host a little Thanksgiving get-together for forsaken American kids in Paris. We decided on the Sunday after Thanksgiving so we would have ample time to shop, cook, and I wouldn't have to study. However, we got behind schedule with too much chatting and guests arrived while I was still in my sweat pants. Also, we kind of forgot that we have a microwave-oven, meaning you can only put one thing in at a time. So when you have to make pumpkin bread, chicken, turkey, cornbread, and heat up everyone else's dishes that they brought, it becomes a bit of a catastrophe.
I was in charge of pumpkin bread, chicken, a cheese plate and a gorgonzola, pear and honey crostini. Ari did the cranberry sauce and turkey roast. We also had 2 pounds (not joking) of macaroni and cheese, baguettes, mashed potatoes, green beans, more green beans, cheesey corn, stuffing, gravy, salad, apple tartes, pumpkin pie, and a delicious pear tart. For 10 people. We were literally throwing away heaps of food because our half fridge could not anything else.
We were all Americans, minus one Irishman and one Canadian, and it was a nice, quiet dinner party. Everyone was just happy to be in the presence of stuffing, wine, and other Americans. We were a little stressed trying to figure out how to re-heat the food (tried to put the plastic plates in the microwave, which resulted in a melting issue. Pans did not fit in the oven, so we removed food from said pans and put them into smaller plates. Ari's turkey didn't make its appearance until an hour after we ate.) But we managed! I have not eaten that much in one sitting in months, so I was physically in pain for the rest of the night. But it was SO worth it. But I think thats going to be the last time I am not in America over Thanksgiving...there is just something about that holiday that I never want to go without.
Check out my bread and chicken!
Chicken recipe:
Whole chicken stuffed with salt, pepper, thyme and a whole lemon (halved)
covered in garlic, salt, pepper
cooked all together with carrots, onions, garlic, celery in a red wine, vinegar, olive oil sauce
And the hosts :)
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