Monday, July 10, 2006

from the serieux to the fanciful

hello, dear bloggers.

last week's theme of bring the hicks home was a great success. i have received an email from john howard saying "oh all right, then, you win, i'll push to get him back here."*

so that business is done with.

onto my next project. a french dinner next saturday night at which my sister, bro-in-law, fiance john and i will gorge ourselves senseless on french delicacies and assorted bevvies, all as a tribute to la belle france, and the good old tour.

it's a year now since i was introduced to the delights of the tour de france. much like shifty drug pushers, my sis and her hubby last year INSISTED that i sit down and watch a fucking bike race. quickly i was hooked. apart from thrilling to the french country-side whipping past, the deviants along side les rues and the incroyably interessant tidbits of information regarding testicle friction, lance armstrong's triomphs et how some people kill themselves in this race [the tears, the joies, etcetera], it was fascinating to see how their legs can just keep on going, even up hills.

so, this week presents a count-down to this feasts of feasts; a grotesquely laden table at which 4 gourmands will sit, and over-indulge, and masticate their way up to 10.30pm pedal-off.

another reason for hosting a french dinner is for years i have been wanting to try absinthe. there's something most attractive about drinking something that is green, alcoholic and which was only until recently illegal in this country.

so, here's the deal. by friday, which will be when i do my food shopping, i am soliciting suggestions for the menu. my sis and her husband will be doing maybe one main course and either entree or dessert. and we will do another main course and either entree or dessert.

i am betting i will be doing dessert, so am trying to think of suitably french dishes. so far, i don't think i can top souffle. only problem is, i have never cooked souffle before. and i know they are temperamental. i will do a test run on thursday night, to make sure they work out ok.

any suggestions on other dishes? drinks?

to get myself in the mood, i will be doing a french theme this week.

grosses bisoux


mg x












* enormous lie

7 comments:

magical_m said...

When all else fails, bring out the cheese.

Go insane on the cheese platter.

And serve with crusty French bread.

Sigh

Melba said...

i've heard roquefort it now available?

where to buy. i think i read vic market has it. but i'd rather get it closer to home, ie prahran marche?

a meal of illicit pleasures.


yum

elaine said...

a) roquefort. At Either 'bill's Farm' or 'The French Shop' at the Vic Market.

b) souffle. It's easy. Really. Don't listen to them. And not many people know that you can leave them uncooked in the fridge for a couple of hours and they'll still rise nicely.

Anonymous said...

My knowledge of french food extends only slightly beyond a particularly hilarious scene in the mid-80s teen comedy sensation "Better Off Dead" starring John Cusack.

When it comes to absinthe, however, I have it on good authority that Boutique Le Vin in Chadstone sells a fine drop in very classy bottles.

Tell them I said hello (this will baffle them)

sublime-ation said...

bonjour?
My French place: Les Patés Parisian, in the lane behind Readings in Lygon St Carlton.
They've got it all.

And for bread, FBF will only eat Babkas, De Chirico from St Kilda or maybe Phillipas.

Fussy French.

Anonymous said...

1) Roquefort is bloody smelly and awesome. I have got some from the Food and Wine Providore at Docklands - that's a great shop, too. It's double fronted, one shop is all top wine, the other half is full of cheese and smallgoods. Mmmmm. Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder also excels in cheese.

2) Best french thing I have ever been served was at Yering Station. I got about 10cm of some animal's femur with the marrow scooped out standing upright on the plate and filled with garlicky snails (sorry, escargot.) There was a square of a roesti sort of thing balanced on top and it was drizzled in jus. The effect was of a mushroom growing on my plate. Mmmmmm (again).

3) Lots of red wine. Dan Murphy's had a heap of decent Froggy cleanskins on special last time I was in town.

I reckon that's not a bad effort for a boy from the bush!

Melba said...

i'm not craig. i have my source for absinthe. there's a funny little liquor store on balaclava road, right up near hawthorn road. it's there that i saw a sign a few years ago saying "absinthe, now on sale". i went in and indeed, gorgeous bottles to showcase the green-ness.

so that's sorted.

thanks elaine. i was going to try to get to vic market, i'm going up to melb uni on friday HOWEVER sublime has blown your suggestion out of the water. sublime, this is the place where you got that very fatty pig, n'est ce-pas, that i tasted at the bbq? i will head there which means only having to park once in fucking carlton/parkville.

and groverjones, i intend to head to dan's for the wine. i'm thinking a cote dy rhone, which i've had before. i don't know that i'd be able to afford a bourdeaux, though i'd love to. i like the heavier reds and my research tells me many french wines are light by our standards.

my sister is big on kir royales so i'm sure they'll make an appearance.

the question is:

how do i come out of this without a massive hangover on sunday, so that i can be smiley mummy while taking princess and 4 (count it, FOUR) of her friends to the movies??

thank you everyone for your tips.

i WILL be buying roquefort. and i WILL be tasting absinthe.

tonight, my dad's coming over to have dinner (and, funnily, have a sleepover) and the boeuf bourgignon is in the oven now.

yum