Wishing you all, Happiness, Good Health & Prosperity in the Year of the Dragon!

This festive season, the Toutain family would like to wish you a Merry Christmas, and the best for the New Year. We wish that 2012 brings you peace, hope, love and happiness.

Cher tous,

Avec cette periode de fin d’annee, la famille Toutain viens vous souhaiter un Joyeux Noel et une bonne annee. Que 2012 vous apporte amour, espoir, paix et bonheur

Marc, Joyce et Chloe

Depuis maintenant 22 ans vivant a l’étranger ce qui veut dire plus dans un autre pays de ce que j’ai vécu en France, ma vie m’a emmené sur 4 continents pour le travail. Depuis Granville la route fut longue et pleine d’aventure, j’ai d’ailleurs commencer à mettre mes mémoires sur papier. Une vie trépidante et tout pleins de souvenir dans la tête. Je ne regrette rien, maintenant j’ai atteint un niveau professionnel et une certaine vision du monde avec tous mes voyages (une trentaine de pays) et découverte.

Sous un air de Buddha Bar où Karunesh et sa solitude mes pensées vont tout simplement a ma famille proche qui est evidement Joyce et Chloé, sans oublier notre mascotte Hugo notre compagnon de chaque jour. Mais aussi a mon père et surtout a ma très chère mère à qui je voudrais temps qu’elle soit encore parmi nous pour partager toutes mes pensées et connaitre ma famille.

À quand mon retour à la source? telle est la question? je voudrais simplement dire que je pense chaque jour a vous, ma famille et mes amis vous qui etes si loin mais tout près du coeur, je dédicace ce blog à vous tous qui me sont chère.

Le temps des célébrations de fin d’année et des festivités approche ce qui donnera l’occasion de se rencontrer très bientôt sur le net.

- Dark rye bread, avocado, tabasco, smoked salmon, soft goat cheese

Method:

Crushed the ripe avocado & just add drops of tabasco

Toast the Dark rye bread

Spray the avocado paste to the toasted bread, dispose on top the sliced of smoked salmon and finish with some drop of soft goat cheese on top.

On the side can be served some toss rocket salad with Dijon mustard vinaigrette

Ingredients:

Beef for stewing — we used Canadian deboned ribs, new potatoes, carrot, tomato, cooked chick peas from a can, red onion, garlic, coriander, ginger, raisins, pine seed, vegetable stock, salt & pepper, cumin, all spice, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili flakes, couscous

Method:

Cut beef into cubes. Marinate in all the spices for several hours.

Sauteed some chopped onion and garlic until it is slightly browned

Add the beef and brown.

Add potato cubes, carrot, tomato, grated ginger and cook for 2 more minutes

Add hot vegetable stock.

Cook for one hour until the meat and potatoes are tender.

Add the cooked chick peas, raisins and pine seeds. Simmer and keep hot until serving.

To serve, cover the bottom of a dinner plate with couscous, and then ladle the stew on top. Garnish with coriander.

- Country bread, Beetroot, Goat cheese, preferably soft

For the dressing:

- Olive oil, Red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, Flat parsley, Black peppercorn, Rock salt (Guerande)

Butter thick-sliced country bread and pan-fry both sides (or grill, if you have one at home). Add finely chopped garlic. Spread the soft goat cheese on top.

Simmer the beetroot until it is soft, and then cut into small cubes.

In a separate bowl, mixed the dressing ingredients, using one part vinegar to three parts olive oil. Toss the beetroot in the dressing.

Spread the goat cheese on top of the grilled bread, and then top with the beetroot. Garnish with fresh-ground black pepper and a pinch of rock salt.

Serve with a green salad on the side for a healthy, light and tasty meal

Tonight was a simply, salmon poached into fish stock (prepare by Joyce aunty) a long tradition family to drink fish stock after delivery. For garnish I use borgol (actually plan to use couscous, but out of stock) spray with olive oil, stir and separate the grain, boiled water then slowly stir till is cook. Add some chopped fresh mint, fresh parsley, and finely chopped cube of tomatoes, finish by fresh crushed black pepper, salt & fresh squeeze lemon juice.

Whipped some fresh cream & add salt & fresh crushed pepper, and a big spoon of basil pesto (from a jar).

It’s pretty fast & easy recipe as you don’t want to spend a long time in the kitchen but still enjoy a good & tasty meal

For information, last nigh was a personal version of spaghetti with sautéed bacon, Italian sausage & brocoli, fresh cream and fresh parsley, finish with finely graded parmesan. Tips “don’t cook the cream, it will simply make your dishes heavy, just mixed to the hot pasta to keep light”.