Tuesdays with Dorie - Pecan Sticky Buns - A Sweet Treat on a Sunny Afternoon

Today' s choice for the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group is "Pecan Sticky Buns" from the "Baking with Julia" book. The recipe was contributed by Nancy Silverton.

When I read the lenghthy recipe for the first time, I was intimated. This recipe needs some serious planning I thought. Somehow after what seems to have been a weeklong baking marathon, the last thing I wanted to do was bake some more.

Baking for two children' s birthday parties, two sets of classmates and two more celebrations was all  I could handle, or so I thought. After rereading the recipe, I decided that I needed some notes to guide me. And although the recipe seems to be rather long, I realized that it can be easily broken down into a few clear steps.

After dinner, I prepared the brioche dough and while the sponge rested, I did some ironing, then during the time the dough needed for its first rise, I watched a Skandinavian thriller ( although I love to bake I was glad that for an hour and a half I did not have to think about the dough). The last step for the day was the second rise/chilling the dough, so after I put the dough in the fridge I went to sleep. Next day I rolled out, chilled again, buttered, sprinkled filling,  rolled out again, formed the chilled dough into a log, put it into the freezer for a while and then let it rise again.

Then finally the last step, namely, baking the risen pecan buns.

After all these different steps, I just held my breath for a while hoping that the pecan buns would release easily from the baking pan and taste as good as they smelled while they baked.

The pecan buns did release nicely from the pan and when we pulled them apart, the brioche dough was buttery, flaky and just delicious.

I did freeze half the dough and baked only seven buns and that turned out to be the right decision. Two pans with pecan buns are wonderful but I believe they should be eaten the day that they are made and half the recipe was perfect for us for one day - besides I was so concerned that the pecan buns would not turn out like they should, that I bought fresh strawberries as a sort of "back- up". We ended up eating both, the pecan buns and the strawberries and so I was glad that I put half the dough in the freezer.

It is interesting that after being somewhat overwhelmed by the recipe at first,  the most difficult task was not preparing the dough but finding the pecans (finally found them at a health food store) as well as the proper baking pan. While I have way too many baking pans already, the one I did not have was a 9 inch round pan with "high sides" - none of the stores that I went to carries them and I ended up having to order a special "cheesecake pan" (round, non removeable bottom and high sides). At least, next time I bake a cheesecake, there will be no more wrapping the pan with aluminium foil.

In conclusion, I am glad that I took the time to prepare the pecan sticky buns. It was a bit of a challenge timewise but well worth the extra effort - my taste testers agreed and honestly, what could be a nicer reward for such a hectic week than sitting in the garden on a sunny late afternoon and enjoying these wonderful pecan buns while they were still a bit warm...

Today's hosts are Lynn of Eat Drink Man Woman Dogs Cat and Nicole of Cookies on Fridays - a great big Thanks to our hosts!

To see how the other members of Tuesdays with Dorie prepared the Pecan Sticky Buns, please click here.

World Peace Cookies

The name of these cookies is so promising that one does not really know what to expect. It turns out that they are a sort of chocolate shortbread cookie. They are buttery, have a crumbly/sandy (“short”) texture, are a bit salty and certainly intensely chocolatey. Briefly speaking, they are delicious and I will definitely make them again.

I had been wanting to prepare these cookies for quite some time now. For my birthday a few years ago I received a copy of Dorie Greenspan's fantastic book "Baking - From my Home to Yours” (published by Houghton Mifflin in November 2006) and found the recipe for the World Peace Cookies on pages 138-139. This recipe was originally published in Dorie´s book “Paris Sweets” published by Clarkson Potter (November 2002) and the cookies were then called “Korova Cookies/Sablés Korova”(pages 6-8), the recipe being adapted from Pierre Hermé. Both books are available at www.amazon.com. But you can also find the recipe on www.epicurious.com.

Recipe for World Peace Cookies 
(Recipe by Dorie Greenspan)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups AP flour
1/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 85% cacao)


Preparation

1. Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda into medium bowl.

2. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth but not fluffy.

3. Add both sugars, vanilla, and sea salt; beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

4. Add flour mixture; beat just until blended (mixture may be crumbly).

5. Add chopped chocolate; mix just to distribute (if dough doesn't come together, knead lightly in bowl to form ball).

6. Divide dough in half. Place each half on sheet of plastic wrap. Form each into 1 1/2-inch-diameter log. Wrap each in plastic; chill until firm, about 3 hours. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.)

7. Preheat your oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using thin sharp knife, cut logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on prepared sheets.

8. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies appear dry (cookies will not be firm or golden at edges), 11 to 12 minutes.

9. Transfer to rack and cool.

10. Enjoy!

My entire family, adults and kids, loved the cookies.

French Fridays with Dorie - Provençal Olive Fougasse

Fougasse is an uniquely shaped French yeast bread that is popular in the south of France, in particular, in the southeast of France, namely Provence.

Who does not like to think of Provence while cooking, the mere thought of this beautiful region of France evokes images not only of endless lavender fields but also of olive trees and lemon trees and tomatoes ripening in the sunshine. And then the wonderful smell of the Provençal herbs - herbes de provence (rosemary, thyme, basil...) comes to mind.

Unfortunately, I do not live next door to an olive grove or a citrus plantation,  neither do I have the pleasure of having a lavender field in my backyard, but I did find some young olive trees and a lemon tree at one of my favorite nurseries - so when I dream of Provence whilst shaping the bread, I can still look at these photos.


Oftentimes, the fougasse is shaped like one big leaf, a wheat ear or other fanciful shape. The dough for this raised flatbread is prepared with quite a bit of good olive oil and one or more of the following ingredients, namely, pitted oil-cured green or black olives, lard fumé (smoked bacon bits), sundried tomatoes, garlic, an assortment of various herbs that are common in Provence such as rosemary and thyme and, of course, a sprinkling of good fleur de sel (sea salt).  It can also be prepared plain with just a sprinkling of that wonderful French salt.

The fougasse is usually served whole to show off its fanciful shape and so everyone at the table can tear off a piece or two or more and enjoy the bread either on its own or with some chèvre (goat cheese), tapenade (olive paste), salamis or simply a bit of fruity extra virgin olive oil.

According to Dorie's recipe you add black olives, rosemary and lemon/orange zest to the dough. Considering the sheer uncontrollable growth of herbs in my garden, I decided to do two versions of Dorie's recipe. The first recipe exactly as written, namely, with olives, rosemary and lemon zest and shaped like a leaf.

The second version with Dorie's same basic dough plus the addition of thyme instead of rosemary and chopped oil cured sundried tomatoes instead of black olives. And this time shaped a bit differently.

Everyone around the table loved the fougasse, some liked it a bit better with the black olives, the others preferred it with the sundried tomatoes...chacun à son goût - we all have our preferences.

In conclusion, Dorie's recipe is a wonderful recipe if you like to eat fougasse and I have not met a person yet who does not like to have a bit of  French bread with their lunch or dinner. It is easy to prepare in advance (which I happen to like quite a lot), and lends itself to some individual "interpretations", like different shapes and different additions to the basic dough, depending on what you have on hand and depending on what you and your family like. I should not forget to mention that the fougasse travels well and is great for bringing along to a party as a hostess gift or even to a picnic.

Bon appétit et bon week-end!

To see how the other Doristas prepared the Provencal Olive Fougasse, please click here!

Ordinary People - Alltagsmenschen

The pictures below depict an ensemble of concrete figures entiteld "Alltagsmenschen" ("Ordinary Peolpe") by Christel Lechner, a German ceramist, sculptor and installation artist.

We went to look at this wonderful  installation in the small town of Viersen (Provine of North Rhine-Westphalia) and I took a few pictures. In addition to numerous towns and cities in Germany, Lechner´s whimsical concrete figures have been exhibited in the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria.

Until the end of September, you can look at the installation of about 70 of her "Ordinary People" in the town of Wiedenbrück. Once we have visited Lechner`s exhibits there, I will post more pictures. I think these figures are wonderful and I cannot wait to see more of Lechner`s work very soon.

For more information on the artist, please visit her website at http://www.christel-lechner.de/christel.html or http://dewikipedia.org/wiki/Christel_Lechner (unfortunately only available in German).

May Plaice with Almonds - Maischolle mit Mandeln

At this time of year,  in addition to the regular plaice, you can often find the so-called "May Plaice" (Maischolle) at the fishmonger. As its name implies, the May plaice is only available for four weeks in May and fish lovers appreciate the fine taste of this young fish (fishing grounds are the North Atlantic and the North Sea).

Im schönen Monat Mai kaufe ich gerne mal Maischolle beim Fischhändler meines Vertrauens. Die Maischolle ist keine eigene Schollengattung, sondern die junge Scholle, die, wie der Name schon andeutet, im Mai im Nordatlantik oder in der Nordsee gefangen wird. Eine Maischolle misst etwa 35 bis 45 cm und hat besonders zartes Fleisch.

This recipe showcases the wonderful fish and at the same time combines the elements of two classic dishes. On one hand there is the use of the browned butter, an element from the traditional “sole meunière”, in which the fish, often whole, is sautéed in browned butter. On the other hand, there is the use of almonds, an element from the “sole amandine”, in which the fish is finished with sautéed sliced almonds. For this recipe, the May Plaice with Almonds, you lightly coat the fish fillets with ground almonds, sauté them in browned butter, and serve them with sliced toasted almonds, freshly chopped Italian parsley and some lemon juice to brighten the flavor of the fish.. Please note that the following recipe is meant to serve two, as I usually serve two fillets per person. But of course the recipe can be multiplied. If you have to prepare the fillets in batches, though, it is best to lightly cover the sautéed fillets and keep them in a pre-heated oven (at 150 degrees Celsius) while you fry the remaining fish, using a little extra butter for each subsequent batch. Although you could make the nut mixture earlier in the day or even the day before, the fillets should really be enjoyed as soon as they are cooked. It is also useful to ask your fishmonger to fillet the fish for you - each fillet weighs about 200 grams - all you will have to do then is to prepare this lovely recipe.

Das heutige Rezept lässt diesen wunderbaren Fisch richtig gut zur Geltung kommen und ist eine, wie ich finde, gelungene Kombination von Elementen zweier klassischer Gerichte. Einerseits kennt man ja die Verwendung von brauner Butter, aus der Zubereitung der traditionellen "sole meunière" (Seezunge Müllerinart) in dem der Fisch, gerne auch im Ganzen, in brauner Butter angebraten wird. Anderseits werden ja auch im Rezept für "sole amandine", Mandelblättchen in Butter gebräunt und an den fertigen Fisch gegeben. Für die Maischolle mit Mandeln werden die delikaten Fischfilets mit gemahlenen Mandeln paniert, dann in brauner Butter angebraten und dann mit gerösteten Mandeln und frisch gehackter großblättriger Petersilie und Zitrone angerichtet. Das folgende Rezept für zwei Personen berechnet. In der Regel serviere ich zwei Filets pro Person. Aber natürlich kann man das Rezept beliebig verdoppeln. Falls man mehr als zwei Portionen zubereiten möchte, ist es ratsam, den jeweils fertigen Fisch im vorgeheizten Ofen bei 150 Grad Celsius, leicht abgedeckt, warmzuhalten. Für jede weitere Portion Fisch muss immer wieder ein wenig neue Butter verwendet werden. Möchten Sie die Maischolle als Filets zubereiten, bitten Sie den Händler, die Maischolle auszulösen. Die ungefähr 200 Gramm schweren Filets muss man dann nur noch zubereiten. Obwohl man die Nuss-Mischung für die Panade auch am Vortag zubereiten kann, sollte die Filets wirklich frisch genossen werden, sobald sie gar sind.

May Plaice with Almonds (serves two) Ingredients for the Fish 50 grams natural almonds, ground 1 tbsp AP (plain) flour grated zest of 1/2 organic lemon, plus some of the juice fine sea salt freshly ground black pepper 4 plaice fillets (2 per person) 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten in a small bowl about 2 tbsp cold butter Ingredients for the Garnish sliced almonds, toasted Italian parsley, chopped lemon wedges (organic, please) Preparation of the Fish Whisk the ground almonds, flour, and zest together and season with salt and pepper. Pat the fish fillets dry. Set up the fish, the egg yolk, and the ground almonds assembly line fashion. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat one side of each fillet with a little of the beaten egg yolk (coat the side that previously had skin.) Dip the coated side of each fillet into the nut mixture. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and a small pinch of salt, if your butter isn’t salted, and cook the butter until it turns light brown, about 3 minutes. Slip the fillets into the skillet, nut side down, without crowding the skillet. Reduce the heat and cook until the coating is golden and the fish is cooked halfway through, 3 minutes or so. Season the exposed side of each fillet with salt and pepper, add another 1/2 tablespoon cold butter to the pan, and very gently turn the fillets. Cook, spooning some of the browned butter over the fillets once or twice, until the fish is opaque throughout, about 2 minutes more. If it looks like the pan is dry, add a little more butter. Give each flounder fillet a squirt of lemon juice, then scatter over some toasted almonds and parsley. Serve with more lemon wedges and enjoy.

Maischolle mit Mandeln (für zwei Portionen) Zutaten für den Fisch 50 Gramm Mandeln, gemahlen 1 EL Mehl geriebene Schale von 1/2 Bio-Zitrone, sowie den Saft etwas feines Meersalz frisch gemahlener schwarzer Pfeffer 4 Maischollenfilets (2 pro Person)  1 Eigelb (L), mit einer Gabel verquirlt zirka 2 EL kalte Butter  Zutaten für die Mandeln Mandelblättchen, leicht geröstet großblättrige Petersilie, gehackt Zitronenspalten (von Bio-Zitronen) Zubereitung der Maischolle Gemahlene Mandeln, Mehl und abgeriebene Zitronenschale mischen. Salzen und pfeffern. Fischfilets abspülen, trockentupfen und leicht salzen. Den Fisch, das verquirlte Eigelb und die Mandelpanade nebeneinander stellen. Mit einem Pinsel jeweils eine Seite der Filets bestreichen – am besten die Seite, auf der die dunkle Haut war. Mit dieser Seite dann in die Mandelpanade legen und andrücken. Eine beschichtete Pfanne erhitzen. Einen EL Butter und ein wenig Salz in die Pfanne geben und auf mittlerer Hitze kochen, bis die Butter eine leicht braune Farbe angenommen hat. Das dauert ungefähr drei Minuten. Fisch darin auf der panierten Seite anbraten. Die Filets dabei nicht zu dicht beieinander in der Pfanne braten. Die Filets brauchen ungefähr drei Minuten. Die unpanierte Seite salzen und pfeffern und dann ½ EL kalte Butter dazu geben und dann ganz vorsichtig wenden. Während der Fisch brät, ein oder zweimal die braune Butter über den Fisch träufeln und die Filets so lange braten bis sie gar sind, das dauert zirka weitere zwei Minuten. Je zwei Fischfilets auf einen Teller geben, über jedes Filet etwas Zitronensaft träufeln, mit den gerösteten Mandelblättchen und der Petersilie garnieren. Zitronenspalten dazu reichen und möglichst sofort servieren.

The plaice is good with simple sides, like boiled potatoes, preferably small new potatoes (tossed in butter, lemon juice and some of the chopped fresh parsley), oven-roasted spring carrots, or steamed spinach. You can also serve a Grilled Asparagus Salad on the side.

Einfache Beilagen wie zum Beispiel Salzkartoffeln, oder kleine neue Kartoffeln, die in Butter, frisch gepresstem Zitronensaft und gehackter Petersilie geschwenkt wurden, oder Frühlings-Möhren und gedünsteter Spinat, passen vorzüglich zu Maischolle.   Aber auch ein Gegrillter Spargelsalat schmeckt wunderbar als Beilage zu der Maischolle.

Grilled Asparagus Salad Ingredients  6 stalks white asparagus, tough ends trimmed, peeled, cooked and cooled freshly ground black pepper some sea salt 1 tbsp white wine vinegar 3 tbsp olive oil, plus some for grilling the asparagus Italian parsley, washed, dried and chopped 1 tbsp capers, rinced 2 tbsp bacon, cubed and fried Preparation Cut the asparagus in half lengthwise and place the halved stalks in a heated and lightly oiled grill pan. Grill for a few minutes. Cool slightly. In a bowl, mix together the pepper, salt, vinegar, and oil. Add the parsley, capers and bacon. Mix. Place the grilled asparagus on a platter, add the vinaigrette, and seson some more with salt and pepper to taste. Serve alongside the May plaice.

Gegrillter Spargelsalat mit Bacon und Kapern Zutaten 6 Stangen weißer Spargel, geschält, holzige Enden entfernt, bissfest vorgegart und etwas abgekühlt frisch gemahlener schwarzer Pfeffer etwas feines Meersalz 1 EL Weißweinessig 3 EL Olivenöl, plus etwas für die Grillpfanne großblättrige Petersilie, verlesen, gewaschen, getrocknet, abgezupft und gehackt 1 EL Kapern, abgetropft  2 EL Bacon, klein gewürfelt und gebraten Zubereitung Die Spargelstangen quer halbieren. Eine Grillpfanne erhitzen, ein wenig Olivenöl hinzugeben und die halbierten Stangen für wenige Minuten anbraten. Leicht abkühlen lassen. In einer Schüssel Pfeffer, Salz, Essig und Öl mischen. Petersilie, Kapern und Bacon zu der Salatsauce hinzufügen und vermischen. Den gegrillten Spargel auf einer Platte anrichten, mit der Salatsauce beträufeln, nach Belieben nochmals mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen und zur Maischolle servieren.

This fish recipe tastes wonderful with the May plaice but you could substitute regular plaice, sole or even flounder. No matter which flatfish you decide to buy, when you prepare your fish with that wonderful nutty brown butter and the sweet almonds, it will always taste delicious and look elegant - just perfect for serving in springtime.

Dieses Fischrezept schmeckt wunderbar mit der Maischolle aber man kann auch Scholle, Stein- und Heilbutt, Flunder oder Seezunge verwenden. Egal für welchen der wunderbaren Plattfische man sich entscheidet, in brauner Butter gegart und mit Mandeln paniert und garniert, wird das Fisch immer köstlich schmecken. So ein Gericht zusammen mit frischem Frühlingsgemüse serviert passt großartig zum Frühling.

Benches, tables and chairs

This is a collection of photos that I took during the last couple of days of some colorful benches, tables, chairs, folding chairs, and wicker beach chairs. The pictures were taken in front of different stores in the Cities of Bonn, Köln (Cologne) and Münster.

Tuesdays with Dorie - "Hungarian Shortbread - A Truly Royal Treat"

Hungarian Shortbread is today`s choice for the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group. Shortbread is a classic Scottish dessert and calls for only three ingredients, namely, white sugar, butter, oatmeal flour and no leavening agents. Today´s recipe was contributed by Gale Gand and deviates in a very good way from that traditional recipe – it is a “Hungarian” version and has a thin layer of homemade rhubarb jam between two layers of buttery and crumbly dough.

Shortbread was given its name because of its sandy/crumbly texture and it is traditionally formed into one of three shapes: either it is baked in one large round which is divided into segments very soon after baking, or it is formed into small round shortbread rounds or an oblong shape that gets cut into individual bars. The Hungarian Shortbread recipe calls for baking the dough in a 9- by 12- inch baking pan – I chose a French fluted tart pan with a high rim and a removeable bottom instead. When I prepared the recipe I ended up with double the amount of dough that would fit into the tart pan – so I just had to bake two shortbread rounds. I happen to like the round shape and the segments are easy to cut after baking.

In order to get started you need some homemade rhubarb jam. At this time of year, rhubarb is widely available at the fruit and vegetable markets. It was not a problem at all finding some. Even got some organic rhubarb. The recipe for the jam is easy and quickly prepared. It contains nothing more than rhubarb, sugar, water and a vanilla bean. The jam can be cooled while you put together the dough and wait for it to chill in the freezer.

The dough is prepared with only six ingredients, namely flour, baking powder, salt, butter (used Irish butter for the Hungarian Shortbread…) egg yolks and sugar. After you have prepared the dough, freeze it for 30 minutes. Once the dough is firm, you grate half of it into the baking pan, pat the dough gently to get an even layer, then you drizzle the jam on top and finally grate the rest of the dough over the jam and the first layer of dough. The shortbread then gets baked for about 40 minutes. As soon as the shortbread is removed from the oven, you immediately have to dust it heavily with confectioner´s sugar. By dusting the shortbread while it is hot, the sugar melts somewhat and creates a bit of a glaze. You have to let the shortbread cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting it into your desired shapes, wedges in my case. I did line the bottom of my tart pan with parchment paper, just to be sure the shortbread would release properly and not break.  Right before serving, you can dust it with a bit more with confectioner´s sugar and then, enjoy!

Since it is the first of May today, which means it is Spring festival time and a day off from school and work, we decided to drive to the Town of Brühl, about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) from where we live. There we visited the Baroque “Augustusburg Castle” (1725) with its extensive gardens and a famous staircase by Balthasar Neumann (1740-46).

Within Augustusburg`s gardens is the smaller „“Falkenlust“ (1733), a hunting lodge, where Clemens August of Bavaria (1700 – 1761), a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty of Bavaria and Archbishop-Elector of Cologne enjoyed receiving guests in a more casual environment. There, he loved to serve hot chocolate, tea or coffee to his guests.

The Hungarian Shortbread would probably have been perfect to serve to his guests alongside the tea or coffee because it tastes wonderful. It has a pronounced buttery taste and crumbly texture and the rhubarb jam is a nice addition, not too sweet, just right.

My family and all my guests greatly enjoyed it

The castles were both designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984 (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list)).


Today`s recipe is hosted by Cher Rockwell of The Not So Exiting Adventures of a Dabbler and by Lynette of 1smallkitchen. A big “Thank You” to our hosts!

To see how the other members of the Baking with Dorie group prepared the shortbread, please click here.

And for more information on the “Augustusburg Castle”, you can visit the website of the castle www.schlossbruehl.de.

French Fridays with Dorie - Navarin Printanier

Today´s choice for the French Fridays with Dorie group is Navarin Printanier or Lamb Stew with Spring Vegetables. The title of this recipe already sounds delicious. It seems like the perfect dish to prepare on a windy and rainy Spring day like today.

It turned out that the most difficult part of this recipe was getting fresh, good quality boneless lamb shoulder. I was glad that I had gone over the ingredient list a few days ago. There are no local traditional lamb dishes around here and not many peolpe eat lamb on a regular basis. So I had to order the meat a few days in advance, decided to double the recipe and ended up getting 6 pounds (about three kilos) of lamb shoulder.

My butcher  (the same one who usually orders the lamb chops for me) gave me a strange look but I figured that since the kids already love different kinds of stew that I often prepare, such as "Gulasch with Spätzle" and  "Gaisburger Marsch"  - prepared with potatoes and Spätzle - and since they enjoy lamb chops, they would eat this French lamb stew as well.

The Navarin is a traditional  French stew and there are hundreds of variations of this recipe.



















Dorie Greenspan' s recipe calls for a number of vegetables. You will need garlic, small white onions (one more challenging ingredient, I finally found them at a small greengrocer), carrots, turnips, small potatoes (bought the "new potatoes") and peas ( no chance of getting fresh peas at this time of year, so frozen peas will have to do - according to Dorie "almost everyone" uses them).

In addition to the vegetables, you will need a few fresh herbs. Dorie lists parsley, thyme and a bay leaf. Love these herbs...

After I brought all the required ingredients home, I started out by cutting the lamb shoulder into cubes and trimming off the excess fat. The rest of this one-pot meal was easy to prepare since the instructions in Dorie´s recipe are quite straightforward.

Nothing seems to spell comfort better than a pot of stew simmering on the stove. When my husband and the kids came home, it certainly was nice to hear them say that although they did not know what I was preparing, it "smelled great".

As suggested by Dorie, I served the stew in individual shallow soup dishes and I sprinkled a bit of chopped parsley on top. We had a big loaf of crusty French bread and lightly salted French butter on the side. The meat was tender, the vegetables rounded out the meal beautifully and everyone around the table ate and liked the Navarin Printanier!

Voilà! Great success!

I am glad that my family likes eating lamb because I do too and it is nice to know that they all will venture past marinated lamb chops mediterranean style!

(When we were in Rouen, Normandy, we found this wonderful indoor market with vendors selling vegetables, fruits, cheeses, cured meats, eggs, and much more - wish I was there right now...)

To see how the other Doristas prepared the Navarin Printanier this week,  please click here.