when autumn leaves start to fall

♥ Three wee pumpkins to match my three tiny teddy bears.

I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

(L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables)

Autumn has always been my favourite season, it exudes such vibrancy of colour just before the pale shades of winter envelop everything, the air is crisp and cool and caresses your cheek with the dramatic change in season, and food seems more robust and vivacious somehow, as though prepared with a consciousness of the dullness of winter to follow. Working two jobs and barely finding time to sleep enough makes the time on the weekends feel that much more precious, and what do I spend that time doing? Stuffing my face with the (mostly) homemade joys of cold weather recipes! No regrets. :P

 ♥ Zucchini Garlic soup!

♥ Orange Pekoe & St. Michel biscuit afternoons

♥ Homemade Apple Pie!!

♥ Curry Coconut Carrot Soup   

♥ Thanksgiving Day dinner : Roasted Brussels Sprouts with dried cranberries, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Dunn’s Smoked Meat, home brewed kombucha! 

♥ Bacon & vegetable “Quisotto” – Risotto recipe made with quinoa!   

♥ Home brewed kombucha tea!     

cakes, cadeaux, and classic tiramisu

Though I am not leaving Cahors yet, I have finished my contract at the lycée, and I received some going-away/thank you gifts from the teachers! Though they are from the teachers collectively, I know that one particular teacher must have selected these gifts, because I spoke with her the most, and she knew about my hobbies and interests. She knew that I was learning to cook in Cahors and her knowledge is evident in the thoughtful choices she made in gift-giving – a mold for making cannelés bordelais, a recipe book for regional French recettes, a tea towel from St. Cirq-Lapopie! I also received a beautiful book of 100 cake recipes for my birthday from the other language assistants in Cahors (♥), and a charming set of coasters printed with vintage champagne ads, from a Spanish teacher who worked with the Spanish assistant at my lycée. I will treasure these gifts forever, and am ready to throw out clothing in order to make space for them in my suitcase. =P Mille mercis, tout le monde!

As for my culinary progress, last night, my landlady and I made a classic tiramisu together. Despite all the caveats I’ve heard, tiramisu is a surprisingly simple dessert to make! It chilled overnight, and was ready for consumption by lunchtime today. An Italian student of mine also gave me her mother’s traditional tiramisu recipe, and so I will be testing that one out bientôt! I shall have to make everyone desserts to thank them for their generosity!

cooking in Cahors, continued!

serendipity (n.) : when you decide randomly to make coconut macaroons and hollandaise sauce (for smoked salmon eggs benedict!!) and you realize that one recipe calls for 4 egg whites, while the other demands 4 egg yolks (and too much butter for one small person to consume alone), so everything works out eggcellently.