Paris and Comfort Food

As an experienced traveler, I typically laugh at those who make "rookie" mistakes while on the road.  I, sadly, made one of those rookie mistakes the other day.  I left my purse on the plane we took from Houston to Paris. 

As soon as I realized it was missing I began trying to recover it, all to no avail.  The Air France agents were very helpful, but the purse never surfaced. In it was my drivers license, insurance card, 2 credit cards and a tiny bit of cash.  Fortunately, I never travel without wearing my money belt, so my passport and 400 Euros were on my body.

This was both disheartening and humiliating at the same time.

So to cheer myself up during our 5 and a half hour layover at CDG I visited a delightful little pastry shop. 

The window displays were absolutely gorgeous, but I was not allowed to take photos of them.  My only other option was to purchase a few treats for myself and photograph them...

Macarons were all the rage and there were countless options.  Enough in fact to truly paralyze my decision making abilities.  So I did what I always do in that situation, ask for recommendations from the person working the counter. 

Her choices for me were a Currant and Violet flavored macaron and a Salted Caramel flavored one. 

Aren't they gorgeous?!?!?

 I liked the Currant and Violet flavor, very interesting.  I'm not a big jam or preserves person, so I didn't like the filling of that one as much.

But the Salted Caramel one... Oh. My.Word. 

I felt much better after these.

Peachy Keen

(The Hubs so kindly agreed to professionally document our session this morning.  All photos in this post are his work.  I want to make sure to give credit where credit is due.) 

Meet my friend Shannon.  She's the girl on the right.  That's me on the left.  No, we weren't mad at each other, we were simply "divinding and conquering".

No, we weren't mad at each other, we were simply "dividing and conquering".

Shannon really likes to cook too.  That makes it really easy to be friends with her.  Well, that and the fact that she is one of the kindest (and funniest) people I know.  This girl has a heart of gold. 

The last 2 Wednesdays we have gotten together to cook and it's been a blast!  Last week was biscotti, homemade nutella and nutella panna cotta.  So basically, chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. 

This week Shannon wisely suggested we be a little healthier and chose this fabulous menu:

Peach and Brie Quesadillas  

Served with Grilled Peaches over Arugula with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto.

(For dessert I picked another recipe from Real Simple - Irene's Peach Surprise...but more about that tomorrow.)

Anyone picking up on a theme here? 

Since we really didn't vary from the way each of the recipes were written, I won't worry with typing in detail about steps and procedures.  Instead, I will let the Hubs' pictures explain it all.  Enjoy!

The Prep Work:

Of course there were peaches to deal with.  Lots of peaches.

There were also ingredients other than peaches to prep -

Chives

Brie

Limes and Eggs

And sauces / dressings to make -

Honey Balsamic Syrup

Honey Lime Dipping Sauce

Cooking and Assembling:

Quesadillas first -

Now for the salad -

 

(a sprinkle of crispy prosciutto)

(a drizzle of honey balsamic syrup)

I'm not sure if there was more laughing or cooking going on -

Lunch is Served:

My favorite Taste-Testing Neighbor joined us for lunch.  (She is a professional taster, you know.) 

Both dishes paired nicely with the Riesling I had chilling in the fridge.  The recipe also said a Chenin Blanc would work well. 

All 3 of us agreed there was not a thing we would change about the salad.  To say it was delicious would be an understatement.  A definite keeper. 

We also all agreed that while the quesadillas were good, they fell a bit flat in the flavor department.  Even with the dipping sauce (which was very good) they still lacked pizazz.  Georgia suggested adding cinnamon to the peaches mix and Shannon suggested cilantro.  Either (but not both at the same time!) would make a delightful addition.

Coming tomorrw: Dessert re-cap and why we re-named it Baked Georgia.

Summer Soup

If you love sweet corn, or any corn for that matter, or just need a way to use up all of those ears of corn you purchased on impulse just because they were 5/$1, I have the recipe for you. 

Corn Soup with Poblano Puree
(adapted from Real Simple, July 2010)

2 poblano peppers
3 1/2 c chicken broth
2 T butter
1 small onion, chopped
5 c fresh corn kernels (about 8 ears; can cheat and use frozen corn in a pinch)
S & P
1/4 c heavy cream
Cilantro (for garnish)

Get the corn off of the cobs.  This is a chore, yes, but it is so worth it to use fresh corn.

Use a bundt pan - keeps things much neater.

Under the broiler, char the peppers on all sides. 
 

After they are charred, put them in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let them cool for about 10 minutes.  Once cooled, pull the skins off the peppers and remove the stems and seeds.

In a blender puree them with 3 T of the chicken broth.

In a large pan (I used my dutch oven) over medium heat melt the butter and then cook the onions until they are translucent and tender. 

Add in the corn, the rest of the chicken stock and some S&P.  Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 10 - 15 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it's at a consistency you're good with. 

To serve:
After filling a bowl with the corn puree, carefully add a spoonful of the poblano puree and then drizzle a little of the heavy cream on top. 

You really should garnish it with cilantro, but I forgot.

Oh, and I may or may not have thrown in a little creme fraiche as I was pureeing it.  So bad, I know, but oh so very tasty.

Variations:

If the soup is too thick for your taste, it can easily be thinned with a little more chicken stock. 
Stirring in a little milk or half and half would definitely make it a little richer.
Some leftover roast or rotisserie chicken would be delightful in this soup.