miam miam

One for the food loving Francophiles (though you do need to be able to read in French, too). A very good food blog here, hosted on the website of newspaper, Libération. Looks good and loads and loads to read. The posts are all sent in by readers of the paper, with links to their blogs, which makes for a really interesting and varied mélange. I particularly like the posts filed under the subheading 'plaisir d'enfance'. There is a shop up there too, along with a facility to book a table at restaurants across France.

mon amour

Cheese. It's amazing. The fact it comes in so many varieties, is amazing. Even the way it's made is amazing. I have not eaten meat for a few years and really make up for it with cheese. My appreciation of cheese began at a very young age, with the softer, more simple tastes and textures of Brie and Camembert. By my teenager years, I, of course, thought I'd tried it all. Moving to Burgundy in my twenties, I was however introduced to the hardcore Soumantrain and Epoisse. This was also where I was made my first tartiflette, by the man who is now my husband. I have finally repaid the favour.

Tartiflette 
(for 4 people - or 2 very hungry people)

1 onion 
2 tbsp crème fraîche
100ml milk
1kg potatoes
1 reblochon
black pepper

Preheat the oven at 180°C. Chop the onion and place in the bottom of a large oven proof dish. Peel and slice the potatoes and scatter on top of the onions. Pour the milk over the potatoes and spoon on the crème fraîche. Slice the reblochon in two and plop the halves directly on the top. Finish off with a grinding of black pepper. Bung in the oven for an hour and ta-da. 
Source: author's own

In my opinion, the perfect autumn/winter dish.
Bon appétit!

if you treat yourself to one thing this week...

... let it be Mikado. French biscuit-making kings, LU, are the brains behind these skinny treats. They are the perfect afternoon coffee accompaniment and always best crunched in pairs. At the end of an exhausting spa-day away at Stobo, this was a truly random purchase, from Sainsbury's in Peebles. A real surprise as I didn't know you could get them in the UK. With packaging almost as good as its contents and looking somewhat like a naff packet of cigarillos, you really can't go wrong.