For updates on the last month or so before this, have a look at previous months' entries. Note, entries are in reverse chronological order, with the most recent entry at the top of the page. I also keep a foodblog, and have a flickr site with photos on it.
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| 31 March A quiet weekend at home? Not likely! Last night I went out for "Potence" with friends, tonight had a challenge dinner party (theme: hidden secrets). Tomorrow lunch... yum cha! Tomorrow night? Malakoff. What a feast. So... lets start with Potence. What is it? Well, apparently the word means Gallows in French. A macabre name for an impressive dish! Potence consists of a hot blackened iron contraption, spiked with long narrow spikes, and hanging from a chain. Lamb pieces are skewered onto the spikes, and the whole thing is placed on the table, set over a bowl of rice, and flaming brandy poured over the top. Spectacular and, I can testify, delicious.
The next day I quickly met up with a friend who wanted to borrow some fabric for a toga. He then came with me to the shops where I bought a fine file, and a trolley; you know the sort; made of wood, drawers, wine rack, shelves, and this one with a built in knife block... mind you I had to build it in! Anyway I rushed home to get cooking, preparing for a special dinner party: the next installment of my regular food-friend group. Theme this time? Hidden secrets. Inspired by a dish my friend Jeremy served, I made the following:
Seems a bit dull at first glance; boiled egg? but no! The egg is filled with white chocolate mousse, with a yolk made of an orange marmalade with just a splash of brandy. The next day, I got up early (like 9.30am!) and went and sang at mass. Then, after a quick lunch, I got to spend an hour or two at home before heading out for dinner with a friend for Malakoff. I am sure that you know what Malakoff are don't you? A genuine Swiss speciality (of the Canton Vaud), it consists pretty much of a ball of cheese, on a slice of bread, the whole thing crumbed in an ingenious fashion and then deep fried. I realise it sounds a bit naff, but actually its very tasty; and hey, contains two of the food groups: cheese and burnt crunchy bits (well ok they aren't really burnt as such, but crispy counts!) Cholesterol city, we only managed two each. All in all a grand weekend of feasting! 17 March Greater love hath no woman for her admiring public than she would actually get out of bed on a Saturday morning before 8am to catch a train to Versoix. Why? For the festival du chocolate. Such sacrifice. I met up with some of my GOL friends at the train station and we headed off. There were some 20 stands, each of them offering free tastings of some of their produce. There were some spectacular looking eggs for easter, sculptures of chocolate and some local specialities "paves". There were some people making chocolates, so we could taste a crisp wafer dipped in chocolate warm from the pot. There were fountains of chocolate, and little cups of fresh fruit with chocolate fondue.
I had given myself a pretty generous budget, and bought this array of goodies....
9 March My friend Janet has given me a gift. It may look like a bit of an odd gift but its actually a really caring gift. And no, it isn't as indecent as it looks. Well, not quite as indecent anyway.
"So what is it?" I hear you ask. Well, its a netipot. If you go looking at wikipedia, you find out that using it is efficacious for all sorts of woes, including solving hay fever, sinusitis and post nasal drip. Basically you get warm salty water and pour it in one nostril and out the other. It clears out everything. I promised Janet I would give it a good week's try. Its not too bad... a bit weird at first. 8 March Well, I just got out of hospital. Now don't panic; I was just there for a physical exam. It was a bit of a surprise visit... I thought I was going in to have a meeting with an anaesthetist and when I arrived, I discovered that I was going to be in the hospital for 36 hours! Many needles, a gastroscopy, xrays and mri's later I emerged in my dirty clothes, blinking into the sunlight. I can tell you, being healthy in a hospital sucks. Being in a hospital where not one other person speaks english in the room of 7 sucks. But lifes like that eh?
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28 May, Geneva
I use wpoison to deter spammers...
