We had a quiet new year weekend. At the market on CNY eve, we bought flowers and clementines. V helped to stock up the almost 30 year old snack tray with candied fruits, hawflakes and nuts. We took the dogs to the groomers before we returned to the flat for a homecooked 'reunion dinner'.
As there's only the three adults and a 16 month child eating we focussed on light flavourful dishes. Scallops were of course a foregone conclusion since they are just coming into season, getting fatter and sweeter as the weeks progress. This time we grilled and coated it with smoky-spicy bits of sauteed garlic and chilli and it was absolutely fabulous. The green herbs in the background, don't know the name ? ice lettuce had a crisp texture and a salty peppery tang that provided a nice contrast.
Then, some salmon braised in a sauce partly inspired by this video by Mark Bittman of the New York Times. Instead of mackerel we used salmon, and we cooked the sauce to an almost syrupy gravy to pour over rice. Oo-la-la was it ever so very tasty. And unbelievably simple.
Then there was a plate of smallish prawns stirfried with dark soy sauce, just like my mom makes at home.
And an anomalous but still welcome dish of leftover sausage casserole, augmented with stirfried courgettes and brocolli. We had to kick the casserole out of the freezer to make room for the food we will cook for husband's colleagues and their families when they come over next week (cripes!).
We drank a little muscadet with the food, and toasted the new year in. Then for desserts there was a little bag of mini macarons and a dig in the tin of candy my cousins brought over when we cooked dinner for them a few days before.
Tables cleared, kitchen scrubbed, we settled down in front of the TV to surf through the hundred of channels that is in the Canal+ package we're trying out. Then we went to sleep.
The next day i.e. first day of lunar year 2007, felt very springlike- the sun came out and so did all the people in Paris. We had lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant ate an indulgent dish of fresh noodles with black truffles. Life is not the same here, but it is still mighty fine and worth celebrating. Cheers!
