French tarragon chicken - a family favourite

The very first time I tasted French tarragon chicken, I was a student in the South of France.   A family I knew there invited me for Sunday lunch, and after delicious appetizers and a light first course, Madame brought in a large plate of 'poulet à l'estragon' .... mmmm!   The perfume wafting up from the dish was extraordinary, and after the meal she kindly shared her recipe with me.

The next morning I was out to market and bought my first ever pot of tarragon, which grew happily on my small terrace and provided me with leaves for this recipe and many others during my whole student year there.  To this day, I have kept the habit of having fresh herbs to hand all through the year.

 Tarragon chicken is served with a creamy sauce.  Some people like to add mushrooms to the sauce, I am happy to let the flavour of the tarragon dominate.

Inevitably for such a traditional dish, each family has their own way of preparing the chicken.  Many people use chicken pieces, or even diced chicken breasts.  I like to stick to Madame's recipe, using the whole chicken, which gives a much deeper flavour.

To make a Poulet à l'Estragon for four to six people you will need :

one good sized chicken, preferably with the liver

a large bunch of tarragon

100grams or 3 oz of ground almonds

2 shallot onions

1 glass of white wine

half cube of chicken stock

i cup of thick fresh cream

40grams or 1 oz butter

salt and pepper

Rince the tarragon and dry carefully.  Peel and chop the shallot onions.  Mix the chicken liver with about 20 tarragon leaves, salt and pepper, and use to stuff the inside of the chicken.

If you are lucky enough to own a big le Creuset casserole oven dish, then this is the moment to use it!

Heat half of the butter in a deep ovenproof pan and gently cook the shallot onions, stirring until they are transparent.  Remove from the pan.  Use the rest of the butter in the pan to gently brown the chicken on all sides.

Pour in the white wine, and a small cup of water.  Add the shallots, the chicken stock cube, a couple of branches of tarragon and  salt and pepper.    Cover the pot and leave to cook over a gentle heat for a good hour, depending on the size of the chicken.

Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pot, leave to rest for a few minutes before cutting up.  Be sure to keep the chicken warm while you make the sauce.

Collect any juices that have come from the chicken as you cut it up.  Add to the cooking pan, along with the ground almonds, and the fresh cream.  Cook briskly for about 3 minutes, stirring all the time.  Add the remainder of the tarragon, cut finely.

Pour your beautiful sauce over the chicken and serve at the table.  This dish is often accompanied by rice, in this house the preference goes to tiny sauté potatoes and a good green salad.

Hope you enjoy!

Thank you for reading me.

all photos thanks to google images

next month in Paris - Eugène Boudin

I know that many of my readers travel to Paris during the year, so today I am starting a new series 'next month in Paris'.    Each month I'll endeavour to highlight an upcoming exhibition or show that you may like to include in your itinerary.

Today I want to tell you about the Eugène Boudin exhibition starting third week of March.  This is a show that is in my diary, I plan to go with a friend in early  April.

Eugène Boudin was born in normandy, and was one of the first painters to grab his easel and leave the atelier to paint 'en plein air'.   He didn't stick to the Normandy coastline though, and he was seen with his easel painting through Europe.

He is known for his breathtaking skies, and it is said that Claude Monet admired his work and considered Boudin his master teacher.

The charm of this exhibition is that so many of these paintings no longer live in France.  Boudin was a popular artist with the american clientele from the word go, and many of his canvases have never been shown in France before now.

Eugène Boudin

22 March - 22 July

Musée Jacquemart André, Paris

imperfect and happy

Many of us will watch the oscar ceremony.  We can be curious to see who takes the coveted statues, and also curious to see how perfect and gorgeous the 'stars' look as they walk the red carpet or climb the steps on to the stage.

Personally I don't know anyone who looks like a film star.  I know some beautiful people, some kind people, some lovely friends and family, but in my life - a real life - perfection doesn't often take center stage.

It doesn't actually bother me that much, in fact it may be quite the opposite.

I revel in the 'different', the unusual, the flawed.

I am happy to find beauty in the unexpected place.

 And so today, when I noticed that the past week had been so busy that I had let a bouquet of flowers go dry in their vase, I thought again about how perfect 'imperfection' can be.

My house is sometimes pretty, sometimes neat and tidy, but also sometimes a mess.  It is above all a home filled with children, children's friends, dogs, muddy boots, a busy kitchen.   It is the air of happy disorder that makes it feel friendly and lived in.

A real home not a showcase.

These flowers were stunning when fresh ... but now I can see poetry in their curved and cracked stems.   Their soft moist petals may be dry but they feel and look like handmade works of art.

In this blogging world where we all love to share pictures of our dream house, or table, or dress or garden, it's good to take one step back and say "real life is better than a styled stage set".

'Embracing imperfection' ..... my motto for the week ahead ......

 hope you have a good one.

french blues and neutrals

There are a million (at a rough estimate) other and more important things that I should be doing this morning, but the joy of a blog is that it gives me the excuse to re-organise my day and justify some fun.

I found these beautiful fabrics yesterday:  an old bolster and some cereal bags, and teamed them up with a remnant of blue toile de jouy I've been keeping for an unknown reason.  Then I thought I needed a backdrop and ha!  the painted floor - at last it comes into its own!

So this is my offering to you on a cold weekend in Normandy.  A little linen, a little indigo blue, a little  antique stoneware and china .....

and finally for those of who who are saying "oh, so she painted the floor white in the end",  I have to reply "no actually", in real life it is very pale grey, although I grant you, it does appear white here.

I wish you all a lovely weekend, thank you for reading me.

painted floor cloths - your opinion please

When I wrote about my longing for an aubusson rug last week I received emails from very kind readers (thank you Alana, Kate and Erin !) suggesting I may like to try a painted floor cloth ....... a what?!

Were it not for my clever readers I'd have known nothing about these - one of the downsides of spending too much time in the country I guess!

So I set out to investigate.... first stop pinterest - of course - where I found this beauty by Pruit Littleton

and this rather wonderful martha stewart tutorial

but things got serious  when I opened the latest copy of the UK Country Living and found these pictures of striped floor cloths painted by the british designer Victor Mutton at parchment vyse

I just love these muted colours and simple country stripes ....

Now, you know how I love to ask your opinion  ....  so tell me please - do you have any experience of floor cloths?  Have you made any or bought one?  What are they like to live with.  I gather that they require padding under the cloth, how well does that work?

Thank you for your help on this, I look forward to reading your words of wisdom  :)

Photos 1; 4;5;6 by Nick Carter for Country Living, photos 2;3  pinterest

a chic and luxury giveaway in Paris!

I don't often talk about giveaways here, but here is something quite exceptional

it combines a luxury hotel, professional photography, a total hair 

and make-up make over and all of that in Paris!!

so what are you waiting for?!  Pop over to see Carla Coulson and try your luck .....

and just remember if you're the lucky winner, to come back here and show us your picture!

Bonne chance!

the colourful french cuisine

Few brands of saucepans can boast icon status, but Le Creuset is up there, loved and honoured through the generations, a symbol of French cuisine and style.

My first le Creuset oven casserole dish was a wedding gift, and all these years later it is still going strong.  I can't even begin to count how many stews, how many braised guinea fowl, how much compote or soups have been served from it.

The Le Creuset pans, skillets and  other cooking tools are made of enameled cast iron.  Heavy?  yes, very, but also practically indestructible.  Because they are made of iron, they heat slowly but very evenly, and are ideal for long slow cooking.

Why do I love them so much?  Because they go from oven to table with no trouble at all, especially with the huge range of colours available.

a cold french country morning

 Brrrr!! - It is a freezing morning here, but gloriously sunny too, and I love the way the morning sun catches the sparkle of the frost on the ground.

I never tire of the view from our field, over the roofs of the village in one direction and across to the forest and open valley in the other.

I tried to sneak out to feed the horses on my own, but Ghetto and Gibson managed to follow and even brought Gibson's lead for me, so how could I refuse their company?!

 The dogs had fun with the lead while I clicked away on my camera

A good start to my week?  -  yes, I'd say yes, definitely yes!

snowdrop sunday

No matter how many boxes of snowdrops I give away to friends each year, I just seem to have more and more in the garden.

At this time of year they are sparkling bright beneath the magnolia tree as well as popping up uninvited in other beds and borders.

I try to make the most of these extra guests by bringing them indoors for a while.  My favourite way is to simply dig up small clumps and pop them into these old vintage pots, adding a little moss to hide the earth.

 

They may not last for long, but for a few days we'll have their delicate beauty to admire close up.

wishing you a lovely sunday ...

the allure of french aubusson tapestry

I think I am spending too much time dreaming at the moment - it is my respite from all the painting and sanding that's been going on here.  

And today I am dreaming of a beautiful Aubusson rug to put on my newly painted floors.

I really adore the soft and subtle colours of these flat weave tapestry rugs , they are still manufactured today using the same techniques as in the 17th and 18th century.

 One of the reasons that the colours are so subtle is the use of natural dyes for the wools.  Never gaudy, and also very resistant to light fading problems.

Of course, if I lived in a château then I may be tempted by a wall hanging tapestry .... but I don't ... and I'm not!   I simply long for a good sized rug for a newly decorated bedroom......

For those with the deepest pockets, it is possible to buy original  tapestries to hang.   Sothebys regularly opens bidding at around $25,000 on 18th century Aubusson, but there are many still being made today in the centre of France that maintain that very special look and feel.   

Their designs and motifs are still totally in line with decorating today.   Personally I'd be worried to have something that precious in my home,.......

Many of these tapestries and rugs are between 9 to 12 feet long.  Quite magnificent in the centre of a room.    And even though they are so traditional and precious, I find they work just as well with priceless antiques as with contemporary feel of shabby chic and brocante.

unless of course your style is more Downton Abbey

the rug even works against white walls and floor .... hmmm...

And if a whole tapestry feels a little overwhelming, then there are smaller solutions like these stunning pillows made by the über-talented Debra at Acquired Objects.   Debra gets to handle priceless tapestries every day as she lovingly restores and gives new life to old textiles to make her sought after pillows. 

You can see her current selection for sale here.

So what do you think?  Even if this isn't a style you would immediately think of for your home ... do you agree that an Aubusson is actually way more versatile then it first appears?

Hope you have something fun planned for the weekend, 

thank you for reading me this week.