Time Off in France

It is the season for Pumpkins or Poitiron. Unlike the American orange pumpkins, the French one's look more like Cinderalla's carriage before it was a carriage. The farmer's cut it up for you and sell slices for baking and soups.

Pumpkin soup

Asking the Farmer how to make the pumpking soup, she suggested the following.

Skin the pumpkin and put it into water to boil. Add a few bouilloun cubes. Add a pomme de terre (potatoe) and an onion. Voila ! Put in the blender and make it a puree and it is fantastic and so easy!!!

Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving is approaching and we were invited to two Thanksgiving dinners (one on Thursday and Saturday). I decided to attempt to make a Pumpkin Pie from fresh pumpkin. My first attempt was fabulous for the inside (add enough sucre and anthing can be great), but the crust had some difficulty cooking (possibly our oven or I need to bake before a bit more before putting inthe filling. Meanwhile here is the great recipe.. Try fresh pumpkin also. It was great!!! and not hard.

Ingredients:

1 - 8oz pkg cream cheese softened (I used some similiar cheese here in France)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

3 eggs (I think you only need one or two however as it was a bit runny)

1 can canned pumpkin or equivalent in fresh

1 unbaked pie cshell, edges crimped high

1 cup diary sour cream

Directions:

Cream together cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, giner, salt, and cloves. Add eggs, one a a time, beathing thoroughly after each addition. Blend in softened pumpkin, milk, and vanilla. (the recipe said this, but there wasn't milk listed in the ingredients so I added a little). Bake into 375 oven 45-50 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge come out clean. Blend together sour cream and sugar; spread over top of pie. return pie to oven 3-5 minutes or until topping is set. Chill before serving.

With the cool weather coming we are searching for good soup recipes. Here is a lightweight wonderful soup.

Beef Stock or bouillon cubes

Tons of onions - sliced and lightly sauteed in olive oil until soft

Mix the onions with the beef stock (about  2 onions per 8 cups of stock)

My friend Kirsten makes the best cupcakes in the world. An old family recipe of hers that she has shared with me. Not being much of a baker I am learning slowly and this was a great place to start... especially because cupcakes just aren't found in France. Tartes, patisseries, gateau and more, but not cupcakes. Ordering cupcake holders and a cupcake pan from America I began to bake. The next task was converting cups to grams (something I let the computer do).

This past Saturday, Zoe-Pascale decided it was time to make cupcakes for Pantoufle's 8th month birthday and we needed a party. A few friends and neighbors came over to celebrate. So here it is.  The recipe follows and just call it Kirsten's cupcakes!

3/4 cup butter
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups sifted and then measured cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup milk

Beat butter, sugar, eggs, vamilla for 5 min on high speed.
 Sift together baking powder, salt and flour.
Add dry stuff in 4 separate dumps into wet stuff alternately with milk.
 Blend on low speed just until smooth.  Bake at 350.  Pour only half way into cups. Check after 10 minutes with stick to see if cooked all the way through.

Icing:  1/2 cup butter softened
8 oz cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
Gradually add 1 package powdered sugar.

At our resort in Crete as well as all over the island, Cafe Frappes were served throughout the day. My parents and Jean and I loved these cool whipped coffee drinks and even Zoe-Pascale begged us to make her a coffee-milk version.

Different than Starbucks, high-calorie Frappe, this recipe is lower in calorie and something you can easily make at home.

First, you need to buy a Frappe machine (which Mom bought upon arriving home at Best Buy).

Mix the following in a tall glass:

• 1 teaspoon of nescafe (somehow it needs to be an instant powder for it to work properly)
• About 1-2 tablespoons of cold water (you'll know if it is too much as it will splatter all over)
• sugar or splenda to taste
• mix in Frappe machine until it is all foamy
• Add more water (almost to the top
• Add milk (if you like milk in your coffee)
• Add ice cubes

Lay back and feel the warm ocean breeze and enjoy