Mad Geese and Tipsy Damsons
What with our little trip to Provence we took back spring to Chemilly, and here we are in the middle of THE most spring month, the month of May.
I've been having some very eventful weeks lately with the appearance of my cookery book Mad Geese and Tipsy Damsons in English as an e-book. I'm so happy it's finally out now, so that my English speaking readers have a chance to get it too!
Definitely a reason to celebrate as in a way it also marks a new beginning. I wrote and photographed this book in 2020 at our old place. It was that time when the world came to a complete standstill and the future felt so uncertain. When we bought the house back in 2011, we divided our time between France and Switzerland, trying to get out of the city and into our little happy nest on the banks of the river Saone whenever we could. We always felt a pull to living full time in this beautiful land and the situation in 2020 was the final glorious kick in the derrière to just go for it. It was risky and it was definitely crazy but the absolutely best thing we ever did in our life (besides getting together maybe). In our life and for our life! Fast forward to today, and this wonderful book that contains my heart and soul is a keepsake of the cherished memories made in this house and of our life in France. A very special house, a house that had become our home so very much and of which we loved every fibre and every quirky detail, a house that felt incredibly painful to move out of, even to a French castle!
And yes, having it all out in the world now also means I let go a little and there's room for new endeavours. I truly hope I get to write and photograph my second book here at the castle, so bear with me!
To my German speaking audience, Von Gänsen und Beschwipsten Zwetschken hardcopy edition is still available here or through large Swiss bookshops.
So let's celebrate with a little sneak peek at the e-book with a super duper easy recipe for making tuiles au fromage, which means cheese tiles in English, and goes perfectly well with a glass of dry Champagne. A real treat. The other photograph shows the French doors to my study. From my desk I'd see a sea of Japanese cherry blossom, wisteria and lilac in spring. Here's to wonderful memories and new adventures, cheers my friends!
What you’ll need
Comté cheese, aged for 12 - 18 months. 200-300g will to for an aperitif with several guests. If you have several baking trays, it will be quicker for you can only bake about 6 - 8 tiles per tray.
How you make it
Preheat the oven to 210°C. Grate the cheese into coarse flakes. Place 6-8 teaspoon sized mounds of cheese flakes evenly on a baking tray lined with baking paper. For your first batch, leave generous gaps between the mounds as they will spread flat. Bake for 3-4 minutes in the upper part of the oven. The baking time depends somewhat on the cheese you choose, it’s best to keep an eye on progress; the tuiles should not be burnt but just be slightly golden in colour and dotted with air pockets. Immediately remove from the tray - but not from the baking paper - once baked and still hot place them over a rolling pin for example, or the back of a cooking ladle, until they’re cold. Be careful if you’re sensitive to heat, it might be advisable to work with heat proof gloves.
How you eat it
With a glass of dry Champagne. Watch it for tuiles may make you very thirsty, better to pour a glass of water along with it too.