Home Sweet Bordeaux
November and a Roast Chicken Recipe
All of the years I’ve spent dreaming about living in France, months of planning, weeks of packing, and stressful days leading up to the big move have all led up to this. My husband, our two dogs, and most of our paired down possessions have made it safely to our new home in Bordeaux, France. The dogs seem pretty unfazed by the whole event, while the humans in this family still have a bit of sorting out and balancing to do.
We arrived in Caudéran late afternoon on Thursday October, 30th with our suitcases, jetlag, and baguette cravings in tow. After a walk through to take inventory of the house with our rental company, we headed straight to the closest supermarché. Our first evening meal consisted of multiple cheeses, saucisson, two baguettes, and a gifted bottle of local Bordeaux wine. We stuffed ourselves from exhaustion as we waiting for the pet relocation driver to delivery our pups.
My first week in Bordeaux has consisted of the following:
Daily dog walks and runs in Parc Bordelais
Purchasing baking and kitchen supply replenishments from Labo&Gato Bordeaux, Culinarion, and Coutellerie Saphores Bordeaux (knife shop).
Sunday at the Chartron Sunday Market (Marché des Quais) where I stocked up on spices, purchased whole squids for dinner, an incredible rotisserie chicken, and several blocks of cheese.
Surviving the French Supermarché… more to come on this!
Getting a French bank account, French phone number, and visa validation. Which surprisingly was not as much stress as I had anticipated.
This week, I purchased a new “old” table at the Les Hangars St. Michel Antiquites for taking food photos in a lovely natural light corner of our small maison. Antique shopping in France so far is much more friendly on my wallet. I used to spend hours scouring through flea markets in the states looking for old French cutting boards and rustic wood tables. Only to leave empty handed or with a big receipt.
I walked into the shop pass several stunning wood tables, a bit too big for my place and directly towards a simple photo worthy beauty. Upon working out delivery details, it was apparent that when I think I’m speaking French, I am not speaking French.
Some may think having your pronunciation corrected is rude, I think its fantastic! The shop owner, Bruno spent five minutes teaching me to correctly sound out my street name, so I could properly tell someone where I lived. I loved every second of connecting what I heard in my head to what my voice was projecting.
My new greeting is Bonjour! Desolé, Je ne parle pas bien français.
My Thanksgiving Tips
For those of you in the states, Thanksgiving prep is in full swing. I’m a bit more low key than most when it comes to holidays. But, here are a few things I stick to.
Allow one day in the refrigerator of thawing for every four pounds of frozen turkey or bird.
Any side dish will do! Choose a lineup that includes creamy, crispy, and tangy, plus a colorful veggie.
Keep the table setting simple, a few drippy candles is all you need.
Coffeehouse vibe or chill instrumental music in the background gives way to conversation.
Serve dinner ‘buffet style’ if you have the counter space. I like more area on the table for glasses, silverware, and seeing the person across from me clearly. Sorry giant floral centerpiece!
Offer coffee after dinner and with pie. Two French presses, heavy cream, and vanilla bourbon sugar cubes will do the trick.
Have Snacks Ready
If your guests are arriving before the meal or the housemate walking through the kitchen while you’re cooking is starving, having an hors d'oeuvres tray is a must. Cheese, meat and crackers sounds basic, but its easy, most people enjoy it and you can easily place the leftovers in a plastic ziploc bag for later.
Cheese tray offering a couple firm and a few soft cheeses. Dried figs, sliced pears, walnuts and cashews alongside a little honey if you’ve got it.
Charcuterie tray (just the meat) that has prosciutto and sliced salami (saucisson) options. Here you can place a bowl of cornichons alongside some mustard.
Fill a basket, bowl or tray with a couple cracker options. Or a few pre-sliced baguettes.
Make the Pie Crust Ahead
Make your pie dough a few days ahead. Roll out the dough and line the pie pan, then cover it with freezer wrap and freeze until you’re ready to bake.
Two Small Birds or a Chicken Pie?
Roasting a giant turkey all day can be a bit daunting. The last few years I’ve opted for either a single roasted chicken, Cornish hens, a duck, or a chicken pie with a side of mashed potatoes.
BYOB
Take the stress out of buying too many alcohol options. I usually have a couple bottles of wine on hand, a little booze in the cabinet, water, and coffee in my kitchen. Ask your guests to bring their drink of choice, so that everyone is happy and no half-sipped bottles are wasted.
Simple Roast Chicken
Ingredients
1 (2 kg or 4-5 pound) whole chicken, giblets removed
76 grams (1/3 cup) duck fat, substitute with melted butter if you prefer
fine sea salt to season
crushed black pepper to season
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
6 sun dried tomatoes in oil, *divided
10 sprigs fresh sage, in a bundle
5 whole garlic cloves, peeled
6 whole sweet cherry peppers
6 whole garlic stuffed olives
8 large purple carrots, peeled and cut into 5 cm chunks or long quartered strips
10 red pearl onions, peeled and sliced
75 ml (1/3 cup) chicken broth
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425F (220C), place a baking rack in the lower ⅓ of the oven, and bring the chicken to room temperature.
Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels.
Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.
In a small bowl mix together the duck fat, sage, and 3 minced sun dried tomatoes, with a fork or a wire whisk.
Brush the duck fat mixture over the hen, rubbing all over the sides and into the cavity.
Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken.
Fill the cavity with 10 sprigs of fresh sage, 5 garlic cloves, 5-6 sweet cherry peppers, 5-6 garlic stuffed olives.
Tie the legs with cooking string. Either tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken or leave them out.
In the bottom of a large roasting pan place the sliced carrots, pearl onions, and 2-3 sliced sun dried tomatoes. Pour the chicken broth over the vegetables, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss gently to mix.
Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan.
Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and roast for 1-1.5 hours until the skin is golden, and the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches 165 F (76 C) on a digital meat thermometer.
Remove the chicken from the pan and place it on a cutting board for 15-20 minutes to rest before cutting and serving.
My Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
Like most Americans I grew up attending a family Thanksgiving dinner with a buffet assortment of all the well known beloved classic dishes. Sporting a younger more active metabolism, I filled my plate with turkey, mashed potatoes, and dressing all smothered in turkey giblet gravy. After a couple hours of sharing stories across the table, dessert was served. My grandmother would slice the pies asking each of us, “pumpkin or pecan”. “I’ll take one slice of each”, my father and I would reply without hesitation.
Now that middle age has arrived, I tend to cut back on the gravy and spread my additional pie portions out over a few days. Don’t be thrown off, I still sample every dish but without lying on the floor in agony afterwards. Nowadays, I enjoy making an array of holiday cuisines to share with friends and family.
Apple Cranberry Stuffing is top on my list this year. Whether you refer to it as stuffing or dressing, stuffed into a bird or baked on a tray, its not Thanksgiving without it. This recipe combines apples, cranberries, pork sausage, fresh herbs, onions, celery and of course toasted baguettes.
For a smaller holiday meal without the fuss of an entire Turkey, opt for a delicious Cozy Chicken Pie instead. Its my go to ‘Friendsgiving’ dish or just a cozy dinner for two.
Garlic Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes can be made with red potatoes or peeled Yukon gold potatoes, whichever you prefer. I lean towards ‘skin on’ red potatoes in this recipe with lots of fresh garlic and goat cheese. Opt for fresh herbs if you have them.
Buttermilk Drop Biscuits are quick and easy for a last minute bread option. If you need to bring a side dish to a party that everyone will enjoy, these cheesy little biscuits will work.
Which would you choose, Pumpkin Pie or Sweet Potato Pie? Again, my answer is a slice of both please! The key to each of these pies is roasting the star of the dish to make a homemade puree. If you have the time, make the All Butter Pie Crust as well, its sooo worth it!
Thanksgiving Recipes in My Cookbook!!
The Southern Baking Cookbook, includes dishes loved by family and those reminiscent of my time living in the southern United States. Everyone has recipes that remind them of home and these are mine.
Thanksgiving Hand Pies made with leftover turkey, melted cheese, and homemade cranberry sauce. A festive little adult ‘hot pocket’ to jazz up your ‘after the get together’ meals. My take on next day turkey sandwiches.
Warm Cheesy Dilly Dinner Rolls brushed with melted butter, c’mon. No holiday table is complete without a basket of warm rolls.
Those of you who could not decide earlier, here’s a Pumpkin Sweet Potato Pie topped with toasted homemade bourbon vanilla bean marshmallows just for you. I’m just out here trying to please both sides I guess.
Last but not least is the Kentucky Pie. Your classic pecan pie with bourbon, maple syrup, and dark chocolate. Planning to make this one for our little thanksgiving in France this year, good thing we brought a couple bottles of bourbon with us.
Things and Links I Like
First purchase in France was this new Opinel Santoku Knife, as my personal knife set won’t arrive for a few more weeks.
Lingoda.com for language lessons via live video calls with instructors all around the world.
Bordeaux Quinconces is a bi-annual flea market held in Bordeaux coming up on November 22.
Notre Dame bells are ringing again, for the first time since the fire in 2019!
Wine Sipping
Thunevin-Calvet Maury 1983 is definitely a sipper, as this fortified dessert wine is decadent and rich with tasting notes of dark cherry, raisin, fig and chocolate. Snuggle under a blanket by a fireplace and relish in its deep flavors. Pair your pour with indulgent chocolate tarts and baguettes topped with blue cheese.
Origin: Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Blend: Grenache
A Bientôt
For those that celebrate, hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I’ll be sharing some new recipes and stories about France in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned.
~Jenn
Yay! So happy for you all♥️