Family day in Vevey

On our last day in Geneva, we had breakfast at Le Sud of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel du Rhone - I had a perfectly baveuse (runny) omelette aux fines herbes (omelet with fresh herbs), fresh orange juice, double espresso and crusty mini-baguettes.

Afterwards, we took the train at noon to Vevey where we were meeting up with my brother in-law and family for lunch.  J met us at the train station then we went to to see their new home before heading back down to Montreux for some lunch.  Montreux is home to the famous summer jazz festival and also the Clinique La Prairie where the famous (or infamous) submit to thalassotherapy, skin treatments or a weight-loss program as well as aesthetic surgery.

We had lunch in the middle of town then went for a walk on the boardwalk which at this time of the year is the venue for the annual winter Christmas market. - Marche de Noel.  We walked through the first row of stalls selling trinkets and Christmas items then crossed over to the other side where the food stalls were set up.  Right by the lake was a large covered area filled with benches and large wooden tables for an impromptu picnic of food items purchased from the many stalls.  The one we were drooling over was the Tartiflette stand where two gigantic (really! look at the photo above) pans were filled with a lovely scent of potatoes, chopped bacon and hot gooey chunks of Reblochon.  If I hadn't just had lunch, I would have had a plateful of this perfect winter dish.  Good thing that the parking entrance was nearby or I wouldn't have been able to resist the other stands selling saucisson sec, pastries, tarts, cheese and lots of other goodies.

Next, we dropped by St. George's School - where both my nephew and niece go before heading up the hill towards the Le Mirador Kempinski which has fantastic views of of the lake and the snow-capped Alps.  We walked around the terrace and enjoyed the scenery until it got too cold to stand around outdoors and headed back home.  J drove us back to the train station where we said a quick goodbye on the quai (platform) and hopped on the train back to Geneva.  A relaxing day spent with family to end our  weekend in Switzerland.

Christmas Day Brunch

Christmas morning started early with our son jumping out of bed to see what Santa had left for him by the chimney. Slowly, we all got out of bed and relaxed in pajamas having coffee before we all changed and prepared our Christmas brunch. The table was laid with a cheery-yellow tablecloth that my mom and I purchased years ago in Provence, and a smorgasbord of our favorite brunch dishes - fluffy buttermilk pancakes with crispy bacon and warm maple syrup, smoked salmon with capers, red onions and blinis, creamy scrambled eggs with smashed potatoes (my creation - potatoes that are boiled then smashed with a fork while still hot and roasted) plus a large salad of mixed greens with avocados and lots of illy cappuccinos and freshly-squeezed orange juice. The rest of the day was spent getting Santa's gift to work and loading up my new iPod nano. I can't believe that in a few days 2008 will be over - where did the year go?

Christmas Eve Dinner

After mass at the very quaint Capilla de Guadalmina, my mom, A and I went to dinner at La Veranda for their six-course Cena de Nochebuena (Christmas Eve Dinner). We started out with a glass of Jané Ventura Brut Nature with our amuse-bouche of Bacalao al pilpil (cod pil pil) followed by a traditional cold Andalusian soup of Ajo Blanco de piñones (White garlic and pine nut soup) with marinated mackerel and seasonal mushrooms.

A 2007 Marques de Riscal Sauvignon Blanc accompanied the warm and creamy Porcini mushroom soup garnished with tiny cubes of melt-in-the-mouth foie gras and crispy croutons. This was followed by monkfish with sauteed pea pods, potatoes and spinach. A small vodka-orange sorbet was served as a palate cleanser before the meat course was served.

My mom had hand-carried a bottle of 2004 Château d’Armailhac , a fifth-growth and traditional Médoc blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot which we had with our main dish of Solomillo a la brasa (Charcoal-grilled tenderloin) with a potato-bacon terrine and a grainy mustard sauce.

For our dessert, we continued with the Château d'Armailhac and the flavours of red berries and cassis present in the wine complemented the bitter chocolate of the soufflé served with caramel ice cream. We skipped the traditional Bûche de Noël (Christmas log cake) which we asked to be wrapped up and went straight to the tiny petits-fours of Dulces Navideños (Christmas sweets) of a turron (nougat), polvoron (powdery shortbread), chocolate-covered orange rind, candied fruit financier and a tiny slab of liquorice jelly with short espressos. We rushed home to bring the chocolate log cake for our son and to open our presents around the tree.

Christmas Eve Dinner

The rain continued non-stop for another twenty-four hours and flooded the roads almost preventing our guests from getting to us from the airport. Luckily, on Christmas eve the rain stopped and the skies cleared a bit. We started preparing for dinner at home and began to cook and set the tale. The bar was opened and used as a buffet while the table was set with white linen napkins, large square plates, silver flatware, a simple flower and candle centrepiece and golden pears (actually Christmas ornaments) were used as place card holders and colorful Christmas crackers were left beside each place setting.

We then started to prepare the food - red peppers were roasted, peeled then set aside, potatoes were boiled roasted, sweet potatoes were also put in the oven while thin green beans were boiled and drained. The sausages and rib-eye steaks were left out on a tray and the grill was readied with pieces of wood for an authentic Argentine asado. It might seem a bit strange to have a barbecue on Christmas eve but since my husband is Argentine and Christmastime in the southern hemisphere is during the summer, a grilled meal is not unusual.

Blinis were assembled with dill and smoked salmon and the mini-spring rolls were thawed out on the counter to be deep-fried later on. The last thing we did was make the dark chocolate baby cakes for dessert which we then left in the fridge ready to be baked later on while we had our main courses. After all that, we rushed off to change as our guests were expected at 7:00.

As soon as everyone arrived, the chilled champagne was served with the cold salmon blinis and the warm spring rolls. We sat around by the fire chatting while the meat and sausages were on the grill. Next up were hot-off-the-grill chorizos wrapped in a piece of baguette. By that time, the both roast potatoes were done and the fried shallots added to the green beans. We sat down to dinner and shifted from champagne to red wine.

Everyone settled in and helped themselves to the buffet but not before pulling on our Christmas crackers and wearing the crowns. We took our time eating - there were three types of sausages: the typical chorizo plus two from the English butcher - chicken and sage and pork and herb. The rib-eye steaks were thick and tender and cooked to medium-rare and served with chimichurri, the traditional Argentinean herb and vinegar sauce. We were almost finished with dinner when the children rushed in from the kitchen begging to open their presents before dessert so we agreed and sat down in the living room for more red wine while presents were distributed and unwrapped. As soon as the children were settled with a board game, we put the baby cakes in the oven and had our warm gooey chocolate dessert with some raspberries and creme fraiche. Espressos along with the rest of the red wine were finished off by the fire while we talked until way past midnight. Another Christmas gone and a new year to welcome in a week's time.

Busy, busy

I haven't posted anything recently because I have been really busy getting ready for the holiday season - buying new decorations for the tree and putting it up, planning the menu for our Christmas eve dinner here at home and buying a few pieces of furniture to give a fresh, new look to our home. That meant two trips to the three-week-old IKEA in Malaga and several trips to the nearby garden centre for plants and Christmas baubles. I've also done a bit of internet shopping for presents to skip having to go to the shops and avoid the Christmas rush. Excuses, excuses I know but with the holidays creeping up so quickly there's hardly any time left to get it all done before friends and family arrive on the 23rd of December. I promise I'll post a few recipes soon.