The Musical Fruit

Hello, all!

We had a mild January here in Lyon, with high temperatures around 50 degrees fahrenheit all month long.  I can deal with that, nicely.  

Lyon winters bring a beautiful and giant Ferris Wheel to the Place Bellecour, which is a short walk from our neighborhood.  I don't know why it is here just in the winter, but it's now a well-established tradition, and many people seem to 'know' the couple who own it and bring it to Lyon each year. 

Bellecour is continually full of people, and many of them are snapping photos of this towering sight.

The Ferris Wheel at Place Bellecour

Daphne, Leo and Katherine decided to take a spin on this wheel of fortune recently.  They loved it.

Cora decided that she would prefer the view from the ground, so I stuck with her (though we are thinking of hopping on, another time:)

There are Leo, Daphne and Katherine up at the top!

January also brought new adventures about town, like...

Excursions to the ice-skating rink (Patinoire) with our neighbor (Leo's classmate and close buddy).

The feast of the Epiphany and its well-known "King Cake" (Galette des Rois).  This tasty tradition is great on its own, but the kids love it even more because baked inside each cake is a small, often porcelain toy.  Whichever lucky eater finds the toy (la fève), is the King or Queen for the day, gets to wear a crown and even gets to choose someone to be the royal partner.

Daphne won.  She always wins.  Even back in French school in Maine, she won.  I want to be the King.

Three Galettes des Rois: Brioche, Pomme (Apple) and Marzipan

Leo and a buddy waiting for Galette...

Yours truly with the Queen...again...

Our outdoor market runs all year long and, while it's not exactly brimming with fresh summer fruit and vegetables, the farmers more than make up for their absence with root vegetables, fruit preserves, amazing bread, cheeses, olives & beans, and stand after stand of roasted chicken and potatoes.  One should not visit the outdoor market on an empty stomach...

Daphne will hang upside down for hours if she gets a roasted chicken

Also, the girls have begun Fencing lessons (Escrime).  It's been a great way for them to keep active after school on Tuesdays, meet some more friends and practice a very intriguing sport.  I love going with and watching the practice.  I've never been a "Soccer Dad" but I could be a "Fencing Dad"?

Even in pink pants, Cora is not to be trifled with.  En garde!

Katherine and I are continuing our intensive French Language class, which is going really well. I'm convinced that I'm either getting much more used to the cadence and idioms of French, or that everyone in Lyon has miraculously begun speaking more slowly and clearly, just for me.  I'm hoping for the former.

Speaking of French class...

We had a fun, but difficult assignment, recently.  Our teacher asked each of us to think of a recipe from our home country and translate it into French (for Katherine and me, this also meant translating into Metric).  I immediately thought of a recipe from my Dad, which is affectionately known in our house as:

Grandpa Roger's Famous Baked Beans  

Or, en français:

Célèbres Feves au Lard de Grand-Père Roggie

These beans are out of this world.  Honestly.  They simmer for hours and hours, the house smells incredible and our kids devour them.  They are great the very day you make them but ten times better the next day, and the next...

In the spirit of our French class, I'm including the recipe en français for you all.  Make a French party cooking game of it with your friends!  Two words: Google Translate.

I do NOT promise perfect French grammar, but I do promise perfect beans....

Célèbres Feves au Lard de Grand-Père Roggie**

Les Ingrédients:

• 1/2 kg haricots blancs (sec)
• 14 ml frais, râpé gingembre
• 1 gros oignon
• 4 gros gousses d’ail (écrasé)
• 85 g mélasse noire
• 165 g sucre brun (emballé)
• 1 frais feuille de laurier
• 10 ml du sel
• 28 ml moutarde (sèche)
• 5 ml poivre noir
• 5 ml thyme (sèche)
• 5 ml cumin
• 5 ml poivre de Cayenne
• 170 g ketchup du tomate
• 45 ml syrop d’érable pur
• 5 ml fumée liquide (optionnel)*
• 1 jarret de porc (optionnel)*

A picture of Leo helping me make beans nearly four years ago, which was probably the last time we bought salt pork.

This go around, I ran out of brown sugar, but remember: if you have molasses and white sugar, you can make brown sugar!  One tablespoon molasses to one cup of sugar.  Mix up and...

Voila!  Brown Sugar.

Nettoyer, rincer et tremper les haricots la nuit ou vers 8 heures.  Rincer encore, et mettre dans une grande, lourd casserole.  Ajouter tous les autres ingrédients et ajouter d’eau ou boullion à vers 2 cm au dessous les haricots.  

Augmenter votre feu jusqu’a la belle concoction atteint une éboullition sur les bords. Maintenant, mijoter à feu doux. Les haricots sont en train de changer la couleur de la châtaigne.  Ça c’est bon!  

Maintenant, boire un peu de vin, et écouter de la musique baroque sur votre radio.

Les haricots cuire pour entre 8 à 10 heures, parfois plus.  C’est bon, parce qu’ils font votre maison sentir merveilleuse.  Mélanger les haricots chaque heure, et commencer à goûter a le 6eme heure de cuire.  Si ils sont trop sèches, ajouter plus liquid.  Si ils ne sont pas piquante, ajouter plus de Cayenne.  Si ils sont trop durs, continuer à cuire.

Note: Si vous préférez utiliser le four cuire les haricots, régler votre température à 125 dégres. (250 F), et suivre les mêmes directions.

* Le jarret de porc et la fumée liquide sont optionnel, pour les carnivores.  Ces ingrédients ne sont pas indispensable, mais ils font le saveur plus profonde. 

Les haricots avec le porc

Les haricots sans le porc.  Les deux sont bons.

** Grand-Père Roggie est le père d’Aaron

I dream of Beanie...

Racing home for more beans!

Lots of love to you all, and happy Valentine's Day!

Aaron