My schedule of cooking classes for 2025 is on the website. I will be offering them in my new cooking studio and I cannot wait!!! As I watch the studio come to life, I am already there with you, creating dishes with gorgeous ingredients from the market around the corner! Please, visit the site, find dates that suit you, and make plans. If you cannot find the dates you need, get in touch with me at susan@onruetatin.com. We’ll work it out.
And now, to the season. Last weekend was my initiation. I was in Normandy with friends, and our first meal together was a giant platter of oysters from Veules-les-Roses, a tiny little village on the Normandy Coast. They were imposing in size, their muscles so firmly developed that when they resisted even the resident oyster shucker, I did my little trick of putting them in a hot oven for 30 seconds, which relaxed them immediately without heating them up. There was a fair amount of complaining about their size – smaller oysters are more appreciated – but one taste and it stopped. They were the essence of pure and elegant ocean brine. With champagne and buttered rye bread, who could really object?
This was a segué into pre-Christmas which this year, while a gorgeous moment, is filled with sheer confusion. It’s a time for giving and gracious receiving, we here in France are busy scoping out foie gras and smoked salmon, making that tough decision between more oysters or pristine sea scallops, deciding which bûche de noël to make or purchase…and all the while we’re being battered by the news (I know, I should say media) with noise so strident it’s hard to focus on anything, let alone figure out the theme for this year’s wrapping paper. How to manage?
In our small family we made a decision: no gifts this year. Instead, we will take a road trip, to the most unlikely spot I can think of: Oklahoma. When you have children in Texas, it’s an option and as we looked at what was before us, we all said Why Not? (The French say “Why Not” a lot, with each word capitalized and a sweet little accent that makes it sound like Waie Nuut).
As we gathered to decide menus, our overarching desire was for comfort. And so among our main dishes is Tolma, Georgian stuffed cabbage which my daughter-in-law turns into a work of art. She will also grace us with Khachapuri, her lush and molten cheese bread, and most likely Gozinacki, honey and walnut diamonds. We’ve collaborated on these before, so many hands will make light work, though she is definitely the chef.
A vote went out for roast chicken, another for our typical array of Christmas cookies, and yet another for the famous Friday night meal of childhood – hot Parmigiano popcorn with crudités on the side.
I’m tucking foie gras into my suitcase (legal, of course) straight from a farm in Normandy, prepared by a farmer I’ve known since he was in short pants, and am planning to make Turkish-inspired stuffed lamb. We will have one of my son’s Japanese influenced meals, and cheese platters studded with Dutch farmstead cheeses, brought by my daughter from her new homeland.
Our goal is simple enjoyment, keeping pressure to a minimum, and working together. We’ve got a new pair of hands in the group this year, as Susie crests 2-1/2 years and shows a remarkable assiduousness at sifting flour and rolling dough into logs.
We all know that the best plans leave lots of room for serendipity, and Oklahoma is on the horizon. Who knows what treasures await?
I wish you all a very happy build-up to the holidays. As the world turns, in its chaotic and upside-down fashion, I wish you warmth with your loved ones, simplicity in all its forms, and joy at the hope that we will see each other in the coming year.
Here is a traditional family recipe that is perfect for the times – simple, pure, buttery, delicious.
NUTMEG LOGS
3 cups (435g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks;250G) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup (150g) vanilla sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (170g) confectioner’s sugar, or more if needed
1. Preheat the oven to 350F; 180C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift the dry ingredients onto a piece of parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until it is pale yellow. Add the sugar and continue mixing until it is light and fluffy, then mix in the egg and the vanilla until thoroughly combined. Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined, then chill the dough until it is set, for about 30 minutes. If your kitchen is cool, you may not need to chill the dough.
4. Roll the dough into logs that are about ½-inch; 1.25cm in diameter, then cut these into 1-inch;2.5cm lengths. Transfer these to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about ½-inch; 1.25cm between each log. Bake in the center of the oven until they are set and turning golden at the edges, about 15 minutes.
5. While the cookies are baking, sift the sugar into a shallow bowl. When the cookies are baked, transfer them while still hot, to the confectioner’s sugar, several at a time, and roll them in it. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool thoroughly. Delicious fresh, these get better with time!
Makes about 6 dozen
And here is the lamb…
LAMB FILLET WITH LEEK AND YOGURT STUFFING – AGNEAU FARCI AUX POIREAUX ET YAOURT
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, trimmed, rinsed well, diced
1 clove garlic, green germ removed, minced
1 pound 6 ounces (700g) lamb fillet (from the round of lamb or upper thigh)
2 tablespoons full-fat, Greek style yogurt
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup (55g) pistachio meats, finely chopped
1. Place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium sized, heavy bottom pan. Add the leeks and the garlic and stir so they are coated with the oil. Place the pan over medium heat and when the leeks are sizzling cook them, stirring frequently, until they are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
2. Heat the oven to 450 degrees F (225C).
3. Lay out the lamb on a work surface. Butterfly it by cutting nearly all the way but not quite through the length of the piece and spread it open. You may need to pound it slightly to flatten it; if so, pound it gently so as not to denature the texture of the meat. Spread the meat with the yogurt. Top with the leek mixture, arranging it in a thin line down the length of the lamb, about 1-inch (2.5cm) from the edge. Lightly season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle the pistachios atop the leeks. Roll the long side of the lamb back over and atop the leek and pistachio stuffing, enclosing the stuffing within it. Tie the roast firmly in several places, to keep it together. Brush or rub the lamb with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil.
4. Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan and roast until the lamb is golden on the outside, rare on the inside, about 20 minutes.
5. Remove the lamb from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes, to relax. Remove the string, then slice the lamb into 1-1/2 inch thick rounds. Serve immediately, drizzled with any juices that have emerged from the lamb.
4 servings
