Perfectly quiet Christmas...

 With rain coming in low and hard over the Bay, Katie and I spent Christmas Day hidden away. Candles, old Holiday films, and good food the recipe for a fine day. Began with veal sausage, poached eggs, and rapini with lots of garlic and Calabrian chilis.... Ahhhh! Just a bit of sparkling (a simple, but satisfying Crément de Bourgogne) to help it all down. A Christmas Story the first movie to catch the screen.
 As the soggy day turned dark, we rallied for Miyagi oysters with just lemon to go with the soft briny finish, and a cool '04 Meurseult Genevriéres by Bouchard. Roasted quail (seasoned and drying for the past few days) stuffed with only lemon peel and thyme, a few Chantrelle scattered  about the plate, was next up along with an '05 Morey-Saint-Denis (Les Ruchots) by Olivier Jouan. (Burgundy set the wine theme of the day by default.) A gratin of cauliflower and fennel represented the butter and cream requirement, because we haven't had enough in the past few days! It's A Wonderful Life carried us through dinner, a cliché perhaps, but still damn good.
 Somehow managed to squeeze in a few of Katie's ginger cookies and a bit of a friend's chocolate toffee, a taste of a Charmé neighbor's cognac to settle it all down. We're No Angels (the Bogart version) kept us awake just long enough to make the day complete. Hit the sheets content, if a bit full, but feeling very, very special. Hope the same for you. (Recipes on request.)

Chez Gautier Cooking School: http://www.chez-gautier.com

The night before...

 If Christmas is your thing then your family more than likely had a Christmas Eve "tradition" as far as food is concerned. Mine was a hearty New England chowder, rich and thick. It was never meant to be a "formal" meal, who could really keep the kids in their seats for more than a few minutes with thoughts of The Big Man running electric under their skin. As the youngest, I'd steal away to the hearth, a chunk of sourdough plopped on the bricks, a fire raging at my back, the bowl of soup perched precariously on my lap. No chance of spillage, it was that good. Walnuts and tangerines served as dessert, the shells and rinds popping and hissing when thrown to the fire. No argument to those as treats, as all would be on their best behavior. Chocolates, pies, and the rest could wait for the next day, harsh words surely would be heard by Mr. C. (Yeah, I'd drunk deeply from the "he's real" Kool-Aid.) Later in life, with time and travel often substituting friends for family, I expanded the pot of clams with scallops, large shrimp, and whatever thick, fatty fish (halibut, cod, etc.) was most available where I found myself in the world. The decadent meal of standing rib roast with all the fixings, everyone dressed in their "Sunday best", would represent Christmas Day   (as well as an homage to my family's time spent living in northern England before my arrival).
 Tonight we veer, but with no loss to our plates or bellies. We'll be with good friends Daniel and Rosie, their twin 7 year old boys providing the pre-Santa energy. The table will swell with friends and family, and while there will be no chowder, we will not suffer. Shrimps rolls will keep all at bay while the rest is assembled: Miyagi oysters, roasted butternut squash soup (with créme fraîche, of course), Kate's raviolis  of toasted walnuts (from our trees in Charmé)  and ricotta in sage butter and fresh chanterelle, followed by lobsters and sauteed swiss chard (heaped in roasted garlic). A bit of greens and a few offerings from our visit the other day to Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station will finish us off. At least, that is, until we summon the space for my wife's family tradition of bouche de Nöel.
 Be it your holiday or not, may all find themselves with plates loaded, glasses full, and tables crowded. (Recipes on request.)

Chez Gautier Cooking School: http://www.chez-gautier.com

Searching for it...

 While we promise to revisit the good times and food of our Fall Sessions this past October, that must wait until the Holiday's have moved on. Just too much good grub to speak of at present. Katie found herself unable to grab the "spirit" last week, so we went searching for it. Off to Sam's (est.1867) near San Francisco's Financial District for a decadent meal starting with frosty Hanger One martini's and Blue Point oyster's, segued into cracked crab and clam chowder  (New England) before finishing with sweetbreads in butter, lemon, and capers, all washed down with a crisp sauvignon blanc. Now, one can argue that these old spots ( like Tadich Grill just down the street) are not what they used to be, but the vibe more than makes up for it.
 Afterwards found us steaming up shop front windows from Gump's to Macy's; the latter being tough with a particularly fluffy kitten (nearly identical to our beloved barn cat Otis in Charmé) who seemed to be working his magic on my Katie in the annual SPCA display. More sound thought would have had us adopt him then and there, as her other idea nearly proved fatal: Ice skating on Union Square! No problem for my Minnesota bred wife, but I on the other hand... Well, let's just say that I grabbed a large dose of humility, and went for it. Severely bruised the ego, though managed not to break anything of substance.

 Warmed up with heaping bowls of spaghetti aglio/olio/peperancini courtesy of the O'Neill family, followed by a round of Merry Christmas Charlie Brown. Yeah, my "Peetie", she found the "spirit", as we hope you all have.

Chez Gautier Cooking School: http://www.chez-gautier.com

Salut!

 A welcome to you all as we begin this adventure. It'll be all about the food, along with the places that we find it. Southwestern France will figure prominently in this, of course, but so will the markets, restaurants, and artisan producers of our stateside homes of San Francisco and N.Y.C. If we're off for a wander to some other place on the planet, you can be sure we'll toss that experience in to the mix as well.
 We'll try to keep it as simple as we live it: good food and full days, all washed down with something worthwhile. If you see something you like, and want more of it (i.e. a recipe), let us know. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you at the table, if only through these pages.