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In between batches of confiture and cooking classes, K delivered a little something sweet, appropriately on market day in Beaune. I'd like to introduce you to our latest addition to The Cook's Atelier.
Petit Luc, perfect in every little detail. Extra bonus, a good appetite!
Oh my goodness, I am completely smitten... Seriously, I think I am in big trouble.
The sun is shining here in Burgundy and the potager is bursting with fresh raspberries and currants so that means, of course, it is jam time here at The Cook's Atelier. This week's jam is in celebration of the most beautiful and sweet raspberries from our garden at Clos de la Cozanne. We hope you enjoy!
Raspberry jam
by Christine Ferber, Mes Confitures
2 1/4 pounds [1 kg] homegrown raspberries
3 3/4 cups [800 g] granulated sugar
Juice of one small lemon
Pick over the raspberries. Omit rinsing them so that they will keep their fragrance. In a preserving pan, combine the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring gently. Continue cooking on high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring and skimming carefully. Return to a boil. Check the set. Put the jam into jars immediately and seal.
For details on processing, as well as my recipe for apricot jam, please visit here.
We are hard at work in the kitchen preparing for a very busy week at The Cook's Atelier. We are so excited this season to be including ingredients from our garden at Clos de la Cozanne. We are having such a great time here meeting so many foodie people from all over the world who are passionate about local and sustainable ingredients.
On the menu today: fried zucchini blossoms, Monsieur Vossot's filet de boeuf with red wine jus, a selection of artisan cheese, homemade strawberry sorbet and a rustic apricot tart with soft cream. We are blessed to be living the good life here in Burgundy. To take a peek, please visit us here.
To a cook, there is something really magical about stepping out into your own garden patch to gather ingredients for the day's cooking class or pick raspberries or currants to make confiture to preserve a little taste of summer for the cold winter months. We are proud to share that in addition to supporting the local farmers, we are including produce from our garden on the menu at The Cook's Atelier. We thought you might enjoy a peek into our garden at Clos de la Cozanne.
Every time I rattle down the vineyard roads in Madeleine, I am reminded of just how beautiful Burgundy is. All along the Route des Grands Crus, kitchen gardens dot the landscape and you'll see people tending the vines or picking cherries using a vintage wooden ladder. Hollyhocks are blooming along side the road and a colorful display of bee boxes, lined up along an ancient stone wall, will catch your eye. Time has not stood still, but it certainly has slowed down.
Just a short drive from Beaune, through picturesque vineyards and lush, green pastures, you will find Clos de la Cozanne. Clos de la Cozanne (aka K & L's place) looks as though it came straight out of a French fairytale. On the property is a little stone cottage, quirky, but perfect in every detail. Just a few steps from the front door, you will see the potager. We've planted an assortment of salad greens, roquette, mizuna, épinards, ruby beets, bronze fennel, radishes, sweet peas, strawberries, haricots verts and rows of heirloom tomatoes. There are plum, apple and cherry trees and rows of raspberries that have been tended to for over 30 years or so by Monsieur and Madame B and tiny, wild strawberries are tucked in and around the old stone wall. To the rear of the property, across the fence, you will see a small herd of Charolais cows sunning themselves in the morning sun, free to roam and being raised in a sustainable manner.
There are plans next year to build a chicken coop for a few clucking hens and a greenhouse is on the wish list. We are growing the good life, one little project at a time. If you really want to eat well, get your hands dirty and plant a little kitchen garden of your own.
Care to join us? In addition to our market tour and cooking classes, we are offering two special five-day programs this autumn. Details coming soon.
