Blog LA CUISINE, Ocala

WEDDING Regina and Jim, 2011

2012-01-20T11:46:00.001-05:00

WEDDING Regina and Jim, 2011, un album sur Flickr.

We were thrilled Regina and Jim, a lovely couple, chose La Cuisine as the setting for their wedding in November 2011. We were honored to have been a part of this wonderful event and will treasure our memories of their happy day.

La Galette des Rois

2012-01-05T16:35:00.001-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Tomorrow is the Day of the Kings, Epiphany, and in France, we celebrate it by sharing a King's Cake, also called La Galette des Rois. In France, the cake can be found in most bakeries during the month of January. Two versions exist: in Northen France the cake consists of flaky puff pastry layers with a dense center of Frangipane (filling made with almonds). In the south of France, the cake is a torus-shaped brioche with candied fruits.

Tradition holds that the cake is "to draw the kings" to the Epiphany. A figurine, la "fève" which can represent anything from a car to a cartoon character, is hidden in the cake and the person who finds the trinket in their slice becomes king of the day. Originally, la feve was a broad bean and then replaced in 1870 by a ceramic figurine representing baby Jesus.

The cakes are usually sold with a paper crown to crown the "king" who finds the fève.
To ensure a random distribution of the cake shares, it is traditional for the youngest person to place themselves under the table and name the recipient of the share which is indicated by the person in charge of the service.

We are now serving la Galette des Rois at La Cuisine!

Let's visit the region of Brittany/ Bretagne

2011-12-11T22:54:00.000-05:00

We hope this will make you want to visit the Region of Brittany if you are lucky enough to travel to France soon, if you are not (at least, not this time) you may travel with our photos.
La Bretagne is also known as the Region of Crêpe but not only...

Brittany is a charming and beautiful region in the north west of France, right here:

It is a land of enchantment, it features rugged coastlines with some of the world's most breathtaking views. It features more than 4,000 chateaux, manors and medieval homes. It's an ideal destination for water sports enthusiasts, lovers of fine cuisine and seafood, and anyone fascinated by legends...

Saint Malo, one of the most visited places in Brittany!

Concarneau

Some authentic Crêperies, restaurants where you can eat delicious sweet and savory crêpes

Typical houses of the Region

Beautiful beaches of the Atlantic coast

The traditional Bigouden costume

We hope you enjoyed the photos, next time we will discover the Region of your choice! Now tell us... which one?

A bientôt

Tour de France

2011-07-18T16:34:00.003-04:00

It's the perfect time to talk about the Tour de France.
Did you know that in 1903, Geo Lefevre, a journalist from "l'Auto Magazine" conceived a 2,828km cycle race around France? He would never have imagined it might grow into the world's greatest annual sporting event!
Things have changed since 1903 and the race is now about 3,600km.

Click here to have all the informations about The Tour 2011.

At La Cuisine, to celebrate The Tour de France, we are featuring a special meal this week related to the Stages 19 and 20 "Modane-Alpe d'Huez- Grenoble", you may enjoy the "Racliflette": potatoes, bacon and onions topped with melted cheese, a special All You Can Eat for $19.

EASTER

2011-04-23T09:18:00.000-04:00

Did you know that In France, Easter goodies are brought, not by basket-toting bunnies, but by winged chuch bells?
On Maundy Thursday, the bells leave their steeples and head for Rome. On Easter Sunday, they fly back to France, dropping chocolate eggs and other treats in gardens and on balconies as they make their way home.

Happy Easter everyone!

Very Clever!

2011-03-31T10:01:00.000-04:00

We received a funny email last week from one of our clients. We wanted to share it with you:

"A thief in Paris planned to steal some paintings from the Louvre.

After careful planning, he got past security, stole the paintings, and made it safely to his van.
However, he was captured only two blocks away when his van ran out of gas.
When asked how he could mastermind such a crime and then make such an obvious error, he replied , "Monsieur that is the reason I stole the paintings".

"I had no Monet

To buy Degas

To make the Van Gogh."

See if you have De Gaulle to send this on to someone else

I sent it to you because I figured I had nothing Toulouse.

who wants some Crêpes?

2011-01-31T18:09:00.000-05:00

February 2nd, this is our Chandeleur, and this is your Groundhog Day.

The French dedicate that day each year to make crêpes (pronounces "krep"). But there is a special way to make your own crepes, it can be an intimidating enterprise unless you have a french-born parent who taught you the special wrist-snapping technique for flipping. Crêpes require practice and effort but they are accessible.
One of the simplest ways to enjoy a crepe is spread with lightly salted butter, rolled up like a cigarette, and doused with sugar. For sweet fillings, we use jam, whipped cream and/or rich chocolate sauce. Crêpes can be more elaborate for a lunch or dinner party. Our grandmother's used to add a dash of beer in their batter to make it lighter.

If you already have enjoyed a trip to France, you might have seen some Crepes stands, the same way you have hot dogs stands in the US. They are very popular.

There is a tradition when celebrating la Chandeleur: how to predict the future!
1/- Find a French franc or another lucky coin
2/- Cook a crêpe on one side
3/- Hold the coin in your weakest hand, when the crêpe is ready to be turned
4/- Attempt single-handedly to flip the crêpe
5/- Enjoy good luck for the rest of the year if the crêpe lands perfectly in the pan. Suffer bad luck if the crêpe does not land well (or try again!).

At la Cuisine, we will be pleased to serve you different kind of Crêpes this Wednesday Feb 2nd for lunch and dinner. We hope to see you there.

Have a good crêpes day!

BONNE ANNEE!

2011-01-10T22:16:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! May you have a year full of great wines, great food and great recipes!

Do you have any new resolutions for 2011? We don't like the "resolution revolution" each year but, for once, we have some advices you may keep as you want and as long as you can...

- Shop as locally as you can: eat local, grass-fed meat, support a local farmer.
- reading cookbooks is great, but cooking is better! Try at least to cook a new recipe each week, something you've never had before.
- When you cook, double recipies, freeze the food you don't eat and pull it out the next time you're not up for cooking. It will keep you from falling into the fast-food routine.
- Treat yourself, with moderation ;) even if you are on diet, eat something you do love and savor it. Good mood guaranteed!
- Drink more water, and for your kids it's better to keep the milk for breakfast or snack only.
By the way, there is a great website where you can track the milk you're drinking: http://whereismymilkfrom.com/
-Regularly clean your fridge/freezer out and use plastic boxes. Organize your pantry, it helps to clear the mind, and you might find some stuff that you forgot you had.
- Have a romantic dinner in our French Restaurant once a month ;)

In fact, eat well, be well!

A December in Paris

2010-12-28T14:17:00.000-05:00

A new episode in our serie "Paris", we have some new photos to share thanks to Emilie, a friend of us who has a great eye for catching the beauty of this City.
Enjoy your trip!

Paris in 3D

2010-12-23T17:36:00.000-05:00

You can now see some monuments in 3D with Google Earth. Enjoy your visit!

Joyeux Noël!

2010-12-21T11:12:00.000-05:00

At La Cuisine, we are getting ready for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Fete des Lumieres

2010-11-30T08:43:00.000-05:00

French Traditions are numerous and diverse, you already know that.

December 8th is another French Tradition from Lyon, the city where we used to live. Every year since 1852 the people from Lyon celebrate the Festival of Lights which is a popular event that takes place throughout the City on the evening of December 8.

On this occasion and during several days, the City of Lyon is illuminated and festivities are held in different neighborhoods.

This tradition is closely related to the religious history of Lyon.

Since the Middle Ages, the City has venerated the Virgin Mary. It is said that in 1643, the City which had been placed under the protection of the Virgin, was partly spared by a plague epidemic. A statue of the Virgin Mary was erected in recognition, on the Fourviere hill, overlooking the City.

The statue was to be inaugurated on September 8 1852, but the ceremony had to be cancelled due to a severe flood of the Saône river. The inauguration was postponed to December 8, which happens to be the day of the celebration for the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin.

Due to a violent storm, the official ceremony had yet to be cancelled again. However, as the weather rapidly calm down, the Lyon inhabitants, in a spontaneous gesture, placed candles at their windows and descended the streets to lit flares to illuminate the new statue.

The people sang songs and cried "Vive Marie!" until late in the night: The Festival of Lights was born.

This unique Lyonnaise tradition dictates that each year on the evening of December 8, candles have to be placed on the windowsills of every houses, producing a spectacular effect throughout the streets where throngs of people wandering in commemoration until late into the night.

The modern Festival is now a four-day event where contemporary lights installations and fireworks illuminate the City, attracting thousand of visitors.

On December 8, at La Cuisine, we will perpetuate the tradition, by illuminating the inside and outside of the restaurant with a multitude of candles.

You can visit this website for more pictures and infornations about Lyon and its Festival.

LE BEAUJOLAIS

2010-11-11T07:48:00.000-05:00

We might say that November is THE month of french wines at La Cuisine. After the article about Burgundy wines, let's talk about the Beaujolais, because this coming Thursday (Nov 18th) we will celebrate the French tradition:

The Beaujolais Nouveau release!

Since 1951, every third Thursday of November, we celebrate the "Beaujolais Day".

At one past Midnight, from little villages and towns like Romaneche-Thorins, over a million case (around 25 millions liters) of Beaujolais begin their journey through France to Paris for immediate shipment to all parts of the world. Germany and Japan are the biggest market, followed by the USA.

The Beaujolais Region, North from Lyon

Over the years, it has been carried by balloon, motorcycle, truck, helicopter, Concorde jet, elephant, runners and rickshaws.

Apart from the Fanfare, what makes Beaujolais Nouveau so popular? And especially in the U.S. where consumption of red wine is less than 30%?

Simply put that Beaujolais Nouveau is as about as close to white wine as a red wine can get.

Good to know: Gamay (Gamay Noir a Jus Blanc) is the only grape permitted for Beaujolais. All the grapes in Beaujolais region must be picked by hand. These are the only vineyards, along with Champagne, where hand harvesting is mandatory.

Beaujolais is meant to be drunk young, in average vintages it should be consumed by the following May after its release.

However, in excellent vintages (such as 2000) the wine can live much longer and can be enjoyed until the next harvest rolls around.

The "Beaujolais Nouveau" celebration, which began as a local phenomenon in the local bars, cafes and bistros of Beaujolais and Lyon, has become in a few decades one of the most animated rituals in the wine world, encouraging friends to come together and celebrate.

It is a very popular event throughout France as well as in most cities around the world, especially in Japan and the United States.

The race from grape to glass must be silly, but half the fun is knowing that on the same night, in homes, cafes, restaurants, bistros, pubs and bars around the world, the same celebration is taking place.

So, this year, on November 18th 00.01am, we will say

"Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!", "The New Beaujolais has arrived!".

At La Cuisine, we will be featuring a special 3 courses Menu to celebrate its release.

We can't wait to see wich fruits flavor it will have this year!

LA BOURGOGNE

2010-10-27T21:29:00.000-04:00

As we are entering The Holiday Season, let's talk about French Wines!

You may have already enjoyed some of the wines from our wine list, but have you had a chance yet to try our Burgundy wines?

That's why, Madame, Monsieur, we are going to propose a Wine-Dinner on November 4th @ 7pm, so that you will be ready to make the right choice of wine to pair with your best Holiday meal.

The Burgundy vineyards: 60,000 acres, 99 wine appellations.

No doubt about it, wine is Burgundy 's most famous ambassador. But there is not just one Burgundy wine. Soil and location, altitude and nature has furnished Burgundian wine growers with a whole spectrum of possibilities to create an infinite range of harmonious wines. And nothing goes better with such nectar than Burgundian Cuisine: Charolais Beef, trout, Bresse poultry, Burgundy snails...

Snails in Garlic Butter you may enjoy at La Cuisine

The best known wine terroirs in The Burgundy Region are:

Chablis

Cote de Nuits:

Cote de Nuits - Gevrey Chambertin - Clos Vougeot - Vosne Romanée - Nuit Saint Georges

Cotes de Beaune:

Cote de Beaune - Corton - Pommard - Volnay - Meursault - Chassagne Montrachet

Cote Châlonnaise and Mâcon:

Givry - Pouilly Fuissé - Rully - Macon - Mercurey

All Burgundy Region:

Bourgogne aoc - Bourgogne Alligoté

The main grapes in Burgundy are Pinot Noir for red wine and Chardonnay for white wine. Do you know what is the difference between "Premier Cru" and "Grand Cru"?

Premier Cru: About 600 vineyards in Burgundy merit this appellation. They have been officially designed from the old habits which accepted them as best wines. The name of the village, followed by the name of the vineyard, in the same lettering, appears on the label of a "Premier Cru'.

Grand Cru: Only 33 vineyards have the privilege of being agreed as "Grand Cru". they used to be called "Tête de Cuvée". They are the best among the best: Chambertin, Clos Vougeot, Corton, Montrachet, Musigny....Only the name of the vineyard figures on the label of Bourgogne "Grand Cru".

Good to know: if you are lucky enough to have a Gevrey-Chambertin in your wine cellar, you can expect to keep it for 25 years.

Enough about wines, let's talk about food! Burgundy red wines are excellent with beef, game such as pheasant and boar, roast of pork and delicate cheeses.

White wines go very well with snails, shrimps and goat cheese.

If you plan to visit The Burgundy region, you may enjoy the Bresse chicken (one of the best poultry in the world!), Boeuf Bourguignon, coq au vin (cock in red wine sauce), Dijon Mustard, Sausages (rosette, andouillette, cervelas...).

The Traditional Boeuf Bourguignon

Join us on November 4th and get prepared to the feeling of a trip to France without leaving Ocala! Go on our website to see more details about the menu.

Do you like Chocolate?

2010-09-03T08:57:00.000-04:00

“Life is like chocolate, it’s the bitter that makes one appreciate the sweet” Xavier Brebion

It's not Christmas yet, even not Easter but we don't need any excuses to try, cook and eat chocolate. Dark, sweet, white, stuffed it's always a wonderful experience!
Each French family has its favorite chocolate mousse and cake recipe that is passed down to the next generation. No family gathering is complete without that special chocolate cake that our grandmother used to bake. Maybe that's why the "Chocolate Cake Fondant" at 'La Cuisine' is one of our best desserts.
Maitres chocolatiers throughout the country surpass themselves creating unique pieces, patiently and passionately just as an artist would.
In Lyon, we used to live near a "Chocolaterie" (how lucky we were...), Christophe and Veronique brought their "savoir faire", their joie de vivre and their passion to the city of Craponne, it was always a pleasure to stop by, for our eyes, nose and belly...

So yummy!

Over the past 10 years, the chocolate passion and art seem to appear around the world.
In 2000, the movie "Chocolat", starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, celebrated the magical attributes of chocolate and even contributed to revitalizing chocolate sales in Europe and North America.

Chocolate is celebrated once a year at the Salon du Chocolat (Chocolate Trade Show). This concept was founded about ten years back in Paris by Sylvie Douce and François Jeantet to create occasions to discover the incredible variety and uses of chocolate. The show is now held around the globe in Paris, New York, and Tokyo but also in Moscow, Dubai and Beijing. Maitres Chocolatiers exhibit and sell their products but there are also classes, dégustation (tasting), presentations and competitions.

A famous proverb says: "nine out of ten people like chocolate, the tenth always lies" John Q. Tulius.

What about you?

Cheers!

2010-04-10T14:07:00.000-04:00

Time is going so fast.....

We hope you had a delightful spring break, or at least, a good Easter! Hope the chocolate was tasty too.

We don't want to talk about chocolate right now (maybe next time, we do love chocolate), but instead, the best alcohol to drink with it: Champagne!

Let us introduce the history of the most popular and loved wine. By the way, did you know that in France, when we celebrate the birth of a newborn, we put a drop of champagne in his lips, don't ask us why, it's a famous tradition, as if to say "welcome to the world baby!". Crazy french people.

This story is quite long but very interesting, actually. We're sure you don't want to miss it:

The tradition of winemaking in Champagne is quite old: it dates back to Roman times.
They are the ones who planted the first vines. In the Middle Ages, the wines from the coast were treated to champagne "Wines of France", which was produced throughout the Paris Basin. The only merit of wines from the region of Reims and Epernay then do not do too much harm to those who drank!. These wines carry the same name today as they did back during the reign of King Henry IV at the end of the sixteenth century: in Paris they were appointed for the first time as "wines of Champagne.

Throughout the seventeenth century, these wines became more and more popular, both at the court of France and the English court, particularly through the support of Parisian family who had large land in Champagne. This family is responsible for the development of "wines of Champagne" gray wine, very slightly colored.

However, the tenants quickly realized that these gray wines weren't aging well in barrels. They decided to bottle them more quickly before the end of the first fermentation in order to retain the best aromas. The first bottling date from the 1660s.

The people of Champagne discovered that the wine was naturally sparkling , faintly colored and low in alcohol content. Additionally, the best time to harvest was the peak of springtime. The English were quickly seduced by this new development: it is perhaps because of them that the bubbly wine remained so popular despite the problems it caused it's growers due to exploding bottles!

The champagne was not yet complete: it was a monk, Dom Perignon, from the Benedictine Abbey of Hautvillers who was responsible for tending the vineyards, wine presses and wine cellars of the Abbey from 1668 to 1715. In 1821another Benedictine monk credited Dom Perignon with inventing the process of creating sparkling wine. Today, we tend to think it was rather the first to perform the assembly. It is certain that this man was a scientist and his winery enjoyed great popularity in his day.

This is the eighteenth century that the champagne started to gain worldwide fame, thanks to famous globetrotters like Claude Moet, Philippe Clicquot, Florenz-Louis Heidsieck. In the nineteenth century, Pierre-Nicolas-Marie Perriet-Jouet, Mumm, Bollinger ... take over. Famous widow as Mrs Pommery, Ms. Clicquot, Perrier Ms to name only resumed the business of their husbands in hand and completed the promotion of champagne quality.

For the record, Champagne Brut was created in 1876 at the request of English, which unlike the French at the time, preferred to drink dry wines.

The champagne was finally recognized as the sacred wine of June 7, 1654 at the accession of King Louis XIV.

Typical house in Reims.

As per the traditions, we use to drink Champagne with... EVERYTHING, and for all events! As appetizers, with friends, during our meal, as you may have tried during our Christmas'Eve, for dessert or for no special occasion, just for the pleasure. We love bubbles...

Many many years ago, from 1900-1914 which is called "La belle Epoque" or 1919-1929 "Les annees Folles", famous artists are sollicited to make advertising for differents brands.

«Biscuits-champagne»

Peinture 1900 d’Alphonse Mucha

1900

Grace Kelly 1980 (if you know our restaurant, you may have seen it)

Scarlett Johansson for MOET, 2009

Ok, she's not Grace Kelly or Scarlett, but nevertheless, Miss Champagne Ardennes 2010

We hope you enjoyed this post and you learned some things, beware, we might ask you some questions about it during your next visit in the restaurant!

Just kidding...

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-04T20:50:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since the last post....

But December was a very busy month at La Cuisine!

We really enjoyed celebrating Christmas and New Years for the first time in Florida while it was snowing in France...

The restaurant was extremely busy during the holidays and fully booked for New Year's Eve. We hope our customers enjoyed our special menu with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot offered for this special occasion. Champagne is always a good friend isn't it? Next time, we will prepare you a special article about Champagne, so that you will know everything about it!

We hope you had a wonderful holiday, and we wish you all the best for 2010!

See you again soon.

Kate, Nicole and Jason

Our Profiterolles

Le Carré d'agneau en croûte d'herbes

Lamb Rack

Christmas Eve

2009-12-08T19:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas is at our door, we have decorated the restaurant and the upcoming Christmas Eve menu will be online soon. We are very excited to celebrate with you this much anticipated event and hope to welcome many of you.

In France (depending on regions), Christmas is also an opportunity for us to get together with family around a table full of delicious dishes.

We are used to ~~overeating~~ enjoying:
- oysters, smoked salmon, snails with garlic butter and foie gras
- lamb, beef or turkey accompanied by several vegetables
- a large plate of cheese served with green salad
- and the famous "Buche de Noël" with a few other sweets.

We are also used to having a similar meal on Christmas Day and then we eat soup for the rest of the week until New Year's Eve!
You see, we are not very different!

Just for the pleasure, here are some photos "Paris by night"

Boulevard Haussman

Ginger Bread "Cabaret", Galeries Lafayette

Arc de Triomphe, les Champs Elysees

Place de la Concorde and Champs Elysees

See you soon, stay tuned

Here we are!

2009-11-21T15:34:00.000-05:00

It is not so common for a restaurant to have its own blog. We are launching ours with the objective to share our love for cooking, for France, for the United States and the city of Ocala who welcomed us warmly upon our arrival a few months ago. You will find enclosed timely and privileged updates on what's going on at "La Cuisine", exclusive recipes, information on French traditions and cooking habits, and much more.
Welcome to our blog, we hope you will enjoy it as much as we enjoy doing it!