I love to cook for my friends, for my family, and when I fix a dinner for them, I try to turn it into a little feast, in their honor, and for their delight. A dinner is more than great food (and beleive me, stunning food is what it should be!) but it is all about great company and the wonderful mix that happens when people connect and click, when friendships are nurtured and strangers are welcomed, when this happens between delicious bites and with some very good wines, and when it is topped by intelligent conversation, then we walked away enriched and strengthened for the journey... Americans love to do "pot luck" dinners and it is extremely convenient but there is a long French tradition of turning any meal into an adventure, a symphony for the senses, a complet feast and an ode to love and friendship!
(You can see why "Babette's Feast" is one of my favorite film).
But there is also a spiritual dimension to sharing food and companionship, (whether it is done the American way or the French way), much can be said about sharing a meal together, about the art of hospitality, and that's why, for me, these little dinners that I sometimes offer, are definively one of the very simple ways I try to put the "love of neighbor" into practice.

But enough said about dinners, what I plan to do is to put some recipes and pictures here on le blog de la Bergerie
and here is the very first one: Petits Choux Au Fromage" or "Little Puff Pastries with French Gruyere":

Please note: the wonderful Cooking Coach who taught me how to do this insisted on the fact that much depends on the temperature of ANY oven and whether it might be a little bit different from mine. She also said that it is very important to leave some space in between the Petits Choux on the cooking sheet (which should be buttered and sprinkled with flour first, as you can see it was done in the picture). One more important detail: the flour should be sifted first in an effort to make it very evenly fine. As far as the cheese is concerned: I recommend using Comté or Beaufort as the type of gruyere because they are more salty and tangy than Emmenthal.

Bon Appetit!

C'était ma recette de Petits Choux Au Fromage