Cooking Organ Meats with Two-Star Chef in Paris & Interview about Natural Skincare on Vibrant Health Summit

My October newsletter is just out on Cooking Organ Meats with Two-Star Chef in Paris & My Upcoming Interview on Oct 24 on natural skincare on the upcoming Vibrant Health Summit!……

After I had the honor of being inducted into the 800 year old Jurade of Saint-Emilion, and visiting dear friends in Bordeaux, I promptly sprained my ankle (again!) the day before my train to Paris. I stayed with friends, visited with more friends and generally walked around on that ankle (motion is lotion?!) all over Paris, reconnecting with people, places, and memories. And one of the big bonuses was that I got to work with two-star chef Romain Dubuisson (pictured above)!


Rodin Museum Gardens, 7ème Arrondissement, Paris


I met Chef Romain a year ago through friends in Saint Emilion and Paris, while I was with my tour group ladies in Paris last fall. I asked him then if he’d be willing to work with me at some point for my next book on organ meats. He said he would, and finally it worked out this October! Romain and I worked on four simple recipes together: Veal kidney, veal thymus (sweetbreads), veal tongue, and veal brains! It was so much food, and guess which part I ate up, practically licking the plate?! 

Answer: The brains! Amazing! I couldn’t waste a morsel!As a true chef does, Romain cooked everything in different stages but sort of all at the same time, so I was taking notes as fast as I could, flipping back and forth from one page to the other in my notebook. Not actually that complex, the main flavoring ingredient for the recipes was: SALTED BUTTER!


Veal thymus (ris de veau) in tallow and salted butter


It’s hard to keep up with a two-star chef, I was trying to photograph, video and write at the same time, but luckily he said I could ask him questions when I’m editing the recipes!
Sautéed Veal Kidney on an herbed butter sauce

As per my request and according to ancestral tradition, we actually used the rendered fat surrounding the kidney (called suet) in which to sautée each organ meat. He simply heated the fat in a pot and used the “liquid gold” fat for each recipe!
 

Rendered tallow from solid suet, kidney fat


The veal tongue was accompanied with a Ravigote sauce made of olive oil, vinegar, cornichons, capres, and chopped hard-boiled eggs. (The other traditional sauce served with veal or beef tongue is Gribiche, more of a mayo-based sauce.)
Veal Tongue and la Ravigote sauce


And speaking of nutritious food…..I’m a part of the
Nourishing Vibrant Health Summit October 23-27 How to reclaim vibrant health in the modern world of dis-easeWatch this summit for free…My interview airs on October 24th and is available for 24-hrs when you sign up for the summit. The session was recorded in front of my tour group participants on-location in the Alps of Switzerland! I talk about how to nourish your skin inside and out and how to find the best, natural skincare ingredients in your products and lifestyle! Then I’ll be on a live Q&A on October 25th at 1pm EST via Zoom alongside the amazing Sally Fallon Morrel, Dr Bill Schindler, and Dr Tom Cowan!! Write in or chime in your questions live with us! 
Watch the summit for free here!(Should I update my head shot?!)

And as a subscriber to my newsletter, you are the first to have my link to my summit “freebie” on natural skincare right here! To healthy skin!

And speaking of nutritious food…..I’m a part of the Nourishing Vibrant Health Summit October 23-27 “How to reclaim vibrant health in the modern world of dis-ease.”

Watch this summit for free…My interview airs on October 24th and is available for 24-hrs when you sign up for the summit. The session was recorded in front of my tour group participants on-location in the Alps of Switzerland! I talk about how to nourish your skin inside and out and how to find the best, natural skincare ingredients in your products and lifestyle! Then I’ll be on a live Q&A on October 25th at 1pm EST via Zoom alongside the amazing Sally Fallon Morrell, Dr Bill Schindler, and Dr Tom Cowan!! Write in or chime in your questions live with us! 
Watch the summit for free here!



And as a subscriber to my newsletter, you are the first to have my link to my summit “freebie” on natural skincare right here! To healthy skin!
 

Bestseller Lavender Grapefruit Whipped Body Butter made with tallow from regeneratively-raised, organic, grassfed cows! 

VISIT MY ETSY SHOP: BordeauxKitchen for natural skincare products — grassfed tallow-based lip balms, lip glosses, body butters, deodorants, foot salve and more!

See the rest of the newsletter here: Cooking Organ Meats with Two-Star Chef in Paris & My Upcoming Interview on Oct 24 on natural skincare on the upcoming Vibrant Health Summit!……

Induction into the Jurade of Saint-Emilion!

The year was 1199….
when the Jurade of Saint-Emilion was founded. Temporarily dissolved during the French Revolution, this confrérie was reinstated in 1948 and has since inducted 3,000 individuals from all professions and many countries who have a passion for the wines of Saint Emilion. Their mission is to protect the wine quality and viticulture of Saint-Emilion. And now, as a Dame de la Jurade, I have the great honor and privilege of being one of them!


The Jurats, among the 140 Local Guardians of the Tradition



Inductees in our capes head into the lovely Church in Saint-Emilion for Catholic Mass and Communion, accompanied by bagpipes and drums



My friend, Edouard Moueix, of Belair Monange and La Fleur-Pétrus, one of the 140 official resident presiding Jurats of Saint-Emilion



The stage where each of the 40 inductees stood, in Saint-Emilion’s moat, on the edge of the UNESCO-protected city walls


I was so honored and deeply touched to be recognized by this prestigious group!

I received a beautiful diploma in Latin with a wax stamp as a Dame de la Jurade!

There was a celebratory lunch following the three hours of ceremony, of squid stuffed with minced pigs feet (right up my organ meats alley!), and pigeon in blueberry sauce, and amazing ganache-chocolate-yogurt for dessert. With each course, the lovely Saint-Emilion wines were brought in with much pomp and circumstance. I got to see some old friends and make new ones — it was a beautiful day!



As always, you can see more photos from my adventures on my Instagram and Facebook !
 

See more photos and details on the Jurade de Saint Emilion induction in my September 2023 newsletter! Sign up here on my website and join me as I head to Paris to work with a Michelin chef!

I’m a Summit Expert! Watch my interview about nourishing the skin inside and out, on the Nourishing Vibrant Health Summit – “How to reclaim vibrant health in the modern world of dis-ease,” airing October 23 to 27, 2023. You can sign up for free and see speakers like Dr. Cate Shanahan, Dr. Bill Schindler, Hilda Labrada Gore, and Sally Fallon Morell. And as a suscriber to my blog, you are the first to have my link to my summit “freebie” on natural skincare right here! To healthy skin!

ICYMI LINKS:
Swiss Hiking Tour!
Information on next year’s hiking tour here in the Lötschental Valley, Switzerland in 2024

Listen to this episode of the Embassy Wealth podcast, hosted by Tanya Salseth, a former US Foreign Service Officer, about my journey with The Bordeaux Kitchen book….Tanya asked great questions! LISTEN HERE

Off Duty: Last year’s Tour to Bordeaux started right here in Saint-Emilion!

Everybody’s Favorite Whipped Body Butter: Mango Coconut!

VISIT MY ETSY SHOP: BordeauxKitchen for natural skincare products — grassfed tallow-based lip balms, lip glosses, body butters, deodorants, foot salve and more!

Amazing Hiking Tour in Switzerland!

My late summer 2023 newsletter covers details of the trip with some beautiful photos — It was an amazing week and I’m planning on doing it again next summer! You will fall in love with the Alps — Find out more information on next year’s tour here – I would love to have you join me for my next hiking and culinary adventures in Switzerland! 

PODCAST INTERVIEW

In the meantime, I wanted to add my NEW PODCAST INTERVIEW! Feeling very much out of practice being interviewed, I surprised myself with my ability to articulate my story on the Embassy Wealth podcast, hosted by Tanya Salseth, a former US Foreign Service Officer, about my journey with The Bordeaux Kitchen book, I’m so relieved it turned out decently and that Tanya asked great questions! LISTEN HERE!

NAME DROPPING
Seedoilscout.com named me FIRST in their list of “books that built SOS”!! They listed The Bordeaux Kitchen, along with Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast, so that pretty much tops it off for me! What an HONOR! Here is what they had to say about my book: 

The Bordeaux Kitchen  Modern & beautifully illustrated breakdown of recipes from across the french countryside, with great narrative introduction on the issues with our food today. Our highest recommendation!

And finally….join me on my morning walks and culinary adventures throughout the year on my INSTAGRAM account!

Holiday 2022 Newsletter

Please see more in my holiday newsletter…and sign up to receive them in the future…FInd out about my summer in Switzerland, testimonials from my trip to Bordeaux in the fall, and how I am finding grace…

Check out my tours to Switzerland and Bordeaux, come with me!

Fall 2022 Newsletter

Take a peek into my group tours to Bordeaux, Saint-Emilion & Paris as well as my side trip to Dijon for recipes for my NEXT BOOK….

Also check out my TOURS pages to FRANCE and SWITZERLAND!

JUNE 2022 NEWSLETTER

Once-In-A-Lifetime Tours to Bordeaux & Saint Emillion with Me!

How would you like to go to have an exclusive look at Bordeaux with me? Let me be your Once-In-A-Lifetime guide! I am organizing a September “test run” food and wine cultural tour there with friends and am planning spring and fall 2023 tours. Check out my page about my tours with details and upcoming dates. For September 2022 I still have one spot left!! (This trip will be women-only, but 2023 will be open to men as well. Contact me right away if you are interested!) Meet my friends, picnic at chateaux, stroll through medieval Bordeaux and Saint Emilion, cook with me, learn to make French pastries and desserts, experience the French lifestyle in this once-in-a-lifetime tour with me.
Click HERE for more from the newsletter

March 2022 Newsletter

Come to Bordeaux with Me!

Despite all potential hinderances, I am going to try to take myself to Bordeaux in April. I want to gather up a few more recipes with friends for my second book, and also plan FOOD TOURS in Bordeaux for September 2022 and Spring 2023, and Fall 2023. Let me know if you have any interest in a food tour with me and what YOU would like to do and learn on a trip like this, if you could design it for yourself. I will hopefully have more details to share soon.

Ideas include: underground chateau wine cellar tours in St Emilion, walking tours of medieval St. Emilion, walking tours of medieval Bordeaux, including church and cathedral visits, food tour of Bordeaux, chocolate tastings, walking in vineyards, winery tours, French cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, cheese tastings, butchery/meat prep demonstrations, market tours, and how to photograph a beautiful place. There will be time for exploring on your own, journaling, reflection. All the good stuff. It’s a custom, unique opportunity to see my Bordeaux, meet my Bordelais friends, stay in UNESCO’s world heritage site Saint Emilion, and experience the French lifestyle with me….

More of the newsletter here…

October 2021 Newsletter

I sent myself to Bordeaux on a mission: to gather recipes and photographs for my next book, video clips for my upcoming online cooking courses (wish me luck), and to remind myself that France was, in fact, still there. How? By reconnecting with my friends there who have become like family to me. I came back inspired and overwhelmed with beautiful material, and with some insights on weight/fat loss (what!?), while having worked on delicious recipes for organ meats (les abats), and a fig tart (video here)…..read the newsletter here.

SPRING 2021 Newsletter

EUROPE ON MY MIND! Here is the Spring 2021 Bordeaux Kitchen Newsletter on : Fasting, Friends, Florida & Flashbacks! Latest articles and where to buy grassfed meats in Virginia and the US…

Spring 2021 Bordeaux Kitchen Newsl – Check it out!

Road Tripping in the Time of Corona: Bring Your Own Food

Needing a summer break at the beach, despite media hype about dirty rest stops and potentially infectious hotel rooms along American highways, our family of four took a 48-hour (4-hour drive with mid-week traffic) trip to the beach in Virginia. As we usually do when we travel, we took all our food with us in the car. The readout: we stopped at several “clean looking” restaurants for bathroom pit stops and the hotel was as clean as could be expected, so, a non-issue. But we did bring all our own food and water. Here’s how we did it.

Example of how the French “Eat In” on the Mediterranean/Cote D’Azur

What To Bring For the Road: A Tale of Two Coolers

Pack a big cooler for the trunk with ice packs and a smaller cooler for the car with lunch and snacks. The small cooler goes between the kids in the back to maintain car seat real estate lines and proper physical distancing. As every mom knows, kids who are close enough to touch elbows don’t last long on car trips. A picnic lunch for a park bench at an outdoor rest stop might consist of already cubed cheese and sausage or ham and chopped raw vegetable sticks. Maybe some chips, if you don’t eat bread, but most chips are made with industrial vegetable seed oils, so read the label before you buy. Canola oil among the ingredients? No. Put it back on the shelf. Safflower oil? Nyet. Soybean or corn oil? Nein! Same goes for any bread you might consume. Check the label. Danke.

Dessert BYOF Ideas

For dessert we travel with chopped fruit (and picks or forks), raisins, peanuts,  and dried prunes, apples, oranges, and homemade date bars (chopped dates, chocolate, nuts and seeds flattened with a rolling pin and cut into squares – no expensive packaging or industry messaging needed.) Pack napkins or paper towels, cutlery, either plastic or real, and an extra trash bag or two. We pack individual water bottles and large refill water bottles, no soda. Ever. Remember your wallet? What about your blood sugar levels? And let’s not kid ourselves about “diet,” sugar-free chemical sodas.

Fruit bouquet received as a gift the day before our road trip

Okay, So Let’s Get To The Meat Of The Meals!

Pack that big cooler with prepared food from home as well as raw and frozen ingredients, preferably organic where possible, voting with your dollar for food and soil not treated with synthetic, hormone-disrupting chemicals. Here are some ideas and what I packed on our trip, besides what I have already mentioned above: Frozen Russian ravioli (pilmeni), grass-fed beef hot dogs, frozen grass-fed ground beef, frozen homemade broth, pork and duck leftovers from various meals (packed in glass Pyrex bowls), along with a small container of duck fat, three cans of tuna, Kerrygold butter, Polyface Farms pastured eggs in the carton, small bottles of avocado oil and olive oil, salt and pepper shakers, half a bulb of garlic, sour cream, macaroni noodles, small container of homemade sauerkraut, several organic tea bags, organic ketchup, in-season cherries, a box of organic mixed greens, whole mushrooms, ice cream (which inevitably melted in the cooler by dinner time), grass-fed milk, and cream (for my tea!)

What?! No Mayo?!

Most store-bought mayonnaise is made with industrial seed oils. So I make my own! It’s so easy you’ll cry: Separate one egg, use the white for scrambled with the other eggs you brought, and whisk the yolk in a measuring cup (which was packed along with the whisk), while slowly adding a third of a cup of avocado oil. Presto! No industrial seed oils here, either. And just enough for those three cans of tuna. (Yes, the eggs are raw. If you are sourcing your eggs from a trusted farmer, you will not get salmonella. Instead, you will be supporting a small farmer while nourishing yourself with real, whole food. A win-win.)

Hello, How Am I Going to Cook All These Meats and Eggs in a Hotel Room?

Easy: Pack a good quality Cuisinart hot plate, the answer to all your eating in problems. Plus, call ahead to get a room with a refrigerator, or else make sure the ice machines are working in the hotel to refill you cooler! We used the hotel microwave only once – to heat up a pork chop because we had run out of pans and to save time. Other items you will need: A small pot and a medium pot, a medium frying pan, one or two small cutting boards, several good cutting knives of different sizes for slicing and paring, four real (unbreakable Corelle-style) plates and bowls, three kitchen towels, a wooden spatula, a small bottle of dish liquid, and a sponge.

Eating In

By eating in, BYOF traveling or not, corona or not, you are saving money, saving time, and eating when and where you want to without making others “serve” you. (Yes, the restaurant industry is huge, but it is overfed, so to speak, while the concept of cooking at home is disproportionately underrated in the US, in my opinion.) Eating in also produces much less waste of resources. Think about carbon footprints of the restaurant supply chain versus a family meal at home. By eating in you are also avoiding the involuntary consumption of inflammatory industrial vegetable seed oils (you know the kind – canola or safflower oil, with the halo around their necks), ubiquitously used in restaurants, from cheapest to glamorous. (Dr. Catherine Shanahan, who wrote the foreword to my book, The Bordeaux Kitchen, goes into the biology of the century-long damage these oils have incurred on Americans in her books, so I won’t go into it here. Look up The Fatburn Fix and Deep Nutrition.) Restaurants rely on cheap oils to remain profitable. The consumer is the one who pays the price in health bills after eating the cheap food. Granted, our family doesn’t eat out (pretty much ever), and I cook daily, even on vacation, but taking your food with you on vacation is doable and definitely healthier (for you and your wallet) than eating out.

But Yes, We Ate Out

The hotel served breakfast: terrible scrambled eggs and alluring, extreme-sugar sausages, along with waffles, bagels, cereal, and OJ, which my kids loaded up on because they don’t get much of these at home. (Sue me.) I made eggs in our frying pan in the room on the second morning. And on the way out of town we stopped for lunch under an outdoor tent to taste the local broiled seafood (no industrial oils, hopefully, in the broiling process). It was mostly worth the wait, though the waitress was stressed with all the tables of tourists like us she had to serve. We thanked her effusively. We had also stopped for Mr. Whippy’s soft serve once or twice and again on the way out of town. It was July, after all.

Mr. Whippy (that’s not my cone…)

Had I Overpacked?

Yes. We did not use the garlic, ground beef, or bit of duck fat, but I used them for a quick dinner upon arrival at home.

Am I Crazy?

No. Well, maybe a little. But this is what we do. (And I am talking about taking pork roasts and containers of fruit on international travel! We learned our lesson with broth, though. TSA will confiscate it.) Yes, there is clean up. Yes, my husband kindly did the dishes in the hotel bathroom sink. Nevertheless, we found we had more good, high quality food, more time to play and read and argue and discuss things, and more time to generally be “on vacation,” rather than having to go out and spend money on low quality, expensive food at every meal. We went home with empty coolers, two souvenir t-shirts, and slight sunburns from all the extra time we had to play in the sun! BYOF!

(These are my own opinions, which is why I am posting them here on my own blog. You may disagree, and that’s okay! Thanks for taking the time to read!)

…And now a little plug for my Etsy store of handmade pastured tallow and lard soaps and creams…