francofiled

It was a first visit to OXCave in Oxford Street, Belfast and the good reports that we had heard turned out to be fully justified.  It was great. As a cheese lover it was nice to be informed about each variety and to pick a selection from the large board: Over on the counter, under a glass cloche, sat a huge tranche of Comte. The staff member said that the way it was served had proved to be very popular - it came grated with truffle honey. Here's the tranche: and the plate of the prepared cheese with truffle honey: It certainly was an interesting combination, packed with flavour. As a wine lover, with a strong preference for European, and as you would expect from the title of my blog, especially French wines it was equally good to have a knowledgeably offered choice.  This one was very nice indeed: A nice first visit... We'll be back again soon.

La Cocotte, Cafe and restaurant Poulet basquaise with dauphinoise Hachis parmentier, confit de canard

It probably has nothing to do with Paris, so how did it get its name? I remember these from growing up in Belfast and Van Morrison mentions having one with lemonade in his song Cleaning Windows. They seem to be associated with poorer times in Ireland and Scotland and maybe the reference to Paris was a way to make them sound a bit grander than the simple ingredients of flour, milk, sugar and oil would suggest. They were made to look a bit fancy too, with a cherry on the centre mound and rock sugar sprinkled on top. Any ideas on where the name comes from?