Un menu d’hiver autour du feu

A winter lunch by the hearth for 6

Appears in
New Menus from Simca's Cuisine
New Menus from Simca's Cuisine

By Simone Beck and Michael James

Published 1979

  • About
On chilly days at our farm in Provence my husband Jean and I always enjoy our meals together by the sitting room fire, and even when we entertain three or four close friends we still like to set: the table near the cozy hearth. This winter menu is the sort I would serve for a lunch on such an occasion, for the dishes are informal and suited to a small gathering, and are very nourishing, too, for cold-weather appetites.

The liver sausage in brioche dough is a rustic version of the much grander foie gras en brioche that is known especially at holiday time in France. This simpler saucisson is good made with either chicken or duck livers, and when molded in jet brioche there are no long or complicated steps. Be sure, however, that the liver mixture is well chilled when it goes into the dough, as it will be much easier to handle. The little hamburgers that follow have the Provençal touches of garlic and fragrant herbs and are an excellent way to use up leftover meat; the tomato sauce will help keep the meat moist. While the accompanying fausses frites are not the traditional “fries,” they are a tasty potato dish actually much easier to do.