During our x-mas holidays in France, I was once again amazed about the quality of the food in the shops and the restaurants, considering my parents live in a pretty remote part of the country, where most villages struggle to get over the 1000 inhabitants mark. And yet, at the local butcher's in Chantelle (co-owned by the mayor who declared us 'Husband and Wife' almost 2 years ago), the holiday display looked like this:

Yes, the locals did think the 'townies' had arrived when they saw me snapping away with my camera, but Dede (the butcher) was happy to let me do my thang... And how could one resist the whole suckling pig, stuffed with some kind of pate, the small ducklings made of 'mousse de canard', the tiny vol-au-vents with snails and parsley-garlic butter, the saucissons, the... ok, you get the picture(s).

A few days later, we went to our favourite restaurant in a neighbouring village, run by a most enthusiastic couple and their two teenage daughters. Dad is in the kitchen, Mum is front of house and the two girls take turns to help their Dad during the holidays. One of them is already extremely talented, and the other is developing a very fine palate indeed, tasting everything. Maybe a fiendish food critic in the making?

We like this place, Le Prieure de Monestier, so much, we asked them to cater for our wedding with a resounding success (it's always a good sign when the wedding guests use the ubiquitous disposable cameras to take pics of the food!). So it's practically a given that whenever we visit my parents we must have at least one dinner there. And it never fails to amaze me to see, smell and taste what Thierry's fertile imagination has come up with. And how tuned into the latest trends he is. The cuisine is not your average rustic Auvergnat fare, no siree. It's sophisticated, light and innovative, and yet not intimidating to the locals who are used to something else. I must point out at this point that I like nothing more than my home region's specialities, but after a combo of Danish and French x-mas food over very few days, our stomachs were yearning for something lighter. Yes, the following is much lighter than what we had been eating until then!

Living in London and being a self-confessed foodista, I pride myself on having at least part of my little finger on the pulse of food trends. Thierry's latest invention was an amuse-bouche of cauliflower soup, fragranced with Tonka Beans. Well, I, for one, had never heard of Tonka Beans and neither had many of the people I checked with subsequently. It tasted like nothing else, and yet like alot of other things at the same time: one taste after the other seemed to appear on the tip of your tongue, swiftly to be replaced by another, familiar and indescribable at the same time. Vanilla? Cinnamon? Five Spice? No? Yes? Apparently that sensation is exactly the appeal of Tonka Beans. The chef had tried them in both sweet and savoury recipes, both infused and/or grated and had finally settled on this combo. Having not tasted the others I cannot say if this was the best, but I can say that I was a woman obsessed. So when prompted for more info, the man himself came out of this kitchen / kingdom and brought me a whole bowl of the intriguing spice.

Did I mention that it's my favourite restaurant?

On Wikipedia, Tonka Beans are described as " reminiscent of vanilla, almonds, cinnamon, and cloves: it has sometimes been used commercially as a substitute for vanilla. It is also sometimes used in perfume and is commonly used in tobacco". More worryingly, "The seed contains coumarin, and for this reason its use in food is banned in the US by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Coumarin is an anti-coagulant and can be lethal in large doses. Many anti-coagulant prescription drugs are based on more powerful forms of coumarin." GLUBS! Maybe not the spice of choice for a pregnant lady, then? Luckily, other websites are more enthusiastic about the beans: Scents of the Earth desribes the fragrance as "reminiscent of newly mown hay or a freshly cut meadow" and the beans are "said to lighten one's mood and be emotionally balancing". Maybe not such a bad choice when hormones are running havoc with your mood, then?

Not wanting to be left out, I set out to experiment a bit too. First off, a pumpkin and Jerusalem artichoke soup, with grated Tonka Bean and Chinese chives.

Hmmh... OK, but not convincing. The 'chokes' were probably a mistake, having such an over-powering taste.

So it was back to the drawing kitchen table. This time for something sweet, as my pregnancy has developed not only my bump but also my sweet tooth. And a new-found love of rhubarb compote which I had never attempted. Spotting forced rhubarb at the market, I pounced on it, dragged it home, chopped it up, steeped it in sugar (500g rhubarb to 300-400 g sugar), juice from one large orange and half a grated Tonka Bean. Leave it to marinate while you eat starter and main course, then pour into pan and simmer gently until it all dissolves. Having never cooked rhubarb before, I found it extremely fascinating to watch how quickly all the fibres just go limp and blend. The almost 80's neon colour is also very alluring and is truly put into contrast by a nice dollop or two of double cream. Who said 'craving'???

I have a long-lasting dream of one day being able to afford a week's cookery course, somewhere picturesque and full of sunshine, where I would learn skills passed down through generations as well as professional techniques, and meet like-minded foodies. A girl is allowed to dream, isn't she?

Meanwhile, I have participated in 2 cookery courses, of a couple of hours each. The first one was actually thrust upon me (my arm still bears the scars of being twisted...) as a team-building exercise when I was working as a management consultant in Copenhagen. Although I have become a much better cook since those days, it was still hilarious and very ego-boosting (for me) to get the upper hand on the Partners and Managers who could not find the right ingredients or utensils in the industrial kitchen because they were not labelled: 'What does thyme look like?" and "Is this a skillet?".  The whole experience was very hands-on and remains one of the best team-building exercises I have ever participated in (it beats building an egg-parachute any day. Don't ask!) The best bit was that I was allowed to fillet a side of cod, after the chef had shown us how to do the first side. It's not everyday I get a chance to cut into such a large fish!

Which brings me to my second cookery course which I attended this week. It is entitled Eat-Drink-Talk, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. And the tin doesn't say 'Cook'. Unless you count a little mild chopping, tossing and flipping. So strictly speaking, it was not my second cookery course. But that's not the point of the session either, and neither does it detract from the pleasure of being in enthusiastic Jennifer's kitchen. She lives in a fantastic loft-like flat in an old shoe-factory and has done what many a foodie dreams of (me included): she has turned a hobby into a job. Although looking at her bio, it was a near-professional hobby already. The idea is that 10 strangers sit at a bar-height table, which prolongs the kitchen counter, and watch, listen, taste, discuss while Jennifer and an assistant (this week it was Katherine) cook 5-6 dishes on the day's theme. The theme I had chosen was 'How to cook Fish - Part 1' since fish is one of the few things I have never felt completely confident about. I always need to follow a recipe, but what I like most is being creative and improvising my own 'thang'.

We were only 4 'guests'. It felt very much like being at a dinner party, with the difference that not only do you not know the other guests, but you don't know the host either. And dinner parties is exactly the way it all started, with Jennifer's friends asking her to show them how to cook things, where to buy them, etc. And I guess that once all the friends were trained Cordon-Bleus, she moved on to the rest of the population, but lets them pay for it. I wish my husband had been there too, as it did feel odd being at a dinner-party without him, but we might remedy that by taking Jennifer up on her 2-for-1 offer this month (I met her at Borough Market today where she revealed that in November there would be a session on Singapore Chilli Crab!!!)

But truth be told, what I would like above all, is to do what Jennifer and Katherine were doing that night. Being paid to buy great products, recommend places to buy them, prepare them in your own super-sleek modern home with a friend, talk to your heart's content about FOOD, meet new people, cook and impart new learning all at the same time. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? I must admit I did feel several inches taller after she told me that I was welcome any time to cook in her kitchen, even when the sessions were 'Demonstration Only'. WOW!

I'd love to share with you the great recipes we tried that night, but the folder expressly says that I'm not allowed to do that, so I'll just list them and say a few words:

• Tuna Ceviche Salad on Crostini - I'm a big fan of ceviche, so I'll include my own (inspired by Jamie Oliver) below. But Jennifer's was simpler, which makes a completely different dish. Very yummy served on toasted bread, or in little gem lettuce leaves.
• Fish in Crazy Water - apparently a traditional Neapolitan way to prepare fish fillets. In essence, it means poaching them in a sauce where the ingredients (tomato, garlic, chili and parsley) are not sauteed before adding water, but boiled directly. I think it was probably invented by a lasy cook in a hurry, but the result is really tasty (I tried it 2 days later with seabass, and Skat approved. We-he!)
• Crispy Skinned Salmon with runner beans and streaky bacon - I knew the salmon bit from my mum, who calls it 'A l'unilaterale' (Unilaterally in French, since it is only fried on the skin side), and I include a recipe for sea-bass cooked this way below. But the novelty for me here was in the bacon, where Jennifer had bought Guanciale, an Italian version which imparts a slight nutty flavour to the beans. I bought some today at Gastronomica, our favourite Italian deli at (you guessed it!) Borough Market. Guanciale is delicious raw on toasted bread (a bit like Lardo di Colonnata) when cut very very thinly. The fat is almost transparent when at room temperature and it is just scrumptious.
• Pan-roastet trout with lemon & capers - the trick here was to pan-fry it first, then finish it in the oven. And suddenly, I feel more brave about cooking fish on the bone! I wonder if the same can be done with sea bream?
• Roast Cod with Salsa Verde - anything with this pungent sauce is a winner, in my book
• Dessert was an apple crumble, but since I'm not a dessert-aficionado I'm the wrong person to wax lyrical about it. It looked like my fellow diners enjoyed it very much, though
• And last but not least, it was all washed down with homemade Lychee-Cherry Punch - homemade cocktails in jugs are apparently a house staple. Staples are good!

Although I didn't learn as much as I hoped, I'd love to return. I think it's because I had expected more involvement, where the website and the brochures promise no such thing. But if I return I will have to admit to myself that I'm really paying to be with like-minded people, Bertha-no-Mates that I am. How sad is that? Well, at least I'm open about it. Jennifer, can I come back?

And since I can't face not showing you pictures of food and sharing a little recipe or 2, here are my contributions fish-wise (some of you will notice that I have moved on from seafood...)

Ceviche a la ASMEO (with a wink to Jamie Oliver)

Serves 6-8 as an apéritif or 4-6 as a starter

450 tuna, salmon or any other firm fish (the best you can afford, since it will be eaten raw)

1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced

juice of 2-3 limes

1-2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped

3 tbsp sesame oil

4 tbsp coconut milk (NOT LIGHT!)

1 good handful of fresh coriander, chopped

2 large tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted (careful, it burns very quickly)

1 cm fresh ginger, grated

soy sauce, to taste

Finely dice the fish and mix with the lime juice (the acids in the juice will 'cook' the fish). Add all other ingredients except coconut milk and soy sauce. Cool in the fridge, covered, until 15-20 mins before serving. Now is the time to decide for form over function... This dish is much prettier without the coconut milk and the soy sauce, since they coat everything with a dull-ish brown, but at the same time they give an amazing taste. So it's really up to you... I always add them. Serve on toasted bread or in small lettuce/chicory leaves

Sea-bass a l'Unilaterale with Herb Oil and Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

This is one of my only fish creations (until now, when I can't seem to stop thinking about how to prepare them!). As most creations, it started when I saw what the fishmonger had on the counter at a reasonable price and in season. And that day, it was a beautiful sea-bass fillet which would be more than enough for 2.

Serves 2

1 sea bass fillet big enough for 2 portions

Herb Oil

1 handful of fresh thyme

best quality olive oil (I used my most precious one, scented with green lemons from Oliviers & Co. They don't always have it, so I stuck up on it whenever they do)

Crush the thyme in a mortar and gradually incorporate the oil until it's a thick but runny sauce

Salad

1 romaine lettuce, cut into thin strips

1 celery stick, chopped into 5 mm pieces

1 small fennel bulb or 2 wild fennel bulbs (it was in season as well!), cut into fine 'shavings' (do not discard the fronds)

1 handful baby spinach leaves

Dressing

Basic vinaigrette with olive oil, red wine vinegar and grain mustard (mine is from Charroux, because it's one of the villages where my parents own gites - a little publicity never hurt anyone, hihi )

Fried small bacon pieces (from now on, guanciale, of course!)

Dill or the fronds from the fennel

Fry the sea-bass skin side down on a very hot pan with a little olive oil. Press down on it from time to time with a spatula, so the whole skin is in contact with the pan. Watch as the fish slowly changes colour from the skin and upwards, as it cooks (I love this bit!). When it almost reaches the upper part, you can either choose to serve it like that or turn it over briefly to fry the other side.

Serve the fish skin side down and drizzle the herb oil over it. Mix the salad ingredients with the vinaigrette and Bon appétit!

PS: I promise my next recipe will be about something else than seafood and fish... I do eat other things, you know!