Ireland

Right now the Irish do not seem to have many reasons to smile, but one hopes that there is still some room for this.

Dido´s Lament

Dido´s lament from Purcell´s first and only all-sung opera Dido and
Aeneas is one of most beatiful operatic arias. The opera was first
performed in 1689 at a girl´s schoool in Chelsea, London and is also
considered to be the the oldest known English opera.

Here the aria is performed by the Dame Janet Baker. The
recording may not be the best possible, but it does not detract from
Dame Janet´s superb singing and acting.

 Lyrics:

Recitative


Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me,

On thy bosom let me rest,

More I would, but Death invades me;

Death is now a welcome guest.


Aria


When I am laid, am laid in earth, May my wrongs create

No trouble, no trouble in thy breast;

Remember me, remember me, but ah! forget my fate.

Remember me, but ah! forget my fate

Memories of La Tante Claire

The name Pierre Koffmann has been synonymous with the finest French
food in England for the past 35 years.
Nick Lander/FT 2007

Like a legendary rock star going back on the road for one last triumphant tour, Koffmann has returned to his roots, while playing all the big hits.
Tracey MacLeod, The Independent Magazine

Eating in Michelin star restaurants is not something I do very often. This is mostly due to the fact that these restaurants are nowadays so outrageously expensive that you have to be either affluent or in possession of a large expense account in order to frequent them.

Fortunately, it was not always so.

Back in the late 80´s and early 90´s, while living in London, I had the privilege – and it was really a privilege –  to be one of the regular customers at Pierre Koffmann´s now legendary “La Tante Claire” in Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea. Mind you, it was not cheap, but e.g. lunches were not more expensive than in many other nearby restaurants. “La Tante Claire” was probably the closest to a perfect restaurant that I will ever experience. The food was out of this world – who could forget Koffman´s stuffed pig´s trotter with morels! - the service always friendly and highly professional and the interior beuatifully decorated in Art Deco style. No wonder that “La Tante Clair” was to become one of the few British restaurants with three Michelin stars.

The great news is that Koffmann last July returned to the London restaurant scene with his new “Koffmann´s” at the Berkeley Hotel. Next time you visit London, try out “Koffmann´s” for refined country cooking à la Gascogne – I know I will. Koffmann has according to a newspaper interview moved away from “Michelin food”, which also means that the prices are more affordable. But his signature dish, 
pig’s trotter with chicken mousseline, sweetbreads and morels is back on the menu!

Here is Koffman´s "self portrait" which he once drew for me as a memory of a good meal:

PS (7.1.2011)

I just found the recipe to one of Koffmann´s finest specialities, Souffle aux pistaches.
Check it out here.

If you are interested in more of Pierre Koffman´s recipes, his book "La Tante Claire, Recipes of a Masterchef" is a treasure trove. In the book Koffmann also offers interesting glimpses into his childhood in France and his way to the Michelin top stardom. Unfortunately the books seems to be out of print, but if you are lucky, you can find used copies.

Simple pleasures nr 5:The Sound of Church Bells

 "A bell is a hollow vessel usually of metal,
but sometimes of horn, wood, glass, or clay, struck near the rim by an
interior clapper or exterior hammer or mallet to produce a ringing
sound".
Encyclopedia Britannica

The sound of a bell has the power to charm, to amaze, to warn, to
frighten, and to lift the spirit. Bells are ubiquitous even in our
electronic age.
Bill Hibberts

I have always been fascinated by bells, particularly church bells.
Wherever I am, I feel safe and happy when I hear the sound of church
bells.

The history of bells goes back almost to the dawn of civilisation. It
began with crude metallic objects were sounded to ward of all kinds of
evil spirits, to mark festival occasions or to alter the weather.

In Europe church bells became common in the early Middle ages. Since
those times church bells have been ringing in the big cathedrals as
well as in the tiniest parish churches. The St Lawrence Church in
Ipswich has the oldest surviving circle of bells in the world. The
oldest of those bells were cast in the 1440s.

Watch and listen to some of the most famous Big Bells:

Bells have inspired many poets. Edward Allan Poe´s "The Bells" is probably the most wellknown bell
poem. Here you can listen to a reading of the poem.

PS
Thank you to all people from the Philippines visiting this page!

Simple pleasures nr 15: Herring and new potatoes

Dried and salted herring used to be staple food already during
medieval times in Northern Europe. Since those times herring has
continued to be a favourite on the Nordic table. The best time to
enjoy herring is during the new potato season in the early summer.
There is nothing better than fresh new potatoes and pickled herring

with a pat of butter and some fresh dill!

This time of the year the next fresh potato season may seem far away.
But waiting for something delicious is always worthwile. The first
potatoes in Sweden often come from this farm in Scania.

Another change of mood

If you ever wondered what a real basso profundo sounds like, listen to this, or here, or this

A change of mood

There seems to be a danger that my blog is getting a little bit too sombre. So, a change of mood might be appropriate. Watch this: