Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Bonne Année! This month the French Winophiles kick off their 2021 series with Jeff of Food Wine Click! at the helm. He has the group looking at what's new in Bordeaux; read his full invitation here . But the gist of it was this: "Let's look for something new going on in Bordeaux! Organic, biodynamic, natural wines? Cru Bourgeois? Outlying areas? You pick and share!" If you are reading this early enough, feel free to join our live Twitter chat on Saturday, January 16th at 8am Pacific time. Follow the hashtag #Winophiles and be sure to add that to anything you tweet so we can see it. In the meantime, here are the posts the group has planned. These will all be live by early morning on Saturday the 16th. Susannah at Avvinare shares Cru Bourgeois - A Closer Look At Chateau Labadie . Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm pairs Chateau Haut-Pougnon with Mediterranean Stew . Terri at Our Good Life matches a Hearty Seafood Chowder with a Special Bottling from Chateau...

On Friday I shared my Cannelés de Bordeaux for our French Winophiles blogging group. You can read my post - Definitively Bordeaux: Cannelés + Crémant without the Champagne Price Tag . Then, yesterday, I hopped on the Twitter chat for the group and Jeff, from Food Wine Click! , asked if anyone knew the history of Cannelés. I didn't.  One of the many reasons I love being part of different blogging groups is what I learn about food and wine. In this case, Jeff, being one of the coordinators of the French wine group and a well-traveled Francophile, taught us all about these little pastries. He posted a little Cannelés quiz... "Cam, what is the ratio of egg yolks to whites in your recipe? What does the shape of the cannelés remind you? What is a traditional agent for fining wines in barrel?" I failed miserably, by the way. "Two egg yolks and two eggs. So four yolks and two white. 2:1 ratio. A hat?!? And I have no idea." Thankfully Robin o...

Another stop on the Rockridge Food Tour was La Farine — Boulangerie Patisserie. We crowded around a table and sampled their morning buns. Think buttery croissant dough rolled thin and spread with brown sugar and cinnamon, then baked in muffin pans for a portable decadent bite. Yes, it was as delicious as it sounds! And, yes, I will be trying to replicate it as soon as possible. Almost as old as my husband - I'm allowed to write that because I'm older than he is! - La Farine was on an undeveloped part of College Avenue, had only a handful of employees, and served mostly people who lived in the neighborhood. Now there are three locations and nearly 100 employees. But, La Farine's roots remain. They serve high-quality French baked goods. And, in keeping with their commitment to the neighborhood, La Farine donates leftover products to area food banks and senior centers. Amazing baked goods with a generous spirit. You can't beat that.