Pièce de résistance “French Lemon Tart”

One of the best things about visiting France is the food, and one of the best things about staying in a villa is having your own chef to provide that food. Staying in a villa in France, it stands to reason, gives you the advantages of both: French food cooked at your leisure and to your specifications.

One of the best and most loved bits of French excellente cuisine is the desserts. Top of the heap of desserts, to me, are the tarts. If you happen to be English, please don’t snicker when you read how much I love tarts. “Dessert” in English, meaning the sweet ending to a meal, actually comes from the French word desservir for clearing the table. The literal meaning of desservir means to ‘un-serve.’ Therefore, I suggest, with this strained segue, that you serve yourself a fine French dessert and create a tart you can be proud of!

This lemon tart recipe, coming to you all the way from gay Paris, is so delicious that after serving it your dinner parties might end up becoming a bit too popular. Take the time to prepare this one properly and you’ll end up dreaming of a French villa over the coffee.

Ingredients:

For the Sweet Crust:

* 8 3/4 oz all-purpose flour
* 1 egg
* 1 pinch of salt
* 1 oz almond flour
* 5 1/3 oz butter, soft
* 3 oz confectioner’s sugar

For the Meyer Lemon Cream:

* 5 Meyer lemons, zest and juice (or normal lemons)
* 4 eggs
* 8 oz fine sugar
* 8 3/4 oz butter, at room temperature

For the Candied Lemon Peels:

* sugar
* water
* 2 Meyer lemons for the peels

Method:

PASTRY

* Sift the flour on a working area. Add the salt in the middle.
* Add the soft butter and make a crumble with the dough, using the tips of your fingers.

* Make a hole in the middle and add the confectioner’s sugar and almond flour. Then add the egg, working the dough with the tips of your fingers still. Make a ball with it and place it in plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for a minimum of 2 to 3 hours, if possible.

* Roll your dough and place it in greased molds. Make little holes with a fork. Cover with pieces of parchment paper covered with weights, such as rice. Cook in the preheated oven at 350 F for about 20 mns.
* Remove the paper and continue to cook for about 5 to 6 mns.
* Remove from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

LEMON CREAM:

* Place the sugar in a large bowl.
* Grate finely the zest of the lemons and add them to the sugar. Mix with the tip of your fingers.

* Add the eggs and lemon juice (about 6 oz or 3/4 cup) and whisk well.

* Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water without touching, in order to thicken the cream. It is ready when it coats a wooden spoon.

* Remove from the heat and let cool a little before adding the pieces of soft butter. Mix well by hand first until the butter is melted, then with a hand mixer to lighten the cream. It can take a few mns.

CANDIED LEMON PEELS

* Boil the lemon sticks in water for 3 mns, and repeat 3 times (change the water each time). Make syrup with the same amount of water and sugar mixed together. Bring to a gentle boil and then add the lemon peels. Cook for about 10 to 15 mns, on medium to low heat. Keep an eye on it to prevent burning as there is little liquid.
* Once the crusts are cold, fill them with lemon cream. Level it and add the candied peels on top. Let cool a little before serving.

Italian Penne Vodka

If you’re Italian, I apologize, I know this isn’t the way you make your penne vodka. Penne vodka is one of those incredibly popular dishes that no Italian restaurant, or Italian family, does exactly the same. If they find out they are making it the same they’ll be quite sure to change it up next time. My own aunts once realized they had both made the same penne vodka for a family function, glared at each other and wouldn’t talk for months. They both changed their recipes the same way, unfortunately, so the next family party was no better. They are expected to resume friendship sometime in the 22nd century.

Below you’ll find a recipe for an absolutely delicious version of penne vodka that I will contend and any Italian you meet will deny, is as good as any you’ll find outside of an Italian villa. Remember, though, you need to customize it slightly or you’ll end up in a feud with any Italian cook you feed it to.

It may sound cliché, but for the best Italian food you have to head to Italy. Rent a villa (cheaper than a hotel if you bring the family!) and really get to enjoy Italian hospitality. Once you’re there you’ll get plenty of advice on exactly why your–and everyone else in the world’s–penne vodka recipe is absolutely wrong.

Ingredients

* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 tbsp garlic-infused oil (I just used olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic)
* Salt
* 1 can chopped tomatoes
* 1 tbsp double cream
* Penne rigate or other short, preferably ridged, pasta
* 65 ml vodka
* 2 tbsp unsalted butter
* Parmesan for grating over at the table

Method

1. If you are cooking this just before you eat, put the water on to boil before you start the sauce. You will need a big pan, enough to take the pasta and its sauce later.

2. Finely chop the onion, either by hand or in a processor. In a large pan, heat the garlic oil and add the finely chopped onion and a good sprinkling of salt. Cook the onion fairly gently for about 15 minutes without letting it catch and burn, which just means giving it a stir every now and again. It should be very soft and just beginning to caramelize.

3. Tip in the can of chopped tomatoes and continue cooking over a gentle heat, simmering for another 15-20 minutes. If you’re cooking this in advance, stop here.

4. Reheat the almost finished tomatoes (or just continue as you were if you’re making this recipe in one go), stir in the double cream and take the pan off the heat. When the water for the pasta comes to the boil add a good measure of salt and tip in the penne. Set a timer for 3-4 minutes less than the packet instructions for cooking it, as you want to make sure it’s cooked al dente and will need to start tasting early.

5. Drain the cooked pasta, tip it back in the pan and pour over the vodka, add the butter and some more salt. Turn the penne in the vodka and melting butter and then tip it into the tomato sauce unless it is easier to pour the tomato sauce over the pasta: it depends on the sizes of the pans you are using.

6. Toss the pasta in the sauce until it is evenly coated and transfer into a large, warmed bowl. Put it on the table along with a block of parmesan cheese and a grater.

Mokka, not Mocha.

In my often over caffeinated efforts to bring you information of interest from around the world I sometimes stumble serendipitously across a piece of information that resounds so harmoniously with my mission, mindset and audience that it seems criminal not to share it. Such is the case with the Austrian specialty, Mokka.

Mokka is a bit like what you may expect if you think phonetically like I do. It’s a kind of coffee drink, the kind that your favorite and least favorite chain cafes have been (poorly) imitating since their founding. Mokka is what you imagined espresso would be before you tried it: strong, flavorful, complex and as powerful as rocket fuel. You’re not going to get this without making it yourself, traveling to Austria or marrying into an Austrian family. That last option might be worth it, actually. I wonder what happened to Rachele Baumann from high school…

Mokka’s flavor is distinct, its texture rich and it’s so good you just know it’s bad for you. It’s probably good that it’s not that easy to make or you’d have it every night after dinner. My tip is to make it to impress friends, or to fill the kitchen of a vacation rental in Austria with that extra bit of genuine aroma.

Here’s the best recipe I’ve found for Mokka. I’ve tested out a few (ok, more than a few, I’m about to vibrate the legs off this chair) and this one makes my favorite. For a twist I added some Raspberry Torani syrup to the end result.

* 2 Tb butter
* 3 Tb sugar
* 4 c warm water
* 3/4 to 1 c ground coffee
* 1 to 2 Tb cocoa

Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed, medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir in sugar. Continue to stir sugar and butter until sugar begins to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pot a bit. Be careful not to burn the sugar! Remove pan from heat. Slowly and carefully add warm water. The sugar mixture will spit and steam as the water is first poured in. Do not add cold water, as this will cause the caramel to harden and stick to the bottom of the pot.

Return pan to heat and add
# 3/4 c ground coffee– not instant — and the cocoa. Bring to a boil, and allow to boil for a minute. Add more coffee if desired. When ready, the Mokka should have a crema on top: a fine, lighter brown foam.

Strain mixture into a mocha, coffee or tea pot. Serve in cappucino espresso cups that have been warmed by rinsing in hot water. Particularly wonderful with a teaspoon of cream and half a teaspoon additional sugar.

Thanks to the Buchmann family for the recipe and to christmas-baking.com for publicizing it!

$1000 Travel Contest

ITCInterhome.com is pleased to announce its first travel contest! In the next few weeks we will be posting the rules and conditions for this contest. The prize will be $1,000 towards a vacation rental in one of the thousands of great European Interhome properties. This will be a writing contest and the theme we are currently leaning towards is slow travel or villa stays.Get your stories together, this is not an opportunity a traveler will want to miss!

Travel From Rick Fisher

Just this past April, Atlanta saw the travel industry’s first and, as yet, only vacation home expo.  One of the key organizers of this landmark event, Rick Fisher, was kind enough to lend me some of his time to answer a few questions that were nagging my mind since I began learning about the possibilities of renting a property for a foreign vacation.

Mr Fisher both confirmed what I’d been thinking as well as enlightening me about some things I hadn’t considered.  Read on to gain access to the insight and experience of this interesting and well informed player in one of the fastest growing, and most exciting segments of the travel industry.

So, Rick-why rent as opposed to stay in a hotel?

first of all, this is the only leisure product where consumers can enjoy additional space and comfort compared to a traditional hotel or lodging.  Two, three-even up to six people can stay in a rental for no extra cost.  There’s no limit to the number of people who can enjoy the space and share the cost, besides the actual size of the property.  What that means is that when you look at the dollar value proposition it’s tremendous, best value in the travel industry.  Just put the price and amenities rental side-by-side with a comparable hotel and you’ll get the idea.

Besides the logical, bottom-line reasons, a rental just opens up more choices and flexibility for travelers.  People like choices.  One objection people have is related to service, “Well, I like room service,” so bring it in!  Have it delivered, eat out, etc.  You’re home!

So, where is there to rent that people haven’t considered?

we’re finding that theres all kinds of vacation rentals properties in eastern europe which are becoming more and more popular.  One of these emerging markets is Croatia, building on the successes of areas like Tuscany and Provence.

One of the big misconceptions is that rentals are only available in rural, opulent sort of settings.  You can find them in every country and every area.  The number three rental booking destination, worldwide, was recently New York City.  You can rent an apartment, a home, a villa… really, the possibilities are limitless.

What can first time renters expect from their rental?

well, it depends on the type of unit.  I think the most popular type of unit is a two bedroom.  In a traditional two bed apartment or condo you’re going to find a fully equipped kitchen, separate dining and living areas, multiple bedrooms, possibly a tv in the bedroom, maybe two baths.  Things vary, and you want to get a good description.  Any reputable booking agency will have two things: loyal customers and good, accurate descriptions of the property.

They can also expect more room than in a hotel, a two bedroom apartment is much roomier, much more spacious than a hotel suite of comparable price.

“best of both worlds-resort or non commercial”

How will first time renters be surprised?

When researching the location, a traveler might be surprised at the location options themselves.  Many are located in resorts.  Some look like a hotel but are organized like condos.  On the other hand you have the european non-commercial environment, almost a farmhouse.  That’s for people looking to get away from something.

They might also be surprised at the tremendous value of what they’ve booked and the uniqueness of the accommodations.  I’ve been in the travel industry for decades: I’ve never had someone come back to me to tell me how great their hotel room was.  When they come back from a rental they say, oh you should have seen the marble foyer or the shrimp you can only get from the port right there.  The accommodations are as much a highlight as the destination when you book the right rental.  Just make sure to get good advice, make sure to book with a member of the VRMA and a company with personal service.  Interhome is a good example.

What challenges are presented?

Education and awareness.  People are comfortable with what they know, what’s interesting is you’re finding more and more brand name recognition among rental management and booking companies.  People book with Hotels because of that brand name recognition, now they’re starting to do the same with rentals.

I understand the recent vacation home expo in Atlanta was the first rental property trade show, ever.

First consumer trade show focused on the condo, villa and vacation home rental market segment.

Any interesting developments?

Yes, we’ve received a tremendous amount of positive feedback.  This is the first show that’s brought all the subsegments together for one show.  We had the cream of the crop of villas and this was the first show that brought them together in one place, even having knowing each other for years.  We expect big things to come from new associations.  We got into conversations about emerging travel sectors.  Reunions magazine, Travel Girl magazine whose new show on the Fine Living Network promises to be really big.

So, “Best kept secret”?

This is the only leisure product where there’s–and this is true for the last 20/25 years–tremendous growth and development and yet the vast majority of the traveling population is ignorant of it.  85% of consumers hasn’t experienced this product, and that as much as anything has kept the market lean and the prices down.  Getting in on the ground floor is just an unprecedented opportunity.

Oktoberfest

The Oktoberfest is a sixteen-day festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany during late September and early October. It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world’s largest fair, with some six million people attending every year, and is an important part of Bavarian culture. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the Munich event.

The Munich Oktoberfest traditionally takes place during the sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October. In 1990, the schedule was modified in response to German reunification so that if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or 2nd, then the festival will go on until October 3rd (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival is now 17 days when the 1st Sunday is October 2nd and 18 days when it is October 1st. The festival is held on an area named the Theresienwiese (field, or meadow, of Therese), often called d’ Wiesn for short.

Beer plays a central role in the fair, with every festival beginning with a keg of beer tapped by the Mayor of Munich who declares O’zapft is! (Bavarian for “It’s tapped!”). A special Oktoberfest beer is brewed for the occasion, which is slightly darker and stronger, in both taste and alcohol. It is served in a one-liter-tankard called Maß. The first mass is served to the Bavarian Prime Minister. Only local Munich breweries are allowed to serve this beer in a Bierzelt, a beer tent which is large enough for thousands.

Visitors also consume large quantities of food, most of it traditional hearty fare such as sausage, hendl (chicken), käsespätzle (cheese noodles), and sauerkraut, along with such Bavarian delicacies as roast ox tails and Äpfelpfannenkuchen or apple pancakes.

Sardinia–Cookout, Island Style

Eating in Sardinia, Italy can give you the impression you weren’t on an island off the coast of that most succulent of countries but at a luau in Hawai’i. Typical dishes are what you’d expect from an untamed area where the natives are fiercely proud of their traditions and tend to feature uncomplicated dishes using similarly simple techniques. What makes the cuisine of Sardinia uncommon are the ingredients unique to the island and the combination of meat and seafood together.

Rock lobster, scampi, sardines–which get their name from the island–figure prominently to no one’s surprise, but this was not always the case. It is only recently that seafood began to be so important to the natives of the island who avoided the coasts, once popular with pirates and warring governments. For a real Sardinian experience you’ll feel right at home–it’s cookout time!

When was the last time you got a chance to enjoy spit roasted wild boar? I’m sorry but most of us simply can’t get a whole wild boar, and if we could I doubt many would have the resources to slow roast it, suspended over a pit of flame by a stake. This glorious and often liquor enhanced spectacle is only exalted by the native spices and herbs alternately steamed over the coals and rubbed over the meat until you’re presented with a meat so flavorful and intense you’ll never forget it just recently had tusks worthy of an eclectic millionaire’s trophy wall.

Spanish Cuisine–Explore with your Tongue

Looking for an excuse to stay in Spain a while? Do you really need one? If the traditional lifestyle, warm local hospitality and gorgeous countryside weren’t reason enough, I’ll offer you another: local food you can take home with you. Following the principles of the slow travel movement invites you to become part of Spain.

No, I’m not suggesting that you fly to Spain, collect suitcases full of paella and pescaito frito to smell up the plane home. Forget trying to explain the rice and olive oil seeping out of your carry-on to the customs official. I’m suggesting slow food. I am suggesting taking a shopping cart to the carniceria for meat, the panaderia for for bread, bringing the ingredients back to your rented villa for a cooking class. You can find a private instructor in the closest city or make friends with a local–not hard to do!–who can show you what you need to know.

Slow food is cooking with fresh ingredients, making everything yourself and enjoying the fruits of your labors. Besides the obvious advantages of experimenting with flavor learning a new art, slow food means knowing exactly what goes into your food. Every ingredient passes your scrutiny. But the real advantage of slow food, of making your microwave jealous and cutting out fast food fat is being part of your life process. You are there for the cooking, the serving and the eating. You are freed from being reliant on others to determine your menu and feel connected to every bite that you can take pride in having created.

Take time to enjoy and learn the different regional cuisine of Spain. Each region offers a different theme as well as variations on country-wide favorites. From the Jabugo ham and fish specialties of Andalusia, to the indescribable olla podrida of Extremadura, Spain is the perfect place to begin your slow food journey.

Wine Tasting In Paris

Sampling the wines of the various regions of France is no new idea for a vacation, but a well kept secret is that you don’t have to go to each of those regions to experience their wines. Paris has wine from each region available all in one city and often all under one roof.

Wines from every region can often be tasted during a tasting organized by a company or restaurant. The great benefit of one of these samplings is their impartial nature: an experienced sommelier will provide an overview of each wine and guide the experience, then elucidate on what to search for in each glass. There are offers of all sizes to match any expertise, budget and personality. No one should miss out on wine tasting when they visit Paris.

One novel idea is to invite a sommelier to your own apartment. If you’re traveling with friends, renting a residence in Paris is actually less expensive than booking a hotel and it’s definitely much more liberating and intimate. For the serious and dedicated oenophiles, the ultimate experience is having an expert sommelier bring his pick-of-the-litter of fine French wines to your private rental. Besides having the experience all to yourselves, already being home will minimize how far you have to stumble, should you allow yourself to become over served.

Cannes Film Festival

If celebrities are stars, Cannes, during its world famous film festival, is a galaxy. You have heard of it dozens if not scores, scores if not hundreds of times. The Cannes Film Festival, where unknown film creators are signed to multimillion dollar production deals, and the who’s who of the rich and famous in the film business walk shoulder to shoulder with aspiring talent and anyone who obtains a ticket. There is a reason Cannes is the place for this event.

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