French Night

It's homeschooling time again, and the country of the week is France! Jenn pulled out the maps and books and taught the kids everything that their little brains could hold about France. When I got home from work on Tuesday, Lincoln told me about how the French were involved in World War II!

So the big French dinner was on Wednesday evening, and Jenn went bonkers. Before I get to the detailed menu, I'll just spoil the big surprise and say that...

OUR KIDS ATE ESCARGOT!!!

AND LIKED IT & ASKED FOR MORE!!!!!!

Jenn was a proud mama. And speaking of Jenn, I'll leave the rest of the text to her...

Lydia loves her escargot!

Dinner at Chateaux Gates was a four course culinary extravaganza. The kids had no idea four separate courses were even possible - They thought we were done after the cheese plate. :) Lydia set a beautiful table, with the real silver Grandma and Grandpa Mullen passed down, and Ryan queued up the French Café Pandora station to enhance the mood. So, on with our menu...

Course 1 - French Cheese Sampler with Accompaniments -Délice de Bourgogne (a triple cream, silky rich cow's milk cheese); Roquefort (a sheep's milk blue cheese from the south of France); Camembert (another triple cream cow's milk cheese which was baked with rosemary and olive oil) Accompaniments included fig jam, dates, green apples, french bread toasted with olive oil, red grapes and an assortment of crackers. Just to be complete, I served Escargot. As Ryan said, shockingly, the kids each ate theirs and asked for more! Unbelievable.

Moving on to Course 2 with a Spinach and Kale Salad with green apple and Chavrie (a mild goat's milk cheese produced in France) with an Apple Cider Vinaigrette. Mostly just the cheese was french, but we needed some veggies. :)

Course 3 - Quiche (I took many liberties here due to time and ingredient restraints, however the bones of the dish were French, so I'll call it a win.)

Lastly, Course 4 - Dessert. Lincoln helped prepare a Berry Clafoutis. Traditionally, I believe cherries are used, but if Julia Child can encourage experimentation with ingredients, then I can too.