Pablo's menu this week...

Posting our menus late this week as we took a short trip to the seaside near Cambria, California, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A wonderful combination of sea and countryside. 

I thought I'd share in this week's menu what we picked for Pablo when we ate at restaurants. I'm always baffled at kids menus here, offering nothing but dry chicken with steamed broccoli, overcooked beef patties, fries or spaghetti. We chose from the appetizer menu for him to have smaller portions, and shared some of our dishes with him, he loved to get a little taste of everything. This makes the restaurant experience just as exciting for him as it is for us (he already does get excited when I tell him we're going to eat at a restaurant!). We have always taken Pablo out to eat since he was a newborn, not often, but on a semi-regular basis, so having a meal out with him has never been an issue. I'm also thinking that eating family meals together with Pablo on a daily basis, in courses (taking about 1 hour for dinner), is really what makes it feasible - and pleasant - to go out to dinner with him, he is fairly well-behaved (i.e. engaged) and stays seated with us for the duration of the meal (with minimal entertainment if the wait's a bit long, like a book, maybe a toy car or a couple of crayons).

We brought back some wonderful fresh fish, which we're cooking up this week. Sharing some images of a simple baked fish as my mom made it, with lemon, onions and fennel, as well as some gorgeous brown beech mushrooms we got in our CSA basket, which we also cooked simply with olive oil, parsley and garlic. With fresh quality products, the simpler the better. 

Hope you are having a flavorful week, and have been feeling Spring "whispering", as Sarah Kieffer so poetically writes it here. 

Cheeses of the week: Following French tradition, I always offer a little bit of cheese at the end of every meal, between the main course and dessert. Rotation this week: "Coupole" aged goat cheese from Vermont Creamery (amazing), Gruyère, Babybel for the road.

Desserts: At lunch, I offer a fruit yogurt (or plain yogurt with fresh fruit), but at night, I prefer sticking to plain yogurt (regular homemade* whole milk, sheep’s milk, goat's milk and Greek yogurt for extra protein) to avoid too much sugar before bedtime.

If you would like a particular recipe on the menu, feel free to contact me! (I marked with a * the recipes that will be the topic of upcoming posts).

MONDAY

Lunch (picnic at the beach)
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Shallot lentil salad, cherry tomatoes, saucisson (dry salami)
Main course: Prosciutto, avocado.

Goûter (4pm snack) – Brioche (on the road)

Dinner (at Robbin's in Cambria)
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Carrot ginger soup with coconut cream
Main course: Hanger steak, creamed spinach

TUESDAY

Lunch (at Dockside in Morro Bay)
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Baked oysters with lemon/garlic (Pablo just loved those)
Main course: Pink shrimp, rice pilaf & coleslaw

Goûter - Clementine

Dinner (at The Black Cat in Cambria)
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Celery root soup with cream of cilantro* (this was amazing, I will be experimenting with this recipe to share it here)
Main course: Mushroom sage gnocchi, vegetable cheese polenta


WEDNESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Tomatoes & cucumber salad
Main course: Tofu, baby bok choy puree

Goûter – Pear-strawberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Spring pea & chive salad
Main course: Dorados (brought fresh from Morro Bay!), jasmine rice in coconut milk

THURSDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Grated Carrots French-Style
Main course: Beef patty, quinoa noodles

Goûter - Banana

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Sunchoke soup
Main course: Soles fillets with micro-radish puree


FRIDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Avocado, cherry tomatoes
Main course: Ham, purple potatoes (boiled, with little butter and salt)

Goûter - Mango compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Cauliflower & green beans salad with lots of herbs
Main course: Duck confit, cannellini beans

SATURDAY

Lunch- OUT

Goûter - Pear-blueberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: White asparagus in creamy tarragon yogurt sauce
Main course: Buttermilk chicken thighs, creamy rosemary heirloom carrots baked in a parcel*

SUNDAY - Happy Easter!

Lunch (with friends)
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Andalusian Gazpacho
Main course: Grilled leg of lamb with flageolets beans French-style

Goûter - Chocolate pudding (it is Easter after all!)

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Watermelon radish, endive blue cheese salad
Main course: Cold leg of lamb with mustard (the best!)

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