Sunday lunch - Epiphany

Today Marisol and Catherine came for lunch. I made roast lamb with aubergines (eggplants) and courgettes (zucchinis) . I think it is an old French recipe that I got somewhere. A paste of French mustard, olive oil, crushed garlic (lots) and soya sauce is painted on the lamb and roasted in an oven slowly – a crust is formed and there is a delicious aroma which fills the house. I did the aubergines in the oven too with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice. Otherwise the aubergines take up too much oil in a pan. I pan fried the courgettes later adding the aubergines and left it to simmer a bit with more lemon juice. We ate it with basmatic rice, a burgundy and for dessert, Catherine had brought a gallette des rois because it was Epiphany today. John came too and he got the  fève, the little thing that means that he gets the crown and be the king.



The Gallette des Rois, a thin and round flaky pastry disc filled with frangipane, with a single fève hidden inside is the traditional food for Epiphany. The gallette des rois is usually purchased (this one from Galleries Gourmande) with a cardboard crown wrapped around -- the finder of the fève is crowned king (or queen) for the day - and if celebrated with with friends, the winner is obligated to purchase the next gallette des rois. Although fève literally translates as 'bean', it's a little ceramic figurine or something similar. Some people make it their special collection. Marisol and Catherine are great friends and I was very touched in that they cleared up and watered my plants and cleaned up the balcony for me. I cannot get out onto the balcony because there is a ledge ever since they replaced all the windows in the building.