(In English below)
(Excusez les fautes et la grammaire, mais je suis en retard pour ma soirée d’anniversaire…)
Si il y a bien une recette que mon frère, ma soeur et moi voulions garder de maman, c’est celle de ses langoustines à l’Américaine. Nous suivions tous plus ou moins le recette du homard à l’Américaine et nous n’arrivions jamais à obtenir la même couleur de sauce (ni le même goût incomparable des fêtes de famille de notre enfance).
J’ai donc décidé de jouer les espions cet après midi et je suis resté aux cotés de maman alors qu’elle préparait ses fameuses langoustines pour ma soirée d’anniversaire ce soir…
Ce que j’ai appris? Il ne faut pas avoir peur en cuisine! Surtout lorsqu’il s’agit de préparer une sauce! Ce dont il s’agit ici, c’est de finesse dans l’instinct! Pas dans les quantités! Je vous donnerai le recette des langoustines à l’Américaine dans un billet futur.
Bref, j’ai assisté à du grand opéra! Maman à passé une demie heure à balancer les ingrédients dans la cocotte avec une virtuosité incroyable. Je ne l’avais jamais vue comme ça! Toute inhibition avait disparu… Sa bouteille de Porto toujours à portée de main.
Y avait il du Porto dans la recette? PAS UNE GOUTTE! Il y en avait pas mal dans maman par contre… Deuxième leçon? La cuisine sans peur demande qu’on soit un peu saoul :0)
Donc au lieu des deux verres de vin blanc que j’aurais mis, maman à mis deux bouteilles entières. Au lieu de faire revenir ses langoustines dans un peu d’huile d’olive, elle en à mis un demi litre! Et puis quand je lui ais demandé combien d’eau elle ajoutait au moment de faire brunir sa tomate, elle m’à regardé comme si je n’étais plus son fils. “De l’eau?” Tu n’est pas fou? L’eau ça vient plus tard, et c’est juste pour faire plus de sauce… Et puis la sauce est passée au brun foncé… Et puis l’odeur à tourné au rêve en une seconde miraculeuse… Et puis… bravo la mama :0)
Je crois qu’à partir de dorénavant, je cuisinerai sur du Wagner!
(Please excuse the bad writing. I need to rush to my birthday party!)
If there ever was a recipe that my brother, my sister and I wanted to steal from our mom, it is “Langoustines à l’Américaine”. We all follow more or less the recipe for “Homard à L’Américaine” and we could never get the same sauce (or even the incomparable taste of our childhood memories).
So I decided to play spies this afternoon and I stayed alongside my mom as she was preparing her famous dish for my birthday party this evening…
What have I learned? One should never be afraid in the kitchen! Especially when it comes to preparing a sauce! What we are talking about here is finesse in instinct!
So this afternoon, I had a front row seat at the grand opera! Mom spent half an hour throwing all kinds of ingredients in a large pot with incredible virtuosity. I had never seen her like this! Any inhibition had disappeared… She kept a bottle of Port on her left side the whole time.
Was there any Port in the recipe? NONE WHATSOEVER! There was quite a bit in mom though… Second lesson learned? One always cooks a little better while under the influence :0)
So instead of two glasses of white wine I had in my recipe, mom put two whole bottles. Instead of searing the langoustines in a little olive oil, she used half a bottle! And then, when I asked her how much water she would add to the mix when browning the tomato paste, she looked at me as if I was not her son. “Water?” Are you mad? Water comes later, and it is just to make more sauce…
And then her sauce turned to a sexy dark brown… And then the smell turned miraculously when the sauce had reached the right thickness… And then…
Congratulations mama, I love you :0)
I think that from now on, I will cook with Wagner in the background!
MY FRENCH HEAVEN 
The food looks amazing… Happy ‘belated’ Birthday!
Thanks Maggie!!
Happy Belated Birthday Stephane!!! Thank you for sharing your beautiful Mama with us! I hope someday my boys will speak so highly of me……and my cooking! Sharing the love in the kitchen is the best!
Love & Blessings~ Wendy
You are so right Wend! It really is 🙂
ciao! how special of you to share this ‘fearless’ and precious moment…such giving spirit. blessings to your nephew. happy birthday to you…
thebestdressup
Thank you so much!!
Joyeux anniversaire! Effectivement, les meilleures recettes sont toujours sous l’effet de l’alcool! 😉
🙂 😉
Stephane — Bon anniversaire! I love your mother’s “secret sauce.”
Thanks Tom!!
Happy Birthday Stephane!
Happy belated birthday! What a wonderful treat to get to watch your mom cook her signature dish when you can truly appreciate it!
Happy Birthday! Wonderful post!
Happy Birthday Stephane! What a fabulous post. Watching your mother in the heat of her passion in the kitchen, alcohol and spirit blazing. What a privilege. What a lesson! More! Do it all to excess! Hold back nothing. Live the day. Bravo Madame 🙂
Thanks L! What a cool comment. Goes straight to my heart 🙂
Meant from the heart. I lost my mother when I was 18. Cherish.
I am so so sorry. And here I go bragging about mine… Sorry darling!!
Long time ago! So please don’t worry!
Just spy a bit more and make sure that you enjoy her whilst you can ( and get all the tips and recipes) x
Something special for SOMEONE SPECIAL…and that someone is you! Your mom is absolutely right! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Stéphane!
Thank you my darling! I am very touched!! 😉
Happy birthday Stéphane!
Thank you so much! You are very kind! 🙂
Happy Birthday, Stephane!!! I think I’m in love with your mom. 😉
Thanks Victoria! Yes, she’s a good mom! 😉
Happy Birthday, sounds like you had a great day!!
Thanks! A great day indeed! + my the christening of my youngest nephew today… Too much food! Way too much 😉
Well maybe. But part of the pleasure too 🙂
I hope your birthday party was fun!
Thanks! It really was a very special evening!
Too funny! Happy Birthday Stephane and thank you for such an enjoyably witty post! I smiled all the way through it.
Thanks darling! I’m glad you liked the post. I wrote it in less than 20 minutes and I was really worried it would read awful… 🙂
Never! Brilliantly done.
Happy Happy Birthday!!! Oh, how that sauce must taste absolutely fabulous! I chuckled about the bottle of port! I loved cooking in the kitchen with my mom. ENJOY!!
Thank you so much Cathy! I have eaten so much over the past 24 hours… Last night was my B-day party, but today we had my latest nephew’s christening… I won’t eat another thing for at least a week! NOT!
Happy Birthday! 🙂 I love cooking with my Mom – and I can NEVER quite make the same dishes she does taste the same – she adds special Mom Magic! That looks sooooo good. Hope you had a GREAT birthday dinner 🙂
“Special mom magic” you’re exactly right! 😉
Chouette cadeau d’anniversaire.
Joyeux anniversaire avec un peu de retard !
Merci Dominique!!!
Congratulations Stephane two milestones in one day. Learning by watching your Mum cook a dish prepared with love to celebrate your birthday. I like her style!! Oh and the langoustines look delish. Are they a fresh water or sea crustacean? They seem to resemble an Aussie fresh water yabby.
Thanks! They are a sea crustacean. They have a very tasty meat. The trick is to get them super fresh as they turn really fast and then have that amonia taste…
Happy Birthday and plenty magical dishes and recipes!
Thanks! I ate so much these past two days… 🙂
Your Mom sounds like a blast! Have fun at your birthday party!
Thank you my darling!
Happy Birthday! And I understand your culinary frustration completely! I did not learn how to make my Mum’s spinach sauce properly until I did what you did, and watched her like a hawk. The trick? Adding the mashed garlic to the roux and letting it stand for a minute or two before adding the chopped spinach. Such a small thing and yet it made such a difference to the taste.
Thank you! Ahhhh moms… They are the best aren’t they?
But of course! 😀
Happy birthday my friend.
As for your mom’s cooking method….very fearless indeed….partly expertise and partly “Dutch courage” 🙂
Thank you my friend!!
Happy birthday Stephane. Those langoustines sound delicious. I can almost taste them. What a wonderful birthday gift from your mom.
what I lovely gift to spend this moment with your #1 fan..
:>)
bon anniversaire cher Stéphane qui nous régalez tant et de vos photos et de vos recettes et de vos coups de coeur. Continuez, et tant pis pour les fautes, tant qu’elles ne sont pas de goût !
Félicitations à votre maman que j’aime beaucoup, la photo dans la vapeur (les vapeurs ?) est magnifique !
Fantastic. Cooking with your mom? Learning the recipe? Yes! Joyeux anniversaire!
I love it! …and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Oh wow! I love your mom. And I’d love to have a ringside seat!
OMG, I would just LOVE to try Langoustines. :). (Apologies if my spelling is incorrect).
Also up to now, I have only ever been sober when I’ve cooked.
Bonne fête! I savor your every word!
Happy happy birthday Stephane!. I so adore the photos of your “ladies” and well I love them all to be honest!