Sharing dinner with our friends who live in Uzes!

We are very fortunate to have lovely friends!  Our friends, Larry and Regina, moved to Uzes, and subsequently bought a home here in Uzes.  Three years ago, they introduced us to their lovely friend, Joelle!  We have been fortunate enough to have the help of Larry and Regina, and subsequently, Joelle, in our preparation for our trip!  Larry and Regina have given us great advice on property rentals (we got the house in St. Quentin through them) car rentals, how to ship boxes, get a Visa, a bank account, and a  phone!  All total essentials in this kind of a move!  Joelle, met us at the bank and spoke to the bank Representative in French for us, and assured the bank that we were not bad people!!!  As Regina says, in France, someone must vouch for you!  Anyway, we wanted to have them over to dinner, to thank them for all of their hard work!  Without them, we would never have been able to make the move as smoothly as we did!

So...those of you who know us well, know that we like to share, ...and entertaining in our home is one of the ways that we share the most!  We invest our time and effort, and try to come up with a wonderful dinner!  We invited our friends over to dinner on Sunday, at 1:00!  I think it's traditional for friends/families to gather at this time on Sundays!  It was a good deal of preparation, and a lot of fun for us!...all of us, I think we can safely say!
Here's the menu:
   To start...we went up to the terrace, on the 3rd floor that looks out clear to the town of Uzes, and the castle!  We started our get together with:
Champagne, Foie Gras with green apples as a garnish, sweet little French strawberries, and baguette toasts with olive  tapenade, creamy garlic spread, and a touch of Spanish Jambone (which we know as prosciutto)!
   Then, we came down to the dining room for:
Coquille St. Jacque
Ratatouille
Fresh white asparagus
Fresh Chinese pea pods cooked with fresh ginger
Jasmine rice with parsley and spices
  Followed by A green salad...
   And dessert, and cognac were served on the lower terrace/garden that is off the dining room.  We bought the pastries for dessert!  All Bruce's picks!  Yum!

Well...it was a big hit, and we critique our own food...and both of us have to say it was all very good!

First, I must tell you of the adventure it is to cook here....everything is in Metric measure, and although
the Internet is very helpful in interpreting the differences, YIKES!  On the plane, on the way to Paris, we had juice in a little plastic cup that was 4 Oz...and decided to take it as a measuring cup, of sorts!  (As my friend Regina says....here...you improvise! )  Well, it was a really good decision, because I have used that little measuring cup allot!

We went to the market on Friday, and I cooked a great recipe for ratatouille on Friday...it took more than an afternoon of chopping and baking!  But GREAT flavor!
We bought fresh scallops, as well, to make the Coquille, St. Jacque...and fabulous recipe with shallots, mushrooms, and a cream sauce (with a touch of cognac) that is so good, you could lick your fingers!  Well...we have never bought the entire scallop in the shell before!  Bruce opened them, and cleaned them!! ( my hero!)  and I made a scallop soup base with the broth...and went on from there!  The recipe is delicious!  It's Ina Gartnen's Recipe that can be made ahead of time!  Great for a dinner party!  We used the shells as baking dishes for the Coquille St. Jacque!  Just terrific!

Bruce was a BIG help, as usual!  He helped with the house, and with the dinner!
He is a wonderful host!
If you are interested in the recipes, I'd be glad to pass the links along!

We really enjoyed Larry, Regina, and Joelle's company!  There is far less television, and people here depend on talking and personal experiences for their entertainment!  It was a lovely day for conversation, and friendship!  We all shared our stories, and experiences, and a good time it was!

Sorry we didn't get pictures of our friends, and the dinner!  We were so engrossed in eating and entertaining, that we forgot!!!  so...
Here are some pix of the house, and the downstairs terrace!