Gourmet Dining on the Monagasque Beach - La Note Bleue

Just along the Plage du Larvotto on the Avenue Princess Grace in Monte Carlo there is a beach restaurant and jazz lounge that serves the most wonderful dishes. We had coffee there the first day of our visit, and returned for lunch twice afterwards. The service is friendly and efficient and the food is very, very good.


Check out this Salade Nicoise.

Beautifully presented, fresh and utterly delicious, I enjoyed it on both our visits to this refreshingly unpretentious venue. I don't think I have ever tasted nicer tuna and the tomatoes really did taste of sunshine.


My husband also enjoyed the same dish on both our visits - a seafood risotto with three different kinds of white fish. 

The fish and risotto were beautifully cooked, and there was not a bone to be found in this meltingly tender dish.


Our son enjoyed a vegetarian dish, tofu with stir fried vegetables and a side of light, fluffy rice.

There is something so wonderful about sitting in the sunshine looking out to sea and enjoying a lovely lunch. It was a popular place, and great for people watching. As we sat there one day a recognisable musician arrived with his entourage and a very glamorous girlfriend and sat down to lunch just beside us. (I never lunch and tell, but you would have recognised him too!) 


Our second lunch at La Note Bleue was on our last day in Monaco for this visit, and we decided to treat ourselves to dessert. I am so glad we did!


My husband's Tarte Tatin was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious,

and the ice cream our son chose was just divine.

It was a sweet, salty chocolate and caramel concoction, the peanut garnish offsetting the sweetness of the caramel beautifully. And as for my dessert, well, it is among the best I have ever had. I had never heard of Macaronade des Poires before, although I have eaten my fair share of macarons, but I will be on the lookout for it from now on!

Macarons of course translates to macaroon and these were beautiful examples of that wonderful treat - crisp on the outside with a divinely melting middle. Inside the cute little jar there was a warm compote of pears, cooked in a caramel sauce and topped with a tiny dollop of vanilla ice cream. The ice cream melted into the caramel and as the biscuits dissolved slowly in it as well - oh my goodness, it was quite incredible. By the end, I found myself totally losing my self control and soaking the remains of the biscuits in what was left of the caramel sauce in the bottom of the jar - it was that good! 


We were so impressed with the atmosphere, service and food at La Note Bleue we will definitely return on our next visit to Monaco - and should you find yourself there I urge you to go along and enjoy their hospitality too!










The 21st Century Housewife was not paid or compensated in any way for this post, and the opinions in it are genuine, and my own. 

Homemade Bread The Easy Way

I wish I could be the kind of person who makes bread from scratch every couple of days, but like most modern women, my family’s lifestyle makes that pretty much impossible. So once in a while I bake scratch bread the old fashioned way, and the rest of the time, I use a bread machine. It's better than store bought, that is for sure!


The beauty of a bread machine is that it makes it possible for you to have fresh bread literally every day. It also means you know exactly what is going into your bread - right down to the kind of flour and how much salt. (Although don’t be tempted to leave the salt out entirely as the yeast needs it to work!) It also means you are not popping to the shops ‘just for a loaf of bread’ every two minutes. Although that might not seem like an onerous task, particularly if the shop is nearby, I always find that I buy a lot more than a loaf of bread when I am there and end up spending a lot more than I intended. If I can avoid the trip to the shop, I save more pennies!


I’ve had two bread machines in the last ten years, so they are fairly long lasting - and in fact the one I replaced recently was still working, it’s just the technology has moved along so much I wanted a newer model. Admittedly, when I first used that original machine, it took me a while to get used to it. And to be honest, I’ve never had much luck with the timers on either one of them. I’m much better setting the machine so that I know I will be there when it finishes and can take the bread out straight away. One of the things that helped me to really love my bread machine is a book by Sonia Allison called The Complete Bread Machine Cookbook. It was published nine years ago, so can be hard to get hold of, but it’s well worth buying if you can find a copy. I’ve tried loads of Sonia’s recipes over the years, and I’m planning to blog about them over the next few weeks, but I thought I would start with my family’s favourite - a light and easy Polenta Bread with Olive Oil that is great for everyday. (Polenta is another name for cornmeal.)


It’s Sonia’s technique for putting the ingredients in the bread machine that really works for me, and gives fabulous results. She recommends putting the liquid and any oil in the bread container first, then adding half the flour ingredients, then the salt, sugar and milk powder (if using), adding the rest of the flour and then mounding the yeast on top. This prevents the yeast from getting wet too soon and gives much better results. I highly recommend this method.


Polenta Bread with Olive Oil


2¾ cups strong white bread flour (organic if possible)
¼ cup cornmeal
1¼ cups water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I’ve also used ordinary olive oil)
2 teaspoons salt (I use 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 tablespoons dried milk powder
1½ teaspoons instant or fast-acting dried yeast (I’ve used up to 2 teaspoons at times)


Mix together the flour and polenta. Pour the water into the breadmaker bucket, then add the oil, and half the flour and polenta mixture. Sprinkle with the salt, sugar and dried milk. Cover with the remaining flour mixture and mound the yeast into the centre.


Fit the bucket into the breadmaker and set to the programme recommended in the manual (usually basic white or No 1).


When the programme has finished, gently shake the loaf out of the bucket on to a wire cooling rack and stand right way up. Leave for at least an hour before cutting and/or removing paddle if necessary. (Sometimes I haven’t waited quite this long, but it is better if you do!)

A Lovely Meal at Jamie's Italian

It's hard being a food blogger these days. Restaurant lighting makes photography virtually impossible, and when you do use a flash, you risk ruining the mood for diners who are usually very close by indeed. You can usually manage a couple of pictures before they start to glare daggers at you. And I do understand, because if you don't actually write about it as a profession, photographing food seems like a very weird thing to do. 


The ambient lighting, for all it makes your own wrinkles disappear, also makes food which you want to wax lyrical about look absolutely rubbish. The colours look garish, and you wonder how you can possibly convey how delicious something that looks so bad really was. But I will persevere!


We've eaten at Jamie's Italian in Reading a couple times now, and it has always been very nice, although not necessarily remarkable. This time was different. The food was just incredible, and the service was so good I honestly could have been in North America. (I'm not being rude, just honest. If you travel as much as I do you will know, in many cases there is a difference in service country to country. It's just the way it is.)


It helped that the timing was perfect. After a very pleasant afternoon Christmas shopping (don't hate me because I'm organised - it's the first time!), my husband put our name in for a table just as he headed to the car park to put our bags in the car. I was waiting for some parcels to be wrapped, and by the time we had got them in the car and wondered if we'd be able to have a drink while we were waiting, the pager he had been given was going off. 


We were given a nice table upstairs, although you are always very close to fellow diners, in part to replicate the European experience, and in part because real estate this close to London is expensive. We started off with a drink and the meat antipasti - which this photograph does not do justice to.

It arrived on a long plank of wood, and featured gorgeous meats, including Parma ham and pistachio salami, root vegetable salad made with raw vegetables including celeriac and beetroot in vinaigrette, mozzarella balls with basil and chillis, olives and pecorino cheese topped with a gorgeous chilli jam. 


We lingered over this for some time, and our main courses arrived just as we were finishing. After such a meaty starter, I went vegetarian for my main course and enjoyed a wonderful Eggplant Parmigiana. 

I had to use a flash for this photograph, which made the colours look very garish indeed, but believe me it looked beautiful. I had to make every shot count, as the couple next to us were not terribly impressed with the flashes of the camera - understandably as they were spending quite a lot of time gazing into each other's eyes. It was so cute.


My husband enjoyed a beautifully seasoned grilled pork chop on a bed of roasted potatoes. It was fresh, simple and delicious. 

Oh, and I just had to order some of these.

Chips that were crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, drizzled with truffle oil and shredded Parmesan cheese. I know some people feel truffle oil is over-rated, but I'm not one of them. I did share some of these with my husband, but not very many!


It will come as no surprise to you that we were way too full for dessert, as tempting as the selection was. All the desserts that came out of the kitchen looked wonderful, and I think the one I saw coming out the most was affogato - good vanilla ice cream served with a shot of espresso alongside. You pour the espresso over the ice cream before you eat it. It's simple, but gorgeous. Perhaps next time. 


I've only ever been to this branch of Jamie's Italian in Reading, but based on my experience I would not hesitate to visit the others. And if you do find yourself in Reading, it is well worth a visit. It's competitively priced for this area and the food is consistently delicious, and often even outstanding. 

The 21st Century Housewife's Roasted Vegetable and Potato Omelette

It’s Meatless Monday again, time for another easy and delicious meatless recipe. My roasted vegetable and potato omelette makes great use of leftovers, plus it is an easy and satisfying meal any time of the day.

Rather untraditionally, I use a larger frying pan to make my omelettes - usually a 7 or 8 inch non-stick pan - and I also use three eggs. We have hearty appetites in my family, but if you are not as greedy as we are, these omelettes can always be cut in half. They are a meal in themselves, but a small side salad and/or basket of bread rolls served alongside would not go amiss!

I’m depending on you having some leftover roast vegetables and new potatoes (either boiled or roasted) here. You might have made a big pan of my Roast Vegetables a couple of days earlier, or perhaps served my Easy Roast Potatoes with a favourite dish and had some left over. (Both of these are also vegetarian dishes so do click on the links if you want to check them out.)

My omelette cooking method is slightly untraditional too, as after the first side of the omelette has been cooked on the stove top, I put the frying pan under the broiler or grill to cook the top. I find this gives a much better result, and although purists might frown, everyone loves my omelettes!

To make one omelette, you need:-

1 teaspoon vegetable oil (I use mild olive oil)

a handful of leftover roast vegetables

a scant quarter cup of thinly sliced leftover new potatoes

3 eggs

1 tablespoon milk

½ teaspoon dried parsley

salt and pepper to taste

a handful of good vegetarian cheese

Sauté the roasted vegetables and sliced potatoes in a 7 or 8 inch frying pan (with a handle that is safe to put under the broiler or grill) over medium heat. Preheat the broiler or grill to medium (about 325℉ or 150 to 160℃).

Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a small bowl. Beat in the milk, parsley, salt and pepper.

Pour the eggs over the vegetables and potatoes.

Cook over medium heat, pushing the egg away from the sides of the pan with a spatula and allowing the raw egg to flow back round it, so that all the egg begins to cook. Sprinkle the cheese over top of the omelette.

After about three minutes, when the top of the omelette begins to look a bit less runny, lift the corner of the omelette to see if it has begun to brown underneath. Once you can see a bit of golden brown on the bottom, transfer the pan to the broiler or grill.

When the omelette is done, it will look a bit like this:-

Using a large spatula or egg turner, fold one half of the omelette over the other so it forms a half moon shape. Serve and enjoy!

Meatless Monday - The 21st Century Housewife's Vegetable Biryani

This is more an ode to biryani than a proper authentic version - I am no expert on Indian cuisine and any dishes I create are highly flavoured with my own experience and my family’s tastes. This dish, however, does have echoes of the vegetable biryani I have eaten in Indian restaurants and a wonderful warming and comforting flavour that is perfect for cool autumn nights.

My family and I do like spice, but in its milder, more subdued form, so if you are a spice lover, the quantities of in this dish may seem small. They can, of course, be increased, although I recommend increasing them proportionately (ie. use the same amount of cilantro as garam masala, and half as much cumin) as the flavours really do sing out beautifully in those proportions. Saffron can be expensive, so if you would prefer not to use it, feel free to leave it out. However if you do have some on hand it definitely enhances the flavours in this dish so is well worth including. It also adds a gorgeous hint of colour to the cauliflower and to the rice.

You can vary the vegetables in this dish according to what you have on hand, although cauliflower is almost always a part of a vegetable biryani so I encourage you to use it if at all possible. Make sure your vegetables are cut small, and that florets are kept small too, so that it does not take too long to cook. Again, this isn’t strictly authentic, as many biryani dishes are cooked long and slow, but I like the subtle crunch it gives this dish.

My method of adding some of the rice to the vegetable mixture at the end is definitely something you would not find in a true biyani, but I like the texture and appearance it gives to this dish. However if you prefer, just keep all the rice separate and serve the vegetables over top of it.

Lovely served with a basket of warmed nan breads on the side if you can get hold of them, this recipe will serve four to six people, depending on age and appetite.

2 cups of rice, basmati if possible or whole grain if you prefer

2 tablespoons olive oil, or other mild vegetarian cooking oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 cup cauliflower florets

1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup green beans

½ cup cashew nuts

¼ to ½ cup vegetable stock

(You can use hot water in a pinch, but stock is best - ready made or from a cube is fine.)

1 teaspoon curry powder (I use garam masala)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried ground cilantro (known as coriander in the UK)

2 pinches of saffron

freshly chopped cilantro or parsley to garnish, if desired

Cook the rice in lots of boiling salted water according to package directions, adding a pinch of saffron to the cooking water if desired.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and sauté the onion over medium heat until pale and translucent. Toss in the carrots, cauliflower and broccoli florets and stir fry for a few minutes.

Dissolve another pinch of saffron in a quarter cup of the vegetable stock (if you are using saffron). Add the quarter cup of the stock to the pan with the vegetables along with the curry powder, cumin and dried cilantro. Add the green beans. Pop the lid on and cook over low to medium heat for two or three minutes until the vegetables are tender but still crisp.

Remove the lid and add the cashews, stirring to warm through. Drain the rice well and add about a quarter of it to the vegetable mixture in the pan, stirring through lightly. Add a bit more stock if you feel it needs it.

Serve this mixture on a bed of the remaining rice.