Inspiration

First of all I have to apologize- it has been way to quiet, I know. However, we didn't forget to take pictures of our Parisian creations!
But for now I will present you a source of inspiration. My very good friend Susan (who is a fantastic cook and has always been inspiring to me) prepared a good-bye meal for Franz and I before we left. Enjoy....

Our starter: avocado filled with "Schmand" (a kind of very thick sour cream) rouille, topped of with homemade dukka (an oriental nutty spice blend which tastes nice on almost everything! Bread, noodles, salad....). Next to it are honey-glzed shallots. Very tasty!

Our main course: "New-Age Ratatouille" as Susan called it. She said she doesn't enjoy ratatouille much when it's just a soupy mess. Instead, she fried thing eggplant and zucchini slices in advance. Baked a couple of red peppers and fried up some hash-browns. She placed them in the bottom of a pan and carefully layered everything, splashing it with a little tomato sauce every now and then. In the end she grated Parmesan cheese on top of it and baked it until the cheese was golden! Doesn't it look gooooood?

Done :o)