The Great Dane and Little Turtle
A Cooking Adventure
by
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Cooking is truly an art form, cultivated with great precision and care. It encompasses the realm of standards of technique. From the selection of the finest ingredients, the recipe and the final presentation, the desire is to entertain, nurture and give pleasure. Food is the reflection of the spirit of people surrounding you. Food connects people, and as we know, the best food is made with love. It is with great devotion and patient stirring that I present these recipes selected from France, Denmark, Sweden and the USA.
Before preparing a recipe, take the time to read it first as this will prevent missing ingredients and a misunderstanding of the methods and time intervals. I am assuming that you are using fresh ingredients, organic and reduced fat. It is important to use meats that are less than four months old such as veal and pork. All fish and poultry should be young and small so has not to have more time to be filled with pesticides. My recipes do not designate this, as it is our mutual understanding, and of course your choice, to make these healthier choices.
Keep your kitchen pristine. Hands are washed between intervals of touching produce, meat, poultry, fish and dairy. One can never make good food out of bad provisions and a lack of cleanliness can make good food bad. Knives are kept sharp, and all kitchen utensils, pots and pans, glasses and place settings are kept sterilized and clean.
When I married and had a family of my own, I felt duty bound to continue the tradition of fine cuisine as I had learned to eat well while traveling with my French father dining in the finest restaurants. Therefore, I rolled up my sleeves and began my own journey of the palate.
The first cookbook I indulged in was “Gourmet Techniques of French Cooking” by Louis Diat. He had a lifelong career as a chef and teacher. As a young man, he apprenticed at the Maison Calonde in Moulins, France. The kitchen was his lure. He eventually taught chefs at the Ritz Carlton in Paris.
Being of French heritage, I have favored classic French cooking with fresh ingredients and sauces. I have lightened them up in deference to the current healthy trends. I have been asked if I “Live to Eat or Eat to live.” My answer is neither. My intention is to prepare nutritionally sound food and enjoy the presentation, surroundings and company of family and friends. Eating is not always about survival. It is also a way of having fun, being happy and enjoying life.
The Great Dane will have none of that low fat philosophy. He liked tempting me with a juicy piece of crispy duck whenever he ate duck. He believes in eating all that you want and then take a two-hour walk through cities, towns and hamlets. By his side, I have learned to enjoy this past time and am brought back to my own Swedish/ Danish heritage on my mother’s Kemp/Johansson side of the family.
Comforting traditions passed down through the generations enhance our celebrations. My heritage started generations ago in Gaillac, France in 1607 on the Bailhe’ family compound. To this day, my cousins are growing grapes and producing wine in the southern Basque region.
During the evening dinner, create your own Garden of Eden. God made every fruit, vegetable, meat, fish and fowl. He wants us to delight in our food and family in sharing the events of our day, opening with a prayer blessing the food, reciting poetry, telling stories and laughing together. Come along with me as we “The Great Dane and Little Turtle” take you on a cooking adventure full of flavor and fun.
Psalm 68:11 “The Lord gave some a Word; great was the company of those that proclaimed it.
2 Corinthians 13:12 “Greet each other with a holy kiss.”
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About the Book
As a strawberry-blonde, freckle-faced girl, I was fortunate to model for the famous illustrator Norman Rockwell, and later I was scouted by Oleg Cassini to model his fashion designs in Manhattan, New York. My French father, a VP of a Madison Avenue advertising agency, knew the world of modeling. He took me away, traveling and dining in the finest restaurants, as he did not want me to be in that world.
When I had a family of my own, I continued the tradition of fine cuisine, as I had developed discriminating tastes. I rolled up my sleeves and began my cooking journey. The first cookbook I read was Gourmet Techniques of French Cooking by Louis Diat, who was a chef and teacher at the Ritz Carlton in Paris. I was hooked.
As the Great Dane from Copenhagen and I, the Little Turtle, cooked side by side, I was brought back to my Swedish/Danish heritage from my mother’s side, Kemp/Johansson. On my father’s side, my French heritage started in 1607 on the Bailhe’ family vineyard in Gaillac, near Toulouse in the southern Basque region. The story of The Great Dane and Little Turtle is about creating a new life. For a life with no love is like a harp with no strings. Come along as Little Turtle’s life begins to fall into place like a fairytale as she finds her way back to love, in one of the greatest love stories ever told.
About the Author
The author of The Great Dane and Little Turtle, Sharon Bailhé, former publisher and advertising/marketing VP and partner of Media Works Inc. and MarketShare Plus Agency, is currently a licensed health and life coach living in upstate New York. She treasures emerald pastures, deep blue lakes, joy from being in the word, fresh vegetables, writing about food and time with her children and grandchildren.