"Himalayan Salt": Oil Painting on Canvas by Countess Jeanne, Copyright 2007
Cuisine and CultureCountess Jeanne's Tips for an Economical, Elegant PartyCooking, Food and Wine Information 
Photo Copyright Countess Jeanne 2008. Click on image to enlarge.
I devised this soup for yesterday's luncheon. I'm presenting it here as an Easter gift to you.
Potage Printanier aux Petits Pois
One 16-ounce bag of frozen petits pois, or tiny green peas (be sure to use the frozen variety for their intense colour)
Three cups of hot water
In a blender, mix together the hot water and frozen small peas until they are like soup. Pour the
mixture into a pot and heat it to simmering. Add a half-teaspoon of savoury, and a third-cup of crème fraîche or sour cream. Stir with a wire-whisk until the bits of cream are fully incorporated into the green soup. Heat again till just boiling, and serve. This recipe will make four bowls of Potage Printanier aux Petits Pois. Double the recipe by repeating the first step and adding the results to the pot, while doubling the other ingredients as well. Add salt to your own preference. I use only Himalayan salt. This soup may be served either hot or chilled.
~~Copyright Countess Jeanne, March 2008
The cuisine of Provence, France, is one of the world's most health-promoting, with its focus on fresh vegetables and use of olive oil. A very good table wine from the Vaucluse is Le Pigeoulet Vin de Pays.  This wine is inexpensive, and complements French cooking. Provencal Cuisine Marmiton.org: La Communaute des Gourmands History of Shiraz Grapes Argentinian red wine is excellent with beef.
The following one was a big hit at our recent dinner party: Vistalba Cortea.The estancia belonging to Carlos Pulenta has a fabulous website. Vistalba of Mendoza, Argentina: Look for the Delicious yet Economical Vistalba Cortea POGNE DE ROMANS Makes 2 round loaves The uncommon ingredient in the Romans loaf, is orange flower water, a distillation of the blossom of the bitter orange tree. For Starter: 2 teaspoons dry yeast 1/2 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F.) 1 cup flour For dough: 6 cups flour, 6 eggs, at room temperature; 1/4 cup rum or brandy, 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons water, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 cup orange flower water (or 4 teaspoons orange extract), 8 ounces soft butter Glaze: 1 egg, 1 teaspoon milk Cut two 16 inch round parchment paper disks to fit under each pogne. Butter each disk. Place on baking sheet. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Stir in flour to make a soft dough. Let dough rise in covered bowl at room temperature (70-75 F) to double in bulk. On a working surface, form a well with 11/2 cups flour. Break 4 eggs in center. Bring the flour and eggs together to form a mass. Turn dough to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat 2 to 3 minutes at medium speed. Batter will be smooth and light golden yellow. Add salt and orange flower water and stir in. Gradually add butter while mixing. When all the butter has been stirred in, add remaining eggs, and blend well at medium speed. Knead the rest of flour, one cup at the time until dough is soft and elastic. Form dough into a ball. Return to the large bowl. Cover with plastic. When the starter has developed, it is added to the larger ball of yellow dough. Place the yellow dough on the working surface and flatten. Spread the starter dough over it. Fold over the yellow dough to envelop the starter dough. Work and knead together to form a smooth dough with no streaks of color remaining. Place dough in a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume. Turn dough onto work surface. Divide into 2 pieces. Form each into a ball. Flatten the ball so the pogne is about 8 inches in diameter. Press a thumb down in the center. With the fingers, open a hole about 4 inches across. Place pogne on the prepared paper disk on baking sheet. Repeat for second piece. Cover with wax paper and let rise at room temperature free of draft for about 21/2 hours. Brush with glaze. With a razor blade, make 3 connecting cuts on top of each pogne to form a triangle. Bake at 350 degrees until crust is a deep glistening brown. My Original Recipe: Low-Carbohydrate Celery Soup Potage de Celeri Wash thoroughly a whole head of celery, by cutting the bottom off and bathing the stalks in a sinkful of water. With French chef's knife, chop finely. Include the celery leaves, which are packed with flavour. In a large pot, melt two tablespoons of butter. Put the chopped celery in, and add a teaspooon of Himalayan salt, one half-teaspoon of cumin, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Saute until bright green and almost soft. Stir in a tablespoon of cornstarch (cornflour), which has seven grams of carbs. Saute for two more minutes, and then add one cup of cream and two cups of water. Simmer for ten minutes. Serves six. This soup is a good accompaniment to croques monsieurs for luncheon. Copyright Countess Jeanne, February 2007 Stay Tuned for More Original Recipes by Countess Jeanne.... Good News: Chic Restaurants in the U.S. Switching to Filtered Tap Water New York City has always had high-quality tap water, and so many cities. I always use a low-cost Brita filter and pitcher at home, and don't waste money on bottled water. Who knows the true provenance of that, anyway? After all, Evian is "naive" backwards! 
Photo Copyright Countess Jeanne 2007Parallèle"45"Côtes du Rhône Paul Jaboulet: always dependable and reasonably-priced
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Photo copyright M-Jeanne 2007 Swedish Flax/Rye Bread
This is my own recipe. You won't find this bread outside of Sweden, unless you are on an SAS flight.
Four cups of hot water, to which a half-cup of buttermilk has been added
Two tablespoons of yeast
One third-cup of molasses (substitute: dark corn syrup)
Two tablespoons of salt (I use antioxidant Himalayan salt--see my Skin-Care, Exercise and Longevity page)
Two cups of rye flour
Half cup of ground flaxseed
White flour--amounts vary, but it will be about six cups (the amount of flour needed depends upon the climate, the altitude, and the phase of the moon)
Dissolve the yeast in the water/buttermilk. Add the molasses and some of the two flours--enough to make a sponge. After it has bubbled up, add salt and the rest of the flour except for one cup. Let the dough rest for fifteen minutes. Keep adding more white flour as needed until the dough no longer sticks to the surface. Knead dough for eight minutes. Form into a ball, set into a buttered bow, cover lightly with waxed paper or a tea-towel, amd let rise until it is double the size. Punch down the bulk, kneading it again for a minute. Shape into loaves, dust pans with cornmeal, let rise again until nearly double in size, then bake for one hour at 350* (moderately hot oven). This recipe will yield two slicing loaves and two baguettes. -- Countess Jeanne 25th August 2007 Parallele 45 Rosé
Jaboulet Côtes du Rhône Parallèle 45 Rosé 2005
An old classic, dry and balanced.
My Nut of the Month for June: the Pecan Nut of the Month for April: El Piñon My Nut of the Month for March, the Peanut March on out to the market and procure some raw Spanish peanuts. Spanish peanuts are good for you. Their skins contain oligomeric procyanidins, or OPCs, which strengthen capillaries and help to prevent varicose veins. Pycnogenol is another source of OPCs, but if you're not unfortunate enough to be allergic to the mighty peanut, you can get your daily dose of them in a delicious way. Here is my own recipe for healthful version of Spanish peanuts: Soak raw Spanish peanuts just until they are all wet, in brine made with crystal salt (not table salt), which can be found on my Skin Care and Longevity page. Arrange the wet nuts on a baking sheet (avoid aluminum pans). Roast in a medium oven till they look brown--about 45 minutes. Wait until the Spanish peanuts are completely cool before testing. They ought to be crunchy, and if they aren't, just put them back in the oven for ten more minutes. I served these at a recent party, and they were a big hit. Copyright Countess Jeanne, 2007 *********************************************************** Here is my original recipe: Gazpacho Verde Two large yellow sweet peppers (capsicums) Two large cucumbers Two ripe avocados One 6-ounce can of Herdez Salsa Picante Verde (any hot, green chile sauce if Herdez is unavailable) One cup of water One tablespoon of lime juice (or lemon, in Europe) Seasoning salt of your choice
Blend all of the above ingredients till very smooth. Pour into tureen and chill. Yield: four large bowls of cold soup. Copyright Jeanne 2006 Here is something I have been enjoying since my youth: Jeanne's Meat Sauce Champêtre Two tablespoons of olive oil A quarter-pound of bacon, diced Three pounds of ground beef A whole bunch of celery, finely sliced One large green pepper, one yellow pepper, and one red (capsicums), diced Three medium-sized onions, diced Six cloves of garlic, chopped till very fine One pound of fresh or canned tomatoes. If you don't have this, two small cans of tomato paste will do. One tablespoon of herbes de Provence One teaspoon of cumin Six tablespoons of parsley, dried or fresh One tablespoon of chile powder (I like Chimayo of New Mexico) One tablespoon of salt Two bottles of red wine, any brand Method: Saute the bacon in the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic, then the celery and diced sweet capsicums (red, green and yellow peppers); continue sauteeing all this till it is soft. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring to break it up into small bits, till grey. Add the tomato products and stir. Then, add all the spices and salt, including the parsley. Pour into the pot one and a half bottles of the red wine, saving the other half-bottle to add as the sauce boils down (reduces). Simmer on the lowest heat setting on your stove for six hours. Stir frequently to prevent scorching. This recipe is good to simmer in a slow-cooker or crock-pot, after all the ingredients are sauteed and assembled in a big pot on your stove. It can cook for as long as ten hours. Serve over rice or high-protein pasta.
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Staphylia, Oil on Canvas by Countess Jeanne, Copyright 2006 
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Above: Self-Portrait by Elisabeth Vigée le Brun, Portraitist to Marie Antoinette Mary Cassatt American, 1844 - 1926 The Loge, 1882 Oil on Canvas, 79.8 x 63.8 cm (31 3/8 x 25 1/8 in.) Chester Dale Collection; The National Gallery, Washington, D.C. M-J's Traditional Arts is not a page about women in the arts--there are plenty of those in existence, and most of them celebrate the nihilistic and minimalist art movements of today. However, I am a painter and an editor. As such, in the 1990s, I edited and translated from French an award-winning stamp collection entitled, Women in the Arts. It featured historical information on fine painters and sculptors through the centuries who happened to be female. Art in our new century has become a vapid wasteland. The purpose and practice of fine art has been all but forgotten. Here is an e-book on classical art produced by Project Gutenberg:Women in the Fine Arts
The site's description of the book: "The Project Gutenberg E-Book of Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D., by Clara Erskine Clement" It was originally published in 1904. Discussed and portrayed are women who actually took the time to learn technique and paint, unlike today's "artists", the majority of whom are taught only to devise the most outrageous gimmickry and/or cynical mimicry. That school-of-thought produces a sameness that is dull as dirt to behold, while its participants, perpetrators and sycophants feign enlightened appreciation. The world of art is no longer fine, but a place which seeks to eat its young. But, the emperor has no clothes, and the real renegades are eschewing the current fads and swimming against the polluted tide. Art is not dead--it just smells that way, thanks to the jaded bunch who use the anti-art theme to disguise their lack of skill and imagination.
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Photo and Original Recipe by Countess Jeanne
Low-Carbohydrate Walnut Torte
6 Egg whites, brought to room temperature and whipped until stiff (add a sprinkling of salt to accelerate action; also, egg whites stiffen more swiftly in a copper bowl)
One cup of walnuts, shelled and ground (I grind them in a blender on "pulse" setting)
Two tablespoons of butter, softened
One-fourth cup of heavy dairy cream
One teaspoon of aluminum-free baking powder (in the absence of this, use a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
One half-teaspoon of Himalayan (or regular) Salt (see my health page for the most economical source)
Ten packets of Splenda sugar-substitute
One tablespoon of vanilla
One tablespoon of dark corn syrup or treacle. In the absence of this, use a tbs. of brown sugar.
Fold ingredients together to create a batter, being careful not to overwork it.
Grease a pie-pan with manteca, shortening, lard or butter. Pre-heat oven to moderate high (350*F or its equivalent). Pour batter into pan, and bake for about thirty minutes. Cake will have turned from a pale batter to a warm medium brown. This torte is excellent with coffee as-is, or topped with whipped cream for dessert. TIP: You can serve pieces of this cake to guests who love sweets. Just pierce the cake and pour maple syrup over it. Then what you will have is a maple-walnut torte. You can convert my recipe into a "low-fat, high-sugar" torte by eliminating the Splenda and adding instead one cup of sugar (if you like, you can use brown sugar and skip the treacle) and one tablespoon of flour. Omit the cream and one tablespoon of butter. Walnut torte is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial to your health.
Copyright Countess Jeanne, June 2007 You may not live forever, but you can look and feel good trying to...! "Better to hunt in fields, for health unbought, Than fee the doctor for a nauseous draught.The wise, for cure, on exercise depend; God never made his work for man to mend." ~~John Dryden, Epistle to John Dryden of Chesterton How true. I worked in a Princeton company that wrote papers for the pharmaceutical industry. I read a lot of papers by scientists and physicians about what they euphemistically call "therapies"--drugs. Not only were the diseases frightening to read about, but some of the remedies and their side-effects were horrifying! I write about remedies that I have seen and used for common ailments, in hopes that we who take personal health into our own hands can ward off participation in a socialist-scheme. I'll be posting health-bulletins regularly on my Elegant Survival Blog. May 30th, 2007 Health Alert: Fish and Seafood China is exporting fish and seafood which has been raised in raw sewage. This is a great threat, since purveyors of fish and seafood world-round are selling products of unadvertised origin to both restaurants and individuals. In the interest of profit, they will deal fish from the cheapest sources. By the time it reaches the fish case in your market, or your plate in even the best restaurants, those along the fish and seafood pipeline have forgotten its provenance. Consumption of aquaculture-bred fish is raising serious human health and food safety concerns (almost all the catfish and trout, and close to half the salmon and shrimp sold in the U.S. are raised in aquaculture facilities). Farmed fish often receive large doses of antibiotics to protect them from disease and are exposed to a variety of pesticides used to kill parasites and body fungi--all of which accumulate in the fish's tissues. I've never liked fish or seafood, and have studiously avoided it. My husband has the same sentiments, and refuses to eat the stuff. We have never known anyone to get sick after eating beef, but we sure have known great numbers of people who have had serious cases of food poisoning after ingesting fish and seafood at fancy restaurants!
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One brand of china (in as many styles as you like) will do.Beauty's Back  For about twenty years, traditional beauty has been rejected in favor of grunge, rap, and dung-covered “art”. Little girls continue going to school in clothes originally inspired by the ironically-named singer, Madonna; recordings (I don’t call it music) exhorting people to kill police and rape women have catapulted criminality to the mainstream. Twenty years of “rebels” mindlessly mimicking each other has made them into sheep. The popular conceit is that these feeble followers are on the cutting-edge of fashion and culture, that nihilism and deconstruction are tantamount to enlightenment. The emperor has no clothes. Many of us are standing our ground in steadfast support of classical beauty. It is just as easy to don flattering clothing as it is to wear the latest outrage resembling underwear or pajamas. Music with an actual melody is on the rebound, and for good reason: there is a human tradition of creating lovely compositions that enhance life and inspire art. The art world has been stagnating with its preference for nothingness in the form of minimalism. The cognoscenti are becoming fatigued with the pretension that a plain blue or red field is a great work of art, and are beginning to crave some substance. How many artists pouring melted cheese on hotel rooms can the world stomach? Urine on Christ had its heyday at the Brooklyn Museum of Art long ago; serial blasphemy masquerading as art is no longer fooling anyone. Most contemporary "art" is nothing but bad crafts. Gimmickry and mimicry rule the day. An unwitting public believe that what they buy today will be worth something more tomorrow, even though they can't bear looking at the stuff. My question to minimalists: How can something so empty be so full of...? It is now a bold gesture to create art that represents uplifting beauty rather than ugliness and vapidity. Be a renegade and seek beauty in the world. Reject foolish fashions and trends that make a mockery of all facets of human existence. You will be regarded as a maverick. Copyright Countess Jeanne, April 17th, 2007
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From February's party: Antique Japanese Noritake china and Modern Marimekko napkins that we bought in Finland--a peach of a pair!
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