Yesterday.

Yesterday was my husband's birthday. Celebrations began at 8am when we all headed down to the river to watch him indulge in some of his favourite behaviour:

It was a race. He came second......there may have only been two boats.

We took him home and gave him lunch. This is what I did with the Mount Gnomon Farm organic free range pork chops:

I turned them in to 'Pork Chops with a Mustard Sauce'.

If you are tempted, then all you do is dust thickly cut pork chops with flour and brown them in a frying pan. Remember, assuage your conscience by only using organic free range pork....you know my thoughts on this. Then, in a big, deep pan with a lid, you fry some free range bacon and when crispy add the chops and a good glug of white wine.....remember you have to cook with wine that you are prepared to drink. Let the wine bubble and then add a big bouquet garni......I use whatever's good herb wise in my garden and yesterday it was bay leaves, rosemary, sage and parsley. Then add enough chicken stock to almost cover. Bring it all up to simmering point, put on the lid and put into the oven heated to175 degrees and leave it there for an hour and a quarter. At this point you can stop and leave it to finish off later, in which case you would just reheat it and start again from this point. Take the chops out and put them on a plate, cover in foil and keep warm while you reduce the liquid that's left in the pan. When it's a nice, sauce like consistency add a couple of big dollops of creme fraiche and let it bubble. Then finish off by adding Dijon mustard to taste......I'm heavy handed and use about 2 tablespoons and a big handful of chopped parsley. Just make sure it doesn't come to the boil again or it will separate and that would be bad.

Et voila:

It was delicious. We drank champagne....the children lemonade. I stood on a stool and got down the Wedgwood dinner set that was a wedding present and the Laguiole cutlery......knowing that later I would have to spend an hour at the sink washing it all by hand.

I cheated and bought a Jean Pascal Tasma Cake:

Layers of biscuit, chocolate cake, custard and chocolate mousse with a praline crunch in there as well......all covered with a gleaming chocolate ganache. If you live in Hobart and have never tried a Tasma cake, I recommend that you give Jean Pascal a call and order one.

The children had made peanut butter cupcakes......early on Saturday morning, so that the smell had dissipated well before one of their friends, with a serious nut allergy, came over to play:

The beagles know who is an easy target. 

I love birthday's.....it's mine next.

Rx