Morzine ski trip, Part II: the food

I posted last week about our Morzine ski trip and what we got up to on the ski slopes and in our lovely chalet.  I promised you that I would devote another post to the food – and here it is!

We had booked a catered chalet so we knew that we could expect catering.  What we did not expect was to get Chris & Beccy, the Best Chalet Hosts in France.   If I had been able to personally request chalet hosts for our party, I could not have done better than these two:  they adored cooking!  On the first night, we knew from the Inside Edge website that we could expect canapés and a pre-dinner drink.  What we did not expect was that this would be a nightly occurrence, and that the meals that followed would be carefully planned, meticulously executed and beautifully plated.  Each night just seemed to get better and better.

Before I treat you to a run-down of our fab meals, I also have to tell you that every morning while we were having our breakfast, super-organised Beccy would be busy baking so that when we came down from the slopes at about 4pm, there would be fresh cakes or biscuits with our tea or coffee.  Just look at a few of the treats that awaited us:

But the main event each day truly was dinner.  Take a look at what was on the menu:

Saturday

Trout mousse and cucumber canapés
Winter vegetable soup
Beef Stroganoff with wild rice
Pears poached in red wine with homemade vanilla ice cream

Sunday

Goats cheese, spinach and pine nut phyllo parcels
Leek and Roquefort individual quiches
Chicken breasts stuffed with Mozzarella & wrapped in bacon with a tomato salsa
Chocolate mousse in hand-made chocolate cups

Monday

Goats cheese & Prosciutto crostini drizzled with honey
Smoked mackerel paté
Confit de canard with stewed blueberries
Baguette bread and butter pudding

Tuesday

Blinis with creme fraiche & caviar
Phyllo pastry cups with creamy mushrooms
Stuffed pork with roasted root vegetables
Platter of local cheeses with port & fresh apple

Thursday

Coronation chicken vol-au-vents
Asiette of melon featuring a melon fan, melon sorbet and melon balls in port
Fish and chips a la Chris & Beccy
Creme brulée with raspberry sorbet and an apple crisp

Friday

Boursin and cherry tomato crostini
Calamari, prawn and chorizo salad with sweet chilli sauce
Lamb shank tagine on couscous
Coconut sorbet with candied pineapple

So can you see why I kept saying over and over again:  “I’m never going home!”

The cooking provided a feast not only for the tastebuds but also for the eyes, and much as we didn’t begrudge them their weekly night off, we felt pretty hard done by on Wednesday night when we had to venture out to town and check out the Morzine dining options.  More on that in my third and final Morzine post.  Stay tuned…

And if you haven’t yet, please check out my latest column on Food24 about food memories where I delve into my childhood food memories for a good helping of nostalgia.