France/America couples

[Cécy 44]

Miam, j'ai teste la recette de galette des rois qui avait ete postee il y a quelques semaines + 1/3 de creme patissiere pour en faire une frangipane. Un vrai regal. Comme a la maison

Merci pour la recette

Did you grind almonds yourself to make the "poudre d'amande"?

And did you follow the recipe of the "creme patissiere" that was linked to the galette des rois recipe? Did you use the same amounts? they say it's for 6 servings but I wonder if that is the amount needed for the galette.

No, where we are there are stores where you can buy almond powder. And since I didn't want to take the time to grind whole ones I just bought that.

For the crème patissière, I used this:

Pour la crème pâtissière:

250 ml de lait

2 jaunes d'œufs

30 g de fécule de maïs (j'ai utilise du cornstarch qui est comme la Maïzena)

50 g de sucre en poudre

vanille (On peut utiliser une gousse de vanille ou de la poudre de vanille. N'ayant ni l'un ni l'autre j'ai mis un peu d'extrait de vanille liquide.)

1. Préparer la crème pâtissière:

*Faire bouillir doucement le lait avec la vanille.

*Dans un bol fouetter les jaunes d'œuf avec le sucre et blanchir. Ajouter la fécule petit a petit en faisant attention aux grumeaux.

*Ajouter la moitie du lait de la casserole, mélanger doucement avec une cuillère en bois.

*Verser le mélange obtenu dans la casserole avec le reste du lait, cuire a feu doux jusqu'à ce que le mélange épaississe (mélanger régulièrement en prenant soin de ne pas oublier les bords).

Laisser refroidir.

I added about 200-210g of the crème patissière to the original recipe and I had just a little bit of crème patissière left afterward + 2 tsp of almond extract (it says bitter almonds in the ingredients). The reason I did this is because I read that when you make a frangipane, adding crème patissière lowers the almond taste so you have to adjust that with the extract.

I used pepperidge farm puff pastry (2 sheets, one package) and had to stretch out the sheets a little bit with the rouleau a patisserie (rolling pin?)

and I ended up with a square galette

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Thank you for the recipe I think I am going to try the international stores to see if they have almond powder. They definitely don't have it at the normal grocery store.

It doesn't matter if the shape of your galette was square, as long as it was good!

[Cécy 44]

Thank you for the recipe I think I am going to try the international stores to see if they have almond powder. They definitely don't have it at the normal grocery store.

It doesn't matter if the shape of your galette was square, as long as it was good!

Maybe at places like trader's joe, the fresh market...

I found mine at our local "healthy/local/organic" store called Greenlife. It was in the section with the candied fruits kept fresh, next to the fresh active dry yeast (all refrigerated).

And in the worst case, I'm sure you can work it out with a good food processor.

Good it was! I think I'll make it every year from now on. Hopefully we'll go to France this year, and then I'll take a "fève" from my family to take back home.

[lucie&damon 0]

I have an anecdote about food... When I went to Boston, I of course went to Chinatown to remind me a bit of China (used to live there, it was great!) and wanted to buy some food. I was disappointed because I didn't find anything I used to find in Chinese grocery stores. But I did found something French in the middle of all this food from Asia. It was "de la levure chimque Alsa"... I was delighted because in french recipes they always say "un sachet de levure chimique" but here in the US it's in a can so you need to mesure with a spoon..And I'm never sure if I use too much or not enough... So I bought like four packs, it will be easier for me to cook for a while!

[LeaAndBen 0]

Hi,

I am new to the forum and want to introduce myself. I am the French one and I was born in Tours and I have lived there until I was 21. Then I moved to Virginia to be an au pair for 2 years and that's where I met my husband. We dated for 2 years and we got married just a week before my visa expired. It wasn't planned since I was about to go back home and spend Xmas with my family that I hadn't seen for a year.

So now we live in Washington state. He moved from Maryland to Washington where his mom and brother live and that was actually a good thing since he realized he missed me!

I am teaching him some french and he picks up especially the bad words! lol

Now we are filling out I 485 and I 130 for him. and also advance parole, EAD and affidavit of support. All of this is really stressful. Sometimes I wish I had the money to pay an attorney and do the work for me.

[Lili 3]

Hi,

I am new to the forum and want to introduce myself. I am the French one and I was born in Tours and I have lived there until I was 21. Then I moved to Virginia to be an au pair for 2 years and that's where I met my husband. We dated for 2 years and we got married just a week before my visa expired. It wasn't planned since I was about to go back home and spend Xmas with my family that I hadn't seen for a year.

So now we live in Washington state. He moved from Maryland to Washington where his mom and brother live and that was actually a good thing since he realized he missed me!

I am teaching him some french and he picks up especially the bad words! lol

Now we are filling out I 485 and I 130 for him. and also advance parole, EAD and affidavit of support. All of this is really stressful. Sometimes I wish I had the money to pay an attorney and do the work for me.

Hi Lea,

Welcome here!! Where do you live in WA? I live north of Seattle.

If your case is straight forward, you should be able to file the paperwork by yourself. If you have any questions, go check the subforum for AOS -other visas.

Or you can try posting your question here, Cecy and I adjusted from a non-immigrant visa (her was VWP and me F-1).

[Cécy 44]

Hi,

I am teaching him some french and he picks up especially the bad words! lol

Now we are filling out I 485 and I 130 for him. and also advance parole, EAD and affidavit of support. All of this is really stressful. Sometimes I wish I had the money to pay an attorney and do the work for me.

Hi Lea,

Welcome here!! Where do you live in WA? I live north of Seattle.

If your case is straight forward, you should be able to file the paperwork by yourself. If you have any questions, go check the subforum for AOS -other visas.

Or you can try posting your question here, Cecy and I adjusted from a non-immigrant visa (her was VWP and me F-1).

Welcome Lea,

And I second Lili, I adjusted from a B2 visa directly to GC. The paperwork is a hassle because there are lots of things to complete, but it's actually not that difficult and you are saving a lot of money by not using an attorney. And if you don't already know it, the guide for you is this one: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...page=i130guide2

VJ is pretty neat to help you with everything and give support when it seems to take forever.

Don't hesitate if you have questions (althoug I'll admit that not everything is all that fresh in my mind now).

Cécy

[LeaAndBen 0]

thanks guys for the welcome!

Lili, I live in Tacoma. about 45 minutes south of Seattle. We should meet sometime!! I am feeling a little lonely since I moved from Virginia after 2 years as an au pair... no more friends.

[Frenchwife 1]

got confused in the posts, sorry, deleting

Edited January 10, 2009 by Frenchwife

[Frenchwife 1]

Lili & Kai about birth certificate

I understand it is for your wedding, not for the visa right?

To go to a nearby university is a good idea.

Or call the French consulate to have references

or do a search on yellow pages for translators

for the visa,

In France, locally you can get the certified translators list by calling the tribunal d'instance.

Personally I used a certified translator who did a perfect and professional translation,

(I did sent my birth certificate with I130 and K3)

For the visa again, translator can be anybody that is fluent in both languages... except you I think

(I think I did ask USCIS on the phone and they said no)

Certification I had the translator to use is

I (typed name) , certify that I am fluent (conversant) in the English and French languages, and that the above/attached document is an accurate translation of the document attached entitled (name of document).

Signature ______________________ Typed Name _________________

Date ___________ Address _____________________

[lili&kai 0]

hi all,

Frenchwife thanks for the answer.

I think Cécile said she translated the birth certificate herself and it wasn't a problem. But maybe I'm gonna find someone else who speak english and french to sign it for me so I make sure they'll accept it.

Still about AOS it's a pain in the ### to fill these forms!!!

did u guys actually listed the organiztion, association and so on that you have been a member of or affiliated to? like should I say I've volunteer for Amnesty International for a year?

bon je retourne les remplir, trop relou

have a nice week end and a tres tres bonne galette pour celles qui vont en manger! (je peux pas me plaindre je m'en suis tapé 2 avant de quitter la france:))

Lili&Kai

(marrriiieddd!!! )

Edited January 10, 2009 by lili&kai

[lili&kai 0]

aaaaargh mes medecins ont écrit en chinois sur mon carnet de santé...

C'est une vrai galère de remplir la partie vaccination du I-693.

en fait plus je vois ce qu'on a a faire pour l'AOS et plus je me demande à quoi ce qu'on a fait avant a servi.. l'affidavit of support par exemple on l'a bien deja donné non?... grrrr et les finger print aussi non? et le birth certificate?

c'était une sorte de répétition générale c'est ça?

[lili&kai 0]

non mais franchement, les docteurs qu'on a payé 160 euros à paris pouvaient pas nous le remplir en meme temps le putain de I 693???

Edited January 10, 2009 by lili&kai

[lili&kai 0]

aaaah ok peut etre que justement c'était inclus.

(je m'enerve pour rien ok ok ...)

[Lili 3]

thanks guys for the welcome!

Lili, I live in Tacoma. about 45 minutes south of Seattle. We should meet sometime!! I am feeling a little lonely since I moved from Virginia after 2 years as an au pair... no more friends.

There is a VJ MENA meet-up coming up in April. You should come. I couldn't make it to the last one but I heard it was oodles of fun!