Every spring the fields of the Languedoc are splashed with scarlet poppies.
April 29, 2011
April 27, 2011
The Markets of France
When you travel to France, in order to get the most complete, quintessential French experience, you must spend a morning at le marché.
If you're staying in a big city, your hotel or holiday rental should have a list of all the neighborhood markets, but if your vacation takes you out into rural France, finding a comprehensive list of regional markets isn't always easy.
Until now.
I came across this brilliant website over the weekend: Marchés de France.
Just click on your region and it brings up a list of each market town, including the day and the time of the market, the number of stallholders and what products are available.
(Just remember to turn down your speakers before you click on the link. The music isn't bad, but it is loud!)
Some Market Hints and Tips:
- Get there early for the best selection, especially in the summertime
- Talk to the vendors and don't be afraid to ask questions
- Taste the samples that are offered
- Take small bills
- Bring along your panier, even if you go with the intention of "just looking." Believe me, you will find something you want to buy - think of those irresistible, ripe melons and peaches, or locally grown olives marinated in garlic and thyme, and all the varieties of French cheese...
- Enjoy yourself!
Related Links:
Olonzac Market Day
Lyons 4ème - Marché de la Croix Rouge (Lucy's Kitchen Notebook)
To Market, To Market... (Croque-Camille)
The Sunday Market (David Lebovitz)
A Day at the Marché d'Aligre (My Melange)
April 24, 2011
Weekend Links
What can I say, other than mille mercis!
Acacia flowers are in full bloom all over the village. Time to make some fritters.
The serene beauty of Paris by night.
Worried about committing a faux pas the next time you come face to face with a cheese board? These illustrations will help.
Cute and cuter.
I've avoided making puff pastry for years. Lucy may have just convinced me to give it another go.
Yet another internet addiction to keep under control.
April 22, 2011
April 20, 2011
Photo du Jour - Waiting...
Last week we took a little road trip down into the middle of nowhere, or more precisely, down into the middle of the Corbières.
It's an area of the Languedoc-Roussillon that I've never really been enamored with, though there are some producers making some spectacular cheeses and some pretty decent wine.
Les Corbières, despite its ruggedly beautiful landscape and charming, picturesque villages, is a region shrouded in mystery. It also boasts a turbulent history and there always seems to be an ominous cloud hanging over the place.
(People who live in the Corbières will most likely disagree with me - all I can say is that it's just a feeling I get when I go there)
The region's most recent claim to fame, or infamy, is the tiny village of Bugarach and the Pic de Bugarach, which looms over the village.
Le Pic is the highest peak in the Corbières and there is a certain group of
Wait...it gets better...
They also think that when the Mayan calendar ends, on December 21, 2012, bringing on Armageddon and the end of human civilization, the Pic is a "special mountain" that will be saved from destruction. At the moment when it's all going to hell in a handbasket, the aliens will emerge from their caves and will invite the "lucky few" on to their spaceships, saving them from the certain death and destruction that is the fate of us poor souls left here on earth.
I have just one question: What are these people on?
April 18, 2011
What is Your Favorite Place in France?
I love posing random questions on Twitter from time to time.
So far I've asked about French cheese, French wine and French food.
Now that I know what my Twitter "friends" love to eat and drink in France, I wanted to know about their favorite places in France.
The Question: What is Your Favorite City, Town or Region of France? And Why?
The Responses...
April 16, 2011
La Fête du Fromage - Le Trois-Cornes d'Aunis
Le Trois-Cornes d'Aunis is incroyable!
Imagine a soft, velvety triangle of whipped cream textured unpasteurized fromage de brebis. Its flavor is a perfectly balanced mix of fresh milk, rich meatiness, fragrant meadows and a bit of salt. Wrap it all up in a thin, slightly tangy tasting rind and you've got yourself one heck of a delicious cheese.
Need I say more?
Enjoy with a dry, fruity white wine or a fruity red.
Aunis: ancient province of western France, corresponding to the northern part of the modern département of Charente-Maritime with the southern part of Deux-Sèvres. Subjected, from the 10th century on, to the counts of Poitiers, Aunis shared the political fortunes of neighbouring Poitou. In the pre-Revolutionary period it constituted, together with the islands of Ré and Oléron, a military gouvernement with headquarters at La Rochelle. (from the Encyclopedia Britannica)
Related cheese:
La Tricorne de Marans
Trycorne du Berry
April 14, 2011
Photo du Jour - Chèvre des Corbières
"Cheese is probably the best of all foods, as wine is the best of all beverages." - Patience Gray
April 12, 2011
April 10, 2011
Should You Move to France?
Every spring I get dozens of emails from France lovers around the world who are looking for an answer to the question, "Should I move to France?".
Although I have reservations about making life changing decisions for complete strangers, if I was forced to answer that question then I would have to say that the answer is a resounding yes!
But hold on a second...before you get too excited, please keep reading.
April 7, 2011
April 5, 2011
PARIS, paris: Journey Into the City of Light by David Downie
Last month I was approached by a representative of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., inviting me to receive and review a copy of the re-issue of PARIS, paris: Journey Into the City of Light by David Downie.
It arrived just last week, so I've only had the chance to read the first few chapters. Thus far, I'm finding this book so delightful that I am trying to s-l-o-w-l-y savor every word.
So no review yet, but I wanted to mention PARIS, paris because it is available as of today, April 5, 2011.
You can purchase PARIS, paris at Amazon.com or from your local bookseller.
April 2, 2011
La Fête du Fromage - Lou Sotch and Demi-Lune de Chèvre
This week I'm sharing not just one, but two disappointing cheeses from the highly respected fromagerie in Paris, Androuët.
sigh
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
