Photo du Jour - A Quiet, Shady Spot

Walking down une rue piétonne* in Béziers the other day, I noticed that a pair of huge doors into an old, Haussmann style building's central courtyard were open. I quietly wandered in and found this quiet and verdant spot.



*a pedestrian street Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Le Roves des Garrigues

Le Roves des Garrigues is an amazing, tangy little button of fresh, artisanal chèvre.

This snowy white cheese is produced in the Cevennes Mountains of the Languedoc-Roussillon by wandering goat herders. It is named for the Rove breed of goat and the Mediterranean pastures, the garrigue, where they graze. This breed produces considerably less milk than other goats - about 2 liters a day compared with an average goat's 5 liters a day - making it very rich.

The dense, creamy, rindless Roves des Garrigues has a sweet, peppery aroma and a rich, lingering flavor. It is full of citrus and pepper, is perfectly tangy and very fragrant with Mediterranean herbs such as lavender, thyme and savory.
I absolutely loved it!

Provençal rosé or white wine such as Chablis, Sauvignon Blanc or Pouilly Fuissé are good matches for this chèvre.


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Photo du Jour

Place de la Mairie in Béziers Pin It

La Fête du Fromage

La Fête du Fromage will be a day late this week. Tune in tomorrow for this week's cheese.

To whet your appetite, here is a bit of cheese porn.

Can anyone guess which cheese this is? C'mon, take a guess. This is an easy one!


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Photo du Jour

A beautiful shade of blue. Pin It

Photo du Jour - It's a Boy!

I heard the plaintive mewing coming from behind the giant barn doors early Thursday morning. It went on all day then finally stopped in the early evening. Phew, I thought, mama had come to rescue its baby.
At midnight the mewing had started again and I just happened to see one of the family members who own the barn while he was out walking his dogs. He got the giant keys to open the giant doors and we searched under the huge wine vats, finally spotting this teeny tiny black thing tucked into a corner surrounded by enormous spider webs.
He wanted nothing to do with it so I gathered it up and brought it home. We made up the cat crate with warm towels and a hot water bottle and left it to sleep. The next morning our vet told us that it is a mere two weeks old, a boy and that our only option if we didn't want to keep it or find it a home is to take it to the local SPCA. Well, I'm not about to leave a two week old kitten at the SPCA. There's no guarantee that he won't be euthanized if he isn't adopted.
So, I bought a can of infant kitten formula and a little baby bottle and brought him home. He eats every 3-4 hours and we have to teach him to use the litter box. So far, so good. He's a smart little guy. (he obviously takes after me)

The intention is to find him a home and we already have friends who are interested. But yesterday my husband decided to name him.
Uh oh. Pin It

Photo du Jour

It's all about the details. Pin It

Photo du Jour

Detail of an old stone sink and hand painted decoration. Pin It

Photos du Jour - Pizza Oven

Our friends bought an enormous wood fired pizza oven and hosted a Make Your Own Pizza Party.





It was just like being in Italy! Pin It

Photo du Jour - The Sounds of Summer in the South of France

This noisy little creature, a cicada - une cigale - arrived at our house clinging to the side of a box delivered by la Poste yesterday.
It was set free after posing for a few photos. Its wing was damaged so it was very subdued.

The cicadas appear every summer, on or around June 21, to fill the summer days with their endless chirping and buzzing. It is a sound I will always associate with the south of France. Pin It

Photo du Jour

Inside a friend's courtyard.

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La Fête du Fromage - L'Écu

If you're considering a visit to the south of France, specifically to the Languedoc region, but just can't quite decide, well let me make the decision for you.

You must come visit, if only for the cheese. This region's offerings are that good.

(and the wine ain't bad, either)




My latest discovery is L'Écu, a little triangle of unpasteurized chèvre that I noticed for sale at a local shop about a year ago. I finally got around to buying a piece last week. Have I been missing out!

It is produced at the Domaine de Combebelle, located in the hills above Bize-Minervois. They have a goat farm - une chèvrerie - on the property where you can visit to feed the goats and buy cheese and fresh goat's milk.

This soft and dense little cheese surprisingly had no odor. The texture was both chalky and smooth and I thought it was perfect for spreading on bread and drizzling with honey. The flavor was light, sweet and mildly goaty. Very friendly and delicious!

A glass of our neighbor's Viognier was a perfect accompaniment.

the pattern on the rind reminds me of snake skin
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Photo du Jour - le Château

One of the village Château's towers.

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Photo du Jour

The gorgeous, sunny views from above our village yesterday.

See the church tower? It is almost right smack dab in the middle of the photo? Our house is next to it.

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Photo du Jour - Potager

This is what a proper French potager looks like. Nicely arranged with little paths to walk on so you don't hurt the vegetables and flowers.

And no, it's not mine.
As you probably know by now, I'm not a good gardener.
Herbs are no problem, they can adapt to my sometimes forgetful ways. But vegetables and I have a tenuous relationship.

This year I've attempted cherry tomatoes, spring onions, chile peppers and zucchini. So far everything is coming along nicely (amazingly!) except for the zucchini. The young plants were eaten by snails within the first week. A good thing as it turns out, as we're receiving an abundance of zucchini in our CSA basket every week.

It looks like we'll enjoy a lot of salsa as the summer rolls on. Not such a bad thing... Pin It

Roasted Red Peppers

Voluptuous red peppers, slick with extra virgin olive oil and infused with pungent slices of raw garlic.

I can never make enough of these. They disappear in a fraction of the time it takes to roast, steam, peel, shred and marinate them.
But, oh are they worth it!

They are worth the red stained fingernails (it fades quickly) and the blast of heat I took in the face when I opened the oven door because I wasn't paying attention. They are worth the at least ten degree rise in temperature in our house from having the broiler on this morning. And they are worth the copious amounts of olive oil you need to smother them sufficiently, because that oil then makes the world's most sublime vinaigrette!


.
They are amazing eaten on their own or on slices of grilled bread. Then, if by some chance there are some leftover, I add them to tarts and savory cakes.

Roasted and Marinated Red Peppers
serves 4-6

6 red peppers
6 cloves garlic
extra virgin olive oil

Heat the broiler. Place the peppers on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and broil about 4-5 inches away from the heat until the pepper's skin is charred and blistered.
Turn and continue until all sides have been roasted.
Remove foil and peppers to a plate and wrap the peppers up in the foil. Leave to steam for about 20 minutes.
Unwrap and leave the peppers to cool, then remove the skin and seeds with your fingers. It should all peel off easily. NEVER rinse them under running water to remove skin and seeds. You will lose all that beautiful roasted flavor.
Tear into strips and place them in a shallow dish.
Slice the garlic into thick slices and scatter them over the peppers, tucking some under and in between.
Pour enough olive oil over until all the peppers are submerged.
Cover and marinate overnight in the fridge. Bring back to room temperature before serving. Pin It

Photo du Jour

Mini pears I cased at the market on Tuesday.

I think they are a sign that I should expand my liqueur making experiments to include Liqueur de Poires.

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Photo du Jour - Moulin

An old, stone windmill base sitting in a vineyard. They are scattered all over the Minervois.

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Photo du Jour - Ail Rose de Lautrec

Fragrant, pungent and juicy Ail Rose de Lautrec.

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Photo du Jour - Summer Salad

Summer Fare.

On a hot day, this salad is juicy and refreshing and has that wonderful mélange of sweet and salty that I love so much!

Cantaloupe and Serrano Ham Salad

Two thin slices of Serrano ham and two slices of ripe cantaloupe per person

Olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Put the peeled slices of cantaloupe on a plate and drape slices of Serrano ham over the melon.
Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a grinding of black pepper. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Fouettard Claquemolle

(Update: This is actually called La Lauze. There was a bit of confusion with the cheese seller at the market)



Voilà! This week's cheese. Fouettard Claquemolle.

Quel nom!
Et quel fromage!

This is another gorgeous cheese from La Ferme de Roquecave, near Ferrals les Montagnes in the Montagne Noire. We tasted their chèvre in April on La Fête du Fromage's one year anniversary.

This is an unpasteurized goat's milk cheese that is as fermier as you can get.

It had a seductive, sweet, grassy meadow aroma and a mild flavor that was a delicious mix of mushroom and yeast. You just knew this cheese was perfectly ripe! And the flavor wasn't overly goaty, which I found appealing.

The edible exterior was firm with a chalky texture, and as soon as the knife sliced into the cheese, its creamy center oozed out onto the plate. (I'm drooling at the memory)

All in all, Fouettard Claquemolle was an exquisite cheese. I just wish I had asked where that name came from...

A fouettard is a whip but what does claquemolle mean? Can anyone help?

We spread it on some fresh bread and drank some local, Minervois red with it, which seemed to be a perfect match.

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Photo du Jour

I love the twisted vines!

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Photo du Jour - Village Fête

Rosé anyone?

Last night's annual summer fête in a neighboring village.

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Photo du Jour

Snapped this while out wandering in the vineyards yesterday morning. Looks like it will be a very good year. Pin It

Upcoming Food and Wine Courses in the Minervois

Julia Bristow, the owner of the spectacular Château Ventenac, which overlooks the Canal du Midi in Ventenac-en-Minervois, is offering two courses this autumn for all you food and wine lovers out there!


September 25 - 30
A five day/four night residential course which offers the opportunity to learn seasonal Mediterranean cookery with Rachel Demuth, owner of the award winning Demuth's Vegetarian Restaurant in Bath, now in its 20th year and Jo Ingleby, experienced chef and cookery tutor.

The vegetarian course includes four cookery sessions with a combination of hands on cookery and demonstration where we will create delicious Mediterranean meals together using the best seasonal vegetables, local oils and wines. We will visit a local market, visit local producers and have a special wine tasting with Juliet Bruce Jones, Master of Wine.

October 2 - 6
Discover the fabulous wines of the Languedoc on a wine tasting holiday weekend with your expert wine guide, Juliet Bruce Jones.

Juliet is a very good friend and I've had the pleasure of being a second (and much less educated) opinion on a few wine tasting outings with her. Juliet's knowledge of wine is extensive and her enthusiasm for the wine of the Languedoc is contagious!
I wrote about her Wine Tours earlier this year.

All pricing and other information is available on the Château Ventenac's website Pin It

Photo du Jour - Piment d'Espelette

Le Piment d'Espelette

This deep red, flavor-packed pepper from the Basque region of southwest France is so treasured it was given AOC status in 1999. It is grown in a very small area surrounding 10 villages that celebrate with a Piment d'Espelette Festival every October.

The pepper has a sultry, smoky flavor and mild heat so it is often used in place of black pepper in Basque dishes such as Poulet Basquaise.

• 5 pounds chicken pieces, either whole legs or 1 chicken, cut up into 8 pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 small slice Bayonne ham (optional)
• 3 yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 2 red peppers, seeds removed and thinly sliced
• 1 green pepper, seeds removed and thinly sliced
• 10 garlic cloves, crushed
• 6 tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
• ½ cup white wine
• 1 bouquet garni (2 springs of parsley, thyme & bay leaves tied together in green leek leaves)
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon Piment d'Espelette

1. In a large saucepan that will fit all of the chicken comfortably, heat 1/8 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat.
2. Brown the chicken in the olive oil, about 5 minutes per side. You may have to do this in batches. Remove the chicken from the pan, set aside and drain the fat from the pan.
3. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and bring the heat back up to medium-high.
4. Add onions, bell peppers and garlic, sautée for about 5 minutes. Add the Bayonne ham, the tomatoes, the bouquet garni, the white wine, half of the salt and the Piment d' Espelette, cover and reduce the heat to medium. Let cook for about 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and the liquid has reduced.
5. Add the chicken, stir everything together, cover and cook until the chicken breasts are done, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the breast pieces and set aside.
   
6. Continue cooking the rest of the chicken until done, about 20 minutes. Return the chicken breasts to the pot and warm up, about 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Discard bouquet garni, taste for salt and Piment d'Espelette and serve.

Serves 6-8

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Panzanella - A Summer Staple

Leftover bread.
Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in it. You wouldn't believe the amount of crumbs I clean off our kitchen counters on a daily basis.

Baguettes, gros pain, campaillettes, ficelles, pain de campagne...

The amazing variety of bread available in the boulangeries in France is a carbophobe's nightmare.
And a bread lover's dream!



So when you are surrounded by all this gorgeous bread you tend to buy it almost every day and occasionally, (unless you have guests or are eating something that just screams out for lots and lots of it) you have leftover, half eaten loaves that becomes stale within hours.

The perfect solution is Panzanella, an incredibly satisfying Italian bread and tomato salad.

I make Panzanella a lot in the summertime. It combines all that I love about summer cooking;

• no oven necessary so there is no "cooking"
  
• uses lots of fresh, local produce
  
• takes almost no time to throw together
• tastes wonderful with a cold glass of rosé

The recipe I've given here is merely a guide. I added some arugula and minced shallots to the most recent batch which blended well with the other ingredients.
The olive oil and vinegar amounts are to taste. I love a really vinegar-y salad, so usually add more than most people.

Panzanella
serves 4

about 6 cups of day-old, crusty peasant-style bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 large tomatoes, trimmed and cut into 8 wedges
1 cup peeled and seeded cucumber, sliced
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1/3 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 4 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
a handful (about 15-20- I like a lot) of fresh basil leaves, torn up

Mix everything together in a bowl and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Pin It

Photo du Jour

Overflowing olive jar. Pin It

Photo du Jour

A pool with a vineyard view.

Unfortunately it isn't ours! Pin It

Photo du Jour

Ripening purple plums. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - le Lacandou

Don't you just love it when you stumble across a really unexpected, delightful treat?
Such was the case when I tasted this little cheese.

One whiff of the sweet, yeasty aroma of le Lacandou and I was smitten. Then I took a bite and let it melt on my tongue.
Aaaaahhhhh....
now this is my kind of cheese!



I just love this little man (M. Lacan, I presume) with the sheep necklace, holding two cheeses aloft

Le Lacandou is an unpasteurized sheep's milk cheese that is made following traditional artisanal methods. It is produced in Sévérac-le-Château, in the northern Aveyron and was named after its producer, the farmer Monsieur Lacan.
The word on the label, fondant, means melting. And this cheese is definitely fondant! Its soft and yielding interior is held together by a little, waxed cupcake wrapper - as soon as I peeled it off, it oozed all over.
The period of affinage* is only about three weeks long, so it had a young, grassy and fruity flavor that was neither too mild nor too strong.



Le Lacandou is truly sublime. No doubt about it.

Pour a glass of Côtes du Roussillon or a Crozes Hermitage to enjoy with this cheese.

*affinage (AH-fee-nahj) - The craft of maturing and aging cheeses.

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Photo du Jour - Blue Skies and Grey Stones

A typical, little stone house in our village. Pin It

Photo du Jour

Last week when I opened up the carton of eggs that I bought from the organic vendor at the market, this feather was curled around one of the eggs.

His eggs make the most perfect Mousse au Chocolat.
The yolks are a rich, golden yellow and the whites whip up to frothy and light as air.


This is the best recipe for Mousse au Chocolat that I've made in ages!

La Maison du Chocolat's Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse

1/4 cup heavy cream
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (preferably Lindt Excellence 70% or Valhrona guanaja 70%) broken into pieces (see Note)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
5 large egg whites
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In the top of a double boiler set over, but not touching, boiling water, heat the cream just until warm, about 1 minute. Add the chocolate pieces, and stir until the chocolate is melted. Add the butter and stir to melt and combine. Remove from the heat. One by one, whisk in the egg yolks. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and set it aside to cool.
2. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whisk. Whisk at low speed until the whites are frothy. Gradually increase the speed to high. Slowly add the sugar, cocoa, sea salt, and vanilla extract. Whisk at high speed until stiff but not dry.
3. Stir one third of the egg white mixture into the cooled chocolate mixture, and whisk until the two are thoroughly blended. (This will lighten the batter and make it easier to fold in the remaining egg white mixture.) With a large spatula, gently fold in the remaining white mixture. Do this slowly and patiently. Do not overmix, but be sure that the mixture is well blended and that no streaks of white remain.
4. Pour the mousse into a large glass bowl, eight individual ramekins, or eight pot de crème cups. Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Serve within a few hours.

Makes 8 servings

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Photos du Jour - les Fleurs

These were all taken in our friend's gorgeous garden. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Moules Gratinées

Cheesy, gratinéed mussels. Yum! Pin It

Just Bitchin'

Over the last couple of weeks I've read a few posts from foreign bloggers living in France who have been bitching about other foreign bloggers living in France. The main bitch is that some foreign bloggers in France think that other foreign bloggers in France shouldn't be bitching about any aspect of life in France.
They should accept that they're living in a foreign country and that things are different here.

Fair enough.

I agree that here are a lot of silly things that foreigners living in France bitch about and that one should adapt.
But I had to comment on all this bitching because French bureaucracy, in my opinion, is always fair game.

And after a bit of research I realized that most of the foreign bloggers in France who are bitching about the foreign bloggers in France that bitch about France (you're following me, aren't you?) are all married to or living with French people.
i.e. They have no idea what it is like to come here alone or with a lover/spouse who isn't French and try to deal with French bureaucracy without that buffer.

Which is exactly what I've had to do.
And I just have to say, sometimes it ain't easy.

French bureaucracy keeps beating me up and knocking me to the ground. But I get up, dust myself off and go back for more. Because I absolutely love living here.

And sometimes I bitch about bureaucracy. I feel I have that right. Pin It

Photo du Jour

An old stone basin planted with hens and chicks. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Loulou's Slush Puppie

Does anyone remember Slush Puppies?

I grew up freezing my brain on them every summer while visiting my grandparents in Walla Walla, Washington. There was a little mom & pop grocery store where my sister and I would walk in the heat of the day to buy candy and Slush Puppies. My favorite flavor was Blue Raspberry.

Two nights ago it was sweltering here. Really hot and humid, and the air inside our house was just as hot as outside, so there was no relief. Until I made this frozen concoction.

I scooped a couple of big spoonfuls of homemade raspberry sorbet into a bowl, added a couple splashes of vodka and a bit of orange juice, blended it all together with a hand blender and voilà - an adult version of a Blue Raspberry Slush Puppie. Only it wasn't blue. But it was like instant air conditioning (and after two of them we didn't really notice how hot it was anymore).

Now I'm trying to come up with a good name for it. Any suggestions? Pin It

Photo du Jour - Sunflowers

This field of sunflowers is a welcome splash of color amongst the acres and acres of green vineyards. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - L'Ecir en Aubrac

*yawn*

This week's cheese for la Fête du Fromage was B O R I N G!

I mean, it was pleasant enough, just not great. If you like soft, very mild, slightly honey and grassy flavored, young, unpasteurized cow's milk cheese, then you'll probably like L'Ecir en Aubrac. To me, it seemed lacking in character.

Ironic, isn't it? Last week I was lamenting over the super strong flavor of le Cados. Now this week I'm complaining about L'Ecir en Aubrac being too mild.

fickle fickle
(at least it wasn't flavorless like Bergues)



Some facts about l'Ecir en Aubrac:

• It was created by Jean-Marie Cayla in 1987 on his family farm. In 1996 he partnered with Vincent Alazard and the farm now produces on average, 1000 small cheeses a day.
• It is named for l'ecir, the frigid, northern wind that blows across the high plains of the Aubrac plateau in the Aveyron, where the cheese is produced.
• It is made from the raw milk of the Aubrac et Simmental breeds of cattle.
• Good wine matches would be a white Viognier or a hearty red Fitou or Faugères

This was a young piece so maybe I should have tasted a more mature version? Maybe I was having an off day?
It doesn't matter, I think it deserves another chance. Pin It

Photo du Jour

Beach Essentials

1. water to drink
2. water to spray on my face and neck
   
3. cold rosé
4. a parking spot
   

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