French Desserts

Yesterday we indulged.
I had two days off in a row and we were celebrating some recent good news, so we took ourselves out to lunch.

After consulting my Minervois Restaurants and Wineries notebook and sorting through the various criteria - price, wine included or not, shade or sun, inspiring menu, possibly somewhere new - we had it narrowed it down to a few places. I called the first one to book a table and there was no answer.
Fair enough, it was only 10:30am.
I tried again at 11am and still no answer.  By 11:30 we assumed that they had shut down for les vacances and started calling restaurant #2.
Same story.  No answer, no "we're closed for vacation" message.  Nothing.
By now it was almost noon and I was starting to worry that I would end up having to cook, so a final, desperate phone call was made to restaurant #3.

The third time was a charm.

We ended up in Olonzac at Le Minervois Bel, a restaurant that's tucked away on a dead-end side street, across from the middle school and next to a bar, and so well hidden that we often forget it's even there.

The owners are charming and the shady courtyard is a plus, but the food is the main attraction.
Yesterday's €13 lunch menu (which changes every day) was a chilled tomato soup with a dollop of whipped, herb infused chèvre and a parmesan tuile;  fillet of merlu in a succulent, slightly garlicky white sauce with a potato and wild mushroom timbale and sautéed carrots; followed by cheese or dessert of your choice.

We both opted for dessert.  I tried the mousse au fromage blanc avec fruits rouges and my husband ordered crème brûlée. 
The mousse au fromage blanc was sublime.  I mean really, really sublime.  And the crème brûlée was some of the best I've tasted since moving to France.

Since becoming a cheese addict I usually prefer cheese over dessert, though sometimes my sweet tooth wins.  I know there's no comparing the two, but when they're done right, French desserts really do take the cake.  Pin It

Olonzac Market Day

We got incredibly lucky when we found our petit village in France.

Our original house search was over near Pézenas, a charming town with loads of history and a rollicking Saturday market, just the kind of place we were looking to move to.  At that time we had never even heard of the Minervois.
After several, costly house hunting trips to and from the States, each time the house prices rising at an alarming rate, we made a final, desperate trip over to find our place in France before it became unaffordable.

Driving toward the remote dot on the map where we were to meet our realtor, totally jet lagged and running late because those little dots on the map seem much closer together distance-wise than the actually are, we became enchanted by the garrigue covered hills and the orderly rows of vines that seemed to cover every inch of available land.
She showed us a small house that was bright, light and not needing complete renovation like so many others we had seen.  The village even had a bar and an épicerie, two services in rural France that make life a little more comfortable.
We made an offer that afternoon.  It was accepted later that evening and we spent the next ten days celebrating our purchase and enjoying a relaxing vacation instead of house hunting.

We spent a good part of those ten days exploring the area that we would one day call home.  There were restaurants to try and wine to taste and furniture stores to find.  And we quickly made an important discovery;  the lively little market town of Olonzac was just five minutes down the road..

The buzzing metropolis of Olonzac - I say that very tongue in cheek, but admittedly anything around here with three boulangeries, several doctors, two pharmacies, a handful of cafés and a couple of banks is considered buzzing - puts on a great show every Tuesday morning.
The sprawling, L-shaped market takes over the center of town.  Half of it is dry goods - clothes, shoes, soap, CD's, hats, kitchenware, jewelry, books, pet toys and even pastel colored bras and panties, while the other half, on a tiny street that winds up through the center of the circulade, is everything food related.

I like to taste as I shop.  Samples of olives, saucisson, fruit, cheese and even a little glass of local wine are all available from persuasive vendors.  And by 11am, a morsel of local fromage de brebis or saucisson au Roquefort is impossible to resist.
Most of our weekly food shopping is done at the market.  There are several vendors who I trust to offer the best fruit and vegetables of the season, the freshest pork and sausages, farm fresh eggs or exquisitely made local cheeses.  Shopping definitely takes more time at le marché, but I think it is worth every minute.

For a town with (what I consider) a tiny population of about 1600 people, Olonzac, the "Capital of the Minervois," is a fantastic neighbor.

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La Fête du Fromage - Magnum

"Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who cannot attain it in anything." - Eugene Delacroix

If cheesemaking is an art, and I absolutely believe it is, then the cheesemakers at La Ferme de Roquecave are true artists.  The owners of this little farm in the Haut Languedoc focus on producing a small array of organic fromages de chèvre, and they do them beautifully.

My latest purchase from their stand at the Olonzac market is this wrinkly, ash covered goat's cheese called Magnum.
I was curious where that name came from, but the farmer's daughter was doing the selling that day and had absolutely no idea.  Maybe they just like interesting names?  Perhaps it's an inside joke? 
They also have a cheese called Fouettard Claquemolle, undoubtedly one of the most bizarre names I've ever come across.
Maybe they sat around one day drawing names out of a hat?
It doesn't really matter, as all of their cheeses, La Lauze and Chèvre de Roquecave included, are so delicious that their names are inconsequential.

This is a intensely goaty goat's cheese, so it definitely wouldn't appeal to everyone.  It packs a tangy, lemony punch and its medium strong flavor lingers on your tongue.  It is chalky and chewy, and the soft, finely textured, creamy pâte simply melts in your mouth.
Magnum is a sublime, very sophisticated cheese that I think comes pretty close to perfection.

Since the farm is just up the road from us I decided to taste it with a local red from the Minervois.  It was a match made in heaven!

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Photo du Jour - Welcome Home

A giant display of French cheese greeted me warmly as I rounded the corner at the Olonzac market on Tuesday. It's good to be home. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Tome Basque

When I purchased this wedge of Tome Basque from my favorite cheese guy at the Olonzac market, I expected a pleasant, rustic tasting mountain cheese. What I didn't expect was to be completely blown away by a cheese with such a refined, sophisticated character.

I just love surprises, don't you?


During our tasting, the flavor of Tome Basque reminded us both of some other cheese, though we couldn't quite put our finger on it. After a bit more nibbling, another sip of wine, a bit more bread and another taste of the cheese, we agreed that the flavor resembled an English (shhhh...don't tell the locals) farmhouse Cheddar, but with a slightly different texture.

The full, well developed flavors are bracingly sharp and tangy with buttery overtones. We also noticed delicious toasted hazelnuts and a bit of salt. The texture is firm and delightfully melt-in-your-mouth smooth, with a very rich mouthfeel.

Tome Basque, as the name implies, is produced the pays Basque in southwestern France. Some well known French ewe's milk cheeses come from this region; Ossau-Iraty, Bleu de Basques and Etorki immediately come to mind. Cow's milk cheeses seem to be less popular, but after tasting this little gem I have to wonder why?

This cheese is perfect when served with some crusty bread and a glass of local Minervois red. I could happily tuck into a piece of Tome Basque every day.

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Photo du Jour - la Musique

A weekly shopping excursion to le marché in Olonzac wouldn't be complete without an accordion player. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Pumpkin and Eggs

Early autumn offerings from one of my favorite Olonzac market vendors, le Jardin de la Clairette. Pin It

Photo du Jour - European Markets

Potatoes with dirt still clinging to their skin, piles of onions, pink spring garlic and bright green sprigs of asparagus.
A familiar scene.

It looks just like the local Tuesday Olonzac market. But this outdoor market is several hundred kilometers away...in Zagreb. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Crowded

Tuesday was a crowded market day full of étrangères. A sign of what's to come - soon it will be buzzing with the lively summer crowds. Pin It

Photo du Jour - les Artichauts

Locally grown, plump artichauts at the market yesterday. Steamed and dipped in melted butter...the flavor is rich and lush and spring! Pin It

Photo du Jour - Shopping at the Marché

A quiet Tuesday market in Olonzac.
It looks like arctic winds were blowing by the way everyone was all bundled up in their coats and scarves, but it was actually pretty mild Tuesday morning.

This morning I'm off to taste and judge Minervois wines for the Chai Port Minervois. It is difficult to adjust your palate for wine tasting at 9:30 in the morning, I have to say! Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Galette du Larzac

There is nothing like a good fromage de brebis. Especially a rustic, unpasteurized ewe's milk cheese that comes straight from the farm.

Like this one, Galette du Larzac.


The high pastures of the Aveyron département are home to the Lacaune sheep, a hearty breed that wander the Larzac plateau, grazing on the rich summer grasses and wild herb covered (thyme, rosemary, savory) scrub land. In the middle of the vast, wild landscape sits the co-operative farm that produces this delicious cheese.

Galette du Larzac has a mild, earthy, barnyard aroma. The first of many flavors that struck me when I bit into a piece was a light, citrus-like tanginess. Not at all what I was expecting! That instantly mellowed and rich mushroom and butter flavors took over. Its lovely texture is soft and chewy, and it melts in your mouth.
Another great discovery from a vendor at our local Olonzac market.

Red wine such as a Terrasses du Larzac (under the Coteaux du Languedoc AOC) or Marcillac would match the earthiness of Galette du Larzac. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Saint-Nectaire

Saint-Nectaire fermier. Taken at the market in Olonzac. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Nuts!

The bountiful choice of nuts available at the market this morning. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Les Poires

Louise Bonne and La Beurré Bosc pears, ripe and perfect for making a rich, caramelized Tarte Tatin aux Poires. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Olonzac Market

Last Tuesday at the Olonzac market. Still enjoying warm, sunny days in the south of France! Pin It

Photo du Jour - Au Revoir Summer

As I sit here looking at this photo of golden, juicy peaches piled high at the Olonzac market, the chilly, early autumn morning air is spilling into our kitchen through the open window.

Good memories of another summer. Our sixth summer here in France.

The days of blinding heat and siestas are over for another year. How quickly the seasons turn.
I actually need a sweater this morning.

It's almost time to stop drinking rosé.
Well, almost. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Brebis du Larzac

The Causse du Larzac - Larzac Plateau - in the Aveyron in central France, is home to many sheep, many cheesemakers and many serious cheeses.
Roquefort AOC, Pérail du Larzac, Bleu des Causses and Laguiole AOC are all produced in this here, as is my most recent discovery, Brebis du Larzac.



This week I picked up this little wedge of Brebis du Larzac from a cheese vendor who comes down from the Aveyron from time to time to sell his cheese at the Olonzac market.

What a discovery!

Brebis du Larzac has a natural, moldy exterior and melt-in-your mouth texture that develops after 6-8 weeks of affinage in humid conditions on the farm.



Soft, floral and honey flavors tickle your tongue as you savor each bite of this meaty, richly textured cheese. It has an elegant, round aroma, full of herbs and grass, that reminded me of Italian Pecorino.

A glass of robust, Minervois red paired perfectly with Brebis du Larzac.



Next time, I'm buying a bigger piece! Pin It

Photo du Jour - Through the Trees

A view of the Olonzac church from our friend's terrace. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Reine Claude

Gorgeous, diaphanous green Reine Claude plums are in season.

Shall I make a tart? Some sorbet?
Maybe I'll just eat them. Their syrupy sweet, juicy, perfumed flesh has a flavor like no other. Pin It