Southern Fried French

A Healthy System: French Medical Care

Relax, monsieur, you're well cared for:  The French give their health care system high marks.  Photo taken at the flea market in Nice.

Readers of this blog who are thinking of moving to France often send me questions, and one of the main ones is:  how’s the health care in France?  What to do about  medical insurance?

I decided to write about French health care this week, and my decision was prompted by reading the Time Magazine cover story of last week:  Bitter Pill:  Why Medical Bills are Killing Us.

I read this amazing piece of old-fashioned investigative journalism, about WHY a cancer drug in the states costs the pharmaceutical company $300,  is sold to the hospital for $3000, and is billed to the patient for $13,000. Why you may be charged $77 for a box of gauze pads that you could buy for a couple of bucks.  Author Steven Brill tells us who is lining their pockets with our money.  I don’t think I’ve ever been so furious, after reading it.  If were up to me I’d make it required reading for every American.  People, we are being robbed.  These bandits make the villified bankers look like benevolent philanthropists.

The French system is day to America’s night.  The World Health Organization rates the French system the best in the world (the US is 38th, though it’s by far the most expensive in the world).  Life expectancy?  The UN ranks the French 7th in the world, the US checks in at 40th.

We’ve lived with the French system for 10 years now, and been through small surgeries, procedures, routine care, and my husband’s bike accident which put him in the hospital and in-patient rehab for two months.  Though French health care is not perfect, it’s pretty darn great.  It’s cheap for us, and basically ‘free’ for every French person, though of course their tax rate is higher.  But they get really great value for those taxes, and the system is completely equitable.

The first thing you’ll notice in France is this: doctors don’t have staff, unless they’re in a group practice, in which case they have a receptionist.  If you’re French, you hand them your carte vitale, deal done.  As expats without a ‘green card’, as they call the carte vitale, we write them a check on the spot ($30 for a GP, $40-$50 for any specialist).  No paperwork, no insurance to file for doctor or patient, if you’re French.  Contrast this with the states, where each doctor will have between 3 and 7 employees, most working on billing/administration.  (Imagine what that adds to your costs).

In hospitals, we’ve gotten very good care--state of the art and top of the line.  Unlike in the states, everything is priced at something close to the actual cost, so the prices are quite reasonable.  Example: A trip in an ambulance in France runs about $50 euros; in the states it’s about 20 times that much.

But as an expat, will your insurance apply in France?  That depends on your policy; we have military insurance so we're covered.  Medicare does not apply in France.  Ex-pats can buy special insurance policies to cover them in France and because health care is so much cheaper, the policies are cheaper too.  If you’re a French resident with a Carte de Séjour (resident card), you can buy into the French system under some circumstances, the cost of which will be a percentage of your income (Visit Expatica, or Americans in France).  PHOTO: The French live longer---is it the wine, the relaxed lifestyle, or the health care?

Now back to that Bitter Pill.  Warning:  if you are well when you read it, you’re going to feel quite ill when you finish.  I couldn’t sleep the night I read it; Jon Stewart says that by the end of the article his hands we’re shaking and he was screaming.  So what to do about it?  I’m contacting my legislators toute de suite for a start, I hope you will too.   As always, comments are welcome, I’m very interested to hear your take on the article, and on French health care if you have experience with it.

In the COMMENTS:  Last week, an easy dinner menu.  Natalia, wow, now that's a great menu for spoiling your guests!  Anne, I love the idea of a spciy mustard in the dressing.  Barbara of The Wise Collector shares a book on French cuisine, Bouquet De France; An Epicurean Tour of the French Provinces, that sounds like a must-read.  Ido, felicitations on the baptism, and thanks for asking about my book--to be published at last this spring, I hope!  Suzanne, an iron skillet should work perfectly for the tian and roast, I use mine for just about everything anyway.  Carrie (of Season it Already!), come on over anytime!

An Oxymoron? A Fast French Dinner Party

Photo:  The evening winds down at a friend’s home in Burgundy

Since Burgundy is the wine and food capital of France, dinner parties are not a matter to be taken lightly.  They are great fun but they can be a marathon for the host.  Here’s the deal: It will be a sit down affair.  At the very least there will be a light nibbles, a first course, a main course, a cheese course, and a dessert course.  This is followed by expresso and chocolates.  There are various wines, of course. When you’re done, you’ve used a mountain of plates and platters and all the glasses in the house, maybe twice.

So how’s a cook to cope?  I love to entertain, but I invariably find it takes me most of the day (or maybe two) to pull this all together.  

I’ve learned some tricks along the way to make it plus facile.  My latest:  when we’re really behind in entertaining and we’ve got 6 or 7 couples on the invite list who have been sorely neglected, I divide them into two groups. Then I do one group one day, and the other group the next!  This was Ron’s brilliant idea.   You simply cook twice as much, same menu both days, and the flowers you put out will last the week. I only resort to this when we’re in serious entertaining debt---but haven’t you been there? 

But here's another idea for a fast dinner party.  Last week we were invited to dine at the home of our French friends Mireille and Michel, and Mireille taught me a thing or two with her fabulous menu.  It was quick and easy to put together, and  perfect for a chilly winter day.  She shared her recipes with me--you don’t even need to measure anything.  Merci Mireille, and happy entertaining to all!

 

RECIPES:  Mireille’s Dinner Party, Fast and French 

First course:  Mireille steamed some fresh green asparagus and served them tiède (room temperature) with a vinaigrette on the side.  It was the famous French dressing #1  but with a twist:  she added lots of finely minced cilantro (she used a mincer, but you could pulse it all briefly in a blender), so it was a pretty, fresh green color.  You could also use parsley, or other fresh herbs.

Wine:  a chardonnay such as Saint-Véran or a Pouilly-Fuissé is nice with this.

Main course:  A slow cooked lamb roast with a tian of vegetables (this would work with with a pork or beef roast, too).

For the tian she cut regular baking potatoes into slices about ½” (1.25 cm) thick.  Then, in a heavy stoneware baking dish (like Le Creuset  or Emile Henry), she layered the potatoes with thick sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced onions, rosemary sprigs, and olive oil.  She placed the roast, sized to serve 6, right on top of the veggies and cooked it in a slow oven (350F, 175C), uncovered, for about 2 hours.  (My note:  check your roast and vegetables for doneness after an hour; you can always pop the roast in a separate pan and continue cooking either veggies or roast longer as needed).

To serve she put the veggie dish right on the table, then carved the roast and served it separately.  Dinner done, and delish. 

Wine, for this and the cheese course:  we would choose a red Côtes de Rhône or a Pinor Noir.

Cheese course:  two French cheeses, served with a sliced baguette.

I brought the dessert, which was:  Dori Greenspan’s World Peace Cookies (made ahead, and frozen) served with caramel ice cream and  a garnish of fresh raspberries.

 

As usual, I’m always learning something from the clever French.  And if anyone else has an easy dinner party menu to share, I’m all over it!

 

FAVORITE READS:  Foodies, you'll be interested in a new book by John Baxter called The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France.  You can read an interview with the author over at Barbara Redmond's blog, A Woman's Paris.  Barbara says "I couldn't put it down.  It's a wonderful romp from cuisine to cuisine through the French countryside."

Voulez-vous être Parfumée?

Here is something I love in France:  When you go into any shop selling make-up or perfume, before you depart, Madame the sales clerk will always ask, "Voulez-vous être parfumée?" (Do you want to be ‘perfumed’?).  She puffs a cool cloud of scent into the air around you.  You walk out with an invisible aura of rose or honeysuckle, cinnamon or lavender.

Such a beautiful expression, to be parfumé. (An aside:  we may have the only cat in Burgundy who is parfumé on a daily basis.  Domino has a maison secondaire in the neighborhood, where he is as adored as he is chez nous.  His  ‘second mom’, Viviane, like every proper French femme, is very fond of her perfume.  So I know where that little devil Domino has been after an extended absence---he’s been cuddling with Viviane, and he’s parfumé to prove it).   PHOTO:  The rakish Domino, parfumé and ready to party.

The French are of course known for their fabulous perfume houses, and the fields  of flowers grown in Provence to create the scents.  Last spring when we were visiting the charming hilltop town of Eze-Village near Nice, my friend Joan and I spotted a sign that advertised a factory tour of the well-known perfume line, Fragonard.  Which happens to be my favorite, as much for their beautiful packaging as for their gorgeous scents.  We quickly abandoned the guys and off we went. 

We learned about the elite perfumers who construct the fragrances.  Known as ‘Noses’, they train for seven years and can distinquish between thousands of scents.  We smelled a few concentrated scents of various flowers to test our own noses.  We watched them mold the pretty soaps.  We learned about the 3000 year history of perfume and marveled over their collection of antique vases, jars, and pomanders.

 And of course---we were parfumée-ed to our heart’s content!  

PHOTOS:  Top, Delights from Fragonard, with testing strips.  Above left: rows of scents, ready for the Noses to do their magic mixing.  Below: A test for novice noses, and a new line of soaps being packaged for spring.

RECIPE:   A Fragrant Side Dish

While we’re talking of elegant matters, here’s a company side dish that qualifies.  I really like to serve rice as a side dish for guests, but how to cook it perfectly and then dress it up for a dinner party?  Europeans, by the way, often boil their rice like pasta (a technique I have not mastered but will share when I do) instead of cooking it the southern way .  But my friend Darlena taught me yet another way to make rice:  in the oven.  It’s reliable and hassle-free, and when it’s done we’re going to dress it up a bit for our guests.

The Basic Recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups regular brown rice or white rice  
• 2 1/2 cups water or broth
• 2 teaspoons butter
• ½ t. salt

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees (190C).  Place raw rice in an 8” (20 cm) square dish.  Bring water to boil with butter and salt, with pan covered (to keep amount exact).  Pour over rice in dish. Cover tightly with a double layer of foil.  Bake for one hour.  Serves 4 to 6.

Fluffing it up: 

• Darlena serves hers topped with rings of  grilled sweet onions and red peppers.  Delish and pretty, too.
• Add saffron or tumeric to white rice before cooking to make it a pretty yellow color.
• I stir in chives or sliced scallions and toasted pecans just before serving.
• Or stir in some green peas and chopped fresh herbs.
• You may have your own version of mix-ins---any ideas to share?

In the COMMENTS:  Wow!  Don't miss the comments from last week: Lots of strong opinions about French parenting and kids, vs. American. And on the dogs too! We've had everyone from expats to Americans to a French nannie check in.   The author of Bringing Up Bébé has a new book out, by the way, called Bébé Day by Day: 100 Keys to French Parenting.  While French parents and kids are far from perfect, I think Pamela Druckerman sums up very well the cultural differences in an interview this week in the New York Times: "There’s a growing conversation here {in the US} around whether it’s good for kids to be the focus of everything, and the French take it for granted that it’s not." Seeing both cultures as I do, the US has swung a bit too far toward the totally kid-centric family in my opinion.  But let me add that there is no tougher job than parenting, whichever side of the pond you live on!

NEWS:  There's a book giveaway over at Goodreads this week:  they're giving away 5 copies of my step-daughter's book about their around-the-world trip, Sailing to Jessica.  Be sure to sign up!

What IS it with Those Perfect French Kids?

Say what you will about the French, they’ve got the parenting thing down pat.  Even their  dogs are well behaved.  

We noticed it first thing when we started visiting France.  Really you can’t miss it.

French children are incredibly, amazingly, unbelievably well-behaved.  They are not uptight or repressed, they’re simply mature, respectful, calm, and  polite.  There are exceptions of course, but not many.

How DO the French do it?

That’s what American expat  Pamela Druckerman wondered, when she moved to Paris with her young daughter. “Why was it,” she asks, “in the hundreds of hours I'd clocked at French playgrounds, I'd never seen a child (except my own) throw a temper tantrum? Why didn't my French friends ever need to rush off the phone because their kids were demanding something? Why hadn't their living rooms been taken over by teepees and toy kitchens, the way ours had?”  So she researched the reasons and wrote a book about it: Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting. It’s worth reading if you’re a parent, or just an observer of the French, to discover their secrets.

From our own observations, here is what French children are like: 

When they are introduced, they greet you politely and offer a cheek for les bises.

They sit in restaurants quietly.  They join in the adult conversation.  They don't zone out with their Gameboys. They eat what parents eat.  A 'child's plate' is a rarity on French menus; no self-respecting   5-year-old would settle for a hot dog and fries when there is foie gras on the menu.  

They play as exuberantly as other kids, but in public your rarely see them squirm, whine or fuss, or fight with siblings.    

Then there are the teen-agers.  Once  in a small town on an isolated street I encountered a group of about eight ados, as the French call them, all 15 or 16-ish.  They were hanging around outside of the door of a store, sporting dirty jeans and bizarre hairdos in crayon colors.  They were smoking cigarettes and slouching;  they were joking and flirting as teen-agers everywhere do.  Since they were blocking the door, I had to interrupt them.  My American side expected sullen looks,  a mumbled apology at best.  You know that phase, it’s a teen-age thing.  

As I asked to pass through, all talking stopped; they all looked up brightly.  I was met with a chorus, polite and enthusiastic, of “Bonjour Madame!  Ça vas?  Excusons-nous, s’il vous plâit!  The path was cleared, the door was gallantly opened, and they went back to talking.  I still remember my shock.

Now can someone explain to me---how is it that their DOGS are as well behaved at their kids?  Maybe I’ll write a book….

 

 

 

PHOTOS:  French dog, American dog:  Can you guess which is which?

 

 Many of you have been to France--or are French---so what's your take on French kids?

In the COMMENTS:  Virginia of Paris Through My Lens thinks Singapore Slings can be trouble--just ask Jetagain, who had to be carried out of a bar when she discovered them!  We discuss the origins of cherry herring, which Natalia remembers from trips to Scandanavia. And John, we didn't toss down any peanut shells, we were too cheap to spring for a $30 drink!

 

Side Trip: Romancing the Raffles

Since notre aniée (the French term for oldest daughter), recently moved to Australia with her family, we spent Christmas in the southern hemisphere, where instead of snow we had palm trees and sparkling skies.  To break up the brutal flight, we made a stopover in Singapore.  In this orderly land of orchids and omnipresent street food, the first stop is always the famous Raffles Hotel.  Built on the waterfront in 1877, it was named after Singapore’s founder and frequented by the likes of Rudyard Kipling, Noel Coward, and Somerset Maugham.

Nothing embodies the romantic, louche lifestyle of the British Colonial era like the Raffles.  Picture arched loggias, ceiling fans languidly spinning, amidst a garden of palms and tropical blooms.  Imagine bringing out your best jewels for dinner and deep conversation in the garden with the litterati and the glitterati, followed by waltzing to the live band long into the night.  In the hot afternoons one sips Singapore Slings--a Raffles invention---in the dark, cool, Long Bar, a favorite hang-out of Joseph Conrad and Ernst Hemingway.

The last time I was there (decades ago), we had a drink in the famous Long Bar, but the rest of the place was closed for renovation.  Like many legendary institutions, this one  has given way to modernization.  Skyscrapers now form the backdrop of the lush gardens. The hotel is still luxe but has been renovated to within an inch of its life; and instead of string quartets on the veranda in the drowsy heat of early afternoon, pop music is piped in from speakers in a shiny new courtyard.  And to try the traditional Singapore Sling in the Long Room?  Well, these days that will set you back $30 a drink.  They did have a nice little museum, though, where you could dream over the lavish Raffles lifestyle, back in the day.  Photos above, from the Raffles museum.  Below, the newly renovated Raffles.

  There’s nothing to say we can’t try the Singapore Sling chez nous, however.  Perfect for a hot afternoon after hunting elephants or whatever, but better plan time for une petite sieste afterwards!

 

RECIPE:  The Raffles Hotel's Singapaore Sling

This recipe from Food.com claims to be the orginal.  Have one if you're dreaming of summer.

1 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce cherry heering
1/4 ounce Cointreau liqueur
1/4 ounce benedictine
4 ounces pineapple juice
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/3 ounce grenadine
1 dash bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a tall glass, and serve with a cherry and a slice of pineapple.

Favorite Reads:  Shelf Pleasure is a new site about books for women with reviews, a book club, and more.  You might want to read my interview with the founders over at the Daily Basics.  

Friends in Burgundy have renovated a gite, all spiffed up and ready to go.  Read about Les Volets Bleu here.

Under The Tower: From the new book "A French Opportunity"

I am very pleased today to share a guest post from one of our readers, Debbie Ambrous.  I met Debbie through this blog, and she has has just published a book called A French Opportunity, about her voyage from small-town Alabama to her beloved France.  Here is Debbie's story:

I admit that I am infatuated with France.  My friends say I must have French bloodlines, with the shadow of castle towers in my background and a previous pathway of ancient cobblestones.

South Alabama blood flows slowly in my veins, with the shadow of the giant Opp, Alabama water tower looming in my past, not castle towers or the Eiffel Tower! My pathway was strewn with sawdust from Daddy’s cabinet shop, not centuries-old stones in a historic lane.  I love it all just the same!  While Daddy’s saws were buzzing and whirling my imagination was soaring to foreign, exotic, enticing parts of the world.  My feet touched many of those places, but the one that seems most like a second home to me is France.

I try to add a petite dab of French mystique with a bit of French accent on the Ambrous name since it isn’t spelled as the typical, ordinary Ambrose.  When I hear, “Where ya’ll from?” I find myself saying with a tilt upward of my nose, “My husband’s family is from France.”  Husband Jim’s accent leaves no doubt that any French nobility or serfs in his bloodline were conceived many years ago.  He throws cold water on my castles in the air image when he blurts out, “We’re from Opp, Alabama, but she fell on her head when we crossed the Seine in Paris, and she hasn’t been the same since.” 

In my book, A French Opportunity, Jim and I stay in a beautiful farmhouse in the Loire valley at Brehemont.This wonderful home with owners from Alabama was our starter house in France.  How fortunate we were! 

We travel further south to Burgundy, Dordogne and the Lot.  We are continually drawn to the warmth of the farmhouses at La Prairie. 

Luxurious Chateau hotels are a decadent treat occasionally so I can improve my mystique and shake some of the sawdust from my Alabama feet, but it’s the surprises along the way that we enjoy most of all.  The following is an excerpt from the book about a trip to a Langeais, France market:

 

If we had lingered much longer (at breakfast), we would have missed the market.  I didn’t know that it started so early.  The parking lot next to the market had some extra excitement.  A chicken was loose and three people were chasing it from car to car.  It would hide behind the wheel of a Peugeot and just as they started to grab it, it would shoot out the other side squawking its cry of freedom and chicken dancing across the pavement to the flower hedges. I was laughing so hard that Jim said I sounded like a cackling hen on the loose too. The chicken rustlers finally got the hen without my help, although I wanted to join the roundup.  I thought I could put that on my list of lifetime achievements.  When the chicken was back in its coop the lady vendor stood next to me and laughingly said something in French.  I don’t speak French but I believe it went something like this, “Back on the farm, that hen wouldn’t walk to the other side of the barn to see the Brad Pitt of the rooster kingdom, but when we took her out of the coop, she flew out of there like a feather duster on speed.  Go figure!  If I had known that I had to chase a crazy chicken in the parking lot, I would have stayed home and introduced that hen’s neck to the Marie Antoinette treatment.”  

Jim wouldn’t let me buy a live chicken.  Instead, I bought green beans, tomatoes, eggs, raspberries and pretty purple and yellow pansies to plant in the garden. How could I ignore the photo opportunities?  A large red-faced man with a few teeth missing was animatedly selling huge heads of cauliflower that were heaped on the bed of a small blue truck. Then we had the Victoria Secret market.  Girdles hung on display with extra heavy-duty brassieres, probably like the ones my Grandmother wore.  Now, don’t expect me to wear those under my simple housedress if I ever live my country home dream!  

 

Debbie, many thanks for sharing your French experience with us.  You can buy Debbie's book, A French Opportunity, in the kindle edition  or in paperback.

In the COMMENTS:  Our last post, "French Confections of the Lustful Kind", made Julie gain weight just reading it.  Suzanne, why DON'T French women get fat, with all these goodies? (I did try to explain it in this previous post, but I'm still working it out).  The photos made Hampton head out for salted caramel ice cream, but Hampton, at least you rode your bike!  Thanks as always for all the nice comments.

French Confections of the Lustful Kind

Photo:  Strawberry cake at Fauchon.  Do not try this at home.

Foodie alert:  If you want to go to the chicest, most over the top gourmet food stores on the planet, then a trip to Paris is in order, toute de suite.  And they’ve made it easy for you:  the two most famous ones are on dueling corners on the same square, Place Madeleine. 

La Place Madeleine is a posh spot, with fancy shops and restaurants surrounding that imposing temple that pays homage to Napoleon's army.  But I go straight for the gourmet shops, Fauchon and Hediard. I like Hediard's store better, but Fauchon also has a casual lunch spot with trendy treats and a bakery/patisserie that will knock your beret off.

Talk about food porn!  You can kill a couple of hours, just drooling over the obscenely beautiful offerings.  Most are priced accordingly, but hey, this is Paris after all.  Still I always seem to find a few little gifts for friends.  Or for moi.  

The other famous foodie destination is of course La Grand Epicerie, but that is in a league all its own, and a post for another day.

Meanwhile, here’s a preview, photos I snapped at Fauchon and Hediard, to incite your lust.

The fruit display at Hediard

Edgy chocolate, From Fauchon.  I call this the Mistral Cake.

Of course there are tastings all over the stores.  Here, house made jams at the ready.

A little boisson to go with your goodies.

Jars of exotic spices (and where do they get those great jars?).  On the right: Yuzu, a Japanese spice made of wild mandarin and lemon.

Coffee beans from all over the world, roasted and ground on site, in the formidable looking machine below, at Hediard.

Top off your visit with a cone of artisanal ice cream at Fauchon.

In the COMMENTS:  RE our pigs, Caterina is living the life in the country, and raising pigs herself--still, if I visit you, Caterina, I'll take some of that trout!  Veronique  of French Girl in Seattle is French but like me, she'll pass on the pig party.  Artist Colleen (see her beautiful paintings here) has family from Germany who did their own butchering, as did Herm of Poems, Photos and Stuff.   Meanwhile Mark is making deer burgers!  Christine of Pen at the Ready, I promise to get back to French recipes soon!

 If you're lucky enough to be in Paris soon:  Our reader Priscilla of the great blog Weekend in Paris is sponsoring a  Paris Tweetup, and you're invited!  The event is designed especially for tweeters and bloggers. 

 Favorite Reads:  It seems like a good week to mention David Lebovitz, who blogs about Paris and has written many fun cookbooks, including the The Great Book of Chocolate.

Partying Down with the Pigs

Have you ever been in a gourmet group? I was in one once, we celebrated National Chocolate Day once a month.  We skipped dinner and had three courses of homemade chocolate desserts (we were younger then).  Here in the French countryside, gourmet groups are just a little bit different.  Illustration by José Reis de Matos.

In our village, there are eight folks who get together every year, as my friend Françoise tells me.  First they stop by a local farm, and they pick out 3 (live) fat pigs.  The pigs arrive a bit later, butchered, on the doorstep of Françoise’s house, and are laid out on a big work table in her garage.  The other three couples arrive, and for two full days, they gussy up those hogs.  Roasts are trimmed and wrapped, ready to freeze. The large hocks are cured in salt water then hung up to dry, to make jambon cru, or raw ham.  Then they make seasoned sausages and boudain noir and boudin blanc (these are fat sausages made from 'parts', the noir with blood and the blanc without.  A taste I think you must acquire in childhood, as just the smell of them will clear out a room full of expats).  They also make fromage de tête, or head cheese, a terrine set in aspic and made from the pig’s head. 

What a party!  There are festive lunches mid-day, of course, and at the end everyone has a goodly supply of porc fermier (farm-raised pork ) in their freezer.

Another couple here has a large group of old friends who rendez-vous in Paris every year to do the same thing, but with ducks.  This year they prepared 27 ducks among them.  They return home with confit de carnard, foie gras, and so on.

Françoise, telling me her story, laughed as I shuddered at the mention of boudin noir.  “We’re true country people here you know,” she said.  And I do admire the fact that the French use every last morsel of the animals who gave their lives for the party.  Still, this sometimes/almost vegetarian is happy not to been given an invite to join the gourmet groups---I think I’ll stick to chocolate.

 

 RECIPE:  Spicy Shrimp Burgers

I didn't have the heart to do a pork recipe after all that, so let's give the pigs a rest and switch from land to sea.  Le Hamburger is all the rage in France right now, especially in Paris, where the big-deal chefs are offering them.  And in the states,where folks are less carnivorous, everyone seems to be experimenting beyond the cow.   Shrimp burgers are popular in the south, and I've tried many recipes before coming up with this one.  Also you can pretend it's summer, and they don't require a grill. For me, the secret to this recipe is using raw, crunchy veggies; if you cook the veggies first, you end up with something similar to a crab cake instead of a burger.  

I tend to keep  a supply of coarse homemade bread crumbs in my freezer, but you could use panko instead.  Make the burgers well ahead so you can chill them. Serves 4. 

 For  the sauce:

• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon horseradish
• 1 tablespoon of any chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, chives, tarragon
• dash tabasco 

for  the burgers:

• 1 lb. (454 grams) boiled shrimp, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons green tops of scallions, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons white bulb of scallion, finely chopped
• 2  tablespoons celery, finely chopped
• 2  tablespoons finely chopped radishes
• 2  tablespoons finely chopped bell pepper
• 2  tablespoons chopped parsley and/or fresh basil
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¾ cup homemade bread crumbs
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• Flour
• 2 tablespoons canola oil

4 hamburger buns 

Toppings as desired:  lettuce, tomato, avocado, red onion slices

Stir together sauce ingredients and chill.  Combine burger ingredients (down to flour) then shape mixture into 4 patties. Cover and chill a couple of hours or more.   When ready to serve, gently roll them in flour and cook them in a cast iron skillet with hot oil for about 4 minutes on each side.  Drain briefly on paper towels. Serve on hamburger buns with sauce and desired toppings.

In the Comments:  Lots of praise for my step-daughter Kelly's new book, Sailing to Jessica.  Please check it out if you haven't!

And to all, my warmest wishest for a happy, healthy new year---bonne année!

A French Viking Ship, Pretty in Pink

Oh la, the joys of small town life!  I expect village events here are a bit the same as in small towns everywhere:  full of enthusiasm, creativity, and a bit of kitsch. 

And so it was they held the annual Téléthon here in the village this week. This is a national charity event , and in the small villages volunteers don matching yellow windbreakers and funny hats and march around to all the residents in the commune to collect for benevolent causes.  Since it’s illegal to knock on doors and ask for money in France, they offer bags of cookies, which we all help make.  

Then there is the float, which leads the parade of door-knockers.  Normally it’s a homemade paper maché affair, perched on a trailer and pulled by a tractor on loan from a farmer.  We had a giant witch one year, and last year it was a misshapen green dragon, which nevertheless had a kind of lumpy charm.

But this year, an even bolder theme:  A viking ship!  The head of the social committee asked our Dutch neighbor Gerard to help the committee build it.  Sure, Gerard said, we’ll need some rebar for the structure, we can make it in a flash.  Mais non--someone had donated a load of bamboo, so the plan was to tie the bamboo together to make the boat. 

“But it will wobble if there’s no structural support,” he protested, “and the ties for all that bamboo will cost a fortune!”   But the French are not happy to take advice, nor to waste a chance to recycle something free.  Gerard’s predictions came true, however, and in the end they had to insert some boards to keep the listing bateau afloat, so to speak.  By this time the crew was too exhausted with the project to add the chicken wire and paper maché, so they wrapped the whole bamboo boat skeleton in plastic shrink-wrap, which they then, inexplicably, painted pink.

I have a tradition of serving breakfast to the dragon-slayers, or vikings as the case may be, and this year they arrived with viking hats sporting some serious looking horns, though their chapeaux had a tendency to slip down over their faces at a drunken tilt.  After being fortified with coffee and muffins, the sailors were off to conquer the seas.  All for a good cause, and good fun too.

I wish all of you good fun and happiness as well, over the holidays. Joyueses fêtes!

In the COMMENTS:  Lots of folks seem to be using iPads/iPhones as their camera, as Gordon suggested in his guest post, including Mariella, and Katie of the blog French Cravings. Debbie, thanks for the nice comments, and Mickey, you're never too old to 'snap'!

Favorite Reads:  BIG book news this week.  My lovely step-daughter Kelly Watts has published a book!  It's an exciting adventure story, and a true one:  She and her husband Paul set out to sail around the world (with no sailing experience, mind you), and ended up adopting a 2-month old baby on a Pacific island, half-way there.  If you've ever had a dream, you'll want to read this lively tale of how they made their dream real.  It's called 'Sailing to Jessica' and it's available on Amazon in both print and Kindle  format (if you load it onto an iPad, you'll get lots of photos/maps of their journey.  The print book has links to her website with photos and more).  It's also available on Nook or at itunes.  Visit her website for a preview.

Give It Your Best Shot

Today I'm so pleased to bring you a very special guest post.  My great friend Gordon Beall is an architectural photographer extraordinaire in Washington DC that I've worked with too many years to count, in my job as a regional editor. Though you may not know him, you've likely seen his work: Gordon shoots for all the big home and garden magazines.  Working with him has taught me so much about photography, about good design, about new ways of seeing.  For this post I asked him to share his tips about his personal photography, the fun and arty stuff he does on his own time.

Choosing a Camera

As a professional photographer I am often asked to recommend cameras but frankly I don't spend that much time trying to keep up with it all. Not enough time! And they are always changing. The fact is that all of the major manufacturers make fine cameras so the important thing for any one individual is to find one that fits your needs (pocket vs SLR for example) by simply comparing a few, looking for things like how it fits your hand, how easy is it to figure out the controls, its weight, etc. Also, in this age of zooms, what is the range of the zoom. There could be a lot of factors which influence your choice, so it really is up to you to make the decision. But one word of advice, unless you are a very serious photographer, I would not spend a whole lot of money on a camera at any one time because they can become obsolete very quickly. 

Finally, one dictum worth remembering is that the best camera is always the one you have in your hand. Which brings me to this: my iPhone has become my all time favorite travel and walk around camera. I have many times in the past gone on vacation and not even taken a camera. But now, with my iPhone, I always have it with me ready to go. And it is soooo easy to use! I see something interesting to photograph any time any place, and it's there. So, without being too silly here, I can often say that the iPhone is the best camera, because I always have it. By the way, (and I don't work for Apple!) the 4S is a major improvement over the earlier iPhones, and is worth having for the camera alone. The only thing that I don't like about shooting with the iPhone is how difficult it is to see the screen outside on a bright day, but that is always the case with a camera that does not have a viewfinder.  

One last thing I would like to say about using the iPhone, and which for me makes it so fun and satisfying to use, are the photo apps that you can load on it. I am particularly enamored of one called Hipstamatic which sells on iTunes for all of $1.99. After purchasing the app you can make "in app" purchases of additional software for generally $.99. It's possible to spend as much as $15 (or so) if you buy lots of these "lenses" and "films", but if you do go and blow the wad on this you will have an amazing assortment of really wonderful effects from numerous combinations of these virtual lenses and films. It is really fun to use and I am constantly surprised by how this app can transform your photos into something wonderful. I can't say enough good things about it. If you love shooting black and white as I do, and would like to do so with an iPhone this app is a must. Enough said.  PHOTOS: at the top, Gordon's shot of the eastern shore of the Chesapeke Bay has it all:  extraordinary light, good composition,  emotion. Above right, a shot taken at Balleure with his iphone and Hipstamatic.  

Composing the Photo

As an architectural photographer, my favorite advice comes from Washington DC photographer Robert Lautman.  Sadly he is no longer with us but he said that architectural photography is simply "Knowing where to stand, and when to stand there."  This is great advice and applies to other types of photography as well.  In other words, you want to find your best angle,  the best light, then look at the subject and determine where you need to be to show it off to best advantage. Of course a lot of the time, on vacation, you don't have the opportunity to do that, but it's always worth keeping those words in your mind.

Some more advice I can give you is this: when composing a photo pay just as much attention to what is on the edges of the photo as you do to what is in the middle of the photo. Everything in the frame has an effect on the quality of the image, and what is on the outer edges of the photo is just as important as what is in the center. This is especially true of portraits, photos of your family and friends. One of the most frequent mistakes of amateur photographers is to compose so that a person's head is in the center of the shot, surrounded by large amounts of uninteresting and unimportant areas. Tighten your shots up, keep your eyes on the edges of the photos, don't stick everything in the center, shoot some off center stuff and shoot some verticals too. Take a look at your past pictures and see if you are guilty of the head in the center problem, and if so, make some adjustments, your photos will improve I am sure.

Finally, probably the most important factor in making a great looking photo is, of all things, the quality of the light. Hard to believe, but true true true! (I'm kidding with you of course).  But really, nothing can make a so-so photo great as having great light. Of course it doesn't happen all the time if you are shooting outside, but it's worth mentioning the obvious. Morning and late afternoon/evening light is the best, noon is the worst. Light coming from the side onto your subject will usually be the best. Light from behind you the worst. Side light highlights shapes and gives shadow - don't be afraid of shadows! Shadows give form to objects. Light from behind you flattens things and makes them less interesting. Back light can be beautiful too, but is trickier to handle properly.

One last thought or two. When we shot film you could really run up a tab fast by shooting a lot. But no longer. Now if you make a mistake it costs nothing. So shoot a lot! Try different angles or unusual angles if you think the subject is worthy. Don't just take one, take several. The only thing it costs you is some extra editing time, but you may suddenly find that that 4th shot is the best one, so it's worth it. Also shoot the highest resolution you can, do not set the camera on low res. This means you should carry a few extra cards, but they take up practically no room and they are cheap. And getting cheaper all the time. And don't forget a spare battery!

Merci mon ami!  

 If you want to see Gordon's portfolio on his website, click here.   His 'people' shots may give you some portrait ideas.

At left, a picture of Gordon I took on a shoot in Charleston. And by the way, when he was here this past summer (we were shooting a garden for Traditional Home), I asked him to do a portrait of me, a headshot I could use for contributor photos. It illustrates some of the things he discussed about portraits.  You can see it on this blog on the 'Meet Lynn McBride' page (the lower photo on that page).

Big BOOK NEWS this week: Karen Chase's Bonjour 40: A Paris travel Log: (40 years. 40 days. 40 seconds.)  is now out in the PRINT edition (paperback).  You can read her November guest post here, or a preview of the book on her own blog here.

FAVORITE READS:  Since we talked about cats last week, I've come across 2 books about cats that look hysterical, I'm ordering both for myself and  for gifts. How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You makes me wonder, do they know my cat?  Goodreads ranks it as one of their top humor books of the year. Then there is I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats, a title every cat owner can relate to, by the author of the 'Sally Forth' comic strip.  Perfect gifts for the cat-obcessed.

"J'ai Sommeil": The Life of a French Cat

Is it possible to get as comfortable as a cat?  I don't think so. Though they sometimes pick the funniest places to sleep.  Here are some French felines I've snapped, including ours, in the yawning stage, in dream mode, or simply out cold.  PHOTO:  Welcome mat-cat, spotted in northern Burgundy.

This relaxed cat slept right by our table during the entire meal, at a restaurant in the Var.

"And you woke me up WHY?"  A nest among le linge.

In Italy, we watched all the hotel guests step right over this cat, who never even opened an eye.

Fangs:  Under no circumstances should you disturb this cat.

Our rescue cat Domino, sleeping in Ron's desk chair at the chat-eau.  But wait, don't empty that trash can!  Our neighbor's cat Meepia, also known as The Guest Cat, has snuck in once again. (She is sometimes also called Cupcake, in memory of the day this rotunde gourmand cleared several of them off of our kitchen counter).

These cats are definately headed for un petit dodo (that's French for cat nap).

 

In the COMMENTS:  Funny, two readers mentioned Shaker Lemon Pie, which I had never heard of.  And yes Suzanne, we'd love the recipe!  Linda, how do we get on the list for one of those Christmas boxes? And going back to the fall roses, Paula I will make note of those varieties, as a few of those beetles have made it over to our garden too!

Christmas shopping tip:  My friend Chris over at European Market has great presents, all carefully chosen from his travels in Europe.  Like the gorgeous stadium blanket featured in Traditional Homes ’20 Gifts for Him’ gift guide this month.  Check out European Market here.

Favorite Reads:  Big book news this week:  One of our readers, Josh Chalmers, has published a children's book, and it's a very special one you'll want to know about.  It's called Change the World Before Bedtime , and it's about kids around the globe exploring ways to be generous and help their neighbors, friends, and the less fortunate.  I'll be getting a copy for my grandkids. Felicitations, Josh.

Tarting up A Classic French Dessert

To my loyal readers:  Southern Fried French may go from weekly to every other week for a bit, during winter travels, unless I am extremely disciplined, which seems unlikely.

Candied orange slices and candied orange peel:  classic French confections for the fruit-loving French.  You’ll see them in all the chocolateries, and often they take a little dip in a chocolate bath.  For fans of this dessert, they inspire great devotion;  I have a friend who comes to Paris often, and she always makes a beeline to the chocolate shop first thing to get them.

Moi, I was never really fond of them.  That is, until I made them chez nous, for my husband, another fan.  I found a great recipe for them at The Repressed Pastry Chef.  Instead of cooking them the usual way, simmered in a bath of sugar water until they’re soft, she cooks them in a single layer in a skillet, boiling the water down to a thick, bubbly syrup until the slices are a bit caramelized.  Easy to make and amazingly yummy.  Healthy too, right?

So last week, in need of a fruity finish for Thanksgiving (to go with the other three desserts), and in possession of a large sack of fat Spanish oranges, I thought about putting these candied oranges in a pie.  I decided to make one of those pretty, thin French fruit tarts, but topped with the oranges in place of the usual apples or apricots.  Instead of serving it with cream, I put the cream underneath, a thin layer of sweetened marscapone.  

The tart must have been a success, as it disappeared quickly.  Even if you don’t make the tart, do try the candied orange slices.  They’re as easy as, well, pie!

 

RECIPE:  Candied Oranges, Tarted Up 

First make the oranges from Marlena's blog, The Repressed Pastry Chef.  You should slice them as thin as you can (thinner than mine); if not they’ll still be good but it will make the tart a bit of a challenge to cut.

 Since Marlena makes these in a single layer in a skillet, I had to make several batches, (which was no problem since I was in the kitchen all morning anyway).  If you want to do them all at once, try the recipe at Chocolate and Zucchini, which is faster but they will not be as caramelized.  Here we go:

• 1 prepared or homemade  baked crust for a single pie, baked in a Tart Pan with Removable Bottom (use  Pie Weights when you bake crust).

•  4 or 5 oranges, sliced thin (leftovers will be a good thing)
• 1 cup marscapone cheese
• 1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook the oranges with one of the recipes mentioned above, cooling them on parchment paper.  Cut them in half with scissors (for Marlena's recipe, I cut them in half after cooking, I find they keep their shape better.  But you'll get more in the pan if you cut slices in half before cooking).  Mix the marscapone with the sugar and vanilla and spread in the bottom of the the cooled tart shell.  Top with oranges slices, overlapping.  Chill and serve.

In the COMMENTS:  we're still talking about tea, and Susan, thanks for enlightening me on cool-weather grasses.  

Favorite Reads:  I'm very pleased to announce that TWO of our readers have new books out this week. Debbie Ambrous has released A French Opportunity, her memoir of a long and eventful voyage that takes her from small-town Alabamba to France.  Clair Symonds' book  Romance and Revolution: A Leap of Faith at the Iranian National Ballet is a memoir about a Jewish ballet dancer who falls in love with a Muslim, much to his family’s dismay (I’m planning on loading up a Kindle copy, but it’s out in paperback as well).  Ido, you’ll be happy to hear that Bonjour 40: A Paris Travel Log (40 years. 40 days. 40 seconds.) will be out in paperback sometime this month---I’ll let y'all know.

For DYI Interior Decorators:  Just a little tip for those of you who like the decorating arts as much as I do.  I came across this Designer’s Cheat Sheet at the Honey & Fitz blog, and immediately loaded it onto my ipad.  If you’re decorating a house, you’ll love having bed and table dimensions, pillow lay-outs, and more; and don’t miss the upholstery yardage chart.  My vote for most useful freebie of the year!

 

A Wistful Autumn in Burgundy

PHOTO:  Vigne Vierge (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is a popular vine for walls in Burgundy.  This is the plant that got me in trouble with the agricultural beagle at the airport one time.  But that's another story.

 

One of the highlights of living in Burgundy, with it's rolling hills and verdant pastures, is the grand and glorious fall.  It almost makes up for the long-ish winter that follows.  

This week was sunny and it was almost warm  so out came the camera.  Fellow gardeners, hope you'll find a couple of plant ideas here.  Burgundy is roughly equivalent to hardiness zone 7a in the states.

Mahonia Japonica is a favorite plant of mine.  It's evergreen, elegant, easy, and great for fall color.

After a foggy couple of weeks, the moss, ever present on shady stone walls, is glowing green.

I hope some gardener can explain this to me:  in temperate Charleston, grass turns brown in winter.  In Burgundy (with a climate similar to the Washington DC area), the grass looks just like this, flourescent green, all year---even in the dead of winter.   The tree is a cutleaf Japanese maple called 'Seirku'.

 

A fading fall rose.  This rose is one of the all-time greats in my book:  'Michka', by Meilland, un rosier grimpant (a climber).  In my garden it doesn't just bloom, it goes through full flushes, virtually all the time.  It's flushing right now as if it were spring.  My other roses are nearly leafless (OK I didn't get around to spraying much this year), but this rose, a disease-buster, has foliage that looks fresh and green.  Golden yellow in fall, it takes on a much peachier tone in spring.  It gets big--mine is eight feet tall and nearly that wide.

Pots of strawberries in my neighbor's garden 

My Japanese Maple "Bloodgood" is red all year, but this tree is the basic species variety, with green leaves except in fall.

Saying a sad good-by to autumn: fallen leaves from a Kwanzan cherry.

A very happy Thanksgiving to all!  Now here's a recipe for the week after, that could feed a crowd of lingering, turkey-fatiqued guests.

 

RECIPE:  Butternut Pecan Lasagne

Though they have many other pumpkins and squash varieties, butternut squash is a fairly new arrival in France.  In fact, at the market the other day, A French woman, who saw me buying one, asked me what one does with it.  (A first for me---usually I'm asking about THEIR new and different veggies).  This rich, vegetarian main dish is perfect for fall.  Butternut squash is fairly mild, so I like to add some assertive flavors and contrasting textures to it. (Not my best photo, by the way, but we were in a hurry to dig in!).

• 1 cup pecans, toasted 
• One butternut squash, about 2.5 lbs., peeled and sliced then cut into pieces
• olive oil
• ½ teaspoon red chile flakes
• 2 onions, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh sage, chopped
• ¾ lb. ricotta cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• pinch of nutmeg 
• 1 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese, divided 
• no-cook lasagna noodles, about 12
• 2 balls fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• ½ cup crème fraîche or sour cream  plus 2 tablespoons

Toast pecans in 300 degree oven for 7 minutes and set aside.

Raise oven temperature to 400.  Toss squash with chile flakes, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil.  Roast until tender, 20 to 30 minutes.  Reduce heat to 375. 

Meanwhile, cook onions in a little olive oil on low heat until caramelized, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add sage and stir for 2 more minutes.

Toss squash with onion mixture in a bowl.

In another bowl, mix ricotta with egg and ½ cup parmesan, plus nutmeg, salt and pepper.

To assemble, spread a tablespoon or two of crème fraîche in bottom of an  8” (20cm) square pan.  Cover bottom with lasagne noodles, breaking one in half if needed to fit. Spread with half of ricotta mixture, then half of squash.  Place half of mozzarella over all then top with  half of pecans.  Top with another layer of noodles.  Repeat (ricotta, squash, cheese pecans). Top with a layer of noodles.

Spread crème fraîche evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with ground pepper and top with remaining half cup parmesan.

Bake until bubbly, about 35 minutes; check periodically, if it browns up too much, tent with foil.  Let sit a few minutes before serving.  Serves 6.

 

In the COMMENTS:  Well we certainly have some strong opinions on tea, y’all!  Everything from buying it ready-made by the gallon (that would be my mother),  to special chinese kettles that bring the water to the perfect temperature (Suzanne).  A professional weighs in, and if you’re visiting Napa you must stop by Tillerman Tea to say hello to David.  Linda has two recipes for us, including homemade decaf.  Jan, please tell us the name of that wonderful tea you’ve been searching for!  Frank and Herm are going solar, Libby of Libby Wilkie Designs is horrified by tea bags, and Debbie, thanks for reminding me about Luzianne!  Natalia talks about Tea Forte, Diane (Under an Olive Tree) is making tea in Italy..well  there’s lots more, to further your tea education!

Favorite Reads: Great news for book lovers, we LOVE the new book site for women, Shelf Pleasure. You'll be hearing more about them from us soon. Also one of our readers, Paula Hogan, has written many children's books, including The Life Cycle of the Honeybee which was the featured book on the PBS series Reading Rainbow.  Find it  here ,then click on her author page to see other works.

 

A Cup of Tea? It’s Complicated

 Europeans drink a lot of tea, and not the just Brits, it's a European passion.  And they are quite particular about their tea.  Maybe folks are in the states now too, but when I lived there, a cup of tea was a cup of tea, though it did also come in decaf and herbal.

You thought making a cup of tea was easy? Oh la la, since most of our friends are European, I feel like I’ve been to Tea University.  And of course, now that scientists have decided that drinking tea prevents cancer and makes you live longer, even I, who would prefer an espresso or a chocolat chaud any day, take my daily dose.

We’ve educated you in the French coffee rules, so here are the European tea rules, as best I can determine,with input from various tea drinkers here that I know.

When I first arrived, I noticed everyone but me had an electric kettle.  I thought, how stupid is that, a dedicated device just to boil water!

Now I own an electric tea kettle. How did I live without one?  When you’re serving tea in quantities, it’s easy and fast.  It’s critical when my English son-in-law and his mum visit (and daughter Kelly taught me to use it for quick boiled water for other things, like pasta).

Now for the types of tea.  In Europe, tea is hot---ice tea is basically non-existent.  Herbal tea is not known by that name, and ‘decaf tea’ is uncommon. After dinner when it’s time to cut off the caffeine,  European tea drinkers will ask for a tisane or a vervain (or sometimes, une infusion).  Vervain (verbena in English) is a plant used to make a herbal tea, and often combined with other flavors like mint or orange.  It is also a natural remedy, used to treat mild depression, kidney stones, and as an added benefit, it is said to ward off vampires.

Up next: what brand of regular tea to offer?  It’s a land mine!  Various English friends have tried to educate me, but what I’ve discovered is there is no one correct answer, only very strong opinions.  Many like PGTips (I always keep a box of that), some swear by Tetley.  Many turn up their nose at Lipton. Twinings seems to be acceptable to most. 

The basics types of regular tea here are English breakfast or Earl Grey, or indian teas like Darjeeling.  You can offer milk (never cream, quel horreur!) with English Breakfast but not with the otherrs.  For English Breakfast serve the milk cold in a pitcher, and add milk after the pour, not before.  Sugar or honey?  Lemon? You may offer all  of the above.  Everyone I polled seems to be OK with tea bags. 

What kind of tea do I drink, tea virgin that I am?  Green tea is said to be the healthiest, but I don’t like it much except for one brand: Yogi Chai Green. It has a peppery taste that is almost addictive.  I used to drink it with a touch of honey and just a teaspoonful of cream for richness.  But, sigh, now they’ve discovered putting milk in tea reduces the health benefits. Trés compliqué, n’est pas?

Please share your tea wisdom in the COMMENTS, for our continuing education.  And hop over to The Daily Basics if you'd like to read my guest post this week, "6 Tips on Being a Good Guest".

 RECIPE:  The Rituals for a A Proper Tea

My British friend Tony has kindly agreed to educate us on how to do tea the English way.

• Boil the water in a kettle.
• When boiled pour some boiling water into the tea pot. i.e. "Warm The Pot" Throw out this water.
• Put the loose tea into the pot. One  " teaspoon " full for each person and one extra " For the Pot"
• Pour on the boiled water. 
• Leave for a few minutes to brew, or as they say in the north to ' Mash "
• Now either a)  As Mr Twining  recommends add milk to the tea cup before filling. This ,he maintains, keeps the cup free from  tannin stain  b) As is more usual add milk to taste.
• Pour the tea into the cups using a " Tea Strainer "
• Add sugar if required with " Sugar Tongs"
• Stir with a " Teaspoon"
• Sip elegantly. Pinkie raised if possible.
• Alternatively use Tea Bags!
• Avoid tea sold in Boston Mass. It could be damp and slightly salty!

And English friend Narissa sends some tea trivia and history:

In the 18th century in England tea was an very expensive commodity, drunk mainly by the aristocracy and a new middle class which had become wealthy with the industrial revolution. Around this time the teabox or caddy, became a feature in every household. This box, usually made of woods, such as mahogany or rosewood, had three compartments, the left and right ones held different types of tea while the round center one was fitted with a glass bowl - for mixing the tea to taste. Once mixed and placed in the pot the box would be locked (so your maid would not get a taste for or impulse to steal the tea) and the key placed back on one of the chains of the chatelaine the lady of the house wore hanging from her belt.  Nowadays, while China tea is drunk, it is mostly Indian teas from Assam, Darjeeliing or Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) that are the most popular. Photo: Tea caddy circa 1825, from The Box Shop.   Modern versions have slots for various types of tea bags.

In the COMMENTS last week: Living in Burgundy, we're always drinking and thinking about wine (Much more than tea).  By email, our Dutch friend Rudy sends a quote which, he says, "I stole from a napkin" (obviously, written by a woman):  "Men are like a fine wine. They start out like grapes. It's our job to stomp on them until they mature into something you would have dinner with!"    Hey guys, this quote was sent to me by one of your own, so you'll have to take it up with him of you don't agree! 

Favorite Reads Music:  Our reader and poet Herm of the Poems, Photos and Stuff blog told me his favorite French singer: Mireille Mathieu.  Listen here, and buy her greatest hits album here. Beautiful, Herm, thank you.

Guest Post: Turning 40 in the Louvre

Dear Readers, do I have une petite gâterie (a treat) for you today!  Karen A. Chase is the author of a book I absolutely loved,  Bonjour 40: A Paris Travel Log (40 years. 40 days. 40 seconds, winner of the eLit Silver Medal Award.  She has graciously agreed to do a guest blog for us, and she includes an excerpt which really captures the soul of her book.  Read on...

I planned an adventure to stay in Paris for five weeks for my fortieth. Journaling about the trip became a blog that became a book, and below is an excerpt that reminds me how important it is to nurture my dreams regardless of age. Like most tourists, I visited the Louvre, but to a woman turning forty  in Paris for a month, the experience was more enlightening than I could imagine. Below is an excerpt from my book, Bonjour 40, on turning forty in the Louvre.

Bonjour 40 ~ Excerpt

Entered the Louvre at 9 a.m. It was all going so well. Tickets and plan in hand, navigation headset hanging around my neck, I went straight to the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike. They have her placed on a rock pedestal resembling a large ship prow, at the top of a long flight of stairs, so you approach her from beneath. Art critics have determined her “best side” is a three-quarter view on her left, but I quickly realize, for a woman with no arms or head, she is commanding and stunning from every angle. 

She is sexy and feminine, yet healthy and robust, with a pair of breasts and an ass that men would die to protect. This sculpture exudes what I imagine most of us women would like to feel like every single day. Brave. Confident. Alluring. Beautiful. Strident. And free. Some believe she is depicted descending from the skies, but placed on the edge of that rock. To me, she seems to be lifting off. She’s on the precipice of something even greater than herself. Stepping forward, wings out wide for flight, with the wind of the future already pressing and lifting her skirts. 

I wander off envisioning myself feeling that way now that I’m turning forty, and from there, POOF! I was lost in a hallway leading to heaven knows where. Crap. I had no idea where I was. I looked at the map on the 2″×4″ screen of the handheld guide wondering how I could navigate my way back to my plan [I had made that morning] again.

I took a right into an exhibit room to get my bearings and ended up standing in front of the Mona Lisa. She is, I’m sorry to say, not what I expected. I was a little let down that she was so small. The canvas is 21″×30″, and as if to prove the point and make you feel ridiculous for thinking she was larger, the Louvre has placed her in a room with the largest canvas they own—Veronese’s Wedding of Cana at 391″×267″.

As I stood in front of her smirk, I stared into her face and compared her simplicity to the chaos of Cana. I realized the Mona Lisa makes a lovely point with her small, demure self. Not overbearing, too complicated, or too grand, it’s easy to be with her. Unlike the monster painting behind me, it would be easy to travel with her. Leonardo Da Vinci did. He carted her demure, quiet, canvas visage with him everywhere for more than fifteen years. He began painting her when he was fifty, improving, altering, and working at her continually until right before he died. Hmm.

Yes, I’m sure you see the lesson, too. Patience, grasshopper. Building a woman that is both engaging and mysterious takes time, and sometimes you start later in life than you planned…

Photo Caption: Although not in the Louvre, this woman’s expression, in a painting by Henri Gervex, is exactly how I feel when I experience art within the city. The painting is in the free Musée Carnavalet, covering the history of Paris.

WANT TO KNOW MORE about Karen Chase, and her book?  You can buy Bonjour 40: A Paris Travel Log (40 years. 40 days. 40 seconds from Amazon. It's an ebook, but the PRINT version will be out this month--watch this space. Karen, who is also a graphic designer extraordinaire,  has done a darling trailer for the book which you can watch here.  Or go directly to her author site or her facebook page.  Follow her on twitter at @KarenAChase.  Nook fans can find the book here.

Karen, many thanks, and we eagerly await your next book!

In the COMMENTS:  Virginia Honey, I do need one of those pillows! (Virginia writes the Paris Though my Lens blog). Beth and Barbara, thanks for answering Caitlin's question about French driver's licenses, especially since I didn't know the answer.  And Caitlin, David Lebovitz did a blog post on everything about gelatin, which is where I found the conversion.  Janelle, we are drooling over Aunt Martha's Oh-So-Good Pie (best name ever), please do send the recipe!  Suzanne, looks like we'll be making that pie after all, but to celebrate.  Pat, your Umbrian version of Eggnog Pie looks even better--but Chris (of that great shopping site, European Market) , your idea isn't bad either!

A Very un-French Pie from a Bygone Era

When I was 25 years old, I made an eggnog pie.  Now we won’t talk about how long ago THAT was.  Let’s just call it another era. 

The pie, which is what one used to call an icebox pie, was so good I remember it still.  The recipe is long lost and I haven’t made it since, because I confess I have a little bit of a gelatin phobia (especially since it only comes in thin little sheets, here in France).  But I decided to conquer my fear and make a pie.

In particular I want to make it for Thanksgiving.  Since Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday,  the Europeans are curious about it, so I always go all out.  

The French don’t know eggnog, so I thought it would be a good foodie adventure.  Of course I can’t buy eggnog here, but this recipe doesn’t call for prepared eggnog--you basically make a homemade eggnog, and put it in a pie.  With that tricky gelatin.

So, you don’t mind if I do a little Thanksgiving practice run with you, do you?  I made it last night, and I have to say it’s just as good as I remembered, and dead easy.  Make it for Thanksgiving if you wish, and if you have to make an extra pie or two to perfect your technique, well, c’est la vie.

 

RECIPE: Rich and Retro Bourbon Eggnog Pie 

I found a recipe that was sort of close at Taste of Home, but I’ve tweaked it.  And it must go in a chocolate crust.  If you’re a southerner you can probably do that in your sleep.   After all, when things get tough in the South, we Make a Pie.  

 First make and bake the chocolate cookie pie crust.  I made the one at Chow, but instead of 4 tablespoons of butter, I used 3, plus 1 tablespoon of bourbon.

 

Then make the pie: 

• 1 ½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin (or 2 ½ sheets of 3 x 5.5” , or 8x13 cm, sheets of gelatin. Order them here  if you want to try them. They're said to dissolve better.)
• 1/4 cup cold water, if using powdered gelatin
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ⅔ cup milk
• 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1-1/2 cups whipping cream, whipped
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided

In a small bowl, soften powdered gelatin in the ¼ cup cold water; set aside for about 5 to 10 minutes. (If using sheets, put them in 3 cups cold water to soften. To use, fish them out, shake water off, and add to recipe, discarding water).

In a large saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to med-high and cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks to warm them, and add them to the pan. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in softened gelatin, vanilla, bourbon, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. 

Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into pie shell. Sprinkle with remaining nutmeg. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.  Serves 8.

(A thought: I didn’t try it, but I’m guessing you could lighten this up by cutting the cream to a cup and beating up a couple of those egg whites separately, and folding it all together. That’s typically how homemade eggnog is made). 

In the COMMENTS:  Anita of the It's a Funderful World blog is a happy Alliance Française member as is Julie, and Libbie has taken their classes in Paris.  Rachel of And Then Make Soup says, no AF in your city?  Start your own meet-up group!  Suzanne in Louisville says there is such a group there called The French Connection.  Natalia keeps up with her French through Yabla.  If you haven't tried this, it's a most interesting and unique way to learn, on the web. 

My condolences to anyone who is suffering through the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.  I was in Charleston for Hugo and my house was trashed, so I feel your pain.  Bon courage to all.

For Francophiles: A Meet & Greet Spot, and More

Photo:  Day dreaming of France?  The AF is the next best thing to being there.

So, you're a hopeless francophile.  Then I hope you are a member of the Alliance Française.  If not, read on!  And even if you are---you might not know all these facts about this wonderful organization devoted to promoting French all around the globe.

The AF was created in Paris in 1883, by several notable men of the day, including Louis Pasteur and Jules Verne.  Their goal:  to spread the culture and language of France around the planet.

A big focus of the group is language learning---the AF has nearly half a million students, world-wide.  But that’s not all!  It’s a social and cultural group too.  And there is very likely an AF group near you.

Before moving to France, we were enthusiastic Alliance members in Charleston.   The group, with 70-ish members, was about three quarters francophiles and one French expats, and it was held at  a member’s homeeach month.  We celebrated the major French holidays, with a summer Bastille Day pique nique and a winter Fête des Rois, with a galette.   There was a French film festival each year, and one of the French members did a cooking class from time to time.  When we had it at our home one month, we fêted a visiting French ballet group that was performing at the Spoleto festival.  The AF was a fabulous way to stay connected to France.  Cartoon by Tom Vieth of A Small Village in France.

We also joined an AF French conversation group in Charleston, hosted by a French expat couple.  If you’re looking for French language lessons, there’s no better place to start than your local AF group.  Photo, below:  Paris has a big AF center with a comprehensive language school.

To find an AF group in the states, click here.   And if you’re planning a prolonged stay in France, you’ll also find that it’s a great way to study French in France as well.  Find info on AF groups abroad here, and for Paris, click here.

I know we have lots of AF readers.  Please share your AF experiences with us!

 

Favorite Reads: My British friend Dee can't stop talking about the book How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran, which she says is hilarious.  She's promised to loan it to me, I can't wait.  And it's not for girls only, even her husband loved it.   Says one review: “A spirited memoir/manifesto….With equal amounts snarky brio and righteous anger….That such an important topic is couched in ribald humor makes reading about Moran’s journey hilarious as well as provocative….Rapturously irreverent, this book should kick-start plenty of useful discussions.”  Guys, read it if you've got the, ahem, courage.

In the COMMENTS: don't miss the good ideas about 'les restes' this week.  Michelle, Martin and other readers suggested a good vegetable stock, maybe with chicken bones thrown in.  Julie of the Traveling Through blog makes a stir fry, super idea.  Marilyn (who makes beautiful art with salvaged materials, how appropriate for our post), you are lucky to be part of a CSA group!  Linda has a yummy recipe for pears, and Suzanne has roasting ideas.  Kristin of French Word a Day plans to barter with neighbors when the veggies overflow from her new garden. Carrie (of Season It Already!), they don't seem to use much balsamic in dressings here, maybe it's just an Italian thing.  Bonnie, you make a good point about the difference in French shopping habits--it's a system designed to avoid waste.

‘Les Restes’: What to Do with Those Pesky Veggies

The French call them les restes, we call them leftovers.  Recently I was appalled to read an article that revealed a dirty little foodie secret:  in the states we tend to get carried away and fill our market basket with fresh vegetables.  Then we get busy, or don’t know exactly what to do with our bounty, and we throw a large proportion of them smack dab into the poubelle.  Who would do such a thing! Then I realized:  souvent, c’est moi!

A new study says, in fact, that we throw away 40% of our food (see Tara Parker-Pope's excellent article From Farm to Fridge to Garbage Can in the NY Times). You know how it goes.  Your fridge is overflowing with good intentions.  The beautiful veggies beam expectantly.  You really meant to get out your recipe books and whip up some fabulous concoctions.  But life intervenes--you went out to dinner, or you were in a hurry, or you grabbed a sandwich--and there you are, with WAY too much produce on your hands, all headed south.

 I took a cue from frugal French cooks, and I now have a system.  Here in southern Burgundy, market day is every Saturday in Cluny.  So mid-week or at least by Friday, I clean out the vegetable drawer and put it all out on the counter, and I make something. 

And here are my rules:  I try to use everything, it has to be fast and quick, and it can’t require a recipe.  I often end up with several days of lunches or side dishes, all ready to go, or cooked veggies ready to add to another dish.  Brilliant!  And with the money I’ve saved, I can go shopping for something really important, like shoes.

Details on my seat-of-the-pants method is below.  Now how about y'all, how about giving up some of your tricks?

 

RECIPE IDEAS:  Clean out the Fridge Day

Option 1:   Cheerful Chopped Salads

Take most any fresh vegetable Including:

tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, green beans, onions (red, white, sweet or scallions), zucchini, yellow squash, artichokes, avocados, peppers of any sort, corn, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, fennel, celery, radishes. 

Chop them up, steam them lightly if needed, depending on the type.  You can stop here and dress the salad, or continue:

Add one of the following, cooked and cooled:  rice , small cooked pasta, bulgur wheat, quinoa, or chopped potatoes.   OR go Italian and add white beans, or go Mexican with black beans.

And/Or toss them with:  fresh greens, such as arugula or baby spinach. 

ADD as desired:  fresh herbs, nuts, seeds, chopped cheese, croutons. 

Toss the salad with French dressing #1 (you do keep a jar of this on hand, don’t you?)  or your favorite salad dressing.  Photo:  A white bean and whatever salad.

Option 2:   A One-dish Meal

Make Pasta Primavera: steam or sauté a combo of veggies and dish them out over pasta, dressed with some butter or olive oil, and top with parmesan cheese.

OR serve sautéed vegetables over grits or grains.  If you want to add meat , throw in some cooked bacon, sausage, leftover chicken, etc.  Photo:  sauteed veggies for pasta or to start a soup.

Option 3: Roasting for Richness

Roasted veggies are supremely versatile, and delish. Some that take well to roasting are:  tomatoes, squashes of all types, peppers, mushrooms, turnips, carrots, pumpkin, cauliflower, fennel, potatoes, onions.

To roast, toss with a bit of olive oil, sea salt and pepper; roast at 400F  (200C) until done.  A jelly roll pan works well, and don't crowd them (some veggies, like tomatos, do better in a slow oven with a longer cooking time).

SERVE them as a side dish, or re-heat and serve them over hot pasta, grits, polenta, rice, or grains.  Photo:  sweet potato slices, tossed in a little maple syrup and roasted.

Option 4:  Make soup!

Just invent a new recipe with what you have on hand.  Your really can’t mess this up.  Soup is Good.

 

 In the COMMENTS:  Frank, I got a kick out your adventure with pears.  Kelley is roasting pears in Paris---Kelley, will you be blogging about your Paris experiment? Christine who blogs at Pen at the Ready has a travel tip in her comment.  If you're young at heart, please do go to the link that Paula suggests, a youtube children's book about a French monsieur with perfect pears, The Beast of Monsieur Racine.  It's great fun, I sent it to my grandkids.  Mariella's cooking with pears in Australia, Michelle in New England, and Dee, our pear cake recipe author, suggests a new twist.

Favorite Reads:  OK ladies, speaking of shoe shopping, here's a book on how to get that elusive Paris style, even if you go to Paris only in your dreams.  Check out Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris.

 

French Pears: Over the Moon with a Spoon

O
To be orchard-less in the Burgundy countryside would be a crime.  Most everyone has a pear, a plum, an apple, a peach tree.  Even in my friend Ellen’s formal garden there is a pear tree espaliered along one of her pretty parterres.

In the autumn markets pears have turned up in all their colorful glory: rosy and glowing, golden yellow or earthy green.  A big basket of them adorning the kitchen table promises good things to come.  So what to do with this bounty?

I’ve been cooking a bit with pears this week, and experimenting with roasting them.  Roasting softens the pear and releases its juices.  And that latter part is the most interesting--the juice that comes from a roasted pear has an intense flavor that will put you right over the moon. 

In most any recipe where you need a cooked pear, you can roast them.  I made a version of my friend Dee’s fabulous Apple Cake, from our November 2011 post, but with roasted pears.  Some of the concentrated roasting juices went right into the cake batter, for a more intense pear flavor.

My favorite use for that scrumptious roasted jus de poire it to incorporate it in a homemade caramel sauce.

Ellen, who made poached pears with some of her harvest, gave me a jar of the leftover poaching liquid to sweeten my tea.  I like it in my espresso, too.  Now that’s a creative idea worth stealing! 

All the recipes are below, and they’re my new favorite fall desserts du jour.

 

RECIPES:  Roasted Pear Sundaes with Rum Raisin Ice Cream and Pear-Caramel Sauce

Dee’s Apple Roasted Pear Cake

Ellen’s Pear Tea

To roast pears, cut  2 lbs. (900 gr) firm pears into thick slices.   Toss them in a bowl with the juice of a lemon and a tablespoon of sugar. Spread them out on a jelly-roll pan lined with a Silpat. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until they’re tender and give off their juices.   Drain juices and reserve; cool pears. I got a half cup liquid, but it may depend on the type of pear.

For the Pear Sundaes, I used the Better Homes & Gardens easy Caramel Sauce recipe, but I subsitututed  the roasted pear juices for the water (I also used light cream instead of heavy, which worked fine).  I served the roasted pears over rum raisin ice cream (use vanilla or caramel ice cream if you prefer), and topped it with the pears and the caramel sauce, plus pecans. 

For Dee’s Apple Pear Cake, make her recipe as  directed except:  roast 2 lb. (900 gr) of pears, as above. When making batter, add a couple of tablespoons of roasted pear syrup to batter. Pour half the batter in the pan, top with half the pear slices, spread remaining batter over.  Arrange remaining pear slices around top and sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar.  Make caramel sauce recipe as above, if desired, with remaining reserved pear juices. 

For Ellen's Pear Tea or espresso, use the roasted pear juices to sweeten your tea/coffee. Or do as she did and make poached pears and then use the syrup (it makes a much larger quantity of syrup):  In a saucepan just large enough for 4 pears, put a bottle of white or red wine, a cup of sugar, ½ cup juice, ½ cup water, cinnamon sticks, a couple of whole cloves, and an orange or lemon peel (you can substitute more water/juice for the wine if you prefer). Bring to a boil.  Add 4 peeled, whole pears, stems left on, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Cool and chill overnight, leaving pears to marinate in liquid.  To serve, remove pears and reduce liquid by a third or more until it thickens a bit, 10-15 minutes.  Serve pears with ice cream, drizzled with a little syrup.  Save remaining syrup and add a sweet spoonful to your afternoon tea. 

 

In the COMMENTS:  Ken from NC, welcome, even if you're from the wrong side of that Carolina border. But use polenta for grits, never!  I make my friends bring grits over when they come. (Ken blogs at Living the Life in Saint-Aignan, check out his Savarin cake). Sue and Linda have great pesto tips. Natalia, we have family in Phoenix, can't believe Camelback Road was ever dirt!

Our Reader's Blogs:  Over at A Small Village in France, Tom Vieth has new paintings posted for sale.  If you want affordable, whimsical art that evokes the French countryside, you'll want to take a look at his work (he's even got some tea towels printed with his paintings, which would be great framed!).  And if you happen to live in the northeast area of the US, he's got several shows coming up, check the schedule here.

 

Our Naked, Steamy Neighbors

One thing I’ve learned about Europeans since moving here is that many of them like to take their clothes off outside and 'get nekkid', as we would say in the South.  That is to say, they are great fans of the outdoor shower.  Our Dutch/French neighbors Marion and Jean-Marie are huge proponets of this.  They shower outside all year at their other home in Holland.  Marion (above) claims they are healthy as a result, never getting the flu or even a head cold.

Since they now spend more of their time in France than Holland, Marion recently asked Jean-Marie to install an outdoor shower here as well.  Picture this: their house is on one of the main village roads, and they have a small walled courtyard at the entrance.  Lacking a better space, they put the shower just inside the wall along the road, enclosed with an old wooden door.  They dash out of the front door, in sun or snow, and into the shower. Marion says no one can see inside, though I think some of the tall grape harvesting trucks that go by have gotten an eyeful.

Ron was walking by their house the other morning and he saw steam rising from behind the wall.  What, he inquired of Marion, is the proper etiquette for greeting a naked woman who is showering?  She was inches away on the other side of the wall, so it seemed rude not to speak, but still….Oh la la!

I can never hope to keep up with the hearty Dutch, but I decided to see what the fuss was all about.  On a warm sunny day, bien sûr.  I peeked out of our gate to be sure the coast was clear, then toddled over in robe and slippers, towel and razor in hand.  But then of course the village school class suddenly rounded the corner, on some sort of outing--so much for discretion.

It was quite pleasant showering en plein air, with the sun above and a trumpet vine creeping over the wall and tumbling into la douche.  I could see the church steeple, and was serended by the birds.  A nice moment with nature.  When it’s 70 degrees, that is.  In the buff, I'm defintitely the fair-weather type.

Our English friends Tony and Narissa, who live in a more isolated spot outside of the village, have an outdoor shower of a more rustic variety.  It’s out on the lawn in the front yard, simply a hose thrown over a tree limb, with a nozzle attached and the shampoo sittiing on a nearby tree trunk. This is full exposure to nature in its purest form.  There’s normally no one around, but Tony says Madame la factrice, our round, cheerful, and somewhat frumpy postwoman, has encountered the full monty so many times that it hardly shocks her anymore. But wait-- she has just retired, and has been replaced by a hot young blond who is quite the French babe.  Stay tuned to see how the towel story unfolds.

Photos:  Above, the shower, au naturel, of Tony and Narissa.  Both of them declined to be photographed for this story--chickens!  At left:  Be forewarned that you may not always have an appreciative audience while showering en plein air.  Tony's cat Cléau looks on, and though Tony's quite the hunk, she does not look particulary impressed.

 

Meanwhile, all this fresh air has made us hungry.  Here is the simplest of  salads for the last gasp of summer, a two-bean affair I whipped up the other day, with ingredients  from the market and garden.

 

 

 RECIPE: Salade Deux Haricots with Pesto

What makes this salad special is the fresh pesto, with basil straight from the garden. I used the fat white onions that are in the market now, but you could use red onions, sweet onions or chopped scallions as well.  Don't hesitate to throw in some other raw veggies:  a little shaved fennel perhaps, or thinly sliced yellow squash. This is better if made a few hours ahead.

•  about a pound (450gr)  of haricots verts (thin green beans)
• 1 large can white beans, drained
• as many grape tomatos as you like, cut in half if large
• 1 white or other mild onion, chopped fine
•  freshly made pesto

(I used the pesto recipe here; you'll need only half of it, so cut it in half, or freeze the rest for a winter day). 

Steam beans until tender-crunchy (start checking after about 3 minutes). Drain and cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces, about an inch long. 

Rinse and drain white beans.  Mix vegetables and beans in a large bowl and toss with pesto.  Add sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Cover tightly and chill until ready to serve.

 

In the COMMENTS:  In regards to Heather and Kent's 'vacation lifestyle', several folks inquired about health insurance when living abroad, so be sure to check out Heather's response in the Comments section. Sam of My Carolina Kitchen tells about her own vacation lifestyle in the Bahamas.  Fun but 'not for sissies', well put!  And Page reminds us about the 6 degrees of separation.

Favorite Reads/TV Series:  OK I admit it, I'm a hopeless fan of that high-brow English soap, Downton Abbey. and here in France it's back, fraught with the usual crises and hand-wringing. Will Matthew and Mary really tie the knot?  Will the Abbey be a victim of hard ecnomic times?  To see Series 3 in the states you'll have to wait until January, so if you want to re-visit Series 2 to get ready, get it here: Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey Season 2 (Original U.K. Edition).

 

The Vacation Lifestyle: Could You Do It Too?

Heather and Kent (of the blog Unexcused Absenses) were hardworking professionals living a perfectly normal, crazed, American life, with vacations that were WAY too short for their tastes.  But instead of just dreaming of leaping into a saner life, they sat down and made a plan.  Now, just short of middle age, they are living the life they love.  I asked them how they did it, and here is their answer. It should be mandatory reading for anyone who's ever dreamed of a different sort of life.  (Some of you may have read parts of this post over at The Daily Basics, but I'm running an expanded version here, to give their thoughtul plan a wider audience). Here is Heather and Kent's recipe for making dreams come true. 

 On Living Our Dream in The Low Rent District of the High Life

On the surface, we look like globe trotters with fat wallets stuffed with trust fund dollars. Each year we enjoy months of cruising the canals of France on our boat, Après Ski. During the winter, we live at one of the most expensive and exclusive ski resorts in the world, Beaver Creek, Colorado (the upscale, sister resort of Vail). It surprises folks when they learn we're not wealthy trust-funders, dot com millionaires or even spies. We're just two people, in our 40's, settled in what we refer to as the low-rent district of the high life.

The choices that enable us to live this 'vacation lifestyle' at a relatively young age flow from a few basic principles. We aggressively fund our savings, keep operating expenses small, make targeted capital expenditures, and eschew traditional careers. We focus on enjoying life now - while we can.

In the vacation lifestyle, we define our dreams in terms of how spend our time each day. One day last winter, I asked my husband, Kent, to describe his ideal winter day; catching first tracks on the slopes, he replied, and dinner later with friends. I pointed out that additional money wouldn't make it snow more, the lifts open earlier or the ski day longer. With more money we could step out of a slope-side mansion instead of packing a lunch and catching the bus. In the evening we could host friends a fancy restaurant in neighboring Vail rather than using our grill -- but our daily routine would be unchanged. If you compare our actual day to our ideal day, we have achieved our dream.

A Tale of Three Golfers

I often hear, "I want to golf every day when I retire," when folks share dreams of retirement. Here are three imaginary scenarios:

Golfer A purchases a lovely home on a golf course in Florida. This home includes mandatory fees at the country club, monthly dining minimums and high yearly association fees. Golfer A enjoys a great standard of living, with all the perks of living the country club life, and golfs every day outside his house. 

Golfer B retires in her existing home in South Carolina, taking a part-time job as a starter at a favorite local course. As an employee, the course waives her greens fees and offers her a good discount at the pro shop. She continues to live close to her life-long friends and golfs every day for free.

Golfer C answers an ad in the Maui News. A small, family-run condo complex offers free lodging in exchange for several hours of handyman work per day as well 24-hour availability for emergencies. As Maui County resident, Golfer C golfs every day for $10 per round at the ocean-front municipal course.

 All these golfers live their dream of daily golf, but Golfer C lives in one of the most beautiful spots on the planet and does it for far less money than the other two golfers. Thanks to lower costs, Golfer C starts playing daily golf years before Golfer A can save enough to fund his version of the same retirement dream or Golfer B can pay off her mortgage. Golfer C lives the vacation lifestyle.

The Vacation Lifestyle Guiding Principles

While this isn't the usual sort of recipe you'll see in the Southern Fried French blog, here are a few guidelines that help us shape our lives so that we can go now, go with less and live vacation lifestyle.

Rule 0 - Pay yourself first.

This is the baseline behavior from which all the benefits of the vacation lifestyle flow. No matter how large or small your income, always put aside part of your income into your savings while eschewing debt. It's unlikely you will be able to retire at a higher standard of living than when you work, so living on less and saving more accelerates you toward retirement. 

Rule 1 - You can't spend like you're on vacation when you live the vacation lifestyle. 

Over the years. we've learned that you will pay the same amount for housing in a resort town no matter how long you stay. Stay in a nice hotel for a week, rent short-term for a month, or lease for an entire season and you'll pay approximately the same price. Therefore, we stay in one place for big chunks of time in order to keep expenses down. We also limit our meals out to once per week, don't have smartphones or cable TV, and opt to see local bands in dive bars over bigger shows. 

Rule 2 - Act like a local - join the community.

A job? Absolutely a necessity! A vacation lifestyle job (which might be a volunteer position) is about much more than earning money, it is about joining the community. I find it necessary for a one's well-being not just to consume goods and services, but to offer something of value to those around you.

Acting like a local also means cooking like a local -- in your home. I'm sure the readers of this blog can attest to how much pleasure one takes from interacting with other cooks, vendors and fellow food-lovers. Entertain friends new and old at your home (or boat!) and rediscover the pleasures of the table. 

 Rule 3 - Invest in skills and that further your lifestyle.

Instructing others in your favorite sport or hobby or working in an industry which interests you offers good leverage for the vacation lifestyle. Insiders, no matter what industry, often receive hefty discounts or freebies. Generally, the more you dive into any hobby, the less likely it is you'll pay top dollar for training, supplies, or access to facilities. We work at Beaver Creek as part-time ski instructors and race coaches. This gives us our season ski passes, provides an awesome inside track for gear, makes us true seasonal locals, and covers the bulk of our lodging expense during the season.

Rule 4 - Own things that bring down your operating expenses.

Our 20-year-old, 29-foot canal boat, Après Ski, cost about the same as a mid-sized sedan. The cost of purchase and operation of our boat is significantly less than renting a similar vessel long-term. Assuming we get 60% of our capital back when we sell, we will have paid 20% to 30% of the going rental rate for our vacation once operating expenses are factored into the financials. 

Rule 5 - Find your kindred spirits and pool resources. 

By pooling resources with friends with different interests, we can each benefit from one another's vacation lifestyles. We always have room for friends on our couch during ski season, and likewise we can join them at their golf club during the spring. We find it great fun to share resources!

Define your Dream and GO

We once dreamed of owning a half million dollar sailboat with which to see the world. As it turns out, we actually wanted to travel and to live on a boat, not necessarily sail around the world. We've found a way to live our dream for a tiny fraction of what we once thought we needed! We ply the waters of France rather than crossing oceans, but we love every minute of our adventures.

Examine what it is you really want. Imagine your perfect day or week; what do you see yourself doing? Is there a way to structure your life so that it costs little or nothing to do this? Give up the expensive material trappings decorating your dream, the idea that all work stops when your dream starts, and embrace the vacation lifestyle. Be creative, look for the inside track, and don't be afraid to go for it. Once you leap, you'll be amazed the opportunities you can find!

Many people work longer than necessary, and wait too long to fulfill a dream only to see the realities of old age thwart it. Try going now, going with less, and living your dream sooner by adopting the vacation lifestyle. If you're willing to reside in the low-rent district, you too can live the high life!

Mille mercis, Heather and Kent!  You can find them on the ski slopes, aboard Après Ski, and on the internet at UnexcusedAbsences.com.

Now, loyal readers and dreamers, any tips for us from your experience, on attaining the Vacation Lifestyle?  Or--what  lifestyle have you been lusting after?

If you missed our June post about visiting Heather and Kent's boat for a trip down the canal, you can read it here.

 

The Best Provençal Town That Isn't in Provence

You could be forgiven for thinking the pretty, slightly faded town of Uzès was in Provence.  It has the wide square full of blowsy plane trees, the smokers with faces tanned to leather lanquishing at outdoor cafés, the gritty, sun-baked feel of a southern town. I’ve even seen guide books list it as  Provence.  But in fact it's a smidge over the border, in the Languedoc.  

After passing a stressful couple of weeks, to regroup we up and went to Uzès last week, for a little retreat.  It’s not the first time we’ve been there, and it won’t be the last.  If you’re visiting either Provence or the Languedoc, this may be be your perfect home base.

Uzès has an embarrassment of riches:  its lovely square is reminiscent of Italy, with deep loggias shading the buildings and the soothing sound of the fountain that sits at its center.  It has a number of fabulous restaurants.  It was a Gallo-Roman settlement and is chock full of history, with three feudal towers, a chapel and a cathedral. It’s just a skip and a jump from Avignon, Nimes, and Orange.  It’s a bit of an antique center, so there’s brocanting galore.  It also has the liveliest Saturday market in the area (photo, right).

To add to that, it has our new favorite inn, discovered by our good friends Gerad and Maria on their last visit.  It's a chambre d’hote really, with five rooms plus a two bedroom apartment.  You might pass by the Maison de la Bourgade, on a narrow rue, without a second thought.  But push open the double oak doors and you’re in a Provençal (well, a Languedoc-ian ) dreamworld.  There’s a welcoming foyer and a big living room strewn with books and sofas you could sink into deeply.  Go out through the portes-fênetres to a big walled garden and there is cool grass, a palm tree, and an arbor of vines.  In the shade of a giant mulberry tree, the delightful hostess Elisabeth might be serving guests an over-the-top breakfast.  When we were there the spread included pastries, numerous bakery breads, and cheeses.  Plus there was fresh peach salad with mint, and little individual strawberry-apple fruit smoothies.   And something special each day: Elisabeth served us homemade crêpes one day, and crème caramel (for breakfast!) the next. We spent our leisurely petits déjeuners chatting with an three different charming couples, who hailed from Australia,  California, and Atlanta. It was all quite divine; one day we barely left the garden (at left in photo, courtesy of Maison de la Bourgade).

When we did venture out, it was off to a nearby  Unesco site, the Pont du Gard.  An enormous Roman aqueduct built in first century, the site includes a truly fascinating museum that takes you through the process of building an aqueduct.  Next trip we want to rent kayaks and paddle down the Gardon river, to view the Pont from above. (photos below,  the Pont du Gard, and the river Gardon viewed from the acqueduct).

All relaxed now.  Does this have you dreaming of your next trip?  Hope so!

Speaking of trips, several loyal readers have visited the château this year!  It was great to meet Judy and her husband Fred from NC, and Jacki from Boise, and then our beloved Belinda and Mark from Pittsburgh came for a return visit.  

Favorite Reads:  Look for the stunning fall/winter issue of the Country French 'bookazine' if you love French decor.  I wrote two of the articles in this issue. One features the NC home of our great friends Rudy and Ellen, who have a house near us as well. The other is the New Orleans home of Alix and Paul (who've shared their Spanish omelette and gazpacho recipes with us), who also have a house in Provence.  You may not find Country French at the grocery store, since it's more book than magazine, but your local bookstore should have it.  Meanwhile one of our readers, Christine Webb-Curtis, has written a mystery I can't wait to check out, called The Diva's Demise -- A Cape Cod Crime Mystery.  Most intriguing!  

In the COMMENTS: Merci for the kind comments.  Hampton, yes I've been making white peach jam from the peaches that fall over from my neighbor's tree.  Linda, happy moving and keep speaking French, even if you are amusant! Sandy and Natalia and Mary James at Mary James en Provence are all thinking of the bedtime French program, and trying the nighttime osmosis plan for learning French, good luck with that.  I'll join you if it works.

The Small Pleasures of Village Life

Life in a French Village is quiet, but dull it is not.  Since we are on the main village road, there often seems to be a procession of some sort passing by:  an antique car rally appears out of nowhere, or there’s a wedding at the church and the guests sashay by, the ladies sporting their outrageous, colorful hats. On memorial holidays the pompiers (fire fighters) step out smartly in uniform, to honor the war dead.  I’ve walked out of the gate and nearly been run over by a cow, since the farmer often moves his herd to another field by way of our little road.  Photo, above:  A bride and groom depart in their camionette, thoughtfully decorated by their friends (Is that a coffin on top?).

Then there are the undercurrents of daily life that keep things interesting.  I won't repeat the current gossip, but one evening this week we were drinking wine with our favorite neighbors  Marion and Jean-Marie outside on our galerie, and we got to talking about past life in the village.  There is no commerce now in our village, but the farmer across the way once had a café in his barn, where the men would stop in on Sundays for un verre de vin while the women and children went on to church. Looks like the guys got their communion wine one way or another.  

Marion also told the story of the former owner of their house.  He was was having an affair with une femme just down the road (une femme tombé, a fallen woman, since she’d previously had an affair with and a child by one of her mother’s lovers).  Monsieur routinely rolled his mobilette down the hill to her house with the motor off so no one would hear, but of course nobody was fooled.  Finally one morning the villagers saw her shiny patent leather shoes placed boldly outside his door.  This was a sign to all:  the affair is official, so Get Over It.  

As we chatted, un carrosse, pulled by a large, beautiful horse, zipped by at a good clip.  Seeing me run into the road with my camera, the driver and his wife kindly turned around and came back for a photo op.  Turns out they were from a neighboring village, and were taking their prize work horse of 20 years out for une promenade.  While we were chatting Ron had to scoop up our fearless and lackadaisical cat, who strolled up and walked right under the giant beast.

Just another evening in Burgundy, and excitement enough for these former city dwellers.

 

In the COMMENTS:  Everyone seemed to like the cooker made from a bathtub.  Now you must read about Debbie's equally creative bar-g-que grill!

Favorite Reads:  The best speaker in our French conversation group is our friend Richard, and he really works at it.  Yesterday he brought his favorite grammer book to class, which he says is straightforward and clearly written: French Grammar and Usage. How's this for dedication:  he reads it straight through once a year!  Great idea, I'm going to put a copy by my bed and do a brief one-page lesson every night. A quick search reveals a practice workbook by the same authors: Practicing French Grammar. Merci Richard, and happy studying to all!  (and yes, my book on language learning is still in progress, delayed by way too much summer fun.)

Au Château: Nicole, Out of Control

Photo:  Balloons over Balleure at the fête, photo by Margaret Fleming

The last time Nicole, our beloved châtelaine, threw a party at Balleure, it was to celebrate her retirement, and she invited 200 of her closest friends.  The catering crew?  Yours truly, and the rest of our French class, with some help from friends in the village.  It was fun, but it was so much work  (400 homemade chocolate chip cookies take a while) that after that we all put Nicole on Party Probation.

But it didn’t take.  She had a birthday this year with a big zero in it.  Once more, she was out of control.

She invited a mere 150 folks this time, though, for a sit-down lunch.  C’était du boulot, as they say (it was quite a job), but you had to admire the organization.  Nicole hired a refrigerator truck, which was parked in the barn, and the village loaned some huge tents.  The day before the fête, each of our various nationalities made a couple of dessert and salad specialties together, in the summer kitchen.  For Ali, Belinda and me, that meant a few hundred brownies and we peeled 18 pounds of potatoes for our salad.  At the “American Bar”, Ron (in formal attire for the occasion) and Monty set up for the margaritas and ‘Sex on the Beach’ which would be the featured cocktails for apéros.   Photo: Our bartenders in their  tabliers, serving up some Sex on the Beach to our Dutch friends Frank and Marjo.

As for the meat course, Henri from Lyon presided over the méchoui, the roasting of two  sheep and a couple of enormous fresh hams.  The cooking apparatus showcased French ingenuity:  two cast iron bath tubs for the fire, a spit made from car parts, and a motor from a washing machine.  The cooking crew started at 5 am.

The party went off without a hitch. The  weather was fine, great food, happiness all around.  After lunch the revelers gathered on the hill behind the château for a little surprise:  small hot air balloons were floated into the skies, to fête the birthday girl.  Of course one landed just out of reach in a peach tree and nearly started a fire, but a little drama is always good.

French lunches are never short affairs, but this one set a record:  we started at noon and rolled home around 8 pm.  But it appears we left too early, as most of the crowd stayed until 9:30.  Joyeux Anniversaire to our dear Nicole!  Now can we talk about that Party Probation again?

 

RECIPES:  A few Party Food Ideas

If you're having a big fête, you might steal some ideas from our international salad buffet.  For our potato salad, we kept it simple with the classic Old Fashioned Potato Salad from Gourmet. Maria (from the Dutch contingen) served melon slices over a bed of arugula with procuitto, pine nuts, and slices of fresh mozzarella, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Mariella (Australian, with Italian roots), made a great seafood salad with shrimp and crunchy veggies, tossed with lettuce.

Photo: The Birthday Girl (right) shares a laugh with Pierre, Andrée, and Marie-Louise. She's getting ready to cut our local baker Adrian's fabulous cake, which had layers of fresh fruit inside.

 

In the COMMENTS:  Last week's post on Le Sandwich prompted some good recipe ideas, from Suzanne, Jan, and  Heather of the Lost in Arles blog. Natalia love Croque Monsieurs.  Libby, bon voyage!  And Frank is planning next year's trip to France over a bowl of gazpacho (with his own secret ingredient).  Veronique of French Girl in Seattle remembers her first encounter with an American sandwich!

Photo: "la, la, la-la-la", says the crowd. I love this French tradition of celebrating. They are doing "La Bourgogne", a regional drinking song that involves clapping in rhythm and hand movements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deconstructing 'Le Sandwich'

Sandwiches in photo: Jambon cru with goat cheese and crudités; tuna with tomato and boiled eggs.

Despite the fact that they were named after an English lord---the Earl of Sandwich, who liked to eat his meal between bread to keep his hands clean while he played cards--- I always thought of sandwiches as migrating from America to Europe.  But no,  my continuing European education has taught me that the reverse is true.  Sandwiches probably date from the first century BC, and made their way from the Middle East to Europe, and finally to the states.

Many classic American sandwiches are fabulous.  Is there anything better than a hot Reuben?  French sandwiches are very different, the bread in particular.  With the exception of a Croque Monsieur, they are nearly always served on a crispy baguette or roll.  They tend to go much lighter on the fillings and sauces. They are displayed so beautifully in the boulangeries that I’ve taken to snapping photos of them.  When it’s picnic weather, I say why cook when you can grab a sackful of them, and off you go?

If you’re in the mood for a French lunch, serve up les sandwichs--these photos may inspire you.  Start with a good baguette, split lengthwise.  You could also use a croissant or focaccia.   A classic is ham with gruyère.  Butter is a more common spread than mayonnaise or mustard. 

Jambon cru chèvre is a common choice too, which features thinly sliced ham that resembles prosciutto, with goat cheese.  Crudités is a vegetable sandwich (usually lettuce and tomatoes)  with hard boiled eggs; sometimes ham is added.  Caprese sandwiches are a classic, with tomato, mozzarella, and pesto.  I was intrigued by one sandwich (photo, left) which has a thin herbed omelette inside, gotta try that.

Now to be really French, wrap your sandwiches in parchment paper, put them in a pretty basket, and break out the wine.  Instant French pique nique!

 

RECIPE:  My Favorite American Sandwich

You’ve got lots of ideas for le sandwich now, but here is my favorite American one. There used to be a restaurant in Charleston that served it.  It’s a grilled chicken salad sandwich, not a logical sort of sandwich but it’s mighty fine.

Make a simple pulled or chopped chicken salad with cooked chicken, celery, mayo, maybe a little garlic powder.  You’ll need two thin slices of good, whole grain bread.  Put a good quantity of chicken salad on the bread and add a slice of deli-sliced swiss or gruyère cheese (or use your Cheese Plane for thin slices).  Melt some butter in a cast-iron skillet   (sorry, nothing else will do for a grilled sandwich) and brown it nicely on both sides.

 

In the COMMENTS: We're still talking gazpacho: Of course Rachel of the 'and then make soup' blog was interested in it, and she makes another cold tomato soup, Porro Antequera.  Heather serves it like shooters, in shotglasses.  Beth, merci, glad it turned out great!  Debbie at A French Opportunity is hanging out in her new swing and hammock (you'll like her upside-down kitchen story).  Nan at Silver Magpies has a waning veggie garden,as does Cynthia at The Daily Basics--same here, y'all.  Reader Jacki willl visit the château, bon voyage and  à bientôt in Burgundy!  Look forward to meeting you.

Favorite Reads:  We're always happy to learn about a new book, and reader Sue Wallace sent two that she rediscovered when she was dusting book shelves.  Both are by Ina Caro.  The first, Paris to the Past: Traveling through French History by Train is about  "day trips from her Paris apartment encompassing modern access (and nearby restaurants) and the history of each site, some of which I'd never heard of," says Sue.

The second one, The Road from the Past: Traveling through History in France, "is a fascinating premise....travelling through France and visiting only locales that were constructed at the same time. It didn't matter if a site from the 15th century was next door to Picasso's stash, she would only stay within the 15th century to get a real feel for that time. I loved it. Hope you do, too."  Merci Sue, I'm sure we will!