I’m in Charleston visiting, and a few of my southern girlfriends and I were reminiscing about how our parents all had black women in to help when we were young—yes, some- thing like in 'The Help'—even if our parents' means were modest, as mine were. When we lived in Charleston, Ron and I had a wonderful black housekeeper who came every couple of weeks. Though she couldn’t read or write, she was wise and wonderful.
In the French countryside, things are a bit different, as I discovered when we hired our first housekeeper. On her first day, while she was cleaning, I looked out of the window of the château and noticed a shiny new baby blue Mercedes sedan in the parking area. “Who does THAT belong to?” I asked Ron. “That’s our cleaning lady’s car” he said. Later I was chatting with her, and I commented on how fun it was to live in a château. “Oh I live in a château too,” she said nonchalantly. Turned out she and her husband owned a small castle in a nearby village, and she took to cleaning houses out of boredom. I finally had to let her go, as she kept jetting off to Greece or Italy for lengthy vacations. PHOTO: we're not the only folks who live in a castle.
My next femme de ménage was a cheerful 30-something woman who lived nearby. On HER first day, she saw some wines on our kitchen counter and began telling us about their provenance in great detail. “You certainly know a lot about wine,” I said. Her response: “Well I’m actually a licensed sommelier, and my husband is a chef.” Both had abandoned their posts at a fancy restaurant on the Riviera for a simpler life in the country. The only problem with her was that she and Ron would end up sitting in the kitchen for hours on end, discussing wine. PHOTO: the 'cave du vin' on our kitchen counter.
My current cleaning lady owns a beautiful old stone house overlooking the château. Like Madame la Châtelaine, she wanted something to occupy her time, and (unlike me) she loves to clean. She’s a great cook, and we’ve swapped many a recipe.
My story has no moral except this: I’m reminded on a daily basis that everything is just a little bit DIFFERENT in Burgundy than in the South. We came here for the adventure, and there are surprises to be had, even in the small things.
Now speaking of recipes: there is a fine restaurant in Charleston serves the chef’s homemade pimento cheese with lavash crackers in their bar. If you grew up in the South you may think of pimento cheese as that cloying stuff you bought ready-made at the grocery store, but the ‘paté of the south’ is newly hip and delicious made at home. I’d never done it, so I read about 25 recipes for inspiration and took it from there.
RECIPE: Charleston Pimento Cheese
Using good quality cheese is what this is all about. You could also use cheddar only, substitute parmesan for the manchego, or experiment with different cheese combinations. Avoid pre-grated cheese.
1 1/2 cups good quality grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated manchego cheese
1 tablespoon grated or minced onion
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
3 ounces (85 grams) cream cheese at room temperature
¼ cup mayonnaise (Hellman’s is best)
1 small jar pimentos (4 oz, 113 gr), drained
¼ teaspoon each of cayenne and black pepper, or to taste
sea salt to taste
Put everything in a bowl except salt and mash well with a fork. Taste and add salt (parmesan and manchego are both salty, so I like to taste it before adding salt). Serve with Lavash or other crackers.
In the COMMENTS: Wow! I got lots of emails and comments with super suggestions about learning a language, for the upcoming ebook, "How to Learn a New Language with a Used Brain." Mark summed up many of your thoughts when he said you've got to be willing to look 'clownish'–be sure to read his funny comment. Erica, Barbara and Martin agree. Beth and I attended the same wonderful immersion school. If you'd like to leave a tip for the new ebook, please see last week's post, and send an email or comment.
Our Reader's Blogs: It seems a perfect week to mention the lovely and useful Housewife Bliss blog by Coryanne Ettiene. And when I need a party menu, I often zip over to Chef Robin White's delicious site.
23 thoughts on “Keeping it Clean in France”
Wish I could try your Charleston recipe (we home exchanged for a few months with a family in Charleston last year and really liked it) but Cheddar is almost impossible to find here in Italy. Cleaning ladies are different here too…unless you’ve got a good excuse (like you’re at work or have to go to the doctor) here in the countryside at least we clean WITH our cleaning ladies and believe me, the work never ends. The usual schedule is at least two mornings a week.
Best food I ever ate was in a small place in Charleston! Never could remember the name – but the flavors hmmmm.
Hope when you get back to France your home survived the crazy cold.
There are some cartoons of the France Freezes that might tickle your funny bone at:
http://www.asmallvillageinfrance.blogspot.com
thanks for the lovely writing. Susan
Bonjour! I love reading you, so thank you for sharing! It reminds me of what i left behind (for love!), and i hope that in my old days we will be able to do what you are doing, sharing our lives between the two continents.
Well, regarding your cleaning ladies, i hope that you do not believe that they are all doing it out of boredom: Many do it as a necessity, and are not wealthy either. When i lived in France, a lot of them were Portugese ladies.
I will try your recipe.
Regards
Patricia
Being a recent transplant to the South, I have discovered Pimento Cheese dip! Yes, I thought it was something out of the dark ages at first…but Southern Season makes a mean pimento dip, and now I’m going to try yours!
I love your story about the “help”. I too grew up with wonderful Southern women in our house (and this was in Philadelphia in the 50’s). Great story of your first who lives in a castle!!
Don’t forget that pimento cheese was, and still is for many, primarily a sandwich spread for a great lunch on a hot Southern day or on a picnic. Serving it as a dip is a new custom, but I’ll take pimento cheese any time it is offered on bread or crackers!
Loving the Charleston pate recipe!
HI Patricia,
I think most housekeepers, like the rest of us, work mostly because they need to support themselves and their families. I just happened to hire a most interesting set of them in France, and the contrast with my experience in Charleston was pretty striking. Thanks for your comment.
Lynn, since I grew up with pimiento cheese, it’s hard to believe you had never made it.
Mine is much simpler than yours – just cheddar, mayo, pimientos, a tad of pepper and a tiny bit of sugar or honey (this ingredient really makes it better).
The cheddar is always sharp or extra sharp, and I prefer white cheddar, especially Vermont cheddar (Cabot).
We always took pimiento cheese sandwiches with our fried chicken to picnics. There’s a restaurant here in Louisville that uses pimiento cheese to top a burger.
We always had “help” too, although we were just middle-class; even my grandmother had “help,” and she had very little income. We were aided by many wonderful black women over the years. When my Dad died, our then “cleaning woman” was a better friend to us than most of our white friends. One woman who worked for my grandmother years ago still calls me to see how I’m doing. My mother and I always treated our “help” as equals, but my grandmother would not eat her lunch at the table with the “help.” It was a different time.
Hi Suzanne,
I think your childhood experience with housekeepers is very like mine, and many of my friends. As you say, a different time.
Now I guess I should not have confessed to the world that this southern girl has never made pimento cheese!
Hellman’s is good, but being Southern, have u tried Duke’s? and, suggest u try Palmetto Farms’s (Winn-Dixie’s brand) pimento cheese & sold only at Winn-Dixies across the South
My grandmother used to make pimiento cheese but I never would try it. Now (20 years later) I’ve tried it and love it. And I’m devastated that I never tried my grandmother’s. C’est la vie, as they say.
If you’re still in Charleston, stop at a grocery store and pick up some Palmetto Cheese. I think it’s from Pawley’s I., but it’s the only one I would actually buy in a grocery store. Any pimiento cheese freezes well, too – just FYI!
Happy Saturday from SC! It is a beautiful day to be in SC….one of those days that mimic Spring so much you think you should rush to the garden center and start planting some lovelies in your yard.
I am a pimiento cheese junkie….actually I am a Palmetto Cheese junkie. If you haven’t tried it…you have missed a wonderful jewel made right on Pawley’s Island and truly better than any homemade I have ever experienced! It is addictive. Hopefully, when you are in Charleston you can enjoy some!
Can’t wait to read more of your wonderful blog!
Hi Thea! Tks for the story! I would love to hear it to have a good laugh or perhaps not???
Regards,
Patricia.
How lovely to find myself gracing your fabulous pages…. you have me blushing. I loved your story of French Housekeeping reminds me so much of our time in in London, our cleaner was part of our family and a vital party of our daily life — we all adored her so.
All the best, Coryanne
PC is certainly a dish of the south. Paired with fried chicken, it is presented at church dinners, a picnic or given to a family after a death. I keep it in my frig for any time. We southerners give a lot of love with our food and PC is always given with that feeling.
I have so enjoyed reading your posts, Lynn. Having just made my first trip to France this year, your blog allows me to relive memories of my trip to this beautiful country. From your St. Simons Island friend,
Beth
Well I”m sitting here in B’ham Al. wishing I was sitting in Paris! I am a pimento cheese fanatic and I just read your recipe and I think I will just have to try it. It has all the things I like. NO SWEET pimento cheese pour moi. ( You know who sells THAT!) Can you find all the ingredients in France? The HEllman’s might be tough.
Bon weekend,
V
I see my friend, Virginia, has found you. Think I’m going to give your recipe a try. Hope you’re enjoying your visit to Charleston. Are you here for SEWE?
Hi Lynn
It is very cold here in Burgundy, so I hope you are enjoying sunshine in Charleston. We are just back from a holiday in Cornwall, South West England where it felt like spring. Bit of a shock to be wearing thermal underwear again!
I read the Help and loved it. Do you think it was true to life? How about the film version?
So enjoyed your blog entry today as always Lynn.
Hope your time in SC is delightful.
Windy, windy in Boulder CO today…our own mistral?
Dreaming of France.
HA, Harriet and I had a blog meet up in B’ham just a week ago. It’s a small world. I”m printing off the recipe right now! If I can figure it out, I”ll “pin” it on Pinterest too!
V
Great that you met Harriet, Virginia! And thanks for pinning, I’ve got to learn to do that too.