Southern Fried French

A Pop-up Café in our Village

There are many ways to entertain, and one might say there are two camps: those who like to give the same big party every year, and those who like to shake things up.

Both have their merits. One relies on ritual and tradition, the other on the new or unexpected. Though I’m not above serving the same menu to successive groups, I fall into the latter camp. I find it hard to inject that element of surprise, that makes parties memorable, into an annual event.

Our creative and fun-loving next-door neighbors and dear friends, Marion and Jean Marie, are in my camp as well, in a more radical way. In fact they have a Thing about dining in the same spot, so they are always on the hunt for new ones. Marion told me that previously in their house in Holland, they've entertained in their guest room, inside their kid’s play house, in their garden shed, in their cellar.

Since we’ve lived here, we’ve dined chez eux in their barn, which they cleared out and decorated for a fête. They once fluffed up a tiny back-alley firewood storage space with candles and flowers and a portable fire pit, and transformed it into the most charming of venues. They pitched a tent in front of the steps of the village church for a drinks party. They had an intimate cocktail hour inside an abandoned tower in the village.

So Marion’s latest plan did not surprise me.

Between our house and the church, the road forks; one road leads through the village, the other down a small grassy lane. The Italians live between the two roads, but at the very point of the fork is a tiny and steep triangle which is village property. Years before our time the village walled it in, terraced it, added a few bushes, and installed a glass phone booth, back when many people in the village did not have phones (see photos). When we first moved in it was used occasionally by a phone-less artist down the road, or teen-agers arranging a secret tryst with girlfriends. But as cell phones became de rigueur, it’s become nothing more than a sad relic. One day recently, they simply hauled it away.


I was standing out in the road the other day, thinking the tiny new bare area might now be a fine place for a little bench. Then Marion walked over, her eyes twinkling. I know that look well. “We have to have dinner here! We’ll make it into sort of a village café!”, she said, with the enthusiasm of a child building a fort from cardboard boxes.

Within the hour we had the spades and buckets out. We weeded it and cleaned it up, and trimmed the hedges. “I’ll arrange it, we’ll eat at 6,” Marion said.

At 6 she rang the bell outside our gate, and we emerged to find a tiny table with a vase of plucked wild flowers, and candles glowing. The space is a bit public, so we had a few encounters as we sipped our rosé. A cute village boy stopped by to chat, looking for his brother. Friends passed and waved. A resident walked by leading her two miniature ponies, her sheep dog leading the way. We witnessed a near miss between a teen-ager on a moto and a car. A family of tourists strolled by, and looked a little puzzled when Marion called out to tell them that this was the new village resto.

Dutch friends who joined us have dubbed it the "Central Park" of our village (slightly smaller than the NY version). Who knows what comes next? Dinner in a cow field, maybe? We could lunch in that garden just outside the mayor’s office, with the fabulous view. Or perhaps breakfast on the boules court? Apéros in les pompiers parking lot? There’s just no telling what fun is ahead!

That's Jean Marie standing, Marion in the foreground, with Gerard and Marja, and Ron on the right.

 

Here is a photo from the party they gave in their barn, propped and pretty

 

The classic location for a French party: set a table or two out on the lawn. We’re lucky to have several areas in our small garden where we can entertain:

A grassy spot outside our living room…

Our terrace off the kitchen...

 

A shady spot under our big Laurier Sauce…

 

And we can squeeze about 8 on our galerie for drinks.

But I’m NOT cleaning out our barn for any party. Quelle horreur!

 

In the COMMENTS: Susan will make Poke bowls with duck, now there's a French/Hawaiian mash-up! Don't miss Natalia's book recommendation, it's one I want to read, set in Paris: The Room on Rue Amélie. 

 

Planning a TRIP TO BURGUNDY? Our charming French dentists (a husband/wife team) live near us, and they have renovated an outbuilding on their historic property, turning it into a wonderful gîte. A quiet village with great views, but close to Cormatin and Cluny. They have the facade of a historic church in their garden! Here's the link, which has lots of photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Taste of the Tropics, in a French Kitchen

 

Time for our annual Dinner Party Dilemma! The ex-pat and French crowd here entertain a bunch. The season is gearing up, so it’s time to get creative again. The menu criteria: something refreshing and fun; something to make-ahead, and not too complicated; and of course, delicious!

Here in Burgundy, where fancy French dishes are the norm, I like to serve something the Europeans wouldn’t normally eat, just to shake things up. In the past we’ve introduced them to grits, biscuits, tacos, pork barbeque, Beaufort Stew, pimento cheese, and other southern delicacies. And as my loyal readers know, I pick one menu and try it on a couple of groups, before moving to the next, which saves time in the planning stage.

So, future dinner guests, stop reading HERE if you want to be surprised. This year I’m going native with Hawaiian Poke Bowls. Which, if you’ve eaten out recently in the States, you will know well, as they are everywhere. There are many versions, and today I’m sharing mine.

I like Poke bowls (say poh-kay) because they’re fresh, healthy, and have lots of flavors. You can make them ahead, and you can change out the grain and veggies according to your liking. Plus different kinds of fish or shellfish will work.

I’m going with the traditional tuna, but with a twist. Poke typically features raw, marinated fish, but I like to sear the tuna first, just to rare or medium rare.

I’m not sure what sort of starter goes with a Poke Bowl, I'm hoping y'all will have some ideas. But I think dessert has to be a coconut cake or key lime pie, don't you agree? Or maybe just a bright mango sorbet.

Here’s my version, and I’m betting some of you have some interesting variations to share.

 

RECIPE: Hawaiian Poke Bowls, by way of Burgundy 

 

THE RICE:

In the bottom of the bowl, you need a grain. I like brown rice, but use white rice, or quinoa, or any grain you like. I serve the rice and the tuna warm, and the veggies chilled or at room temperature. The dish is  all about contrasts.

ON TOP OT THE RICE:

For the veggies and fruits, pick your combo, with varied textures and colors. Here is what I used:

sliced avocado

sliced scallions

grated carrots

sliced red cabbage

cucumbers

sliced radishes

chunks of pineapple, or mango would work nicely

Any kind of sliced peppers are good: bell or jalapeno, for example

To top it off, bean sprouts are common but I found some baby arugula

Chopped peanuts, for crunch

lime slices

THE TUNA

I cut the tuna into cubes and marinated it for a half hour to an hour. Sear it quickly in a hot iron skillet, just before serving. A pound will serve 4.

For the marinade, I used a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce, a tablespoon of grated ginger, a teaspoon of fish sauce, the juice of a lime, 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil, a pinch of brown sugar, and ground pepper.

THE SAUCE

Mix mayo with Sriracha, or other hot sauce, to taste, and a generous squeeze of lime. Serve on the side, for dipping.

 

In the COMMENTS: Ellen, you should do a US food map! And sharp-eyed Guy spotted a very intriguing dish, which you must translate. I don't think I want to sample it! Ann, sounds like I need to dip into the Nero Wolf mysteries. And speaking of books, don't miss Vicky's recommendation for a couple of wonderful novels. 

Meg Behle is a fine artist, and it happens that she painted a French food map of a different sort as a gift for her son and daughter-in-law (he proposed to his wife at the Eiffel tower). She has kindly shared it with us. Wonderful!

Favorite READS: My week of mysteries: It so happens that while I was visiting Charleston this year, I went to hear not one but three mystery writers speak about their books, all in one week. Phew! The first was A.J. Finn (that's his nom de plume), author of the wildly popular new mystery, The Woman in the Window, An interesting and different sort of novel which I liked (old movie buffs, you'll love his thorough list), and he gets my Best Speaker Award, he's a great wit. Then we heard Stephan Kurkjian, author of a non-ficion mystery, as yet unsolved, called Master Thieves, which is about the greatest art heist in history. Ron read this and liked it. Then at an elegant ladies luncheon I heard Plum Sykes, socialite of British Vogue fame, talk about her new book, called Party Girls Die in Pearls: An Oxford Girl Mystery, which I have not yet read. Quite a range of thrillers!