French Summer Food- in small batches
It’s too hot to cook. Even in the outside tiki hut of a kitchen we sweat…and not just onions and shallots.With Summer heat comes summer fruit and in a frenzy of small batch conserving Jenny, Matt and I made: Carmelized Confit Cherry (perfect over ice cream)Pink Peach Vinegar*Vinegar of Pruneaux d’Agen* (for deglazing the pan when making sauteed foie gras)Compote de RhubarbeSirop de Mirabelle (for a Kir Verger- perrier and syrup) and that was not even trying… ***... Read More
Monday with Mushroom Matt
.hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahom I think one of my favorite things is finding wild, edible foods. Better yet and more specific is finding wild mushrooms. When I score some ‘poplar’ mushrooms like these, it’s just one more reason why I really like living in this area. I didn’t even have to look hard, they were right outside my front door! I also like to think that after a month of rain,... Read More
Songs and Summer Solstice
This long day is hot. As if celebrating, at last, a summer that has been slow in coming. Everywhere in France tonight from 9 pm until the wee hours, in city, town and village there are bands, soloists, and odd groups of musicians playing their little French hearts out. The summer solstice arrives with the fete de la musique.I dither about where to go, into Agen for the city streets of rock, blues and pop bands; up to St. Hilaire for a classical concert in an ancient church, medieval... Read More
Will the real Saucier’s Apprentice please stand up?
Bob Spitz in The French Kitchen at Camont Lots of people come and go here in the French Kitchen; some are best friends for a weekend, other remain in our thoughts for years with the occasional email, phone call and visit to keep the relationships glued together. So it was a real surprise last weekend while at a leisurely post-market lunch with friends to read in their current issue of Saveur Magazine a review for Bob Spitz’ book, “The Saucier’s Apprentice.” “…... Read More
Watercress tears and bacon sandwiches
I prefer to think that this rain, this incessant gloomy French June weather, is just a sly way to turn my head from the slow-growing, water-logged potager to the imaginary cressoniere at the west end of the spring-fed wood. Along the wet cobbled path and down the green encrusted bridge, B. and I splash to la fontaine this morning. Here, from behind the patch of leather leaf ferns, the source flows in a wide shallow meander to join Camont’s three other rivulets that ultimately... Read More
