frontdoor foraging in the garden-at-camont
“You could plant a stone at Camont and it would grow!”
I think of Vetou saying this 20+ years ago as I first started gardening at Camont. First a swath of English-ish border plants lined the pathway to the canal: poppies, roses, lavender…
Next, Jhon Corbin- artist/matelot/friend, created a wine bottle border sculpture- Camont Woman-that filled in over the years with day lilies, delphinium, and more roses…
Until she was rousted from her slumber and the front path was ‘landscaped’. Sort of like trying to dress this old woman in a business suit of pine bark. Uck, it looked bad and didn’t work…
Over planting years came next. Weed-invaded textile ripped up, trees re-introduced, a jungle grew of crabapple, rosa banksiae, magnolia, almond, fig…
Are you getting the picture? Wild. Sauvage. Growing like stones… Read More
Wednesdays at Welbeck: Charcuter-ish! Committed or Involved?
You know that old Chicken and the Pig joke?
What is the difference between involved and committed?
In a ham and egg breakfast, the chicken was involved, the pig was committed.
I love that joke. It conjures up the very differences that help define ‘artisan’ to me.
So in my capacity as Head of Butchery & Charcuterie at the School of Artisan Food on the Welbeck Estate, I sent out that joke as an invitation to several involved and committed British Charcuterie companies to join us here at SAF for a day of meaty talks about “the emerging state of British Charcuterie.” At least that’s how I described it. The response was strong, the turn out was epic and as 18 people (with a few special guests dropping by) came together around our Butcher’s Table, it was clear that there is indeed a new British Charcuterie movement strongly afoot. Look who showed up…
Jambon de Bayonne en fête! A Basque Country road trip with Kate.
What’s red and green and red and white… and ham all over?
The Foire au Jambon in the colorful Basque port of Bayonne.
A memory of a Bayonne surfaces from a long ago road trip looking for marine goods along the Atlantic coast for my barge, the Julia Hoyt. Rope, cord, and lines I was searching. I drove along the river port of the Adour outside of Bayonne in the very southwest of Southwest France looking for some fishermen, a working boat or chandlery. The newly fitted nose of wooden fishing boat peeked out of an over-sized hanger; I braked for a quick look inside. Yes. Men working with wood and fiber glass, paint and canvas. Ocean going small fishing boats. Sturdy, serious and hard-working. The boats and the men. I knew they would know. I have a nose for these things.
I thanked them for the directions to the Co-op Maritime in St. Jean de Luz, I turned to say au revoir and stopped dead in my foodie tracks. Although the Captain in me was looking for cord, the Cook in me spotted a treasure trove of maturing hams hanging from every square foot of rafter space. A boat yard/charcuterie shed? Welcome to Baiona!
les petits gateaux de Marie de Chèvre- little goat’s cheese cakes
little goats cheesecakes
There is something about these little cheese cakes, tangy with fresh goats cheese- les faiselles- softer than cream cheese, rich but not too. I make them with eggs from the little black hens here at Camont so they are stained deep saffron yellow and taste beyond delicious. I spooned the thick batter into brown paper baking cups I bought so long ago I can’t remember where. They puffed and huffed and rose above the edges so beautifully…then sank into themselves in a rather self-indulgent way. ‘Eat me now!” they seemed to taunt. So we did. Next time I buy the fresh clean goats cheese from Marie de Chèvre, I’ll decide if I want a more stable batter or just given in to my whisk driven idea of a Gascon Goat Cheesecake. Soft, dense, not too sweet…more like a tender canelé inside or a miniature torteau
The recipe for les petits gateaux de Marie de Chèvre:
This made about a dozen muffin tin size cakes.
- 400 gr fresh goats cheese called faiselle here in France
- 200 gr white sugar (150gr for yolks- 50gr for whites)
- 50 ml milk (about 4 tablespoon)
- 4 eggs, separated
- 50 gr flour
- Splash of vanilla/rum/Armagnac
- Pass goat cheese through a food mill or ricer.
- Beat in egg yolks, 150 gr sugar, milk and flour. (I use a hand whisk.)
- Whisk egg whites with 50 gr sugar until stiff peaks. (I use a copper bowl and hand whisk)
- Fold in a large spoonful of whites into the cheese/yolk mixture. Stir well.
- Fold remaining whites into cheese/yolk batter.
- Splash in the flavoring (we use the Secret formula!).
- Spoon into individual serving size muffin tins, ramekins or paper molds brushed with butter.
- Place into hot oven (220’C/425’F) for 10 minutes. Turn down to 200’ C/ 390’F. The tops will soufflé puff up round and start to brown immediately. Don’t panic! Let it cook.
- Then let the little soufflés cook for another 10 minutes. remove from oven and serve while warm with some spring ripe strawberries from the market.
Inspiration rolls into town- Les Fromages de Marie
Where does it begin?
“It” being the Frenchness of the good food made here in Gascony.
“It” being the idea for recipe.
“It’ is an homage to a certain way of life. My life.
For me, it begins and ends 100% with a list of names that sketch across the Gascon landscape like 18th Century signatures.
Jehanne = foie gras, rillettes, vin de peche.
Narcisse = amber bramble honey
Pierre = dense and crusty baguettes
Chapolard = charcuterie- deep and porky
And most newly arrived at the Saturday Market at Nerac…
Marie de Chèvre = Creamy goaty goodness, clean sweet hay milk transformed into a plateau of delicious chèvre. And what did I do with the 4 creamy fresh faiselles I scored? Here’s my recipe for les petit gateaux de Marie.
