Spring Market inspiration. Open your eyes!
Why go to the market? I mean the local farmer’s market, of course. Fresh, simple, direct- a bargain. Inspiring, colorful, nurturing- satisfaction. Diverse, diverting, fun- amused. All those words pop into my head when I think of the many very good markets I can throw a Gascon stone at from Camont. But versatility is reason I stay faithful to one of my first loves in this area, the little true producer’s market nestled under the unattractive... Read More
Market Report- Spring in Southwest France
Fresh green tops, dirt clinging to the roots, heavy crunch of pure RADISH. I love this time of year at the markets. Our first local produce, much grown under poly tunnels, is filling the tables of my neighbor farmers in a rainbow of good food. Artichauts. Peppers. Peas. Fava beans. Spring onions… So what’s cooking at Camont? Try this simple Radish Leaf soup from my first cookbook. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate spring and the... Read More
Synchronized Cooking- the new Olympic sport?
truffled homemade pasta coming up! I imagine fireflies pulsing in rhythm in a tree in some remote forest. Then a school of little silver fish darting left in unison, then blinking silver right. A flock of seabirds part the clouds in graceful aerial hijinks. Although I ranted about the predictable trending trend a couple of weeks ago, I must give homage to the way we pulsing cooking blogging folks group up together and light the barren forest with... Read More
Inspired Cooking- a January lunch menu
Pre-1970 Cooking. Cooking in France. Cooking in Gascony, France. What inspires you to cook? A recipe? A photograph in a cookbook? A blog post? Here at Camont, I look around my Gascon world for the everyday inspiration that has fueled generations of good Gascon cooks. This month’s inspiration? Muddy farmyards clucking with fat hens and fatter ducks, fields of growing wheat shoots just 6 inches high, plum orchards in bloom anticipation, and... Read More
Monet’s Eye on Pie
When Sweet Kate McDermott and I decided to gather together a group of kindred spirits for a 4-day Pig Pie & Eye weekend beginning on the auspiciously dated 11/11/11, I had no idea we were adding momentum to a fast growing savoury pie movement. This is my contribution, inspired by a Monet painting, filled with the best Gascon pork, duck, veal and foie gras and decorated with an autumn leaf garland. Weighing in at a hefty 5 kilos, we have dubbed... Read More
