My Mélange

On My Favorite French Memoirs

I love to read.  I especially enjoy other peoples travel experiences and accounts of their lives in my beloved France and Italy.  

Today, I have decided to share some of my favorite memoirs that any francophile will love.  

I should preface the list by saying that Peter Mayle was the original Provence memoir author and it goes without saying that his series is the the best of the best about Provence.  If you haven't read any or all of his books, than they should top your list!

A true story of an English girl who sets up a life in Paris and ends up starting a blog of the same name, Petite Anglaise is a recent favorite.  Catherine Sanderson has a way of making the City of Light come alive in her writing.  She reveals all of herself in this honest look into cultural differences, her life, her relationships, her blog, and her daughter, adorably referred to as Tadpole in the book, and of the city that she loves so much.

Cookbook author and cooking school teacher, Susan Hermann Loomis writes candidly about her love of France in On Rue Tatin.  The book covers many years of her life from attending Culinary School in Paris, working and living with a family in Normandy, meeting her husband in the States, and finally settling with family in her beloved quaint village of Louviers, where she restored a dilapidated convent into her dream home.  Her words mingle with some of her classic French recipes from the Normandy region, which makes it even more delicious.

A stunning book series, of Carol Drinkwater's delicious and inspiring life in the South of France, includes The Olive Harvest, The Olive Farm and The Olive Season.  Movie actress by trade, famous for her role in the BBC's All Creatures Great and Small, she moves with her then French boyfriend, Michel, to their newly acquired property in the hills above the French Riviera.  Together they restore an abandoned villa and its property, make friends with the locals, experience the woes of French home ownership, nurture their olive vineyard and entertain countless friends and family. It reads like a French-country dream come true.

Australian native meets the love of her life and moves to France.  Almost French is fun read about an outsider's struggles to fit in, in France.  Stories about trying to get work as a journalist (her trade) in France, struggling with the language barrier, attempting to understand and fit in with her boyfriend's life and friends, making her own friends, and making sense of the cultural differences while living in both the country and right in Paris, are told with wit and humor.

Georgeann Brennan, cookbook author who also runs a seasonal cooking school in California, writes about her experience of moving with her husband from California to Provence in the 1970s.  A Pig in Provence focuses on food and food adventures in the South of France.  Among the highlights are deciding to buy, raise and milk goats, attempting many times to make goat's cheese and the joy of finally getting it right, selling said goat's cheese at the local markets and cafes and joining the neighbors for a centuries old ritual of killing, gutting and preparing a pig.  Many of her delicious recipes are woven throughout the pages.

I need a few more to add to my list.  What are your favorite French Memoirs and why?

My Inner French Girl

Last week it dawned on me that it has been a little over a year since my last trip to Paris.  

*Sigh*

It is sad.  I miss the city, I miss my friend, I miss the food and the language. 

So, I have to get creative in order to bring back that lovin' French feeling.  To get in touch with my inner French girl, if you will.

Here are some of my favorite ways to keep France alive in my heart:

Pop in my favorite French movie, Amélie, for a tour around Montmartre, like no other.

Practice speaking French.

Throw five French CDs  in the stereo, hit shuffle, close my eyes and allow myself to be transported.

Make some crepes. Anything with Nutella.

Splurge on some expensive French wine.

Drool over a slideshow of my hundreds of Paris pictures, pausing to savour memories.

Delve into a new French Memoir.

Buy a bouquet of all-white roses or tulips for the kitchen table.

Visit one of my  favorite local French cafés or restaurants for an authentic French meal.

Treat myself to some French skin care, Caudalie is my favorite.

Leaf through my many French Décor books and magazines, longing to make the changes in my own home.

Visit The Paris Apartment- she always has the best trade pictures.

Go shopping for stylish chic clothes, with that French flair.

Throw on a black trench and a scarf and go for a walk in the rain.

By a new French cookbook.

Take a trip to my local flea-market and scour it for Frenchie finds. 

Visit gourmet markets, scooping up all the French products I can find.

But,the most exciting thing I am currently doing is planning a new trip, but not to France.  I am going to Montréal and Old Quebec City.  Three weeks and counting.  

It's not France, but hey, it is French.  French-Canadian counts right?!

It is only a six hour drive, the dollar is actually worth something, I'll have no airline stress to deal with and it will be a great way to get in touch with my inner French girl.  And hopefully it will hold me over for yet another year.

Hopefully.

***

So, what do you miss most about France?  What are some of the things you do to keep your Frenchness thriving until you can visit again?

Trace Your Francestry

Did you ever wonder if you have a little French in ya?  Maybe you are like me, and you are just hoping and praying that you do!!  Or perhaps you know you are, but your family records only go back so far.  

Now there is a way you can find out!!

Maison de la France is proud to offer a new program that can help you trace your own “francestry” all the way back to the exact French region and town or village where your forefathers (or foremothers) lived before coming to North America.

Just visit the French Ancestors Web site and enter your name to begin exploring your French roots. They will send you information on your ancestor's year and place of birth in France, along with a personalized travel guide to help you experience the land of your family's past.

How cool is that?

And even though I am sure the German surname Locker, which my family thinks was originally Locher, is sure not to appear in the French Registry, I am hoping that C's name, which was shortened from DeLacey, will not only appear, but will provide us with some concrete history.

Have you ever researched your ancestry?  What are the most surprising things you have found?

We have progress...

Finally.  Progress.  Garden Progress.

Another little peak at the porch.  Mon petit jardin.

Slowly, but surely we are plugging along.

I found an old rusted wrought iron plant stand at local junk shop, which is a perfect home for my Boston Fern.  We are still sans Frenchbistro table and chairs, as well as a shabby cream chandelier that I imagine hanging from the porch ceiling.

But, we now have shutters!  This is to block the view from the other side of the porch, which belongs to our neighbors. 

Let's just say their side leaves something to be desired. 

Chris worked hard this weekend hinging both shutters together.  Now he just needs to add decorative cast iron feet, so that the wind doesn't blow them over.

I think I may try to find a little old distressed french sign to hang from the shutters. Maybe some ivy dripping down the front in a hanging wall pocket.

What do you think?  Do you see possibilities?  Please share.

Hooray Le Creuset!

Martha has one.  So does Ina, Giada, Emeril and pretty much any chef that is worth his sea salt in the foodie community.

What I am talking about?

The Le Creuset Dutch Oven, of course!

You can spot the ubiquitous cast iron jack-of-all-trades pot in all the colors of the rainbow in magazines, cookbooks and cooking shows the world over.

Ever since I started watching the Food Network I got hooked on the versatility of this quality piece and have dreamed of one day having my very own multi-tasking French Dutch Oven.

Yeah, sure some of the popular celeb chefs like Rachel Ray, Mario Batali and even Queen Martha have created knock-offs of their own, for about half the price, but there was always one thing missing.

It was not a Le Creuset!

Sorry folks, but in this cooks opinion, nothing can compare to that classic French quality and reputation of  Le Creuset. 

Nope, not even Queen Martha or Molto Mario.

Le Creuset is a French brand that has been around since 1925 and is the world's leading manufacturer of quality Enameled Cast Iron cookware. They are the mainstay of French chefs.

The crème de la crème of cookware.  They have that je ne sais quoi.

This particular Dutch Oven is made from a cast iron mold.  The inside is coated in the highest quality vitreous enamel, the lid has a perfectly tight fit which ensures the moisture and flavor are retained in the cooking.  The knob is made from a heat resistant material which is oven-proof to 375*, so you won't get third degree burns stirring your soup.  Yep, we have all been there!

They are very versatile pieces as well.  You can cook on the stove-top, bake in the oven or store leftovers in the fridge...all in the same pot! 

Can you say easy-peazy clean up!

So, why I am I blathering on about all this you might ask?

Well, after 5 years of wishing and hoping, dreaming and drooling, today with a gift certificate in hand, I hauled ass over to Warren Cutlery this morning to be first in line for their 20% off sale. Needless to say, I am now the proud very proud owner of a new Le Creuset Dutch Oven in Cherry Red.

 
courtesy of Warren Cutlery

Isn't she a beauty?  I feel like a teenage boy with his first new shiny red Camero.  Can't wait for a test drive!

My only dilemma now? What recipe I should use to christen my new cookware?

My options are endless.  Risotto, soup, stew, Italian tomato sauce?  Or perhaps something I have never attempted before, like a Beef Bourguignon or Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic?

Oh, the possibilities...

Tell me, do you have a Dutch Oven?  Do you love it? 

What is your favorite recipe to make with it?  What do you think my first dish should be?

A Sunday Apéritif

The French call it apéritif, the Italians call it aperitivo.  Whatever it's called, I'm a huge fan and I 'm always on board!

Derived from the Latin verb, apirire, it literally means to *open the palate*.  It refers to the hour or two before dinner, where you can enjoy a small nosh or nibble of finger food, with alcohol, prior to the big meal. 

On occassion, depending what is on offer, apéritif can replace the large meal. Like in the heat of summer, when just the thought of cooking a big meal in my postage-stamp size kitchen, makes beads of sweat appear upon my forehead.

No thanks!

Today happened to be one of those days.  Plus, it's a lazy Sunday.  An apéritif was in order.

I am pretty familiar with the types of foods both cultures typically serve for apéritif, many of which are always on hand a casa. 

Part of the fun is having an imagination about what you would like to serve and combining that with what you have on hand.  It's a perfetto time to use leftovers, or items that you only have a few morsels of.

A common French drink, especially in the South of France, for apéritif, is Pastis.  An herbal anise drink which is usually diluted with water in a tall glass.  It is different from Absinthe, but closely related.

Italians will drink campari, prosecco or maybe even a bellini.   In recent years, wine has become an acceptable alternative to the classic campari and soda.

Today our apéritif consisted of:

* almonds

* olive

* vine ripened tomotoes dressed in olive oil, sea salt, pepper and fresh torn basil

* marinated cippolini onions

* toasted Italian bread, drizzled with olive oil and fresh rosemary from our garden

* Italian sweet summer sausage

* fresh local cheese- one cow's milk, one goat's milk

* a honeycomb

And to wash it all down, a chilled, crisp Sicilian vino bianco. 

Now, the one thing I didn't have on hand that is always on my table for apéritif, are sweet baby gherkins.  Cornichons are very much a French classic, but I prefer sweet to sour.

Other popular alternatives for noshing are pistachios, potato chips, grilled veggies like eggplant or zucchini, marinated favorites like mushrooms and artichokes, prosciutto and melone and whatever fruit is in season, such as figs, cherries or strawberries. 

I have admittedly read way too many memoirs containing story upon story of apéritif in the French Countryside and aperitivo in its Italian counterpart.  Each tale filled with deliciously prepared food of the season, friends and family gathered around the old wooden communal table dressed in white linen and placed under the afternoon shade of the nearest olive or fruit tree, sharing stories, clinking glasses of continuously topped-off wine until dinner arrives and it's all repeated well into the wee hours of the night.

Oh, what I would not give to be a part of that.

But today, myself and my vivid imagination were joined by Chris and Madison as we sat on the covered front porch, surrounded by fresh herbs, flowering plants, garden statuary and antique urns, and we enjoyed our Sunday apéritif. 

As I was daydreaming of taking an apéritif with friends in France, the clouds moved overhead and rain began to fall, gently, from the sky. 

Without missing a beat, Chris and I looked at one another as he said, "Now it really feels like Paris."

I guess I am not the only one with an imagination!

What are your favorite things to eat for apéritif/aperitivo?  What about to drink?  What stories do you have to share?

The Peony Prize

Peonies.  Prose.  And Prizes.

Large drooping blossoms

Bright pink, pale pink, white, even peppermint striped

 

They start tight as a little round ball

and gradually, silky petal after silky petal

they triple their girth

Those fat pom-pom like blossoms, cheering on the rest of the garden

Natures cheer.

Blooms so heavy their stems bow down from the weight, but never break.

I am the lucky recipient of this wonderful bouquet, courtesy of my dear friend Karen, who picked them, especially for me, fresh from her garden.

Aren't they delicious?

The peonies are lovely, but the real prize is her friendship.

And I feel the same about all of you!  Thanks to all of you for your friendship and your kindness! 

Leave a comment. A little note to let me know you are there. 

A little prize will come to one lucky winner, drawn at random.

You have until midnight on Monday evening.

Mon Petit Jardin

Unfortunately, I am not lucky enough to have acres of green land and sprawling flower gardens.  That's my Mom.

Instead I have a challanging situation.  I have a small porch. And It is longer than it is wide.

We have worked hard on it, but it is no way finished.  I like to refer to it as Mon Petit Jardin.

That sounds much prettier than My Plants on the Porch, doesn't it?

I'll have a big reveal, once it is to the point where I am happy with it. 

Chris would argue this will never happen, or at least not until the summer of 2015.

I scored a pair of shabby cream colored shutters for twenty bucks from a local salvage yard that will serve as a privacy screen once Chris adds hinges and rigs them to stand up. 

I would argue this will never happen, or at least not until the summer of 2015.

And of course, we are still sans our café table and chairs.  I can't wait until I can sit out there with a book and drink my morning café au lait. 

 In 2015.

Here is a sneak peak.  Click on the smaller image to see it in full size.

 
        

How are your gardens coming this year?  What are your gardening projects?

Video Endorsements

I really don't get into Politics that much, either in my daily life or on the blog, until this year.  This year something has changed.  I credit that to Obama.  As you can see...I proudly display my support for him on my blog, with a badge.

I am not going to get into a big debate today about the candidates, the issues or why I favor Obama over everyone else, but I thought I would give you a chance to look at two recent video endorsements that have surfaced for each democratic candidate. 

I would love to hear your thoughts on the videos, the candidates and the issues.

Jack Nicholson  for Hillary

We are the Ones... by will.i.am

Olive Season

In France and Italy, olive season is coming to a close.  It usually begins in October and runs through November.  In some parts of Tuscany though, it can begin as early as September.  It all depends on the weather and conditions of the season.

I think I have read too many books and seen too many movies about olives.  I conjure up all these images and fantasies about olives, olive oil, olive trees and the like. I guess I am just O-O, olive obsessed!  I love the knotted, gnarled tree trunks, the graceful branches, the shimmery silvery grayish-greenish leaves, that remind me of sage; the fat, plump fruit that is just bursting with golden, nutty, juicy nectar. 

For some reason I have this burning desire to be part of the harvesting process.  There is nothing I would like better than to be driving through the Tuscan hills of Italy or Provence in the south of France and happen upon rows and rows of beautiful terraced olive trees propping up wooden ladders, with miles of netting strewn about below catching the ripe fruit.  I would gladly swerve my car to the side of the road, run up to the grove and excitedly offer my inexperienced help!  I am sure at this point, the local police would be summoned to remove the crazy American from their land and I would be carted away quicker than a rancid olive, mixed in with the otherwise perfect bunch. 

If I was lucky enough to find an agriturismo to stay in during my next visit, I could become a farmer for a week and stay with a family in their home.  Never-mind the image of me in my overalls or the scratches, bruises and blisters that would cover my body.  I imagine sitting down at a large communal table after a hard days work and eating dinner with my fellow olive pickers, my family.  Our meal would consist of a hearty helping of country bread, drizzled with the freshly pressed oil, right from the mill that day!  I wonder, would the flavor be grassy, nutty, peppery or lemony?  And would they give me bottles of it to take home at the end of my stay (provided I left, of course) to share with my own friends and family?  Oh, if only *sigh*.

There is a mystery to this olive harvesting.  Everyone has a different spin on it.  Call it superstition, or years of local tradition passed from generation to generation.  Lets take the picking itself.  Some encourage the use your hands to pick, like milking a cow.  Others will swat you off your ladder sending you crashing to the ground, which would be followed by a tongue lashing of historic proportion if they saw you even touch the olive.  Instead, a bamboo pole is used to beat the branches until the ripe olives fall from the tree and tumble onto the netting, which is placed on the ground under the olives to act as a barrier and a collection tool. Many feel that an olive that touches the ground is, well, spoiled.    How is one to know what is best? 

The other thing everyone agrees on is timing. Timing of the picking and the pressing.  You have to wait for just the right moment to pick.  To soon and the olive doesn't yield enough oil, to late and the oil will be bitter and not a good flavor.  Don't pick in the rain or when there is dew or there will be too much moisture in the oil. Remember, that saying oil and water don't mix?  I knew I would need that info someday! Don't get me started on the color of the olive.  Thats a whole other set of rules!

The olives must be pressed as soon after they are picked as possible, to avoid mildew and for the best taste. Often this means driving crates of them straight to the mill the same day, to have them pressed.  If you are lucky enough to have the required kilos of your own olives, you will have pure oil that is only from your trees.  If you have less, yours will be combined with others that are below the minimum, and you will have community oil to share!  There are so many different kinds of pressing, but the best remains first cold pressing.  It is the first pressing, with no heat, which breaks down the delicate flavors.  It is the purest, best tasting, most sought after and therefore...most expensive oil.

Maybe it is the history of these trees that fascinates me.  One of the oldest trees, called the Olivier Millenaire, is in Roquebrune, France.  It is over 1000 years old.  To stand there in the grace of that beauty and history and wonder, how many hands have touched that tree? How many olives have weighted down its branches? What did the oil taste of and how many thousands of kilos has it produced?  How many have taken care to prune it and tend the fruit it would bare?  Who were those special gardeners and what was their preferred method? I would stand in awe.

So, if you live in olive country in France or Italy and are out in your olive grove, minding your own business, and are startled at the sight of a lunatic women, running full bore, arms flailing, yelling something that resembles, " I want to pick your olives"...well, um, it will be me.  And please, I beg of you, do not call the local authorities or you will be crushing a girls hopes and dreams.  And we don't want that now do we?

Photo courtesy of Beyond Provence