Goodbye barbecues

Countdown to Boston: 6 days left in la campagne. I can't believe how fast time is flying. Today more bricolage, packing, eating leftovers from last night's BBQ with friends, and attending a local Comice Agricole with hundreds of cows and other animals. This afternoon the horse farmer brought 3 horses, one brown and two white ones to our house. They will be eating all the grass around the house, as we won't be around to mow the lawn ourselves. For these beautiful creatures, I've saved some super crunchy bread...they love it as a treat.

Yesterday as R and I lay together in the hammock under the cherry and mirabelle trees, the beautiful blue skies turned gray and threatening. Not wanting to get up, we laid there, listening to the crickets and watching the wind push the clouds away. It was a bit chilly but we were snuggled against one another, me seeking warmth and R hoping to catch some zzzs before our friends arrived for a barbecue in the garden. 

I had to sigh while looking at the mountains and trees before us. So beautiful. Truly, I love la campagne and will miss it terribly. 

Lucky the skies held back and we had a great barbecue with our friends. Foodwise I made quite a bit..marinated chicken in a tandoori bbq mix that a Scottish friend gave me; then pork in a peanut buttery pate sauce; merguez sausages; turkey brochettes. For vegetables, grilled onions and zucchini. Sauteed red beans using Nigella Lawson's recipe. And a creamy homemade polenta served with this fantastic kale, bacon, and mushroom sauce using 4 different kinds of kale picked straight from our garden. Instead of pancetta, I used lardons fumés. For dessert, slices of Royal Gala apple and poire Williams, and also some chocolate chip cookies for my friends who are addicted to them! 

It was so much fun having them over and playing with the kids. Food is best enjoyed outdoors and surrounded by friends, preferably without any utensils (but with plenty of water and napkins).

Mushroom club and Marie-Christine

Last September, four months after my arrival in France, Richard and I just happened to catch the last hour of a local expo on mushrooms. We agreed to go, expecting to spend 20 minutes or so looking at whatever specimens were on display. I thought there might be a buvette or something featuring local food made with mushrooms. But what we found was much much more.

I was totally surprised at the huge variety of mushrooms that the club had gathered in only 2 days! There were about two hundred different kinds of mushrooms, all arranged neatly by family and color. Besides the chanterelles and porcinis, I saw many new shapes and colors, even vivid purple, green, and flourescent mushrooms. Roger, the co-president of this club and also the mushroom expert for our region was there with his microscope and mycology tomes.

At this expo I met the club's secretary Marie-Christine who answered my mushroom questions and welcomed me to join them on their next sortie. I jumped at the chance to go on my first ever mushroom foray. After that first sortie Marie-Christine added me to the club's email list and Richard and I were both invited to every single outing and meeting.

Marie-Christine and the others took me under their wing..perhaps it was my enthusiasm for learning. Or my youth because the rest of the members were in the 60s and 70s. Or the fact that I usually arrived at meetings with baked goods. Whatever the case it was, it doesn't matter because I was happy that I got to know them. I later found out that you can't just join this club...you're invited at the request of the members. Knowing this, I feel extra warm and fuzzy knowing they adopted me.

This past Friday's wild orchid and pink butterfly walk went as planned despite the shocking news that we lost our friend Marie-Christine on Thursday morning to cancer. She was 60 years old and in good health and doctors discovered the cancer too late, after it had metastasized.

Marie-Christine was a kindred spirit...we had become good friends very quickly. With some people I feel like we've known each other forever. She was one of those kind of people who made you feel welcome, who opened her heart, and shared her passions. For MC, her passions were her family, mycology, speleology, and genealogy. 

She welcomed me into the mushroom group, tutored me, and despite my broken French and her broken English, we got along like the best of friends despite our age difference. MC, I will always remember your positivity, good humor, and laugh. Thank you.

Au revoir la France

Just as France is feeling like home, and I've made some good friends, we are moving again to start a new adventure abroad. R has accepted a great job opportunity in NYC, and for the past few weeks we have been spring cleaning inside and outside the house, as well as finishing up some bricolage. It all feels a bit surreal really.

Au revoir la France—I arrived as a stranger and part as an admirer and friend. Re-bonjour à Boston and New York City where R and I will make our new home come June. So much to do and pack and see and eat before we skip back to the other side of the pond.

Last weekend it was sunshine and rain. Amazing meal in Annecy-le-Vieux under tree-covered terrace. Cleaning and purging stuff. Red Cross Bric & Brac. Antique cars meetup. 1922 Bugatti. Special goodbye BBQ. Champagne. Sausages. Japanese crepe-like thing that was so yummy. Seasoned sushi rice triangles. Homemade blueberry mousse Charlotte.

On Tuesday R and I spent a day hiking up the Parmelan, a steep mountain to climb. It took us 6 hours round trip—we took the Petit Montoir up, and then the Grand Montoir down. The latter was extremely steep in many places, so much so that I had to hold onto rails and chains that were attached to the large rocky surfaces along the route down. While descending our path was blocked at one point by several huge fallen trees. For someone who is a bit afraid of heights, I was grateful for the extra security. One of my favorite days with R and a great memory of France. I was so very sore at the end of the day and a little bit the next day, but the climb was worth it, if only for the stunning views of the Alps, Juras, and Lac Annecy.

One year anniversaire

One year ago today I arrived in France. My year has been so beautiful and memorable because of everyone in my life—my R, my family, my friends here in Europe as well as the ones back home.

I've laughed, loved, traveled, learned to drive a manual, mushroom hunted, hiked, eaten great food, absorbed history and culture, gardened, cooked, read, written, and generally loved all of it.

March, April and May have been incredibly full—the beautiful weather has continued and my garden is flourishing. I've been so busy the past few weeks, with a project I've been working on as well as with the garden and some travels.

Busy, but not too busy for cooking or for eating, mind you.

Last week I made an entire pot of braised lentils from Le Puy. I thought I had made way too much, but I need not have worried. My friends and I ate almost the entire pot of lentils with our barbecue.

Using some fine cornmeal I had in the pantry, I made baked polenta from scratch. It was much easier than I had expected though I did have to spend some time stirring it quite well and them breaking up the chunks that had somehow formed despite my constant stirring. Today I panfried thin squares of the polenta, laying whole sage leaves on each side, so you end up with slightly crispy sage in each bite. There was still cornmeal leftover after the polenta which I used for a savory cornbread. For a bit of kick I crumbled up some bleu d'Auvergne. And for a bit of color, I cut some of the young green shoots from the scallions in the herb container on my balcony. All in all it turned out light, fluffly with a bit of savory in it—it suited my salty side, but R's sweet side thought my sweet version of cornbread was better. To each his own :)

Way back in February I bought two bags of soybeans with the intention of making tofu from scratch. I also bought a tofu mix in a box...the box contained two bags of powdered soybean (which you add to boiled water and then stir like mad to break up any chunks that may form) and two bags of coagulant (which you have to add after you remove the tofu from the stove to firm it up). I have to say that it looked looked like tofu and moved like tofu—but it tasted off. I'm not sure what I did exactly in what seemed to be a simple process, but I will try again.

The other night I felt like making something with my various jars of Indian spices. I decided on this Red Kidney Beans Curry because I had all the ingredients at hand and it sounded exactly like what I was looking for. The dish came out very well, but instead of 2 large tomatoes I chopped up 5 or 6 plum tomatoes. I omitted the red chili powder because it came out very savory and spicy on its own.

Because R requested red bean ice cream the other day, I decided to make some Tsubushi-An, a chunky version of red bean paste using some Japanese Azuki beans. I used a very simple recipe, and it came out delicious. Perhaps the paste will find its way into steamed buns for red bean buns, or maybe into red bean ice cream as R hopes.

And for my sweet tooth, as well as to thank all my neighbors and friends for all their help and warm welcome since I arrived a year ago, a lot of cookies!

Tulip fields near Hillegom

Tulip fields near Hillegom and colza fields in France. Breathtaking in every sense.

More Keukenhof and tulip fields

The Keukenhof's many greenhouses were exhibiting different flowers and arrangements, many of them playful. R and I played dress-up at one of the exhibitions, with me donning a bright yellow boa, then picking up an accordion. This was so much fun!

Narcissus and daffodils in an interesting shape

Cyclamens in hot pink

Champs des fleurs: Keukenhof

I've always wanted to visit the tulip fields of Holland. Lured by dreams of colorful champs des fleurs, and a well-timed canal tour outing with R's family and aunties, R and I headed north.

Driving through the beautiful French countryside, we couldn't help being thankful for the continuing great spring weather and the thousand shades of green in the fields, meadows, and mountains. At this time of year, the green is cut with vivid blazes of yellow colza, a plant that is grown en masse in France, Germany, Belgium as well as the Netherlands for its seed which is turned into cooking oil. With the windows rolled down, the scent of colza permeated the air as we drove by fields of it on both sides of us.

In the Netherlands we visited a number of places, including Leiden a cute university town with many cafes and canals...more canals than in Haarlem and Amsterdam. While there we visited the nearby Keunkenhof, a stunning garden/art space set next to the tulip fields.