Tag: France

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Breakfast at Le Femme Boulanger

Breakfast at La Femme Boulanger

The Baker’s Wife…a wonderful breakfast in Nice. A basket heaped with multiple kinds of bread sat next to six jars of homemade jams. Of course, I had to sample them all. Orange and Grapefruit Marmalade, Fig Jam, Blueberry Preserves, Cherry Jam, Strawberry Preserves, and Apricot Jam…oh my.

If I was asked to pick a favorite, I’m quite sure I couldn’t. They were all that good.

And, this was before breakfast was brought to us. A fluffy, two egg omelet, fresh fruit, crispy bacon slices, and a grilled tomato graced the plate. But, it was hard not to lick out the jars which held the jams…just sayin’.

Located in the Golden Square in Nice, near the Promenade des Anglais.

 

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Cassis…the First Time

Cassis…you may know the word cassis as the French work for blackcurrant. That’s true. And, it’s a great taste.

High Above Cassis

However, it’s also the name of a delightful French fishing port complete with impossibly clear turquoise waters, dozens of boats, and yummy-looking pastel houses. Plenty of charm here, too. There’ s just no other way to describe it.

Driving down and down the steep, winding road, past rocky cliffs on one side and glimpses of blue water on the other, you eventually arrive on the edge of Cassis. Without knowing it, you’ve passed right by the centuries-old Chateau. And, yes those were grapevines on the steep rocky slopes. Then you see shimmering water in the distance. The Mediterranean Sea.

Park above the town. You really do not want to drive on the narrow, slightly uneven cobblestone streets where locals and tourists are wandering. Walking gives you the opportunity to experience Cassis the way it should be experienced. Slowly.

Friday, the day we were there, is market day. Even though the guide books said this market was smaller than others in Provence, we found it to be just as diverse and delicious as any others we had been to. We strolled through rows and rows of vendors, tented stalls, and smells so fantastic our mouths couldn’t stop watering.

I visited with a cheesemaker from Germany. In the south of France. Go figure. Another vendor, a woman selling olive wood spoons, knew where San Diego was. Her daughter goes to school there. Small world. Deeply hued, brightly colored bowls, plates, and platters grabbed my attention. The vendor and I talked…her using small amounts of English and me using broken French. We got along just fine.

Even though the cheeses, meats, olives, pottery, flowers, biscuits, baskets, cookies, pastries, and stacks of breads might have appeared to be the same as other street markets, they weren’t. Each village or town has their own unique specialties. Candied orange cookies begged to be eaten with a cup of espresso. Yummy morning treat. They are a specialty here.

Not crowded like its touristy neighbor, St. Tropez, Cassis is a popular place for both international and French tourists on holiday. Everyone takes time to sit at a sidewalk café and people watch. Doesn’t matter if you’re drinking your morning coffee or mid-morning rose wine. Finished? How about shopping for a chic sundress, a stylish straw hat, or colorful, flirty sandals? All of the above, please.

Another thing, not a lot of English is spoken here. Yet, everyone is friendly and regardless of your command of the French language, you don’t even realize you’ve been communicating with the shopkeeper or the couple at the table next to you.

Wine? Sure. This is one of France’s outstanding wine growing areas. In fact, it’s one of the first three French wine regions to be classed as an AOC by decree on May 15, 1936. In this area, 12 wine estates produce 1,000,000 bottles a year. That’s a lot of wine from those steep vineyards. You’ll find mostly white wines with some Roses.

If you’re here for more than a day, you have to take a boat trip to the Calanques. These rocky inlets are called the Fjordes of the Med. A series of rocky cliffs and bays have been formed in the limestone. This area has a unique eco-system with no soil. It has been protected since 2012. The best way to see it is by boat. Be sure to allow enough time…or stay another day.

At the end of the day…Cassis is a place we’ll come back to. Wandering the town, sampling local seafood and wines, watching people enjoying themselves, and relaxing with a view of the sparkling Med in front of us and rows of candy-colored buildings stacked up the cliffs behind us. Oh yeah. We’ll be back. Hold our table. Merci.

If You Go: Cassis is located east of Marseille in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur in southern France.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Food and Wine…Here We Come

 

Avignon Food and Wine Tour

Mention Avignon and many people know this is where the pope lived during the early 14th century. Hence the imposing Palais des Papes which dominates the skyline of Avignon.

I’ll save that for another article.

On our last visit, we signed up for an Avignon Food and Wine Tour. Why? We love discovering and finding local foods on our own. But, thinking this might be something to try…we signed up.

We were promised a unique experience with a local guide, taking us to local shops. That was right on.

Aurelie, our guide, is a local. She shops around the city daily. So, that’s where she took us. The oldest artisan baker in town, an award-winning master chocolate maker, wine sellers, coffee roasters, olive growers, the local, central market…all her favorites. Many are now our favorites, too. Her passion for food, wine, and Avignon were evident. She knew the locals and they knew her.

As we wandered through streets and down alleys, we learned and we ate. What better way to learn about and understand local foods and how they relate to the history of Avignon? This is definitely a unique way to sample a city.

First up, slightly warm, impossibly light, buttery, flaky croissants. In a park. Surrounded by roses in shades of pinks and yellows, ancient stone columns, chirping birds flitting about the branches. And, pigeons begging for a crumb. Any crumb. Sorry…none left.

Except for the pigeons, it was the perfect way to start the day. If only we had some coffee or espresso. Guess what? That was the next stop as we wove our way through the back streets of Avignon.

At Café du Bresil, in Avignon since 1976, rich, fragrant, coffee beckoned to us from several feet down the street. This is a tiny place. Coffee is their passion. Buying the right beans, roasting to achieve the desired taste, and grinding to fit your machine…all important to them. Tastes and aromas. They make you want to taste, smell, touch, and look. What do you get? The perfect combination. We hated to leave.

Until, that is, Aurelie told us the next stop was an artisan chocolate shop. Aline Gehant, the owner and chocolatier of Artisan Chocolatier en Provence, creates chocolates with a variety of flavors and tastes. Our mission that morning, if we chose to accept it, was to decide what each sample piece was infused with. Of course, we all chose to accept that mission.

First taste…definitely lavender. Not heavy perfumey lavender. Just a hint. But, noticeable. Next, an herb. Was it oregano? Or, was it thyme? Turns out it was thyme. Again, just a hint. Last…a hint of pistachio. Since she makes her chocolates by infusing the herbs and flavors, you taste that subtle flavor all the way through the piece of chocolate. Simply amazing. But, we had to leave. A bakery was calling to us.

More walking. Actually, strolling to our next stop. The oldest bakery in Avignon showcased delightful pastries in the window. Decisions. Decisions. How do we know which one to pick? Thankfully, Aurelie had already chosen for us. Sitting beneath huge, shady trees, these disappeared amid sighs of pleasure. No crumbs left here, either. But, it was time to move to our next stop. Wine.

Since Chateauneuf du Pape is the area’s most prestigious wine, guess what we sampled? The wine shop also poured several other samples for us while explaining where his wines come from. Tasty stop.

Now, more walking to our final destination. Lunch at Les Halles d’Avignon. Forty growers and tradesmen from around the area feature and sell their products, which represent the taste, quality, and freshness of the soil. What a sight.

Glistening, ruby red peppers sit next to shiny, amethyst-colored eggplants. Strawberries, so plump you think they might burst, beckon to be sampled. Fruits and vegetables of every color imaginable line stalls up and down the aisles.

Perfect, marbled filets waiting to be cut to your order, fresh liver resting in a pan, giant slabs of bacon, chickens, geese, quail…and more. Duck fat…jars of duck fat. Seafood showcased on ice. Whole fish, mouths open, along the edge. It was all so fresh, you didn’t detect any fishy smell.

Olives…so many olives. Cheeses you may not have heard of but can’t wait to try. Tapenades, pates, garlic spreads, pickles. Baguettes, long, thin, crusty on the outside and melt in your mouth in the middle.

What do you want? Again, we didn’t have to decide. Aurelie had everything arranged for our gourmet lunch. Including wine and dessert.

What a perfect ending to our food and wine tour.

Now, we were off to explore more of Avignon on our own.

Would we do this again? Of course. It was a different way to explore a city. It was long enough and covered enough different areas. That made it ideal. We were introduced to areas and vendors we might never have discovered on our own.

Plus, we had the perfect guide. She kept us moving, yet didn’t hurry us.

This was a great introduction to Avignon.

If You Go: More can be found about this tour at https://www.avignongourmetours.com/#home-2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Les Baux-de-Provence…A Piece of History

Les Baux-de-Provence

Set in the heart of the Alpilles regional county park, Les Baux-de-Provence is listed as a heritage site. It’s even won the title of one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France. Considering the fact that there are plenty of beautiful villages in France, this is quite an honor.

So, why this designation? We wanted to find out.

For starters, the village literally sits on a rocky plateau. It sort looks like someone perched it there, overlooking the valleys, hills, and marshes below. With its panoramic views, you can see all the way to Arles and the Camargue. If you know where to look, you can see some patches of red earth. These are all that are left of the bauxite quarries, a mineral used to make aluminum.

The Baux outcrop is one of the last foothills of the Alpilles mountains. It’s this craggy cliff formation, with sheer drops of 20 to 45 meters that provided natural protection for the Chateau. And, the Chateau was crucial.

This location was important as far back as early prehistoric times. Defend and protect. In addition to the magnificent drop offs, there are several smaller outcrops where defending troops could see the enemy coming. These somewhat smaller fortresses acted as sort of warning system for the main Chateau.

Keep the Chateau safe. And, they did.

In the Middle Ages, the Baux lineage was one of the leading families in Provence, thanks to the land. They had control of over 79 towns and fortresses until the King took it over.

The Renaissance was a golden age for the town and any buildings in need of repair were rebuilt. Until 1631. Insurgents took it over, leading to a revolt. Cardinal Richelieu’s troops besieged it, once again demolishing it. The village of Les Baux was gradually abandoned until 1821, when a geologist discovered a red rock rich in alum earth…bauxite.

After WWII, the village began a new life as a tourist and cultural center. Raymond Thuillier opened Oustau de Baumaniere, an ambassador for gourmet cuisine which attracted all the world’s best-known names in food.

Then came that distinction of one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in France.”

Now, you can only visit the village by foot…which we did.

With its narrow alley-ways or streets, even the foot traffic gets congested at times. Winding our way up through the village, our goal was the Chateau at the top. Our self-guided tour let us explore as much as wanted, learning about the turbulent history, watching a giant catapult hurl rocks at incoming invaders, and experiencing what it would have looked like to watch an enemy approach from miles away.

Walking back into the village after exploring the Chateau, we were looking for lunch. The Renaissance facades, noticeable on many buildings, bring the memories of what this village once was back to mind. Small shops and restaurants now occupy those buildings.

A bottle of wine, lavender soap, a new Panama hat, locally grown olive oil, or perhaps a custom designed knife…whatever you’re looking for, you might see it here.

Restaurants? No shortage of these, from simple take-away deli sandwiches piled high with local meats, olives, and cheeses to sit-down organic meals to ala carte specialties. This village is truly a foodie one.

What did we discover here?

Plan on spending a full day. If you can, arrive early. Wander through the Chateau and its entirety, taking advantage of the free audio recordings. They help explain what you’re looking at and how it functioned many, many years ago. You’ll learn how they used that giant catapult, how they made their amour, where their food was kept, and where the wounded were treated.

Allow time to explore the village. Whether you’re shopping, exploring local fare, or intent on buying, take your time. Look at the buildings and imagine what they housed in their former lives.

Also, explore the type of restaurant and food you want. There’s a variety. So many choices…not enough time.

This a beautiful village in so many ways. It’s a village we’ll go back to. Maybe even stay longer next time…

 

If You Go: Les Baux-de-Provence is a French commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the province of Provence in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southern France

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It

was after the Second World War that the village began a new life as a tourist and

 

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Have You Been to a Parfumerie?

 

The appeal of perfume is that it is at once ephemeral and empowering…~ Mary Gaitskill

 

Traveling is experiencing. At least, it is for me.

So, when in Saint Remy de Provence I decided to make an appointment at a parfumerie. A new experience for me.

I thought maybe I would get an understanding of the process by watching a professional make perfume. But, it was much more than just sitting down while someone mixed up different scents. This was going to be a hands-on, nose-involved, one-on-one lesson in making my own perfume.

Jars, bottles, photos, coffee beans, and assorted mixing sticks were arranged on the bar in front of me. My own personal mini-lab.

Catherine, at Parfumerie Galimard, is schooled in the science of perfumery and has her credentials. She was my teacher for the afternoon.

Before we started, she explained what a base note is and how it differs from a heart note and from a head or top note. I also learned there’s a fragrant farm just 4 km from Grasse, in the south of France. Yes, a fragrant farm. For five consecutive generations one family has grown the May rose exclusively for the Channel No 5 scent. Yep. All 35 to 40 tons of May rose petals are processed for Channel.

Did you know that four tons of roses equals about 1,600,000 rose blossoms? And, that equals one kg of rose oil? No wonder some perfumes are expensive.

And, the town of Grasse. Jean de Galimard lived in Grasse in 1747, where he created Parfumerie Galimard. During this time, he supplied the court of Louis, King of France, with olive oil, and pomades and perfumes developed from his own formulas. These scents were used to enhance gloves of the fashionable crowd.

Today, those same processes and the natural resources of Grasse are still being used. Jasmine, rose, lavender, orange flower, and tuberose are some of the most widely used to obtain the rich scents necessary for quality perfumes.

“Okay, enough history.” Catherine told me. “You’re going to make your own scent. It will be based on your preferences. Are you ready to work?”

Are you kidding? Of course.

So, where did we start? Catherine told me to make a fine perfume, you need to start with the best raw materials. Just like they did in King Louis’ time. “You must know where these materials came from and how they are grown.”

Then, she said they need to be mixed correctly to achieve the scent you’re looking for.

To do this, parfumeurs use the olfactory pyramid. Ingredients in any perfume are organized on three levels, based on their evaporation rates.

First, are the top or head notes. These are light, fresh, and very volatile scents. They are the ones you first smell. But, they’re also the ones to evaporate first. They can be energetic and exciting, catching your attention and involving your senses. According to Catherine, you might even think this is the essences of this perfume. You probably get smells of lemon, orange, tangerine, bergamot. Others like ginger, eucalyptus, lavender, thyme, sage and rosemary come through as well.

The next level is the middle or heart notes. These should be perceived immediately right after the head notes. They’re stronger and more sensual, awakening deep sensations. At times, they can even mask strong base notes. Smells like peach, rose, thrush, freesia, tuberose, chamomile, jasmine, green land, or oceans come through.

Last are the base notes. They’re the last ones to be perceived. They appear slower but evaporate gradually, lasting longer. These are the ones which give your perfume its personality. You might find scents like incense, patchouli, cedarwood, sandalwood, iris, heliotrope, vanilla, caramel, cocoa, coffee, mush, leather, and birch. They stabilize other scents and are often used for the relaxing and calming effect.

“Getting the right mix of top, heart, and base notes is what makes a great parfume. Each person smells those notes differently. Getting it the way you like makes your great parfume.

“When we’re finished, I will show you how to wear your new scent.” And, she did.

Now, time to start. Catherine took me through the process of smelling and mixing. She handed me the jar of coffee beans. “Smelling coffee beans in between scents cleanses those scents from your nose. Much like the process when you sniff different wines.” More smelling and mixing followed. It was a fun-filled, educational hour and a half.

I lost track of the number of combinations of top, heart, and base notes I smelled. She took me through a series of scents, telling me not to comment whether I liked it or not. More coffee beans to sniff. Then, I went back and smelled them again. By then, I did have preferences.

When we were finished, I had my own unique formula. My recipe. I walked away with my own bottle and an appreciation of what goes into making perfume. It’s a lot more complicated than I imagined.

By the way, they keep that formula on hand in case I want to re-order. Smart.

 

If You Go:

http://www.galimard.com/index.php/en/la-source-parfumee.html

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Cite du Vin and Porto

Press Release from Cite du Vin…

From 5 October 2018 to 6 January 2019, La Cité du Vin is hosting an exhibition paying homage to the exceptional viticultural landscape of the Porto region: Douro, an alchemy between air, land and river. Inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2001, the Upper Douro valley is distinguished by its singular beauty, bearing witness to the evolution of wine and human activity over time. Offering a sensitive and multidisciplinary approach, the exhibition highlights the development of a landscape heritage melding air, land and river, but above all man and nature.

Douro, an alchemy between air, land and river

Porto is one of the oldest appellations in the world. An exceptional viticultural region, surrounded by mountains and shaped by the hands of man into terraces on the steep slopes of the river banks. The exhibition Douro, an alchemy between air, land and river is an invitation to travel through the landscapes of the Douro and across time. A sensitive journey, in both sound and images, and resolutely contemporary, will reflect this special alchemy between the air, the land and the river that gave birth to the famous Port wine, not forgetting the great vineyard of classic wines produced in the region.
Conferences, tastings, themed visits and shows will accompany this original exhibition.

The Guest Vineyard temporary exhibition

Each autumn, the Foundation for Wine Culture and Civilisations gives a partner wine region or country the chance to present a “Guest Wine Region”. The aim is to let the public discover a wine-producing region through its culture and civilisation, in an original and aesthetic exhibition, accompanied by numerous cultural events.
Georgia, as the oldest wine region in the world, was the first Guest Wine Region in autumn 2017. This archaeological exhibition jointly organised with the Georgian state and the national museum of Tbilisi was a great success: more than 50 000 visitors discovered the historical richness and quality of the heritage of this country.

Douro, an alchemy between air, land and river will be the second exhibition dedicated to a Guest Wine Region, from 5 October 2018 to 6 January 2019.

Support the cultural seasons at La Cité du Vin with La Fondation pour la culture et les civilisations du vin: https://fondation.laciteduvin.com/en

About La Cité du Vin:

La Cité du Vin is a new-generation cultural site, unique in the world, where the soul of wine is expressed through an immersive and sensory approach at the heart of an evocative architecture. La Cité du Vin shows wine in a different way, across the world, across the ages, in all cultures and in all civilisations. It offers a permanent tour, temporary exhibitions, wine-culture workshops and numerous events. Visitors can book their tickets on the website www.laciteduvin.com and on the door.
In September 2018, La Cité du Vin is open daily from 10am to 6pm (monday to friday), and from 10am to 7pm (from saturday to sunday).

Ongoing events at La Cité du Vin:

  • Visit of the Permanent Tour with the interactive travel companion and a world wine tasting in the Belvedere.
  • A rich and varied cultural programme, with a steady stream of high-quality performances, concerts, screenings and debates.

Check it out…sounds like a great trip.

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Champagnes, Cavas, Proseccos, Sparkling Wines…Oh My

Champagne

Not all bubbly is created equal, so while “champagne” is often used as a general term to describe all sparkling wine, true Champagne can only come from the small northern region of Champagne, France. world of sparkling wine.

GRAPES OF CHAMPAGNE

Historically, Champagne has been characterized by the fact that is blended in every sense: a blend of grapes, a blend of vintages and a blend of regions. While this is now not always the case, it is true that each of the three major grapes of Champagne contributes its own attributes to a wine.

Chardonnay

As the only major white grape in Champagne, Chardonnay has quite the category to represent, and represent it does. It contributes elegance, ageability and bright citrus flavors to Champagne blends. As 100 percent Chardonnay, this is called blanc de blanc.

Pinot Noir

Because Champagne is such a cold region, Pinot Noir needs to be planted in areas that allow it to ripen fully. Champagnes with a lot of Pinot Noir can be fairly broad and in your face.

Pinot Meunier

Pinot Meunier (also simply known as Meunier) is known for its aromatics and approachable fruit, acting as a bit of flavor-packed seasoning in Champagne blends. While formerly a rarity, some producers now specialize in 100 percent Pinot Meunier Champagnes.

Then there are the different types…

Blanc de Blancs

Blanc de blancs literally translates to “white from whites,” or Champagne made only from white grapes. Since Chardonnay is the only major white grape grown in Champagne, blanc de blancs wines are almost always 100 percent Chardonnay.

Blanc de Noirs

Blanc de noirs, or “white from black,” is the opposite of blanc de blancs. This is a white Champagne made from the red grapes Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (either blended together or from a single grape). Blanc de noirs Champagnes can have a silver or even rose-gold color, due to the slight skin contact.

Rosé Champagne

With the rise of the popularity of rosé has come the rise in popularity of rosé Champagne. Interestingly, Champagne is one of the only regions in the world where rosé may be made by blending red and white base wine. I like this one when done right.

You might wonder about dosage, a term you hear or read.

Dosage

Dosage is a mixture of sugar syrup and wine that is added to a Champagne right before permanently corking it for sale. While no- or low-dosage Champagnes are uber-trendy these days, the purpose of dosage is to balance acidity, so every Champagne needs something different. The wine is then labeled with a sweetness level, ranging from bone dry (Brut Nature and Extra Brut) to dry (Brut) to off-dry and sweet (Extra Dry, Sec, Demi-Sec, and Doux).

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Champagnes, Cavas, Proseccos, and Sparkling Wines…Oh My

Blanquette de Limoux

Hailing from Limoux, a small sub-region of the Languedoc in southern France, this wine is also made in the Méthode Champenoise. Used is primarily the Mauzac, a local grape also known as Blanquette.

Crémant de Limoux is from the same region, but made primarily from Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. Both are great choices.

Limoux is one of the oldest sparkling wine-producing regions in France – dating to 1531.