It was one of those mornings when you draw back the curtains and can tell by the look of the sky at 7.00 am that it is going to be a beautiful day. One of the many reasons for now living in the South of France is to take advantage of days like these when they come along and one of the many reasons for working for myself is that I have the flexibility to do so.
We have been meaning to try this restaurant for some time. It is in the pretty Minervois village of La Liviniere, home to the best wines in the Minervois - a very pleasant forty minute drive from Carcassonne through poppy laden fields and verges. The vines are still the vivid bright green of early growth and everything in the countryside is still verdant and bushy, giving the landscape a soft edge. In the far distance the last remaining snow glinted on the very top Pyrennean peaks.
Les Meulières is in Place Occitane on the edge of the circulade. The inside of the restaurant contains only a few tables but is tastefully decorated and furnished. Outside in the centre of the Place is a large covered area capable of seating up to 50 people in shady comfort. The waiters and waitresses tirelessly trek back and forth over the 20 metres between restaurant and terrace with plates and glasses, bottles and carafes.
For a Tuesday in mid-May it was very busy with all the outside tables occupied and a good number of local French people taking lunch too - always encouraging both for the future of the restaurant and the quality of the food.
One reason may be the stunningly good value of the fixed price menu du midi at €15, for which you get three courses, a quarter litre of wine and a coffee all included. On the day we visited there was a choice of gambas with mayonnaise or a goats cheese salad to start, pan fried perch fillet or confit de canard for main course and creme caramel, faisselle and honey or isles flottantes for dessert.
All was beautifully presented and generous.
Debrah's goats cheese salad came with endive and radish in the mix and a sticky balsamic dressing added a hint of sweetness. I had ten large prawns and a good dollop of homemade garlic mayonnaise.
The perfectly cooked pan fried fillets of perch were served with a cream sauce, melting buttery potatoes, sauteed carrots and strips of roasted red pepper - an unusual, but colourful, addition that didn't really sit with the dish - our only noted fault of the entire meal.
Creme brulee was as it should be - lightly crisp on top not burned to an impregnable barrier and creamy vanilla inside. We couldn't agree whether they were bought in or freshly made, but they were so perfect that it didn't really matter.
The staff were very friendly and efficient - they apologised for a minor delay of 5 minutes when we arrived and thanked us profusely when we left. It was hard to find fault at all - so we didn't.
There is a good looking carte and local wine list and fixed price options from €23 to €45, so there will be something to suit all tastes and pockets - but as I haven't sampled those menus I can't recommend them as yet. Somehow I feel that you won't get a better deal than the fixed price lunch.
We will certainly be returning to sample it again.
Les Meulières, 2 Place Occitane, 34210 La Livinière, Minervois +33 468 75 40 16
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
Domaine Vella Frontera
The tiny village of Maury in the heart of the Roussillon is most famous for it's sweet red wines made from the grenache noir grape - delicious with all things chocolate. The village sits under the brooding presence of the old Cathar castle of Queribus, perched high on the mountains that flank either side of the valley.
The valley is a hot and unforgiving place. The vines are short to protect themselves against the unrelenting winds - dry off the mountains which is good for the vines and humid off the Mediterranean which is not so good - and the black schist terrain makes for a dramatic landscape set against the bright green new vine growth at this time of year.
In the centre of the town, right on the main road, is a small house and garage where Corin and Jayne Fairchild make their wine under the Domaine Vella Frontera label.
They have only been at it for 5 years, with 2007 their first vintage which wasn't released until 2009. Last year most of their Syrah and some of their Grenache was wiped out by a hailstorm in late Spring resulting in only 10,000l of wine instead of their capacity of 24,000l - who'd be a winemaker with that much element of chance involved?
Clearly a huge amount of passion is required and Corin and Jayne haven't let that setback, or any of the other multitude of difficulties involved in getting good wine into a bottle and then sold, hold them back from their mission.
When I visited today I was able to taste 3 wines, but sadly not the white and rose which had just been bottled and needed a bit of time to recover from the shock of it all.
2008 Le Fetard Rouge is a blend aimed at the French market - 40% grenache noir, 40% carignan, 20% syrah.
slightly floral, raspberry and cherry nose - ideal for easy drinking, maybe slightly chilled, with a bbq or on it's own - good balance and good fruit. €7.50 ex cellar
2007 Le Fetard Rouge is a single varietal grenache noir aimed at the British market
punchy, smoky, black fruits with good depth - a food wine. €7.50 ex cellar
2008 Vella Frontera 100% Syrah - from a single vineyard and spends 18 months in oak - dry rich spicy black fruits with a hint of chocolate - will definitely keep well for a while - probably good with duck. €9.50 ex cellar
Sadly I wasn't able to taste Le Fleuron, made from 100% 110 year old vine carignan, because the whole production has been bought by one restaurant - which if you ask me is a bit selfish because there is nothing I like better than well made old vine carignan.
Corin & Jayne Fairchild, Domaine Vella Frontera, 91 Av Jean Jaures, 66460 Maury
www.vellafrontera.com
The valley is a hot and unforgiving place. The vines are short to protect themselves against the unrelenting winds - dry off the mountains which is good for the vines and humid off the Mediterranean which is not so good - and the black schist terrain makes for a dramatic landscape set against the bright green new vine growth at this time of year.
In the centre of the town, right on the main road, is a small house and garage where Corin and Jayne Fairchild make their wine under the Domaine Vella Frontera label.
They have only been at it for 5 years, with 2007 their first vintage which wasn't released until 2009. Last year most of their Syrah and some of their Grenache was wiped out by a hailstorm in late Spring resulting in only 10,000l of wine instead of their capacity of 24,000l - who'd be a winemaker with that much element of chance involved?
Clearly a huge amount of passion is required and Corin and Jayne haven't let that setback, or any of the other multitude of difficulties involved in getting good wine into a bottle and then sold, hold them back from their mission.
When I visited today I was able to taste 3 wines, but sadly not the white and rose which had just been bottled and needed a bit of time to recover from the shock of it all.
2008 Le Fetard Rouge is a blend aimed at the French market - 40% grenache noir, 40% carignan, 20% syrah.
slightly floral, raspberry and cherry nose - ideal for easy drinking, maybe slightly chilled, with a bbq or on it's own - good balance and good fruit. €7.50 ex cellar
2007 Le Fetard Rouge is a single varietal grenache noir aimed at the British market
punchy, smoky, black fruits with good depth - a food wine. €7.50 ex cellar
2008 Vella Frontera 100% Syrah - from a single vineyard and spends 18 months in oak - dry rich spicy black fruits with a hint of chocolate - will definitely keep well for a while - probably good with duck. €9.50 ex cellar
Sadly I wasn't able to taste Le Fleuron, made from 100% 110 year old vine carignan, because the whole production has been bought by one restaurant - which if you ask me is a bit selfish because there is nothing I like better than well made old vine carignan.
Corin & Jayne Fairchild, Domaine Vella Frontera, 91 Av Jean Jaures, 66460 Maury
www.vellafrontera.com
So true
Le vin ne résoudra pas vos problèmes.
L'eau non plus !
Merci Chateau de L'Ille, Peyriac de Mer
L'eau non plus !
Merci Chateau de L'Ille, Peyriac de Mer
Thursday, April 21, 2011
No carbs and a teeny tiny bit of sugar
Tomorrow it is Good Friday, the end of Lent. I am not a religious man and would not normally be volunteering to 'give something up', but this year for the duration of Lent, less the first two days, both Debrah and I have forsaken all carbohydrates and all but the teeniest bit of sugar.
A close friend of ours has extolled this regime for a long time and, to be fair, her healthiness is living proof of it's benefits. We both felt the weight of the winter months upon us, Debrah wanted to try it and I happily agreed to join in on the basis that it is far easier to prepare the same meal for us both than different ones for each.
It wasn't a Lent thing at first, just a "Let's do it for a couple of weeks, shall we?" I could have followed it at home but not when we ate out and I could have paid lip service to it. But I decided to support Debrah with it fully and then she had the idea of following the regime until the end of Lent - a target date for us to focus on.
Were we 100% strict? No. We have had no bread, no potatoes, no pasta, no rice, and no desserts but we have had wine and some vegetables and fruit that naturally contain some carbohydrates and some sugar.
Was it easy? No. I was really hungry most of the first and second week. I had dreams about eating foods I knew I shouldn't be eating. I missed chips with steak and toast in the morning and baguette whenever there was the smallest bit of gravy, salad dressing or meat juices left sitting on the plate.
There have been some funny moments - the look of astonishment on the waiters face when we declined bread in a restaurant - as far as he was concerned we were uncivilised heathens.
There have been many testing times - having to go to the boulangerie to buy croissants and bread for guests breakfasts, toasting bread for guests breakfasts, making chocolate puddings and watching guests eat them at hosted guest dinners, making jam and fruit compote and granola for the breakfast trays, making pommes dauphinoise for guest dinners - I'm sure you get the idea.
The fact is we have had temptation placed in our way every single day since we started this crazy routine. It's one thing to cut something from your diet and remove it from the house as a result. It's quite another to cut something from your diet and be constantly faced with it on a daily basis preparing breakfasts and dinners for clients - even preparing and eating dinners with clients who are eating the very foods you are trying to avoid.
And it has been easier as the weeks have progressed. The massive hunger pangs subsided when we realised we needed to up our protein and fat intake a bit to compensate. The meat, fish and vegetables available here in the Aude make it very easy. The new strawberry season is well and truly upon us and berry fruit is very much allowed. The weather has been warm and sunny and salad inducing.
And so we arrive at Good Friday with mission accomplished. Debrah has lost 3 inches off her waist and is looking sexier than ever and we both feel brighter, better and healthier.
So what next?
There is a temptation to go straight down to Cafe Felix tomorrow lunchtime for a bavette frites followed by chocolate mousse, to buy an extra croissant au buerre when I go to the boulangerie in the morning for the guests breakfast, to eat hot chocolate fondant with the guests at dinner tomorrow evening.
There is equally an enormous desire to continue what we have started, not to ruin all the good work of the past six/seven weeks with a reckless launch back into a carbohydrate dominated world. I quite like being a modern day hunter gatherer.
A toasted hot cross bun with butter - now that's a dilemma!
A close friend of ours has extolled this regime for a long time and, to be fair, her healthiness is living proof of it's benefits. We both felt the weight of the winter months upon us, Debrah wanted to try it and I happily agreed to join in on the basis that it is far easier to prepare the same meal for us both than different ones for each.
It wasn't a Lent thing at first, just a "Let's do it for a couple of weeks, shall we?" I could have followed it at home but not when we ate out and I could have paid lip service to it. But I decided to support Debrah with it fully and then she had the idea of following the regime until the end of Lent - a target date for us to focus on.
Were we 100% strict? No. We have had no bread, no potatoes, no pasta, no rice, and no desserts but we have had wine and some vegetables and fruit that naturally contain some carbohydrates and some sugar.
Was it easy? No. I was really hungry most of the first and second week. I had dreams about eating foods I knew I shouldn't be eating. I missed chips with steak and toast in the morning and baguette whenever there was the smallest bit of gravy, salad dressing or meat juices left sitting on the plate.
There have been some funny moments - the look of astonishment on the waiters face when we declined bread in a restaurant - as far as he was concerned we were uncivilised heathens.
There have been many testing times - having to go to the boulangerie to buy croissants and bread for guests breakfasts, toasting bread for guests breakfasts, making chocolate puddings and watching guests eat them at hosted guest dinners, making jam and fruit compote and granola for the breakfast trays, making pommes dauphinoise for guest dinners - I'm sure you get the idea.
The fact is we have had temptation placed in our way every single day since we started this crazy routine. It's one thing to cut something from your diet and remove it from the house as a result. It's quite another to cut something from your diet and be constantly faced with it on a daily basis preparing breakfasts and dinners for clients - even preparing and eating dinners with clients who are eating the very foods you are trying to avoid.
And it has been easier as the weeks have progressed. The massive hunger pangs subsided when we realised we needed to up our protein and fat intake a bit to compensate. The meat, fish and vegetables available here in the Aude make it very easy. The new strawberry season is well and truly upon us and berry fruit is very much allowed. The weather has been warm and sunny and salad inducing.
And so we arrive at Good Friday with mission accomplished. Debrah has lost 3 inches off her waist and is looking sexier than ever and we both feel brighter, better and healthier.
So what next?
There is a temptation to go straight down to Cafe Felix tomorrow lunchtime for a bavette frites followed by chocolate mousse, to buy an extra croissant au buerre when I go to the boulangerie in the morning for the guests breakfast, to eat hot chocolate fondant with the guests at dinner tomorrow evening.
There is equally an enormous desire to continue what we have started, not to ruin all the good work of the past six/seven weeks with a reckless launch back into a carbohydrate dominated world. I quite like being a modern day hunter gatherer.
A toasted hot cross bun with butter - now that's a dilemma!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Getting ready for guests
Here at 42rvh we've had a bit of a break from guests for the past ten days, which was a shame for them because they have missed the best weather of the year so far.
Well that all changes this weekend with the arrival of two couples on Saturday. Thereafter, we have guests every night into the foreseeable future and life is going to get very busy - so I thought I'd better get prepared.
We have always tried to source the best fresh seasonal ingredients and to prepare ourselves, as much as we can, the food that we serve at breakfast and dinner. Over the Winter and into Spring the fruit supply for the breakfast trays becomes a bit predictable; with no fresh soft fruit available we rely on Spanish oranges and locally grown kiwi fruit, apples and pears - all very good but missing the zing of sun ripened sweetness.
That's all about to change. There have been strawberries in the market now for 4 weeks - and what's more they are grown in France or driven up from Spain, not flown in from another continent. For an English boy like me, local strawberries in April is a miracle.
And they are good too. The first market arrivals are clearly forced and probably grown in polytunnels but just to see the injection of bright scarlet onto the predominantly green market stalls is a joy in itself and lifts the spirits in anticipation of treats to come. The variety, whose name I sadly don't know, is big and brash and ideal for making compote or jam. It is swiftly followed by smaller, more delicate varieties bursting with the flavour of Spring, such as the gariguette - a French secret for so long but now sadly escaped from the borders of France to the shelves of supermarkets like Waitrose in the UK.
As with all new arrivals to the market, the first supplies are few and expensive - the price will drop and the supply become more plentiful as the weeks go by - and the taste will get better too because the first arrivals are not quite ripe or have been forced in the rush to get them to market to make a profit. The secret is to wait - but how painful is the wait and how long does one wait before you give in and buy?
I use the big early strawberries for making jam and compote and my cut-off point is €4 for 2kg. They start at €7.50 but today in the market they had dropped to the price I'd been waiting for - and just in time for the new guests.
Have you ever topped and hulled 2kg of strawberries? It's a lot of strawberries, very time consuming, very repetitive and makes your back ache a lot. I put half in a pan with the juice of two lemons and a quantity of sugar that made Debrah cry and the other half in a pan with the juice of one lemon and a tiny bit of sugar, which made Debrah a lot happier. The first pan was bubbled and boiled and became strawberry jam and the second was cooked for no more than ten minutes, until the sugar had dissolved and became strawberry compote. Four jars of jam, three jars of compote, ready for the breakfast trays.
More will be made as the season progresses using all the many and varied varieties of strawberry that will come and go throughout the next six months - each with their own subtle flavour characteristics.
I also noticed that our stock of granola was down to the last jar too, so whilst I was in the mood decided to make a new supply of that as well. It's a recipe from a Nigella Lawson cookbook so as far as I am concerned it can't be faulted - but it can be varied to your own taste with more nuts or less fruit or vice versa - it works though*.
Larder stocks replenished, I'm ready to face the new season and guests can look forward to freshly made breakfast goodies and then there will be cherries and then melons and then apricots and then peaches and then figs and .....
* Feast by Nigella Lawson p199
Well that all changes this weekend with the arrival of two couples on Saturday. Thereafter, we have guests every night into the foreseeable future and life is going to get very busy - so I thought I'd better get prepared.
We have always tried to source the best fresh seasonal ingredients and to prepare ourselves, as much as we can, the food that we serve at breakfast and dinner. Over the Winter and into Spring the fruit supply for the breakfast trays becomes a bit predictable; with no fresh soft fruit available we rely on Spanish oranges and locally grown kiwi fruit, apples and pears - all very good but missing the zing of sun ripened sweetness.
That's all about to change. There have been strawberries in the market now for 4 weeks - and what's more they are grown in France or driven up from Spain, not flown in from another continent. For an English boy like me, local strawberries in April is a miracle.
And they are good too. The first market arrivals are clearly forced and probably grown in polytunnels but just to see the injection of bright scarlet onto the predominantly green market stalls is a joy in itself and lifts the spirits in anticipation of treats to come. The variety, whose name I sadly don't know, is big and brash and ideal for making compote or jam. It is swiftly followed by smaller, more delicate varieties bursting with the flavour of Spring, such as the gariguette - a French secret for so long but now sadly escaped from the borders of France to the shelves of supermarkets like Waitrose in the UK.
As with all new arrivals to the market, the first supplies are few and expensive - the price will drop and the supply become more plentiful as the weeks go by - and the taste will get better too because the first arrivals are not quite ripe or have been forced in the rush to get them to market to make a profit. The secret is to wait - but how painful is the wait and how long does one wait before you give in and buy?
I use the big early strawberries for making jam and compote and my cut-off point is €4 for 2kg. They start at €7.50 but today in the market they had dropped to the price I'd been waiting for - and just in time for the new guests.
Have you ever topped and hulled 2kg of strawberries? It's a lot of strawberries, very time consuming, very repetitive and makes your back ache a lot. I put half in a pan with the juice of two lemons and a quantity of sugar that made Debrah cry and the other half in a pan with the juice of one lemon and a tiny bit of sugar, which made Debrah a lot happier. The first pan was bubbled and boiled and became strawberry jam and the second was cooked for no more than ten minutes, until the sugar had dissolved and became strawberry compote. Four jars of jam, three jars of compote, ready for the breakfast trays.
More will be made as the season progresses using all the many and varied varieties of strawberry that will come and go throughout the next six months - each with their own subtle flavour characteristics.
I also noticed that our stock of granola was down to the last jar too, so whilst I was in the mood decided to make a new supply of that as well. It's a recipe from a Nigella Lawson cookbook so as far as I am concerned it can't be faulted - but it can be varied to your own taste with more nuts or less fruit or vice versa - it works though*.
Larder stocks replenished, I'm ready to face the new season and guests can look forward to freshly made breakfast goodies and then there will be cherries and then melons and then apricots and then peaches and then figs and .....
* Feast by Nigella Lawson p199
Friday, April 8, 2011
Instant Summer
Just a couple of weeks ago I was waxing on about the arrival of Spring - the almond blossom was in full bloom and the Aude valley was slowly awakening with the first leaves on the trees, the first meadow flowers and the sap rising in the vines.
The last two days the temperature has soared to over 30 degrees in the sun and there hasn't been a cloud in the sky since last Monday - full on Summer has arrived with a bang a good two months earlier than expected. It's such a contrast to last year when the cold dragged on and on and we had snow in early May - the weather has gone completely bonkers! My wardrobe is still full of jumpers and jeans when what I need is shorts and t-shirts!
The temperature may be Summer but the countryside is still very much Spring. The cherry blossom has replaced the almond, the vines have their first growth, the poppies and irises are highlighting the roadsides in lipstick red* and purple, the new grass and new leaves on the trees could not be a more vibrant green if they tried and the birds are twitterpated (ahhh, Bambi)
It is very definitely perfect weather for cruising around the countryside with the roof down on the Audi, which is what we were doing today. There was no particular purpose to the drive and it ended up being a bit rambling as a result, taking in the Alaric mountains, the Corbières and the banks of the Etang de Bages where gawky flamingoes waded in flat calm water and a shimmering heat haze in the late afternoon.
In the midst of all that, like true francophiles, we stopped for lunch, at Auberge Côté Jardin in Conilhac Corbières. "Why haven't you brought me here before?", said Debrah as we walked into the tastefully cool terrace restaurant.
Conilhac Corbières is what I would call a main road village - it sits on the Carcassonne to Narbonne route nationale and suffers from the trucks that plague all such villages, whether in France or the UK.
From the front, on the main road, Coté Jardin doesn't look at all special, but don't be put off by that. Drive into the car park and walk into the terrace garden and you are a world away from the busy main road even though there is just a building between the two - traffic noise is replaced by bird song.
For a midweek lunch we opted for their two course formule at €20 - more than the average formule but this is much better than the average restaurant and worth every centime. The food was beautifully presented and delicious although our insistence on no bread or potatoes amongst the vegetables was met with slight incredulity and confusion. The carte was temptingly impressive and the wine list was excellently full of brilliant locally produced wine.
Our bill, with a half bottle of white, a bottle of fizzy water and two coffees came to €63. I thought that was excellent value.
Auberge Côté Jardin, 11200 Conilhac Corbières 04.68.27.08.19
* pantone 1795 according to Debrah - the design guru
The last two days the temperature has soared to over 30 degrees in the sun and there hasn't been a cloud in the sky since last Monday - full on Summer has arrived with a bang a good two months earlier than expected. It's such a contrast to last year when the cold dragged on and on and we had snow in early May - the weather has gone completely bonkers! My wardrobe is still full of jumpers and jeans when what I need is shorts and t-shirts!
The temperature may be Summer but the countryside is still very much Spring. The cherry blossom has replaced the almond, the vines have their first growth, the poppies and irises are highlighting the roadsides in lipstick red* and purple, the new grass and new leaves on the trees could not be a more vibrant green if they tried and the birds are twitterpated (ahhh, Bambi)
It is very definitely perfect weather for cruising around the countryside with the roof down on the Audi, which is what we were doing today. There was no particular purpose to the drive and it ended up being a bit rambling as a result, taking in the Alaric mountains, the Corbières and the banks of the Etang de Bages where gawky flamingoes waded in flat calm water and a shimmering heat haze in the late afternoon.
In the midst of all that, like true francophiles, we stopped for lunch, at Auberge Côté Jardin in Conilhac Corbières. "Why haven't you brought me here before?", said Debrah as we walked into the tastefully cool terrace restaurant.
Conilhac Corbières is what I would call a main road village - it sits on the Carcassonne to Narbonne route nationale and suffers from the trucks that plague all such villages, whether in France or the UK.
From the front, on the main road, Coté Jardin doesn't look at all special, but don't be put off by that. Drive into the car park and walk into the terrace garden and you are a world away from the busy main road even though there is just a building between the two - traffic noise is replaced by bird song.
For a midweek lunch we opted for their two course formule at €20 - more than the average formule but this is much better than the average restaurant and worth every centime. The food was beautifully presented and delicious although our insistence on no bread or potatoes amongst the vegetables was met with slight incredulity and confusion. The carte was temptingly impressive and the wine list was excellently full of brilliant locally produced wine.
Our bill, with a half bottle of white, a bottle of fizzy water and two coffees came to €63. I thought that was excellent value.
Auberge Côté Jardin, 11200 Conilhac Corbières 04.68.27.08.19
* pantone 1795 according to Debrah - the design guru
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Spa and Bar
We are always on the lookout for anything new in Carcassonne that we think may be of interest to our guests - new places to eat, new places to drink, new places to visit.
Yesterday afternoon, our 'research' (I'd like to call it work but it was all pleasure) took us to a newly opened spa facility and me to a wine bar and wine tasting room that I have been trying to visit for a while.
The spa is located at the Hotel du Chateau, a smart small hotel just a stones throw from the entrance to the Cité. We were invited to view and experience the facilities. Debrah enjoyed an hour long hot oil massage and I tried out the steam room and the plunge pool complete with various water jets/jacuzzi.
Actually, Debrah usually hates a massage and had to be virtually dragged to the spa but was totally bowled over by the experience - so that has to be a good recommendation. The decor is tastefully subdued and relaxing, the mood is tranquil and calming and the scale totally intimate. There are just three treatment rooms and a couple can book the entire space for themselves, making it a very personal time.
We will definitely be recommending the spa to our own guests and I'm sure we will be visiting ourselves from time to time.
Whilst Debrah was dropping off to sleep under the expert hands of the masseuse I dropped into Le Comptoir des Vins et Terroirs, a wine bar, wine tasting room and wine shop located in the Cité. It was late afternoon and there was no-one in the place except Benoit, the owner, which was perfect.
I told him what I do and he told me what he does, the wine he champions, the tastings, the food and we generally worked out how we might be able to help each other out. He appears to be the only person/place in Carcassonne providing wine tastings of wines of the local region, which is astonishing really.
There are so many visitors and so much scope to sell the region's wine but there are so many vested interests in different micro wine regions (Cabardes, Malepere, Limoux, Minervois, Corbieres, etc etc) that the bigger picture is maybe lost amongst the local in-fighting. It's an outsiders point of view but sometimes it takes that to see the reality of what's happening.
Anyway, for once I went into a wine bar and didn't drink any wine - remarkable - so my full review of the Comptoir will have to wait until another day.
Yesterday afternoon, our 'research' (I'd like to call it work but it was all pleasure) took us to a newly opened spa facility and me to a wine bar and wine tasting room that I have been trying to visit for a while.
The spa is located at the Hotel du Chateau, a smart small hotel just a stones throw from the entrance to the Cité. We were invited to view and experience the facilities. Debrah enjoyed an hour long hot oil massage and I tried out the steam room and the plunge pool complete with various water jets/jacuzzi.
Actually, Debrah usually hates a massage and had to be virtually dragged to the spa but was totally bowled over by the experience - so that has to be a good recommendation. The decor is tastefully subdued and relaxing, the mood is tranquil and calming and the scale totally intimate. There are just three treatment rooms and a couple can book the entire space for themselves, making it a very personal time.
We will definitely be recommending the spa to our own guests and I'm sure we will be visiting ourselves from time to time.
Whilst Debrah was dropping off to sleep under the expert hands of the masseuse I dropped into Le Comptoir des Vins et Terroirs, a wine bar, wine tasting room and wine shop located in the Cité. It was late afternoon and there was no-one in the place except Benoit, the owner, which was perfect.
I told him what I do and he told me what he does, the wine he champions, the tastings, the food and we generally worked out how we might be able to help each other out. He appears to be the only person/place in Carcassonne providing wine tastings of wines of the local region, which is astonishing really.
There are so many visitors and so much scope to sell the region's wine but there are so many vested interests in different micro wine regions (Cabardes, Malepere, Limoux, Minervois, Corbieres, etc etc) that the bigger picture is maybe lost amongst the local in-fighting. It's an outsiders point of view but sometimes it takes that to see the reality of what's happening.
Anyway, for once I went into a wine bar and didn't drink any wine - remarkable - so my full review of the Comptoir will have to wait until another day.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wonderful Asparagus Soup
One of the great joys of living here in the Languedoc and having Carcassonne market just two minutes down the road is locally grown asparagus in mid-March, a good month or more earlier than I could ever get hold of local asparagus in the UK and earlier than most parts of France if reports from friends around the country are anything to go by.
In London we would buy it at any time, flown in from far flung places all year round - but it never ever compared to the locally grown stuff. When we moved to France we vowed to eat local and seasonal because we could - and we do.
So we have waited for nine months for the new asparagus season and it arrived two weekends ago when the the stall of M. Villa from Cavanac appeared in the market for the first time this year. That Saturday we were a bit tardy getting down to the market, it also being a grey, wet and windy morning, and were lucky to grab some of the last spears - it seems that the whole of Carcassonne has been waiting for the asparagus too!
We will eat it for the next three months until we are sick of it but that's ok because there will be lots of other things to gorge on by then. Even so, it's always good to find a new way to treat it and that's what happened this week - not only that but I used the left over ends after eating the tender part of the spear in a conventional way (melted butter and parmesan shavings if you must know) and I like nothing better than getting a delicious dish out of leftovers from another delicious dish.
Credit where it's due - this recipe owes an enormous amount to Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe for Asparagus Vichyssoise from his book 'Plenty', a marvellous source of ideas for vegetables - but his soup is cold, uses the whole asparagus spear and includes potato and sugar whilst mine is hot, uses the leftover ends and has no starch or sugar. Isn't that the way it should be though? - we use other recipes for inspiration but put our own twist on them based on instinct and what we have to hand at any given time. Sometimes it doesn't work but just sometimes you end up with something wonderful - as with this soup.
Ingredients;
- leftover ends from 500g of asparagus spears, green parts chopped into 2cm bits and any really woody white parts discarded
- one leek and one shallot/three spring onions (whatever you have - I had half a huge end of a comedy spring onion the size of a cricket ball) outer layers removed and chopped.
- 500ml of vegetable stock
- 25g butter
- 50ml cream
- 2 tablespoons fromage frais (or greek yoghurt or creme fraiche)
- lemon zest
- salt and pepper
To prepare;
- saute the leek, onion and asparagus in the butter for 5 minutes over a gentle heat
- add the stock and some salt and pepper and simmer gently for 30 minutes
- blitz to a smooth consistency in a blender (you can then pour it through a sieve for an even smoother texture if you wish)
- stir in the cream and fromage frais and check the seasoning
- reheat gently to serving temperature
- serve with freshly grated lemon zest ( a truly inspirational final touch that elevates the dish to the monumentally sublime)
If you are making this to impress you could add finely chopped mint and a swirl of cream or keep back some of the tender asparagus tips to garnish the final dish.
We were so impressed that I plan to make it again tomorrow and then again for this weekend's clients on Sunday. I bet it's delicious cold too - I just haven't tried that yet.
In London we would buy it at any time, flown in from far flung places all year round - but it never ever compared to the locally grown stuff. When we moved to France we vowed to eat local and seasonal because we could - and we do.
So we have waited for nine months for the new asparagus season and it arrived two weekends ago when the the stall of M. Villa from Cavanac appeared in the market for the first time this year. That Saturday we were a bit tardy getting down to the market, it also being a grey, wet and windy morning, and were lucky to grab some of the last spears - it seems that the whole of Carcassonne has been waiting for the asparagus too!
We will eat it for the next three months until we are sick of it but that's ok because there will be lots of other things to gorge on by then. Even so, it's always good to find a new way to treat it and that's what happened this week - not only that but I used the left over ends after eating the tender part of the spear in a conventional way (melted butter and parmesan shavings if you must know) and I like nothing better than getting a delicious dish out of leftovers from another delicious dish.
Credit where it's due - this recipe owes an enormous amount to Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe for Asparagus Vichyssoise from his book 'Plenty', a marvellous source of ideas for vegetables - but his soup is cold, uses the whole asparagus spear and includes potato and sugar whilst mine is hot, uses the leftover ends and has no starch or sugar. Isn't that the way it should be though? - we use other recipes for inspiration but put our own twist on them based on instinct and what we have to hand at any given time. Sometimes it doesn't work but just sometimes you end up with something wonderful - as with this soup.
Ingredients;
- leftover ends from 500g of asparagus spears, green parts chopped into 2cm bits and any really woody white parts discarded
- one leek and one shallot/three spring onions (whatever you have - I had half a huge end of a comedy spring onion the size of a cricket ball) outer layers removed and chopped.
- 500ml of vegetable stock
- 25g butter
- 50ml cream
- 2 tablespoons fromage frais (or greek yoghurt or creme fraiche)
- lemon zest
- salt and pepper
To prepare;
- saute the leek, onion and asparagus in the butter for 5 minutes over a gentle heat
- add the stock and some salt and pepper and simmer gently for 30 minutes
- blitz to a smooth consistency in a blender (you can then pour it through a sieve for an even smoother texture if you wish)
- stir in the cream and fromage frais and check the seasoning
- reheat gently to serving temperature
- serve with freshly grated lemon zest ( a truly inspirational final touch that elevates the dish to the monumentally sublime)
If you are making this to impress you could add finely chopped mint and a swirl of cream or keep back some of the tender asparagus tips to garnish the final dish.
We were so impressed that I plan to make it again tomorrow and then again for this weekend's clients on Sunday. I bet it's delicious cold too - I just haven't tried that yet.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Vinocamp
The third Vinocamp took place in Carcassonne over the weekend. The first and second took place in Paris and Burgundy and the next will be in Bordeaux so the Languedoc is in very good company with France's top wine regions.
The event has nothing to do with camping and everything to do with wine, and how to use social networking, the internet, websites and blogging to promote your wine business. It was a joy to welcome Louise Hurren, independent wine journalist and marketeer, and Wendy Gedney, provider of the most interesting and informative wine tours in the region, to 42rvh for the weekend. As well as being really good friends they are experts at what they do.
We enjoyed a very convivial dinner on Friday evening, with a surprisingly Portuguese flavour to it - Alentejo pork and clams (a recipe taught me by the great David Eyre) washed down with Esporao Reserva 2008 (a wine Debrah had discovered on BA during her recent New York trip). It was a match made in heaven - one can rarely go wrong with the local dish and the local wine paired together.
I sadly missed out on the main discussion forums during Saturday but was happy to be able to join the Outsiders tasting hosted by O'Vineyards on Sunday lunchtime. The Outsiders are a group of winemakers whose origins lie outside the region but who are all producing excellent examples of interesting, delicious, drinkable Languedoc wine - they all have great stories to tell and they are all marvellous examples of what can be achieved with passion and desire in this fabulous winemaking landscape. They make me want to buy some vines myself.
It was a pleasure to meet for the first time Caryl Panman from Ch Rives-Blanques, Ruth Simpson from Dom Sainte Rose and Jon and Rachel Hesford from Dom Trelour and old friends Katie Jones from Dom Jones and of course Ryan O'Connell and his parents Joe and Liz from O'Vineyards
Needless to say, I can't do justice to them all here in one blog so I will revisit in future episodes and give much more detail about the people, their vineyards and their wines.
The event has nothing to do with camping and everything to do with wine, and how to use social networking, the internet, websites and blogging to promote your wine business. It was a joy to welcome Louise Hurren, independent wine journalist and marketeer, and Wendy Gedney, provider of the most interesting and informative wine tours in the region, to 42rvh for the weekend. As well as being really good friends they are experts at what they do.
We enjoyed a very convivial dinner on Friday evening, with a surprisingly Portuguese flavour to it - Alentejo pork and clams (a recipe taught me by the great David Eyre) washed down with Esporao Reserva 2008 (a wine Debrah had discovered on BA during her recent New York trip). It was a match made in heaven - one can rarely go wrong with the local dish and the local wine paired together.
I sadly missed out on the main discussion forums during Saturday but was happy to be able to join the Outsiders tasting hosted by O'Vineyards on Sunday lunchtime. The Outsiders are a group of winemakers whose origins lie outside the region but who are all producing excellent examples of interesting, delicious, drinkable Languedoc wine - they all have great stories to tell and they are all marvellous examples of what can be achieved with passion and desire in this fabulous winemaking landscape. They make me want to buy some vines myself.
It was a pleasure to meet for the first time Caryl Panman from Ch Rives-Blanques, Ruth Simpson from Dom Sainte Rose and Jon and Rachel Hesford from Dom Trelour and old friends Katie Jones from Dom Jones and of course Ryan O'Connell and his parents Joe and Liz from O'Vineyards
Needless to say, I can't do justice to them all here in one blog so I will revisit in future episodes and give much more detail about the people, their vineyards and their wines.
Back to the Future
It was a staple of every restaurant menu in the 1970's and, therefore, it's reputation has suffered by association as the food revolution over the last 30 years has taken us through nouvelle cuisine, fusion food and the rediscovery of British cooking.
Some 70's classics have survived by being reinvented for the modern palate - the prawn cocktail springs to mind - although I can't see anything wrong with the original version which we still eat on a regular basis.
The dish I am talking about is duck a l'orange. It has the air of Robert Carrier and Graham Kerr hanging over it and I can't remember the last time I saw it on a restaurant menu. Yet the time is ripe for a revival because French cuisine is back in vogue in a big way with new French restaurants opening in London and New York at an astonishing rate over the last year or so.
It is a fabulous dish and has become a firm favourite at 42rvh, especially during the winter months when there is a plentiful supply of good oranges coming up from Spain and winter bitter leaves which make the ideal salad to offset the rich duck and fruity orange - and of course we always have duck to hand.
This is how I prepare it for 2 people.
- Take one large duck breast (preferably magret). Score the fatty side in a criss-cross pattern down to the flesh.
- Make a marinade with the juice and zest of 2 oranges and a tablespoon each of runny honey, ground cinnamon and soy sauce. Marinate the duck breast overnight in the fridge.
- To cook, in a dry pan fry the duck breast skin side down over a medium heat for 10 minutes to render and brown the fat. When done tip away any excess fat from the pan, turn the breast over, add the marinade and orange segments from another orange and cook for a further 5 minutes. Then remove the duck breast to a board to rest, add 25 gms of butter to the marinade and reduce a little.
- to serve, slice the duck breast at an angle and arrange on two plates (approx 4-5 slices each) and dress with the sauce and a dressed mixed salad (I like to use radicchio and frisee).
It is important to cook the duck on a medium heat - I can't remember how many I have burnt by having the heat too high or not keeping an eye on it. If you can't get hold of a large magret de canard then you may need 2 smaller duck breasts and adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Last week we found some delicious and beautiful blood oranges in the market and experimented with them in this dish. The taste was not particularly any different but the colour of the blood orange segments certainly added a spectacular dimension.
So find the Glam Rock compilation on your ipod and give it a go.
Some 70's classics have survived by being reinvented for the modern palate - the prawn cocktail springs to mind - although I can't see anything wrong with the original version which we still eat on a regular basis.
The dish I am talking about is duck a l'orange. It has the air of Robert Carrier and Graham Kerr hanging over it and I can't remember the last time I saw it on a restaurant menu. Yet the time is ripe for a revival because French cuisine is back in vogue in a big way with new French restaurants opening in London and New York at an astonishing rate over the last year or so.
It is a fabulous dish and has become a firm favourite at 42rvh, especially during the winter months when there is a plentiful supply of good oranges coming up from Spain and winter bitter leaves which make the ideal salad to offset the rich duck and fruity orange - and of course we always have duck to hand.
This is how I prepare it for 2 people.
- Take one large duck breast (preferably magret). Score the fatty side in a criss-cross pattern down to the flesh.
- Make a marinade with the juice and zest of 2 oranges and a tablespoon each of runny honey, ground cinnamon and soy sauce. Marinate the duck breast overnight in the fridge.
- To cook, in a dry pan fry the duck breast skin side down over a medium heat for 10 minutes to render and brown the fat. When done tip away any excess fat from the pan, turn the breast over, add the marinade and orange segments from another orange and cook for a further 5 minutes. Then remove the duck breast to a board to rest, add 25 gms of butter to the marinade and reduce a little.
- to serve, slice the duck breast at an angle and arrange on two plates (approx 4-5 slices each) and dress with the sauce and a dressed mixed salad (I like to use radicchio and frisee).
It is important to cook the duck on a medium heat - I can't remember how many I have burnt by having the heat too high or not keeping an eye on it. If you can't get hold of a large magret de canard then you may need 2 smaller duck breasts and adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Last week we found some delicious and beautiful blood oranges in the market and experimented with them in this dish. The taste was not particularly any different but the colour of the blood orange segments certainly added a spectacular dimension.
So find the Glam Rock compilation on your ipod and give it a go.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Le Trauquet
Here at 42rvh we pride ourselves on being able to send our clients to the restaurant or bar that matches their wants, their needs and their budget - and also to help them find the great local places that their guidebook won't mention.
Before we can recommend somewhere we need to try it for ourselves and before we try it we need to find it. I know, it's a tough life we have chosen for ourselves - having to force ourselves out of the house to conduct restaurant reviews - I admit it's a fabulous bonus of the life we lead.
As with anyone living on the doorstep of a tourist attraction - in our case the magnificent medieval Cité of Carcassonne - we hardly ever visit it because, well because it is full of tourists. But without doubt, every single one of our clients will visit it so visit we must too in the name of research.
We had planned to call in at a bar and then move on to a restaurant for lunch. It was a glorious early Spring day with a cloudless blue sky and the temperature pushing 20 degrees. Even though it is still early in the season and it was midweek, there were hundreds if not a couple of thousand tourists strolling the old streets.
So imagine our surprise when we found both establishments firmly closed with business going begging past their front doors. What on earth is wrong with these people? - why not close in January?
The reviews of these two places will now have to wait until they decide to open for business.
It was 12.30pm, we were hungry and we were in the Cité - out of the setback came the opportunity to discover somewhere new and that is how we came to lunch at Le Trauquet.
Le Trauquet is a sweet little tourist restaurant serving classic dishes (entrecote, cassoulet, salads) very well. It has the usual range of fixed price menus from €10 to €20, a charming owner and a sun-drenched terrace - a perfect affordable lunch spot in a busy tourist attraction.
In mid-Summer I suspect you will need to be seated as close to midday as possible to get a table for lunch, but today we had a choice of tables arriving an hour later than that. That's not to say they weren't busy - we counted at least 50 covers whilst we were there which is a healthy trade for a small restaurant at any time of year.
Our entrecote with chips and salad was cooked perfectly, one rare and one medium. The service was fast, efficient and polite. The bill, with a large bottle of Badoit, a small pichet of red wine and a coffee came to €33 - which to my mind is a bargain lunch in a tourist trap.
It was so warm I removed my jacket and sweater and ate lunch in short sleeves and Debrah got the added bonus of a sunburnt nose - in March!
You've got to love the south of France.
le trauquet, place du petit puits, la Cité +33 468 474931
Before we can recommend somewhere we need to try it for ourselves and before we try it we need to find it. I know, it's a tough life we have chosen for ourselves - having to force ourselves out of the house to conduct restaurant reviews - I admit it's a fabulous bonus of the life we lead.
As with anyone living on the doorstep of a tourist attraction - in our case the magnificent medieval Cité of Carcassonne - we hardly ever visit it because, well because it is full of tourists. But without doubt, every single one of our clients will visit it so visit we must too in the name of research.
We had planned to call in at a bar and then move on to a restaurant for lunch. It was a glorious early Spring day with a cloudless blue sky and the temperature pushing 20 degrees. Even though it is still early in the season and it was midweek, there were hundreds if not a couple of thousand tourists strolling the old streets.
So imagine our surprise when we found both establishments firmly closed with business going begging past their front doors. What on earth is wrong with these people? - why not close in January?
The reviews of these two places will now have to wait until they decide to open for business.
It was 12.30pm, we were hungry and we were in the Cité - out of the setback came the opportunity to discover somewhere new and that is how we came to lunch at Le Trauquet.
Le Trauquet is a sweet little tourist restaurant serving classic dishes (entrecote, cassoulet, salads) very well. It has the usual range of fixed price menus from €10 to €20, a charming owner and a sun-drenched terrace - a perfect affordable lunch spot in a busy tourist attraction.
In mid-Summer I suspect you will need to be seated as close to midday as possible to get a table for lunch, but today we had a choice of tables arriving an hour later than that. That's not to say they weren't busy - we counted at least 50 covers whilst we were there which is a healthy trade for a small restaurant at any time of year.
Our entrecote with chips and salad was cooked perfectly, one rare and one medium. The service was fast, efficient and polite. The bill, with a large bottle of Badoit, a small pichet of red wine and a coffee came to €33 - which to my mind is a bargain lunch in a tourist trap.
It was so warm I removed my jacket and sweater and ate lunch in short sleeves and Debrah got the added bonus of a sunburnt nose - in March!
You've got to love the south of France.
le trauquet, place du petit puits, la Cité +33 468 474931
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Spring is so close
It has been the most glorious weekend in Carcassonne - unbroken blue skies, new produce in the market and blossom bursting forth - Spring is so very nearly here.
Here at 42rvh we have just about had our fill of cauliflower and cabbage - we adored it's comfort back in November but are now so craving something fresher and livelier. We are on the cusp of the change.
Yesterday's market had the first local asparagus and some Spanish peas, beans and strawberries. They are not yet at their best - far from it - but they are a sign of things to come. Last night we had simply cooked asparagus with butter and this morning strawberries, yoghurt and granola for breakfast. Nothing dramatic in that but a welcome shift in our eating habits that promises delights around the corner.
An hour sat outside The Saillan with friends yesterday lunchtime resulted in layers being removed at regular intervals, such was the effect of a sheltered spot in full sun out of the breeze. Today was no different - we drove to Lastours and the Minervois with the roof down on the Audi.
The impending change is very evident out in the countryside. There is white almond blossom and pink cherry blossom and yellow mimosa providing spectacularly colourful highlights against the still mostly grey/brown drab winter landscape. The scent of the blossom lifts the spirit and highlights the joy of driving an open top car on days like these but although the fields are ploughed and the vines are pruned it is still too early for signs of agricultural growth.
Spring is not yet here - we have had a Springlike weekend full of the promise of the joys to come, but the temperature still plummets during the clear starlit nights and the cabbage will remain in the diet for another couple of weeks at least and the vines will surely wait a little longer before they feel it is safe to start the new wine production cycle. Don't go to early because we await as ever what you have in store for us this year.
Here at 42rvh we have just about had our fill of cauliflower and cabbage - we adored it's comfort back in November but are now so craving something fresher and livelier. We are on the cusp of the change.
Yesterday's market had the first local asparagus and some Spanish peas, beans and strawberries. They are not yet at their best - far from it - but they are a sign of things to come. Last night we had simply cooked asparagus with butter and this morning strawberries, yoghurt and granola for breakfast. Nothing dramatic in that but a welcome shift in our eating habits that promises delights around the corner.
An hour sat outside The Saillan with friends yesterday lunchtime resulted in layers being removed at regular intervals, such was the effect of a sheltered spot in full sun out of the breeze. Today was no different - we drove to Lastours and the Minervois with the roof down on the Audi.
The impending change is very evident out in the countryside. There is white almond blossom and pink cherry blossom and yellow mimosa providing spectacularly colourful highlights against the still mostly grey/brown drab winter landscape. The scent of the blossom lifts the spirit and highlights the joy of driving an open top car on days like these but although the fields are ploughed and the vines are pruned it is still too early for signs of agricultural growth.
Spring is not yet here - we have had a Springlike weekend full of the promise of the joys to come, but the temperature still plummets during the clear starlit nights and the cabbage will remain in the diet for another couple of weeks at least and the vines will surely wait a little longer before they feel it is safe to start the new wine production cycle. Don't go to early because we await as ever what you have in store for us this year.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Soup
Soup. Is there anything easier to prepare? Is there anything more nourishing? Anything more heartwarming?
Here at 42rvh we don't think so and this past week has seen an abundance of soup - some planned in advance, some off the cuff, some not quite as expected and some surpassing expectations - but all delicious and fabulous.
It started with me deciding to spice up our usual pumpkin offering with a bit of fresh chilli. Now we all know that chillis can be hot, medium or mildly ticklish and it depends on your tolerance level as to where any chilli you encounter registers on that scale. In other words, it can be a bit of a lottery. Here in France we are often told that the chillis we are buying are 'tres fort' only to find they are nothing of the sort.
So I spiced up my pumpkin soup expecting a mildly warming effect and was slightly surprised to find the result more attention seeking than planned - but nonetheless quite delicious.
This soup was for a client dinner and I was suddenly a bit hesitant about it's use given that everyone's tolerance is different. I needed an alternative to offer and frozen peas were my saviour. I adore freshly podded peas but there is absolutely nothing wrong with frozen peas and I always have some lurking in reserve for just such an occasion. Shallot, stock, peas and mint - what could be simpler? - add some cream and crispy fried bacon bits and you have a soup to die for.
At the dinner two went for pumpkin and two went for the pea and all bowls were emptied with obvious satisfaction.
The following day Debrah roasted up some lacklustre winter tomatoes and turned them into the most wonderfully warming tomato soup made with the roasted tomatoes, some gently fried shallot, some stock and some seasoning all whizzed up together in the processor.
The weather had turned a little chillier again and naturally a warming bowl of home made soup was what we were still craving as the week progressed. It wasn't a market day so we had to make do with what was at hand - which turned out to be a bunch of carrots and a bunch of coriander. It couldn't have been better - the sweetness of the carrots, the aromatic coriander and some heat from ground black pepper worked a treat
Soup.
It's so easy and it's so good. An onion, some stock and some vegetables - it's all you need for a fantastic lunch or a refined first course for a dinner - give it a go.
Here at 42rvh we don't think so and this past week has seen an abundance of soup - some planned in advance, some off the cuff, some not quite as expected and some surpassing expectations - but all delicious and fabulous.
It started with me deciding to spice up our usual pumpkin offering with a bit of fresh chilli. Now we all know that chillis can be hot, medium or mildly ticklish and it depends on your tolerance level as to where any chilli you encounter registers on that scale. In other words, it can be a bit of a lottery. Here in France we are often told that the chillis we are buying are 'tres fort' only to find they are nothing of the sort.
So I spiced up my pumpkin soup expecting a mildly warming effect and was slightly surprised to find the result more attention seeking than planned - but nonetheless quite delicious.
This soup was for a client dinner and I was suddenly a bit hesitant about it's use given that everyone's tolerance is different. I needed an alternative to offer and frozen peas were my saviour. I adore freshly podded peas but there is absolutely nothing wrong with frozen peas and I always have some lurking in reserve for just such an occasion. Shallot, stock, peas and mint - what could be simpler? - add some cream and crispy fried bacon bits and you have a soup to die for.
At the dinner two went for pumpkin and two went for the pea and all bowls were emptied with obvious satisfaction.
The following day Debrah roasted up some lacklustre winter tomatoes and turned them into the most wonderfully warming tomato soup made with the roasted tomatoes, some gently fried shallot, some stock and some seasoning all whizzed up together in the processor.
The weather had turned a little chillier again and naturally a warming bowl of home made soup was what we were still craving as the week progressed. It wasn't a market day so we had to make do with what was at hand - which turned out to be a bunch of carrots and a bunch of coriander. It couldn't have been better - the sweetness of the carrots, the aromatic coriander and some heat from ground black pepper worked a treat
Soup.
It's so easy and it's so good. An onion, some stock and some vegetables - it's all you need for a fantastic lunch or a refined first course for a dinner - give it a go.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Chez Felix
There is a quintessential French bar in every town in France and it is uniquely ‘French’. It serves the same purpose as a pub in Ireland or a tea shop in England - it is a social centre where news is exchanged, sport is watched and the world is put right.
It is a café, open early serving coffees and croissants to those heading off to work, a brasserie, with the plats du jour chalked up on a blackboard outside just before midday and a bar, serving wine and pression to locals and tourists alike until whatever time in the evening they decide to close (never a fixed time).
It is of another time, another century. It feels out of place and yet is so certain of it’s place. It is shabby and unchanged which somehow gives it more a sense of permanence. Newer bars and cafés come and go around it whilst it remains unmoved. It is so very easy to criticise and so very very easy to love.
In Carcassonne that bar is Chez Felix in the heart of the Place Carnot. It was founded in 1954 by Felix Bergeze and now has the third generation of the family involved. Felix was a legend of post war French rugby league and his son-in-law and current patron of the bar, Jean Cabrol, played for the great Carcassonne side of the sixties and was later trainer of the team. The bar is the spiritual home of the ASC XIII and when the current team won the cup in 2009 there was, for once, no closing time.
Chez Felix has two other claims to fame. When Rick Stein made his French Odyssey TV series he was filmed sitting outside the bar. He read a passage from a book titled ‘Signs of the Heart, Love and Death in the Languedoc’, written by Christopher Hope, which described a perfect fictional bar called Chez Jim - it could only be Chez Felix and all the other identical bars around France.
The waiters wear black waistcoats and trousers, not jeans, and they are waiters in a serious profession with a job for life, not casual staff awaiting their big chance. It would be unthinkable that Jean-Jacques, Herve and Michel would not be serving you. Each has their own character, their own idiosyncracities but they all know what they are doing - even at the busiest times they know who arrived when and in what order and they will get round to you. Arm waving, whistling and shouting “Monsieur” are only going to delay that moment.
The orange cushioned outside chairs have all seen better days, the inside tables are impossibly cramped for space and the single toilet is controlled from behind the bar - you need to catch their attention on your way to the loo so they can press the button that unlocks the door - I kid you not.
Despite all that seems wrong with it, there is in fact nothing wrong at all with it - it is what it is and it does what it does. So when the sun shines and we want some air or don’t want to cook lunch for ourselves, we take the 2 minute stroll down the hill from 42rvh to the Place Carnot. We often consider eating elsewhere but always end up at Felix. We always consider the other daily specials but always order the bavette and frites. It is our guilty secret - steak, chips and salad, rosé, perrier and coffee for €20 for two all in - perfect.
Considering that the bavette frites is the one thing that’s on the specials board every single day of the year, you would think they would have it down to a fine art by now - but in fact the only consistent thing about the dish is it’s inconsistency.
So I am hereby instigating ‘Bavette Watch’ to keep track of the nuances of my beloved lunch in the square. So to kick it off this was the last time I visited.
Date: Friday 4th February
Weather: sunny, tad under 20C, hot for time of year
Waiter; Jean Jacques (JJ), amiable mood
Steak: small but cooked to order (saignant)
Sauce: pepper, gooey, no peppercorns
Chips: lots, lightly fried
Salad; crunchy with good dressing
It is a café, open early serving coffees and croissants to those heading off to work, a brasserie, with the plats du jour chalked up on a blackboard outside just before midday and a bar, serving wine and pression to locals and tourists alike until whatever time in the evening they decide to close (never a fixed time).
It is of another time, another century. It feels out of place and yet is so certain of it’s place. It is shabby and unchanged which somehow gives it more a sense of permanence. Newer bars and cafés come and go around it whilst it remains unmoved. It is so very easy to criticise and so very very easy to love.
In Carcassonne that bar is Chez Felix in the heart of the Place Carnot. It was founded in 1954 by Felix Bergeze and now has the third generation of the family involved. Felix was a legend of post war French rugby league and his son-in-law and current patron of the bar, Jean Cabrol, played for the great Carcassonne side of the sixties and was later trainer of the team. The bar is the spiritual home of the ASC XIII and when the current team won the cup in 2009 there was, for once, no closing time.
Chez Felix has two other claims to fame. When Rick Stein made his French Odyssey TV series he was filmed sitting outside the bar. He read a passage from a book titled ‘Signs of the Heart, Love and Death in the Languedoc’, written by Christopher Hope, which described a perfect fictional bar called Chez Jim - it could only be Chez Felix and all the other identical bars around France.
The waiters wear black waistcoats and trousers, not jeans, and they are waiters in a serious profession with a job for life, not casual staff awaiting their big chance. It would be unthinkable that Jean-Jacques, Herve and Michel would not be serving you. Each has their own character, their own idiosyncracities but they all know what they are doing - even at the busiest times they know who arrived when and in what order and they will get round to you. Arm waving, whistling and shouting “Monsieur” are only going to delay that moment.
The orange cushioned outside chairs have all seen better days, the inside tables are impossibly cramped for space and the single toilet is controlled from behind the bar - you need to catch their attention on your way to the loo so they can press the button that unlocks the door - I kid you not.
Despite all that seems wrong with it, there is in fact nothing wrong at all with it - it is what it is and it does what it does. So when the sun shines and we want some air or don’t want to cook lunch for ourselves, we take the 2 minute stroll down the hill from 42rvh to the Place Carnot. We often consider eating elsewhere but always end up at Felix. We always consider the other daily specials but always order the bavette and frites. It is our guilty secret - steak, chips and salad, rosé, perrier and coffee for €20 for two all in - perfect.
Considering that the bavette frites is the one thing that’s on the specials board every single day of the year, you would think they would have it down to a fine art by now - but in fact the only consistent thing about the dish is it’s inconsistency.
So I am hereby instigating ‘Bavette Watch’ to keep track of the nuances of my beloved lunch in the square. So to kick it off this was the last time I visited.
Date: Friday 4th February
Weather: sunny, tad under 20C, hot for time of year
Waiter; Jean Jacques (JJ), amiable mood
Steak: small but cooked to order (saignant)
Sauce: pepper, gooey, no peppercorns
Chips: lots, lightly fried
Salad; crunchy with good dressing
Friday, February 18, 2011
Black Diamonds
Three years ago I bought my very first black truffle. The occasion was the truffle fair at Moussoulens, which is held each year on the third Sunday of January and the event was documented on my then blog
A short fifteen minute drive from Carcassonne, Moussoulens is a nondescript village that I wouldn’t bother stopping in usually but then I wouldn’t miss the truffle fair - it is the village’s moment of glory.
Whilst the Januarys of my former life were always long and grey and wet and dreary and exceptionally grim in nature, January in the Languedoc is invariably dry and bright and joyful because everything doesn’t just come to a halt - there is a festival of some sort every month of the year and January belongs to the black truffle - and as ever, the sun shone, even if the air was cold, and the snow sparkled on the Pyrennean peaks.
There was wine to be tasted (of which Dom. Guilhem Barre stood out - but more of that another time), sausages to be squeezed and sniffed, bands playing the local drinking songs and donkey rides for the children.
The main event was of course the truffle market. I read that last year 120kg was sold at a fixed market price of €1000 a kilo - that is a lot of cash changing hands (it is all in cash) and whilst the market is official and regulated you just can’t help wondering how much of that finds it’s way back to Paris. I hope someone enjoys my €45.
Three years ago after buying my first truffle I posed the question at the end of my blog “What do I do with it now?”. Three years on and I know exactly what to do with it.
Some people say that the aroma is strong and overpowering for other food - you can put it in an eggbox and the eggs will take on it’s aroma, that is indeed true - but I think it has a perfume that is unique and I use the word perfume deliberately - like Chanel No 5 or Chateau Ausone the aroma is heady and multilayered and instantly recognisable.
So, my advice is not to drown it, confuse it or contradict it with any other flavours. A simple creamy risotto blanc with shaved truffle stirred in at the last moment, a plate of farm fresh scrambled eggs and truffle or a soup of creamy celeriac topped with truffle shavings and finely chopped celery leaves. The blandness, if that is the right word for those delicious base ingredients, lets the truffle shine - it’s flavour speaks most eloquently with the creamy texture of each of those dishes.
One truffle can go a long way, or not - it all depends on whether you grate it or shave it on a peeler and how much you add to your dishes. Personally, I like to taste it and truffle season is just that - it is here and now and that is where it belongs.
I am already looking forward to next January.
A short fifteen minute drive from Carcassonne, Moussoulens is a nondescript village that I wouldn’t bother stopping in usually but then I wouldn’t miss the truffle fair - it is the village’s moment of glory.
Whilst the Januarys of my former life were always long and grey and wet and dreary and exceptionally grim in nature, January in the Languedoc is invariably dry and bright and joyful because everything doesn’t just come to a halt - there is a festival of some sort every month of the year and January belongs to the black truffle - and as ever, the sun shone, even if the air was cold, and the snow sparkled on the Pyrennean peaks.
There was wine to be tasted (of which Dom. Guilhem Barre stood out - but more of that another time), sausages to be squeezed and sniffed, bands playing the local drinking songs and donkey rides for the children.
The main event was of course the truffle market. I read that last year 120kg was sold at a fixed market price of €1000 a kilo - that is a lot of cash changing hands (it is all in cash) and whilst the market is official and regulated you just can’t help wondering how much of that finds it’s way back to Paris. I hope someone enjoys my €45.
Three years ago after buying my first truffle I posed the question at the end of my blog “What do I do with it now?”. Three years on and I know exactly what to do with it.
Some people say that the aroma is strong and overpowering for other food - you can put it in an eggbox and the eggs will take on it’s aroma, that is indeed true - but I think it has a perfume that is unique and I use the word perfume deliberately - like Chanel No 5 or Chateau Ausone the aroma is heady and multilayered and instantly recognisable.
So, my advice is not to drown it, confuse it or contradict it with any other flavours. A simple creamy risotto blanc with shaved truffle stirred in at the last moment, a plate of farm fresh scrambled eggs and truffle or a soup of creamy celeriac topped with truffle shavings and finely chopped celery leaves. The blandness, if that is the right word for those delicious base ingredients, lets the truffle shine - it’s flavour speaks most eloquently with the creamy texture of each of those dishes.
One truffle can go a long way, or not - it all depends on whether you grate it or shave it on a peeler and how much you add to your dishes. Personally, I like to taste it and truffle season is just that - it is here and now and that is where it belongs.
I am already looking forward to next January.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Carcassonne Cooking Days
Fancy a day shopping, chopping, mixing, blending, baking, tasting and sipping?
In an C18th French townhouse in Carcassonne?
See www.42ruevictorhugo.com for details
In an C18th French townhouse in Carcassonne?
See www.42ruevictorhugo.com for details
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