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Published: July 16th 2011
Royal Wedding menu
The day Will and Kate tied the knot, we had tea and fresh baked scones followed by champagne and a variety of tea sandwiches.Much is made of the 100 Mile Diet in North America. Frankly, it has always seemed to be more trouble than it is worth. Doing it right would preclude a lot of the things we have come to rely upon like bananas or olives.
But here in France, you could probably say "thanks for the 100 miles, but I will give you 80 of those back to you as I won't be using them. Thirty kilometres is more than ample."
We get asparagus in November at home. That is just plain wrong. When I first arrived in Sommieres, the white asparagus was newly out. Gradually, as each market week progressed, less of the white was seen and then more of the green. And then, none. The early strawberries disappeared but were eventually replaced by fraises de bois (a tiny strawberry better than candy). The artichokes came and went, the peaches arrived along with the apricots.
The best of all is a melon from Cavaillon in Provence. I was lucky enough to scoop up three a few miles from Cavaillon one day and bring them straight home. The first one was sublime - warm from the fields, dripping with
Wines from Cooking Class
All locally grown grapes and all fabulous. the taste and smell of honey. The second, a day or two later, was also good. By the time the third was cut into, about a week later, it became obvious that my lovely melon was really now just a cantaloupe. Time and refridgeration had taken those juices down a bit. It proved in large letters that food is not meant to travel far or be eaten in the future. It is for gobbling on the spot, right now, with a big old handkerchief at your elbow and, at best, wearing a bathing suit or in the bathtub (where my daughter's grandmother first introduced Tiana to the joys of mangos. I later added pomegranates to the category of bathtub food for a small child. She continues the tradition to this day. I worry if, in polite company, she is served a mango and immediately starts hunting out a body of water in which to consume it!).
We had a few meals like that in France. One of the best was the evening we picked up about five pounds (2.5 kilos) of perfectly cooked prawns - heads on, the best way to cook them. Garlic heated in a little butter,
Cinnamon buns
Not normally a baker, I was inspired by my friend Bev to give it a try. By the end of the trip, I was making bread, even pita bread, with modest success.
lots of baguettes, a crisp salad and even crisper wine and we were good to go. The prawns rivalled our best BC spot prawns and were sweet in a way than only the freshest can be. Every last prawn was gone that night and all that was left was a pile of heads and shells.
People thought I was cooking up gourmet stuff. Frankly, all it takes is to be a good gatherer. With the right ingredients, amazing things happen. It doesn't take much effort to put things on platters, throw a few fig leaves underneath the cheeses and people think you fussed!
When I went to France, I had hoped to come home taller, thinner and more stylish. Doubtless none of these things have happened. But, eating a diet filled with cheese and wine is offset by a profusion of fresh produce, little processed food and no preservatives. I may not be thinner or taller, but at least we ate with style.
As pictures are worth thousands of words, and make nice viewing, I will add some food photos here. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
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Lynne
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Ahhhh........
Wonderful pictures, Nancy! Too bad the olive experiment didn't work - but it did give us some terrific laughs! Thank you, thank you, thank you once more for your incomparable hospitality. I only wish I had been there for the apricots & peaches! xoxo