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Published: October 31st 2012
Lamb shank
Beautiful, with a gorgeous sauceTHURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012 - Up BRIGHT AND EARLY to drive 3 1/2 hours to Limoges to pick up a friend at the airport for a 3-day visit while we are in the Dordogne. Then we had to drive 1 1/2 hours to our swap in Villebois-Lavalette, near Angouleme. I am in the heart of Eleanor of Aquitaine country! We have found, or our friend has, that there is a very good restaurant in the town we are staying so that is where we headed to dinner. The name of the restaurant is Le Lavalette, and yes, it IS excellent. We were lucky in that we didn't have reservations, and were one of two tables served that evening. I have decided to stop eating so much (quality, not quantity you know...) so I had a lamb shank and a trio of creme brulees. Kevin and Ian both had a foie gras for a starter and confit de canard for their main course. For dessert they had a baba au rhum and a cheese platter. my creme brulees were lemon, chocolate and armagnac. It was a very satisfying meal, and we hope to return there this week.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2012
Three brulees
The dishes were each about 2 inches in diameter. The perfect size for a trio - Kevin has bought a GrabOne deal for a wine-tasting for two in St Emilion, and Ian had arranged an afternoon tasting at one of the vineyards that he used to buy from in his job so we toodled down to St Emilion for the day. There wasn't a lot in it for me. They seemed to enjoy both wineries. To kill time I took a tour of the underground historical buildings, including a cathedral, chapel, St Emilion's cave where he lived, and the catacombs. I had never been in a monolithic cathedral before, and found it really beautiful. Frankly, I am rather tired of the Renaissance cathedrals so it was a nice change, plus I was able to get some non-wine history of the town. Now, a caveat...if you don't drink, there is no shopping in St Emilion. I could only find shops that sold wine, or wine paraphernalia. How much coffee can I drink? AND, I am coughing all the time now...
Tonight we have found a restaurant, Le Petit Restaurant, in Combiers, down the road from where we are. Or, rather, outside of Combiers, and we were driving back and forth in the dark trying to
Baba au Rhum
Although I haven't had this, it sure looked pretty. find it. It is owned by a British couple. We were given a Prix Fixe meal for 25 euros. I had a pear and gorgonzola tarte for a starter, with a steak for my main course. To be honest it was the best steak I have had in France. We complimented the owner, who explained that the beef was Limousin beef, the red cattle seen in the area. It really was an excellent steak, and the exception to the rule here in France. The tarte, needless to say, was beautiful. Kevin and Ian had foie gras (what else?) as a starter and pheasant for the main course. Kevin had never had pheasant and thought it tasted pretty much like chicken, but he did enjoy it. Desserts consisted of pink grapefruit sorbet for me, white chocolate cheesecake for Kevin and Ian had a Grand Marnier mousse. The cheesecake was the big hit with everyone.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2012 - I am really sick with a horrible cough and spend the day in bed while the other two go off for the day...
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2012 - Ian is leaving this afternoon but not before we tiki-tour up to
Cheese and pear tart
A favorite combo of mine. The cheese was gorgonzola. Limoges. On our way, we stopped at the castle at Chalus, where Richard the Lionhearted was killed by an arrow during a siege. We couldn't access the castle but since Kevin and I had seen where he was buried it seemed only fitting to see where he was killed. Into Limoges, to find a restaurant on a Sunday. Yeah, right.... we finally find one, Le Pont St. Etienne, http://www.lepontsaintetienne.fr/v2/ which all of a sudden filled up after our arrival. Again, I am cutting back on my intake while the guys go for the 3-course meals...Kevin starts with a Creme d'esgarot soupe with mushrooms, while Ian does the foie gras. We all three have the veal steak, and I have the Cafe Gourmet dessert. The veal steak, cooked evenly throughout, was so tender and beautiful. Again, the foie gras was a hit, along with the escargot soup. My dessert was five versions of lemon: a petite lemon merengue pie, pudding, creme brulee, a lemon macaron and finally lemon ice cream. Driving home from the airport, Kevin and I decided to forego dinner and just had a bit of soup.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2012 - Tiki-touring today, down south. We went
Foie Gras
I could only choose one Foie Gras plate and this one was the best looking. to Brantome, which again had a wonderful underground monastery that was started in the 8th century by Charlemagne, with the rest of the town on an island in the Dronne river. I had been looking for prehistoric art caves after our great experience 12 years ago in Font du Gaume cave. We found Grotte de Villars, which combined the limestone stalagmites and stalactites along with some cave drawings. The tour was in French, with little cards in english, and, frankly, we were very disappointed by the cave. at the end, we were asked to tip the guide.we saw the best with Font De Gaume cave and it's a hard measure to live up to: http://www.lepontsaintetienne.fr/v2/ Driving back home, we went to Thiviers, which had a Foie Gras museum in town. Everything you wanted to know about the production of foie gras. I found it interesting, Kevin was a bit disappointed, but I think he wanted to see the ducks and geese on the hoof. But the farms don't open for production until mid-November. Home again for pate and cheese for dinner.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012 - Off in the car again today, with a couple of suggestions of things
Creme of Escargot Soup with mushrooms
The mushrooms were a paste on the bottom and Kevin gave it two thumbs up. to see from our host. The first stop was a chateau up the road that had been built in the last century. Though it was not open for visitation, it was very pretty and pictures had to be taken. Then it was off to Aubeterre, yet ANOTHER plus beaux village de France. I would love a list of these villages and see exactly how many of these we have driven through. This one wasn't that beaux, but it had a wonderful subterranean church that had been commissioned by the same person who commissioned the St. Emilion underground cathedral, and an audio tour included in the ticket. We loved it. We headed west to Angouleme, where Eleanor of Aquitaine was duchess, before she married Henry II. Parked the car and had a walk around. Not much left from Eleanor's time, but it was still a pretty city. Our host, John, made paella for us tonight. but first there was a started of chevre with basil toasted in the grill, topped with a dollop of chutney. Simple, but how good is that? The Paella was excellent, with enough left over for tomorrow night. If you are ever in Villebois-Lavalette, knock on his
Veal
Served with a tart topped with dried shallots, so they were wharp but smooth. door and tell him you've been recommended by us.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012 - HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!!! Kevin and I went off for parts unknown, again, to the town of Piegut-Pluviers, about an hour away. There was a weekly market there, which depressed me since I didn't have any room, but we tried cheeses and talked to artists. we also passed a woman selling bags of escargots in shells 100 for 9 euros. we asked if they were raised specifically for food, and were told that they were essentially "Free Range" escargots, which made us chuckle. So, look kindly at those free-range snails in your garden...
Frankly, it was like Little Britain, Leeds Market with a few French visitors. I counted 8 UK license plates on a total of 15-20 cars. We then took off for Perigueux to have a look around. Kevin was able to find his foie gras on the hoof, and he also bought a can to bring home to NZ. He SWEARS he won't open it before leaving...The city of Perigueux, and most French towns, have a "Centre-ville", which consists of the Information Center and the oldest parts of the city. It makes it
Cafe Gourmand
Five flavors of lemon, I loved this dessert! very easy to find the historical parts. Once again, the Romans were around, as was Eleanor of Aquitaine and her crowd. Though the Info Center was closed we had a good walk around and checked out stores. I am in search of a good-looking winter coat that has a bit of flair, as it is so cold here now. Temperatures are ranging from 5 C to 14 C (40 F - 58 F) and I just don't seem to have enough to wear....Tomorrow we are on the road to Bordeaux...
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Ed
non-member comment
What an orgy of food
How can you look another foie gras in the eye??