Foix

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Bon jour!
I want to write a bit about my lovely host and hostess, Marleen and Ivo. They are from Belgium and moved to France about 12 years ago. They qre parents to Niels and Helena Hullaert They bought some acreage in the midi-pyrenees region. They started a chocolate shop in Foix, selling Belgium chocolates, which are the finest you can buy. She also sells coffee, hot drinks and ice cream. Right now there is a mother with her 2 little girls in with some friends enjoying a treat. It is a charming shop with a eye catching display of her chocolates. She has a local artist who frequents the shop and has a display. She sold a painting just last week. There is a local association that has an organic garden. There are many families who are a part of this. so once a week, there are many bags of vegetables delivered here. Then the locals come and pick them up. As you can see on previous blogs, the shop is at the foot of the castle Foix and has what they call a cave at the back. It is on a narrow street in the heart of the town center. The patisserie is across the street as well as a fruit market. I spend a lot of days here with Marleen. I am satisfied to sit in front of her shop and relax. I usually go for a walk around town nd visit with shopkeepers. Everyone is very friendly and tries to speak with me. The girl next door at the photo shop has twin baby boys. so sweet.

I did not realize what a gourmet cook Marleen was. She is modest and says this is nothing, but I know better. She bakes fresh bread 3xs a week and we have it with coffee every morning. She serves it with cheese, jam, and a wonderful chocolate sause that I will be bringing home with me. It is a favorite of French children here for breakfast.
Lunch here at the shop us sometimes a salad with crab meat or salmon. Everyday we have a fresh baguette from across the way. She serves this with several cheeses. Ahhhh, now there is the good part. The cheeses here are so rich and full of flavor. I am having eveything from goat cheese to soft and hard. Dont know the names. Once brand is called "la vâche qui rit" meaning: the laughing cow. And of course always the chocolates. The Belgium people have chocolate at the table everyday. On Sunday Marleen even places it on the table at breakfast!
Evenings, Marleen cooks a superb dinner. always a salad with some sort of bread. For instance last night she made tosted bread with pate and pickles on it. sometimes she puts tomatoes with cheese and then toasts that. While we are eating salad, the dinner is being finished. She cooks a lot of potatoes, but she has them with these great sauces and other vegetables. The meat is "jambon" which is pork, or goose or duck or whatever she finds. She buys at the market or from the Morroccan butcher, but I think he didnùt have what she wanted because of Romadon holiday. Her kitchen always smells so good because she has these vegetables and fruits out on the counter all the time. We eat a lot of fruit. I think a big part of her secret is her ability to use herbs. I help clean the vegtables and try and peek at her, but she measures nothing. She just uses her eyes and hands to decide how much. She says some of these are traditional Dutch dishes from her childhood. The table is set 3 times a day and everyone sits for about an hour every time. That in itself has been an experience that has made my trip so delightful. I am going home with a few recipes. I will try my crepes on Niels for the big test when I arrive home.

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