Bonjour mes amis!
Another week, another
blog post.
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| Jeanne and me at the lake |
Friday night some
wonderful American friends hosted a Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone made a dish
or two and in the end we had a beautiful and delicious traditional holiday meal :) Saturday night a bunch of us got together to faire une petite fête. Being
the classy Frenchies that we are, it was a wine and cheese affair. It's awesome being
able to hang out with so many people from all over the globe. I also love that
we’re able to switch between English and French through the course of a
conversation. These are things I will definitely miss!
Today I spent the
afternoon again with my French family in Ballan-Miré. Being the world’s
sweetest people that they are, Jeanne and Yann prepared for me a traditional
southwest France four course meal. Je vous le décris:
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| Yann and Jeanne on our walk |
Our antipasto dish
was baked artichoke filled with a shrimp and veggie béchamel sauce. And
baguette and butter, bien sûr. The wine pairing was a surprisingly sweet red
2005 Bordeaux from Saint-Émilion. I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of red wine,
but after this experience perhaps I was not trying all the right kinds.
The main course was a
cassoulet, a rich and slow-cooked casserole from Toulouse comprised of white
beans, sausage, spices and various other meats (which I didn’t dare ask what
they were). The dish was hearty, savoury and flavourful. The side salad
featured a subtle walnut oil dressing. Serve with more baguette and butter.
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| Yann and me at the Grand Moulin de Ballan |
Our next course was a
cheese sampler. There were three choices: a fromage à chevre (a particularly
robust and slightly crumbly goat cheese), Morbier (a pungent cheese from the
Franche-Comté region in eastern France), and Camembert (which was fairly mild
and soft). Given my love affair with goat cheese, that was the clear winner.
Between the taste and texture, my taste buds were overwhelmed. Camembert is
always a safe choice. The first cheese I dare say I’ve never cared for is the
Morbier. It was strong and bitter and only advisable for the most courageous of
cheese connoisseurs. Serve with even more baguette, and butter, for good
measure.
For dessert, Jeanne
made a custard pie, topped with hand-picked blackberries. The shortbread crust
was sweet and homemade, the custard creamy and the blackberries garden-fresh.
We finished the meal with some rooibos tea.
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| Jeanne and a horse we saw along our walk |
As you can imagine,
that was plentiful eating, so we spend the duration of the afternoon
promenading along the river and hiking through the Forêt Communal de
Ballan-Miré. There was a farm along the forest that is home to retired farm
animals so we saw horses, donkeys and goats. There were also many people out
searching for mushrooms to eat! I’m so impressed by how au naturel people eat
here. Jeanne let me sample some of the mini kiwis that she grows and they were
delicious! Jeanne and Yann have an incredible country property that is so
quaint and so French! Between the garden-fresh food, le petit chat and the
world’s most adorable loft (their house is a converted barn!), I think I could
move right in. I’m so glad to have met them!
As you can imagine,
that much eating and walking has made be exhausted so I shall perhaps retire
early and start the new week off right. À bientôt, mes amis!
Z <3
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