This is a recipe that I recently cooked for a tasting at O Panier Local, the cooperative farm store here in Orthez where I work as a volunteer. The idea was to present an easy dish for the Holidays made primarily with local produce from the store. This inspired me to add local butternut squash …
Chickpea and butternut squash hummus Read More »
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Coquilles St.-Jacques, or sea scallops, are one of the delicious pleasures of the late fall French table. The season for their fishery opens on October 1st and continues through the holidays, when they feature on many menus, especially for New Years Eve. Careful management of the fisheries has meant an abundant supply (Monterrey Bay Seafood …
Pan-seared scallops with creamed fennel and leeks Read More »
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Wow, its oyster season and still warm enough to enjoy them outside on the terrace! Fall has been unusually warm in the SW of France (the new normal?) so I have waited to try my first oysters of the season until the water is cooler – usually I start thinking of oysters in early October. …
Oysters and bubbles! Read More »
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The arrival of quince is a landmark of late fall: quince are traditionally the last tree fruit of the year to show up on the farm stands, usually in mid to late November. So they have for me an association with the holidays of the end of the year. This may be, in part, because …
Pan roasted duck breast with roasted quince and cabbage Read More »
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A beautiful fall day in the lovely little village of Sare. Located in the heart of the French Basque Countries, perched on a hill overlooking rolling green countryside and facing the Pyrenees, Sare is considered on the of most beautiful and most typical of Basque villages. On a crisp day in November, the town is …
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In 2018, we planted a little apple tree in a sunny SE corner of our yard. These days, it has grown to important size and yields a lot more lovely eating apples than we can possibly eat. So after having given bags to all our friends and neighbors, and eaten apples everyday for a month, …
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In general, a Bar-Tabac in France does not serve any food, so bringing your own snacks is welcomed. Taking advantage of that fact. This sausage is a “chipo sèche” meaning a dry chipolata, from the excellent Basque artisan pork producer and charcutier La Ferme Elizaldia, who have a truck at the Tuesday market here.
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Wow, it has been a warm start to the fall here in the Southwest of France. Record breaking even. On Saturday, it hit 32 C, and last week it hit 37 C, which broke the record for October high temperature in the area. As the summer heat tempered in September, we planted a fall crop …
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In the Pyrenees, fall means the end of the summer mountain grazing season that began in the spring with the depart of the herds toward higher altitudes, known as the transhumance. The shepherds and their flocks, aided by their herding and guard dogs, have spent the summer in the rich, high mountain pastures, getting fat …
Fête des Bergers, Aramits, France Read More »
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