Last week I went back home with the little ones for half term...
seeing that my other half was away for the week anyway! Needless to say I have spent a week indulging in one of my favourite hobbie: food tasting. I had to be a bit sneaky this time since my mum, dad and sister were in the middle of a little spring detox and...not eating much else than soups and boiled vegetables.
Anyway, I managed.
I also tried to do the same things with our kids that I remember doing with my parents and grand parents, simply because I have such great memories of growing up in Beaujolais. i hope both Tom and Millie will too one day.
Holiday time spent at home was usually divided between strolling through the market with "mamie Juliette" on Tuesday morning, stopping every 10 yards or so to chat to a friend/neighbour/relative. A lot of hanging around time at the local riding centre (for me). And yummy afternoon snacks; Home made hot chocolate we would make in a chocolatiere (a gadget only people with a bid house and loads of cupboards can have...but such a treat to make frothy, hot, creamy, velvety drinks!), pain perdu and matefin (a thick pancake half way between a crepe and American pancakes) .
So, in keeping with the tradition, on Tuesday morning we went round the local market! We bought a yummy, fluffy, light and warm gauffre for the kids. Simply sprinkled with snowy icing sugar and eaten there and then (yes I helped them!) it was so delicious I nearly ate it all myself (shame on me)
We saw loads of great stuff on the market, although it was a bit quieter than normal being half term (quite a few of the locals go away skiing so less stall owners make the trip to Beaujolais that week). Salads, radishes, artichokes and beetroots aplenty, soft fresh local cow and goat's cheeses, duck, poulet de Bresse and partridges, honey and honeycomb...I could have bought the lot!
For lunch that day we just roasted poulet de Bresse and ate it with some fresh green beans sautees with a little olive oil and a "persillade", a mixture of freshly chopped parsley, butter and crushed garlic. A nice slice of fresh, crusty bread. A small cup of strong coffee to follow and we were done.We spent a quiet afternoon outside in the garden with the kids playing in the sand pit and me reading Elle a Table and Saveurs magazine alongside with Paris Turf to catch up on French racing. That's life!
The next day we found a great place to take the kids to: a ferme decouverte. Basically, farmers all over France supplement their income by organising interactive farm tours and even holiday for kids. This one - aimed at toddlers/little ones- lasted 1h30, including feeding the chickens, goats, cows and rabbits, finishing on a tasting of home made apple juice and apple cake. We went La ferme au pied des Secheres and were welcomed by Brigitte Bouteille who looked after us for the whole morning. She speaks perfect English and was so good explaining how the farm works, what each animal does....if you have a chance, go see for yourself, it's a brilliant day out.
in the middle of all the kids activities and shopping for the essential bits and pieces I miss when in England, I brought back some boudin blanc. nothing to do with boudin noir (black pudding), boudin blanc is made with chicken, cream and eggs. It's basically a chicken mousse sausage that you peel then gently shallow fry in a little butter until golden brown on all sides. I served mine on Saturday "a l'aperetif" sliced, on little cocktail sticks. But it is also birlliant as a main with smooth mash and sautes mushrooms for example.
Bon appetit!
