Secret Gardens

I love these beautiful, weathered garden doors. I pass by them every day on the way to our garden.

La Fête du Fromage

Finding cheese is becoming more difficult. Yes, France has somewhere around 350 cheeses, but I'm discovering that many of them aren't available outside of the region where they're produced.

At les Halles on Saturday I took my list to la fromagerie where I struggled to find some cheese I hadn't already tasted. I think the guy behind the counter thought I was a bit strange...he kept suggesting cheeses and I kept saying "no, I've already tried that.'' He finally asked what the deal was, so I told him about La Fête du Fromage. He chuckled a bit and asked for the address of Chez Loulou so he could have a look.

I ended up purchasing two fromages de chèvres, Laurentine and Rondin d'Alvignac, and one fromage de vache, Vache Fermier des Corbières.


The oval shaped Laurentine (it's a bit mangled from carrying it around all morning) is a raw, artisanal, goat's milk cheese that comes from the Midi-Pyrénées region. The little green leaves on the top are bay leaves, which infuse the cheese with a lovely, woodsy flavor. It was mild, creamy and slightly sweet, and oozing in the center. I love that! The Laurentine would be fantastic drizzled with some acacia honey.

The other chèvre, le Rondin d'Alvignac, is also a raw, artisanal cheese produced in the Midi-Pyrénées region. It had a hint of spice that lingered on the tongue and the texture was crumbly in the center. Another delicious chèvre that I would happily eat again. A dry white wine pairs well with either of these fromages de chèvres.

The Vache Fermier des Corbières is a locally made cheese from a small producer in the Corbières mountains. It was mild, creamy and smooth, with mushroom and earthy flavors. All around, a really nice cheese! I loved it with a glass of Corbières red wine.

Photo du Jour - Domino

Domino, having a calm moment.

He sleeps. He eats. He runs around like the Energizer Bunny, hunting everything in sight - my feet, the chihuahuas, the corner of the couch, his toys, the kitchen chairs, his refection in the mirror...
He sleeps. He eats. Repeat cycle.

Moving to France Tutorial - Part Three

Home. It has a different meaning to all of us. And finding a new one can be both an exciting and a daunting experience.

Welcome to Part Three of the Moving to France Tutorial.

This week I'll be offering some tips on finding a place to live in France, which could easily turn into a Tolstoy novel sized post, so I'm going to try to keep the information concise.

I realize I'm stating the obvious here, but the logistics of finding a home in France will change according to whether you will be renting or buying. Once you've decided where you want to put down your roots you'll need to find a real estate agent or start looking at properties online or even hire someone to help you find your dream home.

Renting an apartment in France can be tricky. Most landlords in France demand proof of income and you may have to provide the name of a guarantor, a co-signer, who will be named in the contract and who will be responsible for your rent in the event that you can't pay it. You will also need to have one month's rent as a deposit and a proof of a comprehensive household insurance certificate.
An in-depth list of the requirements is here on Anglo-Info's website.

If you don't plan on bringing all of your furniture and household goods with you, a furnished, equipped home will make your arrival and transition much easier. There are many agencies and individuals offering long term, furnished apartment rentals in big cities like Paris and Lyon, and scattered all over France are furnished vacation homes called gîtes. Gîte owners sometimes offer long term rentals over the autumn and winter months, which can be a perfect way to get to know a region and have a comfortable place to stay while looking for property to buy.

There are literally hundreds of property rental websites out there to investigate. Here are a few to get you started.
Craigslist (and how to avoid the scammers)
FUSAC
pap (in French)
Holidays France Rentals
Franglo
Lodgis
Paris Attitude
Gîtes de France
123 Immo
Rent a Place in France
Rentals France
Go To France
the regional classifieds on AngloInfo

Buying a home in France is a fairly straightforward procedure.
You find the house you want, make an offer, get the inspections done and verify what belongs to the house (both inside and out), find a good notaire, sign the compromis de vente, wait for the 7 day buyer's remorse period to pass, pay your deposit and wait to sign the acte de vente. Then you take your keys and move in!
Well, there might be extra steps involved, if you require a mortgage for instance, but buying a house here isn't as daunting as many think.
Expatica France has compiled an excellent and thorough article about the entire process.

Mortgages are available to foreigners, usually requiring a 20-30% down payment. I'm unfamiliar with the exact procedure so here are some helpful links.
BNP-Parisbas
Finance in France
Mortgage France

An important thing to remember if you buy a house that requires any renovation work - get an estimate. Heck, get two or three. Keep in mind however, that in old houses estimates don't take into consideration those petite surprises that you sometimes find behind the walls. Unless you are planning to be there while the renovation work is going on and you speak fluent French, you will also need to find a knowledgeable person to oversee your project.


Stay tuned for Part Four of the tutorial next week.

The semantics of stewing

In the English language, there are only a handful of phrases that come with their own built-in laugh track, and sadly, “stewed prunes” is one of them. Witness the following exchange, tearfully recorded by yours truly during a phone conversation earlier this week:Molly: I’m thinking of making stewed prunes.*Brandon: [Giggle].Molly: Why are you laughing? Have you ever eaten a stewed prune?Brandon:

French Food in Vietnam

I came here to eat Vietnamese food, but French food is very much part of the culinary landscape. So I eat French food too. Actually I enjoy French food. So far anyway, the French food I have had has been excellent, though not exactly the same same as what I find at home.

I wasn't around in the 1950's but I can only imagine it was somewhat like dinner at Le Mekong or Augustin's in Saigon/HCMC. At Le Mekong a guitar player and violinist entertain the happy diners. The menu is French with nothing nouvelle about it. Like the menu at the more bistro style Augustin's it is filled with pate, escargot, duck a l'orange and chocolate souffles for dessert. Everything is delicious with no surprises except perhaps for the bill which takes you back to the 1950's. Dinner for two with wine? Around $30 - $60 max.

I can't remember the last time I ate by candlelight, and the vaguely country French interiors of these restaurants are familiar yet out-of-the-ordinary in Saigon.

In Hoi An the Cargo Club serves American food, wonderful Vietnamese food including the local cao lau, a fat noodle soup with crunchy bits and clay hot pots filled with local fish. But the real draw? Pastries and desserts from the adjoining French bakery. Baguettes are less than 50 cents and truffle mousse cake is $1.20. Divine!

Le Mekong
57 Dong Du
Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam

Augustin
10 Nguyen Thiep
Location District 1,
08/829-2941

Cargo Club and Hoi An Patisserie
107-109 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hoi An
84 (510) 391 1227

Brussels Sprout Slaw with Apples & Walnuts Recipe

This brussels sprout salad recipe is perfect for lovers and haters of the little cabbage-looking sprout. The flavor is so mild, that it barely has any cabbage flavor. Because the brussels sprouts are shredded, guests might not even know they are the basis for the dish. Sweet apples and toasted nuts add complexity and crunch. It's a nice balance of sweet, salty, crunchy, tangy with just a touch of richness from the walnuts and the oil.

Brussels sprout slaw is yet another recipe that was created out of "whatever was in the house." I will admit, laziness that keeps me from going to the store in turn inspires new recipes on a regular basis. In this case I had one apple and a bag of brussels sprouts. Back from a weekend out of town, I had no desire to go shopping. My original plan was to roast or saute them, but raw was a refreshing change from the expected. You could probably slice the brussels sprouts very thinly with a knife, but it's much easier to do in a food processor or with a mandolin. You do have a mandolin, right? Cheap Japanese ones are fine, just watch your fingers!

I've seen a number of brussels sprout salads, but very few of them are raw. I hope you will try a raw brussels sprout salad, mine or one of the others listed below. They are delicious and make a great side dish. I served mine as a side to spaghetti alla carbonara but it would go with any kind of roasted meat or chicken, fish, you-name-it. As with all recipes, adjust the seasonings to your taste.

Brussels Sprout Slaw with Apples and Walnuts
Serves 4 -6

1/2 lb brussels sprouts
1 green apple
2 green onions, white and pale green part only
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil (or walnut oil)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Dijon style mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

Shred the brussels sprouts using a mandolin or shredding blade in a food processor. Thinly slice the apple, then cut each slice into matchsticks. Thinly slice the green onions and toss with the shredded brussels sprouts and apple pieces. In a small bowl combine the cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and Dijon mustard. Toss the dressing with the salad, season with freshly ground pepper to taste and gently add the toasted walnuts. Allow to rest a room temperature for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

More Brussels Sprouts Salads & Slaws

Spicy Brussels Sprouts Salad with Almonds and Mint, from Molly Watson at About.com Local Foods
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Fresh Walnuts and Pecorino, from Gourmet
Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Mustard Seeds, from Whole Living/Martha Stewart
Brussels Sprouts Salad, from 101 Cookbooks
Stolen Salad, from The Food Section
Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad with Almonds and Parmesan, from Oprah magazine