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Category Archives: Recipes
Randonee in Provence Hiking in France
In France and much of Europe, hiking or randonée is a significant part of the culture. There are walking trails for all levels that crisscross the continent. The longer trails form part of the GR system or Grande Randonée, there are over 60,000km of trails in France alone. Here is a great resource guide book.
Ginger and Nutmeg love hiking, but they never expected to start the season in January, when they were introduced to the International Hiking Group of Provence. G&N made it to as many of the scheduled Tuesday hikes as they could fit in to their busy European exploration agenda.
Each hike was unique, the scenery beautiful and weather at times unpredictable. All of the hikes offered opportunities for some laughs along the way. Some of the favorites are highlighted below:
To Market To Market With An Expert in Provence
The small city of Martigues is located at the point where the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Etang de Berre meet. Sometimes referred to as the Provençale Venice, Martigues is attractive. There is a series of small canals, tiny pedestrian-only streets and attractive cafes.
Thursday is market day in Martigues, and that is where Ginger and Nutmeg met up with Ghyslaine and her husband Jacques. Aside from being a lovely couple, they run a successful company focused on top quality cooking classes. Appropriately named, La Cuisine Mèditerranéenne de Ghylaine, is focused on traditional cooking and techniques from the region.
One Very Scary Post for Halloween
For Nutmeg this is a terrifying blog post, so it is fitting that it arrives just in time for Halloween.
Ginger and Nutmeg left Calgary on September 30, 2010. Nutmeg has quite happily not set foot on Canadian soil for 13 months. What is so scary? They are headed back to Calgary in the darkest, coldest month of the year!
Here are some fun statistics from their time abroad:
| 35,000 | Kilometers driven in the trusty car by Ginger |
| 15,000 | Roundabouts |
| 8,000 | Photos documenting the year |
| 5,000 | Toll booths |
| 395 | Number of days since Nutmeg has been in Canada |
| 395 | Wine bottles consumed more or less |
| 150 | Number of times Nutmeg went to a market |
| 150+ | Bike rides |
| 50+ | Churches visited |
| 35+ | Hikes |
| 18 | Ski days at new resorts |
| 15 | Gap T-shirts |
| 13 | Provencal deserts at Christmas time |
| 8+ | Concerts |
| 4 | Ferry rides: to Corsica and Sardinia |
| 4 | Pairs of runners |
| 3 | Masks from the Venice Carnival |
| 5 | Cooking lessons |
| 5 | Countries Visited:France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, UK |
| 2 | Jars Cherry Jam by Ginger |
| 4 | New pieces of art |
| 2 | Gym memberships |
| 1 | Mountain bikes |
| 2 | Pairs of Hiking boots |
| 1 | Wedding |
| 1 | Opera – Aida |
| 1 | Kayak trip |
| 1 | Trip to the Grand Prix in Monaco |
| 1 | Trip to Paris |
| 1 | Market bag |
| 0 | Number of sessions with a personal trainer |
| TOTAL | PRICELESS |
It has been a fantastic time, hardly captured in the numbers above. Ginger and Nutmeg have made some new friends and improved their French a bit. So as a send off before they leave G&N will share a pot-luck (“Buffet Canadien”) with the neighbours. Nutmeg can hardly wait to get back to Calgary to dig out her woolly sweaters and visit her dentist!
Do not despair; Nutmeg has prepared another 12 months of posts, yet to come on their trip. That way she can continue to feel like she is living abroad. When the grim, endless days of Canadian winter show up there are always the photos in the galleries to keep Nutmeg going (a few specific galleries are below).
As Ginger and Nutmeg fly across the Atlantic eating questionable airline food, they would like to leave you with this warming recipe.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
Squash (Pumpkin) Soup
Recipe type: Soup
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
This soup is very easy to make. Their friend Sassafras made it for dinner after a big ski day in Chamonix. Roasting the squash takes a bit more time but adds a more flavour.
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Butternut Squash (in France you can use Courge), peeled and diced 3 Cups Chicken Stock
- 1 Cup Onion, chopped
- 3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Fennel Seeds
- ½ Teaspoon Chili Flakes
- ¼ Cup Sour Cream
- ¼ Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (175C)
- Toss the diced squash in olive oil, put on a baking sheet and top with a little salt and pepper
- Bake for about 20 minutes until the squash softens, check occasionally
- While the squash is cooking, heat some olive oil in a heavy stock pan on the stove top
- Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent (about 3 minutes)
- Add the coriander, cumin, fennel and chili flakes and cook for about a minute to sweat the spices
- Add the chicken stock and cooked squash
- Allow the pot to simmer for 10-15 minutes
- Put the soup in a blender, until smooth
- Share the soup evenly in bowls, garnish with sour cream and cilantro
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Craving a Seafood Curry Bowl
France is without question a country of fabulous food, great variety in local cuisine and easy access to fresh produce. However, France is not known for Asian cooking and Nutmeg has had the odd craving for a little curry.
One of Nutmeg’s favourite restaurants is the Crazyweed Kitchen (click to see previous blog post) in Canmore. Her friend Hot Chili also loves the restaurant and has accused Nutmeg of always ordering the same thing off the menu. That is not 100% correct, but it is true that the Seafood Curry Bowl that is on their menu is one of Nutmeg’s all-time favorites. This delicious dish is almost a stew, perfectly seasoned and wonderful anytime of the year. Ginger and Nutmeg are currently living 8049 kilometers from Canmore, so a visit to the restaurant is not possible at present. As a result Nutmeg has taken matters into her own hands and made her variation of the Seafood Curry Bowl using local ingredients. This recipe has been tested on Ginger a few times, and even served at a dinner party to rave reviews.
Seafood Curry Bowl
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-3
This is a really easy dish full of color and flavours. Try experimenting with the fish and spicing to your taste. Serve with Basmati rice and a great wine. The recipe usually makes enough for two plus leaf-overs for lunch.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Olive or Canola Oil
- 1 Can (200ml) Light Coconut Milk
- 1 Can (250ml) Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 Fillet (250-300ml) White Fish, de-boned and cut in bite size chunks 8 Large Shrimp, shelled and de-veined
- 8 Large Scallops, cleaned
- 2 Medium Carrots, cleaned and chopped
- 1 Medium Onion, diced
- 2 Large handfuls Spinach Leaves
- 2 Teaspoons (or to taste) Chili Sauce
- 2 Cloves Garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 Tablespoon Cumin, dry powder
- 1 Tablespoon Mild Curry, powder
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander, dry powder
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil is a heavy bottomed stock pot
- Add onion, carrot, garlic and cook until the onion is soft and the carrots are starting to brown (about 5 minutes)
- Add cumin, curry and coriander, cook for about 1 minute to let the spices sweat
- Add crushed tomatoes, chili sauce and coconut milk, mix well and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes
- Add the spinach, fish, shrimp and scallops, cook until the seafood is cooked about 5 minutes
Tomatoes at La Petite Maison de Cucuron in Provence
Due to a wedding cancellation only few days before the event, a lucky group of foodies received an email invitation, to participate in a rare Saturday morning cooking class. La Petite Maison de Cucuron is the successful restaurant run by chef Eric Sapet and his lovely wife. They offer a top quality seasonal menu and limited cooking classes.
The restaurant has been open since 2007 in the charming medieval village of Cucuron, in the Luberon. The Luberon is filled with one delightful village after another so it is difficult to choose a favourite. Cucuron although small, it is unique among the hamlets, as it has a truly distinctive shaded main square with a large water feature l’etang or pond.
What to Serve for Apero Hour
Nutmeg can hardly believe that she is actually going to put this in writing; she is almost ready for the summer silly season to be over. Totally out of character, right? For anyone who knows Nutmeg, there is no doubt that summer is her favourite season.
Summer, in a Provencal village, translates into plenty of socializing. The town fills with owners who have their holiday homes in the area, and throngs of tourists enjoying the scenery. The cafés are filled at all hours of the day with clients enjoying a morning coffee, a light lunch, or a tempting beverage and bar snack in the early evening. That is exactly the problem. Apero Hour!
Provencal Cooking in the Var
Nutmeg is a bit embarrassed to admit that after many months in France, they have barely explored all of Provence. The departments within Provence are all beautiful and vastly different. The departments include Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhone, Var and Vaucluse. So much to visit! Clearly a break from their holiday was in order!! Nutmeg booked two nights in a lovely chambre d’hotes (B&B) called Les Quatre Saisons near the village of le Castellet, in the Var. Le Castellet is a medieval village dating from 1153. It is a fairly well preserved town on a hill, so there are magnificent views from the top. The town buildings are highly picturesque. Les Quatre Saisons is easily accessible from the major regional centres, and it is a true oasis.
The weather was smoking-hot, reaching 32C under cloudless skies. Patrice cool, calm and well practised in the kitchen. He and his partner Didier ran a small Parisian bistro for nine years and then a restaurant on the coast for a few more. The twosome are both originally from northern France, they are now fully integrated southerners. They embrace the use of local, seasonal ingredients and where practical focus on organic (bio) products. When Ginger and Nutmeg arrived peaches, apricots and lavender were all in season. After a delicious breakfast with homemade jams, seasonal fruit compotes, fresh bread and hot coffee, they were ready for a cooking lesson.
Patrice and Didier have created a delightful home and a welcoming resort for guests. This pair has it figured out, each one plays their preferred role in the “ballet” of running a successful chambre d’hotes. Didier takes care of the rooms, his attention to detail shows in the heavenly bed linens, private balconies, discrete breakfast tables and tasteful decor. Patrice’s domain is la cuisine. The cooking lesson involved preparing all the courses for that night’s dinner.
Following the cooking class, Nutmeg suggested it might be a marvellous idea to visit the beach and attempt to cool down a bit. The coast is beautiful and not yet too crowded in June.
The evening meal was excellent from start to finish. There is no way to choose a favourite dish but given the fact that peaches were in season Nutmeg would like to share this remarkably easy recipe for Tiramisu aux Peches.
Tiramisu aux Peches
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
This desert is super easy, you can use what ever fruit is in season. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 12 Ripe Peaches, washed, pitted and cut in quarters
- 3 Large Eggs
- ¾ Cup White Sugar
- 1 Container (500ml) = 2 Cups Mascarpone
- 8 Large Lady Finger Biscuits, or equivalent
- 2 cups Mixed juice of peach, orange and a bit of thyme liqueur
- 1 Cup Honey
Instructions
- In a heavy sauce pan cook the peaches and honey on the stove top
- Once the peaches start to ooze liquid, cover and lower the heat
- In total, cook for about 15 minutes until the peaches are soft and the skin can be easily removed
- Prepare the topping by separating the egg yolks from the whites
- With a mixed blend the whites until firm
- By hand in a separate bowl mix the egg yolks, sugar and mascarpone together until well blended
- Gently fold the egg whites into the above mixture
- In a bowl soak the biscuits in the juice and liqueur blend for 2-3 minutes
- Place the biscuits in the serving dishes (drain the juice)
- Top with the cooked peaches
- Finally the mascarpone egg mixture on the top
- Place in the fridge until ready to serve
Ginger and Nutmeg had a lovely time exploring the Var. The beaches, the hilltop towns, beautiful vineyards and most of all Patrice’s cooking!
French Recipe Favourites
Nutmeg has learned a few things about technology in the last couple months including:
- It is a brilliant idea to keep back-up files
- Software version updates can cause problems
- The benefits of saving documents to a cloud
Luckily, there are a few loyal readers including CardaMOM, who prints everything. Nutmeg has rebuilt the recipe database on this blog over the last few weeks, and she has been able to recover 99% of the recipes. The new format is much better for printing. Rather than make you search back through old posts for the French recipes, some of them are captured below (click the links) and enjoy!
Master of the Kitchen in Provence
Who would not be inspired by this view?
Whether your passion is art, music, food or something else it would be hard not to feel the urge to be creative. Ginger and Nutmeg were very fortunate to spend two days with Marc Heracle in his beautifully appointed kitchen at Chateau D’Arnajon. The Chateau is located in the village of Le Puy Sainte Reparade. Marc’s focus is on traditional Provençal style cuisine. Traditional methods pre-1900s did not include dairy, butter or refined flours. The cooking methods of the time used olive oil, almonds, olives, citrus and spices that were (and still are) found in abundance in the region. Marc’s style is relaxed as he shares his knowledge and practical experience. He encourages participation and is happy to share some stories.
