Today I’m sharing my effusive love of “la vie belle” along with some French expressions that capture the essence of life in France.
Déjà-vu
Since I can’t be over there all the time, the best way for me to “relive” my enjoyment of France is to remember my experiences, share them with you, and re-imagine them through my stories. Thus was born my latest book, A Forged Affair. I hope you enjoy my little sensory meander down memory lane.
Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup (Eat well, laugh often, love well)
Classic Cassoulet Recipes
One of my favourite things about travelling in France, and especially in the south of France, are the markets. If you’re willing to travel around a little, you can find a “weekly” farmers’ market pretty much every day of the week, because they rotate from village to village. Fresh farm produce that’s stellar in Aquitaine: strawberries, melons, green beans, lettuces, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, and artichokes, to start.
As well, in the markets, you’ll find hand made soaps, sweets, cheeses, dried and cured sausages, and of course local wine. The thing about markets like these in France is that, while they have supermarkets of course, shopping for fresh, local, hand-made is the norm. Everybody does it, and they do it regularly. It’s not a touristy thing, it’s just life. And it changes things. It changes the way people live in their environment, it changes the way they interact with their neighbours, and it changes the way they eat. We North Americans still have much to learn about good food and the good life.
A favourite pastime, and rest and reward after a morning of enthusiastic touring, is to find a tiny restaurant, with lovely tables and chairs set out on the cobblestone street or square, and to while away an hour or two with a bottle of local rosé, a salàde composé and a fresh crusty baguette. This is commonplace in France, (or it used to be before McDonalds and Starbucks began to invade Europe,) and is one of the simplest, slowest and most civilized of meals that takes maximum advantage of produce and ingredients that are both fresh and local.
You might find shrimp, tuna, ham or paté, olives and cheeses atop a beautifully arranged plate with lettuces, herbs, tomatoes, green beans, artichokes, radishes, strawberries or whatever the host went out back and harvested after you ordered your meal. It’s that fresh. Another fresh and simple meal that’s commonplace, not just in France but all over Europe, is a plate of bread, cheese and charcuterie, perhaps with olives or flavourful condiments like grainy mustard or a spicy paté of roast peppers. Time stands still for me when I’m sitting back and enjoying a meal like this.
On the other end of the spectrum the French excel at preparing complex mixed dishes that gather rich flavour from a few fresh well chosen ingredients gently cooked either very quickly or for a long, long time such as paella, boullabaise, môule-frites or slow roasted meats. One of the specialty ingredients that Aquitaine is known for is duck confit.
My favourite way to enjoy confit is as part of the local specialty Cassoulet. In some areas, around Toulouse for example, the focus is on the pork shoulder and sausage, but since I adore the duck, this is the way I prefer it. I found two recipes to share with you for classic cassoulet with duck confit (which to be frank, you’re better off buying because who in today’s busy world has time to make their own from scratch weeks ahead… shame.) However after a holiday in France, I want to bring this way of living with food home to make it a permanent part of my life. Well, I can dream…
https://www.traditionalfrenchfood.com/cassoulet.html
https://www.foodrepublic.com/recipes/claudettes-classic-cassoulet-recipe/
Fresh strawberries and nutella on crusty bread 
Le Creuset for slow roasting meats or cassoulet 
salade composé with paté 
a simple meal of grilled meat, frite, paté and roast vegetables 
and to finish… nougat and candied fruit 
My favourite French place to hang out, morning, noon or night.
Comme il faut (As it should be)
I follow The French Green on Instagram is a mother-daughter design, renovation and decorating team that post the most luscious pictures of everything luxuriously French, from ceramics and table settings, to interior designs, paint swatches, beautiful food and markets, textiles and art. Everything as it should be. Check it out. Just yum. Enjoy!
https://www.instagram.com/thefrenchgreen/
Have I inspired you to travel to France? Or just made you believe for a while that you had? Either way, I leave you to delve further into the riches of this country and culture. Bon Appetit et Bon Voyage!