Tomato and Goats Cheese Tart

At the end of summer the tomatoes here are superb. One of the old homemade classics that you will get at meals served in your friends' gardens at this time of year is tomato tart. It is one of those super simple but elegant French taste sensations, like tarte fine aux pommes. Just intensely flavoured tomatoes and crispy pastry. 

Carefully stored organic tomatoes at Les Jardins Vergers de la Petite Rabaudiere.

 

This recipe is a variation on the old classic, because we live in a goats cheese area and it seems like an obvious combination or enhancement.

Homemade tomato and goats cheese tart.

 

French friends look away now...

Goats cheese from the market in Preuilly and chives.

 

I've also deliberately used German sweet prepared mustard as the touch of sweetness goes better than French mustard with the tomato and goats cheese. 

Ripe organic tomatoes from Les Jardins Vergers de la Petite Rabaudiere.

Not everyone has enough kitchen worktop space to roll out pastry, so I suggest using ready made pre-rolled short pastry, which in France comes in big circles perfect for tomato tart. Many French home cooks happily use ready prepared pastry from the supermarket.

The tomatoes laid out on the tart.

Ingredients

A ready made pre-rolled quantity of short pastry dough

German prepared mustard or similar (sweet, grainy)

3 good sized perfectly ripe tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

1.5 tbsp chopped chives

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

A log of semi-aged goats cheese (ideally Sainte Maure de Touraine, of course)

 

Method

1. Turn the oven on full. You need the hottest temperature possible, like pizza, so make sure the oven is up to temperature when you put the tart in.
   
2. Line a 25 cm metal tart tin with the pastry, and prick the base a few times with a fork.
3. Spread a thin smear of mustard all over the pastry base and put it in the fridge while you slice the tomatoes and goats cheese.
4. Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on the pastry then spritz or drizzle with the oil.
5. Sprinkle the herbs over the tart, then put a slice of goats cheese on each slice of tomato.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.

Serves 4-6, with a green salad.

The pastry came from the supermarket, the tomatoes from Les Jardins Vergers de la Petite Rabaudiere, the organic market garden on the edge of Preuilly. Their farm shop is open from 16:00 to 19:00 every Monday evening, and they are at the market in Preuilly on Thursday mornings. The cheese came from a producer about 5 km away from Preuilly. It is not certified as Sainte Maure de Touraine, but because I bought locally I was less concerned about that. If I was buying the ingredients outside of the Touraine I would be sure to look for the certification.

Mares in the Mist

 

Both times we have walked from La Fruitiere along the Vallée de Lutour to Lac d'Estom in the Pyrénées one leg of the journey has been misty. Nevertheless, the 15 kilometre round trip is one of the most popular and picturesque in the Cauterets area. It is in the National Park, but horses, cattle and sheep graze freely throughout.

Lunch at l'Image

We had lunch at l'Image yesterday. No reason, just because.

It's unusual for us to go to a restaurant "just because", normally we need a proper reason. It's also unusual for us to eat at a restaurant near home when we have food in the fridge. However, yesterday we went to a restaurant near home, despite having food in the fridge, because it seemed like a good idea.

We had the Assiette Marché, a plate of cheese, charcuterie, pickles, melon, and egg mayonnaise. Both of us had non- alcoholic drinks (Susan a martini, and me a beer), and we both had the pannacotta and plum dessert.

The new news is that the full kitchen is almost ready. There is more cleaning to be done and testing of the appliances, but the new ovens are installed. Chris (the chef) is looking forwards to preparing proper lunches, and we're looking forwards to eating them.

"Just because" may become a slightly more regular thing. Without going overboard, of course.

What's the Speed Limit?

In 2018 the default speed limit for single lane in each direction roads in France was reduced from 90km/h to 80km/h. The stated reason was a reduction in fuel consumption, and a reduction in the road toll. Both of these aims were achieved, but deliberately misrepresented by certain media outlets as an assault on freedoms (or something, who can tell with nutters) and led to the Gilets Jaunes stuff.

Two years later the reductions were partially reversed and the road death toll shot up again. The changes were publicised as a victory for "common sense" and a poke in the eye for Macron.

The problem is that some Départements instantly put the default limit back up to 90km/h, and some didn't. There's no rhyme or reason for who did - or didn't - and often, when driving into a different Département there is no indication of what the new default limit is. In Indre et Loire the limit reverted to 90km/h on about 300km of roads in September 2020 leaving most (about 93%) of roads at 80km/h. The latter fact wasn't headline material, so wasn't publicised nearly as widely as "speed limits return to 90kmh".

So in Indre et Loire, unless the Route Departmental is signposted at 90, drive at 80. It will save you money in fuel costs. It may even save you money in other ways as well.

The Things You See

This photo both amuses and encourages me.

Florence

You wouldn't have needed a brain the size of a planet to realise we spent almost two weeks in Italy in June. One of those weeks was in a villa in Poggio alla Croce, 20km to the south of Florence.

We visited Florence for one day, catching the early train from Figline Valdarno to Firenze Campo di Marte station, then walking to the Uffizi Gallery via breakfast. In this case breakfast was in a cafe in the San Ambrogio market, Caffe Barni Di Baracani Paolo.

After a highlights of the Uffizi Gallery tour we had gelati at Caffè Perseo on the recommendation of our guide. Reflection makes it the best gelato of our holiday - a pity as it was also the first.

Gelati efficiently disposed of (which counted as a late morning tea) we went to lunch at a gluten free restaurant via a glance at the Duomo. Not from any gluten free necessity, but because I was curious about Italian gluten free. Restaurant Quinoa was delicious, and can be thoroughly recommended.

 Restaurant Quinoa. You can see Rosy, JB and myself if you know where to look

After lunch we walked across the Ponteveccio, finding another gelateria, before returning to the main station for a train home. Having an hour to wait, and the weather being stinking hot, we managed to find an air-conditioned cafe for a drink.

I really like Florence, but have never been there in summer before. I think we will return, but in March. I don't know if we will totally dodge the crowds, but at least the temperature will be less challenging. I doubt if we will eat less gelati though.

Being a Village Baker in France

Baguettes tradition.

Q. Are there rules about what bakers can and can't make and sell?

A. Yes, for example if they make something called a baguette tradition it has to be baked on the floor of the oven and made from a certain grade of flour, with no additives. Frozen bread dough is not allowed for traditions, although it would be allowed for viennoiseries (pastries) if the baker wanted to do it. Also, if the bakery is organic, the flour must be certified organic of course.

Q. Are there rules about when bakeries can open?

A. Most village bakeries are obliged to close at least one day a week so that all staff get a day off. Very few have enough staff to roster staff on for that seventh day.

Ciabatta and einkorn loaves.

Q. What help do bakers get when setting up a bakery? For example, state grants, financial or practical help from family and friends...

A.  There isn't much state financial assistance available, but young bakers or female bakers may benefit from gender or age specific state aid programmes. A village baker may also receive assistance from local government if they are coming in after a bakery has closed for a period and there is no other bakery in the commune. It is tricky to have friends and family come in and help due to French labour laws. They must be paid and all the tax regulations adhered to, so you might as well employ someone in the normal way. Most bakers prefer to work in a small team who know what they are doing, with maybe one apprentice. Working in the bakery requires a certain knowhow, and small skilled teams are easier to manage, so everything is timed and set out in a way that has a rhythm.

Pains au chocolat, croissants, apple turnovers, goat cheese pastries 

and brioches in the front counter, breads behind.

Q. What are the steps to making a loaf of French bread?

A. That depends on whether the baker is making a sourdough or not. If it is sourdough the starter (Fr. levain)  needs to be taken out of the fridge two hours before the baker feeds it with more flour and water, then they will make the dough after another hour. Most often they make a poolish though. That means they mix flour, water and a very small quantity of bakers yeast (Fr. levure) which sits in the fridge, usually overnight. A poolish pre-ferment takes about 6 hours, or even up to 12 hours. Once the pre-ferment is done more flour and water is added to make the dough proper and it is kneaded (Fr. pétrie), often by hand, for about 15 minutes. Then it goes into a proving chamber (Fr. chambre de pouce) to prove (Fr. pointage) at 8°C for 2-3 hours. It may be knocked down (Fr. rabattre) a couple of times then it is hand formed (Fr. façonnage) into whatever shape the baker is making. If it is baguettes they will go on to a linen sheet (Fr. toile de couche) to prove for the final time (Fr. apprêt).

Q. How long is the dough left to rise? Is it done at a cool temperature?

A. If it is sourdough the less time in the proving chamber the better. It can become very acidic tasting, too acidic. At ambient temperature it will take about an hour and a half to two hours. If at a cool temperature, more than three hours, up to 12 hours. A poolish could take 24 hours. 

Q. How does the oven work?

A. There are three styles of French bakers oven. The first has the wood underneath and the flame rises through a slot to swirl around the oven chamber and heat the brick. They have to be lit about three hours before baking, and then you close off the flame. This style is often converted to gas these days, with many shelves. The old style wood oven where the fire is in the baking chamber is not allowed for new bakeries due to hygiene regulations and concern about cinders getting stuck to the bottom of loaves. The most popular type is one that uses indirect heat. The fire is underneath and heats brick and sand. The base of the oven rotates, making it easy to put dough in and take out cooked loaves in small batches [ie. you don't have to fill or empty the oven all at once]. 

Nettle bread.

Q. When does the baker's working day begin and end?

A. It depends what they are making but usually they start about 4.30 am and finish about 10.30 pm. They might take a siesta in the middle of the day, but small village bakers usually work about 15 hours a day. They make everything themself and nothing is frozen.

Q. Is there a demand for gluten free products?

A. There is a bit of demand, but not much. Lots of bakers experiment with making some gluten free (Fr. sans gluten) stuff, but they are rarely happy with the results. In France though, buckwheat (Fr. sarrasin), maize (Fr. maïs) and chestnut (Fr. châtaigne) flours are all commonplace and widely used in traditional baking, so bakers are open minded about gluten free. However, loaves made with these flours cannot be labelled as gluten free in a regular bakery because of the possibility (probability...) of cross-contamination.

A Gem Hidden in the Mountains

The Church of Saint Laurent in Jézeau, with its funny architectural face.

 

The Catholic church of Saint Laurent in Jézeau in the Hautes-Pyrénées is on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (Fr. Chemin de Saint Jacques de  Compostelle), in the Diocese of Tarbes and Lourdes.

Polychrome altarpiece, painted apse and choir vault.

 

It was owned by the Hospitallers, the knightly monastic order that was dedicated to providing hospitality, health care and protection to pilgrims on their way to or from Santiago de Compostela. The church, with its twin bayed bell gable, nave and apse, as well as the tympanum-chrism reused in the wall at the cemetery entrance, date from the 12 century.

Saint Blaise, being scurged by wool carders wielded by fashionably attired 16th century torturers. He is the patron saint of animals, wild and tame, who came to him of their own accord to be healed.

 

After a fire in 1532 which destroyed not only the church, but half the village, the romanesque vault was replaced by a panelled wooden vault, decorated with the most remarkable paintings. 

Sinners entering the jaws of Hell. Our guide pointed out that all the sinners are naked women, and the beast swallowing them is a wild boar.

 

In the 19th century the church was doubled in size due to the expansion of the population of the village, which peaked at 350 residents (now 96 people).

Saint Peter and an angel welcoming the saved to Heaven. Our guide pointed out that the saved are all men, modestly covering their genitalia, and they are entering Heaven via a very European pavillion.

 

The exterior architectural decoration is concentrated on the semi-circular apse. A blind arcade of twin arches and oeil-de-boeuf windows form a 'face', looking out over the valley. According to our guide that was deliberate. Inside, the whole of the apse and choir vault is taken up with a richly decorated polychrome altarpiece and paintings depicting the Last Judgement.

The front of the altar is covered with Spanish Cordovan leather, contemporary with the rest of the decorative scheme.

 

The church is only accessible to visit by guided tour, on some Sunday afternoons. To get details I phoned the tourist office (Pays d'Art et d'Histoire) for Aure Lourons (Pyrénées 2 Vallées) on +33 5 62 98 42 46. You can see details of the churches in the area that are open on this website: https://patrimoine-aure-louron.fr/. Our guide at Jézeau was a young man studying for an art sociology masters. He was excellent, we had him almost to ourselves and he spoke fluent English!

The startled looking man with the waffle maker next to the Madonna on the altarpiece is Saint Laurent himself. His symbols are the griddle with which he was tortured and a wide sleeved dalmatic robe.

 

The Last Supper. I notice that Jesus's halo features fleurs de lys.

The Cordovan leather covered altar.

The altarpiece and altar.

Jesus, with the double edged sword to show that the word of God is mightier than the sword. It is supposed to be coming out of his mouth, but is often depicted in this fashion, as though he is being stabbed in the ear.

Solar Parking

We were at e.Leclerc in Châtellerault earlier this week, and noticed they have started installing solar panels as cover for the parking.

This isn't the first we have encountered, that was last year in Tarbes outside an e.Leclerc. This year in Arles we encountered a huge solar array masquerading as a car park, but this one had gone one further and added a display panel that showed just how much electricity they were generating.

It makes perfect sense, of course, car parks outside hypermarkets are enormous and usually flat, and who doesn't like parking under shelter when it's wet, and in the shade when it's hot?

This is not happening in isolation, there are also new laws in place. From January 1, 2023, new commercial and industrial buildings, as well as warehouses and hangars of more than 500m2 and office buildings of more than 1,000m2, have had to solarize 30% of their surface. And as from the start of next year, new car parks of more than 500m2 will have to put panels over 50% of their surface.

Western Whip Snake -- not what you think

Their colour and size is impressive, that's for sure. But although much bigger than a viper at 1 to 1.6 metres long, and in reality black and yellow, not green and yellow as their French name la couleuvre verte et jaune suggests, the Western Whip Snake is completely harmless. It seems the impression that they are green comes from the grass reflecting off their skin.

Western Whip Snake in our orchard.

Like many snakes, they like grass and brush, heaths and scrub, so long as they are exposed to the sun, and also stone walls, woodland edges, track sides and hedgerows. As well, they like water and will climb trees to hunt or if they feel threatened. Although mainly present in rural areas, they don't mind abandoned urban peripheries, where they can find their habitual prey of insects, lizards and small rodents. They will also go for nestlings, frogs and sometimes other snakes. From October to April the Western Whip Snake takes refuge in rock piles or unoccupied burrows to hibernate. When the warmer weather returns they moult and the males size one another up to establish which of them will get the chance to mate and pass on their genes to the next generation. In the summer the females will lay four or five eggs in the soil or under rocks. The little ones will hatch, measuring about 20 cm and pale gray or olive in colour at this point.

Western Whip Snake in our orchard.

This species is not venomous, and although not timid, they prefer to use their speed and agility to hide in the grass and avoid unexpected encounters. However, if they are cornered, directly threatened or caught they can bite, with small teeth that cause superficial wounds. So don't panic and don't attempt to harm these snakes if you encounter one. The snake will probably flee quicker than you will.

Juvenile Western Whip Snake in the street in Preuilly sur Claise.

Western Whip Snakes are not a threatened species. However, they are protected, under a law from 2007, which prohibits the destruction of nests or eggs as well as the capture or disturbance of adults in their natural environment. Sadly, the protection of that natural environment is often undermined by certain agricultural practices.

Close up of the scales on an adult Western Whip Snake.

So my advice is to get a bit familiar with your local snakes if you  go walking in the countryside, so you don't confuse a nice surprise with a dangerous encounter.

Driving in Italy

On our recent holiday I drove in Italy, something I wasn't really looking forward to. Not because of any natural fear, but because various people had warned me how scary it could be. I normally enjoy driving, but I had heard multiple stories of badly behaved truck drivers all over the autostrada, people overtaking on the inside, and various other selfish and dangerous practices.

I scheduled my first Italian driving experience for a Sunday afternoon. As in France, most heavy transport is forbidden on a Sunday and I felt confident I could cope with that. I started at the top of the Alps at Claviere, drove down the mountain pass to Oulx, and onto the autostrada to Reggio Emilia. That went ok, although there was much roadwork, reduced numbers of lanes, and 60kmh speed limits. Having the temerity to drive at only 80kmh in these zones made me unpopular with all other road users, but not to the point of rage.

 

After that, I was fine. It more or less is just like driving in France - similar rules, and as far as I experienced, similar attitudes and driver skills. Even driving from our villa near Florence to the French border via Genoa which is 450km mainly on the autostrada - on a Monday afternoon -  didn't worry me.

We were lucky. We never encountered any really heavy traffic, but we saw plenty of lines of traffic heading in the other direction, especially around Florence. I have no idea how we avoided being caught up in it, but it looked no fun.

The only real issue I had was in the mountains, with drivers of exotic cars who seemed determined to use them despite the conditions - but you find that kind of behaviour wherever the road gets complicated. All in all, I found driving in Italy to be easy enough.

And these days that's about all you can really expect.

Ordering a Meal in Italy

I have never quite worked out how to order a light meal in Italy. I'm fine with the concept of processed meat followed by pasta, followed by a main course, with dessert and coffee to follow that. What I haven't yet worked out is how to order just a plate of pasta followed by gelato without provoking waiterly scorn. Not that I object to four courses for every meal, you understand.

So when I was planning our trip down to Tuscany I did some proper research and discovered a way around the conundrum. Bottega Portici 2 Torri is a proper restaurant (with a Michelin starred chef) but the layout is like a fast food restaurant. You order your food (and pay) at a machine by the door, then find a table. When the chefs have cooked your meal your electric number buzzes and you collect your dish(es).  You can see the ordering machines on the left hand side of the following photo.

The location is excellent, too. It's by the two famous towers on Piazza di Porta, right in the middle of Bologna. It's air-conditioned, stylish in a very modern cafeteria way, and popular across all ages - there were tables of students, mums with babies and toddlers, and more mature people, who like us, had to have the ordering process explained.

The Kitchen

 

I was determined to have pasta with bolognaise sauce. I knew enough not to expect spaghetti with a tomato rich sauce, so the Tagliatelle alla Bolognaise wasn't a complete surprise when it arrived with almost no tomato content. Susan loved her Balanzoni burro e salvia: green ravioli style pasta stuffed with ricotta, spinach, eggs, parmesan, and pork, and served with butter and sage sauce. Both dishes were full of flavour, and just the right amount of food for a hot and sweaty day in a city with little shade. Add in some drinks and extra parmesan and the whole meal came to 26€ for two people.

Yum!!

I would have absolutely no reservations about eating at this restaurant again. I might even get more adventurous with my meal choice.

https://www.bottegaportici.it

In Season at the Market in Preuilly

 We are at the height of summer fruit in the market in Preuilly.

 

Sandie has three varieties of organic figs from her orchard Fruits O'Kalm on the edge of town.

 

Surprisingly, the green ones are the most 'figgy'. The apples behind are from a very early cropping tree that is an unknown but very good variety.

 

Blood peaches. Expect to see these on the menu at l'Image, the newly reopened restaurant on the market place in Preuilly. I happen to know that Chef Chris bought 3kg of them.

 

This year there is a bumper plum crop. These yellow plums are an unknown variety. I served them roasted, with a dollop of mascarpone.

 

Damsons.

 

Sylvain has more organic tomatoes than he knows what to do with from his market garden Les jardins vergers de la Petite Rabaudiere just outside of Preuilly. He has resorted to sending a tonne of them to a processor in Le Blanc.

 

Organic heritage tomatoes at the farm shop at La Petite Rabaudiere.

All the produce shown is organic and grown on a farm just outside Preuilly. You can purchase the veggies from the farm shop on Monday from 16:00 to 19:00 or at the market in Preuilly on Thursday mornings. The fruit can be purchased at the market in Preuilly on Saturday mornings.

Link to the Facebook page of Les Jardins Vergers de la Petite Rabaudiere: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064620014397.

Andorran Orchids and Scenery

We spent a couple of days in Andorra on our recent trip south. The independent principality is landlocked and very mountainous. Our apartment was at 1750 metres above sea level and the peaks all over 2000 metres. It is a well known tax haven and ski destination, so in the summer nice apartments are remarkably affordable. 

A lovely drift of Heath Spotted Orchids Dactylorhiza maculata, at about 2000 metres.

We did a bit of sightseeing and took a cable car up to one of the ski stations. There was a little stream running down from the peak, and a lovely selection of alpine wild flowers nearby, so for very little effort I was delighted. 

Typical Andorran scenery.