Avril 2016

April showers

April 2016


April showers bring May flowers. Well this place should be covered with those bloody flowers soon. It has been a wet month and cold too. We have had rain, sleet, hail and even a few white flakes!

We had a freeze Tuesday night, and it may have taken out a lot of the grape crop. The new little leaves froze, so unless the weather changes here soon, the vines may not push out new buds. It was estimated in the paper that 40% of the crop  may be damaged. Sure hope not.

We have had a fire in the wood-stove for many nights now.We had a couple of glorious days this month, and I thought it was truly spring, but they were few and far between!
Waiting impatiently to work the garden. With the rain, it is too muddy, and with the cold, too early to plant anything. Lately, patience has not been a virtue of mine.

Had a walk planned for my Flora and Fauna group the first Sunday of April, but it was pouring rain. Postponed it for the week after, and it was one of those gorgeous days! Wow what a great day to be out. There were some flowers in bloom and some interesting views.

Start of the hike in a place called
Bossière -part of the côte of Gevrey
It goes to the top of the hill in the background

As we went up and through the woods there was moss everywhere, and little violets sprinkled here and there.

Finally, when we reached the top, unfortunately it was not covered in flowers. Luckily there were some flowers in bloom.

Anémone pulsatille

Valeraine tubersosa

Orphys Male

Daphné lauréole (tall plant, this is just the top
where the flowers are hidden under the leaves) 

Some of you know and understand that I have a bit of fear of heights. My plan was to go up one forest path through the Combe de Chadron and down the other side on another woodsy path. Well all plans go astray. Once on the plateau, and near the path to descend, we also were very near the cliffs. Everyone wanted to have a look. Along the edge is a trail, "sentier bleu". I avoid it!!
Have to admit though, it was gorgeous view (but I stood back a good 6 yards from the edge)!!

This is from the top of the Combe Lavaux. Note the road below on the right.
Also, although not common, Mont Blanc was again visible..the white on the
horizon.
High isn't it!!

Then there was a short walk along the edge! (I looked at my feet and sang a little tune). We finally came to a place referred to as Château Renard (renard is fox). It is a ridge with the Combe that we went up on one side and the Combe Lavaux on the other side. What a view (ok I was a little nervous and the photos did not really turn out). After descending a little (and climbing down here and there) we arrived at a place where there was once a structure, but very old. Not much left now.

This dry stone wall was made in the 8th or 9th century!!!

The descent from here was iffy, a steep path that had been covered with gravel. Any idea how slippery gravel can be? Luckily a few small trees and sturdy bushes to hang onto going down!

The next Sunday the photo club had an outing planned to work on Macro photos. It was not the best of days, it was cold and cloudy! Also it had rained during the night, so add muddy. Not ideal for photos.
The sheep herd had passed on Saturday, so a lot of the flowers had been trampled or eaten! Monique had checked it on Friday and it looked like a great site for Macro photos. Oh well!
And then to top it off, I arrived with a flat tire! But a nice young member of the club had a electric pump for tires, so he inflated the tire for me (it was integrated into the trunk of his car).
Few photos that day, and then a couple days later with some sun I took some violet photos and a dandelion.

Called CouCou, Primevère officinale

Orchid called Ophrys araignée

Hellebore Fétid

Violet

Violet

Violet

Dandelion

Thursday night at photo club we again had a session on using a macro. On Friday, I went out and took more photos. It was a sunny day, with a little chill at the top of the plateau at Chambolle.

View from the top - Chambolle combe d'Orveaux

Polygala vulgaris-tiny little flower

Orchis poupre

Orchis mâle

Butter cup

Solomon's Seal

This last month I have done some translations for the Tourist Office. Sometimes it is easy, and sometimes it is not. The words translate, but it is the concept that is also needed.

When the wine here is described as the "gout de la forêt" this translates as "taste of the forest", or "le goût de la fourrure", "the taste of fur", is that appealing to the english reader or wine drinker? I think not.
So maybe instead of fur, maybe say it has a wild flavor!

Another example is  a common expression " gout de terroir". Someone once sent an article in the New York Times  about her visit to the burgundy wine region. She ended in the article with saying that "gout de terroir" was used a lot, but that she never had the nerve to bend over and taste the dirt. Oh my!! This expression means that the earth gives the taste to the product. Often used with wine, because the soil is very important to the wine. Vines growing not that far apart can taste very different, all due to the mineral make-up of the soil. No one here ever puts dirt into their mouths! Oh la vache ( oh the cow, but more like "holy cow").

Enough of the translation.

As an update, the electrician came and put in an outlet for a dishwasher and a few other corrections. YEAH...and we finally have a dishwasher. Keith promises that the shelves will be done soon, so things are looking better at the Klein house (well the entry way is stacked with some of the things from the kitchen). Now to get the new counter top.

The month is over.....

May 1st is the workers holiday and also the day to give Lily of the Valley flowers to the one you love.

The next weekend is the Exposition of the photo club. 60 photos this year.

Recipe of the Month
The asparagus season is upon us, and I love it. One of our favorites is ham and asparagus for dinner. Keith likes mayonnaise with lemon, however another sauce is hollandaise...so rich and so good. Here in France there is more white asparagus than green. Here I am going to give you a recipe from Julia Child. It is a blender recipe. So grill up some ham and make some hollandaise sauce for the asparagus.

Hollandaise Sauce in a blender

INGREDIENTS

• 3 eggs yolks
• salt and pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 4 ounces of butter

PREPARATION

1. Egg yolks salt and pepper and 1 tbs of lemon in blender
2. Melt butter in a pan
3. Blend egg yolks for  2 seconds at top speed
4. Take the cover off while still running the blender and start pouring a small stream of butter into the blender- be very careful
5. The sauce should start to thicken
6. Taste and add more seasoning if needed, including lemon juice

Serve while still warm

May 2009

May 2009

The month started warm and sunny. What a delicious start, everything in bloom. Now the tulips and lilacs have faded, but I enjoyed several days of fresh cut lilacs in the house. As of the 9th of May, the irises are about ready to pop open.

Keith wanted some photos for his Burgundy bike tours coming up in June. So when the clouds cleared one afternoon, we took off to take some of the photos on his list. He wanted a photo of the vines of Romani-Conti. It is a very famous vineyard, and the wine extraordinarily expensive (2006 Romanee-Conti £7795 for a case of 6 -..that is in British pounds, you do the math).

When we arrived, a man was plowing the vineyard with a horse. This is becoming more and more common in the Grand Cru’s. The horse plow does not disturb the vines as much as a tractor does, or so it is believed. It was fun to watch. They use the large Auxios horses for the task. The horse is very large (note the size of the man behind the horse), muscular and has enormous hoofs. The Auxois valley is just west of us, up and over the Cote. The village Chateauneuf is in the Auxois, some of you have been there and seen the castle.

The Photo Exposition went well. We had over 500 visitors to the Exposition. I did not win, sniff, sniff, but I was not embarressed either. I did get votes on all three photos, and may have sold the poppy photo. Robert, an American who lives in Fleurey won first prize (photo of the canal with trees covered in frost). Below is a photo of the Caveau of Gevrey where we had our exposition and party. After I have put a photo of the 3 top winners.

Caveau of Gevrey

Winners

Thursday night we set up for the Expo; hung all the photos, set up tables, and set up the "studio" so portrait photos could be taken during the Expo. On Friday night, we had our vernissage (opening) at 6pm. It was not open to the public, just invited guests. Around 7pm there were a few words from the president of the club, and then in absence of the mayor, the adjunct to the mayor said a few words, puis ( then ) Cremant and snacks were served. All ceremonies in this region are followed by a glass of wine or cremant or kir (Aligote and Creme de Cassis).

When the invited guests left, it was time for the club party. The club members along with significant others were having a casual diner in the caveau. The ceremony table was cleared; glasses were washed and returned to the table. While the pizza was ordered, we had an appetizer. Pizzas arrived and some thirty people gathered around the tables to eat. We had a Rosé wine along with our pizza.

This was a french gathering, so after pizza, the cheese course was served. Out came some red wine. Have to say, the 1992 Gevrey-Chambertin, although still a little young, was a very nice wine indeed. Following the cheese course was dessert: Choices of apple or cherry tarts, or chocolate tart or pain d’espice or chocolate cake. Followed by party tricks, with everyone laughing and having a good time. We arrived home near midnight. How many pizza parties do you know that have appetizers, main course, cheese course and dessert?

Keith had to spend 2 ½ weeks in the Loire Valley. He went on Wed (April 13th) and learned the bike route and visited all the hotels, restaurants and wine tasting establishments with his partner (two people work the tour, one drive the van [sag wagon] and the other person rides with the clients. They alternate days). On Sunday the tour started. All went well the first week, then he stayed the weekend because he really only part of Saturday off, and preparation work for the next group arriving Sunday. This last week of May is his second group.

He did ride one day with a tour here in Burgundy the first week in May (it was not his tour, but his boss told him he should ride for one day as training). He enjoyed the day immensely. Two people wanted to ride some more after lunch, so Keith took those two on a tour while the other guides took the rest of the clients on a tour of a chateau.

He has the first week in June off, not sure when the other two tours take place. I think it may be the last two weeks of the month.

Since Keith was gone, Wendy and Robert asked if I wanted to go to a concert with them. It was a concert by the group Laostics in the old church St. Syphorien in Nuits St. Georges.

I have mentioned the group Laostics before, they sing medieval music acappella. The group has about 30 people, maybe a few more women than men. They are excellent and it is fun to listen to them. It is also very moving to hear them sing in such an old church. I have heard them twice before in the old church here in Gevrey.

Sunday I was invited to lunch by Marie Therese with a wine tasting to follow in the afternoon. Acutally it ended up to be lunch at Marie Therese’s fathers (he lives next door). It was very nice lunch of rabbit. Yep, rabbit stew and I loved every bite of it. It was really good.

After lunch we went to Domaine Clerget in Vougeot. It is a friend of Marie Therese’s. They had “Portes Ouverte” that afternoon (open house or doors open). We did not taste all of the 12 bottles lined up for tasting!! Now really, what do you think I am, Ok leave that one alone. You can really only taste about 6 maximum (2 whites and 4 reds), after that it gets harder to distinguish the fine subtleties of the wine. So we tasted about 6 different wines. The reds... wow. Of course all very young and not ready to drink, but some had such depth to them that you know that they will be great. There was wine from Vougeot, Chambolle, Echezeaux, Gevrey; some of my favorite places. After that it was a nap for me!!

This month, the photo club had an outing to a reserve just north of Dijon. Due to micro climate conditions, and north climate meets south climate, the area is full of wild orchids. We set out about 8:20am on a Thrusday (Ascension holiday) and after getting lost (the turn is not marked well,the tiny sign is behind the tree branch). We had a fun morning taking photos, as a photo club would do!! It was difficult to find a place for lunch and we ended up in a bar/restaurant. Most places were closed for the long weekend.

Members of the Photo Club

My Butterfly

Pyramid Orchid

On Friday after Ascension, I went to Saulieu for the Fete Gourmande. Stand after stand of food and wine. Tried our best to taste what we could; chocolat, cheese, sausage, bread, cookies, wine, crement,... Some of these places also sold assiette (plates of food)for lunch. We picked the foie gras stand. The plate had two kinds of rilletes de carnard, foie gras and magret fume [ translation: rilletes is minced meat, often with fat. I usually avoid it because of the fat. However this rillete did not have as high a fat content of some rilletes. I thought I would taste it, but ended up practically licking the plate]. The foie gras was foie gras of duck, not goose. It too was great, just melted in ones mouth!! Then the magret fume, it is smoked duck breast. WOW what a lunch. We had a glass of wine (we tried to buy a glass, but the vignerons insisted that it was free). I was with Wendy and Robert, and we all had smiles on our faces as we relaxed and ate lunch. Have I gone on too long about the food???? These are the moments we relish about our life here.

I also talked to a woman who does mosaic work. She does not live too far from here, down in the region called the Morvan. It was interesting talking with her and looking at her work {so it wasn't just food, some artisans also}.

On the way back, we took to the back roads. It was a gorgeous day and the fields are full of buttercups. The different colors of green are stunning. Even a photo does not capture the incredible beauty. We have had rain and sun this month and everything is so lush and so full of color. If the light is right, it is extraordinary! We stopped at a church and I took a photo to of the county side. Yes the cemetery is in the foreground.

Some of the photos I have taken for Keith are at this sight. They are not all great landscapes, but some of them are photos Keith has requested. So if interested here is the connection in my Picasa photo album.

Picasa Album With a click you will go to my album and will have exited the Blog.

The 26th of May, I am having the group Burgundy Friends here at our house. Yikes it might rain and I was counting on everyone being on the patio.

Back to Pottery this Thursday, had last Thursday off since it was the Ascension. Also started to cover a large terra cotta outdoor pot with mosaic. Toujours (always) busy.

Recipe of the month of May

Asparagus

It is the season for asparagus. Here we get white and green asparagus, however white is more common than green. With fresh asparagus, the flavor is wonderful. So I do not want to complicate the recipe too much. So here is a very simple recipe.

Ingredients

• Fresh Asparagus
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Goat Cheese (high quality)

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• 2. Wash the asparagus. If white asparagus, peel the outer layer. Break and toss the woody ends.
• 3. Bring salted water to boil. Add asparagus and boil for about 5-10 minutes. This will depend on the thickness of the stock of the asparagus. Fat white ones take a little longer than thin green. If very think, maybe even 3 minutes. Fresh or wild asparagus(thin as a piece of straw) takes just about 1 minute.
• 4. Place aspargus on a plate for serving (either individual or one large serving plate)-Oven proof plate
• 5. Cut goat cheese (no more than 1/4 inch slice and place morsels on top of asparagus- more or less crumble it on top
• 6. Place in oven until cheese softens just a little, about 3 minutes.
• 7. Drizzle a little oil and balsamic vinegar over the top and serve
• 8. Sprinkle with a little salt to your taste

Another way is to cut a large piece of cheese, heat in the oven and place beside the asparagus. You could add a little lemon zest too.

As always, give me your feed back.

My "Late" MAY POST

May 25, 2008

It is almost June. We had a couple of very warm sunny days at the start of May. It was wonderful. Since about the 18th of May, the temperature cooled, and the days have been partly cloudy to cloudy. I really do not mind the cooler weather.

As I stated in my April notes, Keith had his first trip as a guide May 5th to May 17th. He really did enjoy the trip. The weather was perfect and all went well. He said the guests seemed to really enjoy the trip. At this point he is not scheduled for another trip. I guess it is wait and see when he gets called up for another trip. He really does not want to do more than 2 a year. He came home very tired.

While he was gone, the tourist train in Bligny (the narrow train where Keith volunteers his time) had their 30th anniversary. Unfortunately Keith had to miss the big celebration. This last winter they had extended the track about 1km, to reach Pont d’Ouche. The opening of this line was part of the grand inauguration day. Keith had built the shelter at Pont d’Ouche. I ( as a very dutiful wife) went over and took some photos of the celebration.

Then also on the same day, a friend had a grand opening of his horse stables. Of course I know him through Marie Therese. The new stable is in a small village called Clemancey. The village sits in the valley of several hills. I have a few photos from there too.

On the 14th of May the work on the bathroom started. All the old tile was taken off (it was pink and white), the bathtub was removed (it was pink) as was the sink (yep it was pink) and the sink cabinet and bidet. Then the tile man came and put in the new tile (floor and walls-same tile), and the plumbers came back and installed the new shower and connected everything else. We have ordered wallpaper, and Keith has skimmed the walls (where tile was removed and we did not put in new tile) so it is ready to finish. Keith also went out and ordered a mirror that would just fit between the tile behind the sink and light fixture. They cut it 2 cm too large, so it has to be re cut.

We will really get down to work next week.

This week however is play time. I have friends here and we are touring. There are four friends and they are staying at the Gite (it is about 5 miles away and the owners speak English). A gite is basically an apartment or house that is rented. Keith decided to take some time on his bike, and packed up his tenting equipment loaded the bike and headed for the Vosges mountains.

This month’s recipe. Better make it an easy one.

Asparagus

INGREDIENTS

Bundle of asparagus ( I usually think about 5 stalks per person if this is a started or a side dish for a large meal…or increase to about 8 stalks per person). Wash, break off woody bottom and cut into 3 inch pieces (or leave whole if you wish).

Mild onion chopped

Grilled red pepper cut in strips

1 cup fresh peas (or if necessary use frozen)

1 cup (loose) of basil

1 tbsp of butter

2 tsbp parmesan cheese grated (optional)

Salt and pepper

PREPARATION

Heat large skillet pan that has a good cover

Add butter and sauté the onion until soft

with heat on low medium add peas and asparagus

Cover and cook about 10 minutes. Watch carefully, or rather listen. If possible to not remove the lid. Let it cook. Shake pan to move around.

In the meantime, tear or cut the basil leaves

When the asparagus is finished, add the basil and red pepper, season with salt and fresh ground pepper, and toss.

Sprinkle a little parmesan over the top .

Serve

Bon Appetit