Céret Food Report

The following is from Cindy's Guide to Fine French Food

The dining was fabulous in the many restaurants we tried and also in our apartment, compliments of Chef William (aka Guillaume).  Near our apartment was a square called “Place de Neuf Jets” (jets meaning fountain jets, and Neuf meaning nine) that had 3 lovely restaurants around – you guessed it – a large beautiful fountain.  It was the very first of April but unusually mild and we were able to sit outside in that plaza on 3 separate nights (we had to sample all 3 restaurants, bien sûr).   We also ventured forth to a few other places in town and while we didn’t take photos I always wrote about them afterwards in my little old-fashioned Filofax journal.  We didn’t take photos because we wanted to fool them into thinking we weren’t tourists.  Right.

The first evening we dined in the lovely plaza at La Fontaine (you know where it got its name) and I started with bloc de foie gras with fig jam while Wm enjoyed a lovely layered “verrine” (jar – a term loosely used here) of chevre and tomatoes.  We shared tastes of both with each other – we always do that and never order the same thing the other orders.  Anyone reading this who feels sorry for the geese that donated their livers to our dinner should know that we have watched them being force-fed in the Perigord area of France and there is no forcing – they line up! Those geese just love getting that corn pushed down their throats.  I get so weary of the bleeding hearts who put a stop to so-called force feeding geese while looking the other way at “factory” chickens, calves, cows, and other animals that are truly mistreated their whole lives.  Keep in mind that when the geese aren’t enjoying their corn they are roaming free in the farmyard. 

Oops, did I digress????  We moved on to lamb chops with frites for Wm and cod for me, both delicious – and then finished the meal with a cold Grand Marnier soufflé and a Tarte Tatin.  The service was friendly and the whole evening was divine. (Wm: we had two carafes of wine, one rosé and the other a brilliantly dry white. I drink rosé whenever and wherever I can, and the south of France is a good place to like rosé. You can assume that every meal we had out included carafes of great wines.)

Back to the fountain area the next evening where we ate at a restaurant called Le Pied dans la Plat.  [Another aside – I almost had this journal for the week in Céret finished and reported to Wm that I was missing our 2^nd night at the Place de Neuf Jets and had to recheck my journal. He didn’t remember the name of the restaurant but he immediately told me that we started with salads that were huge and then I had duck and he had scallops.  Does this guy like food, or what?]  So that takes care of that dinner report!  Once again everything was delicious, but we were outdone by the big salads, didn’t have dessert, and the duck ended up in the cassoulet that is described later in this blog.  We took the duck surreptitiously because the French are not into doggie bags – and my dearly departed father, Vern, taught me long ago to always be prepared with a plastic bag handy, preferably a Ziploc, when dining out!

The next night we ate market vegetables that Wm grilled on the not-really-that-hot electric grill on our balcony. The night after that we somehow happened upon the nearby Place de Neuf Jets again and this time ate at Pizza Quattrocento.  It looked like it might be quite ordinary but the food was wonderful – first a baked round of 

Camembert and a salade Niçoise, and then I had a pizza and Wm the Lamb Lover had lamb chops again.  Half of the Camembert and half of the pizza came home with us.  We shared Iles Flottante for dessert and toasted our friend Brent because that is his favorite dessert.

The next night Wm cooked and even though this part of the blog is meant to be a restaurant report, I must share verbatim what I wrote in my journal that night, with the title Dinner to Die For

“Wm created a cassoulet for the record books:

White beans, oui

Sausage, bien sûr

Duck, certainement

Chicken, pourquoi pas?

AND prunes – oh my.

Breadcrumbs on top – onions, potatoes, garlic too (in the casserole) – with healthy splashes of red wine and Armagnac ... must remember this for the future.”

It goes on – we had a small cheese course to finish the Fitou and Terres Anges red wines and then a strawberry tartelette.  It’s a good thing that Céret is a great area for walking and running and we were getting plenty of exercise!

The following night we walked a few blocks beyond our favorite square of fountain fame and ate at Pizza Rimini … delicious lamb fricassee for Wm (did I mention that he loves lamb?) and a pizza for me with sweet red peppers and crème fraîche.

Another night at home and then our penultimate meal in Céret, which turned out to be the best of all.  One of the truly nicer/ fancier restaurants in town was called El Bisbe – how could we not go?  We had a nice table in the corner where we could observe the other diners – we were seated next to a fun-loving extended family with grandpa and presumably the parents of a couple of granddaughters and perhaps an uncle (we didn’t ask how they were related; ha) - and they were having the best time laughing and teasing each other, and of course dining well.

So what did we order?  Calamari and bloc de foie gras to start and then our main courses were lamb shanks and duck with cherry sauce.   I can still savor that duck if I close my eyes for a moment; it was fabulous (are you surprised about Wm’s order?).  For dessert Wm had his favorite:  fromage blanc with honey, and I had Tarte Tatin.  Our waiter was truly charming and took such good care of us.  A fine end to a fine week in Céret.

Have a lovely 4^th of July weekend,  Cindy

Céret, France

Céret, France

Quillan lies in a river valley and is surrounded by large cliffs and peaks; therefore things seemed to always be in shadows, especially in the early spring.  After our experience in Quillan we wanted something open, sunny and clean, so after deciding to leave our waterlogged lodging in Quillan, Cindy did some fancy footwork via Internet to find something else in the general area.  The town of Céret is open and filled with light (more below on that) and suited us perfectly.  The drive back towards the ocean was easy and beautiful and in less than two hours we had pulled up to the front door of our new home in Céret.

The manager came as soon as we called her and she ushered us into a very modern apartment that was filled with light and a marvelous balcony.  We grabbed our stuff, unpacked and set out to explore our new city.  All my life I’ve heard about artists who go here or there because of the wondrous light and I kept thinking, “Why don’t they have electricity?”  Now I get it!  Words like luminescent never meant much to me when used to describe the outdoor light but it took only minutes for me to realize I was someplace very special.  I don’t know if it is the proximity to the ocean, the perfectly pure mountain air, the altitude or the openness of the city, but it was bathed in a light that I had never seen before and it changed at least five times during our stay.

Because of the light and the open nature of Céret, it has always been a magnet for artists. Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, and a host of others have all stayed and worked in Céret and all over the town are large plaques that have pictures that famous artists did while in Céret, but the cool thing is when you look up, you are looking at the very house, or copse of trees, or riverbank that they painted.  The Musé d’Art Moderne de Céret in town is filled with the originals of these painters, or so we are told.  It cost far too much to enter so we used the money for other purposes including postcards of the Museum.

Céret is certainly in France but everyone there considers himself or herself Catalan and you can hear the language, see the dress and note the red and yellow flags everywhere.  There is a very cute little bullring that gets a workout in the summer but otherwise just sits there. The event however that is the most popular in Céret is the Saturday Market. “Céret's Saturday market is a high point of the week and is as much a social event as anything else. It is a bustling, busy market selling mostly local produce. Fresh fruit and vegetable stalls are alongside the man who makes boudins blanc and noir (white sausage and blood sausage). The olive stall is a "must see" where you can choose from a large range of plain, marinated and dried olives. The local cheese makers sell everything from the delicious fresh cheeses to aged hard cheese cut from large wheels. The local wines are red, cheap and very drinkable.”

Our apartment had a lovely balcony, which you can see in the photos, and I spent lots and lots of time sitting there looking out over the hills, observing the life in the ’hood, and on Saturday, watching the market and the people.  The market on Saturday takes over the entire town and every street is filled with stalls selling everything you can imagine.  We bought hats the first day, and boy did we need them since the sun was rather intense for early April.  We had a fine time shopping for food items, wine and prepared foods like roasted chicken with potatoes. That is one of the many joys of living in an apartment - you can do as much or as little cooking as you wish, but with a market this good, we did a lot of cooking.

Our days were filled with small routines that we loved.  First thing, Cindy would run and I would investigate the town for future explorations.  We would then meet at the Central Bar, where the owner warmed up to us quickly and would always have our coffees ready the minute we walked in.  On the way home we would select a bakery and get fresh pastries, bread, croissants and anything else that tickled our fancy.  I would make coffee and we would sit on the balcony and just watch the world turn.  After cleaning up, we would hike or wander around town until about one when it was time to decide which bar to grace with our presence for an aperitif.  We would then either select a place for a sandwich or go home where I would make a little something from whatever we had, plus fresh bread and wine.  Most days we took naps to gather our strength for afternoon walks and the late dinners. The day would end with us sitting on the balcony with Cognacs and reviewing our day and planning the next.

One of the things that we realized is that we need to have outdoor space in a rental.  In Quillan we had nothing, not even large windows. Having the balcony in Céret was just a heavenly experience and we have now made it a requirement for future rentals, as well as cruises.

Our time in Céret flew by and all too soon it was time to head back to Barcelona where we were going to enjoy an afternoon and evening with our friends Bob and Mary who were on a beach vacation from their jobs in Milan.  We had two pre-paid rooms at the Alfa Best Western right next to the airport due to our 8 am departure for Frankfurt the next day, connecting to Dulles.  Since we had two rooms we convinced Bob and Mary to come and stay with us so we could have a lovely dinner and not worry about driving.  The hotel itself was what you would expect at an airport, except the staff was really friendly and helpful.   We had low expectations for dinner, but wow were we surprised. It was some of the best food we had had on the trip and my oven-roasted haunch of lamb was melt-in-your-mouth perfect, as were the interesting appetizers and fish dishes. Luckily my portion of lamb was huge so everyone was able to enjoy it.  We had several bottles of wine and we shared it with the waiter, the chef, and some others who we think worked there, but it really didn’t matter. We had some fun!

Cindy is working on the good eats portion of our trip and will be reporting soon. Until then,  a bientot.  Wm

Quillan Trip

Quillan, France

You have to really want to go to Quillan to get there.  Sounds like Yogi Berra, doesn’t it?  While Quillan has always been a crossroads, it has been a crossroads to places that not many people want to visit any more.  It is about half way between Carcassonne and Perpignan and is situated on the banks of the Aude River.  Before the new highways, this was the only way to get from the Canal du Midi to the seaport of Perpignan and thus it was a well-traveled route for the early Cathars. They established many of castles, fortifications and lookout points all along the route, most of which are still standing and open to the pubic.

The city itself used to be a bustling trade center where logs from the surrounding woods would be gathered and rafted down the Aude to Carcassonne. After that it was the center for making hats and belts and other things from the hides of animals that thrived there.  In the fifties it was home to the largest Formica factory in Europe. All of these industries made Quillan a rich city and there are some beautiful large houses along the river where the burghers of the city made their home.  Sadly, there is no longer any industry that brings in lots of money and many of the houses have been left to decay, although foreigners who love the deep valleys and high mountains of Quillan have restored some of these homes.  The area provides opportunities for competitive kayaking and offers a host of hiking opportunities for all levels of fitness, but tourism is struggling due to a lack of infrastructure.  There are few quality hotels, restaurants or services in this remote area of southern France.

We were drawn by the opportunity to rent a two bedroom, two bathroom home with a fireplace right in the center of Quillan. The price was right and we thought it would be a wonderful place to use as a base for exploring the entire area.  The pictures looked great, the kitchen seemed fine for our needs, and the village hosted a market twice a week, so we booked it for two weeks at the end of March until Easter.  As I mentioned, the other couple was unable to go but we wanted to get away and so we left Spain, headed into France, and by two in the afternoon we were in Quillan.

The owner had told us that there had been a small water pipe break and he didn’t know how bad it was but his agent had fixed everything up.  He offered us the option to cancel the entire two weeks, but our minds were already there so we continued with our plans.  We finally got into the house - they had changed the code on the lockbox but hadn’t told us the new code but ever-resourceful Cindy had the owners’ Wifi password and was able to log on from the parking area and get the new code via email. Upon entering the house we were overwhelmed with the combined fragrances of old chimney smoke and fresh mold and mildew. It was horrible, and that was just the first impression. We tried to open things up but almost all of the windows had been damaged by the water and had swollen up and couldn’t be opened.  It took us two hours to force the big kitchen window open so as to allow dry air into that area of the house.  For the next several days we did a lot of heavy lifting to dry out the house.  We were able to take a few breaks for day trips and market runs but it was getting to the point that we felt like we were working for Habitat for Humanity as opposed to being on vacation. For those of you contemplating purchasing a home in a foreign country that you are not going to occupy until you retire, take a look at these photos before closing!

One of our two-day trips took us to Rennes le Chateau. This is a cool castle that since the publication of The Da Vinci Code has drawn thousands of visitors who want to see a part of the history - and some say conspiracy - associated with Saint Mary Magdalene.  We just wanted to get out of Quillan and we enjoyed the lovely day and lovely ride along the river.  After viewing Rennes le Chateau, we headed down the river to a little town called Esperaza.  This is a town that was made famous by its hat making, producing hats for generations of people around the world.  We wanted to go to the Hat Making Museum, which is right next to the Dinosaur Museum - who knew there would be so much culture in one day?  The hat museum was really cool. First you sit and watch a movie about the history of hat making, and despite the fact that it was all in French we found it fascinating and a great way for us to understand the rest of the displays in the museum.  On the way out of the museum we shopped at the sale bins and I found a perfect hat, as did Cindy, for a fraction of what it would have cost in a store.  You have to see these photos. 

On another day we drove to the Chateau de Puivert, which is an old Cathar castle that is now in private hands.  It takes forever to walk up the hill to get there and then you have to pay to go in and walk up narrow, dark and dangerous steps to see all the rooms and galleries.  The exercise was good, the castle not so much.  Here are some photos of the castle and some of the fine examples of building in Quillan.  One of the coolest is the Tourist Center, which is an old Turkish Bath that has been fixed up and converted.  Of the two markets that take place on Quillan, only one of them has food; the other is just a flea market. Very disappointing, but we did get some good ingredients from which I created a lovely lunch on our last day in Quillan. After only five days there we couldn’t stand it any longer and took off for a new and exciting city that Cindy had discovered for us to explore.  The owners of the house were very pleased with all we did to help them and they returned all of our money, which was very nice of them.  Prepare yourselves for the joys of Céret, which we’ll visit tomorrow. 

Best to all, William 

Barcelona, March 2012

Barcelona

Our plan had been to meet our friends Brent and Kari in Barcelona at the end of March and then travel north to Figueres to visit the Dali Museum and spend the night before heading to our rental house in Quillan, France.  Unfortunately they were unable to make the trip, but since we had prepaid everything we decided to just do it by ourselves.  I used a big bunch of frequent flyer miles to get us Business Class on Lufthansa via Munich and it was worth each and every hard earned mile. The flights were, as you would expect from Lufthansa, efficient and on time. They were also very comfortable which meant that we arrived in Barcelona relaxed and ready to enjoy all that that fair city has to offer.

I had booked us into a Best Western Hotel, right in the heart of one of the nicest neighborhoods of Barcelona. For those of you that only know Best Westerns from trips in the USA, I can assure you that they are nothing like that in Europe. For the most part they are excellent hotels, in great locations with clean large rooms, free wi-fi and free full breakfasts, and very reasonable.  This was a great hotel and from the moment the taxi dropped us off until we loaded the rental car for departure, we were treated like royalty.  Our room was really a mini suite with a separate room for sitting and working and it was just right as a base for our explorations.

For three days we just wandered around, ate and drank marvelous food, wine and sherry, and enjoyed the diversity of a major European city. (http://gallery.me.com/wbyxbee#100552)  This is a beautiful city with wide avenues, lovely buildings - many in our neighborhood designed by Gaudi - and of course there is the Sagrada Familia which still isn’t completed.  But hey, they only started it in 1882!  All too soon it was time to head out to Figueres but first we had to go and pick up the rental car.  If you are ever going to rent a car in Europe, rent it from a company called Sixt. They have the nicest people working for them and they have really good prices on great cars if you are willing to have a manual transmission and use diesel.

Since we had planned on having this car for two weeks of touring, we had reserved a mini-van that had lots of windows and sat high.  It wasn’t the type of car you would want for city driving but we managed to get it back to our hotel, double park for a bit to load luggage, and head out of town heading north to our next Best Western hotel.  Cindy was a marvelous navigator and we had no problems until we finally got to Figueres. There all maps failed us and only by driving around and around did we finally find the garage to the hotel.  We had a lovely time there and had a very good meal - for a tourist town - and the next day we were off to France.

More later, ciao for now,  William

Life is Short, Enjoy it!

For Bob Van Epps:

I found out today that one of my dear friends and avid readers of our blog has passed away from complications from cancer.  Cindy and I met Bob Van Epps and his wife Sharyn while living in Germany in the 80’s.  They were both with the Department of Defense Dependents’ Schools (DoDDS) and we would run across each other several times every year when we would enjoy long and lovely dinners.  Bob - whom I always called Roberto do to his affection for Italy - was a man of many interests.  Extremely well read, a master of several languages, a brilliant student of written and spoken English, and a consummate gourmand.

During our time in Bahrain, it was Roberto who would patiently respond to my blogs with explanations and sometimes corrections and often witticisms.  He was the one who in infinite detail explained how sugar undergoes a molecular meltdown when added to microwaved coffee, which is why it all erupted out of the mug. While in Moscow he would fill in some of my blog observations with historical context, while at the same time letting me know which brands of vodka were drinkable. It was Roberto who would take one of my phrases and write back with three optional alternatives, all of which were much more descriptive.  He used words the way an expert mason uses mortar and he built strong and beautiful walls of prose. 

We last met in the fall when, in typical Roberto fashion, he sent us directions to an Italian grocery store in the middle of some non-descript warehouse area out on New York Avenue in Washington. We managed to find it – Bob and Sharyn were already there - and for the next hour we wandered around this cramped store that was filled from ceiling to floor with all things comestible from Italy.  We examined the wines, selected the olive oils, loaded up on pastas and picked the best of the freshly made sausages and cheeses, all the while listening to the Roberto’s narratives explaining the details of all the products, their place of birth and their brief histories.  We left with as much new knowledge as we did Italian products!

I shall miss his pithy comments on my writing as well as his companionship at dinners.  He was a remarkable individual who died too young.