Discover My French Riviera Life

Well, it’s hard to believe that summer is here and it’s been a couple of months since I’ve posted. So many things have been happening that I just haven’t had time! (I’ve got lots of pictures and tales of our adventures to share though, so bear with me.)

A few months ago, when we were talking about taking a vacation with Alain’s family, the idea of taking a European Cruise came up. (There are a lot of good things about a cruise in our case - for example, most cruise lines have wonderful programs for kids of all ages.) Another reason we’re considering taking a cruise - especially if we take one of the Mediterranean Cruisesis that Alain’s dad said he’d come with us. (I’d love that, so cross your fingers! ) Plus, Annie and Bruno might decide to come along.

I also noticed that there are some cruises from New York city which are interesting, because my mom hates to fly, and I thought this might be a way for us to get her to come over here for a visit!

But, to be honest, the cruise that I found the most interesting is one that’s called the Azmara cruises. Check them out - they’re totally luxury cruises and they travel to exotic, wonderful locations. You get amenties like having your own butler that’s assigned only to you (one butler per 2 passengers), in-room spa treatments (like massages), not to mention a full spa onboard. And that’s only the beginning - it’s the whole “experience that turns this cruise into a once-in-a-lifetime experience. (I could get used to that kind of treatment very, VERY quickly, I think!)

The company I used to do the research is called the “Cruise Vacation Center” - and one of the things I like is that they’ve helped more than 250,000 people find the cruise of their dreams. (You don’t help that many people and not understand exactly how to put together the perfect cruise experience, you know?)

About the only thing I didn’t like about them is that they’ve got one of those virtual people on their Website that tells you a little bit about it - it’s not the people themselves, it’s just the fact that the video starts to play automatically - and it’s a little loud - so if you’re surfing from work, make sure you turn your sound down or mute it altogether before you go check it out! But even if the video people is a little annoying, you’re going to like the company, and you’ll love all your options when it comes to choosing the perfect cruise for you. (I’ll let you know if we decide to take a cruise this summer, and which one we pick.)

Last weekend we took a long drive with beau-dad and Annie and went to lunch, visited a beautiful lake and then went to Grasse perfume capital of the world. (Even Chanel perfumes get their flowers from Grasse.) Grasse (also known as the “gateway to Provence” is where perfume houses come to find the most sought-after raw materials. Grass is famous for the Centifiolia Rose, Jasmine and many other flowers, herbs and spices that are so essential in the creation of perfumes.

We’ve been to the House of Fraginard before, so this time we went to the house of Molinard, to take a tour and do some shopping. Molinard has an excellent reputation in the perfume industry and they are known for their use of traditional methods and experience over the last five generations.

One of the things to look for are the beauitful antique perfume bottles and labels. The boutique is worth exploring - even if you can resist the lure of the creams, soaps and essential oils for sale in addition to their perfumes. It showcases genuine 16th, 17th and 18th century Provencal furniture, along with authentic provencal costumes and there are incredible antique copper stills and antique equipment (you see it on the tour.)

Molinard also offers a Perfume museum in Nice right between the Quai des Etats-Unis and the Rue St. Francois de Paule that’s worth checking out!

So, after taking the tour, and trying many different scents, I chose one that has been around since the 1920s. Called “Habanita de Molinard” it comes in a square black bottle with a relief of naked women kneeling across the top (perhaps they’re worshipping the God of Perfume?)

It’s faintly spicy and is a blend of bergamot, peach, rose, jasmine, lilac, amber and vanilla. Of course my favorite perfume is still Opium, but this is great for daytime or when I want a lighter fragrance.

So last night was my first “American Cooking” class in March. (I’ll be doing 3 more this month and then one or two more in April.)

Why did I do it? (Besides the fact that Alain goaded me into, I mean?) Because there is a misconception among some people that all Americans eat are hamburgers and hot dogs and that we eat at fast food restaurants more nights than we fix meals at home.

So, in a way, I did it because I’m an American, I’m proud of my country and the wonderful and infinite variety of dishes we’re famous for.

Another question I get asked a lot is, “What is ‘THE’ American dish? And after thinking about it, I realized that there isn’t one.

I think it’s because we are the ultimate melting pot when it comes to people and nationalities and - food. People who live in America have brought their family recipes with them - and they’ve been handed down and changed and adjusted - and we’ve got a country-sized gourmet cookbook of delicious recipes.

So what I did was to look at the different regions of America, and choose dishes from each region - and when I did it that way, it got easier - and harder. Because there are some things - Navajo tacos, New York Cheesecake, Pumpkin pie…that are staples. And yet, there are an almost infinite number of additional recipes to choose from. (In fact, feel free to post yours here if you’ve got a family favorite - and I’ll share it with my class.)

So last night I taught them how to make Navajo tacos - with a recipe from a friend of mine, who learned it from her mother, who learned it from her mother, who learned it from…well, you get the idea. And we made it the traditional way - without exact measurements, and pinching the dough to see if it was “right”…because the recipes were handed down orally, and they call for a “pinch of salt” a “handful of flour”…etc.

We also had plumbing problems - our toilet got plugged up again (that’s what happens when you have a plumbing system that’s almost 200 years old!) We called a plumber who told us to call a “specialist” who came and tried and said it was hopless…and suggested we replace the system. (Which we were understandably reluctant to do.) So, he called a friend and they agreed to “try” - the problem is that we’ve had this exact same problem 4 times now in the last three years. So, they took the toilet off…and discovered too many problems to fix. The sub-floor has to be replaced, a hole has to be cut into the old pipe and all new pipework must be added and there’s cement “stuff” and of course all the tiles have to be replaced. (They’re also almost two hundred years old and are the original hexigon-shaped Mediterranean red tiles that came with the house.)

The good news? I get to go shopping for new tiles and will wind up with a beautiful new “toilet room.” (In case you didn’t know, toilets are put in their own “room” and the bathroom is something else again.)

Since we’re replacing the tiles on the floor, I want to also put tiles on the walls. (Which is currently covered with a white wallpaper that’s sort of velvety in texture and totally unsuitable in a bathroom!) And I’m going to have it repainted again, which it also needs.

Yippee! I’ve got visions of color schemes and tile patterns running in my head and one day this week we’ll go and choose the new stuff. So…although having this mess could be seen as a bad thing, it can also been turned around as a positive! I’ll choose the paint after I choose the tiles, so that it will coordinate. I actually got some great ideas while we were in the Alsace area of France - they have beautiful tiles there. And I have a few pictures from Austria, where again, I got some great ideas for remodeling.

Luc took this photo with his digital camera at lunch. You can see the chicken off to the side. (I always take the chicken out of the sauce before serving.) The recipe is long…and there are several steps, so I promise to give it to you later - probably tomorrow - but it’s almost one in the morning and I’m too tired to think them all through tonight.

Because Luc came to visit us, I decided to make my recipe for Coq au Vin. (While it’s not a simple recipe, it is delicious and is an elegant meal to serve for special occasions.)

I started it last night, as the recipe calls for marinating the chicken overnight in red wine - preferably burgundy.

This afternoon was also the 18th game in the season. We played Oyonnax.

Sadly, we lost. The final score was 33-22.

We’re still number one though!

I’ll share my recipe for Coq au Vin (including the few changes I’ve made to the recipe) next time.

Eggs en Meurette

Originally uploaded by frenchrivieralife.com.

Here’s a photo of what the dish looks like. Look at that lovely sauce!

Alain had this while we were in Strasbourg. We had lunch in this wonderful old restaurant that was a converted Mill - it had been built in the Middle Ages.

If you check out the recipe below, you’ll see that this recipe should be a heart attack waiting to happen - but for some reason, the French can eat this type of rich, delicious, mouthwatering food - and not only not get sick, but not even gain an ounce! (Doesn’t seem fair, does it?)

Our trip to the Burgundy area of France was not only lots of fun, but it netted me some new recipes to try. I’m going to share one with you - this is very elegant looking, very “chic” and very popular in the Burgundy area because it’s cooked with burgundy wine (Yummy!)

The recipe is called: Eggs en Meurette and it serves 6 people

For the Sauce:
50 g of butter
1 onion
100 g diced bacon (lardons)
1 clove garlic (crushed)
3 shallots (thinly sliced)
3 carrots (finely chopped)
20 g flour
1 litre red wine (Burgundy of course!)
1/2 l meat or poultry stock
1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme and laurel)
salt and pepper to taste

For the Filling:
12 eggs
6 slices of bread
1 clove of garlic
200 grams of button mushrooms (Paris Mushrooms)
100 g diced bacon (lardons)
50 g butter

For Poaching:
1/2 litre red wine
1 litre water
10 g salt
200 ml wine vinegar

Start by making the sauce. In a good-sized cooking pot, brown the diced bacon, the onion, the shallots, the garlic and the carrots in the butter. Sprinkle with flour and cook it gently until it becomes reddish brown in color. Add the red wine and the bouquet garni. Cook until you’ve reduced the sauce by half. Next add the stock, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the sauce again until you can insert a spoon and the sauce sticks (coats) the spoon.

Strain the sauce through a sieve or colander. Taste the sauce - if it’s too tart, add a spoonful of butter. (I know, I know - you’re thinking you can hear your arteries hardening just from reading this recipe, right? Well, did you really want to live forever?)

Put the sauce to the side and start on the main part of the dish.

1. Chop up the mushrooms and fry them in (what else?) butter.
2. Brown the diced bacon - you can add it to the sauce, but set some aside for decorating the dish.
3. Rub the slices of bread with the garlic and the grill them. (If you don’t have a grill or a broiler, toast them.)
4. Pour the wine sauce into small bowls. (I’ve got some pretty ones from Paris that will be perfect…as long as I don’t have a full house.)
5. Put the water, red wine, vinegar and salt into a cooking pot. Bring it all to a full, rolling boil. 6. Break the eggs into the liquid and poach for 3 minutes. (Might take longer if you’re living in a high altitude - if you’re not sure, test with one first.)
7. Carefully remove the poached eggs with a spoon or sieve. (Or, if you’ve got one of those nifty little spoon/cups with a long handle that hangs from the side of the pot and keeps the egg from drifting all over the place, use that instead. Don’t you just love kitchen gadgets???)
8. Put the eggs in the bowls. Decorate with the bacon. Decorate as desired (small croutons, fresh parsley, etc.)

Enjoy!

Victor Matfield and Tash

Originally uploaded by frenchrivieralife.com.

Tasha went to the Toulon Rugby game a few weeks ago with her dad Chris, brother Joel and Alain, and after the game (which we won), she got to meet and talk to Victor Matfield. (Mr. Matfield is also from New Zealand and is one of the newest players on the Toulon Rugby team.) He’s apparently very nice and is willing to take time out to meet and greet his fans.

The Toulon Ruby team is in first place and they’ve worked hard - it’s been a great season - way to go guys!

Alain and Tama Umaga

Originally uploaded by frenchrivieralife.com.

This shot of Alain and Tama Umaga was taken a few weeks ago after another win by the Toulon Rugby team. They also won the game on Saturday and we are firmly in the number 1 spot - which means we’ll be going on to the first division next season.

Way to go guys!

Bruno and Annie

Originally uploaded by frenchrivieralife.com.

This shot of Bruno and Annie was taken last month before Bruno left for his long voyage. As a marine, Bruno is often called to duty - and this time he’s gone for 4 months.

So far Annie is keeping her spirits up and has found lots of things to keep her busy.

Way to go Annie!