May 17 Olivet

Well today there are no pictures, but not to worry I will give you a description so that you will almost taste it.  That's right, today is all about food.  Sylvie, the woman, along with her husband, who own the place in which we are staying, has become a friend; and today, bless her heart, she organized for Jim and I to go and visit with her mom and dad at their home.  Jim and Monsieur Chevrier (Roger), went on a walk along the Loiret, while Madame Chevrier (Françoise), taught me to make some wonderful French dishes.  We made Gratin Dauphinois using potatoes from their garden, with garlic, cheese, cream, herbes de Provence, and oh some butter, there must be cream and butter, that's what makes it taste so good. That was to take home for dinner.

For lunch we had potatoes with wine, yes that's right: olive oil in a pan, add shallots, herbes de Provence, the potatoes cut in chunks, and a part of a bottle of red wine.  As TV's two greedy Italians say,  the wine you cook with should be the wine you drink, so we used a lovely Bordeaux.  You let that bubble away until the potatoes are cooked and yummy (and red).  For lunch we also had fresh crêpes filled with cheese sauce, ham and mushrooms, along with turkey, des fromages and for dessert le gâteau.  For the cake we used red peaches that had been picked in the garden last fall and preserved, drained the liquid, put caramel in the cake pan arranged the peaches, covered with batter and let bake, flipped the cake out on a plate, and drizzled with the remaining liquid.

Are you full yet?  I could barely move, it was so good!  Monsieur Chevrier also took us on a tour of his garden, very impressive, peach, cherry, apple, pear and plum trees, kiwis and strawberries, enough potatoes to make PEI jealous, herbs, lettuce, tomatoes, peas and beans, well you get the picture, and oh figs and lemon trees with lemons on them.  Oh and one other thing, they speak only French, no English.  They were very patient with us, and spoke so we could understand, and I think we got along quite well.  I guess those Lyon Bleu classes did help.  (Merci Elsa)