Catching up…where to begin?

I guess I will start where I left off, although I have more to tell you about today and my challenges, but I can say that they have been conquered and am here to bask in the glow of French aide and hospitality. These feelings are coming back to me now from my days of travelling when I was much younger, and this world is a friendly place.

The weekend is coming to a close, so I need to start with Friday and my cooking experience with Gilles Conchy. This was a cooking class I had read about through the Tourist Information Office, where you would cook a French Provencial meal with others and enjoy the fruits of your labor. And, that we did! 

First after introductions, we were off to the outdoor market to purchase the items for our menu for le repas (the meal). Just a bit of a reminder, having been a vegetarian for over 45 years, I wasn’t going to influence the choice of menu for the group. I went along with a variety of appetizers, tapenade, eggplant spread  with garlic over toasted bread/crostinis, and onion tartlets with an arugala salad on the side. The entree was a rack of lamb smothered with an anchovy and butter paste, fingerling potatoes with a casserole (have to throw in that French accent) of round zucchini, sliced, with thinly sliced onions and tomatoes, generously drizzled in olive oil. s&p. garlic….garlic in everything…and thyme from Gille’s garden (thanks Eric for tending to this task so completely). Dessert would be an apple tart. So, shopping on! Here are some photos and those that know me, I’m outside my box when we went to the Charcuterie.

 

Purchases made and we were off in a snug car for all of us, but large by French standards and perfectly adequate! We stopped along the way at Chateau Simone for our wine selection for the day. with the Saint Victoire in the distant, we arrived for a quick tour/selection and off we go…..the caves/cellars were built by monks in the 16th century..

.

So, now onto the Chateau de Gilles! He put us all to work. Enjoyed every minute of it and we worked together as a fine-tuned team with Gilles as our commander in chief! It was great!

Timing was perfect and everything was delicious…and I have to say, I even had a couple of bites of lamb….if only for the experience. It’s not changing my dietary preferences…but I know many of you are floored that I ate lamb! As I say…this is an adventure!

IMG_2402