Thanks & Giving

Thanksgiving and family go together like...turkey and stuffing, sweet potatoes and bourbon, pumpkins and pies. Every year I try to arrange my states' side visit to hit this holiday above all others. No such luck this year; new dog, works in progress and a fall visit from family who came here.

Instead I'll gather with a group of expats and locals at someone's house tonight and we'll bemoan the lack of a whole turkey, and all the trimmings. There'll be no 'game' on the TV and no common traditions to share. But there will be Thanks and there will be Friendship and there will be my family held close in my thoughts as I wonder how large a turkey my brother managed to buy this year.

Oh,... and thanks to all you Turkey-eating blog readers for wondering enough about what living in France for 20 years does to you and reading my French Kitchen Adventures. Families are measured in many different ways.

Me, me, me, me, too.

The Julia Hoyt lit like a Chinese lantern.

Four by Four- a magic set of numbers. When Rosa tagged me this week in such good company, I mused over what would be my own questions.

• Who am I?
• Where did I come from?
• What am I doing here in southwest France?

Boring and predictable. Then I had yet another opportunity, more common than not these days, to make e-small talk this time via the famous craigslist.org. I’m looking for a stagiare or two, to help me carry my French Kitchen Adventures into the future. Where better than to check out the local talent than nearby Toulouse? I realized as I wrote my listing there were many questions to ask…

What four things do you love most about living at the Relais de Camont?

• The absolute stillness and quiet of this little world.
• My gregarious French Kitchen that can hold a squished crowd of 15 people if needed but just as easily seems built for two.
• The always running springs feeding the frog pond and lavoir hidden in the secret garden wood behind the ruin.
• Hammocks, lots of hammocks for nap attacks.

• 

Relais de Camont's room with a view.

What four most memorable jobs you have had?

• Carhop in the rainy cold Seattle winter. (1 cold and wet month in 1969)
  
• Puppeteer and roadie for a children’s theatre (1970-76)
  
• Yacht cook and first mate (1980-82)
  
• Barge captain (1987-present)
  

What’s the 4 best things about living on a boat?

• Paradoxically, the stillness. This 65 ton steel hulled tank of a barge barely moves when we are moored on the quiet canal at the bottom of the garden gate.
• The sounds: of rain on the metal deck, splashes of water against the hull in a storm, the drum vibration of the pumps, whirs and toilets flushing…
• The light: of water reflected on the wooden ceiling, moonbeams through the portholes, the sunny wheelhouse like a greenhouse…on a chilly winter morning.
• The wonderful sense of playing hooky all the time. It’s hard to take one self seriously when you see a flotilla of poplar leaves gliding by. I love the pick up and move along sense that you can leave at any time…

my floating office... unusually tidy!

The worst?

• The aforementioned pumps, which you rely on them for everything- showers, drinking water, toilets…oh, the toilets! (see my blog breaking Toilet Meltdown).
• Little spots of rust appearing under your nice new paint job. Back to the sandpaper.
• Finding a good mechanic that won’t mess up the sweet old 120 HP DAF diesel engine.
• The wonderful sense of playing hooky all the time. It’s hard to take one self seriously when you see a flotilla of poplar leaves gliding by….

And of course, the food questions….

What are your four favorite foods?

• Calamari
• Fava beans
• Soft silky tofu
• Ricotta cheese

Four recipes you cook all the time?

• Soup…all kinds, mostly vegetable based.
• Magret de Canard with a sauce aux vins
• Clafoutis aux Pruneaux
• Tartes- savory, sweet, fruit, etc… I love making pie crusts.

Et voila! that wasn’t so hard. So I pass this tag on to a few more e-neighbors and friends: Sweet Lucy of Lyon, Jen de Chez Loulou, Wine making Amy de la Gard in and Betty in the Aveyron.

winter knots... so easily cast off.

P.S. If anyone wants to come and work as an off-season stagiare at Camont for a few weeks over the winter: outside work, inside work, cleaning, cooking, gardening, thinking… just drop me a note with the four things that you want to learn having a French Kitchen Adventure with me in Gascony. Room and board…and a memorable job for your future list.

Swiss Chard Fritters from Laguiole

When last we met, I was telling you a little story about the road trip to Michel and Sebastian Bras joint. I got waylaid at the minuscule Saturday Morning market at Laguiole. I promised a little recipe for these savory Aveyronnais 'swiss chard' fritters called farcoux or farçous. After referencing a few old books, the fab internet and my own ideas, I plotted out a simple rule of thumb by asking a simple question:

• How many people eating? how many things?

Since I'm on my own this week and know my own capacity for hot fried savory things is quite expansive, I opted for the 'one person/one egg 'rule of thumb. It's the same one I use for making pasta, crepes, clafoutis, creme Catalan and other egg based recipes.

Next I realized there was no milk in the house or boat. So I substituted fromage blanc. This is what happened:

one egg-
1/2 cup greens from Swiss chard- finely chopped
1 tablespoon parsley- finely chopped
1 slice onion- finely chopped
one tablespoon fromage blanc
one tablespoon flour
salt
lots of pepper

Mix all of the above in a little bowl with a fork.
Heat some oil in a pan until very hot.
Drop the farcoux in the pan by tablespoon.
Cook until golden then turn.
When cooked remove to paper to drain; dust liberally with salt and pepper.
Eat while hot. Take the dog for a walk.
See, French food is easy!

Sometimes it just as simple to make something for one as it is for a group.
With one egg and a tablespoon of milk, flour, sugar, you can spoil yourself silly.
Et voila!