Chez Loulou

Photo du Jour - Please, Oh Please....

2009-07-21T00:10:00.003+02:00

Wishing and hoping that the pizza will fall.

Sunday Reading

2009-07-19T20:01:00.001+02:00

The many travel adventures of an exuberant and passionate duo. (well, trio actually)

Dreaming of becoming a chef? Shuna offers some of the best, most practical advice on the subject that I've ever read.

This recipe is a keeper -Ratafia de Cerises.

One of the most sublime (and wonderfully photographed) seasonal treats ever! Rainier Cherries. Sadly, no Rainier cherries in France, though there is a variety here called Napoléon that looks similar, but the flavor isn't the same.

Love that they're sharing their recipes with us, but that dark grey background has got to go. I can hardly read it!

A project to "bring sunshine every day." This makes me smile.

Photo du Jour - Keeping Cool

2009-07-18T13:46:00.004+02:00

Shutters open just a crack. Lets a little light in, keeps the heat out.

Photo du Jour - Over the Canal du Midi

2009-07-17T00:50:00.000+02:00

Blue skies and hot, sunny days. Summer in the Languedoc is here with a vengeance!

Too hot to turn on the oven except for the early morning. Summer recipes are keeping us cool.

melon and serrano ham
panzanella
cold tomato soup with basil
pasta with cherry tomato, garlic, arugula and feta cheese
fresh peach tart
cherry frozen yogurt

A glass or two of icy cold rosé doesn't hurt either.

La Fête du Fromage - Gloriotte

2009-07-15T23:33:00.003+02:00

Spring and early summer offer a bounty of seasonal fromages de chèvre to enjoy. Chèvres from almost every corner of France: the Pyrénées, the Auvergne, the Poitou-Charentes, the Aveyron and the Savoie.
Many of these delightful cheeses are only available for a short time, so as the saying goes, Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May.

Introducing glorious Gloriotte! A sensational petit chèvre from the Loire.

I expected a bold and piquant flavor to come from a cheese with such an intense, goaty aroma and rough, rustic appearance. Boy was I wrong.
Gloriotte is mellow, fruity and sweet and its texture is smooth and a bit chalky. Drizzled with a bit of acacia honey - WOW - absolute heaven!

The most frustrating thing about Gloriotte is that I have to go either to Paris or the Loire Valley to purchase another delicious morsel. Or I could say that it gives me an excuse to make another trip up north.
(Ok, if I have to...)

Some white wine from the Loire would be a perfect match for this cheese.

Le Quatorze Juillet

2009-07-14T23:32:00.004+02:00

My Quatorze Juillet Wish - that next year on le Quatorze Juillet I will be singing le Marseillaise and toasting la Belle France with some Champagne as a proper French citizen.

Photo du Jour - Imprimerie

2009-07-14T01:38:00.000+02:00

One of my favorite old shop signs on a rue pietonne* in the center of Narbonne.

*pedestrian street

A Tour Through Transylvania

2009-07-12T17:41:00.002+02:00

Peles Castle

Peles Castle Gardens

Colorful Sibiu

Carpathian Mountains

Transylvania fully restored my faith in Romania.

After one day in Bucharest it was seriously waning, and I would have been happy to stay comfortably ensconced in our hotel for the remainder of our trip.

Our original plan was to arrange an overnight trip into the wilds of Transylvania once we arrived in Bucharest, so with the help of our hotel's concierge, we happily drove out of the city a day later with our guide, Nic and driver, Igor (no, that wasn't his real name but since he said his real name was impossible to pronounce, he suggested that we call him Elgor, which jokingly became Igor - he cracked up every time we said it).

Before I go any further, I have to mention the obvious; What is the first thing that you think of when you hear the word Transylvania?
Surprisingly, the focus on Dracula wasn't as overwhelming as I thought it would be. Especially after living in the French Quarter of New Orleans and seeing all of the goth/Ann Rice fans/vampire wannabees taking Vampire Tours through the Quarter and the Garden District.

The tour groups that we encountered in Transylvania appeared to focus more on the historical figure of Vlad Tepes, not the fictional figure of Bram Stoker.

Though if you wanted them, there were some Dracula souvenirs to take home.

Bran Castle

Bran Castle

Sighişoara

Braşov Central Square

Sibiu Skyline

Various modes of transportation

The two day tour was action packed.
We visited beautiful Braşov, toured the very ornate and breathtaking Peles Castle and the smaller, charming Bran Castle, spent the night and morning in the stunning UNESCO World Heritage medieval city of Sighişoara and spent an afternoon in colorful and friendly Sibiu, the 2007 European Capital of Culture.

By the time we returned to our hotel in Bucharest, we were churched and castled and medievaled out. We'd climbed to the top of not one, not two, but three very tall church towers and had aching thighs. We'd spent a late night out in a happening little night club in the center Sighişoara's old town. We'd covered hundreds of kilometers and learned volumes of history. We were exhausted.
And it was worth every minute.

Photo du Jour - Green

2009-07-11T15:35:00.003+02:00

Lush and green. And tranquil.

Photo du Jour - Old Stones and Old Vines

2009-07-10T15:15:00.000+02:00

A weathered stone building in the middle of the oldest Carignan vineyard in the Languedoc, circa 1902.

La Fête du Fromage - Brin d'Amour

2009-07-09T13:05:00.001+02:00

Looking to fall in love?
It may look a little sharp and spiky on the outside, but its velvety, savory inside will seduce you.*

This prickly little porcupine of a cheese is Brin d'Amour.

Brin d'Amour - "a little bit of love" is produced by artisan cheesemakers on the island of Corsica. It is an unpasteurized ewe's milk cheese that is wrapped in a blanket of aromatic local herbs from the maquis, the distinctive Mediterranean shrubland of Corsica, and matured for 2 weeks to 2 months. This cheese also goes my the name Fleur de Maquis.

As you can probably guess, the herbs -rosemary, thyme, savory, and juniper- infuse the cheese with their assertive flavors. There are also subtle hints of green olives, hazelnuts and tangy citrus, making this a very unique cheese.
The texture is firm, yet creamy and smooth, and melts in your mouth. The aroma is dominated by the heady herbs, especially the rosemary.

Enjoy with a Côtes de Provence rosé or a white wine from Corsica.

*We cut the herb covered rind off because the texture was too sharp, but a less matured cheese should have a softer coating.

Larousse translation of brin.

Photo du Jour - European Markets

2009-07-07T23:52:00.000+02:00

Potatoes with dirt still clinging to their skin, piles of onions, pink spring garlic and bright green sprigs of asparagus.
A familiar scene.

It looks just like the local Tuesday Olonzac market. But this outdoor market is several hundred kilometers away...in Zagreb.

Sunday (you mean it's Monday already?) Reading

2009-07-06T14:55:00.002+02:00

So bad it's wickedly good.

It's that time of year again. Stage 5 will be zooming through our little corner of France on Wednesday.

Paris.
Paris!
Paris!!
The longer we live in France, the stronger my desire to live in Paris. Maybe one day...

This woman has the most incredible eye. Truly stunning photos.

Husband came dangerously close to having one too many of these delightful drinks yesterday at a friend's BBQ. They are the ultimate summer refresher. I find that they go down far too easily...so I usually play it safe and stick to rosé.

Photo du Jour - Un P'tit Verre

2009-07-05T01:28:00.003+02:00

Un p'tit vin blanc.
Délicieux et très rafraîchissant!

What I Love About Being a Chef (Again)

2009-07-04T01:38:00.004+02:00

Many, many years ago I had the chance to apprentice as a pastry chef for an expensive little restaurant in San Francisco. I was considering spending a small fortune to attend the CCA at the time, so this was a golden opportunity.

I absolutely loved the cooking part of the job; spending all day making different flavors of ice cream and fruit sorbet from scratch, making paper thin tuile cookies and handmade chocolates and rich sauces, working with sugar to create beautiful, fragile decorations such as sugar corkscrews and orbs, and making puffy loaves of golden brioche and stuffing sheets of pasta to make agnolotti and ravioli.
Then service would start and the restaurant became a volatile place. Frenetic people running around, cursing, yelling and sweating. I wanted to escape back to my tranquil little pastry room and be left alone to create delicious things.

But with the good comes the bad, right?

In the end though, I quit.
Working 10-12 hours a day without a break, 5-6 days a week, and making a pittance while trying to pay the rent in one of the most expensive cities in America took its toll. The apprenticeship had turned into a full time job without any of the perks of a full time job.
And I discovered that this wasn't the life for me. I am so glad I didn't spend that small fortune going to school at the CCA!

However it was the beginning of an intense passion for cooking and food in general.

the shady terrace at En Bonne Compagnie, looking toward the Canal du Midi

Since then I have been a personal chef, taught cooking classes, done many catering jobs and written about food. Recently an opportunity to work for some friends literally fell into my lap and couple of weeks ago I stepped back into a restaurant kitchen as a sous-chef.

It couldn't be more different from my first restaurant experience!
Thankfully. (the cursing - mainly by me - and the sweating are inevitable though!)

panna cotta with rhubarb compote

What I love about being a chef again:

Working for friends
Satisfaction at the end of the night
Learning new things
Giving people a meal they'll remember
Working with food
Great hours
Receiving my first paycheck in France

What I'm not loving:

Moments when I lose my confidence
When the temperature in the kitchen hits 40 degrees C (that's 104 degrees F) during service
Making mistakes
My rusty knife skills
My skin is breaking out

But with the the good comes the bad, right?

If you're ever in the Minervois and craving something delicious, then come to Restaurant En Bonne Compagnie, on the Canal du Midi. Please be sure to send a "hello" to me in the kitchen.

Restaurant En Bonne Compagnie
Quai des Negociants
11200 Homps
Telephone 00 33 (0) 4 68 91 23 16

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Photo du Jour - Here's Looking at You, Kid

2009-07-03T00:10:00.002+02:00

Signature, eye-shaped dormer windows in Sibiu, Romania.

La Fête du Fromage - Brebis Fermier

2009-07-01T23:58:00.001+02:00

Don't get me wrong, I adore salt. (especially Brittany butter packed with crunchy salt crystals)
And I think that a good sprinkling of salt enhances the flavor of most cheese.

But the excessive saltiness of this Brebis Fermier that I bought from my favorite cheese guy at the Olonzac market the other day was a bit over the top.

So much so that I found it almost inedible. Almost.
Because I loved everything else about it.

Brebis Fermier is an unpretentious, unpasteurized ewe's milk cheese that is produced in the Aveyron. It has a supple, dense, chewy texture and other than the heavy salt, I loved its subtle nutty and mushroom flavors.
And the eau de barnyard parfum makes it impossible to forget that this cheese comes straight from the farm.

A hearty red such as Marcillac or Gaillac would be a good wine pairing.

Photo du Jour - Fields of Gold

2009-06-29T23:51:00.000+02:00

Slowly but surely the vineyards here in the Minervois are being ripped up and planted with olive trees, fields of asparagus and even hay.

Dear Bucharest

2009-06-28T17:18:00.001+02:00

Belle Epoque beauty

Dear Bucharest,

I wanted to like you. Really, I did.
I was excited to experience all that you had to offer and arrived with an open mind and a sense of adventure.

My disappointment isn't your fault. I can see that you are being mistreated. Your faded, crumbling beauty is still evident, despite the neglect. I loved your friendly citizens, gorgeous Belle Epoque architecture and beautiful churches.
You have such potential!
There were moments when I could see past the decay and ignore the atmosphere of organized crime that seemed to permeate everything. But they were brief moments.

I know that there are people who care for you and are proud of you. I hope that one day they will lovingly restore you to your former glory. You deserve to be cherished and looked after.

Unfortunately I won't be visiting again any time soon.
You and I just didn't "click."
However, I wish you all the best in the future.

Kind Regards,
Jennifer

Bucharest Old Town - apparently the road works will continue for years

Stavropoleos Church - interior, gardens and restoration still going on

Photo du Jour - Jardins du Palais Royal

2009-06-27T23:46:00.003+02:00

Relaxing in the gardens behind le Palais Royal, one of my favorite spots in Paris.

Photo du Jour - Classic Haussmannian

2009-06-26T10:50:00.000+02:00

Irresistible.

La Fête du Fromage - Brugère

2009-06-24T23:56:00.000+02:00

The most delicious cheese that my sister and I tasted during our visit to Paris was Brugère, a wonderful, delicate, unpasteurized chèvre from the mountainous Cantal region of south central France.

Coincidentally, our apartment in Montmartre was located just around the corner from not just one, but two Fromageries.
One of them was a disappointment. La petite vendeuse was totally clueless about cheese! When I posed some questions about a couple that I was interested in, she didn't know where they were produced or if they were lait cru, lait thermisé or lait pasteurisé, nor did she care to.
I didn't linger around to waste her precious time.

Luckily la Fromagerie Lepic was only a few doors away and they were very knowledgeable. And happy that I was interested in their cheese. Had I been on my own, I could have spent many happy hours in this little place.
My sister does love cheese, but would much rather be noshing on some Spanish or French dry-cured ham or eating gelato, so I tried not to bore her by dragging her into too many Fromageries.

We both swooned over this one!
Brugère has a fine, silky texture and is matured to the point of being chewy and chalky, qualities that I love in goat cheese. It has strong milk and fresh grass flavors and a sweet aroma of green pastures. My sister and I both agree that this is one to remember.

Its soft flavor would pair well with either a Pinot Gris or a Pinot Noir.

Fromagerie Lepic
20, rue Lepic
75018 PARIS

Photo du Jour - Classical Features

2009-06-23T23:01:00.004+02:00

Handsome garden statuary at Peles Castle.

Zagreb

2009-06-22T15:34:00.004+02:00

Driving into the city from the airport, the cab driver pointed out the rows of imposing, bleak apartment buildings, telling us that this was the new part of Zagreb that was built up during the Communist years. Crossing over the Sava River, he explained that we were now in old Zagreb.

We looked at each other, a bit worried, because old Zagreb looked exactly like the row after row of depressing apartments blocks that we had just driven past in new Zagreb.

I think he spoke a bit too soon.

Zagreb's center, what I would call old Zagreb, is nothing like the newer area south of the river. It is charming, friendly and bustling.

Acres of beautiful, peaceful parks are scattered throughout the city, lively pedestrian streets offer mile after mile of cafés and shops, several outdoor and covered food markets open up every morning to tempt you with seasonal fruit, vegetables, homemade bread and cheeses, and there are gelaterias everywhere.
And the coffee! Very strong and smooth, just like in Italy. I couldn't get enough of it.

Homemade cheese at an outdoor market

Getting around on the modern Tram system is incredibly easy. And it's FREE

Tried a couple glasses of local wine and it wasn't to my liking, but the local beer was very tasty

My traveling companions

Our five days in Zagreb were maybe one day too many, but this is a fantastic city that shouldn't be overlooked. The café culture and gelato alone were enough to make me quite happy!

On our way to the airport to catch our flight to Bucharest, the cab driver was pleased to hear that we had enjoyed his city so much. He also wanted to know, as did everyone we had talked to, exactly why in the heck we would bother going to Bucharest?

His question proved prophetic...

Sunday Reading

2009-06-21T13:36:00.000+02:00

These are some adorable and very photogenic chicks!

Una ricetta buona et facile.

Some curiosities from Provence.

Gearing up for zucchini season. This is one of my favorite ways to use them up.

Beautiful inspiration.

The fortified medieval town of Sighişoara was one of the highlights of our trip to Transylvania.