We are back home in the Languedoc region of southern France. The two pics. here showing our back garden, after 18 months away, we didn't really expect this, we thought it would be a desert burnt dry and everything dead. The last 3 weeks have been spent hacking away at this jungle (Ruth) and me hauling it away to the local decheterie (the name for a all purporse dump in France) loss count of the number of runs made.
The rest of the time as been spent fighting French bureaucracy, getting the electricity, gas and telephones re-conected, wifi up and running what a game that has been, 18 months in Canada and the States makes you forget about the lousy service here, rude shop workers, stroppy fonctionnair's, nobody ever phoning back. There is something though where the French are the world leaders and thats food and wine. To cheer me up we are going to revisit 3 meals we had with my kids back in the Perigord "The gastronomic centre of the world" Most everything in the Perigord is duck based, if you don't like duck its no good going to South West France, you will starve, same for vegitarians, which is a virtual swear word.
Lunch at Emily's - moule frit. This comes from Northern France & Belguim, real finger licking good.
Dinner the same night, this is the food that drives "concerned people crazy" The top plate is foi gras de canard - so good it just melts in your mouth. The lower is pate de canard avec truffe noir. This was made by daughter Agnés's fiancé Alan's father who is a retired butcher in Sorges in the Perigord Vert. Sorges is the centre of the black truffle region of the Dordogne. You drink sweat white wine with these, the bottle on the left "Monbazillac" from the southern part of the Dodogne. The Dordogne is the name of The Perigord according to Napoleon, most people who live there call it by its old name and call themselves Perigourdien.
On the evening before left, we went to L'Eclucse a Hotel Restaurant just outside Perigeaux where daughter Emily is the head receptionist, for a meal. We had a wonderful meal and it was Monday night! if you have ever been to France you will know what Mondays are like! It was the chefs day of of course being a Monday and this meal was cooked by the sous chef, I think Emily said he was only 23 years old, it was out of this world.
The plate above is Coquille St.Jacques.
Below is foi gras de canard, this time with chutney and sea salt.
Most of us had this for the main course, Veal with Risotto, Flan of Leaks, Confit échalotte.
Another main course was carpaccio de canard with magret fume.
The fromage - top left is a local cheese made in Riberac in the Perigord Blanc - walnut flavoured Echougnac the one at the Front Is St. Nectaire and on the right Cantal.
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