Food & Travel
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A Sancerre Vineyard Tour – Part 2
As I write this, a warm, sunny, breeze wafts through my open window and I am immediately transported back to a similar day in the Sancerre region of the Loire Valley. The vineyard tour I was on had just finished a delicious lunch at the bistro of La Côte des Monts Damnés in Chavignol. And now we were now strolling down a lane to visit a local fromagerie – cheese maker, Dubois Boulay. Crottin de Chavignol In addition to producing wonderful Sancerre wine, Chavignol is also known for making the most famous goat cheese in the Loire Valley – Crottin de Chavignol. Some believe that the name comes from the…
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Lily of the Valley for Luck
I have always been charmed by the lovely Lily of the Valley, that tiny, fragrant flower of May. So, as I patiently wait for the muguet des bois – Lily of the Valley – to appear in my garden, I am reminded of the profusion of these sweet-scented flowers that I saw in Paris this time last year. As I stepped out onto the street that May 1st, it seemed that every street corner had at least one, if not several, vendeurs muguet – Lily of the Valley vendors – selling little posies of them. Fête du Muguet I was aware that it was Fête du Travail – Labour Day…
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A Sancerre Vineyard Tour – Part 1
I love it when serendipity shows its wondrous face. The act of finding something valuable or delightful when you are not looking for it always brings me joy. So I was thrilled while visiting Paris to receive an email from Le Cordon Bleu offering a Sancerre vineyard tour. The first bit of serendipity was that Sancerre, a dry Sauvignon blanc, has become my favourite French white wine. The second was that this world-renowned culinary arts school was offering this tour during my current visit. Naturally I jumped at the opportunity to visit this beautiful corner of the Loire Valley and registered for the tour immediately. I arrived bright and early…
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A Buttercream Snow Day
For anyone living in southern Ontario, this past weekend was definitely a time to stay inside. The forecast called for a major wintry April storm, with temperatures in and around the freezing mark and a wide variety of non-stop precipitation. This included rain, snow, freezing rain and ice pellets to be accompanied at times by heavy winds. And Mother Nature did not disappoint. The rain began Saturday morning and by the end of Sunday evening my gardens were frosted with a covering of snow topped with a layer of ice. And the rain continued to fall. So as I prepared to cocoon myself for the weekend, I decided it would…
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Discovering the Secrets of Macarons
While planning a recent visit to Paris I was looking for a more unique way to experience an authentic piece of that wonderful city – one that would help satisfy my interest in French cuisine. That got me wondering if Le Cordon Bleu, the world-renowned culinary arts school founded in 1895 by journalist and culinary magazine publisher Marthe Distel, offered classes to amateurs. A quick search of their website confirmed that indeed they do. Delving a little deeper, I discovered that one of the courses offered is called ‘Les secrets des Macarons‘ – The Secrets of Macarons. It seemed to me that one could not get much more Parisian than to bake macarons,…
