Growing Grapes and Cooking Caprices

The grapes above my door are flourishing in this hot summer weather, and suddenly last week, gorgeous sunflowers, cheerfully greeted us on the departmental  roads. Driving by their  amazingly abundant fields  is glorious.  I am trying to figure out how to safely take a decent picture. We've got a  bumper crop of apricots this month,

and I can't wait to go the outdoor market tomorrow to fill my basket with delicious summer fruit and vegetables.

What fun to try out new French recipes here!   Pictured to below is an olive loaf chock full of black and green pitted olives whipped into a cheesy batter. It makes for a nice aperitif snack.  I enjoyed dinner last night at Angela and John's my former house partners and brought the olive loaf to complement the first course. Sitting on the terrace watching  the sun set, I was reminded of how absolutely exquisite the village is on a warm summer's evening. 

 My latest culinary experiment is called LA FLAMMEKUECHE from the Alsace region of France. This "low cal" beauty consists of creme epaisse, fromage blanc, lardons, and onions. The traditional flammekueche is baked in a bread oven, surrounded by embers. Thus the name flammekueche signifies " cooked on flames". In the past, it was prepared on  farms the days bread was baked. As the bottom  is made from rolled out pizza dough, it  can be thought of as an Alsatian pizza.   A definite possibility for my French cooking class in my Beaverton kitchen.

Miam Miam