Eating and Motorbiking!

This past weekend, beginning Thursday night, I have been eating, eating, and eating!! Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed every morsel - but whew, eating is a great love here.

So let me just begin describing the food fest:

Thursday - I made dinner for Carolyn and Pascal  - Salmon, brussel sprouts, rice, and bread. It was quite tasty and so great to be back in the kitchen! The wine we had with it was wondeful - a Savagnin from the Jura - the famous Aime Rodet's vineyard - oh it was amazing. It is so full of character and flavor - the walnut taste is just brilliant and so memorable. For dessert, they opened up a bottle of actual Champagne, not the cremant. It was much drier than a crement to me. We had it with dessert of delicious homemade salted caramel ice cream!

Then Friday, after I worked with Didier, Pascal took me on a motorbike ride around the area! Once again, I could not believe it was my life! First time of a motor bike and I wasn't scarred at all - rather I had a fantastic time and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous!! They had me over for dinner and Carolyn fixed a tasty quiche of leeks, ham, and cheese! It was so delicious. And they opened up a wonderful bottle of red wine from the Provence region. Wine in that region is really dry and very tannic. It was unlike any wine I had ever had before - but I quite enjoyed it.And for dessert, Carolyn made a chocolate chip cookie bar - so delicious - forgot how much I miss chocolate chip cookies!!

Wine from Provence - even had a gold label

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Saturday - My day of motorbiking around the Jura with Bernard - Pascal's father! One of the best days I've had thus far. I was outfitted for motorbiking - the shoes, coat, helmet - the works - I was looking good! So he picked me up at 10 and we headed around the area! It was an absolutely beautiful day - 75 degrees and sunny! I'm not going to list every place we went - just so many but we saw a lot - I saw a castle in Frontenay - absolutely gorgeous! Click on Frontenay to check it out! I saw the oldest crypt in France, the largest oak producer in all of Europe, the town were matches were created. I also saw 2 of the most beautfiul cities in France - there are 180 or so villages and I saw 2 two of them - Chateau Chalon and Baume-les-Messieurs. They were indeed stunning!!

The motorbike I rode on!

View from Cheateau Chalon

 We also visited the 2nd plateau of the Jura and visited a place called Bonlieu - literally meaning "Good Place" and good place it was! The lake and trees were stunning and the colors of autumn were striking. Couldn't believe that I was actually getting to see such tremendous beauty in France! So surreal!

Lake at Bonlieu

View from our picnic - lac chalin

 For lunch, Bernard and I had a little picnic at another lake- Lac Chalin - it was lovely! Like we had the place to ourselves. And at lunch, Pascal and Didier and his wife Coco joined us for the rest of the afternoon! We traveled around the forest areas - so breathtaking!! And we went fast  - sooo fun! We stopped for a drink in a Clairvaux-les-Lacs- cute little town.
All in all, my first motorbiking experience was brilliant and I want to go again!!

So that night for dinner, I ate at Bernard and Pauline's home in Menetru le Vignoble. They were having a grand dinner with Pauline's sister and Pascal and Carolyn. We had a grand feast!! My word. So we started with appetizers of various crackers and chips and Crement mixed with chesnut syrup - it was good, but a very sweet fizzy drink. Then for the entree we had a walnut and cheese tart with a simple salad of little spinach leaves paired with a traditional jura white wine - which is a mix between a savagnin and a chardonnay. Delicious once again. Then for the plat principal we had like a beef stew with dumplings and side of roasted potatoes and served a pinot noir from Burgundy. It was a light red wine and very nice. And paired very nicely with this heavy, hearty dish. Then we had a delicious cheese course with multigrain bread. There was the traditional goat cheese, comte, Camembert, and a new one to me- Picodon. It was brought by Pauline's sister who lives near Dieulefit - which translates at God Made it! haha what a great name of a village. The cheese is a type of goat cheese. so delicious, but can only be found in that region. I hope to have some more of it soon! Then, more food. We had a chocolate pecan pie served with a side of caramel ice cream. Whew I was so stuffed by the time I left and could barely move. But I enjoyed it all! The French sure do know how to host a tasty dinner party! I can't wait to visit Pauline and Bernard again and their sweet boarder collie Malize.

Then I had one more day of eating! SUNDAY LUNCH! So Rachel, a former American English assistant who is now living in France and getting married to to Frenchman, invited Carolyn and I to lunch at her place in Besancon - only about a 40 minute drive away!   So we arrived around 1:30 and we didn't leave until around 6:30! It was the longest lunch I have ever experienced, but the time passed so fast! It was delightful! So we started by dining on the terrace with an Alsace Reisling and almonds and olives. Then we moved inside for the entree course of cooked figs with a thin slice of ham - it was an interesting pairing - the contrast of sweet and salty was quite nice. Then she brought a a scrumptious pumpkin soup topped with dollop of creme fraiche and nutmeg - it was so perfect for fall! Then for the main course, Rachel had prepared a pork roast and goat cheese and leek stuffed cooked apples - oh my goodness - so incredibly delicious - I will defintely be making them myself. With the main course, we had a Pinot Noir from the Loire Valley, which was a nice and light red wine and quite drinkable. I recommend it! THEN, there was a cheese course! She had a morbier, comte, and a new goat cheese- it was covered in ash. I have forgotten the name, but it was very creamy and rich - I really enjoyed it! Thankfully, we took an hour walk around Besancon to let our food digest - man I was stuffed and very much needed a walk to makes some room for dessert! haha For dessert, we had a Crement from Aime Rodet in the Jura - very nice again. Rachel had prepared a lovely harvest tart of figs, apples, and raisins nestled in a flakey crust topped with a creme mixed with Calavdos - which is an apple liquor specific to France. Very very good!! I had a lovely time - great conversation and food!
As you can see,  it was definitely a weekend full of eating!! Hahaha Vive la France!

Hope these entries weren't too long! But til next time!!