Jack & Martine's fun & discovery of France's Dordogne Valley

Summer in France

Jack Tobin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:39:00 GMT

Summer in France;

it is friends from abroad meeting our neighbors…

it is afternoons blending rosé & conviviality…

it is the tranquility & beauty of our rural setting…

it is all summed up by my favorite Renoir...
à bientôt, Jack

Oradour-sur-Glane: REMEMBER

Jack Tobin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:26:00 GMT

IT WAS SIXTYSIX YEARS AGO TODAY… 10 June 1944, just 4 days after the allied forces landed on the beaches in Normandy; an atrocity was perpetrated by Hitler’s S.S. on the 1,000 year old village of Oradour-sur-Glane. In all, 642 persons that included; 193 schoolchildren perished in the massacre that Saturday afternoon. Actual specifics and firsthand accounts detailing the horrific brutality can be easily found on the internet… The 190 men were herded into 9 different barns and buildings where they were then shot in the legs and burnt alive, all the women and schoolchildren were lead into the church to meet a similarly unspeakable end.

That afternoon, two hundred with Hitler's Waffen SS arrived traveling up this road to commit unspeakable crimes


Waffen SS assembled the entire village here around the doctor's car for an ID check and then down these roads in shops & barns - the killing began


And here in the heart of their church... All the women and innocent children massacred

Martine and I knew little about the magnitude or scope of this war crime but we felt compelled last week to travel just north of Limoges to see and learn more about what was only occasionally whispered about by our neighbors many of whom were themselves members, or children, of the Maquis (French Résistance) during WWII.

We were not prepared for what we saw and what we learned… I was not prepared for the actual size of this village which has been left EXACTLY as it was on that infamous day. In total; 325 homes, shops, hotels, cafés, schools, and the church, were plundered and burnt – and left frozen in time, so all who visit will remember horror that occurred in Oradour-sur-Glane, not really, so long ago.

                                                               Souviens-Toi et à bientôt, Jack

Fête de la Transhumance

Jack Tobin — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:03:47 GMT

THIS PAST SUNDAY, Martine and I joined about forty of our neighbors on a trip to the tiny village of Aubrac which is located at high altitude on France’s Massif Central for a celebration which has been carried out there annually since the middle ages called; Fête de la Transhumance.

Boarding a chartered bus in our little hamlet we really did not know what to expect… What we did know was that the Transhumance is the shepherd’s movement of cattle to the higher pastures for summer grazing.

Much to our surprise the village of Aubrac, which today is home to forty-five year-round residents and this past week-end, was host to about 25,000 people who all converged there to celebrate this two day event.

Who knew the livestock would be so overwhelmingly outnumbered? I guess it was kind of a
Woodstock for cows, bulls and shepherd’s alike.

                                                                     à bientôt, Jack

Le Printemps

Jack Tobin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:19:00 GMT

Spring has finally arrived in southwestern France on the heels of a tenacious winter…



                                      Nature is calling
                                      perfect time to find yourself
                                      outside in her arms
                                                                         à bientôt, Jack

Paintings are poems with no words

Jack Tobin — Wed, 27 May 2009 07:44:00 GMT

JUST MINUTES from Rancho Escargot is the little medieval hamlet of Tauriac. Nothing of historic importance has ever occurred there, it is just yet another "postcard perfect" location in our Dordogne River valley.

Upon being told the foundations of Tauriac's church date back to mid-8^th century, I had to step in for a peek and was struck by the beauty of the images painted on its Romanesque domed ceiling.

I was then to learn that during the 13^th century the pious local priests thought these paintings distracted people from the worship of God and they had them hidden from view - But, thankfully not destroyed.

Norman Mailer, once said he detested 'piety' because he felt it let the air out of thought.

Somebody once told me... Paintings are poems with no words and if so, the poetry in these speaks volumes!

                                                                                                                             à bientôt, Jack

Visiting us this summer? well, it is time to BOOK IT!

Jack Tobin — Sat, 09 May 2009 13:59:00 GMT

Why Cinco de Mayo is not a French holiday!

Jack Tobin — Tue, 05 May 2009 09:51:00 GMT

HERE IS A SCOOP… Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day! Mexico actually declared its independence from mother Spain on 15 September, 1810.

So what happened on the morning of 5 May, 1862 in Mexico that is such cause for celebration? Well, that was the day 4,000 Mexican soldiers were victorious over Napoleon III’s army at Puebla which is a village about 100 miles east of Mexico City. Oui! I said the Napoleon’s... French army!


          Emperor Napoleon III               Maximillian I of Mexico              Mexico's President Benito Juaréz

You see, the French had landed in Mexico five months earlier under pretense of collecting Mexican debts from the newly elected government of democratic President Benito Juaréz. But that was really a ploy of Emperor Napoleon III, who hated the United States, to gain a permanent foothold in Mexico. Napoleon had already sent a Hapsburg prince, Maximillian I, to rule over this new Franco/ Mexican Empire, an idea that both President Juaréz and his Mexican liberal party refused to recognize!

There is no question Mexicans had won a great victory on that May 5^th and in doing so also kept Napoleon from supplying the Confederate rebels for another year which allowed the Union army to grow in strength. The Confederates loss at Gettysburg just 14 months after the battle of Puebla essentially ended the Civil War - Gracias Mexico!


                                  Rancho Escargot's resident 'Cinco de Mayo' chica, Juanita

Why do Martine & I celebrate Cinco de Mayo at Rancho Escargot? Well, we love Mexico, margaritas, and our resident party chica, Juanita! Remember, although we love France...
We don’t like everything french!

                                                                        Viva Cinco de Mayo! et à bientôt, Jack

... the scoop on Vin Paillé

Jack Tobin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:12:00 GMT

THIS IS ALL ABOUT VIN PAILLÉ. And what is that, you ask? Well, in English, that is straw wine. The ‘back-story’ to this unique wine starts well before the Middle Ages, back to an extremely hot summer that was followed by an Autumn so mild… The grapes started to shrivel on the vine. The exceptional quality of the wine these shriveled grapes ultimately produced prompted the growers to pick their best grapes the following year and to lay them on beds of straw until they lost two-thirds of their water content. Bingo! Talk about a sweet reduction.

Tasting a bit like a tawny port, it has been described as sappy, round, and reminiscent of wild fruits, with just a hint of walnut on the nose. It should be served cold but not iced, to accompany quite "substantial" food: dry walnuts, foie gras, melon served with ham, goat cheese, Roquefort or dark chocolate.


                          Saint Eligius (c.588-660)                                   King Dagobert I (c.603-639)

The first real promoter of Vin Paillé was Saint Eligius, aka. St. Eloi, patron saint of goldsmiths and other metal workers. It is said that, while on his pilgrimage to St Jacques de Compostelle, he rested in Beaulieu where the local farmers brought him food & wine, the latter being Vin Paillé. Well, he flipped over it! Prior to departure he asked the farmers to reserve all that remained so he could turn King Dagobert I on to its delights.

                        Pierrot Simbille bottling the 2006 this past Friday at La Ferme du Masvidal in Bilhac

Before the arrival of phylloxera in 1870, the commune of Bilhac whose total surface area is 700 Hectares, had around 400 Ha under vines. One of the neighboring villages is even called "Queyssac les Vignes". Despite the damage caused by that vine infestation, local peasants maintained the tradition, and in almost every farmhouse in the neighbouring communes around Beaulieu and Meyssac, one could taste homemade Vin Paillé. Then, in around the year 2000, it started to be commercially re-introduced with the creation of a local winemakers syndicate. It is worth mentioning that each producer has his own vineyard and each makes his own wine; hovever, some equipment, and the advice of an oenologist, as well as that of an agricultural advisor are shared.


                       Marielle Simbille                                  Michèle & Pierrot Simbille

The best Vin Paillé? Well, we think it is what Marielle, and her parents, Michèle & Pierrot Simbille, (of course! some of Martine’s cousins) produce at La Ferme du Masvidal.

I was fortunate enough to help with the bottling of their soon to be released 2006 vintage, this past Friday afternoon. Their production of only about 1,400 bottles probably is not going to find its way into your local wine merchant’s hands… It is rare stuff. Today, there are just 18 producers in this petite area of the Corrèze who work co-operatively, sharing equipment and a Vin Paillé label which is unique only in the fact that it bears the specific producer's name. You see, although the growing area is small, taste and color does vary slightly from producer to producer.

                                   2009 Bottlers of La Ferme du Masvidal's 2006 Vin Paillé

Don’t forget to look for the label with ‘La Ferme du Masvidal’ or just drop by Rancho Escargot. We will be happy to introduce you to the family, the farm and the unique taste of their Vin Paillé!

                                                                                                                                    à bientôt, Jack

Joyeuses Paques! (and our Happy Easter recipe!)

Jack Tobin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 07:27:00 GMT

      Today the Easter Bunny is hard at work around Rancho Escargot!

Of course, after 'his' work is done ... Ours begins again with renewed pleasure!!!


              Rancho Escargot's 'Lapin à la moutarde aux fèves'
                                             (Rabbit with mustard and fava beans)

Here at Rancho Escargot we think this is the perfect meal after that hard day of Easter egg hunting! It’s the addition of fresh fava beans that sets this particular recipe apart. Be sure to select beans that are young and tender or use pasta or peas in their place. Note: this recipe serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 rabbit, about 2 lbs (1 kg), cut into 8 serving pieces

1 small white onion, diced 4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed

1 cup dry white wine 1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper – Bouquet garni

3 cups (750 ml) veal or chicken stock – Ice cubes

3 lbs (1.5 kg) fava (broad) beans

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil

Ice Cubes

Preparation:

In a large sauté pan over high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the rabbit pieces and brown well, turning once, about 2 minutes on each side. Using tongs, transfer the rabbit to a plate and set aside.

To the same sauté pan over medium heat, and the onion & garlic and sauté until they begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Return the rabbit to the pan and add the wine, salt & pepper. Cook over a medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

Add the bouquet garni and stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until the meat falls easily from the bone, 45-50 minutes.

While the rabbit is simmering, fill a bowl with ice cubes and water and set aside. Remove the fava beans from their pods and discard the pods. Fill a sauce pan three-fourths full with water and bring to a boil. Add the beans to the boiling water and boil for 2 minutes. Drain the beans, and then plunge them immediately into the ice water. Remove from the water. Using a sharp knife slit the skin on the edge of each bean and “pop” the bean free of its skin. Discard skins and set beans aside.

Using tongs remove the rabbit meat from the sauté pan and place it in the center of your serving platter.

Strain the sauce remaining in the sauté pan through a fine mesh sieve into a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the fava beans & mustard and heat, stirring occasionally until heated through.

Now, just pour the sauce over the rabbit, sprinkle the basil over the top and serve...  Or you can always come here and we’ll be happy to prepare it for you!

                                                     Joyeuses Paques! Bon appétit! et à bientôt, Jack

Le restaurant pédagogique (The educational restaurant)

Jack Tobin — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:25:00 GMT

JUST THIS PAST MONDAY, Martine, Nicole, Jean Louis & I enjoyed a superb lunch at the Lycee Hotelier (Quercy-Perigord). This was our first dining experience at this culinary college which is located about 30 minutes from Rancho Escargot in the village of Souillac.



These dedicated young students are trained in all the culinary arts and the fine points of front of house service. Throughout the school year (closed July/ August) the college operates an educational restaurant on campus offering to the general public both lunch and dinner services. Outside the students normal curriculum, they spend two weeks cooking in the restaurant kitchen, then two weeks as servers with this training schedule repeated throughout their school year.



This restaurant, ‘Le restaurant pédagogique’, serves fixed menus and offers accompanying cocktails & wines that showcase the outstanding regional offerings of the Quercy-Perigord. Average prices?
                           Four course lunch: €18.00, Five course dinner: €30.00,
                    Specialty cocktails: €2.50, Excellent regional wines: €12.00 bottle



                Jean Louis regards our starter: Aumônière d’escargots aux girolles et cèpes
                                       (a purse of snails with girolles & ceps mushrooms)

We all thought our lunch was outstanding and plan on enjoying many more meals there with friends. There is no question that, should you visit the Dordogne Valley outside of the summer months (July & August), this is a culinary experience that is fun and will please the most discriminating palate!

                                                                                               à bientôt, Jack