Want to impress the guests at your next party? Then serve them gougères.
Gougères (pronounced goo-zhair) are French cheese puffs, crispy on the outside and bursting with delicious cheesy flavour. The first time you bite into one, it is a definite “wow” moment.
They are not hard to make and–even better–you can make them ahead of time and just warm them up when your guests arrive.
Read all about this French specialty in France Today!
Thinking of a trip to this glorious corner of France? Then you might want to check out my latest travel tips.
Read the answers to these questions and more in The Good Life France!
The Académie française was founded long ago to regulate French grammar and spelling. It still does that, but often finds itself pulled into arguments over what words should be allowed in French. English words that find their way into common usage are a particular sore point.
Should “computer” be allowed? No, let’s coin the word ordinateur.
How about “software”? Mais non ! We must use logiciel.
“Weekend”? Well, ok, but let’s add a hyphen so it’s not really English.
The latest battle is over French national identity cards. European regulations require that the words “Identity Card” be included, but the French government has gone further, much further. All the terms are shown in French and in English, so there’s “SEXE / Sex,” “LIEU DE NAISSANCE / Place of birth,” and on and on.
Cue the gasps.
The Académie is up in arms (they all have ceremonial swords, after all) and are threatening to sue the government to have all that nasty English removed. This would be a unique case, and a treat for legal scholars.
Will the government back down? Will the Académie? No one knows…but watch out for those swords.
Read all about it in My French Life!
Val and I love to bike in Provence, but we’re not fanatics or anything. Flat routes are just fine with us, and one of our favorites is in the Luberon Valley.
It’s what is known as a voie verte, or greenway, and is built where there used to be railroad tracks, so it is nice and flat.
There is a lot to see along the way, besides the stunning natural beauty. You pass a cute little train station (no longer in use), and just beyond it is a Neolithic burial chamber you can explore. Further on is a 2,000 year old Roman bridge that was still used by cars until a few years ago! It’s a great spot for a picnic.
If you are feeling ambitious, you can go off the voie verte and puff up a hill to one of our favorite cafés, with fabulous views across the valley.
Read all about it in Perfectly Provence!
Did you know that a sardine once blocked the port of Marseille?
Or that seven different popes once lived in Avignon? (not counting Pope Joan)
Or that a Provençal town once passed a law banning UFOs…and none have landed since?
These are just a few of the fun facts that are in my new book, An Insider’s Guide to Provence. Read all about it in Frenchly!
St-Rémy-de-Provence, where Val and I live part of the year, is one of the most charming towns in Provence. It’s a great place to spend a few days, nestled at the foot of the Alpilles Mountains and surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. I hope you’ll be able to visit one day, because there’s so much to see and do.
Would you like to visit the place where Vincent van Gogh painted masterpieces like The Starry Night? Or wander through one of the best open-air markets in France? Maybe you’d like to explore Roman ruins, or taste fabulous wines, or soar through the air in a glider. Or perhaps you’re like Val and would like to watch an exciting local sport that features what she calls, “those young men in their tight white pants.”
Whatever your interest, St-Rémy probably has it. So come on down! In the meantime, learn more about what to see and do in Perfectly Provence!
“As a young boy in Brittany,” says Joël Durand, “I had three dreams—to be a chef, a pastry-maker, or a race car driver.” A smile crosses his face. “My parents made it clear that driving race cars was not in the cards, so I started cooking when I was six.”
Durand quit school at 14 and apprenticed as a pastry maker. His talent quickly became apparent because within three years he had professional certifications not only as a pastry maker, but also as a confectioner, chocolatier, and ice-cream maker. And that was just the beginning.
At the age of 17, Durand was hired by not one but two restaurants simultaneously, managing dozens of makers. And these were not just any restaurants, but top destinations—one had a Michelin star!
Durand eventually moved to Provence, where today he focuses on chocolates, infusing them with dozens of flavors. His reputation has expanded across France and he is considered the best chocolate maker in the region. A visit to his chocolaterie is a highlight of any visit to St-Rémy.
Learn more about this master chocolate maker in Perfectly Provence!
So you think you know Provence? Let’s find out!
I’ve written a series of articles called Only in Provence for the marvelous publication My French Life, and now I’ve created a short quiz about them. All of the answers can be found in the articles, or you can just go ahead and try your luck.
There are 14 questions in all and here are two of them.
Why did the ochre quarries of Roussillon go out of business?
A transhumance is:
You can find a link to the answers at the bottom of the article. And if you add a comment, you’ll be eligible to win a free copy of my new book, An Insider’s Guide to Provence!
Here’s the quiz. Good luck!
Powerful rulers have hosted lavish dinners since time immemorial, as a way to demonstrate their power and to forge alliances. But does anyone do it as well as the French, with their state dinners in the glittering Elysée Palace?
A Bit of History
King Louis XIV set the tone when he made eating a public spectacle. Every day, crowds would gather to watch the royal family enjoy a sumptuous meal, the Grand Couvert. It was a way for the Sun King, Europe’s top dog, to make a daily demonstration of his wealth and power. His descendants continued the tradition until it, like they, died out.
A century later, the “art of the table” is credited with maintaining French power after the defeat of Napoleon. When the victors met at the Congress of Vienna to carve up Europe, French representative Tallyrand hosted lavish meals for the delegates, night after night. Many believe that these led to France’s remarkably lenient treatment.
Official French state dinners—dîners d’État—began in the 1870s under the presidents of the Third Republic. What better way to seduce a potential ally than by plying them with fine French food and wine? Unfortunately, considerable stamina was required, as those 19th century meals could last for hours and include up to 20 different courses.
By the time of World War I, reason had prevailed and the number of courses had dropped to seven. They dropped further in the 1950s when the austere Charles de Gaulle became president, as he cut them to five courses and limited the meal to an hour and 15 minutes.
De Gaulle was followed by Pompidou, who was a bon vivant and loved fancy dinners. Not only did he host state dinners at the Elysée Palace, he also took fine French dining with him when he traveled. He would load his plane with chefs and elegant tableware, then host dinners at the French embassies of the countries he visited.
Despite Pompidou’s enthusiasm, dîners d’État have continued to get shorter, with President Hollande cutting them to their current length of one hour, and four courses. And they have become less frequent. While presidents in the 1960s and 1970s hosted state dinners nearly six times a year, recent presidents have averaged less than two.
A Strict Protocol
Dîners d’État are part of what the French call gastrodiplomie (gastronomic diplomacy), a kind of French soft power, and must display the glories of France.
Held in the Salles des Fêtes of the Elysée Palace (or occasionally at the Grand Trianon of Versailles), they use dishes and silverware from the finest French artisans. Dishes are made by Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, France’s top porcelain maker, with some elegant pieces from the 19th century still in use. Chrystal is provided by Saint-Louis and, of course, Baccarat. Silverware is made by Chrisofle and Puiforcat, and stamped with the Republique Française coat of arms. And the Elysée kitchen still uses some of the fine copper cookware made over 200 years ago.
The guest list is chosen with great care. Two thirds of the guests are selected by the French president and the rest by the guest of honor. The French selections are carefully balanced, with half coming from politics and business, and the others coming from the worlds of science, the arts, academia, and sports.
Music is provided by the Garde Républicain’s chamber orchestra, with pieces chosen from the guest of honor’s country, though Mozart is also a popular choice.
Planning a State Dinner
Planning a dîner d’État is a high-stakes game, with lots of rules and protocol to follow. And things are even tougher when the guest of honor is none other than Queen Elizabeth II. Has anyone on earth been to more state dinners than the Queen? She was the guest of honor in 2014, on the 70th anniversary of D-Day, at a state dinner attended by multiple monarchs and presidents.
Planners went into overdrive. What dishes should be served? What wines? And what about the music?
After long contemplation, the Elysée’s head chef, Guillaume Gomez, took the safe route. He designed a menu full of classics—the Queen is rather big on tradition, after all. There was foie gras to start, then lamb from Sisteron with vegetables, a cheese course, and a selection of summer desserts.
What about wine? Gomez conferred with the Elysée’s sommelier in the palace’s 12,000-bottle cellar. Again, they went with classics—Sauternes and first-growth Bordeaux. There are occasions when an “edgy” Jurançon from a hip young producer might be appropriate, but this was definitely not one of them.
The cheeses were an interesting choice—Gomez wanted fine cheeses but also those that were easily identifiable, like Rochefort and Reblochon. When there are hundreds of guests to serve in a short period of time, it’s not possible to explain the cheeses to everyone.
As for the music, what could be more, um, interesting than the Beatle’s Yellow Submarine played by a chamber orchestra? Let’s just say that Mozart also made an appearance.
If you’d like an entertaining look at the preparations that went into this dinner, here’s a video for you (in French).
From French monarchs to French presidents, grand dinners have been a tool of the country’s soft power. And with a menu that showcases the glories of French food and wine, who wouldn’t want to be a guest, even vicariously? Bon appétit!
Many of us have heard of Oskar Schindler, of Schindler’s List fame. This German industrialist saved thousands of Jews during World War II, through a combination of bravery and guile. Less well-known, but equally remarkable, is the story of a small French village that saved thousands more.
Le Chambon-sur-Lignon sits in a remote part of south-central France, and was settled long ago by French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution.
This history of persecution and distrust of authority led the villagers to oppose the wartime Vichy government. They refused to cooperate with the regime, refused to take an oath of allegiance to leader Marshall Pétain, and refused to ring church bells in his honor. Villagers also opposed the government’s anti-Jewish policies, seeing the Jews as a fellow persecuted religious minority.
Led by a charismatic pastor, they banded to together to save thousands of Jews, despite the enormous risk. It is a remarkable tale of bravery.
Read all about it in France Today!