gascony france. the butcher. the baker and the armagnac maker.

The inquisitive pig at Dominique Chapolard's farm in Gascony, France.

Magestic Sunflowern in Moncault, Gascony,France. 

 Amazing summer fruits from the local market in Laverdac, Gascony France.

 Peche de Vigne at the organic market in Agen, Gascony, France. I loved this farmers handwriting.

 Famed Armagnac maker Alexandre Ladevèze.

Charcuterie from Dominique Chapolard with local wild peaches.

 

Dominique Chapolard, the butcher and master of  charcuterie.

 Quiet town of Vianne, Gascony France.

 Laundry lines, Gascony, France.

 Cecile Berthollet, Baker. Gascony, France.

The Berthellots, who proudly call themselves paysans-boulangers, or "peasant bakers," grow 250 varieties of wheat on their farm for their home-baked bread.

 Felix King at Camont.

 Melons. Market Nerac.

   The most exquisite Chasselas grapes from the Laverdac market, Gascony, France.

Peeping through the keyhole at the church.

  Kate Hill's glorious pantry at Camont. Gascony, France.

Fields of Sunflowers in Montcault.

Last summer Condé Nast Traveler sent us to Gascony France to cover a food intensive story for their July 2013 food issue. I wanted to share a few of the photos we took for them. You can see a more extensive story at Condé Nast Traveler.com, both in the magazine and on the tablet. This story was dream to cover. We roamed the countryside with expatriate Kate Hill and her sister Stephanie  as our guides while they showed us an insiders view to Gascony. We photographed the butcher, the baker and the Armagnac maker and needless to say we ate and drank like kings. 

Kate runs a cooking school in Ste-Colombe-en-Bruihois  which she calls The Kitchen At Camont

Michael Ruhlman shares his picks  http://www.cntraveler.com/food/2013/07/french-culinary-vacation-travel-guide

currently obsessed.

It is no secret that I have been obsessed with Juniper Ridge products for the last few years. I always include them in my end of year gift guide. I am crazy about their large sage smudge sticks. We do a lot of smudging in this house! Recently, I brought their Big Sur Trail Soap with me on my trip out West. It smells like a thick pine forest. I have been using it obsessively since coming back. I love how a fragrance can tie you to a particular place and time. Scents have such strong ties to memory. If you are not familiar with their products you should check them out. You can pick up the Trail Crew soap at Warm at 181 Mott Street in NYC or online at Juniper Ridge. It comes in a variety of scents and in both a liquid and a solid.

jardin des plantes. hall of paleontology.

On a recent trip To Paris, my daughter Lula and I visited one of our very favorite places, The Hall of Paleontology at the Jardins des Plantes, or the Bone Museum, as we like to call it. It is a very beautiful and eerie place. The bones of hulking mammoths and whales mingle together with two headed kittens, creating an absurd and frightening world. The museum has the added bonus of being right across the street from the Grand Mosquee de Paris. After a day at the Jardins and the Museum you can stroll across the street to the Mosque.  Where you must sit in the courtyard after having a steamy hamam. Mint tea and a delicious sweet are the perfect end to the day.

There are separate days for men and women at the hamam, so be sure to look at an updated schedule before going. 

goodbye summer. it has been sweet.

 

Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved 

paris breakfast.

Lost in Paris. Woke up this morning at Rue Martel in the shuttered dark room, left virtually untouched after my late arrival. I fell straight into bed and didn't move all night. 

This morning I opened the shutters and the light streamed in from the courtyard where marigold and geranium pots lined the ledge. Coffee was a priority. I dressed and walked up the somewhat familiar Rue de Faubourg St Denis until I came upon Chez Jeanette. 

After my coffee I wandered to Jules and  bought a baguette, jambon and some tomme. On the way home I spied these beautiful green plums and raw hazelnuts.

Breakfast day one:

green plums

tomme with raw hazelnuts

rhubarb yogurt

jambon buerre and baguette