A Sunday Lunch

Leesa (News from France) and Alex came down from Paris to have lunch with us on Sunday. They got here early because they planned to make the food! Before lunch, however, we drove over to one of our wine-making neighbors for some tasting and wine purchasing. Jean-Noël, the viticulteur (grape grower and wine maker), had us taste some fresh grape juice and some bernache (juice that is beginning to ferment) before a full range of the wines he makes.

Tagine of salmon with fresh vegetables and spices.

We filled the trunk up with wine: forty liters plus six bottles for us and at least a dozen bottles for Alex and Leesa, and headed back home to finish making lunch. Our guests brought all the fixin's for a tagine of salmon that included courgettes, carrots, tomatoes, onions, their own home made citron confit (preserved lemon), and little violet potatoes. All that got chopped up and stewed with spices in a special North African pot called a tagine, hence the name of the dish.

Quiches in progress, with layers of smoked bacon, sautéed onion, cheese, and cooked swiss chard.

It was, needless to say, absolutely delicious! We served it with couscous, that little North African pasta that goes so well with these kinds of stews. Earlier in the morning I made four individual quiches with swiss chard from our garden to serve as the entrée.

The finished quiches. I made one without meat for Leesa.

And before that we snacked on a pumpkin-filled pastry that Ken found at a nearby bakery and some sliced saucisson. We started out drinking some of the moelleux (sweet apéritif) wine that Jean-Noël made and moved on to some of his red cabernet and côt with the meal. Yum.

Leesa, Alex, and Ken at the start of our vineyard walk.

Then the cheeses came out! After cheese we took a much needed walk in the vineyard and returned home for dessert. Again, Leesa brought an apple-cherry charlotte she had made on Saturday, and a few slices of her home made key lime pie. Wow. We had a great time and really appreciated Leesa's and Alex's generosity and culinary talents!