Spring Will Come

The signs of renewal are beginning to show themselves. Winter is temporary, although far from over. This week, some of our daffodils dared to poke through winter's detritus.


We also have hyacinths and tulips making their way up through the ground. We could certainly see more freezing weather and/or snow in the months ahead. But we can already perceive the lengthening of days, and the buds and sprouts fill us with anticipation.

I pruned the rose bushes this week. There is still a lot to do in the garden, but there is no reason to hurry yet.

Fête Des Rois

Yesterday, January 6, was the Catholic observance of the Epiphany here in France - and probably in other Catholic/Christian places as well. For most French people, it means that you go to the bakery and get a galette des rois (cake of the kings) that's made with pâte feuilletée (puff pastry) and commonly has frangipane (almond paste) inside.

The "kings" part refers to the legend of the three kings of orient who followed a star to Bethlehem with gifts for a newborn; the original baby shower.

This is the bag our galette came in today. It says, "Celebrate the Epiphany" and "Collect our superb fèves."

It's sold with a paper crown, and inside the cake is baked what's called a fève (bean) that originally was an actual bean but is now usually a small ceramic toy. Whoever gets the piece of cake with the fève inside is king and gets to wear the crown.

Our galette and the gold paper crown that came with it.

Ken and I actually cheated and had a galette last week. He got the fève - a cartoon character we don't know. We had another today and I got the fève - a small ceramic fish. I'm sure we'll have at least a couple more in the next week or so because galettes des rois are made and sold pretty much all month long. In fact, the woman at the bakery gave out little cards that she stamps for each galette you buy there. After you've bought four, your fifth one is free !

The Vineyard In January

In January, the vineyard out behind our house is quiet. While on a walk you can hear birds, a distant train, barking dogs. There is often a couple that works for the grower working their way through the vineyard. When they're out there you can hear their battery-operated shears as they clip vines.


Another vineyard worker has a dog named Max, a yellow lab I think, that likes to bark when I walk by. Max liked to check out Collette, of course (I think Max is a female dog).


The photo above is a walnut tree out among the vines. I have gathered walnuts from the tree a time or two, and they're good to eat. This past fall I didn't walk out there much, so I didn't get any.

I took these photos back in January of 2005, on a walk with Collette. I manipulated the second one with photoshop to get the effect you see.

Le Pont Des Arts

I posted this picture once before as part of a larger post, but came across it recently and thought I'd put it up on its own. I took the photo in January 1992, originally a color slide that I've since scanned for the computer.


The Pont des Arts was Paris' first iron bridge, built between 1802 and 1804. It has always been a pedestrian bridge between the Institut de France and the Louvre. It was weakened over time by bombs (1981 1918 and 1944) and by the odd boat running into it.

The bridge was closed to pedestrian traffic in 1977, and then in 1979 it was destroyed when yet another river barge hit it.

It was rebuilt in the early 1980s and re-opened in 1984. Still a pedestrian bridge, the Pont des Arts boasts a terrific up-river view of the Ile-de-la-Cité and has become a display place for artists and street musicians.

New Year's Resolutions

I haven't made any. Can't keep 'em, so what's the point ? I'll see what 2007 brings and enjoy myself along the way. Nonetheless, I know that many people make resolutions and I'll bet that not a few of them have to do with weight loss. Just a guess.

In the spirit of solidarity, I offer the following :

This is courtesy of my friend Charles-Henry in southern California. If the Eiffel Tower can do it, why can't we all ? The small print says, "Advertisement for SlimDelices, a weight loss pill."

Word Of The Week

motte

A clump of earth is called une motte. So is a big slab of butter from which smaller portions are carved out and sold. And that, simply, is the definition of motte. But, if you've been to Paris, you know that there's an avenue and a métro station in the 15th arrondissement called la Motte-Picquet. Have you ever wondered why? Me, too!

It's named for Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte (1720 - 1791), known as the Count of La Motte-Picquet, a French navy officer who led a battle against a British squadron of thirteen ships in 1779, destroying it and thus helping the Americans during the Revolutionary War.

So distinguished, he was promoted to Admiral late in his career. Since then, the Parisian avenue was named in his honor, as well as many ships in the French navy. Who knew?

Kitchen Collection [4]

You can never have enough tart pans. Or maybe you can. The thing about having a variety of sizes and shapes at your disposal is that you can pick just the right one for the amount or type of fruit you have, or for how many people you want your quiche to serve, or for whether you want to make little individual tarts or one large one to cut up and share.

I know I'm cheating in this photo, since you can also see some white ceramic ramekins and two cake pans, not to mention the dog bone cookie-cutter. But mostly it's tart pans. A French tarte, or pie, is a one-crust deal with beautifully glazed fruit exposed on top. The best pans for those are the shallow, false-bottom pans pictured here.

And here's what you can do with one. I made this apple tart for New Year's Eve this year with the large round tart pan. Under the fruit is my home-made applesauce (apples from our tree) and some ground hazelnuts. The glaze is apricot.