Last weekend, I finally got to go to one of my favourite places in the world, Lecaude, a tiny village in the Pays D’Auge in the heart of the Calvados region in Normandy. A wonderful friend of mine has a lovely old presbytere in the typical Normandy “colombage” style or a half timbered house. These are houses that are characterized by wooden frames connected to each other in different positions. Seen all over the Pays d’Auge, I know that one day I would love to live in one (dreams dreams) and grow veggies, tend to a few chickens and host small groups and feed them from the bounty that can be found in this inspirational part of the world. Why Normandy you might ask? Well I think it's because it reminds me so much of my home state of Tasmania.
My father was a man who loved being in the garden and the garden of my childhood home was full of blooms, including tulips,(he was a proud Dutchman). So when we arrived at my friend Harriet’s house, I knew her garden would be full of the same bountiful blooms, jonquils, hyacinths and fruit trees bursting forth with blossom. Even on the drive there, I saw magnolia trees in flower, traffic islands covered in daffodils, (gotta love the French for that) and other signs of spring. As we drew up to the gate I had that deep sense of “coming home”, I knew that the weekend was going to be perfect.
Car unpacked, shutters opened, and the magnificently sized fire place (yes I can stand in it) was set with branches and logs from the woodpile and lit and crackling, it was time for gin and tonics all round and a proper walk in the garden. Harriet grabbed pair of secateurs(she is nearly never without them) and cut flowers to fill vases. She had a lot to choose from and in no time at all the house was warm, filled with perfume and we moved upstairs to make beds and discuss dinner.
Saturday is market day in nearby Lisieux, and I have to say, outside of Paris, it is one of the best I have ever been to. The produce is amazing and there is such an incredible community feeling. In true French tradition, service is slow, which used to drive me nuts when I first came to France but have come to see is truly representative of a French way of life. Primeurs and customers take their time to discuss the vagaries of a carrot, say over a parsnip, the weather, what is a best value for money and where were you last week? And then of course there is the lengthy discussion about how you should cook said carrot or parsnip and everyone in the queue chimes in and how is life? Once I overcame my impatience, I realised that this slow time for a conversation builds community and I have come to really appreciate that, especially as my French improves. The market is full of colour and live chickens and rabbits and Grandads selling their excess veg along side Grannies with their jams and cakes from the heavenly bountiful local butter. Each stall has a big earthenware pot of ‘tergeule’, delicious rice pudding flavoured with cinnamon or vanilla that is a speciality of Normandy, the rice and milk and cinnamon is popped in the oven and baked over night at a low temperature before making its way to the market where it is ladled into jars and Tupperware to queues of devotees. I have long drooled over those bowls and want to purchase, one day !
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But onto marketing! I set off with my mates, who lasted about five minutes before they drifted off to find coffee, and I realised that the market had moved as the Marie repaved the old space. I was lost, all my usual purveyors were not where they normally are! It took me about ten laps to locate everyone, beginning with the organic bread producers whom I approach with only two things in mind - their mini pizzas (breakfast) and a half loaf of poppy seed bread which is miraculously both moist and crunchy. Then to the poissonerie where I stood for a while, surveying the abundance of the sea! We had discussed having a plateau de fruit de mer for dinner that night and there were mountains of oysters, scallops, clams, crevettes and bulots that were available. There was torteaux, arraigners de mer, etrilles ( different kinds of crab) as well and some extremely expensive homard, but I wanted a less intensive dinner and opted for the coquilles! Now I needed to find the last of my usual sellers for eschallots (mignonette) for the oysters, eggs (mayonnaise) for the prawns and what to pair with those fat coquille St Jacques that marked the end of the season.
And so to the mushroom people who are there every Saturday selling a wide variety of shrooms and because it’s spring, lots of watercress as well. The queue is always long but its worth the wait for this produce that has been picked the night before - never have I eaten fresher mushrooms (unless we gathered them in the forest ourselves - something I do in Autumn).
And one cannot go to Normandy without buying some butter, without revelling in the extraordinary subtle indescribable pale deliciousness that is Norman butter. I have a favoured supplier and he cuts his butter by hand. By sight he slices 250g portions and then wraps each with such care and precision that I could almost weep. He then labels them by salt level - Doux, Demi sel and Sel de Guerande. If you ever get to go to the Liseaux market, got to this stand, Once he told me that his creme fraiche was so well, sooo fresh that I should wait until the end of the day for the creme to set before I could use it. It’s times like this that makes me love living in France even more.
The afternoon was filled with pruning, helping Harriet tend to an avalanche of projects in the garden. And an afternoon nap for the others.
Late afternoon, bad show tunes made their way to a playlist and I began to assemble the plateau de fruit de mer. Plateau = platter, who knew ?
I cooked the clams with garlic and parsley and a dash of wine, pure simple heaven. And at the same time seared the coquilles St Jacques in butter and olive oil, Cooking times quick and intense!
The oysters were already opened, Harriet’s job - she is surely the fastest opener in all of Normandy - and along with these I placed the bulots and the prawns. I added a quick and light mayonnaise, a delicious potato salad with snipped chives and a bowl of greens from the market and we sat at the pink marble table, pinching ourselves at the good fortune that this was our dinner. The Canadian visitors, on a quick trip from Montreal, thought that Noel had come early(or late!)
The rest of the the weekend continued in much the same vain. Feasting, reading, story telling and a little bit of furniture rearranging. By early Sunday afternoon, it was time to close the shutters, repack the car, we left with more than we came and those flowers came with us too. A tres bonne weekend !
Fun things seen in Normandy :
A stall at the Lisieux market, selling lost packages. And there were many who did not know where to go :) Unclaimed purchases were up for sale. They were priced by weight and the price varied hugely. I was tempted but decided against it. Loved the SOS - were the parcels in danger ??!!
Set the table :
It had to be dinner in Lecaude - a seafood extravaganza !
The Normandy Plateau de Fruit de Mer
24 oysters
12 cooked prawns
12 cooked bulots
12 giant clams
8 scallops with roe on
Place the opened oysters, prawns and bulots on a platter and place a few lemon wedges around the plate.
Steam the clams in a very hot pan with some white wine, covering the pan with a lid, When opened ( this takes around 2 minutes) add some finely sliced garlic and parsley and throw in a good knob of delicious Normandian butter.
Sear the scallops in a hot pan with some more of that butter being careful not to let the butter burn. When the scallops are caramelised, flip them over and cook for another 30 seconds being careful to not let them overcook. I then added a little more butter and chopped chervil as well, season to taste.
I donated funds to the World Central Kitchen, lets hope that their valuable work continues.