Wednesday 29 August 2012

jeudi de paris

This blog was a great way for us to keep family and friends updated about our adventures around the world.  No reason to stop now, for our adventures continue on our vol de vie (literal translation: flight of life).

I can't say yet how much time I have to dedicate time to this blog but I wanted to be sure to post something at least once a week.  So here is Jeudi de Paris, which translates to "Thursday from Paris",  which also sounds like "I'm saying from Paris".  This will be a regular weekly post that you may find time for to see what we are up to in this part of the world.

We arrived in France after a long flight and a long transit in Amsterdam.  A heatwave awaited us, temperatures expected to soar to 40 degrees.  The following day, 15 August (a public holiday here in France in celebration of the Assumption of Mary), was when we usually gathered for a traditional family lunch at my father in law's house near Bordeaux, known in the family as Sturget.  This year, JB's aunt and uncle hosted it at their summer property Parjadis in the Dordogne Perigord area.


The menu is the same every year, and eaten only for this occasion.  We are welcomed with drinks and little snacks for aperitif. The entree is honey sweet cantaloupe melons, followed by home-made quenelle (a type of gnocchi) in a tomato and olives sauce.  The main dish is roast lamb accompanied by French green and flageolet beans (the caviar of beans).  A selection of cheese follows.  Miraculously, we always have room for dessert and its a decadent chocolate marquise made to a secret recipe by cousin Benjamin.  Wine of course, is the highlight of the lunch, and cousin Benedicte is the regular and much-appreciated supplier.



Its all very sympathique.  Good food, good wine, good company, who's complaining?  There is always  lots of laughter and horsing around, and this year, there were also some dogs, cows and birds...


Benjamin starting the marquise apprentice young?


Some outdoor exercise after lunch to whet an appetite for dinner.




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