Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

It has become hard for me to keep up with all of the wonderful sights and experiences that we have had on this trip.  Riding on a motorcycle gives you a whole new perspective on travel.  The only parts of France that I was familiar with before were Paris and Provence.  Now, from the back of the bike, I have a better appreciation for the variety of landscapes that comprise this beautiful country.  This appreciation has come not only from seeing the sights, but from smelling the flowering plants, hearing the rushing rivers and feeling the cool breezes on our faces.  I feel like we are as one with our surroundings.

Beauty is everywhere.  The city of Dinan on the river Rance is full of history and medieval architecture.   Walking up rue Jerzual is a climb up a steep cobblestone street past picture postcard dwellings.

The blue shutters and door in the above picture are what I have started referring to as “”French Blue”.  I have seen it everywhere.

The picture of the choreographed gals above gives you some perspective on how steep the rue Jerzual actually is.

 Back in St. Malo on the coast of Brittany, David and I celebrated our anniversary by sampling the specialty of this region; Moules Frites.

  They were the best mussels I have ever eaten.  They were fresh from the sea and flavored with white wine and shallots.

 Laurent has been a perfect guide on this trip.  Carol will not be joining us until we reach Loches back in the Loire Valley on our way south into the Limousin and Perigord region.  Au revoir until later.

 The beginning of our trip to France had the potential of being a little rocky because of the French air traffic controllers’ strike and the railway personnel who followed suit.  Our flight was delayed in the US, but it was because of storms there and not because of anything going on in France. We arrived safely and experienced no delays at the airport or at the train station for our trip to Tours.  The above picture was taken after a day of rest at Carol and Laurent’s home as we prepared for the first day of our “Ride in Tours” motorcycle adventure.  Laurent is on the right.  Our friends Tulin and Dave are in the middle.

Before leaving Carol, Tulin and I enjoyed a day of shopping in old downtown Tours.

Carol made delicious meals for us.  There is something about French fruits and vegetables that sets them apart.  The above stuffed peppers and tomatoes were delicious.

Our first stop on the trip was at Camembert.  You would think that a village with the reputation of making such a fine cheese would be large, but after wandering down narrow lanes we found the tiny community nestled in the hills.  Although camembert had its origins here where it was made from unpasteurized cows milk, it is now made with pasteurized milk and is produced in several different places.  We bought a wheel of cheese to enjoy with our evening bottle of wine.

 Our first stop for the evening was in the coastal harbor of Honfleur.  The Normandy architecture was evident along the narrow streets.

The harbor of Honfleur is a popular summer destination for Parisians because it is only an hour and a half away.  Historically it had military significance  as it protected the entrance of the Seine river from any enemies interested in attacking Paris.  Aesthetically, it drew artists to its wonderful light and beautiful surroundings.

I could have spent days here wandering the streets and shopping in the small boutiques and brocantes.  Maybe another time.

The visit to the American Cemetery on Omaha Beach was the highlight of our next day’s ride.  The magnitude of the experience is hard to describe.  Over 9,000 graves of our fallen soldiers line the ground overlooking the sea.

 Laurent brought an American flag with him on his bike so that we could pose at the memorial with it.  A European tourist said Thank You to us as he passed by.  To this day, Americans are respected in Normandy.  That is all for now.

I have to say that, at the moment, I am a little overwhelmed.  We are leaving for a trip to France this coming Thursday and I am involved in the minutiae of planning.  Leaving home for three weeks is not an easy transition.  For one thing our cottage will be occupied by family and friends for the duration.  That means that all beds need fresh linens, the pantry and refrigerator need to be cleaned, and detailed instructions need to be left so that the rental cottage will be taken care of, and our dog Daisy will be cared for.  It isn’t easy to remember to tell everyone every quirk in the house; like the fact that the doorbell won’t ring and raccoons like to scatter the garbage.  Or the fact that walking outside after midnight might put you in the path of a 250 pound bear.  I hope I remember to pass that fact on.  So right now my mind is swimming in details.

This trip will be a little different.  Pictured above are our French friends Carole and Laurent.  The picture was taken at our place two years ago as they were leaving on the continuation of their year long motorcycle trip from Canada to the tip of South America.  Laurent is starting a Tour de France motorcycle program for anyone interested in touring the backroads and sights in his home country by bike.  We and our intrepid Alaska touring buddies are his first customers.  Here is the general itinerary.

We arrive in Paris at 7:00 A.M. Friday morning.  Unfortunately we will not have time to stop at our favorite bistro, Les Deux Magots, for an omelet.  We will board a TVG train to Tours where Carole and Laurent live.

Tours is Southwest of Paris and is home to grand chateaux and vineyards.  It is on the Loire River, with the River Cher nearby.  The Kings of France built their beautiful castles in this bucolic countryside where they hunted game and engaged in leisure activities.  We spent hours here on our last visit immersed in French history.  After a rest at Carole and Laurent’s home we will start our motorcycle tour.

We will head north and our first destination will be Honfleur on the Normandy coast.  This historic harbor is picturesque and was a favorite of Impressionist painters.

From here we will explore the D Day sites of Omaha Beach, Utah Beach and Sainte Mere Eglise.

From there we will ride through the countryside of Normandy and visit Mont St. Michel before stopping for the night in Saint-Malo in Brittany.  This ancient walled city is known for its crepes and mussels.  After a nights rest we will begin to head South again.

Our destination this day will be Chinon in the Loire Valley.  The village is overlooked by the Medieval Castle built by King Henry II in 1154.

Leaving the Loire Valley we will head South into the Limousin region.  The landscape will become more hilly and we will pass some of the most beautiful villages in France.  We will travel through Loches, Treignac and eventually arrive in Sarlat.

Sarlat is the capital of the Perigord.  It is a beautiful village with cobblestone streets, an active market and well known for walnuts, truffles and foie gras.  We will spend a few days in this area as there is much to see and do.

Our trip will continue across the Millau Viaduct, the world’s largest cable stayed road bridge.  According to Laurent we will now be deep in the heart of France with peaceful villages settled in valleys.  It is the French wild frontier.  We will pass the Tarn’s Gorges and its medieval villages.  The twisty and curvy roads will eventually lead to the ancient city Nimes.

Nimes is known for its Roman ruins and artifacts.  Above is the well preserved Roman Amphitheatre Les Arenes.  It once seated 20,000 people.  Today it is used for concerts and bullfights.

The final two days of our motorcycle tour will be in Avignon and visits to the Provencal villages surrounding it.  We will have a farewell dinner in Old Town Avignon and then board the TVG train for Paris.

We will spend four days in Paris and return home the first part of July.  I hope to be able to blog while on the trip but am not sure of the internet connections we may have.  So Au revoir until later.

As part of the Memorial Day Holiday weekend we were happy to have Dave, My Year on the Grill and Inspired by eRecipe cards, and his wife Jackie spend some time with us at Lake Lure.  They had driven all the way from Kansas to attend the Blogger Luau at Larry’s (Big Dude’s Eclectic Ramblings) so it only seemed fitting that they should drive a little further South and spend a couple of days with us.

I think Dave just wanted an excuse to grill pizzas in my fireplace.  And grill pizzas he did.  He made four different pizzas, all from ingredients I had on hand.  The first was a Margherita pizza shown above.  The second pizza was made with Parmesan, Scallops, olive oil and herbs from the garden.  The third pizza utilized ingredients from a salad that I had made the night before.

I had made Ina Garten’s Guacamole Salad to go with the Benton’s bacon BLT’s (More about that later).  The above picture was taken before I added the avocado, which should be done just before serving.

Viola!  A salad turned into a pizza.  Dave is very creative with his pizzas.  The fourth pizza was supposed to be a traditional sausage pizza using leftover sausage from breakfast, but we were too full for that.  Instead Dave turned the fourth pizza dough into a simple flatbread flavored with red onion and a special Raspberry Chipotle Sea Salt that he brought me as a hostess gift.

We served it that night before dinner cut into pieces with a homemade hummus that I had made from a recipe from Dorie Greenspan.

There was something very special about this flatbread.  It was the combination of the wood smoke and the Raspberry Chipotle Sea Salt.  The hummus was easy to make.  I will include the recipe at the end of this post.

Now on to the Benton Bacon.  Because Dave and Jackie had traveled so far to attend the Blogging Luau, Larry sent them home with two packages of  the popular Tennessee Benton Bacon.  This bacon is dry-cured, salty and full of intense flavor.  It is favored by chef’s all over the country.  It makes a killer BLT sandwich.  It is amazing the things you can find on the internet.  If you have a moment please read this obituary of Harry Stamps, a lover of Benton Bacon among other things.  This has got to be a contender for the best obituary ever written.  But I digress.  I fried up the bacon.  Dave made a spicy mayonnaise and we served it with heirloom tomatoes, sourdough bread and crispy lettuce.  It was a taste sensation.

Here we are at Bouchon Creperie in Asheville for lunch.  There were more meals and lots of laughter.  I enjoyed cooking with Dave.  Now I know one of the reasons that he does such a great job with his wonderful food.  Jackie is the best pot washer and clean-up-artist around.  We intense cooks need help.  David and I enjoyed your visit Dave and Jackie.

HUMMUS  (Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan)

1 can (about 16 ounces) chickpeas, drained (reserve the liquid), rinsed, and patted dry
2 garlic cloves, split, germ removed, and chopped
1/3 cup well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
About 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Put the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, and lemon juice in a food processor and whir until smooth.  With the machine running, add some of the reserved chickpea liquid a little at a time until the hummus is a nice thick, scoopable texture-you’ll probably need about 4 tablespoons of liquid.  Add the cumin, if you’d like, tasting to get the amount you want, then season with salt and pepper and more lemon juice, if you think it need it.

Scoop the hummus into a bowl or refregerator container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface, and chill until serving time.  (The hummus can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Printable recipe

Our annual blogger Memorial Day party got off to a great start.  This year’s theme was a Hawaiian Luau and the planning group kept it very authentic.  Here is the line-up of some of our capable chefs.  Chris of Nibble me This is working on his Huli huli chicken.  Dave of Inspired by eRecipe cards and My Year on the Grill is putting the finishing touches on his shrimp and pineapple appetizer.  Jackie, Dave’s wife, is upholding the muu muu tradition, and my hubby Dave is just happy to be there.  But he was the breakfast chef the next morning.

Our host, Larry of Big Dude’s Eclectic Ramblings, made a great pork ribs appetizer along with several smoked pork butts wrapped in banana leaves.  You can go to his site for the recipes.

(Picture courtesy of Dave from Inspired by eRecipe cards.)

And what could be more appropriate for a Luau than a Blue Hawaiian.  We had some serious island libations.

(Picture courtesy of Dave of Inspired by eRecipe cards)

It is obvious that I am ready to dig in.  Here are a few pictures of the amazing food.

Dave, eRecipe cards, made a great appetizer of grilled shrimp and pineapple.  Hopefully he will share the recipe on his blog.

(Picture courtesy of Dave of Inspired by eRecipe cards)

Larry’s rib appetizers were awesome.  You can find the recipe on his blog.

(Picture courtesy of Dave of Inspired by eRecipe cards)

Here is Chris’s huli huli chicken sliders with ponzu slaw next to Larry’s pulled pork.  Both entrees were outstanding.

(Picture courtesy of Dave of Inspired by eRecipe cards)

The sides were rice, my macaroni salad and a vibrant mango salad brought by Sam of My Carolina Kitchen.  Her salad brought a bright kick to the plate.

Here is Sam’s BIL Stuart with the desserts and a beverage.  His wife Sandy made incredible pineapple upside down cakes.

Everyone had a wonderful time but we missed Katherine ( Smoky Mountain Cafe ) and A.J.  They were involved in the planning and have always been a big part of this yearly event.  Other commitments kept them away.  There is more to come in another post.