Not much happened during the week except work, and usual activities. It was warm and sunny for a few days for a nice change. I took advantage by mowing the lawn for the first time this year. We’ve both got a steady amount of work, although I’m a bit behind on mine. Will went to his parent’s house a couple times to check the dehumidifier and post.
We had a very social weekend, starting on Friday night when we had Rigit and Francoise over to dinner. She’s been coming to conversation, and they all met for the first time this week. Francoise taught some French when in Oz, and she’s learned some helpful teaching techniques. She wants to continue practising her English, so was happy for the invitation. The menu’s theme was spinach and parmesan, starting with baked bread balls with dipping sauces. The main was a rice gratin, served with salad and bread. I had served brownies and ice cream the last three times Rigit ate here, and although I had both in the freezer, made an apple crisp instead. The guests left around 11:30 and we watched a film before bed.
We hadn’t planned to do anything on Saturday because of our Sunday event, but it was Benoit’s birthday on Tuesday. We celebrated on Saturday at his mom’s place with sixteen others, mainly family and friends. Benoit’s sister is dating a retired four-star general of the Gendamerie. He’s a lovely man and probably may not have cared, but we were a bit more careful with our smoking. Fred the boulanger was there and brought Benoit’s fave, vanilla and coffee choux. The meal was Mexican themed and we started with guacamole, pissaladiere and tzaziki. The main was slow cooked bbq short-ribs, corn and bean salad and wraps, followed by a monstrous platter of cheese and dessert. The meat was supplied by David and Aurore, proprietors of the butcher/bar, who were there as well. We wound up back at B&Vs for a nightcap or two, and left around two.
This weekend’s main event was the repas de chasse in St Crepin de Richemont on Sunday, with the Beaufils. They’d invited us a few times, but we’d always been busy so never made it. Bryan and Carol have gone a few times and told us all about, so we knew what to expect. We got up around ten on Sunday and both managed to do a bit of exercise in preparation. We arrived around 12:30 and found our places, but didn’t eat for another hour and half. We had a couple of pastis each, on a now empty stomach so were ready to eat when the food started coming. It’s essentially a “normal” French feast, with two main courses (see menu).
It starts with “white soup” which is basically garlic, egg and noodles, of which Will and I had modest portions. Next was an entre plate with tomatoes, gherkins, pate and hard-boiled egg with some token lettuce, served with bread. The wine is included, and contrary to the way we do it, they start with the worse wine and move on to the better. There were two reds and a rose, none of which were great, although they were better than expected, with one of them coming from the vines of local residents. The first main was “daub de cerf”, slow cooked stag deer in a white wine sauce, with white asparagus. We were relieved to find that, apart from the entre, everything was served family style, so you could take as much as you wanted. Between the mains is “trou perigourdine”, which is pear sorbet in “la gnole” = plum eau de vie. The second main was spit-roasted young wild boar, with an apple-based stuffing, served with rissolee (fried diced potatoes). We finished with the usual trio of salad, cheese and dessert, which was either cherry claffouti or millefeuille.
Lucien and Mauricette have been going to this particular repas since they moved back here 18 years ago, so they know lots of people there. We sat with three of their friends, people we’ve meet a few times before. There were around 170 people eating, plus the hunters who serve and clear all the food. Towards the end of the meal is a raffle, and we won a frozen piece of meat, which we promptly gave to the Beaufils. Lucien told me he always brings his cooler, just in case. There is a DJ who plays traditional French music throughout, meaning we’ve had our fill of accordion music from some time. We left around six and meandered home via the back roads, which Lucien prefers. We weren’t as full as we’d expected, probably because we didn’t eat huge amounts of any one course. When we got home, we watched a film and even managed a tiny slice of left-over crisp before going to bed.