20 May 2020

Asperges, fraises, jambon, et une brioche

Last Saturday, Walt went to the open-air market in Saint-Aignan, which is back in business but in a larger space where vendors and shoppers can spread out and respect the coronavirus distanciation guidelines. He said there were a good number of shoppers, spaced out (as it were...), and all the regular vendors were present too. He found our asparagus and strawberry grower's stand, where he bought a kilogram of white asparagus and two trays of fine Charlotte strawbabies. We had strawberry shortcake for dessert on Saturday and Sunday.


As our main course on Sunday, Walt made one of his classic ham and asparagus tarts. He bought ham from a charcutier's stand at the market, and it really was quite tasty — better than the supermarket equivalent. The tart is what the pictures here show, and here's a link to a description Walt posted years ago to explain how he makes it.


The weather here is very warm, sunny, and dry right now. I did some more tilling in the vegetable garden on Monday, after Walt pulled up the tarp that protected part of the plot over the winter. I'll do one more tilling today and we'll start setting out the tomato, squash, and pumpkin seedlings Walt has been growing in the greenhouse for a month or more now.


I ordered groceries from Super U on Monday and went to pick them up yesterday. I got yeast! It's just one package — six little sachets — but that will go a long way. Walt is going to make pizza crust this evening, let it rise overnight, and then make pizzas for lunch tomorrow.


First, I put diesel fuel in the Peugeot. That's something I have to do once every two or three months. I was the only person refueling my car at Super U, which has 6 or 8 pumps. I had my gloves on. Then I got my groceries — broccoli, steak, a chicken, mushrooms, potatoes, Brie and Comté cheeses, ham, Ricotta, fruit juice, and wine. I had ordered some baking powder, but it was en rupture (out of stock). Chicken wings and pot au feu beef were en rupture as well. Tant pis. We're in good shape for a week or so.


Then I went to our village bakery, where I bought two baguettes, two round boules blanches, a brioche au miel (honey), two strawberry tartelettes like the ones we had last week, and deux parts de flan (two wedges of French-style custard pie). Only one customer entered the shop at a time. Others waited their turn outside (spaced out...). I spent 20 euros at the bakery. Most of it was for the little tarts (nine euros) and the brioche (six euros... photo below). Paiement sans contact, bien sûr.


Here's my new mantra, in rhyme:

« J’ai mon masque, jai mes gants,
Jai mon gel désinfectant...
Me voilà un homme content. »

16 comments:

  1. Well, some asparagus and fresh strawberries contribute to that contentment, too. Congratulations on getting some yeast.

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  2. I have had this asparagus/ham tart several times and each time it was scrumptious. Believe me, as you know who would say, but I'm not a compulsive liar as he is!

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  3. j'adore les asperges ! il va falloir que j'essaie cette recette dont le résultat a l'air superbe ! bravo pour la comptine 😉

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  4. Your ham and asparagus tart and your bakery goodies would make me very content as well. Everything looks delicious!

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  5. It all looks delicious!

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  6. Glad you have yeast again. Your poem is perfect for these strange days!

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  7. Is the first verse a real heptameter?

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    1. 1.J'ai-2.mon-3.mas-4.que-5.j'ai-6.mes-7.gants

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  8. I made a very similar tart for lunch today. It was good.
    I'm so jealous of your easing of the lockdown. We have the first steps of easing here but we're very nervous about it. We think it's too soon and the numbers of deaths and infections is still too high.

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    1. I feel the same way here, Jean. By the way, I didn't go into the supermarket the other day. I just did a click and collect and went to pick up the groceries I'd ordered. I did need to put fuel in the Peugeot, and I was glad to go to the boulangerie for the first time in many months. It's amazing how many infections and deaths there have been in the UK, especially England. I think the per capita death rate is higher than in the US. No yeast so far, and today is férié so no factrice.

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  9. Oh, I love this tart! Good news on the yeast and all of the other goodies!

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  10. Your shopping was a success! YEAH! Walt's jambon et asperges tart, aussi! Today is my daughter's 29th birthday - so today's french class secretly decided to celebrate our teacher's birthday during our ZOOM class! We will all be wearing party hats, have horns (not me - I don't have one handy), and have a champagne glass to toast her although at 10:30 am I will have one filled with grapefruit flavored bubbly water! I don't feel so badly about buying a lemon tart last night from the best french bakery in town: Sweet Life - that cost $5.25 but your 9Euro is the REAL THING! I took it, my gifts to her home last night and asked her to wait until today to open them! Quarantine or not - we can't not celebrate birthdays! She insisted last night that one little hug couldn't hurt - I eagerly relented but worried about it all last night when I was trying to sleep.
    Mary in Oregon

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    1. An Anerican friend who lives 5 miles up the river from us came by yesterday and brought me some yeast. Nice of her. We stood out on the road (no traffic here in our hamlet) 6 or 8 feet apart and talked for 15 minutes. She seems to be out and about more than I am. I've been going out once a week, but not going into supermarkets. I went into the bakery because it was on a one customer at a time plan. My 9 euros paid for four individual-size tarts.

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    2. What a deal that was - here I was accepting 1 tart for 9 Euros thinking you shared it with Walt! 4 you received! I can't wait to get back to France and enjoy all she has to offer!!! It is good you have been keeping in, I, too, believe the science that if we stay in the virus will eventually have no hosts and will die out. I can only hope. I wear a masque whenever I am around others. You have made good friends in France and you were rewarded with some yeast as well as her friendship. Everybody who reads your blogs know how much you like to bake and I'm sure she has tasted some of your treats! I guess I need to get back into baking and forego any $5 tarts so I can enjoy the french ones on my next trip. Mary

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  11. I envy you the French strawberries. As you know, the ones here resemble cardboard.
    Is that tart freezable, assuming there are leftovers? It looks sooooo good.
    Remember the childhood rhyme? "You're a poet and you didn't know it, but your feet show it, they're longfellows" (at which point someone would fall down laughing).

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  12. Oh dear, I’ll never master French! Why can’t you say ‘voila je suis un homme...etc. Instead of ‘me voila un homme... it’s so baffling!

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