Walt plans to go to the open-air market in Saint-Aignan this morning. He's hoping to come home with two of our favorite local springtime products: asperges (asparagus) and fraises (strawberries). I'm hoping for that outcome as well. Twenty years ago, when we came to live here, we hardly ever found green asparagus, but they are appearing on local markets alongside the white variety of asparagus more and more often these days. It would be hard to say if I prefer one or the other. I like them both.
It it all works out, we'll probably have this as our Sunday dinner. It's bundles of cooked asparagus spears wrapped in slices of ham and baked in a custard made with cream, eggs, and Parmesan cheese. I'm not sure what strawberry dessert we'll have but I'm sure it will be good too. I think the asparagus season is winding down now, but we'll probably be able to get locally grown strawberries until September.
I was lucky to taste this tart and it was delicious as everything else from the hands of Mr. Walt the pastry chef.
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky in France to get ripe strawberries which are really tasty. My way of eating them is to cut them in two, or more, put them in a small bowl, sprinkle some sugar and pour some red wine. Wait a few minutes, stir and then enjoy them.
Here, in the US, the strawberries are almost tasteless, like everything else.
P.S. I think you can use any kind of wine. Your rosé wine comes to mind.
When I used to go spend a couple of week or more in North Carolina every year, the food there was usually delicious. There were a lot of local produce available at the curb market in Morehead City. The seafood and fish were excellent. I have a cousin who's an excellent cook specializing in local fish. He cooks delicious collard greens, as does my sister and as did my mother.
DeleteI remember that 50 years ago, when I went to live in Illinois, I found a lot of Midwestern American food to be not nearly as good as what I grew up on in N.C. After I had lived there for a few years, I met and became friends with people who were excellent cooks.
As usual, I wonder what the attraction of life in the U.S. was for you, if all the food was so bad.
That looks fantastic, I'm sure it tastes as good! Lesley
ReplyDeleteIt would be difficult to chose which dish you or Walt make that is the most beautiful but this one has to be in the top three!
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
I agree with BettyAnn- this is one of your most beautiful dishes. I made it once and it was delicious. Glad you can find green asparagus now.
ReplyDeleteBeing an avid u-pick blueberry/strawberry/blackberry/raspberry person, I must say one would find our fresh fruit here in Oregon very tasty. My Mother and I found we preferred the Shuksen variety of strawberries and would only pick from fields that offered that choice. Very sweet and wonderful both fresh, in my granola or in baked tarts/pies/or cobblers! We never had to add sugar to any of our fruit!
ReplyDeleteOne day I will make your asparagus tarte! Very colorful and I can imagine that delicious taste of ham-wrapped asparagus - yummy!
ReplyDeleteI've made this, thanks to you and Walt posting about it along the years... you're making my mouth water!
ReplyDeleteMy opinion of food anywhere: if it's made with fresh (preferably local) ingredients, at home (or at a quality restaurant), by someone who knows how to cook la cuisine bourgeoise, it's going to be good. That's kind of a general statement, but I've even had unpleasant food in France... only ever at one place, the food cantine at a school dorm I was staying in, back around 2004.... made by Sodexho... looked appetizing, tasted really disappointing.