Paula Wolfert’s Pissaladiere

Sometime last year I invested in a copy of Paula Wolfert’s Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking. We’ve been using her Cooking of South West France for years plus I have a slight fetish for ceramics. The clay pot book has lived by the side of the bed since I bought it because I’ve just been too […]

Olive Oil Brioche

Seigle d’Auvergne (2)

As requested, Zeb. Seigle d’Auvergne To be honest I can’t remember if I made up the first starter or just used my regular active rye starter at 100% hydration. DOUGH Strong White 218g 29% Rye 533g 71% Water 638g 85% Starter 135g 18% Salt 23g 3% Total 1545 STARTER 2 Starter 41g Rye 47g Water […]

La Bête Humaine

From her carefully camouflaged hide Madame Merle observed with some disdain the habits of the English humans. “You wouldn’t Adam and Eve it”, she thought …

Seigle d’Auvergne

Two Christmases ago we were staying in Bath which is Sue’s home town and it was even colder than it is here now. I found a copy of Dan Leader’s Local Breads and bought it because I can’t pass by bread books. It’s written for beginners but I thought the methods were hopelessly overcomplicated but […]

Moan, moan, pizza

Been here 11 days now. I suppose we have been lucky. Two days before we arrived the whole of France was battered by a hurricane with 50 people dead and given that this little gaff is twenty five feet from the sea that’s a little worrying. The worst damage was only just up the coast […]

Dalek Bread

“Exterminate!. exterminate!“

French Onion Soup

Never thought I would make French Onion Soup in France. The sun is shining here but it’s unbelievably cold. We made chicken stock earlier in the week, had some onions and a bottle of white wine. What more could you want? – a little grated emmental or gruyiere and some croutons, that’s what. This is […]

First Bread

Had a shed load of Pain Poilâne in Paris on the way down. As usual had mixed feelings about how good it is (compared to what you can make yourself) and it’s dominance of the world of French quality bread. Seems crazy you can buy it (sliced) in Nice, or Arcachon for that matter, when […]

Arcachon – Day One

Don’t worry, you’re not going to get a blow by blow account of our sojourn in Arcachon but the last couple of days have been nothing short of miraculous. The travel here has been so smooth that the only thing we can complain about was the electronic display on the Virgin Train from Chester to […]