Cultural notes
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Les Recettes: Truites à la crème et aux amandes Recipes: Trout with cream sauce and almonds
Le menu c’est truites à la crème et aux amandes et en dessert, pommes cuites caramel beurre salé … Today’s menu is trout with a creamy sauce and slivered almonds. For dessert, cooked apples topped with salted caramel. Pour faire les truites à la crème, il vous faut: Des truites, 1 oignon, De la moutarde, De la crème fraîche, Sel, poivre, Du vin blanc et Des amandes. To make the trout recipe, you need: 2 fresh trout, 1 onion, mustard, creme fraiche, salt, pepper, white wine, and slivered almonds. Dans un plat allant au four, je dispose des tranches d’oignons et je pose les truites dessus. Place a layer of…
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Recettes de Bretagne – le gateau aux pommes (apple cake)
Today, my dear friend Isabelle is teaching us how to prepare a delicious apple cake, the base of which can be used to make a dozen others – from pineapple to plum to coconut – you could easily make a different cake every day! gâteau aux pommes Pour faire ce gâteau, il vous faut: De la farine, Du sucre, De la levure, 3 oeufs, De l huile, 4 pommes For this recipe, you will need: flour, sugar, yeast, 3 eggs, vegetable oil, and 4 apples Avant de commencer, j allumé mon four a 200 degrés comme ça il sera à la bonne température quand le gâteau sera prêt Before I…
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Recipes from Brittany: Les coquilles Saint Jacques de la baie de Saint Brieuc and un clafoutis aux prunes
Aujourd’hui… Une recette emblématique de la Bretagne…… Les coquilles Saint Jacques de la baie de Saint bieuc. Pour les accompagner un riz pilaf. Et pour finir, un clafoutis aux prunes.. Today, an emblematic recipe from Brittany: Scallops from the Bay Saint Brieuc with rice pilaf and a plum clafoutis. Avant de commencer, je place les noix de Saint Jacques dans un bol du lait et les mets a côté. Before starting the dessert, place the scallops in a bowl with milk and put to the side. Je commence par préparer le dessert car pendant la cuisson je pourrai préparer le repas…. Donc il va vous falloir: Du lait, De la…
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Dessert Recipes from Brittany: Flan d’oeufs and Cake Nature
Many of us are spending much (or all) of our time indoors these days, and, while challenging, it forces us to reach into our refrigerators and cupboards and cook up more homemade meals. Not only are cooking and baking wonderful diversions from life’s stresses, the process leaves our homes filled with smells that remind us of happier times. In every culture, people come together around food, sharing stories and following cherished family recipes, following instructions on old cards, in handwriting that belonged to someone we loved. Those moments bring us comfort and joy in both good and difficult times. I asked my dear friend if she would send me a…
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My First Trip to Western France
My first trip to western France was many years ago, and, while I knew it had made an impact on me, I didn’t know just how much until years later. One seemingly small decision ended up altering the course of my life and introducing me not only to a new part of France, but also to someone who would teach me some valuable life lessons, lessons that I strive to incorporate into my daily life and work. During my study abroad in Paris in 1990, I immersed myself in French language and culture, and I found myself feeling oddly at home there, more at home than I had anywhere up…
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Bécherel: A Book Lover’s Dream
There’s something special about holding a book that someone cherished during his or her lifetime. Many years ago, I bought a set of old books at a bouquiniste (stand with used and antique books) in Paris. A 2nd edition of Les Misérables, in four separate books, pages worn from years of resting in someone’s hands. There were even old letters tucked inside, written to a young girl. From whom, I wondered? An aunt or grandmother, perhaps? The book itself holds two stories: one of the author, and one of the reader. Some people prefer brand new books, but I prefer just about anything with a story. Late last summer, my…
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Market Day in Brittany
I love each and every day that I get to spend in Brittany, but there is one day of the week that is particularly fun – market day. Each town has its own market day, and almost all run year-round, no matter the weather. If you are traveling to France, be sure to find out when market day is in the town you will be staying in and plan an hour just to walk about. This is, after all, where all of the locals go and buy their produce for the week. Sample the local cuisine and interact a bit with the merchants. You won’t regret it. For now, I’ll…
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France, the beginning
“The further you get away from yourself, the more challenging it is. Not to be in your comfort zone is great fun.” – Benedict Cumberbatch As I think about our upcoming trip to la Bretagne, I can’t help but to be reminded of where this journey – the journey to living overseas – started. How a trip to France decades ago would alter the course of my life. And, most importantly, how stepping out (way out) of my comfort zone was an essential part of making this dream a reality. The first time I traveled to France I was 11 and in all honesty, it wasn’t my favorite place. My…