I must begin by saying that this captivating book kept me smiling from beginning to end.  Written with warmth, love and a keen sense of the humorous, Walnut Wine & Truffle Groves - Culinary Adventures in the Dordogne, is a must-own book for every Francophile and would-be French chef.   For me, it has a special meaning in its coverage of the village of Biron and Le Prieuré du Château, as I am very familiar with the place and have a pleasant association with the former owner, Sally Evans, who is mentioned many times as a friend of the authors.  But, I digress.

Walnut Wine & Truffle Groves is not simply a book of scrumptious recipes - which it definitely is - but is a journey through the Dordogne, meeting people along the way who are associated with the regional cuisine.  The author spent time with several local chefs who graciously shared many of their signature dishes with her for the book.  One, Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch, is an adventurous lady who has lived and traveled in many countries, returning to her roots in the Dordogne to a cozy cottage in the hamlet of Chavagnac.  Their time with her included capturing many of her culinary techniques and enjoying a fine mid-day meal at her table - she wouldn't have it any other way!  Danièle wrote the book's lovely foreword about her time with the author, Kimberley Lovato, chef Laura Schmalhorst, and photographer Lou Lesko.  (Bravo to Lou, by the way, for superb photos.) 

It is a gentle stroll through the magic of the Dordogne from the prehistoric caves and their paintings to the bastide villages on market day.  Kimberley and Laura visited with the region's most interesting people, including Brigitte Poussou, a resident of Biron for over 30 years - Place Jean Poussou in town is named for her father-in-law.  Fans of The Little Prince will find it interesting that they met François-Xavier de Saint-Exupéry, a descendant of the author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, at his wine estate, Château de Tiregrand, where the family has produced fine wines for some three hundred years.

But, we mustn't ignore the source of the book's title:  there really is a walnut wine (Vin de Noix) and the recipe is in the book! You can make it in your kitchen with little effort, and it will bring the Dordogne into your home.  Truffles, of course, are another matter.  The author focuses on the black Périgord truffle, and provides some fascinating information on the hunting of truffles (use dogs, not pigs to find them), the intrigue involved in the 'truffle trade' because of their amazing value (selling retail in Paris in 2005 for up to $4,200 per kilo!), and wonderful mouth-watering recipes using the tiniest bits of truffle for sauce, truffle butter and truffle vinaigrette.

In addition to the luscious food (and those fantastic photos), the book also provides a wealth of useful information in its Resources section from lodging and restaurants to area attractions and outdoor activities.  For those of you who have visited the Dordogne, you will know that it envelops you in its charm.  That feeling is made so much stronger after reading this engaging book.  It's a recipe book, a travelogue and a heartwarming story of the love its people have for a region of France that has not lost itself in the 21st century but relishes its traditions and culture.  Don't pass it by!
 

FEATURING:  Brittany 

               Returning to Brittany - time and time again

We haven't featured Brittany in nine years, so it was decided that the time had certainly come to revisit this delightful region of France.  We have some new ground to cover with you – visiting places we hadn't mentioned in earlier issues and inviting Arthur Gillette to share with you his sojourn into this land of moors and mossy villages.  We hope you enjoy this issue enough to be encouraged to venture a little farther from Paris than Normandy on your next trip to northwestern France - to the land of buckwheat galettes and salt pastures, megaliths and faïence - green and misty, mysterious and magical Brittany.

Brittany takes great pride in its Celtic roots, but long before the Celts arrived there came a people from the Iberian peninsula to this place, and later the Romans who named it Armorica.  It is said that the early civilization that built the megaliths and left behind dolmens and menhirs pre-dated the first Egyptian dynasty by a thousand years or more.  It wasn't until six hundred years before the birth of Christ that the Celts arrived to take up residence in Armorica.  The Bretons are not Gauls and, therefore, are more like their Irish, Welsh and Scottish cousins than the rest of the French population.  Their Breton language is Celtic and very similar to Welsh, and their traditions, too, are Celtic - they revel in folkloric tales and legends, lively Celtic music and costumed events to keep those traditions alive.

As the last large region to join France,  La Petite Bretagne (Little Britain) may have lost its freedom entirely by accident.    The King of France was Charles VIII who entered into a marriage of convenience with Anne of Brittany.   Surprising everyone, they actually fell in love, and Charles assured Anne that Brittany would be left as a sovereign state.  The couple enjoyed staying at Château d'Amboise in the Loire Valley, and it was there that Charles hit his head on a low door lintel and died.  Anne then, by edict,  married the heir to the throne, Louis XII, who promised her that Brittany would remain untouched by the French.  His promise, however, was not to be kept, for he wanted Brittany as a part of France more than anything else.  Since Anne lost all of her four children with Charles in infancy, and her sons with Louis did not survive, when she died at the age of 36 in 1514, her Duchy was bequeathed to the older of her two daughters, Claude.   Claude' s father, Louis, insisted that she marry François I, who was later to become the king.  Upon Claude' s death ten years later, François inherited the Duchy and by an Act of Union in 1532 it was made part of France. 

The Breton landscape is most distinctive, much like the hinterlands of Britain, Ireland and Scotland, filled with gorse and heather and moorlands.  The weather can be similar to those places as well, as it juts out into the Atlantic exposing itself to the severest elements.  Surrounded by the sea on three sides, it is a land of rugged coastlines and windswept seaside villages.  An interesting aspect of Brittany's weather is its ability to rapidly change, going from one extreme to another.  You may wake to a cloudy day that will suddenly turn to wind and rain.  But, just as quickly, that wind will blow away every cloud and a brilliant blue, sunny sky will emerge.  Within hours, it may once again become overcast, reassuring you that Brittany is a part of the sea and is never boring!  As in Normandy,  Brittany is peppered with champs clos – fields closed in with hedgerows and raised mounds of earth where trees are planted to slow the winter winds and weather.   Granite is the material of the majority of the houses – Breton homes are built to last - although occasional buildings can be found in colombage (half-timbering) which is the distinct style of Normandy. 

Despite the, perhaps, bleak picture we've painted, this is a land of great beauty, warmth and spirit.  The people are exceptionally friendly.  Many of our French friends are from Brittany, so we can personally attest to their kind nature.  You will find bright and cheerful colors in Brittany.  It overflows with enchanting and well-loved flower-filled gardens, and the brightly-colored faïence pottery of Quimper is known the world over.  Ladies in giz (folk dress) at various Breton festivals will charm you with their starched white coiffes – lace headdresses – and lace collars accenting their long black garments. Also at festivals you may have the opportunity to hear the biniou – perhaps a surprise in France, because it is a bagpipe!  One of our fondest memories is hearing the music of an interesting gentleman playing a biniou in the square facing the beautiful Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Coutances.

Brittany is a land of inland waterways, making it a popular destination for those wishing to explore the countryside in canoes or on barges.  The extensive coastline is home to hundreds of towns and villages with quite acceptable harbors, drawing yachtsmen whose boats populate the marinas and ply the seas between the shore and the many islands nearby.  One spectacular area is the Finistère, in particular a place we visited in October of last year just south of the port of Brest.  Logonna-Daoulas is a tiny town and the adjoining hamlet, Moulin Mer, is where we stayed (see lodging information at the end of this article).  There are dozens of secluded bayside coves with colorful boats leaning against the cliffs until their owners return to take them out onto the water.  The deep water harbor at Brest, the Parc Naturel Régional d'Armorique across the bay, and the miles and miles of tranquil rugged coastline offer visitors quite a variety of landscapes and activities.

The Bretons have suffered in disputes since the Wars of Religion in the sixteenth century.  More recent history reminds us that the entire province was occupied by the Germans in World War II.  The Germans liked the deep harbors of Brittany and expected to be welcomed by a people they believed were unhappy being a part of France.  They were stunned by the French Resistance in Brittany – as forceful and dedicated as anywhere in France – with no other desire than to drive them out.  The ports of Brest, Lorient and Saint-Nazaire (the latter now considered in the Pays de la Loire since a boundary shift some years ago) were totally destroyed and rebuilt.  Saint-Malo, too, had been bombed, but its reconstruction was approached from a historic perspective,  and it now stands much like it did for centuries.

Now would be a good time to focus on Saint-Malo and to hark back to a visit by Arthur Gillette at the beginning of this decade.  Arthur, who normally prefers the azure blue seas of the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, writes very objectively about Brittany.  We will return to more about Brittany following his lovely tale.