Ron and I are urban folk, having lived in Charleston for so many years, so cruising around the lovely hilly countryside of southern Burgundy is always a delight for our city-weary eyes. Today, as our British friend Margaret climbs the hills in her battered and bruised old Renault, I catch a whiff of lilacs through the open car window, and I’m assaulted not by crowds but by the intense greens of the fields and the fluorescent gold fields of colza, all neatly divided into a crazy-quilt pattern by angular hedges. Margaret is taking us to see a medieval château and to meet a French couple who have an empty apartment at the top of their castle. We do not yet know that they will become our new ‘family’ when we move to France.
We drive past tiny villages of golden stone with rusty red tile roofs, and finally take a little allée that turns up toward a plateau at the base of the hill. At the end of the road, silhouetted against azure skies, is a majestic château, all turrets and spires and ancient stone, rising mightily above the tiny hamlet. Ron and I stand there rather foolishly, our mouths gaping open and our necks craned to see the pointy roofs of the turrets. “There’s no one in Charleston with a house like this,” he whispers in my ear.
Margaret throws her red hair back and laughs, clearly enjoying the surprise. We follow her through a huge stone arch that has supports for the drawbridge which was once raised against intruders. I picture crusty medieval soldiers on their steeds, lances at the ready.
“I hear pots banging”, Margaret says as we enter the courtyard and pass a bed of orange daylilies, bright against the warm stone wall. “”It must be Nicole, the chatelaine.”
The word chatelaine, which refers to the lady of the château, brings to my mind a willowy, sophisticated, aloof French woman in pumps and a Chanel suit. As we walk through the courtyard, I fret that in our jeans we are badly underdressed for the occasion. But we're distracted by a lovely smell, and immediately drawn to the summer kitchen, double French doors thrown open to reveal a massive wood-burning stove and the largest pot I’ve ever seen. A cheerful, sturdy looking woman, her short, curly dark hair patched with white, stirs the bubbling cauldron with a long wooden spoon. She sports a faded t-shirt, khaki pants and sandals. She is also wearing an engaging smile and there is a sparkle in her bright eyes behind her no-nonsense spectacles. “Do you like raspberries?” she asks, in beautifully accented English. “I’m making jam from the ones we’ve just picked in the garden. Of course you shall take some home with you.”
The aroma of the warm, fresh raspberries and the casual welcome put us at ease at once. We hear the crunch of gravel in the courtyard and turn to see a slim, white-haired gentleman, walking slowly towards us as if on a leisurely afternoon stroll, sucking contentedly on a pipe. Though Monsieur le chatelain is dressed in jeans and a cotton shirt, he has the elegance of a professor. He rounds the corner, emerging from the shade of a weeping willow tall enough to compete with the château for height, and greets us with a warm bonjour. This peaceful scene is immediately broken by the arrival of two yorkies, who tear excitedly around the corner and rush up to us like dear friends, yapping and bouncing. As we gather them up for kisses and head rubs, we have the first sense that perhaps we’ve found our new home in France.
Double Raspberry Pie with Mascarpone
We came away with not only some pots of Nicole’s raspberry coulis and jam, but also with a basket of fresh-picked raspberries. So what’s a southern girl to do with such a cache? Why she makes a pie, of course.
The French love fruit tarts, and they keep them simple, just fruit on thin pastry napped with a little coulis or glaze. In this easy recipe I fluffed it up a bit with a cookie crust, and nestled the berries into some mascarpone cream. It’s the taste of a perfect summer day, in South Carolina or the south of Burgundy.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup finely crushed cookies (use chocolate wafers or any thin, crisp cookie. I used Lu Tea cookies).
1/4 cup sugar
4 T. Melted butter
1 1/2 cups Mascarpone
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
½ t. vanilla extract
1 generous cup Fresh raspberries (do not wash, this will make them mushy)
1/4 cup good quality seedless raspberry jam or coulis
1 T. Amaretto liqueur or Gran Marnier
1 t. lemon juice
sugar to taste
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Use food processor or rolling pin to make cookies into fine crumbs. Mix with melted butter and sugar and press in a 10" tart pan or a pie plate. Bake about 7 minutes. Chill at least one hour.
Shortly before serving, stir together jam or coulis,lemon juice and liqueur (if using jam heat the mixture just to melt; add a little sugar, to taste, then cool slightly). Mix mascarpone with sugar and vanilla until blended well and spread gently in chilled crust. Arrange raspberries over top of mascarpone. Drizzle coulis over berries. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 8.
12 thoughts on “Town comes to Country: Our First Visit to the Château”
Hi Lynn, Love your first entry!
The picture looks like something out of a fairy tale. If I’m allowed to ask– how much/month was your “top of the castle” apt? (in US dollars)
I’m not much of a cook, but I definitely appreciate good food– your Raspberry pie sounds scrumptious!!
Looking forward to the next chapter
Susan
Arlington, VA
Hi Lynn…..I LOVE IT! I was hoping to get that great cheese grits recipe you served at our last brunch together. I’m sending this link to Caroline and my niece Nancy…..and to everyone else I know will appreciate it. Can’t wait till the next installment…and now I’m going to buy the ingredients to make a little celabratory toast to your new BLOB! luv alice
I have enjoyed the stories, the recipes, and the photos! I am definitely jeolous of your adventure. Read “A Year in Provence” several years ago and wistfully dreamed of doing something similar! How lucky you are to see such a dream come true! By the way–I know and love your mother (have been friends with Marie since Glynn Academy). Can’t wait to read more–
I remember those fabulous raspberries, and tasting the jam while it was still hot! S’il vous plait, dit bonjour a Pierre et Nicole pour moi. I love your blog, Lynn, and I’ll definitely help spread the word. I look forward to reading more!
Dear Lynn,
Fabulous, wonderful blog. Congratulations! Your writing is delightful and really compels one to come for a visit. And your photos are stunning also. Fabulous idea and execution of a blog. Haven’t seen one I like more. Thanks for sharing your inspiring story and great recipies. BTW, can you get grits here in France? Looking forward to the next entry.
All the best,
Shelley (American) from Villefranche sur Mer
Lynn,
Thank you for your blog! How blessed you are to live in such a wonderful place. I graduated from Clemson in December after spending 6 months in Aix-en-Provence last spring. If I hadn’t had a fiance and pending graduation waiting for me in the states- I would still be in France! I’ve lived in different states- north and south- and felt most at home in Provence. Revenons a nos moutons! I digress. I want to one day go back to France… for good. However, my husband is completely opposed to the idea because he doesn’t speak the language. My questions for you is did you or your husband know how to speak French when you arrived? How did you find your chateau? Through friends? The internet? How has it been adjusting if one or both of you weren’t bilingual? Thank you again for your stories and recipes! I will continue to live vicariously through your “blob” and spread the word to my fellow francophiles.
Ciao!
Whitney
Hi Whitney, and to other readers who’ve asked similar questions:
We found the chateau through friends who lived in the area. As to language, I spoke ‘college french’ when we arrived, my husband spoke almost none. He is not a linquist; he understands it now, but his speaking skills are pretty basic. But he’s fearless and jumps right in anyway. Attitude is everything!
In our area there are many ex-pats from all over the world, and one can get by with little French, though you’ll miss all sorts of wonderful experiences if you don’t try.
Bonne chance, and thanks for joining the conversation!
Lynn
Dearest Lynn, I find your stories simply enchanting. I can taste the sweetness of your desserts simply by the prepositions in your prose. Perhaps a shot of the “kitchen genius” would be in order.
Keep those photos and stories rolling in on the tides and we Americans will open our harbours to receive their bounty.
Sincerely, Hungry in Hanahan
Bonjour Lynn,
What a great blog! You are living my retirement dream 🙂 What a delicious recipe as well – I made the crust with good ol’ Nilla Wafers and added blackberries. Merci beaucoup!
-Lindy
California, USA
Lynn-
Have found your Blog and am beginning to read from first to most recent. You and your husband are living what I hope to within the next 5years [my 5 year plan] Are you planning to live year round in France? may I be so bold as to ask what is your Visa status and how you achieved it to live there full-time…Your pictures have me continually sighing…
Am hoping to see more entries from you in the coming months. Love them!
Dear Lynn,what a lovely blob! and a lovely idea. I met you at Balleure with my Australian “play group” friends in 2004, and was delighted with Nicole and Pierre and Burgundy. The photos are wonderful and bring your story so much to life. Wish I was there again. Good luck with your terrific plan.
Dear Lynn, I have enjoyed myself immensely reading your blogs and wonderful recipes. I was going to read a few and save some for later, but was so intrigued… I too have a dream to return to France and have an extended stay. I felt so at home, even not knowing the language (or very little) it was not something that would keep me from returning to live there for a few years. Your photos are brilliant; it gives us who live stateside a very good view of your new home and your beautiful surroundings. Having found the Chateau de Balleure, a castle no less and new found family members of Pierre and Nicole you are truly blessed. I look forward to reading the rest of your blogs (future ones too!) and I will be making the Tarte Tatin very soon. It’s a small world, I too lived in Charleston, South Carolina for about six years and I miss the southern people, their gracious hospitality and of course the wonderful food…RaeDi