Au Château, the Vide Grenier Party: Will Work for Lunch

Our first week at the château brought the first of what we would soon learn were the many “events” at Château de Balleure.

“Can you help us clean out the attic on Saturday?” Nicole asked, after teaching us a new phrase, vide grenier, for “empty attic”.

“Pourquoi pas?,” Ron and I answered, eager to help.

“Well it will be a sort of attic-cleaning party, and we’ll have lunch. Oh yes, and we will be fourteen.”

Fourteen? What kind of attic was this?

Well, for starters, the ceilings, which go off at all kinds of angles, are about 20 feet tall. All supported by large beams, more like massive tree trunks. I’ve owned houses with less floor space. Rubbing the dust off the windows as we poke about the dark interiors, I can see the cows and pastures several stories below. Every inch is packed with a lifetime of brocante: old, broken mirrors, trunks that promise treasures, mysterious wooden crates, and dusty armoires. There are dozens of wooden chairs, no two alike. Cobwebs connect one piece with the next in the shadowy space. Many of the crates, it turns out, are filled with assorted rocks and fossils, as Pierre is a collector. Everything has to go, for the enormous room is slated to become a kind of recreation/playroom, with a bar and pool table and a mezzanine for Pierre’s collection. “All of this stuff is to go down a narrow, spiral, stone staircase?” Ron said uncertainly. It seemed impossible. Especially those crates of rocks. “Beh oui, we’ve got a plan”, said Nicole.

At 8 am on Saturday the work crew—all friends, lured by the possibility of lunch–start to trickle into the courtyard, children and dogs in tow. Espresso and croissants await to fortify us for the morning ahead. The plan begins to emerge: A huge basket crane arrives, with a man-lift at the top of the long arm. It will be raised to the high window of the grenier, where boxes and furniture will be loaded. The guys, happy with their giant toy, take turns riding up and down in the pail of the crane. Meanwhile in the courtyard the women get their chiffons at the ready. Dust rags in hand, we open every box, examine each family artifact, clean and sort. Everyone bavards, chats away in French that I can’t truly understand, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Dogs and kids buzz around us, at their games. A darling 13-year-old boy who is a neighbor works beside me all morning, and a new friendship has budded. In the cluttered courtyard, there is a parade of mismatched chairs that marches clear across to the barn.

Photo: Henri est fatiqué. Will un café rouse him?

At 10:30 or so, the work stops, for casse croûte –literally, ‘breaking bread crusts’– a tradition for laborers, or ouvriers. Out come the sawhorses and plywood to make a long table. Vin blanc appears, then sausages, slabs of cheese, and big crusty baguettes. The dust-covered crew all stand around the makeshift table, quizzing Pierre about his family artifacts and teasing him about his rock collection. Friend Monty decides Pierre should start collecting something new, and he has a good idea. “May I suggest feathers?”

Recipe
“Breaking Bread”: an uptown casse croûte

I’ve since put the concept of casse croûte in my recipe repertoire. It comes in handy when I want to throw together a light summer outdoor lunch, or when we have friends over for drinks, elegantly called apperos in France. Here’s my translation of casse croûte:

Assemble the following:

some sliced dry sausages and Italian hams,
such as prosciutto, coppa
Slices of gruyere and/or chunks of fresh parmesan
Crusty baguettes
Good quality mustard

Serve with any or all of these:

Olives
Cornichons
Pistachios, walnuts
radishes, with sea salt
Roasted red peppers

Arrange everything on a tray and and tuck in some fresh lemon or grape leaves. Serve with mustard, and a crisp white wine.

Don’t miss lunch! Next week, an amazing vide grenier lunch for les ouvriers.