Snapshots from the Dordogne

Look Who's Talking

Though the book is awaiting a publication date, a few people were privy to the manuscript and had this to say about it!

• Jeff Ruby, Senior Food Editor at Chicago Magazine, published by the Tribune
Company, writes: “Lovato and Schmalhorst bring alive a bucolic vision of France that most of us thought was long gone...the various characters that populate the region drift in and out of this marvelous book, upholding familial traditions handed down like jewelry. Each encounter leaves the reader with an ache to seek out these people and break bread with every single one of them.”

• Helen Gillespie-Peck, wine educator, writer and author of Winewoman’s Guide to Bergerac 2008 writes: “I think your book is exactly what is required for visitors to the
Dordogne. Not enough is known about the food and the people of the area. Writers seem to concentrate on what has been written and continually repeat. Your book is something different.”

• James Beard Award winners Cheryl and Bill Jamison had this to say, “Anyone who enjoys food and travel will relish this insider's guide to one of the world's most wonderful gastronomic regions. A trove of delightful tales, tips, and recipes...a delightful book that deserves attention.”

• Nations Restaurant News, a leading source for news stories and trends in the restaurant and food service industries. Southeast Bureau Chief Catherine Russo Cobb shares this endorsement: “This book captures the mouthwatering flavor and essence of a visit to the Dordogne region. A literary and culinary treat, the book entices the reader not only to recreate its culinary treasures through delicious recipes, but it also integrates the area's beauty and culture in such a way that the reader will want to visit and taste the region’s wonders firsthand.”


Sounds like something good is cooking in the Dordogne...check it out!!!

Food Is Everywhere

Like the language, food is culturally significant in France. Days are planned around meals, shops are closed from noon to 2 p.m. for lunch, and expressions related to food are pervasive. During the research for our book, we documented a few of our favorite expressions but perhaps the one that resonated the most was “Vous avez du pain sur la planche,” (you have some bread on the plank) meaning, "You have your work cut out for you." That's for sure! Here are a few other tasty expression to keep you in the know in the Dordogne.

Un oeil au beurre noir (an eye of black butter) = A black eye

Tomber dans les pommes (to fall into the apples) = To faint

Mettre les pieds dans le plat (to put the feet on the plate) = To put one’s foot in ones mouth

Avoir les foies (to have the livers) = To have cold feet; to be scared stiff

Être au four et au moulin (to be at the oven and the mill) = To be in two places at once

Faire bouillir la marmite (to bring the pot to boil) = To bring home the bacon

Un pot de vin (a jar of wine) = A bribe

Learn more expressions, and read about the French Dining Table in: Tales From The Table: Dordogne Stories.

Don't Miss Domme

Henry Miller wrote, “Just to glimpse the black, mysterious river at Domme from the beautiful bluff is something to be grateful for all one's life.”



If you do anything in the Dordogne, take a tour of the bastides. These monuments of medieval strife are something to behold and an important part of the local Dordogne patrimony. And take Henry Miller’s advice... visit Domme.

After a steep drive up and into the bastide through the ancient fortifications, you’ll have a renewed appreciation for the builders who lugged these heavy stones straight up the hillside. Dinner with our friend Chef Pascal and his wife Monique at their restaurant on the cliff's edge will let you see the Dordogne the way Henry Miller did. Sorry... to read more about the lovable Pascal and his mysterious culinary ways, you'll have to read the book which includes one of his personal recipes!

Trophee Dominque Lavigne 2008

Our Good friend Roland Manouvrier, and featured "subject" of our book Tales From The Table: Dordogne Stories (to be published by Perseus Books) has won a coveted prize---The Trophe Dominque Lavigne.

http://www.parisgourmand.com/dernieres_news/dernieres_news/le_livre_gourmand_a_perigueux1.html

The prize Dominique Lavigne, created in 2006, was awarded November 2008, and rewards a producer from the Perigord based on the quality of the products but also the passion to share these products with the public and professionals. Roland produces high quality ice creams and sorbets using unusual flavors (goat cheese ice cream anyone) as well as ingredients he produces himself, such as honey from his own bee hives. He does not sell his ice cream to the public, but rather in high end restaurants. It's worth a taste, I can tell you that.

This prize is presented by the Press Club of the Périgord and journalists make the final decision.

Bravo Roland!!

To read more about Roland and learn one of his grandmother's favorite recipes, as well as one of his own for his fantastic ice cream, read Tales From The Table: Dordogne Stories

The Life Of The Party

On the day we arrived in La Source Bleue, a wedding had just taken place on the sprawling lawn along the riverbank. We were not surprised. After many summers spent in the hills and valleys of the Dordogne, we were accustomed to dropping in on the village bodega or harvest party. It seems around every corner lives a spirit of celebration that is part of life in the Dordogne. In fact, one could almost argue that life here is THE REASON for the party. In the village of Touzac along the River Lot, down an unmarked lane, this phenomenon is no exception, and after a day with our hostess, the niece of famed French actress Marguerite Moreno, at their family home, it was clear that it was not just wedding guests who danced the night away.

Read more about the magic of the La Source Bleue and the ghosts of parties past, in Tales From The Table: Dordogne Stories to be published by Running Press

My Nuts Are Getting Wet

Some of our most memorable moments in the Dordogne came from getting lost. On our way to find a walnut farm, we followed one of the myriad of hand-painted signs that mark local farms and purveyors. For what felt like miles we wound through the hills, forests, and down a narrow one lane muddy road until, poof, the signs disappeared. Despite our backtracking efforts (right), we never did find the walnut farm. But we did happen upon the smallest of the Bastides, medieval fortified towns, of the Dordogne called Molieres. It is also one of the unfinished bastide towns and is rumored to have a ghost. When we arrived on a rainy, drizzly fall day, we didn't see a ghost or much of anything for that matter. The streets were eerily quiet, the shops closed up for lunch time, and the lone arcade on the market square seemed to be holding some secrets. We walked through it and on a bench nearby, we spotted a crate of walnuts. We looked at them, curious how they arrived there, and were anxious to see who would rescue them from the increasing rain. Within minutes we heard the familiar shuffle of an old man too tired to lift his knees. In his adorable beret hat and purple sweater, he inched his way toward us (actually toward his walnuts). I grabbed my camera and told Laura, "This is it. This is the photo." Our photographer had stayed back to work on his own book so it was up to me to grab The One!!!. I set the light meter; I asked the nut guy in my best (worst) French if i could take his photo. He said "oui", but refused to stand still. He had another mission. Before I could click, and more importantly, focus, he started moving toward me, saying, in his best English, "Excuse me, my nuts are getting wet."

I ask you...Who can focus after a comment like that?!

Still, I love this (blurry) photo for the memories it brings. And he did rescue his nuts.

Moral of the story: 1. Getting lost is good. 2. Never let the real photographer stay behind. 3. Beware of getting in the way of a man and his wet nuts.

Modern Day Princess

Though she’s not Snow White, Wilna Wilkinson is a modern-day princess living a luminous life in this riverfront retreat. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself,” she admits in her lilting South African accent.
When she opens her door to us, the warmth of her heart and hearth is felt instantly. Wilna's walls and shelves are filled with paintings, books, and knick-knacks that tell of her years of traveling the globe, but there is no question the Château de Lalinde is her home. Though it looks as if she has lived here all her life, it was only two years ago that fate intervened and altered her life's course. During a holiday with friends who had moved in nearby, Wilna suggested they enjoy a nice dinner out. They immediately said, "We know the perfect little place on the river that you will love.’”

Their destination that evening was the Château de Lalinde and her friends were right—it was perfect and Wilna did love it. So much so that two years to the date of the dinner, she moved into the château she now calls home. Kismet.
“My being here is really serendipity,” Wilna says. “I had casually said to my friends that night as we dined under the stars ‘I would move here tomorrow if it were for sale.' The waiter must have overheard me because he said, ‘But Madame, the château is for sale.’” Even though she was not in the market for a castle (is anyone really?), Wilna explains that she was looking for a change. Read more about Wilna's fairy tale and the reasons she loves the Dordogne in: Tales From The Table: Dordogne Stories. due out this fall by Silverback Books.

Be there, Be square

Touring Europe is admittedly a dream come true, but let’s be honest--- after more than a thousand small villages, they start to look the same. When we first arrived in the Dordogne, we noticed a square checkerboard symbol below certain village names, and there was revived excitement at discovering something new. These marquees told us we were entering a bastide, or medieval fortified town, and while these villages also started to look the same, we realized it was in their conformity that they became unique. These fortified towns, unlike most villages, are laid out in symmetrical (checkerboard) grids around a market square. They exist elsewhere in Europe, but not in such density as found in Southwestern France. The bastides of the Dordogne are living monuments to the medieval strife that plagued the region, as well as a glimpse at early urban planning.

In the Périgord, approximately 25 bastides were built but only 18 were completed. Join us in Monpazier, considered to be the 'perfect' bastide, and meet Arjan and Mirije, a couple who has broken into this deeply guarded community to become successful restaurateurs, and who have become part of the new history of Monpazier. Read their entertaining story of local rituals and friendly neighbors, and of life as a foreigner in one of the most historic villages of France.

Party --Dordogne Style!

One of the many reasons we love the Dordogne is for its willingness to party. During the summer, not a weekend goes by without a fête (celebration). These convivial scenes bring out locals in waves who are eager to share their music and customs with visitors, whether honoring a season, the wine, the food or an ancient way of life. Flip through the local guides and you will see the calendar is jam-packed with something to suit any taste. We spent an evening in a tiny village (140 people) eating, dancing and singing in the shadow of one of the region's largest castles. Tables lined the village square and we sat elbow to elbow feasting on a meal prepared all day over the grill by locals. Brigitte, whose father-in-law was the mayor of Biron for 25 years, shared her recipe for a unique Dordogne dish. Despite the language barrier and a lot of hand signals, we even managed to make La Mique, and it is included in the book! Meanwhile, back in Biron, bring your own bottle applies, and beware the village punch! Fireworks over the castle culminated the evenings festivities that didn't stop until the DJ played polka music. To participate yourself, sign up for the culinary tour that houses you 30 steps from this one of a kind Bastille Day Party. www.vagabondgourmet.com accompanying photo taken by Ken Cooper

Market Life

Open air markets are ritualistic in France, and nowhere more so than in the Dordogne is this social and convivial scene brought to colorful life each and every day. Meet Nadine, a grower of 'Mara des Bois' strawberries so sweet and succulent, you can't eat just one. We know! Once a nurse, Nadine says she now takes care of strawberries instead of patients because, "they complain less". (they probably taste better too). Meet a few of these Vagabond Gourmets, many of whom travel hundreds (even thousands) of kilometers each month to the large and small, lively and full-of-life markets that make the Dordogne a moveable feast you'll want to sink your teeth into over and over and over... Bon Appetit!