***ATTENTION COOK HERE AND NOW MEMBERS & FOODIE FRIENDS***

The time has come to sign up for the Sunday Supper at Dane's Body Shop March 27th 6pm!!

For those of you who don't know Dane, he is a fitness and overall wellness coach who has graciously volunteered his studio for our very special  potluck. Please see his website for location and directions: www.danesbodyshop.com.

My good friend Dane is a fitness and wellness coach, a local farm and food supporter, and demonstrates a holistic approach with his fitness clients with no "one size fits all" method. I am honored and excited that we will be able to utlize his facility in beautiful Hyde Park and get to know our newest member and supporter to our group! We will also have Sydney Pitt, a 100 + mile a week multi-marathon runner, amazing motivator, and certified nutritionist speak to us on how we can live healthier lives through our nutrition.

What are the next steps?

Post a comment at the end of the POST (not the page, just scroll down where it reads 'comments') and post your name, email address, and category you are signing up for and that's it! You will get an email confirmation from me with details. I will also be hosting a group shopping event at the Triangle Farmers Market at 9am before Dane's fitness fusion class on Saturday March 26th. If you are interested in that I will email you the directions and details on this as well.

Normally our group sticks to seasonal produce and a specific meat item, however with the large group as well as our farmers having a difficult time from the freeze I am going to open it to total creativity as long as you use organic produce, and even better-from the local farms. Meat items please try to keep organic fed, grass fed diets. Remember we will have no way to keep food warm, so get creative, bring a crock pot, bring raw foods, or if you want to cook on site let me know ahead of time and bring your own equipment! Start times are listed next to the categories but will we will begin our main courses and sides at 7pm, appetizers and drinks at 6pm and a movie towards the middle of dinner while we dine!

Below are the catergoried EACH person needs to sign up for in your group. This means if you have a group of 4 folks, you all need to sign up for a category, not two people on one, etc....

10 people need to bring MAIN courses for 6 servings each

12 people need to bring SIDE items (Salads, startches, etc...) for 8 servings each

12 people need to bring 2 bottles of wine AND a 6 pack of local beer

8 people need to bring appetizers for 10 servings each

8 people need to bring deserts for 8 people each

**This event will cap out at 50 people so sign up now! Questions?? Email Shannon Sofia Kimball at sofia1631@gmail.com

Until then.... Bon Apetit and stay tuned!!!!

Happy New Year! After several months of the rush of life, I wanted to reach out to all of you and let you know my plans for our cooking group this year. I resolve to update more often, begin to acquire more foodies, chefs, and farmers in our lovely group and have consistent meetings at least every quarter. This last year was difficult for many of us, but with 2010 behind us, 2011 brings new hope and awareness as well as new recipes using our favorite sustainable local food finds. I also lost the use of not one, but both of my cameras so the better one is in the shop now so I can finally take REAL food photos again and not just with my Iphone!

I am going to begin to make more contacts here and try to bring in some folks in San Antonio so that we can have dinners in San Antonio, Austin, and possibly on a farm in between cities. If you know anyone who likes to cook, has a local food business, or just wants to learn more about using locally produced goods please invite them along and have them subscribe to our blog. Our next dinner will be February 26th at the home of member Victoria, and business owner of La Boite in Austin. Please mark your calendars, and I will post the meat and produce selections towards the end of January.

On a recent visit to the Pearl Market in San Antonio, TX I found some incredible finds including these beautiful French breakfast radishes. They are wonderful sliced thin with a slightly sweet vinaigrette on sturdy greens, or even roasted with turnips and carrots.

Humble House Foods in San Antonio, Texas are our local cheese making experts, including one of the best camemberts I have ever eaten (even in France!), cilantro and basil pestos, roasted tomatoes, hummus, and other delctible cheeses. They sell at the farmers market here as well as have some of their goods featured on cheese plates in some of the best restaurants in town.

One of the things I love the most about the market is getting my first cup of coffee and buying a loaf of a sweet bread such as zucchini or ginger, and breaking a hunk off and eating it while I walk around and take in all the vendors' products and food. I always pick up a baguette or loaf of bread for the nights dinner as well!

 
I am finding many more vendors creating their own spice mixtures of gravy's like this one seen below. We have tried many of them from the Alamo Spice Company that are very fresh and creative, with affordable prices to boot!

What would cooking in Texas be without a good bell pepper crop? These were only 4/$1 and sweet and crisp as they could be. It reminded me of times I used to buy peppers at the regular grocery store and recalled that those peppers had no real aroma at all. These peppers smelled like peppers!! They smelled like you would imagine a pepper should smell... slightly spicy pure vegetable quality.

 
I will be posting more Farmers market Watches as well as any other food finds I come across in the coming weeks. In the meantime I hope everyone has a wonderful start to the new year! I will be posting on the meat and produce selections very soon on our dinner for February 26th, 2011. Please email me or post any comments or questions. Bon Apetit! :)Shannon Sofia Kimball

Peppers are definitely around right now.... roast them, take off the skins and make a coulis or just add to fresh salads, pastas, or tapas...YUM! 

I also visited the previously known Sunset Valley Farmers Market which is now the Sustainable Food Center of Austin SFC Farmers Market at Sunset Valley (http://www.sfcfarmersmarket.org) . They now sponsor the markets at Sunset Valley, The Triangle (Wed 4-8pm right now), and the downtown Austin Farmers Market. As we make our way into the fall season with the cooler weather, we will definitely see an increase in vendors and be able to sit outside in the eighty degree weather instead of these 105 degree days as of late! The below pictures are some of the things I have found around the market lately. I plan on visiting the Triangle Market very soon in the next few weeks to see what else is popping up. In the meantime, please send me an email or comments on this post on any impromptu dinner ideas for September/October, or of any new local products you have found around Austin. Bon Apetiti!

The new painted mural around the banner for Springdale Farms looks lovely!

 
Texans LOVE their jalapenos...and right now these are still around so go get em' and add to some pico de gallo or some eggs and queso fresco....

These Eggplants were pretty ripe and looked delicious..found them at the Sunset Valley Market

 
Fresh herbs are still around too, especially this basil....make some pesto and just freeze it so you have it for the months to come!!

We are at the tail end of the crop of peaches, but in my opinion around here the Fredricksburg peaches are the best! Sweet, Juicy and delicious on their own, or on top of some mexican vanilla ice cream with some crumbled sugar cookies or ginger snaps even better!

Brazos Valley Cheese....one of the new vendors I saw at SFC Sunset valley and he cheese is made with raw milk, so very fresh and has a good bite to it as well!

For those of you who have not tried any of Sweetish Hills baked goods, you can always find them at Sunset Valley every week, or their local store which has been around for years on west 6th street. Their breads are amazing, and cakes, sweet rolls, and croissants are to die for! 

Hope all is well with everyone! I look forward to new members and new meetings in the fall!

Ciao! Shannon Sofia Kimball

***Due to low participation, and low produce availability in Texas at this time, I am going to have to cancel our dinner scheduled for Saturday July 31st, 2010. I will update all of you with a new dinner date and when the fall produce offerrings begin to come up for us around Mid September. I am truly sorry for the short notice, I will be posting some farmers market watches in the coming weeks.*** :)Shannon

Join us for our Summer Feast in East Austin....exact location will be emailed to those who sign up, AND we have a tour scheduled for the Springdale Farmers Market (www.springdalefarmaustin.com) at 1:30pm for anyone who would like to go to this I will be at the farm from 12:30-1pm stocking up on produce and then the tour is afterwards.

  Above the incredible variety of heirloom tomatoes grown all over Austin....

Hello Fellow Foodies!

The time is upon us for our summer dinner together. Of course this is one of my favorite times of year as I am long time tomato and cucumber lover, not to mention corn and squash as well. For this months dinner, we will start at 3pm for preparation and dinner will be served at 6, with appetizers starting at or around 4pm. For those of you who are not sure how it works, please arrive early if you plan on cooking on site, bring your own cutting boards, equipment, etc...and make sure to post that you need to cook on site so we can reserve a space for you on the oven or grill, etc....otherwise just bring your dish and serve. For those of you who love to eat but hate to cook, you can contribute by bringing local beer and wine to the party and just watching our cooks at work.

Lastly, We do need to be pretty strict on time so that we are kind to the hosts house, so if you do not think you are going to make it you must let me know within 24 hours in advance from now on. Last time I had a few no shows and no calls. I have been pretty relaxed about this in the past as we were trying to get the group up and running but I won't be able to accept members for two more dinners after something like this occurs unless it is an emergency of some sort. It's only fair to those of us who showed up, and if I had known those cooks were not going to make it, I would have made other arrangements for those dishes we planned on that were not present.

The below is the meat and produce selections for our summer feast:

Meat Selection: Beef or any local game meat

Produce: Tomatoes, Corn, Cucumbers, Peas and Green Beans, Onions, Leeks, and any lettuces for summer salads

Fruit: Texas Peaches and Figs

Make a dish however you like using locally, organically produced produce and/or meat from the selections I have chosen above. You can use other ingredients as well, but try and make one them your 'main event". You will need to subscribe to the feed, and at the end of this post place a comment on what category you would like to sign up for. Categories are listed below:

6 participants will make main courses for 6 people each (including some vegetarian options)
5 participants will make appetizers for 10 people each
6 participants will make salads/sides for 8-10 people each
3 participants will make a dessert for 12 people each 
5 participants will bring at least 2 bottles of good *locally produced* wine (in Texas it is OK for any wine) per person (not per couple) and some *locally-brewed* beer. Consider that most cooks spend $25-50 (and up!) just on their ingredients. If you're not cooking, you should be prepared to spend at least this much on beverages, out of respect for your chefs. 

Please let me know who is coming by name. Once we reach 25 people confirmed, I will close the event and start another post for the waiting list. If the slots are full for what you'd like to bring, please choose something else instead. (Don't worry: There will always be another event to showcase your skills.)

So post a comment at the end of this POST in the 'comments' section (not the end of the web page!) letting me know the following:
First and last name *Whether you want to go on the farm tour at 1:30pm-we can carpool
Email address
What you'll be bringing (appetizer, main course, etc. and as detailed as you can so we don't have duplicates) 
If you brought wine last time, you should now cook something (unless you cooked as part of a couple and made a large entree).

If too many people pick the same course, I'll have to assign a different course to the last entrant.
If the votes are tied for ingredients, I'll flip a coin.

This is going to be great! So sign up before the spaces are gone!

Bon Apetit! Shannon Sofia Kimball

  A Seafood Paella Victoria and I made with clams, local shrimp, local sausage, local chicken, locally caught catfish, and bay scallops. It was a two hour process in the heat but definitely worth it!

  We ALWAYS welcome farm fresh eggs and make them into Deviled eggs-YUM!

  One of our furry happy members, Chloe Kimball (my dog/daughter...!)

  Local Mushrooms and flat bread, absolutely earthy and amazing....

  Another one of our furry happy members, Mr. Colby Victoria's dashing doggie!

Lorette and Sara's peas and greens, absolutely fresh, cooked perfectly, and full of flavor!

Melt in your mouth Spanish tortillas with locally grown potatoes, herbs, and onions

  Happy CH&N members munching away.....

Grits, a southern version of polenta will always find a seat in the house! Creamy and delicious...

Fish and Pasta into a carbonara...scrumptious, rich, and delicious!

Of course we couldn't leave out desert! Homeade strawberry ice cream...brought me back to my childhood with how creamy and sweet, but even better with the fresh chunks of strawberries.

For those of you who could not make it we missed you! Please sign up for the feed so that you may get my next dinner date in late June. In the meantime, happy cooking, farming, and eating!

The above beautiful potatoes I found at boggy creek farms will be one of our produce offerings for our dinner on Saturday May 22nd. The meat selection, and the rest of our choices are listed below:

Meat Selection: ANY TEXAS GULF SEAFOOD

Produce Offerings: Any potato variety that you can find that has been grown locally

summer squash

snow peas

lettuces & any beet variety

Fruit Selection: Strawberries

For those of you who are not familiar with how it works, there are categories you may sign up for. Appetizers, Main course, Deserts, Sides, or Wine/Beer. The host provides the location, as well as bottled water for the event, and they can cook something too if they like. You may bring your selection pot luck style, or if you wish to cook on site, please let us know that in the post as well as we have six burners and a grill so we will need to adjust times for each person to cook accordingly. Make a dish however you like using locally, organically produced produce and/or meat from the selections I have chosen above. You can use other ingredients as well, but try and make one them your 'main event". You will need to subscribe to the feed, and at the end of this post place a comment on what category you would like to sign up for. Categories are listed below:

7 participants will make main courses for 6 people each (including some vegetarian options)
4 participants will make appetizers for 10 people each
6 participants will make salads/sides for 8-10 people each
3 participants will make a dessert for 12 people each 
5 participants will bring at least 2 bottles of good *locally produced* wine (in Texas it is OK for any wine) per person (not per couple) and some *locally-brewed* beer. Consider that most cooks spend $25-50 (and up!) just on their ingredients. If you're not cooking, you should be prepared to spend at least this much on beverages, out of respect for your chefs. 

Please let me know who is coming by name. Once we reach 25 people confirmed, I will close the event and start another post for the waiting list. If the slots are full for what you'd like to bring, please choose something else instead. (Don't worry: There will always be another event to showcase your skills.)

So post a comment at the end of this POST in the 'comments' section (not the end of the web page!) letting me know the following:
First and last name
Email address
What you'll be bringing (appetizer, main course, etc. and as detailed as you can so we don't have duplicates) 
If you brought wine last time, you should now cook something (unless you cooked as part of a couple and made a large entree).

If too many people pick the same course, I'll have to assign a different course to the last entrant.
If the votes are tied for ingredients, I'll flip a coin.

This is going to be great! So sign up before the spaces are gone!

A presto! Shannon Sofia Kimball

To my fellow members in Austin and surrounding areas, I apologize for not posting any news sooner. My arrival back from France and having to move, find a job, work, and begin my school schedule again all took it's toll on the unfortunate time clock. I have recently moved to San Antonio and have a wonderful chefs position at a private dining establishment, and am continuing to go to culinary school in Austin.Due to my recent move and visits to the markets here I have opened the group to San Antonio residents as well! I have received positive feedback and a lot of interest from locals and farmers in this area who are excited and eager for our first dinner together this Spring. I will plan on dividing our quarterly meals between Austin and San Antonio until we get more interest and can move to monthly meetings.

My first trip to the Pearl Farmers Market (www.pearlfarmersmarket.com) on a chilly Saturday morning was informative and delicious. It was a welcome discovery to find new vendors that I have yet to see in the markets in Austin, including CKC Farms creamy and tart goat cheese products (I highly praise their cranberry goat cheese spread on toast...divine!) Turquoise Lavender local honey and lavender sugar (unbelievable in fruit salads by the way!), and Sol Y Luna Baking Company rustic crusty breads and seasonal danishes(their blueberry danish on this day was tart and flaky and melted in my mouth!). Though this market is not as large as the markets in Austin, they are growing steadily and will succeed even more with your support!

For us Texans...we all know that 'local honey' means more to us than just sweetening our tea...it is a known remedy here that it is one of the secrets to battling our horrible allergy problem in this area! The idea is that the bees will carry the pollens that we are allergic to, and thus if we eat just a bit of the sticky sweet honey each day our allergies will be better as we will build natural immunity. I personally know moms who begin their children on this remedy when they are young with great success!

Another product from CKC Farms....Seasoned Feta, delicious on it's own or in a seasonal salad!

These oyster mushrooms were so big and beautiful the picture doesn't really do them justice. The smell was earthy, and I think the next time I go I will have to pick up a bunch and add them to a lemon grass Asian soup! 

Some of the comforting rustic breads shown here by Sol y Luna Baking Company....

Of course I cannot leave out the produce! One of the things I love is salad greens, beets, and kale. Luckily enough this time of year is the perfect time to enjoy them! Recently I added kale greens to a beet risotto that came out sweet, buttery, and colorful.

The wonderful aspect about shopping at markets that I don't always get from going to the grocery store is the inspiration and creativity that stems from a shopping trip. When I go to the farmers markets I usually have my personal favorite items that I pick up, but also look for 'whats around' and then come up with a dish right there on the spot or it comes together in my thoughts along the way over a cup of coffee. I will update the site with more pictures from the markets and some farmers as I become more acclimated to this city. My wish is that we can share this love of seasonal, organically grown food and come together to cook very soon. Please spread the word San Antonio and Austin residents as our next dinner will be announced in the coming weeks! Until then...Bon Apetit! :)Shannon

The photo above is our homemade Mi-Cuit Fois Gras at the Auberge. I paired it with figs picked from a nearby tree in Puycelsi, and the juice of fig jam. This, paired with some toast bread makes for a great first course...just make sure you get enough of the sweet jam to offset the richness of the fois-it sends it to a whole other level.

Meat Terrines...though sometimes not appetizing in looks to the not so familiar, the work and care that goes into making a terrine the correct way as well as the careful planning of spices and types of meats will give the lucky guest a whole new respect for this typical menu item in France. The terrines here are all types-the fois as stated above, as well as this meat terrine, and we also make seafood terrines made with salmon, shrimp, and crab. Each are served differently in their own way, but all delicious.

The essential Apple Tart. How many ways are there to make an apple tart? Thousands! Without giving away the secrets I have learned here I will tell you that the number one reason is to use the freshest apples that you can find, and try to use several different varieties for the flavor profile differences. (This also works with Apple Pie-hint hint...) This tart made at the Auberge is simple and delicious, and we use apples that are fresh from a farmer down the road from us with the stems still intact when we purchase from him.

This is Coq Au Vin that had been braising overnight. It was one of the classic French dishes that I was determined to learn here in France (sorry, but my school and cookbook recipes just didn't do this dish justice!) and I am happy to say I have learned this, and am extremely grateful! Especially when I get to sit down and feast upon the rich meat that falls off the bone, the earthy wine sauce, and soak it up with a piece of fresh baguette from the boulangerie next door.

Yes....I am grateful for salads. Although I do not really consider salads, "cooking" the French are very serious when it comes to their salads and in prior posts I think you will find just how many salads I have come across here. This salad pictured above with roquefort cheese, is our version of the 'Salade avec Roquefort' that I have posted on when I first arrived in France. We pair our version with pomegranate vinaigrette, pears and walnuts. The acidity from the vinaigrette pairs incredibly well with the creamy and tartness of the roquefort and toasted nuttiness of the walnuts. It is a melody in the mouth and since I have been in charge mostly of the salads, terrines, and the deserts here at the Auberge I am very thankful to have learned that a salad, is sometimes 'not just a salad'...:)

Can you tell I like Duck? :) Duck Confit, a duck leg cooked in it's own fat is a dish that you will find on almost any French restaurant menu. It's considered an art form and everyone has their own way. Through much research on my own I think I  have found the perfect way to cook this delicacy. I have eaten this dish countless times here at the restaurant as well as others around France and have had it come out in various different ways. I am grateful for being given the opportunity to try so many of them thanks to mon petit ami, Devin when he was here as well as in the restaurant I work in. The key is making sure that the skin remains crisp and the juicy meat that lies underneath is protected. The result- when cooked correctly is a perfect dug leg with crispy skin that almost crackles and the meat underneath just falls right off of the bone, dripping in it's own juices.

Plat du Jour, or 'Plate of the Day' is something almost any restaurant and bistro in France will have on a menu. This is an item that usually the chef comes up with and then asks for assistance (me, or the sous chef for example) on collaborating side items for the day. The creative and fun part of it is that we get to use our own creative freedom, with the ingredients that we have purchased at the market that week. On this plat du jour we used a whitefish, similar to cod and halibut in texture with a tomato based sauce, sauteed new potatoes, and a salad with a mustard vinaigrette and fresh grated beets. I'm grateful for being able to contribute to the menu offerings here, and make people warm and happy inside on a cold day when they stop in for lunch or dinner. The later is one of the main reasons why I love what I do...to make people happy with food is something that I don't think even the top chefs in the world ever get over or overlook. I feel lucky and blessed to be able to do that here day in and day out.

Coquelet, or as we know them in the states as Cornish Game Hens have various ways of being cooked, stuffed, glazed and sauced... I don't think I ever really get tired of them. One little hen is enough for two but if your hungry it's easy to dive into the sweet succulent meat and crispy exterior skin. We like to cook them simply, in an oven low and slow, and let them braise in their own juices and root vegetables. We make a sauce with the pan drippings beneath and serve with gratin potatoes. Another key point here is making sure you get these lovely creatures from a good source and farmer in your area, believe me it changes the taste completely with the right sources.

Beef Bourguignon, or a slow cooked beef stew usually made with high quality rump or chuck roast cut into cubes seared properly, and then stewed for hours. This dish originating in the Burgundy region of France goes nicely with a Cote Du Rhone and also will stand up very nicely to a Saint Emilion Grand-Cru. I have been fortunate enough to have this dish more than once here and it is always melt in your mouth, velvety rich, with just the right amount of sweetness from the carrots and onions to meld perfectly with the juices and beef. This dish must also accompany a very good crusty bread, like a baguette or Italian white to sop up all of the juices.

While there are too many recipes to count that I am thankful for, these are the main courses that I thought best represented the classic French dishes I have learned here that I am the most thankful for. My goal before my work is finished in Puycelsi is to try and learn a few more classic dishes,and I will share those with you as well. I want to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving and know that I will be thinking of how grateful I am to have wonderful people, family, and foodie friends in my life. Until next time, Bon Apetit!

The weeks following my last post have been very busy. I have fallen into somewhat of a routine and find it comforting in many ways. My typical work day consists of waking up around 7:30am, going for a run or hike around the trails here and then heading into the kitchen for some coffee. I head back to our cottage for my regular breakfast of a fruit yogurt with walnuts and sometimes one of the delicious gingembre cookies made by the boulangerie across the street. I report to the kitchen at 9:30am for prep for both the lunch and dinner services and if we are very busy we usually are done by 3:30-4pm, and on a normal day I am out at 2:30pm and then head back in for dinner service at 6:30pm-10. I am given one day off a week and usually one shift as well. The weekends have continually been very busy bringing day trippers, church goers, and sometimes overnight guests. As the season is coming to a close now the restaurant has been slower which has opened up more opportunities for me to learn one on one with my executive chef for dishes known in this region such as coq au vin, cassoulet, and fois gras.

I live in one of the most divine culinary areas of France and consider myself extremely lucky to be experiencing it all first hand. I never in my life thought that I would become a fan of duck liver (especially the mi-cuit on toast with onion confiture!) but alas...I have fallen over into the dark side. It reminded me of the time I drank good wine for the first time, or coffee for that matter and realized that I was ruined for life. In the last few weeks I have worked and played. Mon petit ami Devin was kind enough to travel all the way from Texas and rent a car and take me to Cahors, Sarlat, and Saint Emilion. We had the most amazing time, and definitely without a doubt had some of the best food either of us had eaten. Below are some pictures, with captions on dishes we have prepared in the restaurant along with some from our trip.

This is a cheese makers case in Albi, France. Notice the sign on the chevre "Specialite du Tarn" or Specialty of the tarn region of France (my region). The French are very proud of the food that they make and the people here tend to always buy locally wherever they travel, including French natives.

This is the preparation of Ratatouille, the word comes from  Occitan ratatolha and the recipe comes from Occitan cuisine. It is also used in French (touiller, also means to toss food). The key ingredients here are fresh tomatoes, and aubergines or the french word for eggplant. Notice the olives as well which is an addition of the sous chef here who spent a year cooking in Spain. He has added a lot of Spanish influence to the dishes here and they have been very creative and delicious.

When fall arrives the executive chef likes to serve a different potage, or soup to their customers everyday free of charge. I am not sure if I have mentioned this but there are two restaurants at the auberge-one is a bistro which has it's own menu, and the other is a higher end restaurant with prix fixe courses usually ranging from 3-5 courses depending on which one the customers choose. Here I am preparing an amuse bouche of fried duck magret and a quail egg served on a toasted baguette with a potage of pureed carrots and creme fraiche.

Now this one has nothing to do with food, but it was so funny I just had to post it. The word 'Bizarre' in French translates in english as 'dangerous'. On one of my morning runs I noticed the sign and wondered about it. So I tried to get the picture as quickly as possible in case the crazy dog inside was going to leap out and bite me!

How often do you get to make an apple tart with apples picked from the day before? The apples delivered on this day still had the leaves on them they were so fresh. This recipe is simple and delicious on the key point that you must use truly fresh and delicious apples. This rule is essential for anything that is cooked here at the Auberge, as well as any other restaurant I have dined at in France. The execution is easy once you have the right ingredients.

This was one of the most divine lamb shanks I have ever eaten. Served with a demi glace and steamed vegetables, the chef didn't have to do much to this wonderful dish other than sear it off correctly in the right type of fat and let it braise overnight.

In Cahors we dined at a small cafe next door to a wine cave and souvenir shop. It was a fabulous lunch, I ate the salad above which was herbed chevre wrapped in filo and then fried served over fresh lettuces and a light mustard vinaigrette. The French are very serious about their salads as well as the main courses. I have seen so many variations on ways to serve a chevre chaud salad just in the last seven weeks alone.

This may not look like much presentation wise, but this was the best duck confit I have ever eaten in my life. The chef at this restaurant in Cahors makes his own confit from scratch, as well as his fois gras that we dined on as our first course which was made with cognac and honey. The crispy potatoes underneath lent the best texture to the most juicy and melt in your mouth confit I have ever eaten, for near tears at the dinner table that evening. We washed it down with a nice bottle of locally made terrior rich cahors wine.

I always have to stop anytime I see any of these wonderful pastry displays. The work and attention to detail that goes into making these is insane when you compare how little they sell them for. The macaroons in this area are to die for and as we headed up to Saint Emilion we saw different variations of the macaroon and different flavors. Our favorite was the classic almond with just a touch of sugar on top.

Instead of dining out in Sarlat on the eve before we headed to Saint Emilion, we decided to have a gourmet potluck in our hotel room instead. It consisted of fois gras mi-cuit, onion confiture, goose fois gras, toasted baguette, camembert and Roquefort cheeses and fried duck breast. We again washed it down with a couple of bottles of locally produced wine in this region, Bergerac.

This salad in Beynac was'Civet de Gesiers Doie' or goose gizards served over lettuces and sliced cucumbers. Devin had the pleasure of ordering this while I dined on a vegetarian platter after so much duck (I had eaten so much of it I was worried I may turn into a duck) I felt the need for vegetables on this day, but was saddened after the first taste of his salad. The meat was moist, earthy, rich...and just the right amount of acidity and sweetness in the vinaigrette was a harmonic symphony in the mouth.

This was Devin's main course at the same lunch in Beynac. 'Ris de veau a la perigourdine', or braised veal served with a rich mushroom demi glace, a fritatta of zucchini, and roasted potatoes. It was melt in your mouth fantastic. At this lunch I didn't have my dictionary with me and we actually thought he may be ordering lamb. Both of us try to avoid veal due to the treatment of the animal, so it was a surprise when we figured it out but also explained how the meat could be so soft and tender.

On to Saint Emilion! Yes...this really is a bottle of Petrvs unopened on sale at the Chateau we stayed infor the fair price of 6,000 Euros....:)

It was a beautiful day when we arrived in Saint Emi....here is me thinking of a career change and working in the grape fields instead.... I think I will stick to the cooking for now though!

And here is Devin...pondering the same thoughts. We actually discussed the possibilities of growing our own grapes one day and making wine. Being out there was an inspiration to both of us!

These are all of the barrels kept underneath Chateau Monlot, where we stayed and also has it's own winery. Their bottle of 2005 Grand Cru, as well as many other wine makers in the region in the year 2005 did very well and weregiven top marks by wine enthusiasts and sommeliers.

When we tasted this wine we understood why it was given such high marks...It is ready to drink now but will be even better in a few years. Velvety, rich and just the right amount of tannin and acidity made us smile from ear to ear.

The Saint Emilion night sky....absolutely breathtaking!

After our trip we headed back to the Auberge, and on my next day off headed to Albi. This was in the open market hall I have taken photos in before. These specialty sausages are typical in almost any butcher shop or market you come across in France as well as delicious and make for a great picnic style lunch with a baguette and some cheese.

Although this meal was far from French, the 'kebab' stands around France are also typical. This was a huge kebab served with salad and frites and their special tangy sauce. Simply divine on a day where we knew we were going to be walking miles again taking in the sights.

This was the view at the top of Cordes-Sur-Ciel....we were both speechless it was so beautiful.

As my last weeks here come to a close (5 more to go as of November 1st!) we will be cooking many more classic French dishes at the Auberge, celebrate Thanksgiving, and I will update more foodie pictures once more before heading back to Texas. I appreciate all of my family, friends, and member support and look forward  to hearing from all of you. Bon Apetit!