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 14th March 2010
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Lot and Quercy Recipes Here is a selection of favourite recipes from the Lot and Quercy region, covering the departments of the Lot, Lot et Garonne and Tarn et Garonne. Useful InformationSeafood Vocabulary If you are bewildered by the range of seafood, the names, and the questions you are asked at the seafood counter, this should help!French Meat Cuts  It is not just a case of simple translation when buying meat in France, because the French cuts differ from those in the UK. Here are some explanations and vocabulary...Mysterious Veg  How to use the mysterious vegetables that you see in French markets.Flour in France .jpg){kind=small} Which flour to use for what; about the grades.Foie Gras Explained  Being unused to this product in the UK, the various forms of foie gras can be confusing at first...Market Tasters in France  How to deal with traders offering tasters at the markets of France.Market Manners in France  "How to deal with market stall pressure.British Vs French Supermarket Stock  Differences between French and British supermarket stock; how it is treated differently, and where it comes from.Supermarket Vs Market  The differences between supermarket stock and that of the markets and individual shops. What do you get for your money?Ordering Steak  How to request the ‘doneness’ of a steak in French.Sauce Names  Ever wondered what the difference is between ‘Béarnaise’ and ‘Périgordine’ sauces? |
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The days are getting longer and the woods are full of catkins and lime-green hellebores. The breezes are softer and the sun warms your soul. Spring is in the air. The soups and casseroles of winter are banished for another eight months. Or are they? How can you construct a decent salad with the sort of half-ripe, totally flavourless tomatoes available at this time of year...
When I first came to live in this glorious part of France I had a good long meeting with the local Maire. We talked about schools and children and local services – all the usual things – then got on to fêtes and food. Finally, as twelve o’ clock approached and his tummy began to signal its need for immediate sustenance...
This is a delicious accompaniment to roast goose, duck or turkey. Every ingredient can be sourced locally in the Quercy, and the famous Agen prunes can be found worldwide if you happen to be elsewhere...
This recipe makes excellent use of that most under utilised of all vegetables in England, the good old pumpkin. Every year they’re grown in their thousands and used as Halloween lanterns, their delicious tender flesh discarded. It’s a criminal waste....
Everyone’s heard of Salade Niçoise, it’s eaten at a million tables all over the world every summer. However if you come a little inland you’ll find another regional speciality just waiting to be discovered...
This is a classic recipe, extremely simple and perfect for supper on the day you manage to buy – or find – your first fresh truffle. Truffles have a pungent aroma that permeates the eggs beautifully, even through the shells...
There are as many deliciously different Pâtés in France as there are households to make them. Pâté Maison is a traditional family staple. The recipe varies enormously from region to region and everyone has their own version...
This is a recipe I devised years ago as an antidote to the excesses of the festive season. It’s delicious, filling, full of nutritious vegetables and gratifyingly low in calories...
Every region of France has it’s own classic stew or casserole. The most famous, and certainly the most abused beef stew must be Boeuf Bourguignon, closely followed now by the increasingly popular Provencal Daube...
Autumn is the perfect time for this delicious recipe, cèpes abound in the countryside and there are always plenty of enterprising locals in the markets who’ve taken the back break out of the endeavour for you! Autumn is also the time for inexpensive pork...
This is my own autumn version of a French classic. After the children of the Quercy have returned from their weekend walnuting expeditions this is a delicious way to use them...
This is a classic winter dish in southwestern France. Try to buy your goose from a farm or a boucherie that advertises local birds. In the run up to Christmas you will find one easily in the markets...
There are many versions of this Quercy staple. One can stuff the birds merely with the chopped liver, breadcrumbs and perhaps a little leftover Toulouse sausage, the way a frugal countrywoman would. Alternatively...
Figs can be used in a variety of ways; they are quite delicious served fresh for breakfast with a thick yoghurt or crème fraiche. They are equally delicious poached with sugar and lemon juice and served in the same way. But I like them best when ...
This is a recipe that you’ll find in many guises all over the south of France. However it does rely on the excellence of the ingredients so the world famous, succulent tomatoes of Marmande are absolutely perfect for the purpose...
If you happen to be in the Quercy in late autumn, after the vendage but before the cold weather sets in, this is the recipe you will need. There are many, many versions of Tarte aux Noix, and this is my tried and regularly tested favourite...
This isn’t really a regional recipe, it’s my own. However there’s a good reason for the name. The black walnut is ubiquitous in this area and was supposedly introduced to England – and widely planted in the Quercy – by that most adventurous of Queens, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
April in southern France is a gastronomic feast. The markets overflow with the luscious new vegetables and fruits of spring. Foremost amongst these are asparagus and strawberries, the perfect beginning and end to any spring dinner party....
If you’ve gone to the trouble of making your own mincemeat, you don’t want to let the side down by buying the pastry do you?
This is unashamedly an Anglo-French recipe. Taking all that’s wonderful, and quite impossible to give up, from an English Christmas whilst using classic Quercy ingredients.