Culinary Curiosity and the Urchin

Saturday morning is my favourite time to go to food market in Menton.

It's the one day of the week when the market swells with local producers who bring their delicious, fresh products from the countryside to town to sell to appreciative customers like me. It's also cheaper than my regular market in Monaco and always a great opportunity to people watch.

A typical crowded Saturday in the Menton market

On Saturdays the market closes at 1:00 so if you arrive after 10:00, the crowds are thick and the side walks are narrow so you get pushed and shoved, squished, and elbowed like a bargain hunter on Black Friday.  And believe me, older French women take no prisoners when it comes to scooping up the last handful of spinach or bunch of carrots even if its not their turn.

Food and Factory Merge at the Maltby Street Market

I don't know about you, but when I think of a food market, I usually picture rows of vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables in the sunshine with a sprinkling of craft stalls and prepared food vendors thrown in for good measure.

London's Maltby Street Market at Ropewalk isn't that. 

Mare's Milk

Even though I never drink milk of any kind other than a wee spoon of foam stirred into my Caffè d'orzo when I'm in Italy, I couldn't resist buying a bottle of mare's milk or Lait de Jument when I spotted it in the cooler at my local natural foods shop. Milk from a horse?  How strange is that?  Of course I had to try it.

Cow's milk on the left, horse milk on the right.  The horse milk is a lot whiter

From that same cooler in recent years I've had sheep milk, goat milk and unpasteurized cow's milk, all of which were delicious and made excellent fresh cheeses when I didn't know what to do with the rest of it after I'd had a few sips. The French seem to excel at dairy products of all kinds.  If you've ever seen the football-field length of the dairy section at any Carrefour Supermarché you'd know what I mean.

I had an idea of what the goat and sheep milk would taste like because I eat fresh goat and sheep milk cheeses now and again but I had no such clue for mare's milk.

I cracked the seal and poured a bit of it into a glass and without further ado, down the hatch it went.

It tasted surprisingly plain and watery, like a skimmed cow's milk with a bit of chestnut honey added. There was no single prominent flavour like you find with a goat's milk for instance.

I can't say it would ever replace cow's milk but the producer, Chevalait, lists numerous health benefits on its website and Facebook page.  

In their farm just west of Paris, the Belgian owners, a husband and wife team, keep about 180 mares who collectively produce about 90,000 litres of milk per year.  They ship the fresh milk to health food shops within France, Belgium and Germany.  They also manufacture other mare's milk products such as soap, cosmetics, and powdered milk.

 

If you're a mare's milk lover and you have €2,000 burning a hole in your pocket, you can adopt one of their mares and earn 5.5% interest paid out as €110 worth of milk every year.  Not a bad return for betting on a horse!

Would I buy horse milk again?  Probably not.  But speaking of benefits, I did find my daily run curiously easier than usual the following day.

Making Marmalade with Vivian Lloyd

Vivien's handful of just picked bitter orange

Back in February when I told one of my foodie friends that marmalade expert Vivien Lloyd was paying me a visit, our conversation went something like this...

"Vivien Lloyd?" she asked, her voice rising with excitement.  "You mean THE Vivien Lloyd, the marmalade expert?"

"Yes, that Vivien Lloyd," I replied, cool as a cucumber.  "Do you know her?"

"Of course I do,"  "I have all her books," she replied. "You're kidding right?"

"No I'm not kidding," I countered.  "She'll be here for a few days during the Lemon Festival and we're going to make marmalade together."

"OMG!" she yelped, a note of envy in her voice.

OMG indeed!  I couldn't believe my luck.

Citron Carpaccio and a Change of Heart

Every spring, I go on a bit of a citrus binge at the local markets, buying up bergamots, kumquats, grapefruit and citron whenever I spot them followed by a leisurely afternoon in the kitchen making marmalade and jam.  I've been getting some interesting results with poaching citron peel so I'm always especially on the lookout for them.

Our Olive Trees get a Haircut

 

Sometime around mid-March, little buds start to appear on our ancient olive trees.  Not long after that, Darrio arrives to give them their biennial haircut. 

Seen but not Heard. Cemetery Portraits

When I'm in Menton, and I'm in the right mood, I like to visit the ancient cemeteries. 

Both the popular Cimetière du Vieux-Chateau and the lesser known Cimetière du Trabuquet have enviable panoramic views from their grand perches high above the town.  I find both to be beautiful in their own way but it's the Cimetiere du Vieux-Chateau where all the tourists go.  Believe it or not, it boasts its own Trip Advisor page, filled with glowing reviews, I might add.

Seeking Nostalgia on Cat Street

 

Lately it seems I've been seeking nostalgia.  

I've started a collection of scratchy, old French 78 RPM shellac records that I love listening to on my equally old and scratchy French gramophone.  The idea of digging through boxes of old photographs and postcards or finding a shelf of vintage cookbooks makes me giddy.  Perhaps it will pass, probably when I run out of space.

Wherever I travel, I research the local flea markets and garage sales, any nook and cranny where I may find treasures.  God love Hubby for indulging me.

I can't quite put my finger on exactly what it is about an old photograph that pulls me in and makes me want to own it.  I think it starts with the sense that a moment in time is being captured.  Following that, I feel a wistfulness that perhaps the person in the photo passed away and that's how it wound up in a box of old photos:  given away by accident or worse, by heirs who saw no value in keeping it. 

I pull myself out of this swirl by imagining that it was once a treasured possession for someone in the past.  It's a little bit of an emotional storm.

In Hong Kong recently, I poked around Cat Street, always a gold mine of quirky vintage goodies even though some of them are overpriced for the tourist trade.  I found some intriguing black and white photos and some 2 1/4" transparencies that have lost all their once vibrant colours over time and faded to a cheery pink.  After a bit of negotiating, (natch) they were mine.  

Who are the people in these images?  Are they still alive?  What were their lives like and how did these photographs manage to end up in a dusty old box of photos on Cat Street?  

I wish I knew...

 

 

 

 

Luxe Snacks at the Christmas Village, Monaco Style

Now that the holidays are just a memory and a frightening number on the scale, I thought I'd tell you how, for us in Monaco, all those kilos got there in the first place.

Every December, Monaco's Port Hercule is transformed into a charming Christmas wonderland or a Village de Noël.  It's similar to those that pop up during the holidays in cities and towns all around France and it's quite pleasant to bundle up and stroll between the little wooden huts buying charming, inexpensive gifts and grabbing a snack al fresco. But that's where the similarity ends...

First of all, you'd never recognize it but Monaco's Village is in the exact same spot where the pits are set up in May of each year for the Formula 1 Grand Prix race.  Multi-million dollar race cars zoom around Monaco and end up here at the finish line where the Prince, along with anyone in the general vicinity, is doused with champagne by the driver of the winning car.

Mixed in with the traditional fare you'd find at any French VIllage, Monaco offers the sorts of food you're more likely to indulge in at a high-end gastronomy event than an outdoor Christmas Village...

There's champagne of the white or rosé variety served in flutes that are glass, not plastic.  There are a selection of fine red and white wines to wash down foie gras on toasted brioche and a variety of oysters.  Beside the oyster stand is one selling steaming plates of mussels and cold sea urchins with lemon wedges. Pinky wipes are kindly provided as needed. There's Bellota ham from Spain and Hungarian Goulash.  And if it's not luxurious, it's probably strange like giant marshmallows coated in chocolate called Têtes du Choco and on the savoury side of strange, "Cheese and Fries" and Badass Burgers from a "Secret Recipe transmitted from Biker to Biker." Looks to me like the Cheese and Fries were copied from Quebec and look a lot like Poutine to this Canadian girl!  

Monaco's Port Hercule.  A Christmas Fair in December, the Grand Prix pits in May

If you or the kiddies would like to munch on something more traditional, there are old standbys like Churros, waffles, or crêpes spread with Nutella or doused with Grand Marnier. There are entire booths devoted to cochonnerie, (I love that word) which is the French term for junk food like lollipops, candy apples, and cotton candy in your choice of 10 flavours.  Personally, I prefer a modest helping of yeast-raised, sugar coated doughnuts made à la minute while you watch and lick your chops. 

Apart from the food and gift stands, there's entertainment with daily puppet shows, karaoke, magicians, games, a Ferris wheel, a beautiful antique carousel, a skating rink, and sprinkled here and there, creepy looking sculptures. 

Good friends Christine and Geoff and I took a spin around the skating rink one fine and sunny day which was quite pleasant until a giant teenage girl careened into Christine and then took me out along with her.  After we pried our aching bums off the ice, we called it a day and fled to the safety of the Ferris wheel to take in the spectacular view.

One thing for certain, people in Monaco may not be skilled skaters but they're definitely skilled eaters.

Opposites attract:  foie gras to go and Têtes de Choco, giant chocolate covered marshmallows

The skating rink where the pool usually is

Decisions, decisions...

Your choice of 10 different oysters or sea urchins with 5 different wines.  This stand was very popular

Cheese and fries sounds a lot like Canada's Poutine.  Hamburgers are rare in these parts

Mmmm.  Doughnuts...

Creepy sculptures here and there

I love the bird's eye view from the Ferris wheel

One of the hand painted panels on the beautiful antique carousel

Maybe someone will drop some Foie Gras...

Bird's eye view from the Ferris wheel

See you next year!

Sun Saves the Day at the Menton Market

Paysanne vendor Madame Francine and her wonderful mandarin oranges

I love visiting Menton's market any day of the week but around Christmas, I enjoy it even more because it's busier than usual and that makes for a lively and festive atmosphere.

This Christmas Eve though, it all went a bit pear shaped when it poured rain and the skies were heavy and grey making it seem more like a trumpet with a mute than the silver flute it usually is. Very few people had braved the rain and the vendors were worried because hardly anyone had come to buy all of their festive offerings.   

Rain doesn't bother me in the least so Hubby and I were two of the few who arrived and hustled here and there, gathering this and that, all the while juggling wallet and umbrella.  After shopping for an hour or so, the rain started coming down in buckets so we skedaddled back home, dragging our bulging and wet granny cart behind us.

Thank goodness New Year's Eve was a different story...

The skies were a clear bright blue, the sea was glistening, it was 10°c and the air was fresh with a breeze from the South and the market was happy and crowded.  Very crowded.

A brief break in the rain on Christmas Eve

I think Menton's buildings look better in the sun

The lines to buy oysters and bread were two and three deep, less so for vegetables, fruits and cheese.  Menton's luscious oranges, kumquats, and lemons were on sale here and there.  We waited patiently in the long lines like everyone else and when it was finally our turn at the front, we took the time to thank the vendors for all the wonderful things they produced for us throughout the year.

Traditionally it's bad luck to wish anyone "Bonne Année" before January 1st but we wiggled around that by saying, "Bonne fin d’Année" which seemed fine since anyone to whom we said it said the same back.

Mentonnaise author Jean-Claude Volpi

Passionate Mentonnaise author Jean-Claude Volpi set up a table where he was selling some of his well researched and wonderfully illustrated books about Menton.  He also had a huge selection of rare vintage postcards that he was selling for a song.  I scooped up quite a few of those.

A beggar brought his cat and dog with two adorable puppies that attracted as much attention as the oyster vendor.  In all, New Years Eve was a wonderful second chance at holiday cheer for vendors and customers alike.

Now that the holidays are drawing to an end, calm has once again descended upon us.


I'd like wish each and everyone of you who visit and follow my blog a Bonne Année, happiness and good health in the coming year and beyond.

May your soufflées always rise, may your pie crusts always flake and may all who sit at your dinner table arrive with a happy heart and a good appetite!

I bought one of Mr Volpis' postcards of Menton in the sun.  This one is from 1972

Mr Volpi was selling his vintage postcards of Menton

 

Everyone enjoyed the sunshine on New Year's Eve

Tagged tuna.  All that was left was the tail!

Big crowds to buy oysters and seafood

Seafood, oysters, moules were selling like hotcakes

Locally grown bananas, holly, mistletoe and fresh baby carrots