Lemon Tart

French Fridays with Dorie: Marie Helene's Apple Cake

 
This is my ideal apple cake and officially the only recipe I'll need from now on for a moist, fruit filled snack cake that screams AUTUMN! It's chock full of apples with just enough batter to hold it together and it comes together in one bowl in minutes. You'll find no cinnamon in this, after all its a French cake and the French aren't real fans of cinnamon, like we are, (sometimes I think we are too much of a fan, just sayin') and with but a whisper of sugary sweetness it feels just as much at home for breakfast with a dollop of full flavoured vanilla yogurt (or as I did yogurt  with a  spoonful of caramel sauce stirred in) as it is with tea or a late night snack. But of course I can never leave well enough alone and that jar of salted butter caramel sauce in my fridge was just the thing to slather over this. After all whenever there's caramel sauce around everything in sight is a potential platform : a slice of apple, cake, ice cream, yogurt...finger... spoon... tongue... I'm blaming it on my Mom who made a mean butterscotch sauce and kept it in a squeeze bottle in the fridge. I'd catch her sneaking a squeeze straight into her mouth on more than one occasion. Caramel addiction is therefore genetic and not my fault.

This is the perfect time of year to make this cake because while you'll be able to make this at any time of year, this month is perhaps when I'm most excited about apples. They are fresh from the tree and they actually smell like an apple, truly, perfuming the entire outdoor market. They haven't been sitting in a storage house, waxed, or sadly mounded on supermarket shelves being completely taken for granted, grabbed out of habit and then eaten with duty and no enjoyment. No these market fresh apples are at their peak and since I haven't really eaten an apple since May, after all who in their right mind would eat apples when there's strawberries and peaches  around, I'm consuming plenty of these a day to keep quite a few Dr's a way I hope.

Daring Bakers: Doughnuts!

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious. 

Until recently I had it in my head that one should have a deep fryer in order to make deep fried foods. I kept rationalizing why I shouldn't even consider getting one, even when offered to me for free from someone in my family who actually has an "extra" one around. I feared having an appliance that served one purpose, and a kinda fun one at that, would mean I'd be deep drying everything in site and my already not too skinny body type would take a beating from just having it close by. Whatever small appliance company instilled that in my brain I'll never know, because that's just deep fried non sense! Those cannoli sure were a breeze to make in my humble stock pot with the aid of a thermometer and a strainer. And so were these doughnuts. Perhaps this is just as dangerous of a discovery as my fear of owning a deep fat fryer.

Truth be told, deep fried foods aren't something I feel I need more of, but every once in awhile there is a dessert that requires this technique and I do debate whether its worth the unpleasant smell and the vat of boiling oil. Doughnuts are certainly worth any small negatives and I tell you these little pillowly bites got my giddy on!

  I've had Claudia Flemmings excellent dessert book, The Last Course, for years now and it remains just outside of my Desert Island Cookbook list. I'm not sure when exactly I spied these sugar and spice dusted doughnuts but when I learned of Octobers Daring Bakers challenge it  didn't take me long to choose these for the challenge.

While there are indeed cake and yeast doughnuts, I tend to go for the yeasty kind. I think they have more flavour and seem more authentic, although I'm certain you could debate both sides. This dough was a simple egg and butter enriched sweet dough with a hearty dose of Orange Flower Water and tossed in a Cardamom and cinnamon sugar, making them definitely Middle East inspired. Next time having these alongside a rosewater pannacotta would not be a bad idea. The dough was quick and very basic in its technique with an important long overnight rest int he fridge to develop flavour. I loved the idea of cutting them into unconventional squares. While we all love the rings shape or the doughnut hole, the square made for almost no waste and no re rolled dough which always make for a tougher end product. They puff up so much that they still retain a doughnut whole appearance.

Daring Bakers: Decorated Sugar Cookies and What September Means to Me

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.  

When I found out what this month's Daring Bakers Challenge was I was ecstatic. Here was a challenge I was going to be able to run circles around, do in my sleep, with one hand tied behind my back...you get my drift. Cut out cookies decorated with royal icing have been a bit of specialty of mine for awhile, so there was nothing new to learn here. Plus, I'm a sucker for detailed oriented projects. Yet the day of the challenge reveal I was still decorating my cookies, slowly I might add. I got them done in time, yes, but barely. I know I'm not the only Daring Baker doing it at the last minute, but sheesh I really thought this one would be a breeze. Next month maybe.

Mandy's rules on the challenge, besides using the recipe she provided for the cookies, was to make cookies that represented what September means to you. Sugar cookies in September, and what they mean to me? Huh? it took me awhile to figure out what September does mean to me, and also how to make that into a cookie.

September is perhaps my favourite month and time of year. I love the clear way you feel the season changing into the next and the noticeable chill in the air, while still being full of the blue skies and sunny days of summer. The light in September changes to some of the most photogenic of its kind and of course as the leaves begin their descent into winter the world still feels alive and full of abundance. As a regular shopper at the farmers markets, this time of year is full of excitement as the stalls are chock full of so many beautiful fruits and vegetables and there's a desperate feeling in the air to ear or preserve as much of it NOW!

But even given all of those reasons, they aren't the only things that September means to me anymore. I was on my bike on a glorious September day a few weeks ago, the chill had already come upon us and I even spotted some leaves changing. It was on this reflective sort of day that I realized that September is quite a meaningful month to me, even if I wasn't entirely aware of it. Its the month I lost one of the most influential and important people in my life. My best friend, Heather, left us on such a September day, 6 years ago. And it just so happens that these cookies were a favourite of hers. So with her in mind I made a special cookie just for her in a colour she was goners for. As perhaps my biggest fan and a passionate and joyful person, Heather would have been a frequent guest and commenter on this site, and I think would have weighed in on some important food issues regarding the truly greatest ketchup chip or the best time for black vs. red licorice. and while life does indeed move on, during this month of September I feel a twinge of melancholy that she wasn't here to be part of something so important to me. How excited she would have been to see my blog grow. But this site is also not about melancholy or sadness, but about fun and food and the joy that food brings to me and so many of you. These cookies are with her in mind, and that means her zest for the oh too short life she lived. So with her in mind I say, "eat a cookie!".

Daring Bakers: Baked Alaska

The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”. 

Baked Alaska. Its a one of the culinary worlds ultimate contradictions. Well, in name at least. Ice cream sitting on a sturdy cake base wrapped in a cloak of meringue, then baked quickly enough to brown and cook the meringue. From what I can tell the ice cream is the Alaska reference and before baking that meringue really does pass for that ultimate snow capped mountain peak. Of course its a bit of a misnomer since while it does see a hit of heat, its not really baked exactly, just browned, or barely baked. While this does seem like true retro fare and a nod to the over the top, cheeky desserts of the 60s and 70s, in actuality, Baked Alaska has been around since the late 19th century when it received its name at a famed New York restaurant, Delmonicos, in celebration of the newly acquired Alaskan territory. In fact it had already been around for at least 70 years under different guises. Whatever its previous incarnations, this meringue covered ice cream bombe is now known the world over as Baked Alaska.

Nowadays if you enjoyed this in a restaurant, your Baked Alaska will likely not see the inside of the oven, but rather be blasted with the flame of a torch, a touch of modernity to an old classic, that's if you come across it at all. I can't remember the last time I saw a baked alaska on a menu, aside for the last time I ever had one. Early on in my gastronomic education I have a vivid memory of enjoying one in a traditional European restaurant in a small town where my parents still live. I still remember the pool of raspberry coulis that it was served with, and how enthralled I was by the idea of baking ice cream.

Now that I have made it myself, I can attest to its instant appeal as a showstopper, and  its make ahead quality make it the perfect restaurant dessert. I'm wondering if us Daring Bakers might just be able to start a new trend? Perhaps we will see a resurgence of this long lived dessert. I for one will be making this again - probably at some last minute moment where dessert is needed. Afterall there's always ice cream in my freezer and often a spare bit of cake. Whip up a couple eggs whites et voila!
For this Daring Bakers challenge, not only were we required to make a traditional Baked Alaska, the secondary portion to this challenge was a focus on brown butter, or  beurre noisette in reference to the nutty aroma the butter takes when it caramelizes. Browned butter is a simple method of heating butter on the stovetop until the milk solids sink and brown, creating a complex aroma of caramel, nuttiness and butter which take over the entire room. I would suggest realtors skip the cookie trick when selling a home, but rather just put a  put of butter on the stove to brown. After so many years cooking and experimenting once in awhile I'm reminded of a classic technique that seems monumental in its ability to affect so much flavour with so little work. I couldn't help but pick at a piece as it came from the oven. I loved this portion of the challenge and I was excited to see how this cake would pair with the rest of the dessert elements.

All that intoxicating beurre noisette left me tinkering with which flavour of ice cream to churn. A basketful of gorgeous Okanagan peaches sat ripening on the dining room table begging me to make them the star. I happily complied. Afterall, this is the height of peach season, which will be soon over. A fruit dessert in August was a must! I made beautiful peach honey ice cream, full of deep peaches and cream flavour and chunks of barely cooked fruit. And since I'm never one to leave things alone I decided I needed a contrast colour and flavour. A quick look in the freezer and the last of the mid summer sour cherry sorbet was screaming to be part that contrast in colour and flavour. The bright cherry with these comforting peaches, sexy brown butter cake and a creamy, sweet meringue make this one fantastic dessert!

Summer Parfaits in Jars

These cute, portable little potted desserts were inspired by Pim's cheesecakes and some whee-worthy new jars. I made them for a picnic at the beach on a beautiful summer night and was so smitten with them, I simply had to share the recipe with you.

It's possible I get a little over excited about some things. Mostly where food is concerned. Those who know me well might consider it charming and endearing or just plain odd, but this is who I am. I have always felt that the the real joys in life are the little things and am often frusturated when others aren't able to see such beauty in life's small details. Even something as seemingly insignificant as a jam jar.

I first spotted these oh so very cute, made in Germany, canning jars about 5 years ago in a European cookbook. Since then I have been tempted over and over in books, magazines and of course food blogs, as I'm not alone in my fancy for these old fashioned, yet elegant glass containers. Trips to Europe have left me empty handed and an upcoming trip to San Francisco was going to be my chance. That was until I was alerted of their presence in my very city, for the first time. I snapped them up practically skipping out of the store with them. When you've coveted something for this long, its hard to describe the elation. An unassuming customer walked by me, adding casually, "aren't they neat". Oh, girl, you have NO idea, I wanted to mutter! I held in my enthusiasm as best I could, promptly calling my Mom of course. As always she was a a good sport, listening to me going on about some glass and rubber rings. She's knows me and while may not always "get me" all the time, she always shares in my joy, even when that joy is about a jar.

I started dreaming of what I would do with them right away and it didn't take for me to dream up these lovely little parfaits. These layered spoon desserts were first to come to mind and a special dinner picnic was to be the perfect excuse to make dessert in jars. Each person's dessert was like their own little present to unwrap. I wouldn't have dreamed they would turn out so lovely and travel so well.

Made of a simple layering of lemon verbena pannacotta and bright red hibicus gelee, this is a pure summer dessert. No oven required, and a bare heating of the stove makes for the perfect hot weather preparation. I've had a bit of a love affair with gelee this past year, especially when flavoured with bright ingredients like hibiscus flowers and raspberries and combined with a creamy pannacotta. If dried hibiscus is hard to find be sure to get a nice hibiscus based fruit tea for a similar result.

 

 

Strawberry Fields {not} Forever : Classic Strawberry Tarts

 

I love going to the source for my food. Heading out to the farm to buy produce you know has been harvested within hours of buying it, seeing the very plants that have produced it, and even being able to pick it yourself, are all ways of buying food that gives me some control over its quality. This whole "eat local" mantra that has amazingly seeped into mainstream culture, is based on this very idea. Living in a big city means I can't feasibly do this with each fruit crop, but strawberries grow well on Canada's West Coast and they are abundant down here. I feel passionate about supporting these farmers and in my own small way ensuring that I will be able to enjoy such fruits as strawberries. But let's not forgot the real reason for my trek to the farm : They taste amazing! And with a trunk full of berries I get to make these beautiful classic strawberry tarts until I almost get sick of them, although unfortunately the season is too short for any danger of that happening.

A simple strawberry tart is certainly my most anticipated seasonal dessert. Its the first real fruit experience of the growing season, and after eating apple, oranges, and frozen fruit for so long, these juicy, sun drenched red fruits are those of dreams. A simple strawberry tart is one of life's truly greatest desserts and few combinations properly celebrate this darling berry. The crust is a crisp, buttery, tart dough which is basically a butter cookie. Its crunch adding the necessary contrasting texture to the soft fruit and the vanilla flecked custard base it cradles. The stars of the party, needing not a drop of extra sugar, balance on top. You can eat a lot of these if you let yourself, I assure. And you can just as easily make these topped with  raspberries and then blueberries as they come into season, although I confess they will not be quite as beautiful. By then we'll be used to summer fruits abounding the produce stands and markets, so our early summer excitement will have become jaded. Its my theory that a fruit like a strawberry has so much affection for it not only because of its amazing taste, but because we know we can't have berries like these for very long. Strawberry fields are really NOT forever.
 
I neglected to take a photo of the historic bridge to Westham Island. This stunning photo of the 100 year old landmark is courtesy of Jerk with a Camera.

When mid June hits, you'll find me driving out to the small agricultural community of Westham Island, about a 30 minute drive from my home in Vancouver. This island is home to many family owned berry farms, a winery, and has a notable bird sanctuary.  As you head out to the island you'll see a large community of permanent houseboats on the water, which is one of the largest in Canada. The Island is connected by this charming wooden bridge that turns 100 years this year.

Upon entrance onto the island, just in case you were worried about who would protect you from, well, something, a large sign reminds you that it is protected by the local gun club. Good to know...I'll get my strawberries and be on my way, thanks!

Daring Bakers: Chocolate Pavlovas with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.

This month's chocolate pavlova is not a new dish for me. The national dessert of Australia, named after a famous ballerina, and one of the worlds most under appreciated desserts, has always been a favourite of mine. Never heard of it? Well, its a meringue - a simple whipping of egg whites and sugar, spread into a puffy disc and baked long and low in the oven until it cracks and dries. Deep inside it retains a puffy, chewy, marshmallow like centre. Hmm... this sounds like a friend of mine... This disk of non fat goodness gets smothered with whipped cream and then piled high with fresh fruit. Even if its sometimes a hard sell on paper, its always a hit once served. I've made many a version, some chocolate, some vanilla, covered in canned fruit or frozen raspberries, but usually with local fruit at the height of summer, after all this really is the perfect summertime dessert. I've filled them with the classic whipped cream, pastry cream, chocolate sauce and all manner of ice cream and sorbet, my favourite way indeed. Coincidentally last month I enjoyed a perfect example crafted by my friend, Bryan, done to such complete perfection it would have made any Aussie proud. It was a showstopping plateful of crispy, craggy, golden tinged meringue - marshmallow-y in the middle, just as it should be - covered with barely sweetened whipped cream and then generously strewn with jewel coloured papaya, kiwi, strawberries and passion fruit. The fact that 6 of us easily polished all 10 inches of it is  testament to its tastiness factor, but also to its lightness.

This version definitely has a little more "oomph" to it and would satisfy any manner of chocophile. Its chocolate based meringue deepens as it cooks providing the perfect crunchy base for the bittersweet chocolate mousse its served with. The mascarpone cheese in the mousse adds body while keeping the sweetness down. The entire thing is doused in custard, a break if you will from all that chocolate, but also a pleasing contrast in colour. I tend to love a little fruit with my chocolate desserts, so the creme anglaise also goes beautifully with the fresh strawberries I chose to serve alongside. With berries this beautiful there was simply no way they weren't going to weasel their way onto this plate! 

This challenge wasn't one of my favourites, although that's no fault of the dish itself or the recipe. I just tend to be in the minority as someone who really doesn't consider a chocolate based dessert my desert island sweet of choice. But as with every one of these Daring Bakers challenges, I come away either learning something completely new or re discovering something in my repertoire. And this one was no different. I was excited to practice my cheese making abilities, and had the opportunity to make mascarpone cheese for the second time. And let me tell you a little secret: it's really not so difficult. In fact, its a shame the dairy industry has convinced us to buy it rather than make our own. The flavour is pure cream, as it should be without the oh so attractive xantham gum and stabilizers, and the effort is basically heating up cream, stirring and draining. That's it! Shh... don't tell!

I also was reminded of how much I really I do love a crispy base of meringue and that I don't make them enough. As an avid maker of ice cream, custards and sweet tart doughs, all of which require yolks only, I always have a problem of having too many egg whites cluttering up my freezer. Indeed I believe I have not been without a supply for 6 years! These are so easy to make, practically cooking themselves, and keep beautifully. The bonus is the use of large amounts of egg whites. So thank you Daring Bakers, for reminding me to keep making those meringues and pavlovas. Wouldn't you agree that nothing dresses up a simple scoop of ice cream or sorbet than this lovely edible dish? The chocolate sauce doesn't hurt either!

 

Crab Bisque and My Crab Adventure

On the heals of another surprise Crab-load, I made a huge batch of crab bisque recently, when DG's brother sent down a bag of crabs caught just the day before. What better way to deal with a sac full of beautiful Dungeness Crab than a bubbly pot of creamy, seafood goodness! I was pleased to have this kind of problem, as I always am when its free! Considering I pay about $25 for a crab, that's "A" crab, I felt almost dirty opening up my industrial mayonnaise bucket turned ice chest, only to lose count of the number of crabs inside due to the sheer number of them! That dirty feeling was replaced by ravenous hunger and a need to crack them all open with a bucket of lemon butter and bottle of wine.

After combing the internet for a decent crab bisque recipe, I came across just one worthy recipe, which I've followed before with great success. The rest were far too complicated. I'm hoping this recipe will help a few of you with your problem of too many crabs. This makes a beautiful soup full of crab flavour that is just the right foil for fresh chunks of fresh picked crab meat, without loads of heavy cream. It's an impressive first course and can stand on its own for a weeknight meal. Best of all, despite its grandeur, this is one simple soup to make and really you just need to get your hands on just a couple crabs, not a sack-ful. Scroll down for the recipe!

While I tackled the heap of crabs in my sink in preparation for this soup, my hands numbing to the repetitive cracking and childlike messiness that endured, my thoughts easily wandered to catching our own last summer.  I always meant to chronicle it here, but was unimpressed by the photos I'd taken, and well you know how summer just sort of gets away from you with the combination of carefree laziness and cram-it-all-in-ness. We had this planned for about a year and it turns out that looking forward to the big Crab Fest meant that when it was finally here, all I cared about was getting them out of the water and into my stomach rather than obsessively photographing each moment! This is something I'm constantly struggling with as a blogger, the needs of my own before the needs of my reader. Or shall I say, the needs of my stomach. As I plucked through those crab shells though I couldn't help but remember that day and thought you might like to see a little of what its like to take to the ocean and grab dinner for yourself. I won't have the chance to revisit this experience again this summer but I'm already planning Crab Fest 2011! But until then...

The great adventure all began in Prince Rupert BC, on Northern BC's (that's Canada, BTW) coast. This is a big time fishing town and of course seafood is all around. Prince Rupert is a lovely town full of history and quaint beauty. I spent 4 years of my childhood there and remember crab sandwiches as more common than peanut butter and jelly. But the story of this small town is for another time. This day was only about one little thing - crab!

When undertaking a day trip such as this one, the right "spot" it essential. This is to be our home base for a few hours, a waiting room if you will, complete with fire pit, plenty of tiny crabs, sea snails and other marine life to entertain the younger members of the party, as well as me. I do love a good beach-comb!

 

 

 

In order to guarantee lunch, we had to give these little critters their "Death Row Meal", if you will. We got quickly to work setting up traps. Some tasty fish heads and other nasty bits are pretty tempting don't you think?

Traps? Check! Nasty bits? Check! All set to go!

A Proper Lemon Tart : 100th Post!

 

I can't believe its here! My 100th post. When I started this blog, it had taken me close to a year to actually do it. I wasn't convinced I had anything new to offer the world FULL of food bloggers, but I was reminded time and again that I did have something to say, to share and to learn for myself and so I decided to call it Lemon Tart, took some pretty pictures, struggled with creating a custom banner and hit "publish" and put it out there. I've learned quite a bit about food photography and writing and how I like to tell a story and hopefully show you a bit of who I am through food. I've discovered that so many of my fellow bloggers are kind, generous and as excited as I am about the world of food and in this experience I've found my community. I've also learned tremendous respect for  those amazing bloggers who've not only been doing this for years, but still manage to post weekly or even daily. I'm still working on that, and I promise those of you who've continued to return to these pages, that the next 100 posts are going to go much faster than the first. I still have so much to share with you!

In the beginning I decided I would do it until it no longer fed me, and that was was my simple goal. Well, its turns out it continues to feed me, and hopefully my readers too, and I can see many more "100" posts to come. Thanks to each of you who have continued to return, thank you for your comments and your interest in what I have to say. While I can say I started this little blog of mine for myself, I continue to do it for you.

So celebrations aside now, I must say its rather shameful of me to call my blog lemon tart with nary a recipe for a lemon tart to be found.  If you are a lover of that sweet and tart, soft and crunchy, most classic of all desserts, look no furthur. Today I'm sharing my most trusted lemon tart recipe. It is the first one I ever made, the first dessert that I made money and fans from, and so many lemon tarts later, still the one I consider a benchmark for my idea of the perfect lemon tart. Its also the easiest lemon tart recipe I've come across. This tart is exactly that, almost mouth puckering. All too often lemon tarts are too sweet and lacking in lemon. This recipe has just the right balance and has a secret ingredient - oranges! Yes, I know it seems sacrilegious, but it simply balances all the ingredients and gives a sweetness in place of sugar. You can't detect the orange, but its essential for the roundness of flavours. You'll be amazed!

And I have others I want to share with you: a tart that grinds up the entire fruit for the filling, a deconstructed filling that adds cold butter to an already cooked lemon egg mixture, a whipped version I learned in Nice, and a trusted recipe sent to me from a reader and fellow fan of a beloved cookbook author. There are just so many lemon tart recipes out there so stay tuned for more lemony goodness! My love of the lemon tart does not waver and it goes down as one of my top three favourite desserts.

Vacherin Mont D'Or Fondue

There's a new category here at Lemon Tart - Cheese. I'm not sure why its taken me so long to feature a food that I am so passionate about. From my humble middle class roots of cheddar and mozzarella in the cheese bin, through to the finest cheese carts of France, I am constantly on the search for  great cheese. Some might consider this passion to border on obsessive, but I'm okay with that. 

While there might have been a time in my life where I toyed with veganism, cheese would have proved my downfall. Early on, I'll thank my mother for instilling in me an appreciation for the sharpest cheddars, a rarity in friends refrigerators at that time. This taste prepared me for the big, strong cheeses I favour.

Cheese experiences of my youth included summers spent in Salmon Arm, BC where my friend's family would buy large wheels of locally made aged Gouda, which became an instant favourite of mine and I still snap up whenever I come across it. As a teen, my best friends' German heritage introduced me to Havarti - known as "breakfast cheese" in her family -  and a strange but alluring tradition of cheese at breakfast. Of course I've since jumped on that breakfast cheese bandwagon on my travels since. A school tour of the Armstrong cheese factory when it was indeed made in Armstrong BC, remains a clear childhood memory, where we snacked on cheese curds and saw how, almost magically, those orange blocks were created. Fast forward to  a closet sized cheese shop in Vancouver many years ago with limited knowledge of the world of cheese, where with  each visit I would declare "three new ones please". Cheese by cheese I learned more about what I liked and didn't, guided by fantastic professionals. Then, in 2005, I set foot for the first time in a Fromagerie in Paris, where I was speechless and overwhelmed, and felt like I had just come home. Next came one in Dijon, then Avignon, and many more since. Those heavenly Fromageries with cheeses  so beautifully displayed on wooden shelves, void of plastic wrap, staffed always by the loveliest people, is where my education truly began, and continues to.

Each Christmas I await, with anticipation, the arrival of the first of the Vacherin Mont D'Or. This is a winter cheese available from about November to end of March - a perfect New Years treat! By surprise I  recently happened upon a few wheels unexpectedly on the bottom shelf at my local cheesemonger, still in fantastic shape. I snapped it up, eager for one last Mont D' Or fix. The last one got gobbled up before I would even consider getting the camera out, so this was a big bonus in March.