Welcome to the 7th edition of my monthly newsletter! Each month, I intend to share a personal round up of the past weeks to give you a glimpse into my French life. I also share links I love, seasonal recipe inspirations and try to answer some of the questions I’ve received through social media as well.
Feel free to let me know in the comments if you enjoy this monthly gazette, and perhaps what you would like to read about next month!
Spring officially arrived in March, and Les GiboulĂ©s were here to stay this month! If you recall, I mentioned Les GiboulĂ©s had started earlier than usual in February, but it remained here in force throughout March. We saw an incredible amount of rain in Brittany – record levels – which continued to make it difficult to plan outings.
Small Spring leeks are here!
We started the month of March off with another trip to our local Kerbastard dairy farm. I wrote an article a little less than a year ago about our first visit to this farm, about a 30min drive from our home.
This young family-owned farm produces some unbelievably tasty dairy products, so we stopped in to stock up on yogurt, fromage blanc, fromage frais (a bit like Boursin), kefir and skyr! Great quality products at great prices. I absolutely love supporting local businesses. Do you have any local dairy producer near you?
Artichokes have arrived!
Not too far down the road from the farm, we then visited a place my husband went crazy for – La Maison de l’Andouille. Literally translating to the “house of andouille” this revered smokehouse has been producing artisanal Andouille (which in France, is smoked pork tripe sausage) since 1931. As you walk in the front door, you’re greeted with a smack of smoke scent and literally hundreds of andouilles hanging overhead.
You can find andouille very commonly eaten on top of savory buckwheat crêpes here in Brittany, with egg and cheese (also known as La Complète Andouille). My husband eats andouille in omelettes, alone with fresh bread, and also adds it when he braises cabbage. It’s not my favorite thing, but those that love it, absolutely love it!
The absolute highlight of our month was our trip to Venice, Italy. A trip we had discussed for a long time, and finally decided to act on.
Venice’s beautiful Dorsoduro district
As you may or may not know, Venice is an incredibly popular tourist destination. Perhaps too popular. Overtourism has had some serious effects on the city, its environment and its population. In fact, the population of the island city today sits at around 50,000. This number was double (100,000) in 1980.
The sheer number of Airbnb rentals and foreign purchases of property have meant that many locals (and especially their children) no longer have a place to live, or move into. All these changes also mean that the youth of Venice tend to leave, in order to find work and a place to stay.
Amazing Pasta Carbonara at Bacaro Quebrado
This was a big part of the reason that we took so long to take our trip, as it was a question of morality for us. So, as we planned our vacation, we took every step we could to try and take as sustainable a trip as possible.
We sought out restaurants that were owned and operated by locals, shopped in small, local owned artisan shops (for gifts, masks and treats/snacks) and took tours owned and operated by lifelong Venetians. We used sources like Venetian food writer Skye McAlpine and Phil Rosenthal as “help” for planning our trip, and we’re glad we did.
I also took this trip as an opportunity to finally disconnect from everything – which included social media, work and email. In fact, it was the first vacation I have taken in the last 6 years without my laptop! I cannot tell you how liberating that felt!
Despite the fact that I wanted to share my trip and photos with readers, I vowed to myself to wait until we returned home, just to give my mind and spirit a rest. It worked wonders for my mental health – I am so very glad I did it.
Typical Venetian ciccheti (small snacks)
I have already shared some photos and stops we took on our Venetian adventure on Facebook and Instagram, but in case you missed them, some highlights included our guided boat tour with Venetian local Paolo to explore the laguna, visiting St Mark’s square and Palazzo Ducale, stopping into nearly every church we walked by (my husband is fascinated with church architecture and artwork), the Murano glass museum, countless patios for a beer, Spritz, or Bellini… And of course, the absolutely wonderful restaurants (including Alla Madonna, La Zucca and Levante) that served some of the best pastas, cicchetti, and even pizzas, we’ve ever had.
Amazing pizza at Dai Fioi
Believe it or not, I think we can say we had the best pizzas we’ve ever had at at Tratorria Dai Fioi – and we say that having just visited Naples last summer.
And so as to not gatekeep any information, if you’re ever in Venice, make your way to Panificio Albonico, a very small and locally owned bakery, for some Cestini. For 1.50 euros you’ll have a tart that will knock your socks off. Only 2 flavors, pistachio and Nutella, and to this moment, I still can’t decide which was better. We went there each day to have one of each. I wish I had some right now!
Cestini tarts
View on San Giorgio Maggiore
Finally, the month ended with Easter celebrations at my parents’ home. Surprisingly enough, my mom decided to change things up this year, and my husband had to go without lamb… She cooked a paella! A delicious meal, no complaints, but not what we typically sit down to at Easter. That being said, we all absolutely love seafood, and we were all just happy to get to spend time together over delicious plates of food. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter too (if you celebrate it), and if not, a wonderful end of the month!
The famous Rialto bridge
Oh, and one last thing… Happy birthday to me! Today, April 1st, is my 37th birthday! I am truly blessed to be healthy, happy and living a good life in France. There are things I would like to be different, or change in my life, but the fact I am able to wake up each day to health and my family is the most important thing. I’m hoping and wishing the same for you.
Murano island, north of Venice
New articles added to the blog in February:
- A traditional French Easter Menu
- Navarin d’Agneau (Lamb Navarin)
- Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake (updated)
- Celery Root Remoulade (updated)
10 seasonal recipes for April:
- Piemontaise Potato Salad
- Classic French Lentil Salad
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Classic French Sole Meunière
- Asparagus Goat Cheese Quiche
- Basque Risotto with Chicken, Chorizo and Peppers
- Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake
- Olive Oil Lemon Cake
- Almond Blanc-Manger with strawberries
- Lemon Poppy seed Yogurt Loaf
Links I am liking:
- I have always been a fan of cookbook author Skye McAlpine, a Brit who grew up in Venice, Italy. She launched her new “La Dolce Vita” newsletter through Substack last month to share her recipes and Venetian tips, which could not have been better timing for me! I followed her recommendations for restaurants in Venice, and they did not disappoint.
- I always admire chocolatiers’ creations for Easter. This list provides some of the most beautiful Easter eggs from Paris this year. I love the chocolate otters by William Artigue – absolutely way too cute to be eaten!
- We loved watching the new season of travel food series “Somebody Feed Phil” on Netflix starring TV writer and producer Phil Rosenthal. We’ve been fan of this show since season 1, and this 7th season did not disappoint – taking us to more amazing places like Kyoto, Iceland, Taipei and Scotland. This is always fun, light-hearted, and a great watch for all food lovers.
- I am very curious about Lelani Lewis’s newly release cookbook “Code Noir” celebrating afro-Caribbean recipes. French people do love the cuisine from the French Antilles (ie. Guadeloupe and Martinique) but this facet of French cooking is largely overlooked outside of the French borders. This book tells the complex historical context of Caribbean cooking through 80 recipes and is said to be an “accessible introduction to Caribbean food for novices”. Saveur has a great article diving into this book, which I really enjoyed as well.
- I am definitely trying this Blanquette de Poisson next month, a recipe shared by Amaury Bouhours, chef at the renowned Restaurant Le Meurice in Paris.
20 comments
Good morning,
I love your recipes. I have made several even the Gateau Basque Cake, and it turned out wonderful. I gave half of it to a friend, because i cook for one, and it was to much for me. I don’t like to waste food, with all of the starving people in this world. If this month is your birthday, it is mine too, April 11th, is mine. so Happy Birthday to you. By the way, I just met a young French lady here in the United States. Thank you for your wonderful recipes and newsletter. Bon Appetit.
Mark
Thank you so much, Mark, and the happiest of birthdays to you as well! May all your wishes come true. I very much appreciate the support, and even moreso that you’re enjoying the recipes. Merci!
great post, and Happy Birthday! I didn’t think I’d like Venice, but I absolutely fell in love with it.
Merci, Mimi! Not going to lie, I thought I was going to end up a bit disappointed with Venice too after all the “thought” we put into it… But happy to say it was absolutely beautiful and wonderful!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful photos. We visited Venice last year and we loved it too. I don’t get to see Facebook so happy you included them in this e-mail.
Merci, Adrienne. I’ve yet to hear someone say they weren’t a fan of Venice. Really a beautiful getaway, glad you enjoyed it as well.
Fresh open unaffected commentary that invites exploration and experimentation. Again. Thanks!
Thank you much, Robert! Glad you’re enjoying it.
Happy Birthday Dear,
Sorry to not have your name handy. Thank you for sharing your trip to Venice with lovely photos. May you have a good year with lots of fun things happening. And may you not have to wait so long for your next get away minus laptop!! Sincerely your friend from Idaho, Martha
Thank you so much, Martha. I think the laptop staying at home will become a new and much needed tradition!
Oh yes, leave work at home, it’ll be there when you get back!
Very much agreed!
As always, a very interesting read with excellent images. I very much appreciate your comments about visiting Venice (and other places, I infer) in an ethical, sustainable way. Your comments resonated with me as we have a local issue with “investment properties” (Air BnB, etc) taking over the supply and impacting on the local population, as well as meaning that people come to our area and “love it to death” (we’re 2 h east of Toronto close to Lake Ontario). It’s created a sad situation in general, and is most noticeable to us when we attempt to dine out: the better restaurants are booked up weeks in advance; they are often understaffed; and a noticeable number of patrons are (not to put too fine a point on it) ignorant, rude, entitled boors. At least we live in an area that still has a good farming culture, with plenty of dairy farms and opportunities to support the local agrarian community. Thank you for continuing to enrich my day.
I know very well what you mean, William. My hometown just next door is/was under the same type seige, and a huge amount of once family homes are now AirBnB spots, vacant for much of the year, making it near impossible for folks like my husband and I to find a place to live. Between finding a place and the new explosion in pricing, we had to look elsewhere. This was also happening in Niagara-on-the-Lake when we left, and seems to be a problem in most touristic cities. A real shame.
I appreciate your kind words and support, and hope, amongst many other things, that you’ll be able to secure spots at your favorite local restaurants quickly. And may the farms continue to thrive!
Wow, just wow ! This article truly was enjoyable and you sharing with us the highlights of this month made me feel as though we also experienced the walks in the markets and thru Venice. I am inspired to travel to Venice again as it has been far too long since my last visit. What a beautiful life… and Happy Birthday Audrey !
Thank you very much 🙂 The trip was wonderful, and I wanted the photos to do the beauty of the city justice, which is hard to do. I’m sure you’ll get back to Venice soon, perhaps this summer! And thank you for the well wishes on my birthday.
Dear Audrey,
Just love to hear of your travels. Been to France and really do appreciate the quality of life there and the scenery and the food.
Happy birthday to you!
Please keep on bringing your travelogue and your recipes too to your readers. We can daydream of being there again.
Finally, I am glad to hear of your Easter celebration.
Best wishes,
Cynthia
Thank you so much, Cynthia. I am so glad my photos and stories bring you along on my journeys. I hope all is well with you and that your April will be filled with happiness. Take care!
Thank you Audrey for waiting to share these photos until you arrived home. The result is a wonderful selection.as for Venice, I wonder if you are already familiar with Donna Leon’s novels all taking place in Venice. They do weave the murder mystery genre with day to day culinary descriptions worthy of note. The first novel is Death at Le Fenice from 1992, however many novels came along after, including the 2023 “So Shall You Reap”. If you have any time or desire to read, these books can take you back to Venice for a safe easy and inexpensive trip. Ciao
Thank you so very much Kathleen, for both the kind words and for the recommendation. Believe it or not, you’re the 2nd person to recommend this series to me! Next time I am at the book store, a place I visit monthly, I will have to keep an eye out for this series – it truly does sound interesting.