I've returned!

After a wonderful winter break spent in the South of France, I've returned to my beloved Fregenal (and internet access).

On vacation I did a lot of reading, watching movies, lazing about, and cultural exploration. I'm going to pass on some memories and pictures of Christmas in this post; New Years and some reviews and recommendations will be coming later.

Christmas Eve was a quiet evening with family. There was a small present exchange (I was pretty spoiled), then a very nice home-cooked dinner. What made this dinner incredibly French for me can be summed up with side dishes and dessert. With the salad with had foie gras.  As a side with the main course, we had green beans and (wait for it....) chestnuts--cooked like any normal bean or potato. Really, really good.  We had a variety of cheeses of course: goat, blue, brie, sheep's milk. And for dessert: a French cake called gâteau Castel.  I've found another blog with a recipe and pictures, Multiple: THE Castel, but I'm pretty happy to let a real baker take over until the fork-part comes in.  
The only bad thing about this meal is that I'd not yet gotten my shiny new camera to take pictures.

Christmas Day: More presents, more people, a lot more food, and some photos!  This was a very uniquely French meal throughout.  We began with a salad with olive oil (from the trees surrounding the house) accompanied by scrambled eggs with morels.  The next course was vol-au-vent (which literally means "fly in the wind"), a hollow little pastry with something similar to a beef stew poured inside and around.  Main course: venison and more chestnuts!  Another assortment of cheeses, and a brief respite before dessert.  This is when I got the chance to really test out my new photography equipment...  After coming back in, a wonderful series of desserts including champagne, the homemade black nougat of Provence, a bûche de Noël (what we'd call a Swiss cake or a "log" at home), choux (puff pastries with cream inside), and a variety of nuts, fruits, and chocolatés as part of the 13 desserts tradition.  

The village of Montfort

Notice the formations in the distance on the right. Local legend's given them the name "Rocks of the Penitents."

Olives!

Although I was away from my family, it was a beautiful day which I am happy I could share with others.