What I ate in Nantes

What I bought and ate in Nantes.

You've got to go to Nantes to get to Machecoul and fromagerie Beillevaire and then back to return to Paris. A few hours exploring seemed essential. I wish I'd taken a few days.

There's a Jardin des Plantes adjacent to the train station.  Nantes (Capitol of Atlantique-Loire) has been named one of Europe's most livable cities and ranks 36th globally, 4th best in France. Maybe I should move?

Time for a quick run 🏃‍♀️ around  town to search out caramels au beurre sale.

The Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne is easy walking distance from the train station

And a good place for a picnic.

The streets are narrow with alleyways worth exploring

I meant to visit the cathedrale St.-Pierre St.-Paul to keep A strong Belief in wicker happy but shops full of local products lining the Place St.-Pierre distracted me.

Naturally I checked my Atlas of France Gourmand before setting off but so far no chickens of Loue, rillettes du Mans or Eels crossed my path.

Petit Beurre biscuits are everywhere since 1886, when created by Louis Lefevre-Utile in Nantes - more info here about the brand.

You'll find them in every form. Some are calorie-free.

La Trinitaine called my name - a haven of biscuits, sweets and savory items.

It's obligatory to buy some salt/sel in Bretagne. Preferably the finely ground 'fleur' de Guerande used for seasoning after cooking. The chunkier salt is used in cooking.

Shelves of goodies await but how to choose?

I've seen Creme de Salidou on the shelves of G. Detou  baking supply, so how bad could it be? There's none left in case you were wondering. I wish I'd bought some bath salts but the sweet tooth won out with crepes instead.

I found the grinder for course salt in the train station relay/magazine stand.

A menu in the street looked tempting if one had more time. All-seafood.

When buying products in France keep an eye out for symbols denoting high quality. Have you been to Nantes? Do tell all. Shall I go back? 

Do take a look at I Prefer Paris' interview of yours truly.

La visite gourmande de la fromagerie Beillevaire.

 After my post on fromager Beillevaire (pronounced BAY-vaire) I inquired if I could visit the fromagerie. Perfect timing. There was a visite on Thursday. I was their guest to a tasting/degustation lunch.

I took the 7:23 TGV to Nantes in Loire-Atlantique Then a Transilian local train to Machecoul. voila 🧀 

We did not don gowns and masks like at Kaviari or do a walk-about. But we could look into the various processing areas from an upper floor. Our guide, Nathalie also gave us a slide show. Then detailed explanations of all the procedures.This is the yogurt area.

 The beurre  de barette is churned inside a rolling wooden barrel the old way on the left. A

The best tasting butter you can find in France in my brief experience👌

 Striations on the cheese are from turning it on metal racks (like Champagne bottles are turned). There is no set number of times a day. It depends on the look and feel of the cheese I was told.

Nathalie explains the types of cheese 🧀 found throughout France.

We had a mini tasting of 4 different lait cru (unpasteurized) cheeses from Beillevaire -Brun de Noix (with a walnut outer 'skin', a creamy chèvre 'Pont d'Yeu', Rocher Nantais,and a 'Secret de Couvent'.

Then off to lunch at the home of the parents of Pascal Beillevaire. My first cow sighting.

It's set in the marais or marches.

there were 15 of us so we ate family-style and good thing or I would have been "lost in translation". I sat next to Emanuelle, my own personal translator.

Our first plateau of cheeses were for 'Apero' time - no bread or butter is served with these. A Cantal, the Brun de Noix and the orange cheese is an aged Mimolette extra-vielle with hazelnuts and piped cream. Served with a Rose.

Second plateau was Somport Fermier, a 'Maki' de Chevre frais aux legumes croquants/crunchy vegetables, very unusual and tasty wrapped in seaweed, and a Rouleau de Beaulieu et olives confiturees(a Provencal olive jam to die for and a new product with Beillevaire hopefully coming out soon.

This is Emanuelle's plate who knows how to serve herself cheese beautifully. A pad of beurre a baratte is on the side in case you were wondering.

Oh la la.. Third plateau: Pitchounet, Fumaison et jambon de Vendee et Crème de Roquefort et figue cake (which will be available in December). The touch of Roquefort cream on top was the perfect contrast. Served with a red from Corbieres Domaine de La Roche Vive.

We got a little breather of fresh vegetables from the farm. I got up and went out to look at the marshes and get some oxygen. I was getting coma-'fro'maged.

Last course served with a different red - Cotes de Tongues Cepage Merlot, Grenache et Syrah. Saint-Felicien et viande de grison ( a special Swiss way of air-drying beef) and a Gruyere d'Alapage et pate de coing(a squiggle of quince cream on top).

You know I don't/can't drink much but I woke up immediately for the ris au lait au CARAMEL a toute a suite!

Maim!

Sadly I could not stay to visit the cows/vacheresse post-dejeuner. I had to catch a train back to Nantes and then back to Paris.

But the same cow as above is embossed on the Beurre de Baratte lait cru from Beillevaire and I can not tell you how many times I have visited that cow while writing this post or their wonderful chevre Pont d'Yeu. A tres Grand Merci to Beillevaire for giving me an unforgettable experience/une experience inoubliable vraiment! The degustation dejeuners is worth the traveling.  But there are 12-13 Beillevaire shops in Paris so do not miss out.

La Roseraie de Provins

La Roseraie de Provins

Saturday's outing was 1 hour train ride from Paris on the Transilian line at Gare de l'Est.

Provins (in Ile-de-France in case you were wondering) is the center for France's rose products. Confit, syrups, candies and of course all things scented, soaps, lotions etc.

La Roseraie has over 300 rose varieties spread over 3 acres, many you can buy on the spot from them.

It's a devinely serene place to go, relax and just breathe.

The various beds of roses are referred to as 'rooms' as in the gardens of Versailles.

'Conceived exactly as open-air drawing rooms, the groves in the garden contain superb examples of 17th & 18th century decorative arts.'.

Apple trees too. One can see why Eve was tempted. I found one on the ground, not wishing to tempt fate.

There's a lovely café outdoors and a full garden shop inside La Roseraie with vintage and current essentials for gardening.

I barely left any time to see the quite famous medieval town of Provins.

I'll have to return next Sunday for their bang-up annual fete Moissan with everyone dressed in full costume. I'm looking forward to the gastronomic part of the fete bien sur.

I did buy a small jar of the famous confit de petals de roses - a delicate-tasting gelee that goes perfectly with Beillevaire's creamy, slightly salty Rocamadour chevre. It's not too sweet.

I think you have to taste some things before buying like a rosey mustard - a good reason to return next weekend.

What I ate in Provins - A rose 🌹 confit ice cream cone 🍦 with Chantilly whipped cream.

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And what I ate this morning...YUM