What can I say? As our tour of Southern France continues, I’m so happy to have chosen to spend three weeks relaxing, eating and drinking in this part of the world.
It has been very hot, so instead of a lot of wine tasting, I’ve been indulging in thirst-quenching half-litres of Heineken and Amstel draft, which was on tap at many of the restaurants and cafes we visited in Collioure. 
This little seaside village on the Mediterranean is close to the Spanish border, so one night we ate paella crammed with langoustines, shrimp, and squid, along with chicken and ham, another night it was zarzuela, more seafood simmered in a thick tomato sauce in a clay pot still boiling when brought to the table.
Yesterday we spent the afternoon and evening in a tiny village built on a hill west of Albi. Yvonne Young and her daughter Jill were our hosts in a house built in the 13th century. We were invited along with some of their friends for a picnic on the outskirts of town. On the blanket:
Onion pie, with onions very gently fried just to soften them, then baked on a puffed pastry crust until they were tender and sweet.
A flavourful couscous made by Jill with the addition of corn kernels, which I had never had before, but somehow added well to the texture.
Hummous and local chewy bread
Green salad with tomato and Belgian endive artfully arranged by Yvonne and a lemony dressing made by Ramona
Fruit salad and chocolate cake for dessert
A very simple meal, but very satisfying. Later we clambered up off of the blanket and plunged through the woods to find the best view to watch the sun set, a large, red disk. Behind us the moon rose, almost full…and a fitting end to a perfect day in France.
The next morning Yvonne had been down to the patisserie and the market before we awoke, and when we came downstairs it was to a beautifully set table with hot coffee and steamed milk, heavenly croissants and pains au chocolate, and cantaloupe, cherries, and apricots just bursting with flavour.
Later, at the market, Yvonne introduced me to a man named Christian who specializes in making canned and jarred foie gras and duck products. Good news! One of his products is confited duck gizzards, my new favourite ingredient to slice on green salads, so I already have a can packed in a bag for home, and will try to get some duck gizzards to confit myself from Cowichan Bay Farm.
That’s it for now, more adventures to come…
