Author name: Jim

Chickpea and butternut squash hummus

This is  a recipe that I recently cooked for a tasting at O Panier Local, the cooperative farm store here in Orthez where I work as a volunteer. The idea was to present an easy dish for the Holidays made primarily with local produce from the store. This inspired me to add local butternut squash […]

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This is  a recipe that I recently cooked for a tasting at O Panier Local, the cooperative farm store here in Orthez where I work as a volunteer. The idea was to present an easy dish for the Holidays made primarily with local produce from the store. This inspired me to add local butternut squash

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Pan-seared scallops with creamed fennel and leeks

Coquilles St.-Jacques, or sea scallops, are one of the delicious pleasures of the late fall French table. The season  for their fishery opens on October 1st and continues through the holidays, when they feature on many menus, especially for New Years Eve.  Careful management of the fisheries has meant an abundant supply (Monterrey Bay Seafood

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Slide 1

Coquilles St.-Jacques, or sea scallops, are one of the delicious pleasures of the late fall French table. The season  for their fishery opens on October 1st and continues through the holidays, when they feature on many menus, especially for New Years Eve.  Careful management of the fisheries has meant an abundant supply (Monterrey Bay Seafood

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Oysters and bubbles!

Wow, its oyster season and still warm enough to enjoy them outside on the terrace!  Fall has been unusually warm in the SW of France (the new normal?) so I have waited to try my first oysters of the season until the water is cooler – usually I start thinking of oysters in early October. 

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Slide 1

Wow, its oyster season and still warm enough to enjoy them outside on the terrace!  Fall has been unusually warm in the SW of France (the new normal?) so I have waited to try my first oysters of the season until the water is cooler – usually I start thinking of oysters in early October. 

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Pan roasted duck breast with roasted quince and cabbage

The arrival of quince is a landmark of late fall:  quince are traditionally the last tree fruit of the year to show up on the farm stands, usually in mid to late November. So they have for me an association with the holidays of the end of the year.  This may be, in part, because

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Slide 1

The arrival of quince is a landmark of late fall:  quince are traditionally the last tree fruit of the year to show up on the farm stands, usually in mid to late November. So they have for me an association with the holidays of the end of the year.  This may be, in part, because

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Sare, France

A beautiful fall day in the lovely little village of Sare.  Located in the heart of the French Basque Countries, perched on a hill overlooking rolling green countryside and facing the Pyrenees, Sare is considered on the of most beautiful and most typical of Basque villages.  On a crisp day in November, the town is

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A beautiful fall day in the lovely little village of Sare.  Located in the heart of the French Basque Countries, perched on a hill overlooking rolling green countryside and facing the Pyrenees, Sare is considered on the of most beautiful and most typical of Basque villages.  On a crisp day in November, the town is

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Transhumance in the Vallée d’Aspe

The transhumance is the practice of moving livestock to high mountain pastures as the weather warms in early summer.  As I learned when I visited the Fromagerie Écologique Agour Irati, this ancient practice has economic and culinary roots. Moving the flock to communal mountain pastures in the summer allows the farmer to use his land

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Slide 1

The transhumance is the practice of moving livestock to high mountain pastures as the weather warms in early summer.  As I learned when I visited the Fromagerie Écologique Agour Irati, this ancient practice has economic and culinary roots. Moving the flock to communal mountain pastures in the summer allows the farmer to use his land

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Fava Bean Hummus

Still another way to enjoy fava beans during their (too short!) season. Thanks to my good friend Kelly Lillis for this recipe, which I first enjoyed at her home. This recipe works great for fava beans that have started to get starchy, save tender young favas for another use. The recipe is very quick and

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Slide 1

Still another way to enjoy fava beans during their (too short!) season. Thanks to my good friend Kelly Lillis for this recipe, which I first enjoyed at her home. This recipe works great for fava beans that have started to get starchy, save tender young favas for another use. The recipe is very quick and

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Just another Friday night in Orthez

Chez Cabaillou is a restaurant and bar just around the corner from our little house in Orthez, family run since 1935. At lunch, it bustles with locals enjoying their well prepared daily 3-course lunch menu – an crazy bargain at 16 euros. In the evening, the bar becomes a sort of working man’s hangout, where

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Slide 1

Chez Cabaillou is a restaurant and bar just around the corner from our little house in Orthez, family run since 1935. At lunch, it bustles with locals enjoying their well prepared daily 3-course lunch menu – an crazy bargain at 16 euros. In the evening, the bar becomes a sort of working man’s hangout, where

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