Innholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2023 i My French Country Home

Dear Readers, Spring is now well advanced, and each new day beckons us outside. This time of year always awakens the senses and instils a fresh excitement and yearning to explore, whether in my own garden or farther afield. Our latest issue should inspire you, too, to make the most of what the season has to offer! We have several glorious homes to share with you, starting with the Loire Valley estate of Arthur van der Straeten, an antiques dealer who transformed the former “folie” of a nearby château into a dazzling refuge from his busy urban life in Paris. We also get a rare peek inside an ancient estate in Normandy, which textile company Pierre Frey re-clothed in updated patterns and colors to celebrate the brand’s 200th anniversary. Heading…

* What’s new? Taste of Paris Taste of Paris is THE gourmet food event of the year. From May 11 - 14, you can find the best of France’s culinary world assembled under one roof, including professional chefs, expert mixologists and discerning sommeliers. On the menu: tastings, demonstrations and masterclasses from Michelin-starred chefs to the new rising stars on the scene. Paris.tastefestivals.com Cosmydor Parisian skincare brand Cosmydor was initially founded in 1877, but it has recently been relaunched with a new eco-conscious vision. This heritage company now boasts high quality organic ingredients in sleek recyclable glass and aluminum packaging, with a zero carbon footprint. We especially love their rosemary hand cream! www.cosmydor.boutique French Open Looking for some athletic inspiration this summer? Take advantage of the opening week of the French…

Herb Fritters (Kuku) Serves 8 Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Ingredients For the garlic-yogurt sauce (see Notes) • 2 pink garlic cloves (or 3 ½ oz./100 g mousir, dried Persian shallots, soaked in cold water for 3 to 4 hours, then drained)• 2 cups (1 lb./500 g) regular or Greek-style plain yogurt For the herb fritters (see Notes) • 1 bunch parsley• 1 bunch cilantro• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour• ½ cup (125 ml) peanut oil, divided• 1 bunch dill• 2 onions• 6 eggs To prepare the garlic-yogurt sauce, peel the garlic cloves and remove the germs. Crush with a garlic press (or mince the mousir) and stir into the yogurt. Cover and refrigerate. To prepare the herb fritters, wash, dry, and roughly chop the herbs. Peel and…

Despite what many of us might be thinking, creating a memorable dining experience outside is not the innate inheritance of the French alone, but a combination of tried-and-true tips that you, too, can deploy at home or during your next holiday in France. The most important thing when planning your evening or afternoon’s entertainment is to avoid overwhelming your guests. Rather than the crisply starched tablecloths and gilt cutlery of a Parisian bistro, eating outdoors has a particular sense of whimsicalness — a rarity that should be enjoyed. Setting up your table is all about transforming your outdoor space into a sanctuary where playing, entertaining and unwinding are encouraged. The next consideration is where to place your table. When dining outside, it is important to take weather conditions into account.…

To make this bouquet, we used: • 3 large stems of euphorbia • 10 stems of cornflower • 20 stems of pencil irises • 20 stems of multi-headed roses • 10 heads of agapanthus • 20 stems of deep pink antirrhinums • Mixed foliage for background texture Create this bouquet and bring the opulence of the season into your home. This is a large and top-heavy bouquet, so the choice of vase is very important. The ideal shape for this display is a vessel with a wide opening that allows the stems to splay out in all directions, giving them some freedom to “droop” a little, which looks more romantic. There should be no need to use wire to position the stems — they will hold each other in place.…

City Of Incurable Women Maud Casey - Saint Lucy Books In a fusion of fact, fiction and photography, City Of Incurable Women follows the work of famous, or infamous, 19th century French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. It poetically investigates what history has long ignored: the lives and experiences of Charcot’s patients beyond the purely medical identity he assigned them. Daughters Beyond Command Véronique Olmi, (Translated by Alison Anderson) - Europa Editions It’s 1970, and French society is changing. Women have emancipated themselves whilst men have lost their bearings, and three sisters from a modest Catholic family in Aix-en-Provence must each find their own way far away from the morality, education and the religion of their childhood. In this new translation, Alison Anderson brings the stories of Sabine, Hélène and Mariette to a…

When we — my eight-year-old daughter, my mother, and our three very large dogs from the Bedford, N.Y., SPCA — packed up and moved to France, I had a plan. It was simple: We would stay for two years. That was more than 30 years ago. Many of my American friends now tell me I am more French than American. I doubt my French friends concur. I consider my situation a fortuitous blending of the two cultures and as a result I am clearly not the person I would have been had we not embarked on our great French adventure. Because of those happy coincidences I’ve come to realize that every day is filled with products I now feel I cannot live without, so I thought I would share some…

Tish Jett is an author, a journalist and a former editor at the International Herald Tribune and American ELLE. She pens our regular “Just Between Us” column. www.tishjett.com @tishjett Franck Schmitt is an author, photographer and journalist. He photographed the Jardin de la Mothe in the Aveyron, as well as created and photographed the freshly picked vegetable recipes for this edition. www.franckschmitt.fr @franckschmitt.fr Eric Martin is a photojournalist noted for his work in Le Figaro Magazine. Our latest “Portfolio” exploring the behind the scenes at the Ritz Hotel is seen through his talented lens. www.ericmartin.smugmug.com @photoericmartin Julie Limont is a French photographer with a passion for artisan craftsmanship. She shot the piece about Michel Le Guilcher, a master wicker worker. www.julielimont.com @julielimont Teddy Verneuil is a French photographer who shoots…

When Marion Wilson and her husband first acquired this ancient farm in 1997, the house was surrounded by roughly an acre of overgrown fields. At the time, as a textile artist, she had no ambition to transform the unkempt grounds into a garden — in fact, she knew next to nothing about plants. But as she rolled up her sleeves to clear out some space for her four children to play, she quickly saw the land’s potential to serve as a canvas for her creativity. For Marion — who worked for many years restoring fabric patterns for the National Trust — the art of blending various colors, textures, shapes and proportions into a harmonious whole was second-nature. In learning to design and “weave” foundational elements of the native landscape with…

During one of France’s lockdowns, Patrick Frey found himself staying in a village near the beautiful Château de Louÿe, in Normandy. Standing on the grounds of an imposing fortress built atop a small hill during the 11th century, the château as we know it today was constructed through the 14th-16th century. Having been added to by each generation, the castle exhibits Neoclassical to Second Empire influences, and now comprises three towers and a generous L-shaped building with large windows looking out over the grounds on one side and the far-reaching view on the other. Patrick was intrigued by the castle’s rich historical tapestry — and had the luck of running into the owners, Jean-Ghislain and Eléonore Lepic. They struck up a conversation about the story behind the house. The property…

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Nelly Le Carrou’s love of antiques began in childhood. She remembers being fascinated by the beautiful linens and table settings at receptions hosted by her aunt, who was passionate about antiques. Nelly, a former schoolteacher, carried her obsession into adulthood, with furniture being her primary passion. “I’m always hunting,” she says — especially on weekends. À l’Intérieur de la Grange (Inside the Barn) is more than just a brocante or an antique warehouse. Of course, you are most welcome to rummage the showroom — a veritable den of antiquity — for hours. But this charming 19th century farmhouse in the southern Vendée region also happens to be Nelly’s home as well as a guest house. The property — where she fell in love in 1998 — has great personal significance…

Since its purchase more than a century ago by the Swiss hotelier, César Ritz, the former palace-style mansion on the Place Vendôme has hosted scores of royals, leaders and other prominent figures, including Ernest Hemingway, Marcel Proust, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Coco Chanel, who lived there full-time for more than three decades. Yet the parade of celebrity guests is not what makes the Ritz so ritzy. It is, quite simply, a state of mind that animates the hotel in every respect. So much of what makes the Ritz experience unique actually happens beyond the view of its pampered patrons. The French photojournalist Eric Martin, noted for his coverage of travel and sites of cultural significance Le Figaro magazine, was given a rare opportunity to peek behind the scenes at this…

Among the many rites that accompany the arrival of Spring in France, the giving and receiving of le muguet — lily of the valley — on May 1st remains one of the country’s most enduring and popular traditions. But while most French today associate the muguet with the annual Labor Day holiday, the history of this ritual runs much deeper. With its dainty bell-shaped blossoms, vibrant green leaves and delicate perfume, the muguet (pronounced ‘moo-gay’) has been held as a symbol of good luck in Europe since the Middle Ages, when the flower was first introduced by traders, who brought them from Japan. The cool, wet climate of western Europe proved to be particularly hospitable to the plant, which quickly propagated across the continent, especially in its sun-dappled woodlands. In…

Michel Le Guilcher’s first foray into craftsmanship was as a shoemaker. But he quickly realized his artistry was heading in a very different direction. A fascination with the wild willow that grew in his garden led him to the world of basket weaving — first learning how to grow the willow stems, and then how to weave. With the assistance of his wife, Anne-Lise, Michel began his 40-year career as a weaver by farming six different varieties of willow over more than 3,500 square meters (38,000 square feet) of land in Brittany. Now retired, at 72, Michel cultivates just one species: salix triandra. Known in French as the “petite grisette”, this willow produces the type of fine, high-quality branches that are indispensable for making small and delicate pieces of wickerwork…

Jardinière of New Vegetables Serves 4 Preparation time: 30 min Cooking time: 20 min Ingredients: • 4 ¼ cups (1 kg) fresh peas• 14 oz (400 g) new carrots• 4 spring onions• 14 oz (400 g) small new potatoes• 1 bouquet garni• 7 tbsp (100 g) salted butter• Salt and pepper• 1 bunch of parsley Shell the peas and cook them in boiling salted water for 8 min. Drain and refresh them in ice water. Peel the carrots, and cut them in 4 parts. Cut the small onions in 4 quarters and cook them for 10 min in salted boiling water. Peel the potatoes and cook them for 15 minutes in salted water. Put all the vegetables in the same pan, add salt and pepper and the bouquet garni. Add…

Florence Elkouby — a Paris transplant from Marseille — had long dreamt of having a holiday home in her native region, and more particularly in Monieux, near the legendary Mont Ventoux. With its elevated church, its square under the plane trees and its pretty stone houses, this little village is the epitome of Provence. “Everything here is authentic and not too touristy, unlike some other parts,” she says. When they were ready to take the plunge, Florence and her husband Denis put the word out that they were in the market for a holiday home. “We have friends who have lived here for years,” she remarked. “Every time we came to see them, we’d tell them: ‘Let us know if a house comes up for sale!’” As it turned out,…

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