Tuesday 7 June 2016

Tempted?


My husband sends me photos like these...and accompanies them with tantalising descriptions of strolling through the Annecy market with the smell of roasting chickens, their potatoes swimming in rather large quantities of fat underneath, floating in the air.


He's there and I'm not, more's the pity. 

And, the cheese ... I still remember my surprise when first I discovered that you could buy cheese, like wine, by its year. It was in our early days in Annecy when I was still rather over-awed by the speed with which market transactions took place and the amount that I did not know about good, fresh, locally produced food. No doubt it was just to bring me back to that pleasant moment of discovery that my husband lashed out and bought a slab of 2014 Summer Beaufort, alongside the Tommettes Fermières pictured.


As an aside, the Tomme de Savoie (the tommettes above are smaller versions of the Tomme) is celebrating its 20th year since being awarded an IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée). If you are a cheese lover, it is at this must-visit site http://www.tomme-de-savoie.com (excerpt below), dedicated to this cheese, that you will be regaled with recipes, health facts, production secrets and more.

La Tomme de Savoie fête ses 20 ans d'IGP


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La Tomme de Savoie est fière de fêter cette année les 20 ans de son IGP !Ce signe officiel garantit la qualité et l'origine d'un fromage fabriqué dans le respect d'un cahier des charges strict. Seule la véritable Tomme de Savoie IGP est habilitée à porter le fameux marquage "Savoie" qui la différencie et la rend reconnaissable entre toutes.

To the delightful aroma of the roasting chickens add the look of the bread, the smell of which I can imagine from the other side of the world, the anticipation of the rows and rows of strawberries, the baskets full of a mixed variety of tomatoes, the crazy shapes of the capsicums and the sweetest mini rockmelons anywhere and you have just another normal day at the markets in France...lucky, lucky husband.








10 comments:

  1. I can't imagine buying produce anywhere but at a market now. Usually I despise grocery shopping, and I still do, but the Saturday morning market is the high point of my week. It's less like grocery shopping and more like assembling what I need to create a work of art later. Because cooking is an art.

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    1. Unfortunately, the market way of life is not everywhere and was certainly one of the things that I missed when we returned to Australia. I do have to admit that I am not a good cook. Even so, going to the markets is like going on an outing...so much to see, listen to, taste if you are lucky, and enjoy.

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  2. I just love the markets in France. If I lived there, I would probably rarely go into a large grocery store again. I hope you get to visit Annecy again soon.

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    1. Thanks Cheryl. I'd love to never have to go into a supermarket again!

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  3. Beautiful pictures of the bounty of France! Hope you will get back there soon to enjoy it all with your husband.
    Ellen from Atinyhouseinnormandy.com.

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    1. Thanks Ellen. I know that you feel the same way about getting back soon...

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  4. I love Annecy... very beautiful... I was there with my family just last year. (we have a niece that lives near Annency) I also fell in love with tomme de savoie... I came back and started making it... fantastic cheese. And it is easier to age since you have a "natural" rind... Don't have to wash it so much...

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    1. Choosing to live in Annecy was somewhat of a lucky fluke but, alongside it being beautiful, we learnt to appreciate the seasons in a distinct and different way. Where did you come back to? My husband is also trying his hand at making a tomme. Different milk is giving a different taste but he is determined to keep on experimenting and improving his technique.

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  5. I absolutely LOVE the French markets! Everything always looks so tempting and the produce is usually so colorful. Beautiful photos! You made me hungry! :)

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    1. Yes. I know that we share a common appreciation here with the markets. It is the whole experience that makes the shopping different...the arrays, the colours, the smells, the conversations. Even though I've admitted to not being a good chef I still appreciate the performance of a market.

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