Don’t miss the Sentier des ocres (the ochre footpath) at the edge of town with 35 and 50 minute loop trail options. When the sky is blue this small park, a former quarry, glows a brilliant orange. The artisanal ice cream shop on the way to the entrance of the Sentier has a super creamy selection.

Gordes

Our “weekend” in Provence began on a Monday afternoon in mid-May to avoid the weekend and summer chaos. As it was, there were just enough tourists for a lively environment without the headache of dealing with crowds. I was surprised, however, to notice that there were proportionally more American English speakers than I’ve heard anywhere else in France.

La Ferme de la Huppe

A popular restored guest house located at the bottom of the hill outside of Gordes. Although there are many hotels and restaurants along the small roads that feed into Gordes, this one is ranked #1 on Tripadvisor and is a splurge pick in the Rick Steves’ guidebook. As expected the grounds are lovely and well maintained with a covered lounge area and sparkling pool next to the restaurant terrace. The guestrooms occupy the original old stone farm buildings and are nicely appointed while maintaining the integrity of the former structure.

The breakfast buffet includes an ample selection of quality products – the croissant are wonderfully flaky, the cheeses divine and the fruits and jams flavorful.

Dinner is equally well done and in the off season is served in a lovely stone room with bright table linens in a rustic yet elegant setting.  The limited menu offers two courses for 37€ or three for 43€.

We started with the scallop tartar with green apple and celery in a celery and saffron reduction – a fresh and delightful beginning; and the only real disappointment of the evening, the antipasti plate – chewy eggplant and an overly vinegary vinaigrette. The mains, however, were both excellent. St Pierre (John Dory) served with a lemon beurre blanc,

and a luscious jaret d’agneau (lamb shank) served with summer vegetables in a Provençal sauce. The flavorful meat, cooked for seven hours, melts in your mouth. For dessert house made sorbet – apple, pear and lemon – all wonderfully fruity;

and a lemon tart – rich,lemony and, yes, tart. A perfect ending.

L’Estellan

This charming restaurant located on the D2, down the road from La Ferme de la Huppe, is comparable in terms of price and setting to La Ferme de la Huppe’s restaurant, but I would give it slightly lower marks for the food.  Interestingly, the other patrons at L’Estellan were nearly all French while at Huppe they were nearly all American.

L’Estellan’s dining room is decorated with a causal yet refined hand in a country meets the stars motif – laundry hangs from the ceiling, poetry graces the walls and colors are tastefully subdued. Our starters included the smoked salmon carpaccio with a garnish of bean sprouts and shredded carrots in a vinaigrette and an asparagus terrine served with asparagus tips, also in a vinaigrette. For mains we tasted

the Dorade Royale (fish) served with roasted vegetables – nicely cooked but not served as hot as it should have been,

and the magret de canard (duck breast) served with a potato gratin – good but rather plain and unadorned.  For dessert, the sorbet and a spelt pudding (like rice pudding) served with a lavender ice-cream – interesting, but more like eating breakfast than dessert.

The trail is generally well marked with yellow blazes. Between 5 and 6 the trail also follows the red and white blazed GR (grande randonnée) before splitting off at 6.

Photos taken May 11, 2013.

chestnut affected with blight

stacked stones at top of ridge

wild thyme

white thyme – lemon scented

ancient road

From Le Gard…a pied, #12 Sentier de Roquefeuil. Starting point: parking lot under the plantain trees on the west side of the village of Mialet, on D50, 10 kilometers northwest of Anduze.

6 Bouscavou
7 Rouviere

Photos taken April 27th 2013.

8 medium sized red bell peppers
1 carrot, peeled and sliced about 1/2 inch
1 pear, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
2 shallots, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
Butter or oil for sautéing vegetables
1 quart chicken stock
1 t minced fresh tarragon (more or less according to your taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the peppers, cut them in half removing the tops, seeds, and inner white membrane. Preheat the broiler and place 4 of the halves, skin side up, on a foil lined baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven a few inches below the broiler. Broil for about 10 minutes. You want to blacken the skin without overcooking the pepper. When the skin is good and black remove the halves from the oven and place them in a paper sack for about 20 minutes or so. This will help loosen the skin from the pepper flesh.

Meanwhile, slice the remaining 6 peppers lengthwise into ½ slices.

In a Dutch oven or soup pot heat the butter or oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium low and sauté for a couple of minutes until the shallot becomes soft. Add the carrot, pear and sliced peppers and sauté until the vegetables release their liquid and start to soften. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and let the soup simmer until the vegetables are good and soft, about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the reserved peppers from the paper sack and peel and discard the charred skin. Coarsely chop the peppers and add half to the soup pot. The remainder will be added after the soup is blended. If you want a smoother texture add all the roasted pepper to the soup pot.

When the vegetables are tender blend the soup using an immersion blender or in batches if using a regular blender or food processor.

Add the tarragon and reserved roasted peppers and correct the seasoning.

2 pounds of asparagus (green or white)
2 shallots, minced
Oil or butter for sautéing vegetables
6 cups chicken stock
½ cup crème fraiche or sour cream (optional, for extra richness)
Salt and pepper to taste
A dash of lemon for brightness

To prepare the asparagus cut off the tips of about a dozen stalks to be used later for the garnish. With the remaining stalks, break off and discard the cut end at the lowest joint that will break off easily. This will prevent having woody stems in your soup. Cut the remaining stalks and tips into 2 inch sections.

In a Dutch oven or soup pot heat the butter or oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until soft, about three minutes. Add the asparagus sections and sweat for an additional 5 minutes. Next add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the asparagus is tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, blanch the reserved asparagus tips in boiling water until crisp-tender 1-2 minutes and immediately cool in ice water.

When the soup has finished cooking, i.e. the asparagus is tender, blend the soup using an immersion blender or in batches if using a blender or food processer.

Correct the seasoning, add the crème fraiche or sour cream if desired and a dash of lemon to taste.

Serve in soup bowls and garnish with the reserved asparagus tips.

In general the trail is well marked with sign posts and yellow blazes. The exception is the cut off trail back to town at the end of the hike. Along the dirt road watch for a cairn marking a yellow blazed turn to the right that leads back into town.

Although there is not much change in elevation overall, less than 1000 ft, there are several steep sections.

Photos taken April 14, 2013.

La Pierre Plantée

From Le Gard…a pied, #27 Le menhir, les Concluses. Starting point: parking lot on the right at the entrance of La Lèque, on D979 23 kilometers north of Uzès.

1. Quarton
2. Combe de Ruph
3. La Pierre Plantée (6 meter tall menhir)
4. Combe de Queue de Boeuf
5. Plan de Bourget

Photos taken April, 21, 2013.

Mausoleum

Detail on Mausoleum

Triumphal Arch

I head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into chunks
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
Oil or butter for sautéing vegetables
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock (a bouillon cube and water may be substituted)
Salt and pepper to taste
crème fraîche or sour cream for garnish

Heat the oil or butter over medium heat in a Dutch oven or sauce pan big enough to contain the finished soup.  Sauté the onion and garlic until the onion starts to sweat but not color, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the vegetables are thoroughly cooked and soft, about 20 to 25 minutes. Use an immersion blender to cream the vegetables into a smooth soup. This can also be done in batches using a blender or food processor. Season to taste and garnish with the crème fraîche or sour cream.

Yes Rick’s Café of Casablanca fame really does exist. Or rather it was created by an American woman, Kathy Kiger, who had been living in Morocco since 1998 and wanted to “do something that demonstrated true American values.”  Certainly the level of professionalism, attention to detail, and the general quality of food and service is something to be admired.

Entering Rick’s you leave the present day gritty streets of Casablanca and enter a 1940s world of elegance and refinement. The clean white walls of the two story enclosed courtyard are accented with dark wood and black furnishings. The judicious splashes of color and placement of plants give the elegant space a convivial atmosphere.

salmon with grapefruit and avocado

The menu, a mix of European and Moroccan dishes, may not be the most creative, but the quality of the preparations is on par with the posh surroundings. We started with the salmon with avocado and grapefruit and the classic salmon with capers and lemon. For mains we tasted the Moroccan lamb and turbot with mushrooms. Beautifully cooked, the fish was the highlight of the meal. Our wine choice, Lumière from the Moroccan winery owned by Gerard Depardieu, tasted a bit off a few sips into the bottle. Upon our mere suggestion that there might be something wrong, the bottle was immediately changed. The second bottle was perfect.

Entering the dining room at 8pm the establishment was rather quiet, but by 9pm when Issam starts playing the piano the two-level dining room was nearly full.

piano player, Issam, in the background