Final Classes - On Rue Tatin in Normandy

And La Canicule down south

Before I launch into my story-of-the-week (or so) I want to announce my final classes at On Rue Tatin in Normandy, September 11-14 and October 9-12, 2024.  For more than 25 years I’ve offered classes in this fabulous spot, and that chapter is coming to a close. I will transfer all of my classes to Paris and, as of 2025 will anounce my schedule there.  If you’d like to participate in the final classes in Louviers, shoot me an email susan@onruetatin.com and I’ll slip you in if I can!

I did a very French thing recently.  It involved traffic jams to get out of the city, temperatures so high you could fry lardons (bacon) on stones around the pool, and cicada music to beat the band.

I’m not a heat lover.  My Irish ancestors transmitted to me a love of misty marine climes; my Jewish ancestors gave me a desire to seek mountains.  So each time I go south in the summer I wonder why I’m doing it.

The answer is friends, good times, good meals, and lots and lots of laughter.  Summer, whether truly vacationing or not, is about sharing and so that is what the past ten days were about.   

We were greeted by “la canicule,” which becomes perhaps the most common word on the radio while it is happening.  What is “la canicule”? Well, it’s a heat wave, with very specific parameters.  To be so defined in Paris, temperatures must be between 31C (88F) during the day and 21C (70F) at night for three consecutive days.  In Marseille, where heat is more spectacular, the temperature span rises to 34C (93F) during the day and 24C (75F) during the night.  I’m certain it was much hotter than that, at all hours, everywhere.

Fortunately, in the south there is an almost constant breeze, which varies depending on location.  But a hot breeze is still hot, so the best revenge is to stay indoors looking out.  Which meant that tourism took a back seat until the temperature dropped.  I’d never quite done this before, ie. worked all day and become a tourist in the evenings, and I highly recommend it.  The Côte d’Azur and its environs is dedicated to tourism. Many shops stay open very late, as do restaurants, bars, casinos and public swimming pools.  Crowds thin, though, and of course the burning temperatures recede, so try this out on your next visit. 

I loved wandering the streets of Mougins in the evening, winding through the tables of outdoor restaurants in Biot and visiting its church, Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, at dusk.  As for Cannes?  Well, it’s a trip at any moment of any day, particularly if you like Ferraris, Rolls Royce’s, Maserati’s, and the glint of fine diamonds.  Oh, yes.  The old town and the beach are lovely too!

The last few days I went to La Vaucluse and then did what others do: got in and out of the pool, wandered through the market, cheese shop, cute, cobbled streets. 

Returning to Paris was, literally, a breath of fresh air, with the joy of the Olympics still in full force.  Everyone, it seems, is bedecked with red, white, and blue; team jackets (it’s cooler here for now) are on every young and well-muscled back, and pink-shirted volunteers await every metro and train to answer questions.  The air of politesse and sheer desire to be helpful is, well, inattendu (unexpected). 

As I navigated Paris streets, I had to ask directions of the police (road closures are like a slinky going down the stairs - fast and furious) and was blown back by friendly helpfulness, as they resorted to their own version of google maps to help me out. Most I spoke with aren’t from Paris and they admitted it was both a fun and boring stint.  After all, much of their job consists of standing around and watching.  Let’s hope it stays that way through this final week and into the Paraolympics, which begin August 28.

Here is a wonderful summer recipe from FRENCH GRILL, to prepare and serve in the cool of the evening.

CURRIED GARLIC EGGPLANT

AUBERGINE AU CURRY ET AIL

1 scant tablespoon curry powder (see page xx)

¼ teaspoon piment d’Espelette or hot paprika

1 clove garlic, minced

5 to 6 tablespoons (90ml) olive oil

3 medium eggplant (about 6 ounces; 180g each), peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices, lengthwise

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.     Mix the curry, piment d’Espelette, and garlic with 2 tablespoons of the oil and reserve.

2.     Brush the eggplant all over with oil.

3.     Light a medium-sized fire in the barbecue or turn on all three burners of the gas grill. When the coals are red and dusted with ash, divide them in the barbecue, putting half the coals on either side.  Set the grill over the coals. 

4.     When the grill is hot, re-brush the eggplant with the oil on one side and set them on the grill with the double-oiled side to the fire, over the coals. Brown the eggplant, which will take about 2 minutes. Flip each slice, brush each slice with oil, and brown the eggplant on the other side, which will take about 2 minutes. Move the slices to the center of the grill and brush each with the turmeric mixture, making sure to evenly spread it and the minced garlic among all of the slices. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt, cover the grill and cook until the slices are almost tender through, checking them after 5 minutes. Brush them again with any remaining turmeric mixture, and continue cooking until they are tender, which will take 5 to 8 minutes.

5.     Remove the eggplant from the grill, season again with salt and with pepper, and either serve immediately, or let cool to room temperature.

6 to 8 servings