07 June 2016

Tarte aux fraises

Here's what happened to that load of strawberries that I manage not to crush when I slipped down an old stone staircase at the Château de Saint-Aignan Saturday morning. I had just bought them at the market. That afternoon, Walt made a pie crust, some pastry cream, and an apricot glaze. He baked the crust, let it cool, spooned in the pastry cream, arranged the raw strawberries on top, and brushed them with warm apricot jam.


It has all  been devoured now, but we did succeed in making it last three days. The strawberries are a hybrid called mariguettes, according to the man who grows and sells them. That's a cross between the better-known gariguette strawberries and the variety called mara des bois. They were grown over in the Sologne, in what they call tunnels — plastic covered frames that protect the berries from hot sun (ha ha ha, this year) and heavy rain.

The Cher river near its crest at Saint-Aignan a couple of days ago.

By the way, the sun did come out yesterday shortly before noon, for the first time in I don't know when. The flood waters all around us are only gradually receding, I hear, but I haven't been back out to see. They also say some of the smaller rivers south of Paris, notably the Essonne, are still rising today.

12 comments:

  1. It will undoubtedly rain today -- I have botanists from the Kew Botanical Gardens arriving to do field research so we will be out in the countryside all day.

    I bought strawbs yesterday for our lunch and was interested to see that one lot had a label that said 'grown outdoors in the soil' or something along those lines.

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    1. Clouds are building in.

      I think the strawberries grown sous tunnel are in fact grown outdoors and in the soil.

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  2. Even though strawberries are not one of my favorites, I'd love to have a piece of that tarte. Too late!

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  3. Here in my part of Ireland West we had our first rain shower in three and a half weeks yesterday evening. Half of one percent of an inch, it lasted about ten minutes. Daily temp is 20-23C. Can one have too much of a good thing? There were thunderstorms and torrential rain in more Northern and Easterly parts.
    John.

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    1. We are up to 25º today, and it is very humid because the ground is so saturated with rainwater. We're told to expect thunder and lightning and rain this afternoon.

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  4. That tart looks gorgeous. I presume Walt made his own pastry cream - silly question, I don't know why I asked!
    Things are near normal around here after our flooding, which was scary but nowhere near as bad as further north. We have been looking at some pictures taken around Blois, lots of homes and businesses flooded. What an awful thing to happen, my heart goes out to the poor folk having to face the aftermath.

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    1. I can't remember if you ever got the pipe under your driveway fixed. If not, that ditch must have overflowed again. Hope you are high and dry. I think the flooding on the Cher was worse than the flooding on the Loire, for some reason.

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  5. Dear Ken
    I continue to enjoy your posts. Cliona and I are encouraged by your experience of life in France. Your point of view aligns with ours. Maybe, one day, we might have the pleasure of meeting you.
    Tony

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  6. Well, now, that is a gorgeous, gorgeous tarte!

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    1. Oops. That's me, Judy (Seine Judeet)! My other identity LOL.

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    2. are you seeking a Sears Kit house? I know of one available in Oregon. :-)

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