Metro Station

From Garden to Table in France…

 

This past summer, I met the parents of my French girlfriend, Pauline. Residing in the small village of Mazangé, near the town of Vendôme (a two hour drive from Paris), they live in an old house that boasts a garden, orchard, chicken and duck coop, as well as a rabbit hutch. When we arrived at their home, the gates opened up to this vast garden and patio space.

There was a practical kitchen garden as well as flowers and plants of all varieties.

I was greeted by her father Dany who was in the middle of tinkering with an old French car. He runs the operations of the village and its upkeep. A former welder, he and Pauline’s mother, Maryline, were very into motorcycles and had even taken a road trip down Route 66 a few years before. Upon my arrival, we moved to an outdoor table, and had a small aperitif of a rose thorn alcohol that Dany had made. Once her mother came home, we drove to the grocery store so as to collect things for that evening’s dinner. I had been bold enough to offer my culinary skills for the evening since I’d spent the last year working with my brother Elliot, the chef at Theo’s in Fayetteville. However, I hadn’t imagined how hard on my nerves it would prove to be. For one thing, I knew I wanted to prepare fish since it was summertime, and Pauline had told me that her family tends to eat light meals. However, when we arrived at the fish market, I recognized only a few of the fish there. As I stood there undecided, I began to wonder if I could even pull it off. Finally, after much discussion about which fish were similar to those that I knew, Maryline (who had accompanied us) and I decided upon a fish together. I had never heard of it before, and still to this day cannot recall the name. It looked similar to turbot though, a thin white flaky fish that takes only a few minutes to cook. It was either going to make me or break me in the eyes of her parents (or so I thought). We arrived back at the house, and I immediately took control of the kitchen and began frantically trying to get myself together. Meanwhile, Pauline’s parents and sister did some gardening and Pauline picked radishes and arugula for my anticipated dish.

Pauline tried reassuring me that whatever I was going to do would be fine, but I was losing my mind at this point. My nerves were shot, and the pressure was on in my mind. I wanted to make a great first impression of myself to her family. After sautéing and mounting a medley of carrots, zucchini, and radishes in butter, I made an arugula pesto out of the arugula from the garden. Then came the most frightening part…the fish! I took a few deep breathes and reassured myself that I had done this enough times and in even more stressful circumstances. I told Pauline to gather everyone at the table and that I’d be only a few minutes more. I began with what I knew and seasoned the fish on both sides. I got my pan hot with oil in it and began laying the fish down. At first I wasn’t sure, but soon enough I realized that it was all going to work out just fine. I seared my fish off and began to plate: arugula pesto on the bottom, vegetables next, and the fish on top with a squeeze of lemon and a little more pesto. I then looked out of the kitchen window to see if all was ready, but my heart sank. No one was at the table! I rushed to Pauline and asked why nobody was gathered. She explained that this was normal and that it usually took a while before everyone finished up what they were doing. Though she persisted on how casual things were at her parent’s house, I spent the next few minutes painfully stressing about whether my food would stay hot. Finally, everyone gathered around the iron garden table, and we began eating. They were thrilled with the result, and to my relief, even hailed it worthy of a gastronomic restaurant. I’d done it! I’d succeeded in impressing the French with what culinary skills I had.

An Evening of Fine Antiques and Libations

Back in France...and the shopping begins!

View full article →

New Shipment Arriving Soon!

Stay tuned for news about the arrival of our latest shipment from France!  Arriving end of August!

View full article →

An Evening with the Author, Talya Boerner

 

French Metro Antiques presents an Evening with the Author!  Please join us on February 18th from 5-7 pm, for an evening with Talya Boerner.  Talya, who resides in the Washington-Willow Historic District of Fayetteville, is proud to announce the release of her latest book, "The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee."  Celebrate with us and partake of libations and fine hors d'oeuvres prepared by Chef Elliot Hunt. 

 Excerpt:  The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee

"Last summer, Momma decided my little sister and I should learn to play the piano…Since I never planned to be in the Miss America pageant and wouldn’t need such a talent, I saw no point. What I really wanted to do was learn to speak French. I wanted to be that girl who, when invited to the White House for an important state dinner, would be the only person in the room who could speak with the French prime minister in his native language. I would help solve international problems while sipping champagne and wearing a black ball gown like Audrey Hepburn. President Nixon would be impressed to learn I started out as a farm girl from Arkansas. Last fall, I bought an old French lesson book at the library’s used book sale. Momma thought it was a silly waste. Besides English, Momma said the only practical language to learn was Spanish, because of our Mexican cotton choppers. Since I used my own money, she really didn’t have a say." ~The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee

By French Metro Antiques on 2012-06-06

View full article →

Our Ship's Come In!

It's finally here!  From the villages of France to Fayetteville...our latest container of French antique treasures is arriving this Friday, November 24th.  So what does a 7:00 am Black Friday arrival mean?  It wasn't quite in the plan, but our doors will be closed Friday while our crew works off a turkey stupor and unloads our latest 400 finds from France.  We will re-open our doors on Friday, December 1st at 10:00 am.  Hope to see you then!

By French Metro Antiques on 2011-07-01

View full article →

Le Reveillon de Noel en France

            Reveillon de Noel in France is traditionally the great feast that takes place on Christmas Eve just before the midnight mass at the local cathedral or church. This particular feast is a grand affair, and little expense is spared in creating the sumptuous delicacies that are put on the table. In 2012 and in 2014, I spent Christmas with a French host family in the Languedoc region in southern France. On this celebratory occasion, I had the opportunity to help my host mother and grandmother of 96 years of age in preparing this much anticipated Christmas Eve dinner. The day before, I remember going to the market with my host mother to pick out various cheeses, charcuterie (cold meats and sausages), fruits, chocolates, and in particular oysters.

            We returned that afternoon to the chateau of my host family (a conglomeration of large buildings to be exact, the oldest of which was a small chapel that housed the remains of a converted Visigoth).

 

 

Once we had returned, I lent my host grandmother a hand in preparing the foie gras, using a recipe that she’d had for decades.

 

 

 

Oysters and foie gras are traditional dishes for the Christmas Eve feast, though goose, boar, and lobster might also be among the spread on the table.  

After everything was prepared, we all adjourned to the large sitting room where the master fireplace was.  There we had all set out our shoes according to custom and rather than under a tree, there were various assorted sizes of presents gathered around each pair of shoes. We each took our turn opening our gifts, and though I cherish all of those given to me, I can say without a doubt that my favorite was that of my host grandmother, Genevieve. She had presented me with a beautiful Laguiole knife with a wide blade and black wooden handle as well as a case. Though it would take me a few days to fulfill the necessary compensation, I eventually gave her a coin in return in order to secure good luck (as is the custom when receiving a knife in France). Once everyone had opened their gifts, we promptly took our places at the table with much anticipation. And there we stayed for seven or so hours, whereupon we delved into the delights of the season.  The experience was delectable if not divine. And, between each course or two, we would take minor breaks to sip on rare liqeurs or smoke cigarettes, in true French fashion. The strangest of these "degustations" was a liqueur made from fermented lizards that someone in the family had brought back from South America. The exquisite meal finally ended around two in the morning, whereupon we all retired happily to our beds. The following morning we had a light breakfast of baguettes and jam and played several rounds of petanque, a type of lawn ball game. After a short siesta in the afternoon we all drove to the Eglise de la Madeleine to watch a rendition of the nativity story. Memories such as these warm my heart around Christmastime…memories I cherish in a country I call my other home.

Wrapping up our Buying Trip in France

The Arena in Nimes, a Roman amphitheater built 2000 years ago.

Roman ruins can be found throughout the city of Nimes.

The Maison Carrée or Square House in Nimes is one of the best preserved temples anywhere in the...

View full article →