Les Poissonchats

Its a rotten year with all that weather and all that vegetable going to rot and mould in the quince trees and the farmer across the river has given up the one field that’s closest to the river to ducks and swans, it does look nice for so now we also have a pond. And then the wine will taste rotten I suppose. But perhaps it’s meant to be sort of a break, all that rot, a quiet year devoid of garden parties and brouhaha, one for introspection and settling down and a braise in the fireplace, just enough to keep the damp off ones bones. And books. And finishing indoor jobs. I’m glad though it’s not 1641, besides, the cherries turned out quite alright. 

Anyhow who would have thought it’s midsummer already which calls for a little update on what’s been going on at the castle, right!

The garden simply exploded, everything is so green and lush. Also there’s a lot many flowers growing back in the hedges, we didn’t expect this! For those of you who have missed the story – the castle before us belonged to a famous landscaper and he built the park from scratch. His wife planted ever so many flowers, flowers everywhere, and I’ve been told they fought over those flowers, perhaps he may have thought them overly ornamental. Unfortunately the castle and its grounds had been neglected for many years before we could take over and we’re slowly bringing it back to what we suppose he intended: a curated wilderness of beauty. We’re also adding our very own touch, namely patches of wildflower meadow, I think it goes well with his design. 

At the beginning of the month we hosted a party with friends, given it was raining, we lit a fire in the big cheminee in the tower and banqueted until midnight on wild boar stew, vegan chilli and strawberries. 

And we finally installed the antique tiled woodburner in the dining room. We got it in the area, it was a bit of a work to transport it here. This was over Christmas and New Year and it rained, we had the help of our friends and the man who sold it to us gave us fresh eggs to take home. It had sat in his barn for a long time and he eventually decided he would never use it. I made a Swiss fondue for dinner and probably a pavlova for dessert, I can’t recall, anyhow, we’re almost a little disappointed because it fits in so perfectly that we don’t even notice that something changed. 

We had a friend over to help us put it in its place and I cooked an Italian dinner in the hope it would induce the weather to be Italian but I guess it didn’t work. We had a joghurt cake with fresh cherries and whipped cream galore for dessert, I’ve written up the recipe for you further down. 

That’s it for now, also very giddy because soon I’ll be able to share the first photographs of the new guest room with you! Loads of finishing works going on right now but I think it’s going to be just gorgeous. Also we went out last week, it’s been ages since the last time, and it felt good to wear proper clothes for a change, given I’m in dirty old baggy rags all day doing the restorations. 

What you’ll need

• 4 fresh farmer’s eggs
• 150g sugar
• The seeds of half a vanilla pot
• A pinch of fleur de sel
• 200g yoghurt
• 200g flour
• A teaspoon of baking powder
• 150g molten butter
• Icing sugar for dusting
• A lot of whipped cream
• A nice bowl of fresh cherries

How you make it

Melt the butter in the bain marie which is a pot in a pot of simmering water. In a separate bowl beat the eggs with the sugar, vanilla seeds and salt until it gets very foamy frothy white, this will take a couple of minutes with a stand mixer. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Then slowly add the yoghurt, mix well. Add the flour and the baking powder and mix well. Then add the molten butter while continuing to mix. Butter a flat baking tin and dust with flour. Pour the batter in and bake for 20 minutes.

When it’s done, let cool for a couple of minutes before tipping the tarte out. The right moment for reversing a cake is when it’s not fully cooled out yet cooled enough so you can touch the tin without getting burnt. Dust with icing sugar and serve with a lot of whipped cream and fresh cherries.

How to eat it

Given it’s the month of June and cherry season I’d say typically under a cherry tree, pick nick in the fields and cold lemonade to go along, all frightfully wonderful and the birds are singing and the sun is shining and a warm breeze stirs the leaves. However, as this is not a typical year, let’s make it an indoor treat. Also what with the weather I suggest to make a nice pot of Darjeeling instead of lemonade, works for keeping hands warm. Enjoy!