Les Poissonchats

Busy days at the castle, hosting season in full swing and B&B guests from all over Europe, which makes me very happy. The other day the local newspaper was here and wrote a really nice article about the castle and my work, grateful for having been given the chance.

My finger has healed quite ok and by the end of the season I hope it’ll be alright again. What a stretch!

These days we’ve been having another Provence-weather dump with smashingly mediterranean temperatures, calling for citronnade and bellinis. Given peaches are definitely in season here, I’ve baked a simple peach cake the other day, recipe further below. But first an overview on availability this season:

• August Arts&Antiquing 20 to 23 August 2026 (4 days / 3 nights) – room Soleil, up to 2 spots left 
• Retreat im Schloss mit Jessica Breuninger – Astrologie, Aufstellungen & Genuss 4 bis 6 September 2026 (3 Tage / 2 Nächte) – dieses Retreat wird auf Deutsch abgehalten – sold out
• Mini Arts&Antiques 28 August to 30 August 2026 (2 days / 2 nights) – room Etoile and room Lune left
• ***NEW*** Sisters Gathering – Chateau des Roses 17 September to 20 September (3 days/ 3 nights)
• ***NEW*** Cooking and Antiques 2 to 4 October (2 days / 2 nights) – room Etoile and room Lune left
• ***NEW*** Le Chateau du Tarot Freitag 9 Oktober bis Sonntag 11 Oktober (3 Tage/ 2 Nächte)

Aaand in other news, I’ve decided to take this blog back a notch, turning it into a quarterly castle newsletter which will still be published here, but no bi-weekly/monthly posts anymore. It’s been such a journey! And I thank each and every one of you who have stopped here, it’s been a pleasure. The next newsletter will be the autumn one and get published around end of September. And there will be food for sure, promised.

In case you don’t already, follow me along on my instagram for more frequent updates on what’s happening here. So I end this era the way I started out with: cake ☺️.

Merci  ♥️

What you’ll need

For the cake

• 4 eggs
• 150g sugar
• The seeds of half a vanilla pod
• 150g butter
• 0.5dl white wine
• Half a packet of baking powder
• 150g flour
• A pinch of fleur de sel
• 4 ripe peaches

For the crème Anglais

• 2 dl milk
• 30g sugar
• The seeds of the other half of the vanilla pod
• An egg

How you bake it

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla seeds until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy. Meanwhile, melt the butter. Gradually mix the melted butter into the batter, then stir in the wine.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Fold in the flour and baking powder until just combined. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the batter.

Grease a cake tin with butter and pour in the batter. Halve the peaches, remove their hearts, and arrange them cut-side up on top of the batter. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and a knitting needle inserted into the cake comes out clean.

To make the crème anglaise, bring the milk, sugar, and vanilla seeds to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat. Lightly whisk the egg, then gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly to prevent the egg from curdling. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

How you eat it

Maybe not out in the sun these crazy hot days, but in the shade of a large tree? With coffee, iced if possible. And cold crème Anglaise galore.