Can't stand the heat? Get out of the kitchen!
Champêtre: Ma Cuisine Summer Cooking
It’s too hot to cook this week. Way too hot.
It’s barely 9:00 am on this going-to-be-too-hot mid-June Morning in Southwest France. It will hit 96°F / 36°C by late afternoon in a series of overly hot days called a canicule. I experienced the first of these dangerous dog days, too hot to work outside or do unnecessary cooking, in the summers of 1989, then again in 2003. With my then seasonal helpmate, 22-year-old Talley K, we gardened in the cooler early mornings, growing and harvesting wheelbarrows full of ripe coeur de boeuf tomatoes, then hid out in the aisles of the refrigerated cases of the giant hypermarchés, the only place with any resemblance to air conditioning in those days. Oh, and swimming in the canal, of course. Now, after years of climbing temperatures, I am more savvy and have a few more tricks up my sleeve.
Talley and her darling family came for a flying visit on their first return to France after 22 years. It was truly old home week, and I can’t believe how many things we did that summer when no Americans were traveling to France. It feels like deja vu…
In 2003, travel to France was impacted by several significant events. A US-led war in Iraq caused a dip in tourism, particularly from the US, due to strained relations and a weaker dollar. Additionally, a severe heat wave swept through France in August, resulting in a high number of heat-related deaths, particularly in the Paris area. AI Overview
But this week’s houseful of mostly older women will be heading to the cooling lake at Casteljaloux for a swimming pique-nique under the sandy pines. And while we finish morning chores, including my attempting to start this week’s Camont Journals, we are cooking like crazy to finish everything before shutting down the kitchen. We’ll pick up bags of ice cubes (now available at the supermarket!) to dump into the cooler over melons, peaches, and cherries. This pine-shaded lake is threaded with cool underwater currents that float a few feet from the bottom and chill our feet while we float in the top eight-inch layer of sunwarmed, clean, fresh water.
But first, back to the kitchen.
Morning chores:
I am finishing the apricot jam I started last night, having macerated the quartered pieces in sugar and lemon juice overnight. Once cooked, I’ll cover it and leave it to cool while we go off for a few hours.
Maurine is rolling out thin layers of rich olive oil dough for a Torta de Verdura or Ligurian vegetable pie. It makes a great picnic dish cradled in its springform pan right to the table.
Kathy is organizing something with lots of charcuterie and cheese for a very French pique-nique.
Georgia is the official barkeep and will ensure we have iced drinks, bottles of water, and Cranberry juice for spritzers. Shall we take a bottle of rosé, too? And more ice, please. And cherries for the drinks!
Confiture de Solstice- that perfect Apricot Jam
Of all the things I cook in the summer, I cherish most the few pots of fresh fruit confiture I manage to make. Better than Bonne Maman (just because it’s mine!), I usually make just 2 kilos of perfectly ripe fruit at a time—enough for 6 or 7 jam jars. This week we bought a flat of 5 kilos of apricots, which got snacked down to 3.3 kilos by the time I got to them. Even so, that turned into 11 glowing golden jars and one slightly darker caramelized one from the scorched bits on the bottom. That little mistake will be the base for a smoky apricot BBQ sauce later in the summer or autumn, perfect with pork or lamb.
This is a great summer fruit so far! Perfect amounts of late spring rain and early sunny warmth with plenty of hot sun to finish the ripening of the early stone fruit- cherries, white nectarine, clingstone yellow peaches, and apricots. All the plums will be along next.
But Confiture de Abricots is my favorite jam of all time! To keep it bright golden like the summer sun, I juiced two lemons for the 3.3 kilos (or about five pounds) of fruit that had been washed, pitted, and quartered. Reserve the lemon half-peels for use for the zest. I use a pot big enough to hold all the fruit to the halfway mark and stirred in one kilo (or 2.5 pounds) of white cane sugar to prevent boilovers. Letting the sugared fruit sit overnight draws out the juices, melts and dissolves the sugar, and allows the fruit to ‘cook’ or soften in its own juices.
The next morning, I added the remaining 500 grams (or 1 pound) of sucre de confiture (jamming sugar with added pectin so about 50% sugar total), the grated lemon zest from the two lemon peels. I studded the mixture with two whole vanilla pods cut into smaller pieces as I began to cook it. Next, bring it to a boil over high heat, stirring often, and using a silicon spatula to wipe the edges of the pot down as it foams and climbs the walls of the pot. Cook at a boil or high simmer until the apricots start to break down and the pectin is activated, and the juice and pulp start to thicken. This can take an additional 20-30 minutes once it comes to a boil. After a vigorous stir, to make sure the fruit is sufficiently broken down, it is ready to be placed in clean jars and sealed with new or gently used lids. I added a pretty label to celebrate the new summer Confiture de Camont!
Savory Tarts
Maurine is making a Ligurian torta filled with broccoli, leeks, and parmesan cheese to taunt us from her week on the Italian Riviera at San Remo. Our good-natured banter reminds me that I hadn’t made my own savory Swiss chard, caramelized onions, and goat’s cheese tart with an olive oil crust gathered from a French Elle magazine dozens of years ago. It is included in the June issue of A Gascon Year (ebook below for paid subscribers) and has been served at brunches, lunches, and apéritifs for many years. And perfect for a pique-nique, too! Just check page 32. Savory tortes, tortas, and tarts are a great way to celebrate summer vegetables. In the meantime, you can see Maurine’s Ligurian version at our pique-nique here!
Stay cool and chill out! I am working on a story to share next week that tells the history of these Summer fêtes that all seem to run together in the French countryside- Fête de la Musique, Summer Solstice, Fête de St. Jean…
Want to download the recipes for the June issue of A Gascon Year? Subscribe here!
What’s your favorite things not to cook when it is too hot? I’ll be back with more soon!
Kate