Bastille Day at La Metairie Neuve

As I told you here, there was nothing planned in Sablet to celebrate Bastille Day, July 14, also known as the French Fête Nationale, so we decided to go to La Metairie Neuve, the small family farm near Viane in the Tarn region in Southern France to say bonjour to the aunts, uncles and cousins.

I love going to La Metairie Neuve; I have such good memories especially from my childhood but from more recent return visits like here and here; we would make the trip more often if it was not three and one-half hours each way from Sablet. The same is true about the memories for niece Leslie who was visiting and had not been back to La Metairie Neuve for many years.

So off we went. It was an absolutely beautiful day and we took off under brilliant blue skies early enough so we would arrive at La Metairie Neuve in time for lunch. Our route took us within sight of the Millau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world and past the tiny village of Roquefort where the famous sheep's milk blue cheese is created in local caves.

Shortly before arriving at La Metairie Neuve, we drove through Lacaune, famous for its superb charcuterie especially Jambon de Lacaune, ham of Lacaune; the village climate is reportedly perfect for curing ham. We arrived at La Metairie Neuve, the table was set and the aunts and uncles were gathering and cousin Jean Marc was grilling lamb chops on the BBQ grill.

Niece Leslie was happy to be back at La Metairie Neuve and reconnecting with family she had not seen for many years.

After lunch, we went to move some very large rolls of hay into a barn for the horses.

Me resting on the job.

Tonton René wearing his ever present beret hat .

Tonton René and his dog.

At one time, there were 80 - 100 sheep, they were one of the many local farms that supplied sheep's milk for making Roquefort cheese, 12 - 20 cows, a work horse and they raised chickens, ducks and pigeons and grew all their produce. The only live stock which remain are two horses, some chickens, ducks and pigeons. They have a large garden and lots of apple trees, from which they bottle fresh juice each fall.

Cousin Jean Marc with one of his horses.

Tonton René looks out over his garden, actually I should say that its Tata Ida's garden as it is she who plants and takes care of the garden.

Tonton René and tata Ida sit in front of their house; tata Ida is always full of stories. Don't you love the hand made lawn chairs.

One of the barns on the farm with a pretty hydrangea plant.

The family has a long history at La Metairie Neuve. I found out from the aunts that day that they sheltered a Jewish family hiding from the Nazis and their collaborators for several years during WW II, one of several local families who provided shelter and supported the resistance. I hope to find out more about this history and write about it in the future.

Since we were there on the 14th of July, one of the uncles has recently passed away. The other aunts and uncles are aging and La Metairie Neuve will be very different when they are all gone. The future for La Metairie Neuve is uncertain because of French inheritance laws so the cousins are all very anxious. We will be visiting every chance we can.

Bonne journée mes amis et à très bientôt.

Visit to La Metairie Neuve

In early February, I was in the South of France for a few days. My cousin Jean Marc suggested that we drive to La Metairie Neuve, the small family farm near Viane in the Tarn region in Southern France to say "bonjour", hello to the aunts and uncles.

During the winter months, the aunts and uncles don't venture out of their houses very much because of the snow and cold and slippery roads. So visits from family members are always welcomed and its great way for the nieces and nephews to check on the aging family members.

Saturday morning, we set off early so we would arrive at La Metairie Neuve by lunch time. It was not a very nice day; it was very overcast and we heard wet snow was falling at the higher elevations.

We made a small detour enroute to see the Millau Viaduct up close. The Millau Viaduct is a cable bridge which spans the Tarn River; it is the tallest vehicular structure in the world. I had seen the Viaduct off in the distance on previous trips to Viane but never seen it close up or driven across it.

We made it to La Metairie Neuve without any problems; Jean Marc is a fearless driver. As we drove up the drive, really a dirt path into the courtyard, I was struck by the fact that although there are modern structures not far away like the Millau Viaduct, time seems to stand still at the Metairie Neuve.



The walkway down to tonton René's and tata Ida's house. It used to also be the access for the sheep to get to their barn.



The walkway up close. If you look around the stables, you can find harnesses, cattle yolks, and old tools that were used in an earlier era.



After "la bise", kisses on both cheeks all around, we followed the mouth-watering aromas into tata Alice's kitchen. We got the updates about everyone's pains and associated ailments, surprisingly few for people of their ages and watched tata Alice and tata Ida finish cooking "déjeuner", lunch for us. We are always happy to see the aunts.



We gathered around the table in the kitchen for a delicious lunch consisting of a simple green salad, oven roasted lamb chops, lentils, and a pumpkin gratin. We finish with several cheeses from the region and a cake. Our aunts and uncles don't drink wine so we had apple juice pressed from apples on the farm in October.



Everything was absolutely wonderful, made more so by the company and our cozy surroundings. The highlight for me was a gratin de potiron, a pumpkin or squash gratin. I guess it was unusual for me because I have only had pumpkin or squash in soups, ravioli, or mashed like potatoes.

Since pumpkin or squash prepared in almost any way is a favorite of our family, especially my youngest daughter Stephanie, I told tata Alice I had to have "la recette", the recipe so I could make it at home.

I don't know if you have tried to get a recipe that is not written down from someone who has been making it for many of their nearly 80 years. Well if you haven't, it is really quite amusing.

After lots of back and forth and pulling pots and other containers out of the cupboards to illustrate measurements for ingredients, I thought I had a recipe that I could replicate at home.

I tried to make the gratin about a month ago and while it was very good and close to the one prepared by tata Alice, I thought I could improve it on a second go around. I think chefs and foodies always think they can improve someone else's dish or recipe. Is it our egos, who knows?

Here is the gratin de potiron I made yesterday for Easter lunch. It was delicious. Recipe follows.



Ingredients

4 cups cubed (3/4 inch) Butternut squash or Sugar Pie pumpkin
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced.
2 1/2 cups Béchamel sauce (recipe follows)
1 cup grated Comté cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the cubed Butternut squash or Sugar Pie pumpkin together with the sliced yellow onion, olive oil and salt.

Spread mixture on roasting pan or cookie sheet and roast in oven for 30 minutes until fork tender. Should be starting to carmelize.

Mix together roasted Butternut squash or Sugar Pie pumpkin and sliced onions mixture, Béchamel sauce, Comté cheese, salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.

Pour into buttered baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until starts to bubble. Serve immediately.

Béchamel Sauce

Warm 2 1/2 cups whole milk

Make a roux:

Melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a medium size sauce pan, add 1/4 cup flour, stir together until flour is totally incorporated and smooth. Continue stirring for about 2 minutes until roux is light brown; flour needs to be cooked.

Make Bechamel sauce:

When roux is finished, start adding 3/4 to 1 cup of warm milk at a time to medium sauce pan containing roux. Stir until milk is fully incorporated and sauce is smooth. Continue adding milk and stirring until smooth until all the milk has been added. Cook for about two minutes until it bubbles lightly.

Memories from La Metairie Neuve

At Bistro Des Copains, the small French bistro I co-own in Occidental California with good friends, we have pictures hanging on the wall from La Metairie Neuve.

As I wrote in my very first post, my love affair with France began during visits to La Metairie Neuve, a small working farm, located near the little hamlet of Viane which is about 15 km from Lacaune in Southeast Tarn.

One of my favorite's is the picture of Mémé sitting in her kitchen watching Tata Alice checking jam cooking in a pot over the fire while a Le Creuset pot sits below cooking something wonderfully tasty, I am sure.

We intentionally positioned this picture near the kitchen so that Mémé can keep her eye on what is cooking at Bistro Des Copains.

I am comforted somehow that this picture is in Bistro Des Copains, my homage to French bistro food; this picture shows the first great French chef in my life and the place I fell in love with France and French cooking.

Another favorite picture is that of Pépé watering his work horse, either Fanny or PonPon, I can't recall which, at the trough in front of the barn.



In an earlier post, I show Shirley and my cousin Jean Marc Davy standing in the same location, just a few months back. Pépé is no longer there but not much else has changed.

Water from the spout - which runs continually into the trough- is from a spring on the mountain above La Metairie Neuve; fifty years later, its still running and is still the best place to get a cold drink of water on a hot day.

As you look at these pictures, you can see why La Metairie Neuve made such an impression on me as little boy and why I try to get back there every chance I can.

La Metairie Neuve Today

I am often asked by guests at Bistro Des Copains if La Metairie Neuve, the family farm near Viane in the Tarn region in Southern France is still in the family. I am pleased to say that yes, although it is no longer a working farm, several aunts and uncles live there and a number of cousins have vacation homes on the property.

We always try to go to La Metairie Neuve during our trips to Sablet to visit the family, see the farm and relive fond memories of pleasant times as kids spent at what was for us the happiest place on earth. We have recently had the pleasure of introducing our sons-in-law to La Metairie Neuve.

The Metarie Neuve in winter.

In front of Tonton Rene and Tata Ida's house.

One of the barns as evening comes with falling snow.

The house of Mémé and Pépé where Tata Alice and Tonton Ivan now live.

Shirley Augsburger in front of fountain with cousin Jean Marc.

Tonton Rene, cousin Anne-Emmanuelle, wife Shirley, Nicolas, daughter Stephanie with son Dylan.

First Memories of France

My father Daniel Augsburger was born in Lausanne, Switzerland. His mother was French and at a very young age they moved to the South of France. He came to the United States just prior to the start of World War II (There is much more to that story which I will share in a later post) to go to college. He left behind his parents and three sisters.

As you might have guessed, over the years my father and mother Joyce along with my sister Lydie and brother Danny traveled to Europe as money permitted to visit my father's family living in France and Switzerland.

My father during his early teaching years was Chair of the Modern Language Department and taught French at Emmanuel Missionary College in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Part of the teaching program included trips to Europe which he would lead during the summer which gave us additional opportunities to travel to France.

My very earliest memories of France and where I first fell in love with the country was when we went to visit my father's family who would gather on their family farm called La Metairie Neuve located near the little hamlet of Viane which is about 15 km from Lacaune in Southeast Tarn.

I also fell in love with farms and farm animals although I have never pursued that love besides trying to convince my parents that we should buy a cow for our back yard.



The fields were too steep for tractors; so the cows were hitched up.

Pépé with two of his cows hauling hay.

Me with Mémé's sheep.

Mémé looking to see where her sheep have wandered off to.

A break for story time with Mémé while we are watching sheep.

The farm was small and in a remote mountainous area of France. They had 80 - 100 sheep, 12 - 20 cows, a work horse and raised chickens, ducks and pigeons and grew all of their produce. La Metairie Neuve is located south of Roquefort and the cheese cooperative from Roquefort sent a truck to pick up the sheep's milk every day.

La Metairie Neuve is where I have my first memory of a meal and where my love of food began. In those days at harvest time, neighbors would join together to bring in the harvest farm by farm.

My first food memory is an amazing harvest lunch put out for the neighbors who came to harvest at La Metairie Neuve. I remember tables of salads and vegetables and especially I recall the most succulent roast chicken.