A Summer day

A walk through the village this morning involved a few stops on the way to visit the cows and pick poppies on the path leading to the field.

Cest pour papa ! (Its for daddy!) Lulu exclaimed holding a coquelicot in her hand. She was counting the days until her papa arrived to meet us.

Tu nas pas chang ! (You have not changed a bit!) Madame G. told me when she caught sight of Lulu and me by the village fountain. She was hobbling with a cane in her hand. I realized I had not seen her in a few years.

Merci, I said with a smile. Vous tes trop gentille ! (You are too nice.)

I felt blessed for the encounter. Reminding me of my childhood in the village.

After lunch, Lulu picked raspberries and blackberries with Mamie and together, they read some of my old Heidi books. And when they were done and we had an afternoon swim, I baked an apricot clafoutis with pistachios for our afternoon goter, and I prepared a salade de cocos rouges for dinner.

It was simply a delicious summer day la campagne.

And I felt lucky that we had it.

Hoping for another similar one the next day.

And by the way, tell me one thing, are haricots cocos rouges called kidney beans in English?

Salade de cocos, watercress, radish, and cherry tomatoes

Cocos rouges salad recipe with watercress, radish, and cherry tomatoes

You need:

• 2 cups (10.5 ounces; 300 g) fresh cleaned cocos rouges *
• 1 twig of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon moutarde de Dijon
• 2 tablespoons Melfor Alsatian Honey Vinegar (which I used) or apple cider vinegar
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small spring red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped chervil
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 2 cups cleaned watercress
• 1 long pink radish, finely sliced
• 4 small pink radishes, finely sliced
• 16 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 fromage de chvre frais (1 fresh soft goat cheese), to serve

Steps:

Place the cocos rouges in a pot and cover with water. Add thyme and a bay leaf and sea salt and cook until tender (about 45 minutes, or less, depending on the size). Strain and let completely cool.

In a small bowl, add sea salt and pepper and the mustard. Stir in the vinegar and then emulsi! fy the o live oil in. Add the fresh herbs and chopped onion; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the watercress, cocos rouges, radishes, and tomatoes. Add the dressing and toss gently. Serve with soft goat cheese on the side.