There isn't going to be a lot to report today. After the 1 hour + drive home last night from Aigues-Mortes, it was a late night, a busy morning packing up in Maussane-les-Alpilles and 1.5 hours drive to Bonneaux.

We didn't leave till after midday and what with a stop at the tourist information office in St Remy to report the mugger earlier in the week, and an aborted stop at the only major supermarket in the Luberon, which had closed 5 minutes earlier, we arrived in Bonneaux and haven't done much except unpack all our luggage,familiarize ourselves with the heaters and the kitchen and plan some meals, do some shopping at the local minimarket and boucherie and do some cooking.

Actually, we did do a final walk in to town in Maussane to buy a baguette, some brioche
( which they cut off a massive loaf beside the till) and some duck pate to put on the baguette for lunch.

Get the drift? Today is about food.

Several times this week we have bought a Fougasse Aigues-Morte for breakfast. Gotta make it when we come home .... just occasionally.
Fougasse
Aigues-Mortes· 20 g of fresh baker's yeast (or 5
teaspoons of dry yeast baking, mixing directly with the flour)·
150 ml of milk·
500 g flour T45 or T55·
1 teaspoon salt·
80 g + 80 g of sugar to finish·
3 eggs·
100 g butter + 50g to finish·
5 tablespoons of water (or flavor)
orange blossom·
roasting pan or large baking sheet·
pastry brush (optional)Warm the milk in the
microwave or in a small pan and crumble the yeast. Attention milk should
not be too hot because it would kill the yeast (you have to dip your finger
without getting hurt). Add a pinch of sugar to activate yeast. Mix
and let stand 10 minutes until bubbles appear on the surface.In a bowl, mix the
flour with 80g sugar and salt.In another bowl beat
eggs then add the yeast / milk mixture.Cut 100g of butter
into pieces and let stand at room temperature. Add the liquid mixture to
the flour. Put on a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. The
dough should be slightly sticky but not too much. If it sticks too much
flour on your hands to help you knead. Then mix the butter to the dough
and knead again for 10 minutes. At the start the dough will be greasy and
slippery but that's normal. More you knead, the more it will become
homogeneous.Form a ball with the
dough and place in a large bowl. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap
and let rest 1:30, if possible near a heat source (radiator ...). Degas
the dough by kneading briefly so that it returns to its original size. Place
back in the bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.The next day, remove
the dough from the refrigerator and leave a good half hour at room temperature. Cut
a sheet of parchment paper the size of your roasting pan or baking sheet. Degas
the dough and place on parchment paper. Spread it in a fairly large
rectangle with a rolling pin. Slide the dough on roasting pan or baking
sheet.Let stand for an
hour, still covered with a damp towel or plastic wrap.Cut 50g butter into
small pieces and push with your thumb around the dough. Sprinkle with 50g
sugar, 30g reserve remaining.

Bake at 180 ° C for
about 20 minutes (the top should be golden). Remove the focaccia from the
oven and help to spread the butter over the entire surface by tilting the dish
or using a pastry brush.Then spray the 5 tablespoons of orange flower water (or
more if you like) and sprinkle the remaining 30g of sugar.The rosewater forms a custard center to the bread. It's addictive. Not sweet but light like a brioche.

When we were in Chablis in 2005, we took a cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase called "Pedaling Through Burgundy Cookbook" I used a number of her recipes and they were fantastic. I could't steal a download of her "Pedaling Through Provence Cookbook" before we left and here we are in Bonneaux and there is a copy here in the kitchen.

First cab off the rank tonight for dinner is:
Pork and Apricot Ragout (page 152-154)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 ounces pancetta or bacon diced*

2 pounds lean pork, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

1 medium onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups dry white wine*

2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons slivered fresh sage or 1 tablespoon dried, crumbled

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large stew pot.
Add the pancetta and cook until crisp, 6-8 minutes. Remove from the pot with a
slotted spatula and set aside to drain on paper towels. Add the pork to the fat
remaining in the pot and sear until browned on all sides, 5-7 minutes. remove
from the pot and set aside temporarily.

Add the onion and garlic to the pot and sauté until softened, 2-3 minutes. Pour
in the white wine, and then stir in the tomato paste to blend well. Season with
the sage, salt and pepper. Add the seared pork and any accumulated juices to
the pot. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/4 hours.

Add the apricots to the ragout, cover again, and continue simmering
for another 30 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle the ragout with the
reserved pancetta. Serve hot. You can also add pitted olives but we didn't.

She suggested we serve it with "Rose Rice", so we are (its cooking while I write). It all takes around 1 3/4 hours to cook and I've had a Leffe Blond and am working my way through a bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape with a little help from Ches while we wait. It's likely to be a dead heat between the bottom of the bottle and the bottom of the pot.

Rose Rice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced
1 cup minced fennel bulb
1/1/2 cups of Camargue Red Rice
2 cups of dry rose wine (AOP Luberon)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste.

1 Melt the butter over medium heat in a large squat saucepan. Add the onion and fennel and saute 5-7 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat.
2 Pour in the wine and chicken broth, bring to boil and then simmer, covered for 25 minutes or longer till all the liquid has been absorbed. Fold in cheese and fluff rice with a fork, season with s&p.

The Chateauneuf-du-Pape is winning.

No, dead heat.