France 2021, Day 10, Viviers

On Wednesday, we walked from our ship, the Buri, down a beautiful tree-lined street to Viviers, a medieval walled town located in the Ardèche region of Provence. The town and its majestic cathedral basically perch on a large rock elevation overlooking the Rhone. The ascent was very steep and it was raining on and off – just enough to make you open your umbrella and then decide to close it five minutes later. I struggled on the cobblestone streets, which lead up to the top, and was sure someone would slip – possibly our guide Josette. I could hear her gasping for breath through the audio boxes we wore around our necks. Like many of our guides, she had suffered financially during the pandemic when tourism disappeared. She told us she had not spoken English in the last 18 months and apologized if she sounded rusty.

Chocolate Caramels for Anne Shirley

For the L.M. Montgomery Cooking Challenge, I decided to make Chocolate Caramels: 

But Anne could not eat. In vain she nibbled at the bread and butter and pecked at the crab-apple preserve out of the little scalloped glass dish by her plate. She did not really make any headway at all.

“You’re not eating anything,” said Marilla sharply, eying her as if it were a serious shortcoming. Anne sighed. 

“I can’t. I’m in the depths of despair. Can you eat when you are in the depths of despair?” 

Heavenly Chocolate Pie

Back in the 60s my great aunt Justine had a temp job at Nestle's headquarters in White Plains, NY where they gave her a slender chocolate cookbook with wiro binding as a thank you.  Because she did not cook, she gave it to my mother who tried the recipe for Heavenly Chocolate Pie, which became a Christmas Day favorite in our house.  This morning was my first time making it and it turned out beautifully:

Easter

I was determined to bake something for Easter and decided to try the Bittersweet Chocolate Truffle Tart from the Flour Cookbook from Chronicle. I have been an admirer of the Flour Bakery & Cafe since it opened a location near the Federal Courthouse soon after I moved back to Boston. I didn't know until much later that the owner is a Harvard/Radcliffe alumna!

Chatting with my grandmother by phone while the Tart was in the oven I happened to mention that my 1/4 teaspoon was mysteriously missing so I had to approximate when measuring kosher salt. Granny thought any old salt would have done but when I picked her up the next day, she surprised me by triumphantly handing me her set of measuring spoons, saying she doesn't cook any more so she wanted me to have them. Don't get too misty eyed: when I took a closer look, I realized they were my mother's measuring spoons and Granny should not have been giving them away but instead returning them to her daughter! However, Granny will be 96 on Saturday, and has always been extremely generous so can be forgiven for carelessness with others' possessions.

The Tart was delicious, especially served with whipped cream! I am eager to try something else from this appetizing bookbook, perhaps chocolate croissants if I am very brave... Oh my, I see they have a (sold out) class that teaches you how to make sticky buns and chocolate brioche.