Atelier de stylisme et de photographie culinaires, mai 2012 en France

January 26, 2012

Bonjour à tous,

Cela fait déjà un certain temps que mon amie Lara et moi parlons d’organiser un atelier de stylisme et de photographie culinaire ensemble. Alors voilà ! Ca y est. On se jette à l’eau. Nous avons réussi à trouver une date qui nous convient à toutes le deux. Et nous avons trouvé un endroit magnifique.

Dans notre beau pays. La France….

Nous aurons davantage de détails dans les jours qui viennent, mais nous voulions partager avec vous l’essentiel de cet atelier:

Où se tiendra-t-il? :

Dans le très beau Chåteau Ventenac dans le sud de la France, dans la région du Languedoc-Roussillon. Ventenac se trouve à 20 minutes de Narbonne, et à 40 minutes de la côte méditerranéenne. Les Pyrénées (au sud) et les Cévennes (au nord) sont à moins d’une heure. Carcassonne se trouve à 45 minutes à l’ouest.

Quand :

Du 19 au 24 mai 2012

Qui :

L’atelier est ouvert à 8 étudiants (ou 10) (la plupart des chambres sont partagées ; 2 instructeurs

Quoi :

Un atelier de stylisme et photographie culinaire d’une durée de 5 nuits & 4 jours avec Lara Ferroni et moi-même. La langue utilisée pour cet atelier est l’anglais–mais évidemment, je peux expliquer ce qu’il faut en français aussi !

Coût :

US $2,200, environ 1.680 Euros, transports non compris.

Sont compris dans le prix: 5 nuits, 5 petits-déjeuners, 4 déjeuners et 2 dîners avec vin–café, thé et boissons non alcoolisées à volonté pendant la journée.

D’autres activités possibles inclues sont: la visite d’un vignoble, la visite d’un marché, la location de vélos–et plus.

Faites-nous savoir si vous êtes intéressés et nous confirmerons les dates.

On espère vous rencontrer très vite.

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Food Styling and Photography workshop, May 2012 in France

January 25, 2012

Hello everyone,

It’s been a while now since my friend Lara and I started talking about running a food styling and photography workshop together. Yes! It took us some time to find a time when it both fitted our schedules. Yet we had found an amazing place to run it.

In my homeland.

We will have full details available soon *but* today, we’d like to share the essence of the workshop with you:

Where:

The beautiful Chåteau Ventenac in the south of France, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. Ventenac is located 20 minutes from the historic city of Narbonne, and 40 minutes from the Mediterranean coast. Both the Pyrénées (to the south) and the Cévennes mountains (to the north) are less than one hour away. The medieval city of Carcassonne lies 45 minutes to the west.

When:

May 19 to 24, 2012

How many people:

8 (most of the rooms are shared, see the floor plan here), with possibilities of a few more depending on number; 2 instructors

What:

A 5 night & 4 day food styling and photographing workshop with Lara Ferroni and myself.

Cost:

US $2,200, excluding transportation.

Will be included: 5 nights accommodation, 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches & 2 dinners with wine–plus tea, coffee and soft drinks available all day.

Possible activities included are a winery tour, the visit to a French local farmer’s market, the renting of bikes–and more.

Let us know whether you are interested so that we can confirm this time slot!

We cannot wait to meet you there.

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I had a cauliflower gratin recipe

Cauliflower

I forgot to tell you on thing.

Back in early December, I wrote a cauliflower recipe for the Boston Globe. I had found beautifully colored varieties of cauliflower at the market and I fell in love. I bought more than I needed, but I yet knew I would find home to these jewels. They are irresistible, even when you don’t care much for cauliflower.

gratin cauliflower gluten free tartine gourmande

Cauliflower Gratin

Because I am French, the idea of a gratin came naturally to me. So I prepared a cauliflower gratin. A light one. One where the vegetables are topped with a mixture of fresh herbs, ground nuts, crème fraiche (of course!), grated cheese and garlic. One that lets the vegetable breathe and lead the dance.

I simply love this recipe. I hope you do too. The recipe was published on December 28, and I simply missed to let you know….

gratin cauliflower gluten free tartine gourmande

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When I met bisons and fell in love with the Great Plains

January 17, 2012

Wild Buffalo Ranch Dan O Brien South Dakota

The chicken barn

I am completely mesmerized by the color of the grass,” I tell Dan who is sitting next to me in his red Chevrolet pickup. The road is fairly bumpy and dusty but I don’t pay any attention to it. My eyes are glued to the scenery that slowly unveils as we approach the ranch where he and his wife Jill live.

The closest connection to any country store is an hour away. “And this is the last place to get gas,” Dan adds while pointing at a small shabby-looking gas station along the endless interstate highway that connects us to Rapid City. I cannot help but smile. Even if I still have no idea of what is waiting for me ahead, I already know I am going to really like it.

It’s my first time in South Dakota.

Good,” he says with a friendly smile.

I like the way he speaks. The pace of his words sounds peaceful and quiet. They mimic the appeasing feeling that runs through my body when my eyes catch sight of the yellow rolling hills which surround us as we drive along.

I cannot believe the weather here either,“I add. “Everyone had told me it was going to be so cold!

All of a sudden, the long gray winter jacket, the woolen hat and gloves I am wearing feel inappropriate and uncomfortable. I am dying to change into lighter mid-season clothes.

It can change quickly though, so you never know. It’s good to be prepared.

I realize that Dan is right when, a few days later, we wake up to 20 F, wind and a light veil of snow covering the plain.

But the light. Oh the light! that colors the Great Plains.

Every day.

Over and over again.

I’ve never stayed on a ranch before. I’ve never seen buffalo before either. But deep inside, I know one thing: the week I am going to spend in South Dakota to work with Dan and Jill O’ Brien will be amazing.

Jill and Dan O’ Brien are the force and talent behind Wild Idea Buffalo. I am only arrived on their ranch, getting to know them more, that I quickly understand that their vision is not just about selling buffalo meat. Their goal is about making sure that their animals are kept happy in the Great Plains, that they receive the best foods, and that the environment is preserved.

They believe in a sustainable eco-system.

They believe in a better place.

And it shows.

I’ve come to teach Jill food styling and photography. And so during the entire week, she and I cook, style, and photograph food.

Jill and Dan O’ Brien, photo credit by Jilian Maguire

Jill has a beautiful smile and a generous laughter.

I love working with her in the kitchen. I love hearing her story.

When she tells me that she grew up on a South Dakota dairy farm, and that she learned to cook because this was what you did when you came from a large family, I cannot help but think about my father, his upbringing on the farm, and the long communal table in my grand-mother’s kitchen where family and workers would always sit to refill on hearty dishes my grand-mother had prepared.

As I feel curious to know more about her family, I keep on asking: “Did your mother and grand-mother like to cook?

By looking at her energy and strength in the kitchen, I can guess the answer.

Oh yes!

No wonder you are such a generous cook!” I tell her as I watch her serving us bowls of steaming buffalo stew that reminds me of my mother’s boeuf bourguignon. The food is so delicious that I close my eyes with the attempt to slow the moment down. I want to keep the taste of it in my mouth longer.



Jill educates me to buffalo meat. And to my surprise, I even don’t mind eating more meat than I am accustomed to.

The flavor is really delicate. The meat has great character,” I tell her when, one night to celebrate Jilian’s birthday, she prepares a cut of buffalo tenderloin for dinner. The words “délicat et léger float in my head.

Each buffalo dish I eat leaves me feeling light.

To refill our energy and creative spirit, between photo shoots, Jill takes me to see the horses and chicken.

I want to raise Araucana chicken!” I tell her, laughing, as she hands me a couple of warm blue and white eggs we’ve just fetched from the henhouse.

We take walks with the dogs. I particularly enjoy watching Henry-our French hunting dog as Jill enjoys reminding me–run freely through the fields and between the hills.

We observe antelopes and coyotes in the distance. We watch sun sets and moon rises.

Every day, I marvel at the sight of the blond grass. And of cotton trees set against bright blue skies.

I really want to swim in it,” I tell Dan and Jill each time we walk or drive by a field–to which they laugh.

I cannot get enough of the oranges and yellows of the light that embraces the Great Plains every day at the same time, comes four O’ Clock. It has an intensity I’ve not seen before.


Dan takes me to see the buffalo herds by the majestic Cheyenne river near their ranch. I help him to feed the baby buffalos that he and Jill have rescued.

These are only three months old,” he tells me as he points at small buffalo that are more red than the others. “You can tell by the color of their hair.

They are still frail but we are planning to let them join the older ones in a week.



With Dan, I enjoy talking about writing too.

I didn’t know that you were such an accomplished writer!” I tell him with admiration when he humbly acknowledges the numerous novels he’s written over the years.

As we chit-chat more, I soon find out that not only Dan is a talented writer, but that the French have also befriended him warmly. His ranch and admirable work with the wild buffalo have been featured in many French magazines, including Géo, my utter favorite when I was growing up!


I learn a ton over the course of my week.

I discover an American state with delightful landscapes that transport me to old cowboys movies once watched when I was young. Papa, tu adorerais !

I learn that life can be much simpler. Quieter. I learnt that when need be, you can always make do with what you have at hand.

I fall asleep while hearing the howling of coyotes.

I watch the moon rise. And the sun set.

I eat scrumptious country foods. I eat the best buffalo burger with homemade red potato chips. I dine from elegant dishes.

I make new friends.

And I return home with the recipe of a delicious Vietnamese Bison Salad.

Photo credit: Jill O’Brien


Vietnamese Bison Salad

Thank you Jill and Dan for welcoming me into your home. I cannot wait to come back to see the grass turn green. And to show P. and Lulu the buffalo, the Great plains, and have them watch a moon rise and fetch fresh eggs.

Lulu will love to meet you and pet the cats.

She will love to run freely on top of the hills.

I am convinced that she will really enjoy the taste of buffalo meat too.

Wild Idea Buffalo Company Tartine Gourmande

My own variant of Jill’s Vietnamese Bison Salad

Of course, when I returned, I could not help but recreate my own variant of Jill’s salad in my kitchen. Mine had zucchini and carrots, and I used veal instead of bison. It didn’t take long to become a real favorite.

They were P.’s words. I could not agree more.

Read the rest…

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Black chickpea, crab and fennel verrine recipe with apple and avocado

January 3, 2012

gluten free black chickpea salad recipe

A picnic at the beach –
Crane Beach, Ma; January 1st, 2012

I wanted to start the new year with delicious salads. Made with légumes secs (legumes), vegetables, and fruit. Offering zest and crunch. With mixed flavors of the earth and sea.

This verrine recipe has it all. It showcases black chickpeas, which I had never used before. I simply fell in love with its unusual color…

Yesterday, on the 1st of January, we had a picnic at the beach. I cannot begin to tell you how excited Lulu was at the idea! And how both P. and I were looking forward to it too!

On va faire un pique-nique à la plage,” Lulu kept repeating to my mum on Skype while helping me to pack a picnic basket.

The truth is that we could not have dreamed of a more glorious day.

Oh the weather my dear readers! “What happened to winter?” we’ve been wondering….

It felt mild and calm outside. So sunny. So soft. Similar to a day in late summer or early fall.

After the holidays, Sunday was the first day when P., Lulu, and I were alone again. All family had returned home. The house felt too big. Too empty. I wanted that day at the beach. I knew it’d feel soothing to be outdoors.

To clear our heads…

We packed simple foods: A thermos filled with African Roobois tea; slices of chocolate cake; clementines and sheep yogurt; and our black chickpea, crab and fennel salad. Next time, I might even add finely shaved jicama or red grapes in it.

gluten free black chickpeas

Black chickpeas

It might sound like it was the perfect day.

It really was.

Quiet.

Calm.

Reflective and full of lightness.

We were lucky.

Hopefully, it is setting the tone for the year to come?

Happy New Year to you all! May this new one bring happiness and love and fulfillment in whatever area that is dear to you.

May you be inspired to cook! In one of my next posts, I will share more pictures reflective of the past year….

Read the rest…

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Copyright © 2005 - 2012 by Béatrice Peltre. All rights reserved. Photo licensing info.