La Belle France: Day Nineteen

A Neighborhood Pic Nic, A Festival of Music, and

Une Partie de Boules

Every year on the same Thursday in June, the neighborhood around L'Impasse du Hamel gather together for a community picnic (un pique-nique). Everyone brings something to eat or drink and there is a barbecue meat for all. The grilling includes specialties of the region such as saucisses merguez which are a spicy hot-dog sized sausage, as well as Andouille and Boudin sausages which are more of, as we say in the US, an "acquired taste".
There are always plenty of side dishes, crudite' dishes, and hors d'oeuvres, amazing French bread and local cheeses. A variety of excellent wines and locally produced Cidre Bouche' served to wash the whole thing down. Finally, there were French pastries as well as the Normand dessert specialty, la Teurgoule (see recipe below).
The gathering included both current and past residents as well as grown family members, grandchildren, and guests (of which I was one). Overall, there were about 30 people at the gathering which I understand in years past has been even bigger. There was a great mixture of ages and cultures at the dinner. The weather, while very clear, was rather chilly and as the evening went on, warranted sweaters and sweatshirts. The evening went long with the retelling of fine old stories that many seemed to remember, a little politics (no French gathering goes totally without this element), and lots of laughter.
Wonderful companionship, excellent food, an unequaled experience.

Really long table, but in the French tradition, not without a table cloth!

A variety of table wines and bottled specialties.

Authentic traditional music provided by a resident who was once an accordionist in a French "Guinguette" a kind of dance club from the 30s and 40s. Wonderful old favorites that everyone knew and sang along.

Dancing on the lawn in the square for all ages! The dancer and the photographer are my host couple Marco and Brigitte. Brigitte is dancing with their granddaughter.

Recipe for La Teurgoule, a classic Normand dessert. Be prepared.... it is easy to prepare, but it takes about 7 hours to cook! The results, however, are delicious!

La Teurgoule

Serves 12

Units:

2 liters - whole milk
180 grams - dessert rice
200 gr. - sugar
50 gr. - unsalted butter
2 tbsps. - vanilla
1 tsp - cinnamon
1 pinch - salt

1. Mix rice, sugar and salt in ovenproof earthenware casserole or bowl big enough to hold two liters

of milk

2. Heat milk and butter but do not boil

3. Carefully pour milk mixture over rice, sprinkle cinnamon on top

4. Put uncovered casserole or bowl in the oven preheated to 120 degrees Celsius.

5. Cook for 7 - 8 hours until creamy and thick with no milk liquid should remain.

May be eaten either warm or cold.

IF IT'S FRANCE... IT MUST BE BOULES!

Boules or more properly, Petanque, is a traditional National French game played by players around "the hexagon" each summer. The game has its roots in the Roman era and a simple set of rules. Each team has two steel balls weighing about a pound each per player. A small ball called a "cochenet" is launched by one of the teams and the goal is to launch or roll the team's steel balls as close as possible to the cochenet. The closest ball wins the team a point. Herve' all the teams the rules and all their subtleties before we read. The game goes to 12 or 21.

The teams prepare for the game