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Showing posts with label Aubigny-sur-Nère. Show all posts

Upper Loire wanderings: day two – breakfast with Claude Courboin

posted by sooyup on Aubigny-sur-Nère, Claude Courbois, tarte tatin

9 August 2009

Claude in his kitchen with an unconventional rolling-pin – a wine bottle

The day got off to a leisurely start as breakfast took about two hours – things arrive in their own time with Claude Courboin who must now be in his mid-70s, suffering from rheumatism in his hands but who runs the chambres entirely by himself as well as offering table d'hôte. Claude's great speciality is tarte tatin. For brealfast he made us what he described as a quasi-tarte tatin – one that had only cooked for about an hour and a half. A real 'tarte tatin' needed about five hours cooking to ensure that the apples were throughly caramelised and buttery. I have to say that the 'quasi' version was probably the best tatin I have tasted, so the full version must be sensational.

Readying the pastry

Ready for the oven

Claude used to be a farmer with some 250 hectares of land, which he sold, and took up the chambres about six years ago. "I don't have clients," he explained. "Instead I have friends for the day – les amis du jour."

Well deserved applause and admiration

Looks so good

Serving........

Claude Courboin, Gorgeot, 18700 Aubigny-sur-Nère (tel: 02.48.58.03.16)

Upper Loire wanderings: day one

posted by sooyup on Aubigny-sur-Nère, Le Lièvre Gourmand, Monthou-sur-Cher, Vailly-sur-Sauldre

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8 August 2009: Epeigné-les-Bois to Aubigny-sur-Nère
with excellent dinner Le Lièvre Gourmand in Vailly-sur-Sauldre

We started off with a look at the vines at Monthou-sur-Cher, which were a sad sight as they have clearly suffered substantial damage from the hailstorms of mid-July. On a quick look some parcels had very few grapes left.

Monthou: hail damaged bunches

Monthou: canes damaged by the hail

Monthou: shredded vines

About five miles away in Oisly up on the plateau, the vines (again on a quick look) appeared not to have been affected by the hail as this sight of some generous bunched shows.

Oisly: plentiful bunches

Moving on from Oisly we drove through Contres (Loir-et-Cher) with its asparagus beds and extensive market gardening on the very sandy soil found here through Soings-en-Sologne, Mur-de-Sologne, Millançay and to Marcilly-en-Gault. Once you reach the Sologne (the big forested area with many lakes between Orléans and Vierzon and famous for its hunting) the buildings change. The tuffeau of Touraine and Saumur is left behind and instead the buildings are a mix of timber and brick.

Marcilly-en-Gault: typical lake just to the west of this small town

Marcilly-en-Gault: La Maison de Foussydoire and its remarkably wavy lower beam

Then we headed across to Aubigny-sur-Nère, where we had a booked chambres d'hôte for the night, going via the pretty village of Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre.

Church@Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre near Aubigny

Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre: statue of Joan of Arc

Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre: water feature by church

Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre: elegant house with dark blue shutters

Aubigny-sur-Nère: the remarkable roundabout complete with water wheel, frog and heron

Aubigny-sur-Nère is famous for its connections with Scotland in particular with the Stuarts and the Château des Stuarts - details here.

Our b&b was with Claude Courboin, Gorgeot, 18700 Aubigny-sur-Nère (tel: 02.48.58.03.16) – just to the west of Aubigny on the road to Lamotte-Beuvron. Claude will feature in the second day's report.

Slow route to Sancerre

posted by sooyup on Aubigny-sur-Nère, La Ferté-Imbault, Romorantin-Lanthenay

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Romorantin-Lanthenay

In early November 2007 we took the slow route from Epeigné-les-Bois across to Sancerre passing through Romorantin-Lanthenay, La Ferté-Imbault and Aubigny-sur-Nère. Here is a series of photos that traces our route: