Saint Martin Fair

Christeena

Tue, 9 Apr 2013 02:18:11 GMT

Ah les trois couronnes, et dire que j"ai habite9 un an dans l"aile du be2timent sans meame aller sur la tearsrse. Mais j"ai tout de meame pu l"appre9cier une ou deux fois par la suite.Je trouve ce lieu tre8s agre9able, et hors du temps.

name Patricia

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 10:41:57 GMT

Now for an irrelevant observation. I was looking for infos on the French Foire S. Martin"s traditional gypsy caravans, when I found your page.VG thanks. It was a magic moment when I glimpsed those richly carved and colorfully painted masterpieces while I was driving into Perpignan, to work. They were parked on the banks of the river and had apparently arrived overnight.
Never seen anything like them en Angleterre. Bonjour from Patricia

Eric

Sun, 6 Mar 2011 22:22:52 GMT

this is great stuff!...could you tell me where to buy saucisse aux choux in the US???...I"m from Vevey!...I"m craving that stuff, I"ve done the papet w/bratwurst, but it"s not the same!...

Thanks

fx

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:45:56 GMT

Nan, don"t you have Farmers Markets in the USA? Yes these are fine but we don"t really have anything that people couldn"t make or bake on the other side of the pond. Hope you can visit one of our Swiss markets some day though!

Nan

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:12:27 GMT

Francois, the open air markets are something I miss so much from my days living in Europe. Country to country, the markets are full of local flavor you just can"t get any other way. All the senses are involved which makes the memories gathered even stronger. Merci beaucoup, for bringing it back to me.

Nan

fx

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 05:36:59 GMT

Thanks Barbara, maybe you even saw me at the market that morning!

barbara

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 03:15:32 GMT

ha! I got there very early, before the rain, but had to rush for my train before I could take any photos. I bought some nonettes from those ladies in your picture, they were much enjoyed by my colleagues!
Thanks for the market visit, so nice to see something familiar through someone else"s eyes.

fx

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:28:28 GMT

Bronels, vin cuit is a reduction of pear and apple juices simmered for a day. If you are prepared to do this, all you need is then to garnish pie shells with that brown syrup.

bronels

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:46:11 GMT

Great website!. It really is a trip down memory lane as I grew up in Switzerland. Do you have a recipe for the the cooked wine pie? Will have to visit Switzerland and all its markets soon!

fx

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:40:39 GMT

Glad to hear that although I wish we had more sun in this season!

Cynthia

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:29:04 GMT

I"m smiling - life is always wonderful when I visit your site :)

fx

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:32:25 GMT

Peter, we also have many fairs in Europe that are not so nice, especially overcrowded "Christmas Markets" that sells crappy industrial items under the guise of artisan craft and overpriced processed sausages. You really need to look a bit to find a proper fair/fete with really homemade, traditional products.

Peter K

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:02:07 GMT

That looks like a very interesting place to be. I wish that there we more place such as these in the states - with very unique items to vend. When I saw the name of the town, I was intrigued because I have a dear friend who lived in Vevay, Indiana which has a large Swiss population; in fact it is the head city of Switzerland county with their La f�te des vignerons.

Keep up the good work with the site! I really enjoy the pieces about cheesemaking!

Best regards,
Peter Kapinos
Minnesota

fx

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:44:08 GMT

Alvi I am sure you can find so many interesting things in China that we would never know here! If you have any interest in tea (gong gu cha) you could see sights every bit just as attractive by visiting Pu Erh or many other places in China, I"m sure!

Alvi

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:47:04 GMT

Everytime you wrote an article, you take me into another world with all those beautiful pictures and well-written story. Thank you so much, FX. I"ve been missing the Open Market since I moved to China. I used to visit every Sunday market when I studied in Holland and Germany, particularly the pre-Christmas market in Germany. It was so beautiful, the spirit, the ambience and unforgetable Gluhwein. Thank you for bringing all good time memories back!

Kisses,
Alvi.

hong

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:47:31 GMT

Sure a rich fair about eating. �You must have had a lot of fun there in finding a lot of your favorites.

fx

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:16:28 GMT

Rose, I will try to post an altogether better recipe for vin chaud for December, so you"ll get to make it twice this year I hope!

fx

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:15:29 GMT

Laura, this looks very Nils Olgersonesque! Is Sk�ne the most picturesque place to enjoy a M�rtensg�s dinner? Does it already snow in this season? Thanks!

Laura

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:05:50 GMT

Hej,

A nice story and pictures.

In Sk�ne (southern Sweden), they celebrate Saint Martin"s eve by eating M�rtensg�s dinner, with roast goose proceeded by svartsoppa ("black soup" with goose blood) and followed by apple cake. It"s actually quite a lot of work to prepare and so many people go to restaurants instead. (But I"m sure people like you do it fine at home!)

I think they eat Saint Martin goose in some other northern European countries, too.

Rosedarpam

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:32:03 GMT

I should put my apron on before I click on your posts. I was drooling throughout the entire article. I will attempt to make my own version of vin chaud for our Thanksgiving festivities.

fx

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:02:46 GMT

Carmen thanks for your kind words, I"ll try to make the visit-and-taste-with-me experience even better the next time, unfortunately I never can stay the whole day at this particular fair! I have many recipes for tarte � la cr�me and will try to post an article so you can bake one for your husband.

fx

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:59:15 GMT

Shu, indeed this is a sort of confectionery/jam that uses spices including mustard seeds. Very surprising to modern taste buds, but if you cross the Alps and visit Northern Italy, each town has its own mostarda made with fruits, sugar, vinegar and mustard seeds. They use it mostly as a relish with meats and cheeses, whereas moutarde de b�nichon is eaten with this special brioche known as "cuchaule". I bought some for a French friend whose kids love cuchaule but didn"t hear back from her - surely the kids didn"t like it much!

Shu

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:42:06 GMT

Is the moutarde the b�nichon sweet or savory? Mustard seeds AND molasses? I"ve not come across it before, and I"m a fiend for mustard. Doesn"t look like it would go on a hotdog though!

carmen

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:13:09 GMT

Hello Francois Hope you are doing well. I absolutely enjoyed seeing your beautiful pics of the trip to the country fair La Foire de Saint Martin. What a great time you must have had.Unfortunately many of these customs are dying because the rat race one lives in these days. But when I see your adventures I feel as if I too were there tasting and savoring each and every meal. What a blessing you are to many people. :-)
Francois I wondering if you have the recipe for Gateau a la creme? My husband used to eat this when he was a child and I have not been able to duplicate it as he remembers. If you could please send it to me. I would appreciate it since his birthday is coming up and I would love to give him a big surprise. Hope you and your loved ones are well.
God bless you . Warm Regards Carmen Kunhardt

fx

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:02:33 GMT

Jensenly, I am sure you"ll be able to buy back another of these old strainers from some garage sale, there must be millions of them out there. I don"t use colanders as much as I do my Japanese strainer (not sure if that"s the right word), a sort of giant spoon made of metal wire to fish out the pasta rather than throw the water through a colander.

fx

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:00:39 GMT

Atlanta seems like a really nice place, and you will get to eat some serious, real, slow-smoked barbecue! I love farmers" markets and wish everybody could live not far from one. Have fun in Atlanta!

fx

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:59:36 GMT

Fran, yes the smell is quite complex as there are many horses (not on my pictures) for the parade, and they do produce their own smell too!

fx

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:55:35 GMT

Steve, it may have been in Leysin where there are such camps. I hope it brings you pleasant memories of my country!

Steve

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:21:30 GMT

I"m from the US and have only been to Europe once to a Swiss-American school - I believe close to Vevay a small ski resort village in the mountains - for a few weeks visit. I wish I remember the town name but you may know it by the school. There was a "restaurant" in the town that was only open on special occasions and required walking about half a mile down a road to a chalet in the woods, more like a home. It was not open while we were there but I often wondered about it.
Steve

Fran Magbual

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:37:09 GMT

What an amazing fair! I bet it smells wonderful too.

chiffonade

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:34:45 GMT

What a wonderful fair! Such a selection of delectable eats - I wouldn"t know where to start.

I"m about to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia and the culinary scene is fantastic. There are some farmers markets we were advised to visit ASAP for all their bounty. I can"t wait.

I"m not much of a world traveller but I do live vicariously through your blog entries!

And yes - it"s really me :D

Chiffy
<3

jensenly

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:52:30 GMT

Ahhh...the vintage aluminum strainer. I rue the day I threw out my cheap, dented colander for the new, shiny stainless steel version. The old one strained away pasta water perfectly, while the new one just can"t quite do the job. Your picture brought back fond memories and a resolution to always go with functionality over form every time!

fx

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:23:23 GMT

Joanna I have recipes for both and will endeavor to make some nonettes so you can try them. Heavy stuff!

fx

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:21:45 GMT

Maura, yes this guy was quite funny and I just missed a nice picture of his mates cheering him up while he cooked!

fx

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:19:52 GMT

Candace, yes I used to wear blue shirts but the pink ones look cheerier I guess!

fx

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:17:26 GMT

Gaetano, I hope you get to visit the fair in person one day!

fx

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:17:00 GMT

Glad you liked it Laura!

Laura

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:44:21 GMT

Such a fun tour! Thank you for bringing us inside Switzerland.

gaetano

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:38:48 GMT

Wonderful tour. Enjoyed the great photos and information about this excellent fair.

candace

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:08:56 GMT

Francois, lovely photos as usual. You are so lucky to live so very near to such wonderful places. On a funny note, I think you must have quite a penchant for pink shirts. I can"t recall ever seeing you in any other color! *smile*

mauro filicori

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:08:10 GMT

Great pictures as usual, the one with a gentleman stirring the soup"s pot has an apron that says:

" Un uomo senza pancia e" come un cielo senza stelle "
(A man without a belly is like a sky without the stars)

Che poesia! (How poetic!)

Mauro

Joanna

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:53:13 GMT

Wonderful fair, despite the rain (we had a lovely sunny day here yesterday)

I now urgently need two recipes: the nonette, which looks and sounds terrific, and the moutarde, which sounds really intriguing. I"ll do a search, but I"ve got a feeling I"m relying on you FX ;)

Thanks for a lovely post

Joanna

fx

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:51:49 GMT

Xavier I very much recommend you visit the market on Saturday, especially in July and August, it is really nothing like the market on Ceaucescu Square in Lausanne. They have alp horn bands and choirs and people drinking white wine and enjoying life in the Grenette, really quite magical. And even on these bleak rainy November days it beats Lausanne any day. No question!

fx

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:49:59 GMT

Zorra, anytime for quince jelly!

fx

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:49:46 GMT

Thanks a lot Joanie, indeed the center of Vevey really is lovely, with this huge square opening onto Lake Geneva!

fx

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:49:06 GMT

Thanks Lucy, glad my little articles bring a ray of sunshine into your morning!

Xavier

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:37:44 GMT

After a few years living in Switzerland, it"s the first time I ever heard about the St Martin. Without FXcuisine I would be missing many events, places and swiss dishes for another five years. Thanks again for sharing !
By the way I usually stick to the March� de la Riponne in Lausanne every saturday. Do you know if Vevey"s usual fair is worth the trip ? I heard it was one of the best place in the area to caught fresh fish from local fishermans.

zorra

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:12:08 GMT

Thank you for taking us to the fair.

Next time I come to Switzerland I will bring you a jar of my homemade quince jelly. ;-)

Joanie

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:55:53 GMT

Thank you for the lovely tour of the fair in Vevey. Vevey was one of my favorite places in Switzerland and I cherish the memories. I certainly hope I can get back there one day. I enjoy your emails sooooooo much! Thank you again.

LucyD

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:35:29 GMT

I so look forward to your emails. Your photography and comments take me away for a while. �Thank you!