Morning stripes

With the lavender and the corn ripening in the fields, the countryside is revealed in all its beauty in contrasting strips of colour.  These fields are between St Saturnin and Rustrel.

Judy painting

David took his group to the basse fontaine area of Gordes to shelter from the mistral.  Its a beautiful little spot, quite secluded and surrounded by some spectacular terraced gardens.  A professional photographer passing by took this shot of Judy painting in the sunshine. He stopped to talk to David and promised to forward him the photo.  Here it is.  Many thanks to David Schmaus and his analogue Hasselblad!

Rebecca Hind's week with David

Unfortunately Rebecca was unable to teach her course this summer at Les Bassacs.  David stepped in to take the week which meant that he dusted off his watercolours and enjoyed the freedom to experiment in his sketch book.

Rustrel

St Saturnin les Apt

On picnic day in Lourmarin David sketched the chaotic jumble of buildings in the centre of the village and some comical donkeys in front of the chateau.

Opium Poppies in Les Bassacs

Papaver somniferum spotted in the Les Bassacs car park!

Chagall's Gordes

The mistral has been blowing hard this week which gives us clear skies and bright sunshine but also keeps the air temperature fresh! It is always a great trick to find painting sites that are out of its reach.  On Monday,  David took the group to the lower part of Gordes. It was here that Chagall lived during the war until 1941 when he was smuggled out of France and eventually to America.  Varian Fry who worked to save Chagall and his wife, visited the Chagall's at their home in Gordes.  He wrote of the visit in his diary.
 “Gordes is a charming, tumbled down old town on the edge of a vast and peaceful valley. I can see why they didn’t want to leave; it is an enchanted place."

In this part of Gordes there were a series of mills that were used in shoe manufacturing and Chagall's house is one of these, it is built over a stream which was originally a small river.

David noticed that the electricity counter still has Chagall's name on it!

 The area is quite secluded and there are many well preserved ruined buildings and cobbled streets which make good painting subjects.

Abandoned troglodyte dwelling at Oppède le Vieux

During John Raynes watercolour week the group painted at Oppède le Vieux. Its an exciting place to explore as much of the village is still in its abandoned state.

David stumbled upon the lower floor of an abandoned troglodyte dwelling with an elaborate vaulted ceiling and these beautiful mullioned windows.

The Les Bassacs Team part 1

Liz, Anna and David (photo courtesy of Carol Gillot)

Terry Thompson's week 30th April 2016

Terry's week started bright but suddenly very cold.  We had to put the heating on for a few days.  Then the wind dropped and the sun shone . . .

(Photos courtesy of Terry Thompson)

All set for the start of the season

We have sunny skies with a strong mistral for the first few days of the season.  It has been exceptionally dry here but the warmth of the sun has brought on the lilacs, poppies and iris.  In the fields there are heavily scented mounds of thyme.  I have been out today,  picking bunches to use in our kitchen this summer.

Cherry Blossom

The valley is peppered with cherry orchards in full blossom. This year all the trees have flowered  together which makes for a spectacular display. 

There is great variation in the way the cherry trees are pruned which in turn determines the density of the blossom as well as the harvest.  The air is sweet with pollen and it is only six weeks to the cherry harvest!

I am starting researching new recipes for the summer, and today tried this cherry cake recipe from Sweeter Off the Vine by Yossy Arefi.

 Cherry Streusel Cake
Can be made with fresh or frozen cherries

Streusel

35g flour
2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon or cardamom
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted, at room temperature

 

Cake

210g flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
150g granulated sugar
grated zest of 2 large lemons
125ml neutral vegetable oil
3 large eggs
225g plain whole milk yogurt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
210g pitted cherries, sweet or sour (fresh or frozen)

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Butter a 9-inch (23cm) loaf pan, dust with flour, and tap out any excess.

2. Make the streusel by mixing the 35g flour, oats, brown sugar, poppy seeds, cinnamon or cardamom and salt in a small bowl. Add the butter and use your fingers to break the butter into small pieces, until the streusel is in small bits. Set aside.

3. To make the cake, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl.

4. In a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together very well with your fingers, encouraging the lemon oil to saturate the sugar. Whisk in the oil, eggs, yogurt and lemon juice. Add the flour mixture all at once, stirring with a rubber spatula until it’s almost completely incorporated. Fold in half of the cherries and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Dot the remaining cherries over the top and sprinkle with streusel. Bake the cake until golden

on top and it feels set in the center, about 40 to 50 minutes. (You can insert a toothpick in the center to check for doneness as well. When it comes out clean of crumbs, the cake is done.)

6. Let the cake cool on a wire rack. When cool, run a knife along the outside of the cake to help it release from the pan and tip the cake out of the pan.

Storage: The cake will keep for up to three days at room temperature, if well wrapped. You can freeze it for up to two months.

 I had to bake mine for 90 minutes and it didn't rise as well as it should have.  The frozen cherries probably made for a denser cake, but with a delicious, subtle lemony flavour.