We traveled by ferry to France, not to the country in Europe, but rather to the French owned archipelago of several isles off the coast of Newfoundland. On St. Pierre, an isle of 5,500 French citizens, the shops sell French fashion, perfume and wines; the euro is the currency of the place. Located at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, 12 miles off the Newfoundland coast, the archipelago was discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1536. The descendants of emigrants from Normandy, Brittany, the Basque region and some Acadians live and work on the islands. Their ancestors had flocked to this speck in the Atlantic Ocean to work in the fishing industry.
Whereas our first few days had been very cold and on occasion rainy, it was a beautiful sunny day of relative warmth on St. Pierre. Upon our arrival, we, walking the cobble streets of the town, stopped in several shops. We even began to make purchases of small items, easy to carry. Our lunch reservation wasn’t until 12.
At Crêperie du Vieux Port at the Hotel Robert, most of us dined on crepes. Mine was called Le Chèvre, Goat Cheese, but for me, it was the French version of a BLT. Served on a buckwheat crepe, it was filled with Romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes, four medallions of fried goat cheese and topped with crispy, sweet bacon. Buckwheat, as I learned later, isn’t a grain. Rather it is a ground seed from a plant related to rhubarb and is gluten free. Bob selected sole served with a white crab sauce; Eric chose the special of the day: Beef Bourguignon.
Most of the shops, in keeping with European tradition close their doors between 12 noon and 2 p.m., plenty of time for shopkeepers to eat a leisurely lunch and nap a bit.
We had scheduled a bus tour early afternoon.
Our tour guide during this loop around the island was Clementine, a St. Pierre native now attending college in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Serving as a tour guide is her summer job. Despite her protest about the difficulty in switching from one language to another, she presented the history and details about each spot in both English and French fluently. While her English was flawless and full of facts, her French sounded like music. I found it interesting that English words like “taxes” and “city council” appeared in her French. She told me that many languages have adopted English words, like “weekend” into their vocabularies. We tend to think only English adopts words like “ballet, kindergarten, glitch, patio” from other languages.
One interesting fact, among many that she shared, is that all gendarmes (policemen) are from France. Each police officer moves, with his family, to St. Pierre, but only serves a four-year tour of duty. According to her, the rotation is supposed to eliminate corruption.
During one stop for the tourists to take photos, I stayed on the bus. Clementine came back to talk with me. She is majoring in religions at college. She says, “I hear of so many oppressed by religion around the world. I wanted to learn about the religions. After college, I want to go to law school and eventually represent those oppressed by religion.”
Returning to the town, we finished our shopping in the brief time we had before boarding the ferry back to Newfoundland. The smooth sailing back to “The Boot,” the point on Newfoundland where we boarded the ferry gave us plenty of time to reflect on this outing.
Expression
Long may your big jib draw
Newfoundland nautical saying which means: May you have good fortune for a long time
Recipe
With the day’s special, Beef Bourguignon, for lunch, I immediately thought of the delightful movie - “Julie and Julia” based on a true story. Amy Adams stars as the blogger who attempts to follow each recipe in the Julia Child’s cookbook. Merle Streep assumes the role of the famous cook. If I remember correctly, making Beef Bourguignon was a challenge for the blogger. Child’s recipe is a good reminder of the many steps in French cooking. However, since I won’t undertake any recipe so complicated, I thought an easier version might be more palatable to others who might try this famous dish.
Taste of Home’s Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy
Ingredients
6 bacon strips; diced 1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 pounds), cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes; 1 can (10-1/2 ounces) condensed beef broth, undiluted; 1 small onion, halved and sliced; 1 medium carrot, sliced; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 1 bay leaf; 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced; 1/2 cup burgundy wine or beef broth; 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2/3 cup cold water.
Directions
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove to paper towels. In the drippings, brown the beef; drain. Place beef and bacon in a 5-qt. slow cooker, Add the broth, onion, carrot, butter, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is tender. Add mushrooms and wine. Combine flour and water until smooth; gradually stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 30-45 minutes or until thickened. Discard bay leaf. Serve with noodles or mashed potatoes.
2017
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