Ceret - Le Ventous, Chappelle , Curried Carrots Recipe

This is the boulangerie that has been closed up until a couple of days ago. Our first try of
their croissants was very favorable and we tried them again today, thinking it was just a
fluke. No fluke, again, they were actually better than our previous favorites. Baguette was
very good too. Of course we will continue to conduct research, its a duty.

It doesn't seem to have a name though it does have a sign that states its an Artisan Boulangerie. It
is the only one up at the top of the old town. It is very small with little more than a great variety
of bread, croissant and some things that look like raisin danishes.

After breakfast I drove up to La Terrasse de Soleil Hotel, parked and walked part of Le Ventous trail and headed towards Reynes on a section I hadn't done before.
I had to check in at the little farmyard of goats, horse and donkey. The kids had grown and were now more independent of their mothers and very curious.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

"Who ARE you?" This guy reminds me of Chewbacca. (Note the fencing. Goats are notorious
for getting out and this fence shows the mending that has had to be done over the years).

"Seriously, who are you and why are you not feeding me!"

I could have stayed and watched them all day, but continued.

The vines up here, in the hills between Ceret and Canigou have finally all been
pruned.

We have seen people in the vineyards everywhere, bent over the vines. Usually just one person but in the
bigger fields, two or three. It looks like a peaceful, solitary job but backbreaking.

It has to be done by hand, can't be mechanized. Last years growth must be pruned in such a way as to leave one or
two nodules to sprout into this years growth.

A farm down in the valley, surrounded by Mimosa. The scent wafted up on the wind. It
must be very strong down there.

It was snowing on Canigou again, I could feel it in the wind.

I turned around before I reached Reynes as I had told Mum and Dad I would be back by 1pm for lunch. It was an easy walk on a dirt track and I will certainly do it again and hope to get  further.
After lunch we went back to the little church that we found yesterday. Chapelle St Martin de Fenollar. The first record of the church is in 844 and it is close to the Roman road through the Pyrenees; Via Dimitia. The frescos on the walls and ceiling were painted in the first half of the 12th century. Unfortunately I was not permitted to take pictures (avec ou sans flash, the sign said). They were surprisingly bright with deep reds and blues, primitive in their depiction of the apostles, Mary, angels, three kings, Jesus but oddly modern looking too. Hard to believe how old they are and in a tiny little church in the middle of nowhere.

As mentioned in the previous post.

Its no wonder its submersible its really just cement over a bunch of culverts.

In and e-mail Barb suggested I shouldn't just mention some of the meals we are having but have a Vicarious Travelling Cookbook. So here's  the first recipe. We had it first at lunch in Collioure, experimented a couple of nights ago and fine tuned it tonight.
Curry pureed carrots (for 3)
Steam 3 carrots until softening.
Put them in a bowl with 1 tablespoons of cream, a tablespoon of honey, a dab of butter and 2 teaspoons of curry powder.
Puree (I used a hand blender)
Taste and add more of anything you think it needs.
Mum and I decided it needed a little something more, looked around the kitchen and added a teaspoon of marmalade.
I put it back in a small saucepan and kept it warm on a low heat but last time I dished it into ramekins and served immediately.