Author Jana Kolpen "The Secrets of Pistoulet" ~ A Fantasy Visit . . .

Welcome!
This week I'm joining the Novel Bakers as we share our impressions of three of Jana Kolpen's charming books, beginning with "The Secrets of Pistoulet".

>>But first a notice<<
This one is more picture intensive than my usual posts, so depending upon the speed of my photo storage place,your server and your computer ~there may be a delay while the pictures load.
My apologies for any inconvenience, friends.

Click image to learn more about the book.

A little background information ~

From the publisher:

"Everyone who passes through Pistoulet has a story which unfolds. All who spend time there leave with their hearts and minds transformed. Some never leave.

There is magic and mystery in the farmhouse known as Pistoulet, nestled in the remote, untraveled southwestern French countryside. ... The Secrets of Pistoulet tells the gentle tale of the healing power of magical soups and foods, while celebrating the redemptive and sustaining nature of shared meals among friends and family. With fold-out letters, removable recipe cards and pockets, and special vellum pages..."

and a brief synopsis from the publisher's site:

"Far away in the remote, untraveled southwestern French countryside, there is a small village which contains two homes, an eleventh-century church, and a very special farm known as Pistoulet." Thus begins The Secrets of Pistoulet, a charming and beautiful little book filled with food, magic, and love. Part fiction, part cookbook, this richly illustrated book is reminiscent of the popular Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence

, with its collection of letters to be removed from envelopes, and recipes tucked into their own little pockets. Drawings, photographs, snippets of diaries, and mysterious maps decorate this tale of Mademoiselle J., who arrives at Pistoulet with a broken heart. There she is welcomed by the farm's tenants: Madame Claude; Monsieur Andre; the black dog, Marcel; and a chicken that lays golden eggs. Soon, such soul-strengthening dishes as Potage of Babble (guaranteed to cease excessive chatter), Potage of Passion (Cooks beware: this soup has been known to result in marriage proposals!), and Tart of Sunshine (sure to heat both body and soul) have Mademoiselle J. on the road to recovery."

~*~*~*~*~

Okay, it's me again ... Mari ~

As you probably know I do not live in France.
I live in a wet and wild area of the Pacific Northwest in the USA.

That being said ~

Help! Please dig deep and engage your most
concentrated and vivid imagination as I attempt to turn
my home/property into a special, ancient
place located in the South of France.

Ya, sure.
*grin*

I invite you to pour a cup (or glass) of your favorite

beverage and come along as I share my (ridiculously loose)
interpretation of some parts of this imaginative
little book into pictures . . .

~*~*~*~*~

Ready?

Here we go:

Please come to the back of the house, it's much cooler here
under the canopy of tall trees ~

A little nibble and chat before our meal ~

Some cheese and crackers, and perhaps a glass of chilled
wine from our Terrior?

It's true, most of the roses have passed until the Fall flush,
but here's a modest, casual bouquet of other flowers for our small table.

The blue cheese is local and the other is a creamy Boursin-style . . .

... I made the Boursin-style cheese from thick yogurt and herbs from the garden,
it's creamy and tangy at the same time (and it's good for you!) Easy to make as well.

A closer look at the bouquet ...

And the local Blue Cheese ~

These are real, picked fresh from the garden, but . . .

These below are not.

My hydrangeas are a couple of weeks
away from blooming. But this is a fantasy post, remember?! *grin* :)

Well, the sun is beginning to shine on the table and
it's getting a little warm out here ~

Would you like to go inside to finish our repast?
It will be just a simple meal of Soup and Bread...

With freshly made butter, just for you.

And a bowl of a Potage of Passion ~

Vegetable Soup, with which I took a few liberties. For instance

substituting white kidney beans for the potatoes in the recipe, and changing
up the herbs and vegetables a bit.

And we each get a herbed "Celestial Crouton" (recipe from the book.)

My star and crescent cookie cutters are too large for these croutons, so I
made the crescents by cutting the bread into rounds with the rim of a glass,
then -off set- cut a section (a bite) out of the bread-round to form
the crescent using the same glass.

Since the title of the book reminds me of the French condiment

Pistou (which I usually float as a garnish on soup), I offer a

little bowl of it to spread on our bread if you like, or you can put

it in your soup instead.

Just a humble vegetable soup, but soothing, healthful and very satisfying.

~*~*~*~

And for dessert (again, I veered away from the recipes in the book)...

But in the story we learn our main character Mademoiselle J. was invited by

"the very beautiful and gracious Nathalie to stay in her Paris
home overlooking Notre Dame, moments from the
best glaces in the world."

And we also learn that "Modemoiselle J. loves glaces."

So I made Fresh Peach Sorbet with a hint of sweet almonds,

I think it's close enough to a glacé. *wink*

Peach Sorbet
Just a very few ingredients, and if you have some sort of
ice cream maker this recipe is soo easy!

This recipe is identical to the one I make, which has been around for years.

For a change I added a few drops of pure almond extract

along with the good vanilla extract in the recipe. Almond pairs
so beautifully with the flavor of peaches.

You can make this with either fresh or frozen peaches.

Sorbets are dairy-free if you have lactose issues,

and if you have dietary concerns about sugar

you can sweeten it with a Stevia product.

Thank you, my friends, for coming to visit and play today!
(The next time you come by perhaps the real hydrangeas will be blooming.)

Good bye faux flowers, until I need to pull you

out of storage again. :)

Ending with a quote from the sheath of this sweet book:

"The earth gives us food to nourish our bodies and we prepare
the food with love to feed our souls and we serve it
with compassion to make us whole."

~ Le Tresor of Pistoulet"