We are now open as a Christmas Castle rental. This is one of our favourite recipes for Christmas. I found it at epicurious.com. We use Vouvray as it is our local bubbly and to die for. We also use only 3/4 of the butter in the recipe. Pink peppercorns as opposed to black peppercorns are a nice touch too. We save the champagne for the toasts.
Marinated Shrimp with Champagne Beurre Blanc
Some of our Favourite French Easter Tradtions at the Chateau
France, regarded the sacred cradle of Christianity, celebrates Easter with fanfare and vigor. The entire country revels in the Eastertide festivities and shops are gaily decorated in a festive collection of white and dark chocolate rabbits, chickens, bells and fish. Children wake up on the Easter Sunday morning and look in the nests they have placed in their yards or gardens and find Easter eggs in them.
In a marked deviation from Easter festivities elsewhere, Easter celebrations in France incorporate the Easter symbols of bells and fish instead of the traditional bunny. The French Easter fish are called Poisson d'Avril which means "April Fish". The Poisson d'Avril makes his appearance on April 1st as French children delight in playing a kind of 'April Fool's' trick. They stick a paper fish onto the back of as many adults as possible.
This is one of our favourite French Christmas Castle Recipes.
The French prefer to serve a roast goose rather than a turkey on Christmas. After all it is the nation that we can thank for foie gras. This is our favourite recipe for Roast goose. We now rent the chateau out for a weekly rental over the Christmas and New Year holidays fully-catered. Goose is Gordon Ramsay's favourite Christmas roast. Last year we received lots of compliments on our roast goose.
2 rolls (18 ounces each) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
I found this article and thought it really interesting.
"Back in the late 1990s I lived in France. During this time I discovered the mysterious and hilarious art of ’snail hunting’. This article actually won a travel writing competition in The Age - my local newspaper. The story appears below. Lurking in the grass of the lush green hills of the Monts du Forez in Central France is a gastronomic icon.
This year we rented the chateau for Thanksgiving self-catered to a lovely group of young American university students who cooked up a storm for Thanksgiving.
They arrived with tonnes of food, including their turkey. They had collected all of their supplies from the American grocery store in Paris on route from Charles de Gaulle airport.
makes it “a perfect match for Thanksgiving turkey.” We like Vouvray Voltaire 2005.
A leftover recipe to die for is Turkey and thick cut smoked bacon with date and goat-cheese spreads on a french baguete.
Date spread: Chop 8 oz. Medjool dates, 1/2 onion, and 2 garlic cloves. Sauté until soft with 1/2 t. salt and 3/4 c. water.
Goat-cheese spread: Combine 8 oz. goat cheese and 6 oz. cream cheese with 2 T. roasted garlic. Add chopped chives, parsley, and tarragon, plus salt, pepper, and lemon to taste. Yummy!
How much would you pay for your favourite bottle of wine? £50, £100? or may be a $500 for the top wine? One wine connoisseur has just bought what is thought to be the most expensive bottle of white wine in the world at US$100,000 (£55,000): a Château Yquem 1787.
When the grapes for this wine were harvested George Washington was the first President of the United States, the French Revolution was imminent, George III was King of England and James Watt was developing the steam engine. Read the rest of this entry »
This Father’s Day, why not treat Dad to a holiday where he can tee off at the luxurious chateau golf courses of the Loire Valley.
Whether he sees himself as the next Tiger Woods or simply enjoys the sport, he is sure to appreciate the resort facilities and perfectly manicured 18-hole championship golf course set in dramatic natural beauty and boasting exquisite views. He will be able to enjoy his scenic golf in an unhurried manner.
France boasts only 280,000 registered golfers for 340 courses. This means lots of available tee times and no crowds on a course. Most guests just roll on up to the pro shop and take a choice from many available tee times.
Amongst historic chateaux, wine cellars, food specialities, son et lumiere (laser fireworks shows) are a selection of reputed golf courses: Les Bordes, Chateau Sept Tours, Ardree & Touraine, Cheverny, Orleans Donnery, Les Aisses, Sully-sur-Loire, Limere, Ganay.
Eva Longoria star of "Desperate Housewives" and Tony Parker NBA basketball champion held their celebrity wedding in France. The civil ceremony was conducted by non-other than the mayor of Paris on the Friday. The couple held their religious ceremony on the 7th July 2007 at a 16th century cathedral opposite the Louvre. Read the rest of this entry »
Saying "I do" in a European castle is as fashionable as carrying the latest Louis Vuitton handbag for today’s Hollywood celebrity. According to BRIDES magazine destination weddings are a thriving business with 16% of U.S. brides choosing them last year, up 400% ten years ago.
Marrying in a castle means "becoming part of a fairytale," says Mindy Weiss, Eva Longoria’s wedding planner “You're walking into a chapter of a romance novel." Apparently the Material Girl Madonna (Skibo Castle in 2000) and Spice Girl Victoria Adams (Irish castle wedding in 1999) are credited with heightening interest in "castle weddings" with pomp and circumstance.
Last autumn, the wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes inspired many a bride to put a castle wedding on her wish list.
