Montmorency and a First Supper

Montmorency cherries!  I'll have to admit I never saw a cherry tree while I lived there.

My new French family picked me up at Orly Airport.  We arrived in Montmorency in the late afternoon.  The town is located north of Paris in the hills.

Note Montmorency in orange. It's in the Département de Val-d'Oise.

A view down the hill in Montmorency.

La Place du Marché- Montmorency's market square.

The Orsonis lived in a semi-detached house on the enclosed grounds of a "château."  They had an end unit with a patio behind the house.  There were garden paths meandering between the units.  A wall enclosed the compound.  Up near the main road was the “château” which was more of a dilapidated manor house.  It was empty and residents were able to use the formal rooms for parties.  An open grassy area spread out in front. Among the trees was a tennis court.  In the spring and summer we played a lot of tennis with neighborhood kids.

Here's Annie playing tennis

The Orsoni house contained a kitchen, living and dining room on the first floor with French doors out to the patio.  Upstairs there were three bedrooms, a bathroom and a water closet. The finished attic served as another bedroom.  I was given a nice bedroom with a bed, a desk and an armoire for my belongings.

That first afternoon I walked with the girls to the bakery for a baguette.  In my journal I write: French bread here ...is thinner and 10 times as long."  Later we stood outside and talked with a couple of neighborhood girls.  I remember the time as being very long since I understood little of their conversation. I had only one year of middle school French under my belt.  Undoubtedly I was also exhausted after the 20 hour flight.

Dinner was at 7:30.  The meal began with a green lettuce salad, then fresh peas followed by cheese and oranges.  This was the usual menu for evening supper.  Tante Suzanne was somewhat of a vegetarian.  We ate lots of fresh vegetables and fruit with a small amount of meat.  Since she shopped at the local market, we ate what was in season.  When string beans were flooding the market, we had them every other night.  They were always delicious with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of parsley.  

Often the lettuce was purchased from a nearby farm. It was grown in long greenhouses.  Sometimes I was sent to get it and my memory is of a pleasant walk through hill and dale.

When I see this painting: Red Roofs by Pissarro, I think of the walks I took around Montmorency.

A luscious head of lettuce.

The dressing for the salad was made in advance at the bottom of the bowl.  Then the lettuce was piled on top so it wouldn’t wilt.  The salad was tossed at the table.  The standard dressing was 3 tablespoons of oil to 1 of vinegar, salt, pepper and maybe some French mustard.  This is the dressing I still make today with an added shake of garlic powder.

We often had a Camembert for the cheese course or a piece of Gruyère, or Port Salut. 

A Camembert Cheese

That first night I was asked which bread I preferred.  There was a fresh, crispy baguette that we’d bought at the bakery that afternoon and then there was a VERY dense loaf of whole wheat bread. I picked the baguette and everyone started laughing.  As I learned, the children preferred the baguette but during the week we ate the whole wheat loaf which was undoubtedly better for us!

Bread is an essential of life. When the French discuss the current cost of living, they often reference the price of bread.

A display of bread in the baker's shop.