Le Couvent Diary

It didn't start well. The four of us in the car were arguing about where exactly the restaurant was. We'd pulled up outside a huge wine factory and the signs for Bistrot d'Alex ran out, only to be replaced with dozens of others saying 'Vinipolis'.

I, because I am a Virgo and therefore always right, and because I'd looked it up on the internet moments before, insisted we were in the right place and to just park. The others didn't believe me. I was right, of course. This new restaurant is part of the wine factory and looks like the entrance to a small modern airport. Sliding doors usher you in, then you stop dead. The floors have a colossal section which is glass, so you can look down on hundreds of wine barrels many feet below. I'm not good at visual cliffs, so tiptoed round to firmer ground.

 

 

Photo pinched from Cwiosna CABANE - Merci.

We were at this new restaurant to celebrate the birthday of our friend Jackie Devereux . And what a find it is. If you can get past the place looking like the works canteen at IBM and concentrate on the food and the price of said food, you'll find it excellent. In a huge, lofty and airy space, with spacious seating for about sixty or so people, jolly waiting staff serve excellent food of the region. I had six of the freshest oysters from the Bassin de Thau served on a bed of ice, guinea fowl with the creamiest risotto I've ever tasted followed by a dish of strawberries prepared five different ways. Everything was beautifully, cleanly presented and perfectly cooked. For 18.50 euros. That's £14.36 at today's rotten exchange rate. The wines are largely from the cave co-operative which is part of this Vinipolis complex and are good and well priced.

We're on a winner here for at least another six months if they don't do something about the signage. No-one will be able to find it, so we should be fine for a table. Yesterday was Sunday, however, and the restaurant was full to the gunnels with savvy french locals all keeping quiet about the place. If you're coming to stay at Le Couvent, Roujan I'd advise you to ask us to book you a table well in advance. They could be making funky new signs as I write.

Last week I received this e-mail from the niece of a friend of mine.

Hello friends

As many of you will know, I am a professional busker, earning my living singing opera and playing the cello in Covent Garden. I love my job! But I might not have it for much longer as the owners of Covent Garden are a multi-national corporation who want to rid the place of its unique charm and turn it into a shopping mall. What the hell will I do then? Be a waitress?? Practice voodoo???Sniff Glue????

Please take 2 seconds to follow the below link and sign our petition. And if you've still got any energy, please forward this link to all the people you know who would also like to keep music and street performance alive. Thank you very much in advance.

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/cov2008/petition.html

Evie x

God knows if petitions have any effect, but if you could bear it, sign up to this one - who knows, it might just make the developers think twice.

We've had our lovely Cambridge friends Sarah & Dawn visiting for the past three days. No-one gets to stay while Le Couvent is closed during the winter unless they put in a bit of work, so they pruned olives, bushwhacked thistles and planted salad & strawberries.

 

Their reward for all this work this was taking us out to lunch in Meze where we had stunning shellfish looking out over the sparkling sea. The Picpoul de Pinet was almost a finely chilled as the sea. Ali & I passed on the latter. Our sweet guests got soaked, but reckoned it most refreshing.

Hope you got home safely - come back soon eh? Happy birthday Sarah!

After talking about the English Class in a previous blog, several people asked for the luscious cake recipe - so here it is.

Ingredients
For the cheesecake
butter, for greasing
1 large ready-made sponge flan case
3 tbsp orange liqueur
200g/7oz caster sugar
2 oranges, zest of both and juice of 1 orange
4 tbsp cornflour
850g/1½lb full-fat soft cream cheese
3 medium free-range eggs
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
375ml/13fl oz double cream, plus extra to serve
345g/12oz dark chocolate pieces
For the marbled chocolate
150g/5oz white chocolate
150g/5oz dark chocolate

Method
1. For the cheesecake, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a 23cm/9in springform cake tin.
2. Cut a circle from the sponge flan case to fit the base of the tin, then cut this circle in half across the middle to make two thin discs. Use one of these to line the cake tin - the other disc can be used in another dish. Drizzle the sponge with one tablespoon of the orange liqueur.
3. Mix together the sugar, orange zest and juice and cornflour in a bowl using a wooden spoon, then use an electric hand mixer to beat in the cream cheese. Crack in the eggs one by one, beating constantly until all the eggs are well incorporated.
4. Add the vanilla seeds and the remaining two tablespoons of orange liqueur to the mixture and mix well. Add the cream and beat well until the mixture is smooth.
5. Pour a third of the mixture over the sponge base in the cake tin. Sprinkle over a third of the chocolate pieces and smooth over with a palette knife. Repeat twice more with the remaining cheesecake mixture and chocolate pieces.
6. Place the tin into a baking tray filled with 2-3mm of warm water - this helps to create steam during cooking. Transfer to the oven and bake for 50 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool and set completely before removing from the tin.
7. Meanwhile, for the marbled chocolate, place the white chocolate and dark chocolate into separate heatproof bowls set over pans of gently simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth.
8. Cover a baking tray tightly in cling film. Pour ladlefuls of the dark and white chocolate onto the tray. Allow to cool slightly, then use your finger to swirl the two chocolates together to create a marble effect. Place into the fridge to chill and set completely. When set, break into pieces.
9. To serve, cut the cheesecake into wedges and place onto serving plates with a piece of the marbled chocolate and a drizzle of cream.

With thanks to James Martin, from whom all this is nicked.

 

It's 5.30pm. The skies are clear blue and bright pink, but the light is fading fast on 2007. Tonight we're off to see in 2008 in Alignan du Vent and although neither of us particularly needs another seasonal party we'll have a good time, no doubt. We hope you have a good time, celebrating however you do in your corner of the world. We send you our love and hope you have a happy and healthy 2008. Perhaps we'll see you in Roujan sometime soon.