March 2025 Gazette
Life in Brittany, links I am liking, and what to cook in March.
Hello friends, and welcome back to my monthly gazette - the second for 2025! I vowed to bring this much enjoyed feature back monthly, and going 2 for 2 is a big step in ensuring I’ll keep my word. February was a short month, but still packed full of adventure, inspiration and reconnecting. Let’s dive in!
Tuesday, February 5th
February kicked off on a very important note – Marc returned from his trip back to Canada. Two weeks doesn’t seem like a long time, but when you’re working full time, have an anxious little dog and recipes (and life) to maintain, it really adds up.
I am always thrilled for Marc when he goes home, which is about once every 6-8mos, because I know very well the feeling of missing family and friends… And especially your roots. Even though Marc is very happy with life in France, he still needs and wants to connect with the people he loves and misses. And I get that 100%. Going back to France when I was living in Canada was a sense of relief. It was like the weight of the world gets lifted off your shoulders for some reason. The importance of home, even when it's no longer technically your home, is truly remarkable.
That said, the ending of his trip ended up becoming a bit frantic, due to weather events here in France. As you likely heard me mention last month, or saw on the news, Brittany and Normandy saw some incredible rainfall, winds and storms in general. So, the day prior to heading home, Marc received an email to let him know his train from Paris back to Lorient (a 3.5hr speed train away) was completely cancelled! He scrambled to the SNCF website immediately and managed to find the literal last ticket on the literal last train that could get him from Paris to Nantes. From Nantes, a 2hr drive away, my parents were able to pick him up and bring him the rest of the way. Flooding has completely submerged many of the track systems in this region, and chaos has ensued!
(For those wondering, Paris is about a 6hr drive (without traffic) from our home in Lorient. It used to be a 5.5hr train ride as well, until just a few years ago, when the highspeed rail network was completed, and is now a 3-3.5hr ride)
The weather also did some local damage - here you can see the wall from our local beach completely destroyed from the immense waves.
Sunday, February 9th
On a positive note, my mom wanted to officially welcome Marc home with one of his all-time favorite meals, and definitely his favorite dish here in France – Duck Confit Gratin (picture above). If you’re curious about Duck Confit, you can find my recipe for it in my cookbook, as part of the Cassoulet recipe.
What made this dish even better, was the confit duck was homemade by good friends of my parents, from the city of Toulouse, famed for their love of all things duck. Every year, they buy a large quantity of whole, fresh farm raised ducks, and prepare confits and pâtés. They visited my parents at the start of the month and brought a huge jar to share – and so my parents shared with us!
Wednesday, February 12th
We also had some “in house” chaos with budgetary laws here in France that has really affected many folks like me, who are micro-business owners. In France, during the epidemic, laws were passed that facilitated easy creation of “microenterprises” or small businesses. This allowed small business owners to work their passions while still contributing to state taxes and social/health benefits.
New legislation has basically seen a large dent put into our finances, making it harder for small business to thrive. For example, our tax payments for Urssaf (French health & social programs) will rise from 21% to around 26% (yikes!) and the amount of TVA (the French Value-Added Tax [VAT]) tax exempt income has been decreased by about 1/3. This simply means the same (or more) work, for significantly less money in our pockets. And like in much of the world, inflation has hit here as well, so this makes it extra hard for small business owners throughout the country.
Thursday, February 13th
This part isn’t technically a February thing, but something Marc thought I should share - and to be honest, it is quite charming and amusing. Behind our home, there is a kind of service road that connects the downtown area of Lorient to the highway. Along the side of this service road is a now retired rail line, with plenty of grass growing.
Ok, so why am I telling you this? Well, it’s because this 1.5km section of abandoned rail line has been maintained not by the city… But by goats! Drive by at any time of day and you’ll see a dozen or more goats lazily munching the grass, hopping on leftover cinder blocks and sometimes even coming over to near the dog park to say hi to wandering dogs, like our Sophie! The area is always perfectly kept, and the goats get to enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet… Now I just need to find out who the goats belong to!
Friday, February 14th
Valentines Day is a thing in France, but as with most commercial holidays, I find it to be much more low-key and subtle than when I was living in Canada. Marc still went out and bought me flowers (we do that too!) and I got him some chocolates that he really enjoys. While we discussed perhaps visiting a restaurant, we decided we just wanted to keep it low key. Instead, I made a dish Marc absolutely loves, and the recipe for which I just shared on the blog – Tourtière!
Having not had a slice of Tourtière in some time, Marc found it to be the perfect Valentine’s make-up for not going to a restaurant. And we had plenty leftover to share with my parents, who also really enjoyed it. Have you ever tried Tourtière, and are you as big a fan of it as Marc is?
Tourtière (French Canadian Meat Pie)
Few dishes capture the warmth of French-Canadian cuisine quite like the iconic Tourtière – a savory meat pie with a flaky double-crust and a richly spiced meat filling. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply craving a cozy homemade meal, this rustic recipe is sure to impress.
Sunday, February 23rd
As the month wound down, we were able to finally enjoy some time outside as the rainy days gave way to more sun and warmth. We enjoyed 16°C (60°F) and sunny weather and headed to Toulhars beach, where we were met with at least 100+ others also basking in the glorious sun. Sophie seemed to be the happiest of us all, as she chased the soccer ball around and played with the waves until collapsing of tiredness.
Have a lovely March! Spring is just around the corner, and I cannot wait !
In the meantime, Marc and I are flying to Lisbon, Portugal tomorrow to enjoy a week of vacation. I can’t wait to tell you all about the sites and food in next month’s newsletter. Lots of grilled sardines and cod fish expected! If you have any recommendations, please leave a comment, I would love to hear them.
In case you missed it…
Here is a round up of the recipes I shared with you in February. “Comfort food” was definitly a theme!
What to cook in March?
March signals the arrival of Spring! Last Saturday at the market, I spotted the first glorious bunches of Spring radishes—always a favorite among the French. This month, I invite you to celebrate the season with fresh recipes featuring asparagus, radishes, or a comforting Lamb Navarin - the iconic French Spring stew. And if winter’s chill still lingers in your bones, a creamy Macaroni Gratin and a batch of buttery Almond Croissants will surely bring you some extra coziness!
Links & things I’m liking
Take a peak at the famous annual Fête du Citron (lemon festival) in the city of Menton, in Southern France. I would love to go one day!
The Cook’s Atelier, a mother-daughter cooking school in Burgundy, will release their second cookbook in April 2025, “French at Heart: Recipes That Bring France Home”. I loved their first cookbook, I am sure this one will be just as delightful.
If you’re not subscribed and do plan on visiting Paris soon, do subscribe to Paris by Month. This is an extremely well document Substack with Paris restaurant reviews, classified by neighborhood and theme (ie. pastry & breads).
The end of February is time for the Paris annual Agriculture Show (a huge deal in France!), known as Le Salon de l’Agriculture. President Macron always comes to kick off this huge event and meets farmers who don’t shy away from asking for better wages!
I love the promise of Food52 new cooking series “It’s Fine”. The concept has Tess Gigone cooking up iconic dishes for the first time ever, and seeing how it goes! By testing recipes she’s never made before in front of the camera, she shares an authentic, genuine approach that says “it’s fine” not to reach for perfection - an idea that ressonates with my approach of cooking. In the first episode, Tess makes crème brûlées!
I love reading your Table in France. Thanks for sharing great recipes and a little bit of your life in France. I have French/ Greek heritage so I know how delicious food is important.
Audrey, I love reading A Table in France. Thank you! I’m old enough to still send and receive actual letters and you make it seem like you’re actually sending written letters to friends. I look forward to upgrading to paid in the future. As you said, costs for everything are going up at alarming rates. Thank you for your generosity in sharing your recipes. We enjoy them very much.