Isabelle's Birthday Party

Sunday it was like a gun shot went off at the crack of dawn and we ran down to the market to get everything we needed for our contribution to the lunch at the chateau. It was a surprise party and we would be meeting at the town hall, after which the entire group would proceed on foot through the big gate at the edge of town. We'd quietly walk through the tunnel of trees to the chateau, and take Isabelle by surprise, where she'd be sitting by the fire in the study with her mother!

All kinds of antics took place while we were trying to get ready. We decided to take a bicycle, and went out of our way to the station where there were two available, but when Loïc got his, it turned out to not have a chain! This is a serious problem with the VELO-V, the public rental bikes that have been in place since the year 2005. The rule is that when a person is in a hurry, the only bike available is going to 1) have a defective seat or 2) have no chain. So I hurried down on the one working bike ahead to start gathering ingredients while he returned the bike and reported the problem. Loïc followed up behind at the market, gathering things into the basket as he came along behind me.

We did some herbed sausage puff pastry bites and some tarragon seasoned chicken turnovers, and made a nice big salad. The desserts were wonderful, a velvety white chocolate cake that I begged for the recipe from Seb's sister, and the two variations on the tiramisu that their cousin Perrine brought.

The photo above is of the desserts in her basket, in the kitchen ready to go into the fridge. She says that she just got a nice big recipe book with 60 recipes for (French) variations on the tiramisu. The whole variation on the tiramisu thing is very popular here in France. They were delicious, in any case. I particularly loved the pan holding the one with almonds on top. Everyone arrived with their contributions in woven baskets of various kinds. It was a beautiful thing to see.