March. Burgundy

While Jean Michel was opening 55 oysters (I was the only one not eating), treating them like precious babies and taking his time, I was about to finish the five-course dinner I’d been cooking for the last two hours after we baked lavender madeleines and digestives earlier in the day. There were five of us eating, as well as the guests of @lamaisondepommard. And it was the five of us who were about to taste five different champagnes, sharing every note on the nose and in the mouth we got.

But it all started much earlier that day, as the first thing I did after arriving from Lyon was to shop at the famous Beaune market, my favourite épicerie and boulangerie—the places I shop before our three-day masterclasses. We were supposed to go for a walk, but the day was too gloomy, so instead, we just baked, sipped tea, cooked, talked, and laughed. Many outstanding wines later (thanks to the plentiful cellars of this place and @kristaps_karklins’ generosity), around midnight, I dropped into my chambre 1085 king-size bed to wake up eight hours later.

After opening my light-blocking curtains, I could see that the day was already well underway. I put on my slippers and walked down to get my coffee, which I enjoyed under a puffy blanket in my room’s reading nook, disappearing there for a good 90 minutes while reading Julia Child's biography.

Now, with the day still ahead of me and that promised sun still very well hidden behind grey clouds, I’m still under the blanket, with a book in one hand and a phone in the other. I look outside the window, listening to church bells ringing, and think that it’s time to get up and go for a good vineyard walk—maybe even to Meursault.

We will most probably bake another batch of digestives today, before I leave home with a few bottles of exceptional wines in my suitcase and a set of recipes I know we will learn how to cook in April, May, and October.

Chicory with Tuna Sauce
Creamy Champignons with Roasted Almonds and Creamy Sauce
White Bean Gratin
Oven-Baked Potatoes
Normandy Chicken with Apples and Calvados