Dinner for 6. Pommard

Tomatoes with figs, tarragon and roasted almonds (a cheese was meant to be there but…).
Jambon blanc with capers, truffles, cashews and olive oil.
Oeufs mimosa.
Mozzarella mixed with mascarpone, served with peas, basil and peppermint.
Prawns with rosemary and a very generous amount of olive oil and butter.
And vanilla mascarpone cream with raspberries and biscuits.

The plan was also to make a roast chicken, but at some point we realised the only way to do that would be to leave it outside in a pan in the garden and let the sun do the work, as there was simply no way we were ready to switch on the oven with + 39 heating our bodies turning us into roasted chickens as well. Yet we did for the prawns.

Whilst they cooked, I caught myself thinking that I’d never heard people complain so much about the heat, talking so freely about various body parts being covered in streams of sweat, fighting for place in front of a ventilator, whilst at the same time pretending none of it was happening and carrying on enjoying the food and wine.

After all, that was the reason we were at La Maison de Pommard – for me to cook a dinner and enjoy it with everyone no matter what. 

Thank goodness for the pool, which came to the rescue more than a few times, and for the late-night breeze after midnight, making the wine taste even better and the stars shine brighter, allowing everyone to finally unwind from the heat.

I think every hotel guest was up much earlier than expected, either for the simple reason that they were too hot, or just to open the windows and breathe that fresh 6.30 am air. Or perhaps to power-walk through the vineyards, sharing the roads with cyclists and runners. We all had our reasons but all of them included catching that morning air still too hot yet much better than the one during the day. And this once more proved that no matter what - wine and food + #sharingiscaring stands above all. Even that unbearable heat.