Sablet 1900 - Provence Village Fête

We almost missed it - there were no flyers distributed and no posters advertised this lovely Provençal village fête "Sablet 1900" this morning in our neighboring village of Sablet. And although it is the height of the tourist season in Provence we heard no Dutch, no English, no German - it seems the Sabletains (as the inhabitants of Sablet are called) wanted to keep this true village fête for themselves.

A magnificent Gallic Rooster

 Très chic - very elegant ladies

 L'accordéoniste - accordion player

 This is how coffee was cooked in 1900

 Monsieur le Curé - the Village Priest

 Le Berger - The Shepherd

 Traditional Provençal Dance

Le Facteur - the Postman

Boozy Summer Melon

 

Pastis is the summer drink of Provence. Nothing better than some icecubes, ice cold water and a generous splash of this aniseed liquor mixed for a refreshing sundowner - perfect for these hot summer days that spread into balmy nights when friends gather together around the pool or BBQ. 

My friend Thérèse surprised us with delicious if rather boozy summer nibbles: she marinates our wonderful Cavaillon melons with pastis and serves them straight from the fridge. You hardly need a drink alongside and still have the excuse that this counts towards your five a day....

Summertime is Partytime in Provence

Living in Provence means that summertime is partytime - visitors come and go, life is lived outdoors (unless our "beloved" Mistral is howling at hurricane strength as is the case right now) and we drink Rosé wine for lunch and apéro and sometimes in between, too. And when you drink you need something to nibble on and these little tomato bites are not only très, très Provençal and delicious but also fast to make.
So you take two handsfull of cherry tomatoes, roast them over medium heat with a few drops of olive oil and when they start to wilt caramelize them with a small shot of balsamic vinegar.

 You then take a sheet of puff pastry and, using a shot glas for a cutter cut out smallish rounds of pastry which you decorate with a lick of black olive tapenade. On top goes one of the by now somewhat cooled down cherry tomatoes and once you have assembled a whole baking tray of these very summery morsels you pop them in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and bake for 15 minutes. The very sudden change from the fridge into the hot oven helps the puff pastry to really puff. Warn your guests that the tomatoes are very hot inside or just wait a few minutes before serving. And don't forget the Rosé!

Provençal Tomato Bites

Summer in Provence

Today, on the road from Violès to Vaison la Romaine