Marsanne
L’Hôtel***
du Domaine de la Vivande

Yellow sunflower fields, and blue skies. Pale stone houses, terra-cotta roof tiles and shutters of lavender. Picture perfect. For now, the wind is no more than a murmour in the absolute quiet of the country side.

A long table in the shade of the oak trees, our lunch table that consumed vast amounts of wine to accompany the terrine (Terrine de pintadeau de la Drôme et son coeur de picodon et tomates confites, douillet de salade) and salmon with a lemon sorbet (Tartare de saumon au couteau, segment de citron et menthe, sorbet citron)

A warm-up for the weekend of Aly’s birthday. Wonderful food, from the Michelin rated hotel, served against the backdrop of the village, climbing the hill in the distance, with clouds, dancing between the tall cypress trees.

We stopped at the village grocer to fill our basket with bits for an evening pick nick. Arms full of fresh baguette, wine and olive tapenade from the region. Café under the trees watching the afternoon maneuvering of vehicles in the narrow streets. Of course we had too much food, and we even had wine left. A first??

After seemingly too short a sleep, we walked up the hill to the old stone church. The bare walls with windows looking out across the countryside much more appealing than the ornate, glided interiors normally associated with churches. Wild flowers, spots of brilliant colour.

Birthday Menu
– Composée Drômoise : Salade, ravioles frits, ceoutons de pain d’épices, bleu du Vercors, caillette, cebette

– Filet de bar, façon bourride en canapé aux petits légumes de saison, pomme de terre de Pays en pomme vapeur
-Eventail de magret de canard poêlé aux abricots et au miel, polenta frite au basilic, légumes craquants
– ravioles de Romans, “entre terre et mer”

– Faisselle de fromage blanc de la Drôme, crème fraîche et coulis du moment
– Assiette de fromages secs régionaux :
Tomme de vache d’Ardèche, Saint Marcellin, Bleu du Vercors, Picodon de Dieulefit

– Tourbillon glacé aux pêches de Marsanne et vanille
– Crème brûlée aux Nougat de Montélimar