Darina Allen: Three ways to try the sublime flavours of Southwestern France

Irish Examiner

14 hours ago

If you're longing for a bit of peace and quiet, it's super-difficult these days to find a place for a family holiday away from the madding crowd, yet with enough activities within reasonable driving distance to keep several generations occupied and amused.
Recently, we managed to find just that, almost by accident.
We found ourselves in an agricultural area in the southwest of France that I'd never even heard of before called Gers, sometimes Gascony.
Apparently, it's one of, if not the most rural part of France, internationally renowned for its fine gastronomy. How about that for a find!
It's also famous for its many bastides, beautiful fortified medieval towns and villages.
There are no motorways in Gers, no high-speed trains, though you can get a train to the capital Auch — or 'Ouch' as I mistakenly pronounced it.
Best of all, there is no mass tourism, and the locals seemed genuinely delighted to see us.
We drove for miles through rolling countryside, undulating fields of sunflowers and sweet corn, grazing pastures with bales of hay and occasional Blond Aquitaine cattle.
Beautiful allés of plane trees originally commissioned by Napoleon to provide shade for his marching troops.
Hedges bursting with yellow broom and honeysuckle, perennial sweet pea and purple vetch… sounds like I'm writing tourist blurb, but I kid you not, this is exactly what it's like! How come I never knew about it before?
TRANQUIL
There were 18 of us, so we had rented a restored 17th-century château just outside the little village of Seissan, called Château Labarthe.
As was the custom, it had its own chapel close by where the bells rang out both morning and evening. So, so beautiful and tranquil.
On the first evening, we went to a little restaurant called CRU - Cave et Repas à l'Unisson, that we had pre-booked in the city of Auch. Tables outside under a spreading Judas tree, we ordered everything on the little blackboard menu, typical French bourgeois food and delicious.
Every village has a market day, most start early in the morning and finish at noon-ish, but in the Armagnac and d'Artagnan area, they often start in the late afternoon and continue on into the night, finishing circa 11pm.
On Sunday we headed for the market in the medieval village of Bassoues, dating back to 1016 and happily coincided with their annual fiesta to celebrate the feast of their patron Saint Fris.
The whole community was out in their Sunday best and the village brass band played merry tunes with gusto before the long table feast in the village square.
Lots of little shops, another impressive chateau, and a beautiful church dedicated to the Saint.
On Monday, we drove 45 minutes to Samatan, a much bigger market, spread over many of the streets in the centre ville, apart from stalls piled high with seasonal vegetables and fruit, ripe nectarines, peregrine and doughnut peaches, apricots, and a bounty of summer produce. Many stalls selling green Moroccan pottery, candles, wispy cane lampshades and tajines.
THE HALL OF FAT
Among many things, this area seems to be famous for its foie gras and ducks, so we made a pilgrimage to the Halle de Gras which literally translates to the Hall of Fat.
Local farmers were proudly selling their prize produce, whole ducks, magret de canards, ducks hearts, and of course, beautiful fresh foie gras.
Close by, other farmers were proudly selling a selection of live poultry, chickens, fine cockerels, ducks, quail, geese, a turkey, rabbits, pigeons, even canaries and budgies.
My favourite section is where small farmers and their wives were selling their small harvest of homegrown produce, often organic or chemical-free on simple stalls.
Little bunches of the rich and spicy local white garlic, dried Tarbais beans, new season onions, tiny Gariguette and Charlotte strawberries, state of the art Boucherie and Charcuterie vans were selling artfully butchered meat, charcuterie and coils of Saucisse de Toulouse and the local Noir de Bigorre pork.
Others had a fantastic array of cheeses. We ate steak frites at one of the little cafés on the edge of the market soaking up the atmosphere.
The steak was rare and juicy and delicious, possibly from the local Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle, famous for their delicious beefy flavour.
We filled our bags and baskets with beautiful produce, some of the famous prunes from Agen, and a fine bottle of Armagnac for which the area is also justifiably famous.
Home again, with my head swirling with memories of an area that I long to explore further. Here are some recipes to remind me of the week.
Salad of Heritage Tomatoes, Peaches and Mozzarella
recipe by:Darina Allen
We used huge heritage tomatoes, super ripe peaches and tender buffalo mozzarella – a delicious combination.
Servings
8
Preparation Time 
20 mins
Total Time 
20 mins
Course 
Side
Ingredients 2-3 ripe peaches depending on size
4-8 heritage tomatoes depending on size
2 balls of buffalo mozzarella
8-12 leaves of basil or mint
flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing:
2 tbsp of lemon juice or mild white wine vinegar such as Forum
8 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper
Method
Slice the peaches off the stone – you will get 8 pieces approx. from each fruit and place in a large low-sided bowl. Cut the heritage tomatoes into similar chunky pieces as the nectarines and add to the bowl.
Tear each piece of buffalo mozzarella into 4 pieces and add to the bowl. Season with flaky salt and freshly ground pepper.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together, taste and correct the seasoning.
Tear the herbs on to the fruit and cheese and add the dressing. Stir and mix gently, being careful not to break up the fruit.
Place on a large platter or individual plates and serve immediately, garnishing with a few more mint or basil leaves if you have them to spare.
Agen Prunes in Armagnac
recipe by:Darina Allen
Super easy to make, serve as a delicious dessert with vanilla bean ice cream or just a blob of whipped cream if you will…also delicious served as an accompaniment to roast duck, goose or pork.
Course 
Dessert
Ingredients 225g Agen prunes with stone in (20 prunes approx.)
grated rind of 1 organic lemon
150ml Armagnac
150ml sugar syrup (*equal quantities of sugar and water - dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to the boil for 2 minutes then allow it to cool. Use any leftover sugar syrup to make lemonade, fruit compotes…)
1 Kilner jar
Method
Fill a sterilised Kilner jar with Agen prunes, add the freshly grated lemon rind.
Half cover with Armagnac, then top up with the sugar syrup. Seal and allow to macerate for at least ten days.
Tarte aux Pomme from Gers
recipe by:Darina Allen
Use freshly ground cinnamon or mixed spice or sprinkle generously with Armagnac, the local spirit.
Servings
10
Preparation Time 
20 mins
Cooking Time 
60 mins
Total Time 
1 hours 20 mins
Course 
Dessert
Ingredients 1 packet of filo pastry (you may not need it all)
50g butter, melted
3-4 dessert apples, e.g., Cox's Pippins
110g caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice or 1 tablespoon of Armagnac (optional)
icing sugar
1 x 23-25.5cm round tart tin, preferably with a pop-up base.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
Brush the tin with melted butter, cut 3 sheets of filo in half widthways, brush with melted butter, fold in half and arrange overlapping in the tin. Peel and cut the apples into chunks, sprinkle with plenty of sugar (plus cinnamon or mixed spice or Armagnac if using) and toss. The tin should be generously filled with fruit. Fold the edges of the filo back into the tart.
Divide another 3 sheets of filo into 4 pieces each. Brush generously with melted butter. Scrunch up each piece and arrange on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour approx. or until the apple is cooked and the pastry crisp and golden.
Pop the tart out of the tin onto a serving plate.
Dredge with icing sugar, serve warm with softly whipped cream.
Note: The apple may be par-cooked ahead, in which case it will take a shorter time to cook.
July at Ballymaloe Cookery School
Introduction to Seed Saving with Madeline McKeever of Brown Envelope Seeds
Tuesday, 22nd July 2025 at Ballymaloe Organic Farm School
Join us for an intensive, hands-on seed saving day, led by internationally renowned seed saver, Madeline McKeever of Brown Envelope Seeds.
Learn the how and the why at the Ballymaloe Organic Farm School in the midst of the organic farm and gardens where a wide variety of vegetables, fruit and herbs are grown organically each season, Madeline will lead a discussion in her inimitable style on seed security and sovereignty before demonstrating the practical instructions for saving seed of cereals, herbs and vegetables.
Plenty of time for any questions you might have.
You'll also have a guided tour of the farm and gardens; we'll identify the different crops and plants going to seed at present.
Natural Sourdough and Fermented Breads with Darina Allen and Jane Cullen
Tuesday, 29th July at Ballymaloe Cookery School
Always wanted to make sourdough? Well, we'll take the mystery out of making and caring for a natural starter (levain).
Making a total natural sourdough, just four ingredients as opposed to 19-21 in a squishy sliced pan.
We'll also make a super easy and delicious rye bread, a bubbly focaccia and a Shanagarry pan loaf, crusty and delicious like it used to be before the new mechanical method was introduced in 1961.
Plus, some tips and tricks to build confidence even if you are just a beginner.
The Garden Café Truck
Great news, the Garden Café Truck has just reopened for the summer season at the Ballymaloe Cookery School beside the Organic Farm and Gardens.
Open Tues-Sat, from 10am-4pm, serving delicious coffee, tea, fermented drinks and unctuous pastries and bikkies.