Croisic 

The Pointe du Croisic is about as far as you can go westward in
the Loire-Atlantique department without falling into the sea.
Croisic itself is a former fishing port, but the remaining
commercial vessels mostly jostle for mooring space with gin
palaces and floating maisonettes.
           I do not know the ratio, but there seem to be more
restaurants per head of population here than anywhere else in
France I have visited. Another unusual observation is that a
number of the people eating on the quayside seem to have only
one arm and leg apiece.
          At first I thought there must be a holiday
centre for the severely handicapped nearby, then looked in an
estate agent's window and all became clear. An apartment
overlooking the sea at Croisic would cost an arm and a leg.
One overlooking the port itself would take at least another limb.

 
Another long and glittering coastal strip of chrome and glass and
then we reach Le Pouleguen, where the pleasingly weathered
houses look as if they have been in place for more than a few
months.
          In the front garden of one attractively understated and
seablown villa, an equally weathered elderly couple sit in their front
garden and quarrel companionably with the easy skill of much
practice. In contrast, a young man pumped up with the arrogance
and confidence of youth screams to a halt in the middle of the
road in an open-top sports car.
          The traffic tailback builds, but there is not a single protest
as we all watch an almost impossibly beautiful girl sashay slowly from
the pavement. Her legs are so long that she is able to step into the car
without opening the passenger door. Her consort lifts his sunglasses
and looks round full circle to check he has a sufficiently large and attentive
audience, then blasts off with a whiff of Chanel pour Homme and burnt rubber.
          The old couple look at each other and smile before
returning to their bickering. It would be impossible for the
youngsters in the car to realise that they - if they make it - will
one day be like the old people, and that is probably for the best.
We and the queue behind get under way without a murmur
of protest. Perhaps the drivers are on holiday and feeling in a
benevolent mood, or perhaps they are still under the spell of the
beautiful young girl. Perhaps it is just that they are being tolerant
of the hold-up in a way that British drivers would not because
they know they will commit the same sort of transgression later
in the day.
          One of the very few things I like about French driving
attitudes and habits is, against common perception and
excepting big towns like Paris, motorists are generally very light
on horns and remonstration with other drivers. They may act like
completely thoughtless, selfish lunatics, but don't seem to object
when others do the same.
 
 
 
Food & Drink
 
Being where it is, it is not surprising that this end of the Loire is
big on fresh and sea water fish and other edibles. The gravette
is a sweet, flat oyster, while the baby Alien chest-bursting
lookalike lamproie is an eel-type fish usually cooked in walnut oil.
The official definition of ‘lamprey' is any primitive sea or
freshwater fish with a sucking mouth and rasping teeth but no
jaw, which reminds me of several estate agents and journalists I
know. Famously, it was a surfeit of lampreys which did for Henry
I, although a lesser known or celebrated fact is that he holds the
record for the most illegitimate children of any English king.
Another local delicacy is Friture de la Loire, which are small fish
deep fried and eaten whole, whitebait-style. Carp with sorrel is
another dish associated with this end of the Loire.
If you want to see why Henry had such a crush on eels, you
might wish to try this classic lamprey stew:
 
Matelote d'anguille
 
Ingredients
900g of eel, skinned and cut into chunks of around 3cm
3 tbsp brandy
8 pitted and chopped prunes
4 tbsp oil
2 tbsp butter
1 bottle of red cooking wine
30g butter
1 dessert spoon plain flour
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 large and finely chopped onion
1 large leek, also finely chopped
100g of button mushrooms, quartered
1 bouquet garni
Some seasoning
Watercress for garnish
 
Method
 
Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-based pan and, when foaming,
add the eel chunks and fry till golden.
Add the red wine and prunes and bouquet garni and bring the
mixture to boil.
Flame the brandy in a ladle and then pour over the eel. As soon
as the flames die down, put a lid on the pan, reduce the heat and
leave to cook gently for 25 minutes.
In the meantime, add the remaining oil to a pan and fry the onion,
garlic and leeks till soft (about six minutes). Then add the
mushrooms and continue cooking for another few minutes.
Now mix the flour and remaining butter into a smooth paste
before whisking into the eel pan. When all is smooth, add the
mushrooms and onion mixture.
Bring to the boil and cook until a smooth and thick texture has
been achieved, then turn out on to a dish and garnish with
watercress.
 
Sablé biscuits with gooseberry fool
 
As ever in French culinary matters, there is no shortage of
claimants to the invention of this classic Gallic shortcake. Some
say it was dreamed up in Caen (Normandy), while others protest
that it is a Breton speciality. According to the compulsive letterwriting
Marquise de Sévigné, the biscuits were first created in
1670 in Sablé-sur-Sarthe in the Pays de la Loire. The name of
the town might seem a clincher, but you have to remember that
‘sandy' refers to the texture rather than origin. Wherever they
come from, this is a simple way of making a very tasty biscuit
which goes well with lots of things as a dessert.
 
Ingredients (for around two dozen biscuits)
Two egg yolks at room temperature
Two cups all-purpose flour
Three teaspoons baking powder
An eighth of a teaspoon of finely ground fleur-de-sel (if you
want to be expensively authentic)
A quarter cup of sugar
Six tablespoons of superfine sugar
180 grams of unsalted butter
One teaspoon of vanilla extract
Two drops of almond extract
 
Method
 
Preheat your oven to 410 degrees Fahrenheit.
Beat the eggs in a bowl with the quarter cup of sugar for
around 5 minutes.
Add the vanilla and almond extracts.
In another bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder.
Cream the butter with the superfine sugar, getting maximum air
into the butter.
Mix dry and wet ingredients.
Put a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray.
Spread the mixture on to the paper and add another sheet on
top.
Put in your refrigerator for half an hour.
Cut the biscuit mix into shapes with moulds or a knife.
Bake the biscuits for ten minutes.
The origin of the word ‘fool' when associated with desserts is
almost as hotly disputed as the origins of the sandy shortcake.
‘Foole' is first mentioned as a dessert in the 16th century, and
the word is thought to derive from the old French verb fouler,
which related to crushing or pressing grapes.
 
Ingredients
 
400 grams of gooseberries
100g of caster sugar
75ml water
300ml double cream
Method
Put the gooseberries, sugar and water into a pan and bring to
the boil.
Simmer until the fruit is soft.
Cook while stirring until nearly all the liquid has evaporated.
Pass through a fine sieve and allow to cool.
Whip the cream until stiff.
Fold the whipped cream into the gooseberry purée.