My First Christmas Abroad
In the midst of googling “how to have a happy Christmas alone, how to avoid committing suicide on Christmas, and how to cook Christmas dinner for one,” I somehow stumbled upon one of the most memorable Christmas weeks of my life. Usually, December 1st creeps up on me by surprise and I am eager to sing-a-long to Christmas classics and spread holiday cheer. Gift wrapping and trimming the tree are two activities I look forward to with great anticipation. For the first time ever, I knew I would not be going home for the holidays. Instead, I would be nearly 4,000 miles away in Murcia, Spain.
Spending Christmas alone was my biggest fear for my year abroad. I knew I could find my own apartment, make friends at my new job, and teach to the best of my ability, but spending Christmas ALONE! You had to be kidding me. I was determined to find a way around this. My roommates both went home to their respective countries for Christmas, so I knew I had to be crafty. I sent out an email blast and a Facebook Amber Alert to all my European friends. Desperate cries for attention, a Christmas dinner, and a family to call my own for the holidays.
Within weeks, my inbox was graced with the most exciting words of the season. YOU CAN STAY WITH ME! My friend Louis, what a saint. Of course I responded yes, and booked my flight immediately.
Christmas at Château La Bleretie
The castle where we would spend Christmas with Louis’ family belongs to Louis’ maternal grandmother. It is located deep in the heart of the Aquitaine wine country in Ponteyraud, France. The castle is called Château La Bleretie. To arrive by car, you first pass a small village barricaded by the main road that leads through Ponteyraud. The homes here are simple and charming. The village was decorated with Christmas lights overhead and I could see Christmas trees through glass paned windows.
Eventually, we turned down a tree-lined dirt road and approached what would be our home for the evening. As we got closer, the castle came into view. It was large in size and inviting in demeanor. The exterior of Château La Bleretie has an authentic French charm and alluring mystique. Immediately I knew Christmas at Château La Bleretie would be incredible. The apricot colored stone walls are complemented by the pristine green grass and two lone shrubs in front of the home. Two turrets mark the entryway and mullion paneled windows welcome you inside. The castle itself sits on more than 100 acres of land and is perched delicately on a hill offering great views of the surrounding countryside. In the summertime, the castle has a small swimming pool around back, and there are more than decently sized cottages, barns and a chapel located on the property.
Château La Bleretie houses nine unique bedrooms and enough room for more than 16 people to sleep comfortably. Each bedroom has a distinct style and purpose. The room I stayed in was furnished with period-appropriate furniture, a non-working fireplace, and teal pinstripe wallpaper. The piece of land and the castle are both timeless and yearning to come alive. If the walls could talk, I can only imagine the stories they would tell.
The living area is relaxing and informal in an elegant and rustic way. There are wooden floors throughout the house and oriental rugs lay appropriately where needed. Animal carcasses and antlers add to the rustic interior, while the antique furniture keeps everything classic.
The kitchen is a simple farmers style kitchen with a wood burning stove and plenty of space to prepare a proper holiday meal with my adopted Christmas family. That gets me to my point. Christmas eve dinner at Château La Bleretie was a meal I will never forget.
In an attempt to not be rude, or any more American than I already was, I decided not to take pictures of my Christmas eve meal (I also did not have a blog at the time). Use your imagination!
Christmas Eve Dinner at Château La Bleretie
1st Course
Starting in the formal living room, we drank champagne from flutes and nibbled on cashews and cheesy bread sticks.The highlight of cocktail hour is the Boudin Blanc. Boudin Blanc is a white sausage traditionally served at Christmas time. It is a mixture of pork, pork fat, eggs, starch, cream and spices. I’m definitely not a sausage enthusiast, but because Boudin Blanc is such a Christmas specialty I was willing to give it a taste. The texture is much lighter and smoother than a normal sausage due to the increased fat content. Considering I am used to a more grainy and dense sausage, the creaminess was a bit strange. I stuck with the champagne for the remainder of cocktail hour.
2nd Course
After some holiday photos and family greetings, we relocated to the formal dining room. The champagne was left in the living room upon our migration to the dining room. Now, our glasses were filled with a crisp and light chardonnay. The table was brilliantly set by Louis’ grandmother, nicknamed Queen B and his younger cousins. Before sitting, everyone stood behind their chairs and waited for Queen B’s approval to take our seats. Almost in perfect synchrony, everyone took their seats. In addition to setting the table, Queen B and the younger cousins do all of the plating and serving. Within moments, we were served a piece of tender ground meat. Ground veal and beef garnished with a thin slice of truffle. The meat was juicy and succulent. The truffle flavor was subtle and never overpowering. In the center of the table there were mountains of oysters and wedges of lemons. The Chardonnay flowed as we slurped our oysters and finished our second course.
3rd Course
I was told to hurriedly finish my glass in order for yet another selection to fill my cup. For the third course, we switched to a red wine made from 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. This selection is produced by one of Louis’ uncles at Château Feret-Lambert. The third course is the course I was anxiously and worriedly anticipating: Foie Gras. Foie gras is one of the most luxurious food products in existence. It is made from the liver of a duck or goose that has been fattened intentionally. About one hundred feet away from the dinner table, is where the goose that ever so gently graced the table had been bred and fattened for the last year in anticipation of this meal. Completely organic and tended on site. Due to the cruelty of this process, I am generally against Foie gras. Being in France I attempted to ignore this fact and enjoy the delicacy in front of me.
After a deep gulp of fear, I watched the others and took a slice of the baguette. I spread some foie gras on top like butter. The taste was like nothing I had ever experienced before. The texture was most similar to butter but it spread even more fluidly. Like butter, it nearly melts on your tongue. The flavor is rich and dense. You can immediately sense the luxury it holds. A bold flavor nothing like that of beef or chicken. Describing the taste is like describing a banana. A banana only tastes like a banana, and foie gras only tastes like foie gras.
So, did I like it? Yes, I did. Would I eat it everyday? No, definitely not. I was surprised to find that foie gras on toast was the main course. It seemed to me like the courses should be reversed. Louis informed me this is not the norm, usually there is another meat course to follow. He was actually quite disappointed. I was already feeling full, so no complaints here.
4th Course
Of course, CHEESE! I was beginning to find out that no French meal is ever complete without cheese. Three cheeses graced the table. A firm sheeps milk, an oozing blue, and a soft Camembert. More bread… why not? I would never refuse a French cheese.
5th Course
Lastly, dessert. This dessert was so delicious I requested the recipe from Louis’ mom. A frozen nougat almost like an ice cream. It is prepared by making a brittle from sliced almonds and caramelized sugar. It is allowed to sit and it is then broken into small pieces. In the meantime, a fresh whipped cream is made and then stiff peaked egg whites are folded into the cream. It is all lightly mixed and placed in the freezer to set. I had to go back for seconds on this one, it was truly delicious. The fruit salad I had helped make earlier was exotic, but no competition for the frozen nougat. It seemed like they just threw in whatever they had: kumquat, passion fruit, lychee, pomegranates, oranges, clementines, apples, pears, and mango to name a few topped with the leftover brittle from the nougat.
So, what did I learn from Christmas at Château La Bleretie? There is a wine for every course. Cheese is a must, no matter the meal. Indulgence is good, but only once a year. Truffles, foie gras, and oysters must be included. Thank you, Louis, for a Christmas eve I will never forget.
