Hiking and Cooking in the South of France

The village of Gréolières (830m) is about 37 km northwest of Nice. It was originally a stopping point on the Roman road from Vence to Castellane. Nowadays, it has become a popular stopping point for cyclists. There are several small bistros serving a very reasonably priced formules de midi, lunch menus.

Our goal today is Cime du Cheiron (1778m). It is one of the major peaks in the Maritime Prealps. Because this summit is only about 20 km from the Mediterranean Sea as the crow flies, it offers a super panorama over the coast to the south as well as the high summits on the Italian frontier. But the weather can be unpredictable in the mountains…

The hike starts from the signpost 30 on the D2 road. The trail is well-marked with red and white signs (GR 4) up to signpost 194. There you leave GR 4, turn to the right and follow yellow signs.

At about 1600m altitude and after about 2h 15 min ascent, the yellow signs stopped, and you were supposed to follow an almost invisible path now marked with cairns, small heaps of stones. The weather started deteriorating rapidly with clouds enveloping us. We met a couple of hikers, who were descending from the summit to Gréolières, and they said that it takes up to 2 h to the summit! So a lot longer than they inform in the booklet Randoxygène Moyen Pays (in French).

We lost the ascending trail along the ridge in bad visibility and eventually found ourselves on another well-marked path running north-south. This turned out to be for paragliders who have a take-off area above the mountain’s southern precipice. The path ended in a blue ski run descending from Cime du Cheiron to Gréolières-les-Neiges, the small ski resort on the northern side of the mountain. We followed the ski run a bit until the summit was visible.

There we decided to turn back because of the gathering clouds. Only scattered clouds were forecasted for that afternoon, so this shows how quickly the weather can change in mountains. In reduced visibility risks increase and there wouldn’t have been any panorama from the summit. The following night a violent thunderstorm hit the region, the nearby towns of Grasse and Puget-Théniers in particular. Flooding, landslides etc in that area were reported even in the national French news. Prudence is certainly the best choice in the mountains –even in rather moderate altitudes.

Total vertical ascent to the summit is 950 m; we probably made about 800- 850 m today.

Baou de la Gaude is the neighbour of Baou de St-Jeannet. Paradoxically it is called Baou de la Gaude although the hike starts from the hilltop village of Gattières (260m). Both of the baous are approximately similar in height, about 800m.

A good workout in beautiful surroundings

The hike starts just in front of the graveyard of Gattières. The initial ascent is GR 51 and marked in red and white. At signpost 18 the trail leaves GR 51. Take the right hand path at this intersection and continue the ascent, now marked by yellow signs, up to the vast plateau de la Colle (820m).Then continue to the south to the summit of Baou de la Gaude, which at 796m is actually a bit lower than the plateau.

The initial ascent offers panoramic views to Gattierès, the River Var valley, and to the vineyards of Bellet on the collines nicoises, on the other side of Var. You have actually better views from the plateau de la Colle than from the summit itself. All in all, this hike gives you a good workout in beautiful surroundings.

By the way, does anyone know what this funny “ball” on a pine tree is?

Total ascent is about 580m, duration 3h30

More information in French in the booklet Randoxygene/Pays Côtier (link to their web site)

Verrine of smoked salmon fromage blanc peppers and quinoa

A verrine is a small thick glass container meant to contain a starter or dessert. A French chef is said to have invented the verrine dessert in 1994. Different layers can be nicely displayed this way. Nowadays verrine starters are becoming more and more popular. A verrine can also be served as an apéro, “a pre-dinner drink and nibbles”.

The following verrine, Verrine of smoked salmon, fromage blanc, green pepper and quinoa, would make an elegant and healthy starter.

Fromage frais or fromage blanc is a soft, unaged, creamy fresh cheese made out of whole or skimmed milk and sometimes cream. Fromage frais literally means “fresh cheese”, and fromage blanc simply means “white cheese”. According to the French legislation, fromage frais must contain live flora at the time of sale to the consumer, whereas with fromage blanc the fermentation has been halted.

I personally don’t find much difference in taste between the two. I choose the one which is practically fat free, but has vitamin D added. Fromage blanc and fromage frais are super sources of protein and calcium, and the fat free types do not contain saturated fatty acids.

Verrine of smoked salmon, fromage blanc, green pepper and quinoa

4 starters

4 slices of smoked salmon
200 ml fromage blanc, 0% fat
2 medium (or one large) green peppers
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tsp olive oil
200 ml cooked quinoa
Freshly ground black pepper
Almost a handful of fresh dill

Wash the dill. Reserve a few branches for decoration and cut and mix the rest in a bowl with fromage blanc. Mix in freshly ground black pepper.

Wash the peppers and cut them into very small pieces. In a bowl, mix them with olive oil, lemon juice and black pepper.

Cut the salmon into small pieces.

Divide the cooked quinoa in the bottom of 4 glasses. Then divide the pepper mixture, fromage blanc and smoked salmon in the glasses. Decorate with a few branches of dill and serve at once.

Goes very well with champagne or sparkling wine!

Cap d’ Antibes brings to the mind the high Aleppo pine trees and the residences of the really rich. However, the southern end of the Cap offers a wonderful seaside trail. We have done this walk several times, often with visiting friends, and never get tired of it. The weather should be fine; the trail can be dangerous when the sea is very rough.

The path starts from the Garoupe beach. Most of the beach now belongs to several restaurants with their private beaches, but there is still a tiny public sand beach which is free.

The trail follows the seashore to the southernmost tip of the Cap. This part is more sportive than you might expect; trainers are recommended instead of flip flops. From the southernmost tip you can now follow the new path to the very beautiful bay, Anse de l’ Argent Faux, literally meaning the bay of counterfeit money. The name probably dates from a period of a property scandal on this beautiful bay.

From the bay a short ascent brings you to the gate of the Villa Eilenroc. When the mansion was built buy a wealthy Dutch businessman in the late 19th century, he used an anagram of his wife’s name Cornelie to name the property. The villa belongs now to the city of Antibes, and can be visited. Unfortunately the visiting hours are very variable, and the city does not bother to update the changes of the visiting hours on their website. So again the villa was closed, although according to the information on the website it should have been open! Last year we managed to get in, our video clip of the walk around the Cap and visit to Eilenroc, can be viewed here. A visit is certainly worthwhile when possible, and partly because of the very fine rose garden.

From the Villa Eilenroc the trail back to the Garoupe beach is urban, first following Avenue Beaumont then along the charming Avenue de la Tour Gandolphe.

More information in French in the guide booklet Randoxygene/Pays Côtier/Tour du Cap d’Antibes

Total distance: about 4.8 km, climb 30 m.

Duration: about 2 h.

Salade Niçoise is well-known by the visitors to Nice, and it is now served worldwide in French- style brasseries and cafes. Unfortunately it has become a victim of its success. Many variants of this salad resemble little the authentic salade Niçoise.

Jacques Médecin, who was the mayor of Nice from 1966 to 1990, was passionate about the cuisine of the region and published a noted cookbook. His comment about the mistreatment of salade Niçoise shows the depth of the passion: “What crimes have been committed in the name of this pure, fresh salad…”.

And the mistreatment continues. In December 2013, the daily Nice-Matin wrote about the final show in the French MasterChef. In the show, a chef ètoilé, star chef, advised adding green beans and cooked potatoes in salade Niçoise. This again created outrage among the purists of the traditional cuisine Niçoise. In a real salade Niçoise there are no cooked vegetables! And no salad leaves, not even a blade of mesclun! And the salad is prepared without vinegar!

Marie Chioca, who was born in Nice, has in 2013 published a charming small cookbook Le carnet de cuisine du pays Niçois. It is a collection of family recipes. She writes about the seasonal changes when choosing ingredients for salade Niçoise. The fresh fava beans, des fèves, have a very short season in spring when they are tender enough to be eaten raw. The almost same applies to baby artichokes, petits artichauts violets jeunes. In summer, they are replaced by green pepper and cucumber. When the basil is in season, it is the choice of herb, but it could be replaced by thyme leaves. This seems reasonable.

The following recipe is my adaptation from various sources. This is a spring recipe; in summer green pepper and cucumber replace baby fava beans and artichokes. And my experience is that the small baby artichokes need to be really fresh.

Salad nicoise recipe

Preparation time: 30 min
Cooking time: 8 min
Total time: 38 min

Ingredients for 2 servings
2 round tomatoes
2 spring onions, cébettes
6 pods of baby fava beans, gousses de fèves bien jeunes
2 baby artichokes, petits artichauts violets jeunes NB ! They have a slight violet colour.
2 eggs
1 tin of tuna (optional)
8 anchovy fillets
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
Basil or thyme leaves
10- 15 small black olives of Nice

Cook the eggs in boiling water for 8 minutes
During this time wash the tomatoes and spring onions. Cut the tomatoes in quarters, and finely slice the spring onions. Slip the beans out of their pods.

Pull off and discard the tough outer leaves of the artichokes.
Reveal the soft and light- violet inner leaves. It is better to remove a few extra soft leaves than leave some tough and inedible outer leaves!
Trim away the tops of the leaves.
Cut off the stems and bottom parts up to the point where the leaves start.
Cut artichokes into thin slices. There is a lot of advice about immersing the artichokes in lemon water to prevent them turning dark. This step is not important with the local already slightly violet baby artichokes. NB. The discoloration has nothing to do with taste or tenderness.
Rub the bottom and sides of a salad bowl with garlic pieces, and then discard the garlic. Mix all the vegetables with olive oil in the bowl.
Peel the eggs and half them. Place the egg halves, tuna and anchovy fillets on top of the salad. Serve with good whole wheat bread.
Tip: You can remove some of the salt in anchovies by soaking them in water for about 15 minutes, then dry with kitchen paper.

This hike starts at the hamlet of Cros d’Utelle (350m). The trail is actually an ancient mule trail to Utelle (800m), and you can admire how cleverly it was carved and paved in the Gorges de la Vésubie, high above the river. The trail is now GR(Grande Randonnée) 5 marked with red and white. The starting point is at the church of Cros d’Utelle (signpost 3) surrounded by old olive trees. View the map here.

After the initial ascent, the trail offers stunning views. At about half-way, you will find the well-preserved chapel of Saint-Antoine (673m). The chapel can be visited.

The trail then continues through a very nice Mediterranean forest before the last rocky part to Utelle.
There is a small inn, L’Auberge Utelloise, in the centre of Utelle, Place de la République. You can have a simple lunch, Plat du Jour, or opt for a more substantial Menu Randonneurs. We had a very nice Daube aux cèpes which was plentiful enough for the hike back to Cros d’Utelle. You could stay overnight at the inn and next day hike to Madone d’Utelle.

We took GR5 back to Cros d’Utelle because of the great views. You have a slightly longer option via Colombier and plateau de Millehommes which is presented in French in the booklet Les Guides Randoxygène, Moyen Pays. Vésubie River gorge is another good example of how unspoiled and different the landscape can be just 30 km north of Nice.

This recipe was inspired by a dinner that we had at Tarpon Creek Bar and Grill in Marathon, Florida: Wood grilled shrimp and grits. Grits are ground-corn porridges that are common in the Southern United States and traditionally eaten mainly for breakfast. It is interesting that grits are similar to other thick maize-based porridges such as polenta.

Polenta is a typical Italian dish. Corn was cultivated in the Veneto area as early as 1530 and was gradually introduced to Nice. Polenta became quite popular in the arrière pays, in the back-country of Nice. It was simply eaten with a dusting of cheese or with a meat or tomato sauce spooned over it, or with a grilled quail or something similar on the side. So this grilled shrimp with polenta actually is not that far from the traditions in and around Nice.

For this recipe choose large fresh or frozen shrimp, crevettes, with their shells on to protect flavour and freshness. Nowadays it is difficult to find fresh shrimp even on the French Riviera, but luckily shrimp takes particularly well to freezing. Even fresh-looking shrimp in our local supermarket has been previously frozen. Solidly frozen shrimp is best thawed in the fridge.

On the Riviera, shrimp is served with their shells on. I have noticed that most Americans are not comfortable with this, so you may wish to peel the shrimp at some point during the cooking process. At Tarpon Creek Bar and Grill the shrimp were served peeled, just the tips of the tails were left on.

2 servings

8- 10 large crevettes, shrimp with their shells, fresh or thawed
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
200 ml fresh or frozen green peas
2 tsp rapeseed oil
½ spring onion, finely sliced, for decoration
2 servings of polenta, according to the advice on the package

For the marinade:

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper

In a bowl mix the marinade and stir in the shrimp until well coated with the marinade. Marinate in the fridge for about 1 hour.
Gently sauté the shallot and garlic in rapeseed oil in a saucepan. Add the peas and gently warm. Cover and keep warm.
Cook the polenta according to the advice on the package. Stir in 1 tbsp olive oil, cover and keep warm.

Oil a grill pan and warm over a medium heat. Grill the shrimp until nicely reddish- browned on both sides. Divide the shrimp, polenta and peas on the plates. Decorate with spring onion and serve with lemon wedges.

The interior of St-Tropez peninsula is sparsely inhabited, thanks to government intervention, complex ownerships and the value of some local wines. The best views of this richly green and wooded countryside is from the hilltop village of Gassin, its lower neighbor Ramatuelle, and the tiny road between them, Route des Moulins de Paillas.

The southern tip of the peninsula is a wonderful coastal conservation area. The beach, Plage du Gigaro, is the start of the paths to Cap Lardier. You can continue along the coastal path to Cap Taillat and L’Escalet, and further to the lighthouse of Cap Camarat.

Ramatuelle is surrounded by some of the best Côte de Provence vineyards. We visited first

Les Celliers des Vignerons de Ramatuelle, which is a wine cooperative. 70 % of their production is rosé, 25 % red and 5 % white. The leading grape variety is Tibouren and the rest of the production is made of the vintage varieties of Grenach, Syrah, Cinsault, Mouvèdre, Carignan and Merlot. The creation of the cooperative in 1954 allowed the small owners to follow the technical evolutions in wine making.

Gassin is a small hilltop village which is now, of course, highly chic. It is a perfect place for a blow-out dinner or a long leisurely lunch sitting in one of the restaurants offering spectacular views. Today we, however, opted for a simple pizza in La Croix- Valmer because of the planned the seaside hike to Cap Lardier in the afternoon.

When driving from La Croix-Valmer to Plage du Gigaro, you take the road towards Cavalaire and at the roundabout turn left and follow the signs to Plage du Gigaro. There is a spacious parking right behind the small Spar shop.

View from Cap Lardier with Cap Camarat lighthouse in distance

The seaside trail to Cap Lardier starts from the end of the beach. It is a rugged trail with several steep stairs, so hiking shoes are advisable. It is almost 4 km from Plage du Gigaro to Cap Lardier, and it took us 1 h 10 along the shorter seaside path. On the way back we took the slightly longer inland trail which later joined the coastal path. On a sunny day the hike offers super views in fresh sea air, and the drive back along some small and winding country road

gives further visual enjoyment.

Noilly Prat is a dry vermouth from the South of France. It is made from white grapes grown in the Marseillan area and matured in oak casks. It is said that about twenty herbs and spices are added to it.

I always thought that Noilly Prat is a slightly decadent and old fashioned aperitif. But during a visit to Eilenroc, where I saw it among the aperitifs in the winter garden, I somehow became interested in its origins. I googled it, and discovered its extensive uses in cooking, especially for sauces to accompany fish.

The following two sauce recipes are the results of my experiments with Noilly Prat. If you have any favourite Noilly Prat recipes, please let me know.

The following sauce is especially good with grilled or roasted fish or scallops:

2 servings

75 ml good vegetable stock (for instance from Bjorg vegetable cube)
75 ml Noilly Prat
2 tbsp fruity olive oil
2 tbsp crème fraîche 15 % fat
Freshly ground black pepper
Basil or dill to decorate

In a small casserole, cook the vegetable stock and Noilly Prat over a moderate heat until reduced to almost half. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp crème fraîche. Whisk thoroughly until everything is well-mixed and smooth. Add the pepper and decorate with herbs.

The sauce below goes very well with magret de canard, duck breast: See our earlier post.

2 servings

Juice of 1 large orange
75 ml Noilly Prat
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp corn flour dissolved in a small amount of water
Fresh parsley or chives to decorate

Press the juice from 1 large orange. In a small casserole, cook the orange juice and Noilly Prat over a moderate heat until reduced to almost half. Dissolve the corn flour in a small amount of water. Add the black pepper, and whisk in the corn flour- water mixture until the sauce has thickened as you wish. You may not need to use all the corn flour- water mixture. Decorate with fresh herbs.

For many visitors, the road D28 along Cians valley up to the mountain resort of Valberg is just a thoroughfare.

You enter the Gorges du Cians almost immediately after the intersection near Touët-sur-Var in the Var river valley. In spite of many improvements, some parts of D28 are still quite narrow. On one web site, it is even listed among the most dangerous roads in the world! The steep mountain walls on both sides change their colour from limestone grey to red as you ascend towards Beuil. A local bikers´ web site calls the valley “Le Colorado Niçois”. Similar colours can be seen in Gorges de Daluis as well as in some parts of Tinée valley.
Many mountaintops around Cians River have a round form reminiscent of fells in northern England and Scandinavia. In spite of this, many of them reach 2000m and more. The landscape is different compared with the Alpine peaks visible not that far in the north.

This is hinterland, arrière pays, and when you hike here you are more or less off the beaten track. We describe a hike that starts from the valley at 1288 m from a place called Pré de Chaudi. It’s basically a parking lot by the D28 road. Unfortunately, a large part of it was filled with red land and rocks probably as a result of last winter’s landslides on the road.

The first challenge was crossing the Cians River as the trails at this point start on the other side. As this was our first hike here, we could not know if there ever had been a bridge. Nothing resembling even remnants of a bridge was visible. In early May, the melting snow in the Mounier Mountain massive (2817 m) obviously results in a lot of water. As you can see in the clip, it’s by no means a wide river at all but you don’t want to start the hike with wet gear! After a while we located a fallen tree trunk suitable for the crossing.

Our goal was Les Cluots at 2106m. There are many variants. Diehard hikers even have the option of climbing all the neighbouring peaks (Tête de Pérail 2016 m and Tête de Giarons 2027 m) as well. The initial ascent goes through a forest to a sheepfold at 1600m. The trail marked with yellow is perhaps less clear after this point but one can actually walk almost everywhere; shortcuts are possible. As you continue above the tree level navigation should be easy enough in clear weather. In early May numerous alpine flowers, such as the edelweiss and gentian, were in full blossom. At signpost 76 (1950 m) all three peaks are visible. We could immediately conclude that Les Cluots northern flank was still covered with snow. With our gear, we therefore opted for Tête de Pérail instead. The vertical ascent was 730 m, duration 4.5 hours and driving distance from Nice 65 km.

Map: Moyenne Tinée No 3641 ET

Image courtesy of: Les Plus Belles Randonnées des Alpes du Sud (Bernard Ranc); Éditions Gap. This recommended book also has the description of the hike in French.

Hiking and Cooking in the South of France

Energetic hike from Gréolières near Nice

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Another Baou near Nice

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What is a verrine ?

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On the beaten track -the trail around Cap d'Antibes

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The real salade nicoise

Salad nicoise recipe

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Hiking in Gorges de la Vésubie

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Grilled shrimp recipe with polenta

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Visit to Gassin and Cap Lardier

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Noilly Prat sauces, two recipes

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Green and red in Gorges du Cians

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