Introducing a new digital newsletter to keep you up to date with everything happening at Château Bouffémont – including recipes, interviews and activities in the local area
Here at the Château Bouffémont, a love for people lies at the very heart of what we do – from organising an endless array of activities, to throwing an unbeatable party. It is our tightknit clan of staff, suppliers and guests that make this venue such a unique and special place.
To say thank you for being an important part of the Château family, we want to keep you in the loop with a new series of articles. These will let you know what is going on with us – expect interviews with team members and local personalities, recommendations for daytrips and activities in the surrounding Val-d’Oise area, and gastronomic guides to our favourite producers in the region. We will alternate between Q&As, recipes-of-the-month and informative articles to regularly provide a little slice of Château magic, sent straight to your inbox.
We are kicking off a new gastronomy series with this recipe from Paris-based chef Arthur Girard, who talked us through the steps needed to create his rustic salted loaf with figs and rosemary. Comfortingly warm and richly packed with flavour, this beautiful bread is destined to be a hit at brunches, picnics and get-togethers. The light tang of buttermilk combines with aromatic rosemary and juicy, jewel-like figs, finished with a sprinkling of salt to savour. A loaf for all seasons and occasions, this is the first of many delicious Château recipes to come.
Rustic salted loaf with figs and rosemary
Ingredients:
- 150g whole wheat flour
- 150g spelt flour
- 25cl buttermilk
- Three eggs
- 7cl oil
- Two handfuls of dried figs
- One sprig of rosemary
- Sachet of baking powder (approx. 11g, or 2 tbsp)
- Salt
Method:
1. First, preheat the oven to 180°C (equivalent to Th6, or Gas Mark 4).
2. Peel the figs to remove the outer skin and then dice them into smaller chunks – somewhere between quarters and eighths, depending on preference.
3. Pull the leaves from the stem of rosemary, discarding the stem. Finely chop the leaves and place them to one side.
4. While the oven is still heating up, oil and flour a small cake pan in preparation for your mixture. Don’t skimp on the oil – you don’t want it to stick.
5. Next, beat together the eggs, butter milk and oil in a large mixing bowl. Once these and well and truly mixed together you can add the salt, flours, diced fig and chopped rosemary.
6. Mix together thoroughly, until all the ingredients are blended together evenly throughout the mixture.
7. Add the baking powder, and then mix again.
8. Pour the mixture into the oiled baking pan, spreading it out evenly from corner to corner. You might choose to stud the surface of the mixture with a couple of fig halves for a serving flourish.
9. Place the tin in the oven for 45-50 minutes. To check if it’s finished, prick the loaf with a skewer to see if it comes out clean.
10. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning it out. Then you can either serve it straight away, or leave it to cool fully on a rack for later.
Until next time
See you soon for a guide to the world-famous artists that have immortalised Château Bouffémont’s surrounding region of Val d’Oise in their work. We’ll be looking at the villages and natural beauty spots that inspired masters such as Van Gogh, Pissarro and Cézanne, and the best way to tour them.
Keep in touch at @chateaubouffemont
