30 September 2011

Tarte tatin in Normandy

Having just returned from the Normandy region of France, I am in the process of going through photos and re-living the various sweet moments spent there. This being the season of apples, it was fun to be in Normandy with the apple trees heavy with their fruit. It was also a perfect time to indulge on their famous tarte tatin. One of the most delicious I tasted was at Auberge Les Deux Tonneaux in the picturesque village of Pierrefitte-en-Auge. I walked through the cafe's lovely terrace (which was closed that day because of misty rain) and marveled at the apples and pears hanging from the  trees over the tables. Inside this cozy country pub cafe (it's in a thatched-roof cottage), the bar serves up the regions' famous cider and Calvados.  In the adjoining small dining room, a fire burned cozily in the old fireplace and the view out the window included another thatched cottage across the road with rolling green fields in the distance. The food was solid Normandy classics, and dessert was flaky apple tart--France's famous tarte tatin-- warm from the oven with a scoop of Normandy cream rich ice cream. After our espressos, the owner brought us complimentary mini snifters of local Calvados, a  fitting finale.


dining room place settings
                                                            the view from the terrace


                                                           tiny snifter of Calvados after cafes
                                                                         interior of pub area

Auberge Les Deux Tonneaux (Inn of the Two Barrels), Le Bourg, 14130 Pierrefitte-en-auge
Click on above to go to their website.