An Afternoon Outing and The Best Autumn Sandwich
Our annual apple picking outing is always more than a trip down memory lane (we pick apples in the same orchard where we were married) and buying bushels of apple for canning, but usually evolves into a gastronomical tour of the region as well.
We munch on wedges of local aged cheddar with our Mac’s, scarf warm apple-custard tart straight from the pie pan and sample maple taffy. Along Mont Saint-Hilaire’s Chemin de la Montagne (Mountain Road) apple growers are selling the best their orchards have to offer and at some places, that includes some pretty amazing organic ice cider. Yum!
We usually pick our apples and then sprawl out on the grass for a picnic lunch, but last Saturday the bitter winds blew us out of the orchard and back into the car where we headed for one of our favorite bakeries just down the road, La Femme et Le Boulanger.
Our pockets and bags bulging with crisp cold apples and various delicacies we had already picked up, we snagged a little table by the window and surveyed the tantalizing baked goods. It was hard to choose, but we selected several croissants for our sandwiches, rum & coffee cannelés for dessert and a bacon baguette to have with our poached eggs for Sunday breakfast. (If you’ve never tried a toasted bacon baguette with a poached egg on top, you haven’t lived, my friends)
I sliced some three year cheddar, cracked open a jar of confit d’onion, both purchased from La Vieille Cave, and with some slices of our Macintosh’s and the fresh croissants, constructed the best sandwich I have had since my pulled pork party.
Seriously, the tart apple paired with the strong cheese and the sweet onion jam was just fabulous packed between flaky croissants. With a hot latte to wrap our chilled fingers around and a bottle of fresh squeezed apple cider, we were in heaven.
So by now you are probably wondering-where are all the recipes?
Yeah, I know, it’s been a while; I’ve been giving you interviews, garden updates, and oatmeal, for pete’s sake, and now a sandwich??
Hang in there, there’s tons of good food coming, I promise. In the meantime, why don’t you head over to the Blogger’s Choice Awards and vote for me. Much appreciated and good luck to all the nominees!
Since I’m already on a rambling streak, allow me to get sidetracked for another minute with this sequence of photos from Noah’s apple picking experience…
Boy spies apple
Boy picks apple
Boy eats apple
Boy contemplates the meaning of life.
Love the apple-picking sequence. Noah is adorable! 🙂 That sandwich looks to.die.for.
That is ONE HELL of an apple wedge in your croissan’wich. (Any evocation of the Burger King menu item unintentional.)
Man, this made me miss good, complex English apples. Death to Golden Delicious and Granny Smith, (unless I’m baking.)
I would love that sandwich right now!!
I ADORE apple-cheddar sandwiches! I must try this asap… I even have some onion confit in my fridge.
yum, yum, YUM!!!
Gillian
Your crosissant looks AMAZING. I want one!!
And your little boy’s sweater/hat set is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. I knit so I love all things handmade!
I have voted!
I love your blog, It is always thought provoking and several new family favorites have been created with a little inspiration from your recipes. I hope you win : )
Hi Mandy- Thanks! I couldn’t resist posting those shots.
Hi Michele- We have it pretty good. I’m not complaining.
Hi Deb- That’s the baby talking, I know!
Hi Gillian- Knowing you, it’s probably homemade!
Hi Maris- Thanks for stopping by! A family friend made that for him, isn’t it cute?
Hi Michelle- Thanks. You rock!
Cheese, sweet onion jam , flaky croissants… that is a one hell of a combination…
that sounds amazing!!
in the same orchard you were married in? give me goosebumps!
the “boy eats apple” is adorable.
going to go vote, see you later.
I remember so many times picking our own apples wherever we happened to live. My daughter is grown, but, she is now taking that boyfriend of hers to do the same so it may be a tradition to keep afterall.
Any sandwich that uses croissants as the bread is bound to be amazing and that sandwich is definitely amazing!
When I lived in Québec when went so much to Mont St-Hilaire for apple picking. That was the good days. The sandwich looks great.
Sounds like you had so much fun! Everything looks absolutely delicious. I need to find a recipe for confit d’oignon. 🙂
Well, you could always post the reicipe for warm apple-custard tart! That sounds delicious. Of course that sandwich also looks pretty great. Hmm, I wonder how it would be with surchoix Gruyere as cheddar is a bit hard to find in Switzerland.
Aw, cute!
Now I want to go to an apple orchard. I wonder if it’s time yet. It’s still pretty warm here, and the leaves are still green.
That looks like an amazing sandwich! I love croissant.
That lunch and adventure are almost enough to make me want to move to Quebec. Great combo on the sandwich. I bet the croissant was perfection.
hi aimee!
read your breakfast post just now.would you be so kind to tell me how you make your porridge?i make mine with milk and rolled oatflakes and a pinch of salt,but am open to suggestions.
thanks very much! best from berlin,anja
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