Crussol Chateau and More Cheese

The past couple days have been crazy here. I don't know how my host mom does it; she is a nurse at a psychiatric hospital, and when she comes home, she takes the family on day trips and little adventures. She has more energy than the Energizer Bunny, and I don't even think she sleeps! On top of all that, she always manages to make delicious meals every night for dinner. One of the most exciting dinners I've eaten so far in France happens to be one of Anne's recipes. (be forewarned: this recipe is a guaranteed cardiac arrest and should probably not be eaten all the time)

Here's how you make it:
1) In the bottom of a casserole dish, place really good French bread over all the surface area.
2) Once the bread is in place, smother the bread with white wine and garlic
3) Layer thin slices of ham on top of that
4) Put a huge brick of cheese covering all of the above (I looked at the cheese and the package said Comte AOP - I'm not sure if that means anything to any of you cause it sure doesn't to me)
5) Sprinkle pepper on the cheese
6) Put on as much heavy creme as you have to cover everything. It should be a lot.
7) Stick it in the oven for I don't know how long

8) Bon appétit!

This was the first dinner in France that I was not able to finish. It was a lot of cheese. And when you finish, there is still lots of cheese in the pan, and you must eat all of that too, but don't worry, you can eat it with more bread. I wasn't able to move after that course, but turns out, there was dessert to go along! The dessert  somehow consisted of even more cheese and heavy creme. It was a soft, lumpy cheese mixed with lots of creme and raspberries. Everything was delicious, but I don't think my American eating habits were ready to take on such an intense French dinner.

The next morning, after finishing the leftover cheese and creme for breakfast, we made our way to Crussol Chateau. It's an old castle on top of a mountain overlooking the city of Valence. I tried to do some research on it when I got home, but all the websites were in French, and the only site that translated anything for me was Wikipedia. Apparently, the chateau was built in the 13th Century and was taken under siege in the 17th Century? I don't know - the article wasn't very helpful. The castle was in ruins, and it was absolutely beautiful, as were the views from the top. There was barely anyone visiting the chateau except for us, and it was pretty cool just to imagine what went on at Crussol Chateau way back when...Royalty drinking wine and feasting in a great hall, knights standing their post on the castle's walls, the chateau going under siege by a neighboring kingdom...you get the point. Almost every city here has a castle, and just driving along in the car and seeing them from the window is a spectacle in itself. I would like to learn more about the history of my area when I can finally understand the websites. Until then, I'll just walk around and take lots of pictures!