Síle read in the local paper that there was a farmers market each Saturday in the Place Madeline, just behind the regular market, in Beziers and so off we went last Saturday to see what we could find.

On the very first stall there was a box of the freshest spinach I have seen in France, the dew still glistening on it, so I put a generous couple of handfuls into a paper bag.
While the stall keeper was weighing this he said, “C’est pas epinards Monsieur, c’est l’oseille ” even better, said I and shoved another handful in for weighing.

Sorrel is not commonly sold in Ireland and although it grows well , there is as yet not much evidence of it appearing at the markets.

I have grown it with much ease when we lived in the country, it grows like a weed once you plant it.
Indeed my Father-in-law mistook it for dock (which it closely resembles) and cleared a whole patch of it out one day while I was at work.

In the market we also bought a nice little capon ( a neutered cock ), some spinach (on another stall) and a couple of Pardailhan Black Turnips which are a speciality of the area and which I have yet to try.

The first dish I cooked with the sorrel was the Roast Capon which I decided to serve with a Sorrel Beurre Blanc.

I chopped some of the sorrel very finely. mixed it with some softened butter and pushed that between the skin and the breast of the capon before roasting.

The beurre blanc I made by cooking some finely chopped shallot in a glass of wine until reduced to a tablespoon, then stirred in some chopped sorrel until it wilted then beat in butter until I had a thick creamy sauce.

The whole result was a bit of a mixed bag.
The sorrel under the skin was a great success, the flesh moist and slightly sharp from the sorrel.
The beurre blanc was a bit of an overkill, too much flavour, it sort of killed everything it touched.

Day two Síle got some salmon fillets for me to make that French Bistro classic, Salmon a l’Oseille.
This was much better.
The salmon I poached lightly, the sorrel I wilted in some butter then added a little Creme Fraiche and salt and pepper.

It was extremely good.
We were left with a small portion of the sauce, about two tablespoons, which I guarded.

Today I am on my own as Sile has gone back to Waterford for a few days.

For my lunch I decided to have another French classic; Omelette a l’Oseille.

This was the best so far, totally delicious.
I simply melted my leftover sauce in the microwave until it was soft.
(You could start from scratch with an ounce of butter, a handfull of chopped sorrel, finely chopped. and a tablespoon of creme fraiche)
I beat that into two eggs, seasoned with a grating of black pepper and pinch of salt and made my omelette in the usual way.
The combination of the sharpness of the sorrel and the creaminess of the eggs, butter and cream was superb.
This one (and indeed the salmon recipe) I will try again.