Despite the tourists, Sarlat is worth a visit. Enjoy her architecture, history & local foods, including this delicious cookie that is easy to make.

Less than an hour's drive can take me to one of my three favorite medieval villages in southwest France. Rocamadour, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, or Sarlat-la-Canéda. Each provides an exceptional location for architecture, history, and gastronomy. It's a chance to step back into early Renaissance French life. Every time I wander their cobbled-stone streets, I learn something new. Since all three are on most tourists' radar, they can be very crowded in the summer. But they are perfect to experience in the lighter season of spring and fall. Currently, we are in confinement again here in France so I am unable to visit. But this past August and September found me in all three villages again as we had family visiting. Today, I thought I'd share a few tales from Sarlat, including one of my favorite cookie recipes for which the town is famous. Sarlat-la-Canéda, or just Sarlat, is the town for art and history. It's a pleasure for food lovers, history buffs, and travelers who desire an extensive local market filled with regional products. All of this is wrapped within her medieval core of cobbled-stone streets, picturesque squares, and hidden courtyards. Sarlat experiences thousands of tourists every year, all looking to capture a bit of the sweet life of the Dordogne Valley. It is an impeccably well-preserved example of a 14th-century town given it managed to escape being pillaged by the Vikings and withstood numerous bloody wars. Developed around a large Benedictine abbey during the 9th century, the fortified town of Sarlat became an important political and judicial center in the 14th and 15th centuries evidenced by its numerous Renaissance buildings and monuments. You can't get enough of her honey-colored limestone and lauzé roofs. Glorious timber-front houses stand next to Renaissance private mansions with ornately carved stonework. Everywhere you look, a face in stone or bronze is watching over the town. Sarlat played a crucial role during the 100 Years War. It provided lodging for soldiers and a storage place for ammunition and food. Protected by the castles of nearby Beynac and Castelnaud, Sarlat was able to help other towns who were besieged by the English army. There was a period of peace and prosperity between the 100 years war of the 14th century and the War of Religions in the 16th century. Here the city would be taken by both Protestants and Catholics at great cost to its economy, architecture, and lives lost. In the end, Sarlat was held firmly by the French Catholic bishops. For the most part, Sarlat went unscathed during the French Revolution. By the 19th century, the French government understood it was a town worth preserving. Behind the Cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos, you find the Cour du Cloitre and the Cour des Fontaines. These were part of the original medieval Benedictine abbey. Above the cathedral is the Lanterne des Morts, an unusual bullet-shaped stone structure. There are plenty of stories as to its use over the centuries, including a chapel for the dead and a place to store gunpowder.  Every chance you have to take a less crowded path into a hidden courtyard, go for it. You won't be disappointed. You could find another architectural gem, beautiful window flower boxes, or a petite boutique with another local specialty to try.  I use to ponder how wonderful it would be to live in such a rich town filled with so much to do. But it is costly both to purchase a residence and for monthly living expenses. Residents have shared that it can be very challenging especially during season. One hates to go anywhere for fear of losing a prized parking place. The streets are crowded. Restaurants are filled. Noise levels are high. Sarlat today is a city, with the pearl being just the small historical center.  Perhaps it's best to enjoy Sarlat for a day and then slip back to the peace and quiet of the French countryside. Right now, with confinement, the residents can enjoy the quiet streets. Although, all the restaurants and non-essential shops are closed. A smaller weekly market continues. This is the Renaissance manor house, Maison de la Boétie, the birthplace of writer Étienne de la Boétie. I love the large mullion windows framed by carved pilasters. It was built between 1520-1525 in a style that was made fashionable by François I, king of France. The wars with Italy brought a mad love of all things Italian to France in the 16th century. It was restored in 1900. Built in the 9th century, the Cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos was re-imagined over a millennium. The church is a creative mix of Roman, Gothic, and who knows what else. Every time I study its architecture, I see a detail that is hard to place into a specific historical period. The belfry and western façade are the oldest parts of the building and the nave and interior chapels were later additions.  The walnut has been prized in the Perigord Noir region for centuries. It is used in cakes, bread, cookies, liqueurs, and huile de noix or walnut oil. Le Croquant de Sarlat is a simple cookie that is made with walnuts or hazelnuts or almonds. I had picked a basketful of walnuts along the roadside on my way up to Sarlat last month so I thought it would be fitting to make one of my favorite cookies. Freshly dried nuts are the best. Their flavor is far better than chopped nuts you would buy in a bag in the grocery store. If you can, purchase the whole walnuts in the shell. This cookie is all about showcasing the flavor of the nut. It will be worth the extra time shelling them. You'll find these dry and crunchy "biscuits" perfect with tea or coffee in the local pâtisseries, each having their own guarded variation on the recipe. For me, I use only 4 ingredients and the recipe is far from a secret. I love a cookie that doesn't require a fancy mixer, just a bowl and a wooden spoon, a few stirs, and a quick drop with a teaspoon onto a baking sheet. They are so easy to make. Let's go. LE CROQUANT DE SARLAT 100 g (generous 3/4 c.) walnuts, coarsely chopped 250 g (1 1/4 c.) granulated sugar 80 g (generous 1/2 c.) flour 2 egg whites Mix the chopped walnuts (you can use hazelnuts, almonds, or a mixture), flour, and sugar with a wooden spoon. Add the egg whites and stir until incorporated. Drop by rounded teaspoon fulls onto a cookie sheet lined with a non-stick paper. Parchment will do but my true love in this department is Bake-O-Glide. It's a non-stick liner that can be cut to size and used over and over again for years. I buy it when I'm in London visiting my daughter but I'm sure you can find it online. Worth every penny. Bake at 200 degrees C (400 degrees F) for 10 minutes or so. You're looking for a golden brown color. Allow to cool on the tray but remove while a tiny bit warm to a cooling rack . . . It will take you longer to brew the tea or coffee and set the table than it will to make these cookies.  The Dordogne Valley is known for many delicious local specialties and fabulous cuisine. Sarlat is one of the region's most renowned gastronomic hubs where eating foie gras and drinking wine is a weekly occurrence. There are Michelin-starred restaurants, chic bistros, and traditional cafés to feed the hungry visitors. You'll find local staples such as duck, goose, and truffles. A personal favorite spot to dine is Les Quatre Saisons, tucked away in a beautiful stone house on a narrow alley leading uphill from the Rue de la République. The food is simple and authentic, using local ingredients from the market and highlighting regional flavors. Order the pommes sarlardaises - potatoes cooked in duck fat. You won't be disappointed. Let's talk about one fabulous farmer's market. Farmers and traders have flocked to Sarlat's streets since the Middle Ages to sell their regional goods and produce. Every Wednesday and Saturday morning, you'll find locals and visitors strolling through the colorful stalls filled with goodies to taste and purchase. The year-round covered market in the 14th-century church of Sainte-Marie is open daily in the morning. Everyone who visits Sarlat takes a picture with the three geese. The above photo is from my first visit in 2014. You'll find these life-sized bronze statues just behind the church of Sainte-Maire. The Place du Marché aux Oies (the Square of the Geese) is where the goose market once stood. Everything goose or duck is a regional tradition here in the Dordogne. The photo below is from my most recent visit in September; everyone was wearing a mask.   Tucked between rapeseed fields and walnut groves, Sarlat is worthy of a visit when next you find yourself in the Perigord Noir region. Grab yourself a walking tour map at the tourist office near the cathedral and learn a bit about the key sites. Sarlat has the highest density of "classified monuments" of any town in France. Try and go on a market day despite the potential crowds. You can thank Rick Steves for clueing Americans in on what the rest of Europe already knew as a fairytale spot. Most importantly, just meander and enjoy. Try new foods. Splurge on a dining experience. Pick up a bottle of walnut oil or foie gras or even a few slivers of a black truffle. But skip the expensive cookies. Yours will be infinitely better.   Make something yummy this weekend.   À bientôt mon amie, Karen 😋💕🍪🇫🇷