Yvoire is a mere 30 minutes drive from Geneva centre, and yet this week was only my second visit. The medieval village lies on the edges of lake Geneva, across the Swiss border in France, and is a favourite for both locals and foreign visitors. My first time there was ten summers ago, on a scorching hot day. The place was packed with tourists. This time round there was hardly a soul; it was a cold and windy March week day and only a handful of us intrepid gourmands headed to this destination with the same thing in mind: filet de perches. 

Thinking back I realise it was an unconscious prayer for Spring, this yearning for the small, tender filets of lake fish, a way to put behind a winter of melted cheese, bread and potatoes, an adieu to the fondues and raclettes of the previous months. 















Well, whether local or not, the perch filets were delicious and satisfying, though the highlight for my companion was dessert: two scoops of sorbet (lemon and pear) served with its own tiny bottle of local eaux-de-vie, which is basically fruit macerated in rubbing alcohol. I guess it's one way to compensate for the fact that Spring is not here yet!