Grand Assiette de Terrior, or Large Charcuterie Platter with meats and fois gras specific to this area of France, served with a petit green salad.
The weeks following my last post have been very busy. I have fallen into somewhat of a routine and find it comforting in many ways. My typical work day consists of waking up around 7:30am, going for a run or hike around the trails here and then heading into the kitchen for some coffee. I head back to our cottage for my regular breakfast of a fruit yogurt with walnuts and sometimes one of the delicious gingembre cookies made by the boulangerie across the street. I report to the kitchen at 9:30am for prep for both the lunch and dinner services and if we are very busy we usually are done by 3:30-4pm, and on a normal day I am out at 2:30pm and then head back in for dinner service at 6:30pm-10. I am given one day off a week and usually one shift as well. The weekends have continually been very busy bringing day trippers, church goers, and sometimes overnight guests. As the season is coming to a close now the restaurant has been slower which has opened up more opportunities for me to learn one on one with my executive chef for dishes known in this region such as coq au vin, cassoulet, and fois gras.
I live in one of the most divine culinary areas of France and consider myself extremely lucky to be experiencing it all first hand. I never in my life thought that I would become a fan of duck liver (especially the mi-cuit on toast with onion confiture!) but alas...I have fallen over into the dark side. It reminded me of the time I drank good wine for the first time, or coffee for that matter and realized that I was ruined for life. In the last few weeks I have worked and played. Mon petit ami Devin was kind enough to travel all the way from Texas and rent a car and take me to Cahors, Sarlat, and Saint Emilion. We had the most amazing time, and definitely without a doubt had some of the best food either of us had eaten. Below are some pictures, with captions on dishes we have prepared in the restaurant along with some from our trip.
This is a cheese makers case in Albi, France. Notice the sign on the chevre "Specialite du Tarn" or Specialty of the tarn region of France (my region). The French are very proud of the food that they make and the people here tend to always buy locally wherever they travel, including French natives.
This is the preparation of Ratatouille, the word comes from Occitan ratatolha and the recipe comes from Occitan cuisine. It is also used in French (touiller, also means to toss food). The key ingredients here are fresh tomatoes, and aubergines or the french word for eggplant. Notice the olives as well which is an addition of the sous chef here who spent a year cooking in Spain. He has added a lot of Spanish influence to the dishes here and they have been very creative and delicious.
When fall arrives the executive chef likes to serve a different potage, or soup to their customers everyday free of charge. I am not sure if I have mentioned this but there are two restaurants at the auberge-one is a bistro which has it's own menu, and the other is a higher end restaurant with prix fixe courses usually ranging from 3-5 courses depending on which one the customers choose. Here I am preparing an amuse bouche of fried duck magret and a quail egg served on a toasted baguette with a potage of pureed carrots and creme fraiche.
Now this one has nothing to do with food, but it was so funny I just had to post it. The word 'Bizarre' in French translates in english as 'dangerous'. On one of my morning runs I noticed the sign and wondered about it. So I tried to get the picture as quickly as possible in case the crazy dog inside was going to leap out and bite me!
How often do you get to make an apple tart with apples picked from the day before? The apples delivered on this day still had the leaves on them they were so fresh. This recipe is simple and delicious on the key point that you must use truly fresh and delicious apples. This rule is essential for anything that is cooked here at the Auberge, as well as any other restaurant I have dined at in France. The execution is easy once you have the right ingredients.
This was one of the most divine lamb shanks I have ever eaten. Served with a demi glace and steamed vegetables, the chef didn't have to do much to this wonderful dish other than sear it off correctly in the right type of fat and let it braise overnight.
In Cahors we dined at a small cafe next door to a wine cave and souvenir shop. It was a fabulous lunch, I ate the salad above which was herbed chevre wrapped in filo and then fried served over fresh lettuces and a light mustard vinaigrette. The French are very serious about their salads as well as the main courses. I have seen so many variations on ways to serve a chevre chaud salad just in the last seven weeks alone.
This may not look like much presentation wise, but this was the best duck confit I have ever eaten in my life. The chef at this restaurant in Cahors makes his own confit from scratch, as well as his fois gras that we dined on as our first course which was made with cognac and honey. The crispy potatoes underneath lent the best texture to the most juicy and melt in your mouth confit I have ever eaten, for near tears at the dinner table that evening. We washed it down with a nice bottle of locally made terrior rich cahors wine.
I always have to stop anytime I see any of these wonderful pastry displays. The work and attention to detail that goes into making these is insane when you compare how little they sell them for. The macaroons in this area are to die for and as we headed up to Saint Emilion we saw different variations of the macaroon and different flavors. Our favorite was the classic almond with just a touch of sugar on top.
Instead of dining out in Sarlat on the eve before we headed to Saint Emilion, we decided to have a gourmet potluck in our hotel room instead. It consisted of fois gras mi-cuit, onion confiture, goose fois gras, toasted baguette, camembert and Roquefort cheeses and fried duck breast. We again washed it down with a couple of bottles of locally produced wine in this region, Bergerac.
This salad in Beynac was'Civet de Gesiers Doie' or goose gizards served over lettuces and sliced cucumbers. Devin had the pleasure of ordering this while I dined on a vegetarian platter after so much duck (I had eaten so much of it I was worried I may turn into a duck) I felt the need for vegetables on this day, but was saddened after the first taste of his salad. The meat was moist, earthy, rich...and just the right amount of acidity and sweetness in the vinaigrette was a harmonic symphony in the mouth.
This was Devin's main course at the same lunch in Beynac. 'Ris de veau a la perigourdine', or braised veal served with a rich mushroom demi glace, a fritatta of zucchini, and roasted potatoes. It was melt in your mouth fantastic. At this lunch I didn't have my dictionary with me and we actually thought he may be ordering lamb. Both of us try to avoid veal due to the treatment of the animal, so it was a surprise when we figured it out but also explained how the meat could be so soft and tender.
On to Saint Emilion! Yes...this really is a bottle of Petrvs unopened on sale at the Chateau we stayed infor the fair price of 6,000 Euros....:)
It was a beautiful day when we arrived in Saint Emi....here is me thinking of a career change and working in the grape fields instead.... I think I will stick to the cooking for now though!
And here is Devin...pondering the same thoughts. We actually discussed the possibilities of growing our own grapes one day and making wine. Being out there was an inspiration to both of us!
These are all of the barrels kept underneath Chateau Monlot, where we stayed and also has it's own winery. Their bottle of 2005 Grand Cru, as well as many other wine makers in the region in the year 2005 did very well and weregiven top marks by wine enthusiasts and sommeliers.
When we tasted this wine we understood why it was given such high marks...It is ready to drink now but will be even better in a few years. Velvety, rich and just the right amount of tannin and acidity made us smile from ear to ear.
The Saint Emilion night sky....absolutely breathtaking!
After our trip we headed back to the Auberge, and on my next day off headed to Albi. This was in the open market hall I have taken photos in before. These specialty sausages are typical in almost any butcher shop or market you come across in France as well as delicious and make for a great picnic style lunch with a baguette and some cheese.
Although this meal was far from French, the 'kebab' stands around France are also typical. This was a huge kebab served with salad and frites and their special tangy sauce. Simply divine on a day where we knew we were going to be walking miles again taking in the sights.
This was the view at the top of Cordes-Sur-Ciel....we were both speechless it was so beautiful.
As my last weeks here come to a close (5 more to go as of November 1st!) we will be cooking many more classic French dishes at the Auberge, celebrate Thanksgiving, and I will update more foodie pictures once more before heading back to Texas. I appreciate all of my family, friends, and member support and look forward to hearing from all of you. Bon Apetit!
