bon appétit

France is notorious for being a great producer of wine and food, arguably the best in the world.  The French know and understand food.  It may be a cliché however after my recent travels to France, it is a valid one.

It was my fourth time in France however this time I was fortunate to spend a decent amount of time there rather than it being a fleeting visit.  There was one night in Nice, a quick visit to Monaco followed by a road trip to Bordeaux via Cannes, Toulon, Marseille, Carcassonne and Toulouse followed by a week in Paris.  This time I felt I had the chance to experience a variety of culinary delights on offer in this beautiful country known for their traditional cuisine.   

   

To start - Beignets de fleur de courgettes (fried zucchini flowers) @ La Farigoule, 82 rue Meynadier, Cannes.

Zucchini Flowers

In the middle of Cannes where there were restaurants aplenty, a couple of French women enticed us with their three-course meal for only 16€.  They boasted that zucchini flowers were their specialty and strongly recommended to choose it for entrée.   They were the most delicious zucchini flowers I had tasted however admittedly, I had never tried them before as that was the first time I had come across them in my foodie-wannabe experience.  They were lightly battered, deep-fried, perfectly flavoured and scrumptious – a great start to the meal.  The rest of the meal was pleasant but the entrée was hands-down the highlight.  La Farigoule is worth a visit, if not for its zucchini flowers then for its eccentric and entertaining service.

Somewhere to stay and somewhere to eat - L’autre Vie, Chambres d’hôtes, Guesthouse www.autre-vie.com

Breakfast @ L'autre Vie

A simple search in Google for ‘Bordeaux region bed and breakfast’ led me to L’autre Vie, an Australian run and owned boutique hotel and B&B.  After visiting their website and reading reviews on Tripadvisor, I immediately knew that I wanted to incorporate it into my European experience.  Described as “a blend of chic hotel & B&B charm, surrounded by Bordeaux’s vineyards”, it sounded like the perfect place to relax and unwind in a beautiful, peaceful and secluded haven. 

BBQ pack

But what does L’autre Vie have to do with food you ask?  Well, the food on offer is absolutely delicious and perfect to suit any appetite.  From breakfast to a variety of platters or a BBQ pack including both salad and bread, it hit the spot for the two nights we were there.  One notable mention is the salad we chose called L’autre Vie Waldorf including ingredients such as fresh apples, walnuts, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, salad leaves, walnut oil and balsamic vinegar.  It was a refreshingly balanced and delicious combination, the perfect salad accompanying barbequed duck and sausages at the end of a hot, long summer’s day.   

Antipasti platter

If you are ever passing by the area, intentionally wanting to visit the Bordeaux region or longing for a break from a bustling city, then I highly recommend L’autre Vie as the place to escape to.  The area, the food, the wine and the friendly hosts will ensure that you have had a comfortable, relaxing and satisfying time.

   

French gourmet cuisine at its finest - Auberges des Charmettes www.aubergedescharmettes.com

My cousin Willy and his partner Nancy took us to a traditional French restaurant, Auberges des Charmettes, in the eastern suburbs of Paris called Torcy.  We enjoyed a fabulous four-course meal including cheese that rivaled that of Melbourne’s infamous restaurants Vue de Monde – a review of which is coming! 

The food at Auberges des Charmettes was simply amazing and it was there that I finally acquired the taste for blue cheese.  I was never a fan of blue cheese, never being able to get past the smell.  I did once try making a dish that contained gorgonzola and since then, have never given it another go.  When the cheese course was upon us, Nancy convinced me to try just a little bit of which was a mild blue cheese. It was beautiful, the flavour deep and intense that lingered ever so slightly in your mouth.  I am now converted – perhaps it just needed to be French.  As they say, never say never!

Here are some notable highlights from this deliciously satisfying meal.

Croustillant de Saint Jacques, Saumon, Gambas au Buerre Blanc Deglaces au Champage - absolutely delicious.

Tournedos de Filet de Boeuf, Pleurotes, Pommes Chateau.  The most tender, melt in your mouth beef.

Risotte de Gambas Decortiguees Sauce Crustaces - creamy risotto with added flavour punch from the seafood.

The cheese trolley with a mixture of soft and hard, goats and cow cheeses

Profiteroles Maison au Chocolat Chaud - creamy vanilla icecream, light profiteroles covered with  hot chocolate sauce, divine!

A touch of Portuguese in France?  Pedra Alta Restaurants www.pedraalta.pt

Once again spoiled by my fabulous French family, we were taken to a Portugese restaurant Pedra Alta for dinner.  Not really knowing what to expect, although after a fourty-five minute wait as bookings were not allowed, I started to expect a whole lot.  I thought to myself that this place must be good or probably more like it, it had better be good.  It was overflowing with locals in a family friendly restaurant that could easily seat one hundred people. 

We ordered a seafood platter that supposedly was meant to serve three people (it comfortably fed seven adults and two children), a pork skewer dish, a seafood rice dish similar to a risotto and of course chips.  For the sheer volume of seafood that I saw this restaurant serving, it was amazing how well each component was cooked.  Everything on the seafood platter was oozing with flavour, juicy, moist and cooked to perfection.  Although the chunks of pork on the skewers were large, they were succulent, tender and most importantly tasty.  This is a restaurant I certainly long to visit again and a meal I still dream about.

A cheese dish to warm your belly – Tartiflette

Tartiflette is a delicious winter dish that is filling, warming and indulgently good that only the French can justify.  Nancy decided to make this typically winter dish - essentially a Potato Bake - in what was a mild Parisian summer.  She explained and described the dish to me before she made it and it sounded absolutely delicious – the cheese, a lot of cheese, melts on top so that when you scoop it out, you can see it stretch and is all gooey.  I loved this dish, the cheese is so flavoursome, added wine gives it depth and it is very simple to make.  The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

500g potatoes cooked (chunks, slices or however you prefer)

An onion diced and sautéed

Half a cup of lardon (or bacon pieces) sautéed

A tub of crème fraîche

Approximately a quarter cup of white wine

Salt & pepper to taste

Reblochon cheese

Method:

Combine the cooked potatoes, onions and lardon in a baking dish and mix in the crème fraîche.  Drizzle over the white wine then top with the block of cheese cut in half.  Bake in an oven preheated to 200 degrees celsius for 15 minutes or until golden and voilà, there you have a scrumptious “potato bake” that is kind to your stomach but not so kind to your waistline. 

My advice – enjoy this dish guilt free as that is how the French would!

And finally to finish with something sweet - Ladurée

Earlier this year when I had the chance to see the Australian Macaron King Adriano Zumbo at work, I knew that while in Paris, I had to visit the place that inspired him to create his style of macarons – Ladurée – the home of macarons. 

It was clear that Ladurée had established itself in the six years since I had been to Paris.  It appeared that its pretty patisseries had popped up almost everywhere.  From the Champs Elysées to department stores Printemps to inside the Louvre, Ladurée was always bustling with people, surely both tourists and locals alike.  In its iconic mint green packaging and with so many flavours on offer I asked for their four bestsellers that were pistachio, chocolate, salted caramel and rose, also opting fort the coffee and licorice flavours.  They were heaven in your mouth, lightly crisp on the outside and creamily flavouful on the inside, this hyped-up establishment did not disappoint.

Ladurée, the French institution is ever expanding with stores in London, New York and excitingly a soon to be open store in Sydney, it emphasizes the worldwide embrace of these delectable sweet treats.

The direct translation for bon appétit is “good appetite” and used to wish the company you are dining with enjoyment of the meal they are about to eat.  The French are passionate and traditional when it comes to food.  The act of eating in France felt that it was not just for the mere function of food but also a complete and respectful experience.  With these recent, fond memories for my taste buds, I feel fortunate to have experienced fabulous French cuisine in France.