Eating France

[Dottore]

One of the great pleasures of this short life is eating in France. We are just winding down a tour of the Dordogne and points west and south, and have, as always, had some spectacular meals, some of which I thought I would try to share with you.

The best way to do this trip is with a rented car, some good maps and a Michelin Guide—still IMO opinion the best guide of its kind anywhere:



This place was a bit precious, but outstandingly good. The first course: marinated pork loin with lentils and goats cheese.



Then, from left to right lobster souffle, grilled wild boar, and a very complex duck dish



Sea bass in tomato coulis with lemon foam. Here my battery ran out for the next four courses—which won't happen again.



This next meal was more pedestrian:

Perfect gaszpacho...



...Fried whitefish...



...and endless amounts of roast duck.



Here, we decided on some simple fare: a salad Nicoise....



followed by Steak Frites....



...and of course the obligatory Belgian Leffe. But then things get more interesting....

[Garp]

I hope the weather got better, it's been pretty bad till a couple of days ago here. Enjoy.

[vash]

effer...you had me a long time ago..when you posted up that plate of oysters..

stuff is looking GOOD!

[MattKellett]

My wife and I are now so excited to be there in a couple of months.

Thanks for the recommendations, my stomach is rumbling just thinking about it.


Cheers

[Dottore]

Now this was a perfect menu:

Oysters baked with garlic and herbs....



Rabbit loin sausage braised in a fig infusion with spring vegetables...



Unpasturized (of course) cheese...



and marzipan mousse with sorbet. Brilliantly done.

[vash]

o-oh,!! i feel a BRO-mance starting!!

wow..that cheese. what does un pasturized cheese taste like? feel like smuggling some? hahah

[Seahawk]

I have so many questions to ask once I get off the grind.

Well done, as per your habit.

With your sensibilities, you should write a book.

[BRPORSCHE]

How can I have a wonderful meal and drink with YOU.

You are almost a magician. Pure awe.

[Dottore]

So here we decided to push the boat out a bit.

After following my wife around the foie gras shops and watching her buy numerous tins that I have to schlepp back on the plane (we have seperate flights)....





...it was definitely time for a Ricard in the town square. We were heading off to a restaurant highly recommended to us by a chef friend, and needed fortification.



Now this chef had studied under Ferran Adria at EBulli (sp?) which may mean something to some of you culinary types, and worked a lot with so-called molecular cuisine (where tastes are chemically deconstructed and the reconstituted in novel forms.

This first rather simple looking dish is grapefruit and lobster bisque...



...followed by some seared foie gras, roasted duck, done ina light bitter chocolate sauce...(this was sensational-much better than it sounds...



...then this large tiger prawn baked in a parmesan coat....



...then a seabass wrapped in pancetta and served on a balsamic/lentil puree....



veal sweetbreads on toast, with a brandy reduction and and foam....



...champagne and cheese fondue etc...



...and finally this very complex dessert, the ingredients of which I forget. We enjoyed the dinner immensely—but it wasn't really us. I have always thought that culinary art involves (or should involve) coaxing the maximum amount of flavour out of the freshest possible ingredients with a minimum of fuss...and this was just way over the top. And while the tastes were great– the meal couldn't IMO hold a candle to some of the simpler meals we had. (see below)

[M.D. Holloway]

Looks great but do they give instructions on how to eat all that stuff? Looks complex with all the sauces and gravy and what not - intimidates the shyt out of me!

Of course I guess I would handle it the way I handle everything else that intimidates me (beautiful women, jazz, hot wings) and pulge my face into it and suck out the very life it breathes!

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by Dottore

...then a seabass wrapped in pancetta and served on a balsamic/lentil puree....

I'm not a fan of sweetbreads or foie gras (heresy I know). But this...

[Dottore]

The next day, after a lengthy walk in the countryside....







We came across this amazing little bar, run by one man and a dog, and asked if he had anything to eat. He told us to sit down, and he would bring us something. No menu. No questions asked.

.

...first he brought us this amazing plate of homemade meat and sausage...



...then this plate of homemade cheese....



and then this bloody wonderful tomato salad and an ice cold bottle of Rose. Sometimes less is more...

[Dottore]

Now the French like their food fresh and regional and seasonal. Here is a typical mobile market that rolls into every French village a few time a week. (The larger towns of course have permanent markets.






Homemade sausages....



The next three pics are of the seafood truck. I counted more than 120 different kinds of fish and shellfish. All amazingly fresh with many still moving. And this 200 kilometers from the coast! The variety of seafood we get in North America is really sad by comparison.









Outback of her seafood stand this lady had just made this brilliant paella! Well that was lunch....

[Joeaksa]

Ya know, there is prolly a McDonalds around somewhere close where you can get a good honest meal, ya know, something that does not require a instruction manual to work around.

Regarding beer, Budvar Budweiser, made in the Czech Republic. Its the best, Germany is second and the rest, well its the rest.

[Rikao4]

wild boar (Euro) is amazing...
and a glass of Pernod (Ricard) will always reminds me of Paris /and Deuville..& Sophie..
but not in that order..
bon appetite & safe travels..

Rika

[Dottore]

some more market pics...

I loved this stand. Meat cakes. Cakes made from foie gras and ducks etc. Who knew?



Lots of truffles. One of those little jars will go for $100.- +/-



The olive mile....




Chickens and ducks are sold with their heads on for the same reason fish are: viz., you can tell how fresh they are from their eyes...



vineyard snails...everybody's favourite...










The paella girl packing our lunches....



Her husband cooking up an enormous plate of potatoes and bacon...

[Dottore]

Now this was a perfect meal IMO. It doesn't get any better.

We started off with a small version of this—which I forgot to photograph....



Then an insanely delicious duck sausage, which in Bordeaux always precedes a plate of ...



...these....



...then a brilliant plate of grilled red mullets (a delicacy in Europe)



...followed by an outrageous paella...



and some more unpasteurized cheese....



...and finally some oranges swimming in Cointreu.

[gtc]

Reading this thread right before lunch was a huge mistake.

[jtfreels]

somebody please make him stop!


Something yesterday got me looking a getting back to France...... I just cant afford airfare for 2 (and no she wont let me go by myself).

Jay

[Dottore]

OK, so today we visited the castle that Josephine Baker bought just after WW2, where she lived with her various husbands and 12 adopted children. And a bloody nice pile it is!



And right behind it we found this very nice restaurant.

That's a tomato and artichoke sorbet, and duck cracklings on toast....



followed by a seafood risotto



a sensational sablefish on vegetables....




followed by a superb very well hung hanger steak....



I forgot to photograph the cheese and dessert at this place. But who cares right?

One of the best things about eating France is you can take your dog everywhere, and everywhere he gets a little bite of each course. Needless to say, Jack has already announced that he will only be holidaying in France in future. He's a happy dog.



I could post a dozen more meals, and may post a few more tomorrow. This is uploading is hard work!