Tour de French Cuisine; Stage 14-Franche-Comte and Morels

Its stage 14 and on this Saturday the Tour leaved the town of Colmar and heads to the Franche-Comté region and just a day before heading into the French and Swiss Alps where it is going to get really exciting.  With a little over a week to go, there are still big things to happen and more amazing things to see, so buckle up and hang on for the last week.

Just a short way out of Colmar is the town of Ensisheim. They have found evidence that the area dates back to the 5^th millennium BC and the town itself can be traced back to 765. But Ensisheim’s made its biggest mark on history on November 7, 1492 when 280 pound comet fell from the sky and sunk more than three feet into a nearby wheat feel. A loud explosion was heard followed by the crash of the meteor and was only witnessed by a local boy that had been in a nearby field. Locals believed that the meteor had supernatural powers and began chipping off pieces as a souvenir until it was stopped by the local officials. But not before 122 pounds had been removed. The remaining meteorite now sits in the Musee de la Regence in Ensisheim.

 

 

The people of Dannemarie are called “Dallerschlacker” which translates to “plate lickers” in Alsatian. Dannemarie sits on the Route de la Carpe Frite (fried carp route) a route that was established by restaurant owners to promote the local specialty.

The town of Delle sits in the Territoire de Belfort province of the Franche-Comte region. Territoire de Belfort was created in 1871 by the Treaty of Frankfurt when Alsace and Lorraine was a part of Germany. At 235 square miles it is one of the smallest departments in France. The town of Delle lies at the intersection of many old Roman roads. Sitting on the banks of the River Allaine and the last French stop on the Belfort to Bern Switzerland train it is an important town on the edge of France.

Only 4 miles from the Swiss border sits the village of Vandoncourt. It is the home of the Peugeot family which traces back to the 15^th century. Before getting into the car industry the forefathers worked in steel forging and textiles but by 1814 they moved to a more profitable venture, the production of saws and springs for machinery and watches. In 1885 they started make the bicycles and by 1889 had moved into cars as well. Today Peugeot is still a thriving company and has grown to include Citroen and Chrysler Europe under its name as well.  

Baume-les-Dames is located in the valley of the River Doubs amongst a lush green landscape and the Maison des Mineraux caves. In 400 the Bishop of Besancon, Saint-Germain lived in the abbey that was built in the 7^th century where a castle once stood. During the 16^th century the town was ravaged by fires and the plague but was fully restored during the Renaissance.

The finish town of Besancon is the capital of the Franche-Comte region and sits on the Doubs River a tributary of the Rhone River. First settled in Gallo-Roman times it became an important stop on the trade routes between Italy, the Rhine and the Alps. During the French Revolution the town became the premier home for the French clock making industry and today it is still the capital of watch making in France. The old town of Besancon meanders along the River Daubs and at one time was completely enclosed within walls. The Grande-Rue is the old Roman highway that crossed Vesontio and now 2000 years later it is still the main road into Besancon. The Hotel d’Emskerque located at No. 44 is a late-16^th century mansion that was the residence of Gaston Jean-Baptiste de France, duc d’Orleans who was the son of Henry IV, lived here for a short time. The Palais Granvelle mansion was built from 1534 to 1542 for Chancellor Nicholas Perrenot de Granvelle. The three story building with five bays overlooks the street with its imposing Renaissance façade and the interior courtyard with porticoes and arches is a sight to behold.

One of the most famous poets and writers ever to come out of France was born in Besancon. Victor Hugo was born at No. 140 on the Grand-Rue on February 26, 1802. The Lumiere brothers, the pioneers of the first motion picture camera were born in Besancon in 1862 & 1864.  

   

 Although the crowning glory of Besancon is the Citadell that is encircles by the Doubs river. During the Roman occupation the temple and the columns were built, but after the French conquest in 1674, Vauban destroyed most of the buildings and made way for the citadel as it stands today. At a height of 387 feet over the River Doub the impressive structure has played many roles over the centuries. From a military cadet academy under Louis XIV to the Nazis occupied stronghold that was used by German soldiers to kill French resistance fighters.

Today the Citadel houses many exhibits and museums. The Chemins de Ronde, the watch path, begins at the Tour de la Reine and wanders through the valley of the Doubs and the Chaudanne and Les Buis Hills with views of Besancon and the Doubs. The Musee Comtois, holds examples of the local crafts and folklore of the Franche-Comte area. In the Cadet’s building trace the history of the citadel in film and keepsakes. The Musee de Besancon, the Natural History museum is filled with examples of local flora and fauna as well as wildlife, stuffed animals, birds and insects. The Musee de la Resistance et de la Deportation, is the museum dedicated to the French resistance and has a extensive collection of photographs, objects, posters and documents on the beginning of Nazism and the Second World War and the Invasion of France.

The finish town of Besancon is located in the Franche-Comte region lies between Switzerland and the Rhone Alps and the Vosges region of Lorraine. Because of that the flavors are a little more rich and cheese is very prevalent in a lot of their dishes. Of all cheeses in the region, one is the king. Comte cheese has the highest production of any of the AOC cheeses in France. With a AOC distinction comes a lot of rules, including the milk can only come from Montbéliarde cows that have grazed on at least one hectare of meadow.  But a true French Comte if you can find it is fantastic. Dense, smooth and hard feel with a bit of a fruity cheese with a very close texture and taste of a Gruyere type cheese. Morel mushrooms are grow in abundance in the region and are seen in regularly in dishes in the region. And this is where my menu would take me tonight.

A little treat of a Franche-Comte morel mushroom roastie. A slice of toast with a mixture of morel mushrooms, dill, cream and Comte atop a slice of bread and toasted. I did alter it a bit when I was at the store and a ½ an ounce of dried morels were $14 and I needed between the roaste and the main course I needed about a pound. So a package of morels and a bunch of brown cremini mushrooms were going to make a nice alteration.

4 slices of a nice wheat bread or French bread

½ pound cremini mushrooms

Package of dried morel mushrooms

1 cup of heavy cream

¾ cup grated Comte

Butter

Salt and pepper

Chives

1.Rehydrate the morel mushrooms by soaking them for half an hour in cold water. Cut them in half lengthways to clean them properly. Drain well.

2.In butter, fry the morels and the finely sliced button mushrooms, with salt, pepper, chives.

3.Grate the Comté.

4.Fry the slices of bread in the butter on both sides, until golden.

5.Add the cream to the mushrooms. Reduce the sauce over a low heat, add the grated Comté, mix well, still over a low heat, until the Comté has melted.

6.Spread this mixture, which must be really creamy, over the bread slices. Place the roasties in the oven, under the grill, until golden.

Serve very hot.

For the main entrée I made Poulet aux Morilles, but used the cremini mushrooms instead of morels. It was a very moist chicken with a morel cream sauce that was not rich or heavy. It tasted great.

1/2 pound mushrooms

One cut up chicken

5 tablespoons butter

Salt & pepper

1 cup dry white wine (or chicken stock)

¾ cup heavy cream or crème fraiche

Juice of ½ lemon

In a heavy pan heat 3 tbsp butter and add chicken pieces, do not crowd the pan, and brown on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and remove. Add the remaining butter and mushrooms and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Stir in wine (or broth) and bring to a boil, stiring to dissolve the pan juices. Return chicken to pot, cover and cook over low heat for 30-40 minutes until chicken is tender. Remove chicken and cover to keep warm.  Add the cream to the mushrooms and liquid and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning; add lemon juice, salt and pepper. Return chicken to the pot and cook for 5 minutes to blend the flavors, Serve hot….Bon Appétit!

 

Comments

[Susan Parr]

Hi Claudine, the history and food articles are great. I haven't got round to making anything yet but will do when the Boys finish school for the Holidays on Thursday this week. It has been a long last term for them and us and we are all feeling the strain! Hope you are enjoying the Tour, have only managed to watch one day so far as end of term things have been getting in the way. Susie x