Claudine, Oui c'est Francais

a sad end

Sadly I knew this day would come sooner rather then later. When Teddy was not at his sisters funeral I knew it must be getting pretty bad.  Fifteen months ago I heard the "breaking news" that Teddy had Brain cancer and that is when it began to sink in. It would be the end of a American Dynasty, the end of Camelot as we would know it. Edward "Teddy" Kennedy was the only one of the Kennedy sons that would die of natural causes and the member of the family that would take on so much for his family and his country. 

Teddy was only 36 when he had lost all three of his brothers, Joe in a plane crash and Jack and Bobby by an assassins bullet. Teddy was there to walk all his nieces down the aisle, to be a "father" to all his nieces and nephews and to speak those amazing words at Bobby's and John Jr's funerals.

It will be a tough few days before he is finally laid to rest, but I hope he knows how much he really meant to so many people. May he rest in piece

You can leave a note for the family and see more about Teddy Kennedy on their offical website here.

Tour de French Cuisine- Stage 19- Poulet aux Noix et Creme

Stage 19 started in the town of Bourgoin-Jallieu strategically located in the Rhone Alps between Lyon and the River Rhone. The 25,000 people that call Bourgoin home are known as Berjalliens (m) or Berjalliennes (f). Dating back to the Roman Empire it was originally named “Bergusia”. After two centuries of fighting between the Dauphine and the Savoie regions, in 1923 Bourgoin was incorporated into the province of Dauphine. In 1349 Dauphine was added into the Kingdom of France.  On the Place de Chateau the Bourgoin Chateau sits and overlooks the town. In 1379 the Delphinal council purchased the building in the midst of the Hundred Years War. Before King Louis XI became King, the Dauphin of France stayed at the Chateau several times between 1446 and 1452 and it was in the Bourgoin chateau that he established the Etats Generaux de Dauphine.

 

One of Frances most famous crime novel writers was born in Bourgoin-Jallieu, Frederic Dard. Dard most famous work is the series featuring the mythical character San-Antonio. He originally wrote under the pseudonym of San-Antonio, which he picked by chance while looking at a map of the United States when needing an English sounding name for his police superintendent and main hero of his 173 novels.  A James Bond like character, Detective Superintendent Antoine San-Antonio is a member of the French secret service and set in the 1950’s and 1960’s. A San-Antonio novel can be found in almost every bookcase in France and is truly a classic. Dard was born in Bourgoin-Jallieu in 1921 at 75, Rue de la Liberation where a plaque today notes his boyhood home. After writing more than 300 novels in total he died in 2000 and is buried in the nearby town of Saint-Chef. His last novel “Napoleon Pommier" was published just three weeks before his death.

 

Bourgoin-Jallieu has a few local specialties. The Brioche de Bourgoin is a pastry made with wheat, milk, eggs and honey and formed into the shape of a crown and then decorated with sugar and pralines. It was created for a Louis XI’s visit to the town on October 18, 1447. He arrived mounted on a black horse and followed by more than forty horseman and archers and was presented with the crown shaped pastry made in his honor.  Another specialty is the liqueur Grand Dauphine, the jewel of the Dauphine region. The base is made of sweet and bitter oranges from the original recipe dating back to 1855. In 1935 Maurice Chavin added cognac to the original recipe to accentuate the flavors. Best served in a large glass with a few ice cubes to bring out the complex flavors.

 

The small nearby village of Roybon is home to its very own Statue of Liberty that was erected in 1906 in honor of Henri Saint-Romme who was a key figure of the Second Republic in the county of Isere. It was a gift from Auguste Bartholdi himself, who was the creator of the original Statue, to his friend Mathias Saint-Romme. It was later dedicated to his father Henri Saint-Romme. It is a true cast iron copy of the big sister Lady Liberty in the New York harbor, but stands just three meters high and would fit into the hand of its big sister.

 

Located on the River Isere is the town of Romans-Sur-Isere (the name gives it away a little) Dating back to the year 838 when the Archbishop of Vienne, Barnard built an abbey near the River Isere. The Dauphin, Lord of the Dauphine region annexed the town in 1342. In 1349 it was in Romans-Sur-Isere that a ceremony to incorporate the Dauphine into France was held. The Traite de Romans (Treaty of Romans) was signed in the dwelling of the Dauphin, near the Pont Vieux, the first bridge that was built over the Isere in 1049. In the Presle district, tanners set up business at the end of the 14^th century. In 1850 the development of the shoe industry took off and employed more than 5000 of the local residents. Joseph Fenestrier created the first shoe brand in the area, UNIC, although it is no longer made today. After the Second World War, the shoe industry began to flourish again with the help of Charles Jourdan and Robert Clergerie.  The region took another big hit with the recession of 1974, today it benefits from its location along the TGV route.

 

Bourg-de-Peage, the village that owes its name to the nearby bridge over the River Isere. The bridge was built in the Middle Ages by Saint-Barnard de Romans Abbey and dates back to 1033. The canons began collecting a feudal duty called a “peage” (a toll) for every person, goods or animal that crossed the bridge. Over the decades the bridge was damaged by the rising and fast moving river. In the 17^th century the tower with the arms of the town of Romans was destroyed and the arches were falling down and were replaced from time to time with a wooden shield. In the 18^th century a full rebuilding of the bridge took place and was not completed until the next century. It continued to suffer more damage, in 1814, 1940 and again in 1944 when its second arch was destroyed. Still today the damage remains and can be seen.  Bourg-de-Peage began the felt-hat trade in 1810 and continued on until 1929 when it reached its peak. Mossant was the largest employer in the hat trade in the region, hiring more than 1200 workers and making more than 2000 hats a day. Half of these hats were exported to the United States until 1998 when production ended.

 

Sitting along the banks of the River Rhone is the town of La Voulte-sur-Rhone opposite of Livron-sur-Drome in the county of Drome. La Volute sits in the county of Ardeche just over the river. Ardeche is a mostly rural county and is the only one in France  to not have a train station. The Ardeche is a green paradise with the Ardeche Gorges in the south perfect for kayakers and hikers, and the Mont Gerbier des Joncs where the River Loire begins.

 

Just outside of La Voulte-sur-Rhone sits the AOC wine region, Côtes du Rhône. Given its AOC distinction in 1937 and encompassing over 207,000 acres the Côtes du Rhône produces two-thirds of the wine in the Rhone region. Producing mostly red grapes, with maybe the most well known being Syrah but Grenache and Mourvedre are some of the other reds in the appellation. Rosé and white grapes such as Grenache blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier are also produced in the region. Look for wines with Crus, Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages on the label all produced in the area. Cultivated on steep slopes from a granite and argili-calicairous soil and shaped by the mistral winds of the Mediterranean. The rainfall and the warmer temperatures and sunny days along with the vegetation and Rhone basin create the amazing, strong wines of the Rhone Valley.

   

At the gate of the Monts d’Ardèche in the heart of the Ardèche County and in the Valley of the Rhône lies the town of Privas. Sitting amongst the mountains with seven hills, three rivers and seven bridges and built on a rocky spur overlooking the narrow valleys of the Ouveze and the Charalon.  Privas was mostly destroyed in the War of Religion during the 16^th century. One of the only things to remain is the old tower, Diane de Poitiers tower, named after the douce amie of Henri II, who in 1547 was the suzerain of Privas.  Privas was mostly a Protestant town but when the Protestant leader died, his widow Paule de Chambaud took on two suitors, one Catholic and one Protestant. When she decided to remarry she chose the Catholic suitor. It enraged the townspeople who attacked and partially destroyed the castle. Years later King Louis XIII and the Cardinal Richelieu brought an army of over 20,000 men and attacked Privas. The small town of 1,600 people was able to hold the army off for over two weeks but then was attacked and pillaged and burned and most of the inhabitants were massacred.

 

The finishing town of Aubenas sits on a rock overlooking the Ardeche near the southern edge of the Rhone-Alps region. Dating back to the 5^th century and the subject of a conflict between the bishops of Le Puy and Vivier, Ardeche which means “high spot” was a strategic position to fight over. By 1084 the Bishopric of Le Puy won the conflict and the area became the possession of the Baron of Montlaur and governed there until 1441. During that time they built the tower and walls of the castle that dates back to the 12^th century. Today the castle currently is the home to the “Hotel de Ville” the town hall.

 

In 1752 the Royal Factory of Silk Spinning in Aubenas was opened by King Louis XV in Aubenas. Equipped with mills designed by Jacques de Vaucanson who was the inventor of the first automated loom, his gears are still used today in modern machines. 

 

Just like with all the other amazing regions of France, the Rhone-Alps region has some of its very own “produits du terrroir”. Picodon de l'Ardèche is the goat’s cheese with its own AOC made in the area in the mountains of the Rhone Alps on both sides of the River Rhone. A soft to semi-soft molded cheese with a natural rind that is sweet and mild when young and becomes tangy and spicy when fully ripened. During ripening water is rubbed over the surface to assist in aging. Some Artisanal cheese makers soak the cheese in brandy, wine or eau de vie. The Rhone region is the largest producer of apricots in France, the second largest producer of peaches, walnuts, raspberries and cherries. Walnuts have an AOC in the nearby town of Grenoble but can be found in other areas in the region.  For Stage 19, I decided on making a wonderful dinner using walnuts and chicken and a classic Gratin Dauphinois

 

Poulet aux Noix et Creme

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry white wine, such as Viognier

12 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1-1/2 cups walnut halves

¼ cup heavy cream

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, brown the chicken pieces, seasoning them with salt and pepper, until they are golden, about 5 minutes per side.

2. Add the lemon juice, the 2 tablespoons wine, and the garlic cloves to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the chicken is nearly cooked through, about 15 minutes. Then stir the walnuts into the skillet, cover, and continue cooking for about 8 minutes. Remove the cover from the skillet and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until all the pan juices have cooked down by half, add the cream, walnuts, and garlic are stir together and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 to 8 minutes.  Serve the chicken topped with the walnuts and cream sauce immediately.

  

Gratin Dauphinois a la Julia Child

2 lb baking potatoes
1 or 2 cloves garlic, mashed
2 oz butter
2 cups whole milk
8 oz French Gruyère cheese
1 pint heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 360ºF. Slice the potatoes into thin slices (1/8 inch thick). Rinse in cold water. Drain and dry in a towel. Put potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with milk. Bring to a boil slowly moderate heat for 5 minutes then low heat for 10 minutes. Stir from time to time.

Rub a baking dish with garlic and butter. Transfer half of the potatoes in the gratin dish. Add half the cheese, double cream and pepper to the layer. Put the second half of the potatoes and cover with the cheese and heavy cream left.

Put the dish in the oven and cook for 1 hour at 360ºF. Gratin Dauphinois is ready when the top is gold and brown.

Tour de French Cuisine, stage 18- Lac d'Annecy

Stage 18, the second and final individual time trial, the race of truth as they call it, is in one of the most beautiful areas of France. Le Lac d’Annecy is one of the largest and clearest lakes in France and sits in the amazing landscape that is the French Alps. The town of Annecy lies on the northern tip of Lac d’Annecy and sits 35km from Geneva, Switzerland.  The crown of the town is the Chateau d’Annecy that was built between the 12^th and 16^th centuries and was the home of the Counts of Geneva and the Dukes of Genevois-Nemours. After being damaged by fire many times, it was abandoned in the 17^th century after being repaired it was used as a barracks until 1847. In 1953 the town of Annecy took ownership of the castle and restored it and opened le Musee-Chateau d’Annecy. The Tour de la Reine is the oldest part of the castle, dating back to the 12^th century and the Logis Perriere date to the 15^th century. The museum is housed in the Logis Vieux and the Logis Nemours where regional art, carved glass, pottery and earthenware can be seen. Built on an island in the center of the Thiou, the canal that flows in from the Lac d’Annecy in 1132. It was the home of the Lord of Annecy in the 12^th century and later the Count of Geneva’s administrative offices. Later it became a courthouse, the Mint and ultimately a jail from the Middle Aged until 1870 and again for a short period in World War II. Added to the Monument Historique in 1900, it now is the home of a local history museum.

The Lac d’Annecy itself dates back to prehistoric times when the lake was once divided into two sections. Once separated by a bar where the Duingt Castle now sits and across to the Roc de Chere. Fed by the small rivers of the Alps, the Ire, Eau Morte and Laudon being a few of them and the underwater source the Boubioz located 250m offshore from La Puya. In the 1950’s the lake was an open-air sewer for every town and village in the area.  A state of the art sewer system was installed in the 1960’s that later won the European award for protection of the environment. The water is so good now, that it is thought to be the finest mineral water sold in bottles. The lake supplies water to ten nearby towns with a value of 1.7 million dollars a year. Now home to the purest water in Europe, it receives only rainwater, spring water and mountain streams that runs through an extensive decontamination treatment.

The nearby town of Sevrier lies along the left bank of the lake and is the second town on the voyage around the lake. Dating back to the Gallo-Roman period was a stop on a Roman road that linked Annecy to Faverges. The lovely little  19^th century Saint Francois de Sales Eglise sits overlooking the town and the nearby Altar dedicated to the Blessed Virgin is a replica of the Lourdes cave are both markers you won’t want to miss. The Paccard Bell Foundry moved from Annecy-le-Vieux in 1989 but was originally founded in 1796 in Quintal by the Paccard family. It is still run today by the seventh generation of the Paccard family, Phillippe & Cyril Paccard. It takes up to 6 hours to melt the metal to reach the temperature of 1100 degree Celsius, once poured the larger bells take up to a month to cool. The museum houses replicas of some of the Paccards most famous bells, the “Savoyarde” for the Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre, the “Jeanne d’Arc” and the “Peace Bell” the biggest pealing bell in the world located in Newport, Kentucky. In 1950 the Paccards were commissioned to make 50 replicas of the American Liberty Bell, one for each state. Today they are one of three bronze foundries still in business in France.

8km from Annecy is the town of Saint-Jorioz with one of the most beautiful views on the East shore of the Lac d’Annecy. The sandy beaches and rural countryside, crossed by the River Laudon gives way to the majestic views of Roc de Chere. Dating back to the Roman times it was originally known as Macellum, it got its current name after Bienheureux Joret created a priory there in the 9^th century.

The Chateau de Chateauvieux sits out on a peninsula in the Lac d’Annecy in Duingt; at one time it is what divided the lake in two. The narrowest part of the lake is watched over by the 11^th century chateau. Restored in the 17^th and 19^th centuries it was once the home to the Duin family until the 16^th century, vassals of the Counts of Geneva. The lakeside position of the Chateau has made it a popular subject to painters and artists for years. Cezanne painted one of the most famous paintings.

Doussard was once home to Romanesque estates and the name is from one of the original owners. In the age of the Burgundians, the town moved from the marsh lands where the Tower of Beauvivier can still be seen, to its current location of Macherine. Subject to frequent flooding the church was moved to the hamlet of Macherine. The Sardinian Neoclassical church was built in 1850 and dedicated in 1853. A thunder storm in 1967 started a fire and destroyed the bell tower and the roof.

400 meters off the shore in Duingt lies the Roselet Shallows. The site was excavated in 1884 and caused some major damage and yielded little results. The wooden stakes that they did find can be dated back to the late Bronze Age between 1058 BC and 880 BC. There is a legend that lives on from the Roselet, it was said to be a popular haunt for fairies and they are said to have put in a double row of stilts around the island as to join up the two banks with a bridge. The bridge was never finished because the overlord of Duingt refused to give them the salt and butter the fairies asked for as a salary.

Just past Duingt are the small villages of Bredannaz and Chaparon, on the west bank at the foot of the Roc des Boeufs. Originally a part of the village Lathuile, the villages have beautiful villas, small country cottages once covered with thatched roofs that disappeared at the beginning of the 19^th century. In 1742 the Spaniards seized the village in a small battle claiming a great naval victory.

Angon, the civil parish of Tallories on the east side of the lake is home to the Angon waterfall. Just a 15 minute walk from the hamlet of Verel a cliff makes it possible to get a little waterfall with a large arch that drops into the larger waterfall. A buried treasure is one of the many legends of the lake. A royal plate belonging to Henry IV of France is said to have fallen off a mule and into the lake in 1600 at the Passage de la Madeleine in Talloires. Since then it has been covered over by tons of rock and then later a building of a road.

The Tallories  sits within a bay of the Lac d’Annecy with a heart shaped port that wraps around the peaceful village that at one time was famous for its wine and Benedictine abbey. On the site of a chapel built in 866, the priory was created by the Benedictine monks in 1018. Rebuilt around 1680, it was given the title of a Royal Abbey, for the Kingdom of Savoie. During the French Revolution it was burnt and partly demolished in 1833.  In 1862 it was converted to a hotel and restaurant, which it still is today. It was at the Abbeye de Talloires that a French physicist Gabriel Lippmann took the first color snapshot within the walls of the cloister.  And during his stay in 1896 Paul Cezanne painted “Le Lac d’Annecy”

Menthon-Saint-Bernard is the home of thermal baths, a castle and a palace and a tie in to a previous stage of the Tour de France this year. Dating back to the 12^th century when the Lords of Menthon ruled the land that stretched from the Tallories to Geneva, Switzerland.  Excavations have discovered one of the best preserved Roman buildings in the area, four pools, a cistern and 30 rooms spread over 900meters. The Menthon Palace was built in 1908 and is now a luxury hotel with classical music and jazz concerts in the summer on the banks of the lake.

Overlooking Menthon-Saint-Bernard is the fairytale castle Château de Menthol. Originally just a simple wooden guard house built in 923 on a peninsula along the ancient Roman road. The castle was later built between the 13^th and 19^th centuries. In 923, the 10^th century, Bernard of Menthon, the future patron saint of mountaineers, skiers and the Alps and founder of the hospice on the Grand Saint Bernard Pass, was born in the castle.  The Menthon families have resided in the Chateau since 923 and still live there today. During the Renaissance, the fortress was renovated into a luxurious residence and the official seat of the Barony of Menthon. The chateau was left mostly unchanged until 1740 when some modern touches were added for extra comfort. Between 1860 and 1890 the castle was redesigned by adding turrets and raising walls by the count, Rene de Menthon who gave the chateau the appearance it has today. Francois de Menthon who was the father of the present count was a member of the Resistance and was Minister of Justice under Charles deGaulle.

At the base of the Chateau lies the hamlet of Les Moulins. Reachable only by a small bridge from Menthon-Saint-Bernard, the narrow streets wind their way around the old houses. The Vallombreuse is an impressive building that was once an outbuilding of the Menthon Chateau.

Veyrier-du-Lac is the last town on the stage before returning to Annecy. At the beginning of the 19^th century Veyrier was covered with vines before they became victims of phylloxera and later urban development. At one time the vines produced a white wine with a following and a great reputation, the red wine was not so great. The nearby caves of Mont Veyrier provided a refuge during invasions since the Middle Ages. The Bornale des Sarrazins is one of the best to visit and is the easiest to access with the help of a handrail.

Since the stage takes place in the Savoie region of the Alps it is time for some fish tonight on the menu. Lavaret, a member of the salmon family lives in the large alpine lakes, perch that is located in the three largest alpine lakes and char, a noble fish with a wonderful flavor is mostly found in the high alpine lakes. Char is a member of the salmon family; its origins go back to the Quaternary ice ages. After a week of the rather heavy and cheesy alpine food, a light fish meal sounded perfect. I found a recipe for a traditional Char recipe and then altered it a bit to more local ingredients. I also used tilapia instead for the fish as well.

2 tilapia or dense white fish fillets

½ pound cremini mushrooms sliced

1 cup white wine

½ cup heavy cream

In a buttered baking lay place the fish and surround with mushrooms and pour over white wine. Season with salt and pepper and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, check periodically that the fish is cooked through. Remove fish to plate and add cream and mix together. To serve, add a fish fillet to each plate, add mushrooms and pour some of the sauce over.

Lac d’Annecy Polenta

When the Duke of Savoie annexed the Piedmont region of Italy, polenta was discovered and became a part of traditional Savoie cooking. It is eaten as a puree or griddled and a great accompaniment for poultry, meat and fish.

2 cups polenta

5 cups liquid water

1 medium onion, diced

6 tablespoons butter

6 ounces bacon, diced

6 ounces Beaufort cheese (gruyere or emmental)

 Bring the water to a boil and season with salt. Add cornmeal in a stream, stirring constantly until it has all been added. Simmer, stirring frequently, until done, about 45 minutes. When done, the polenta will pull away from the pot.

In a separate pan, sauté onions in 2 tablespoons butter until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove onions and add bacon to the pan and sauté until golden brown, return onions and cook for 1 more minute.

When polenta is ready, remove from heat and add 4 tablespoons butter. In a baking dish spread half the polenta in dish top with bacon and onion mixture and half of the grated cheese. Top with remaining polenta and cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned on top.