Touraine & The Loire River Valley

Week two of French cooking and Chef Dot explains to our group of novice home cooks that this week we will be venturing into the Touraine region and the traditional bistro-style food that is found there.  As close to typical Parisian food as this course will get, she tells us.

Touraine

Again, we review characteristics of the region and go through the packet of recipes one-by-one.  With each page my mind floats back in reverie to my days and nights spent in Paris - indulging in Roquefort walnut crêpes, croque monsieurs at the Bastille, and brisk late august mornings sipping un petit express at the nearby café.

Ah, Paree!

As we sift through who's to cook which recipes, I'm again searching for the perfect one that will present a challenge and offer me a chance to try out new techniques that I might be too intimidated to explore on my own.  I am immediately key in on the Paté de Campagne.  I couldn't even imagine how one would make paté and it was certainly something I would never dare to attempt on my own.  Right away, I volunteered.  I was paired up with a woman in her mid to late 60s, who I would later find out has worked as a pediatrician since the early 80s.   Cooking really does bring together people from all walks of life, I reflected.

Holly and I started by grinding our pork through a large die and then incorporating onion, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and paté spice - a mixture of cloves, nutmeg, ginger, coriander, cinnamon and white pepper.

We then combined the meat with a bit of flour, egg, brandy and cream, before beginning to fill our terrine mold.  We chose some add-ins to layer the paté with, including black forest ham, pistachios, hazelnuts, chicken livers, and dried currants.

We cooked the terrine in a water bath for about an hour, and then it was put in the refrigerator beneath a brick to set for the next week.  Although I was a bit disappointed at not getting to taste the result of our hard work until the following week, I was delighted at all of the other components my classmates had put together in the preceding 2 1/2 hours.

Roasted Chicken with Garlic, Lemon & Parsley; Pork Rillette;
Croque Madame with Sauce Mornay; Crêpes with Goat Cheese and Fig Jam

Without question, the Croque Madame was the most delicious thing I ate for lunch.  The runny yolk of the perfectly fried egg on top in combination with the saltiness of the ham and the creaminess of the sauce was divine.  I saved it for last while I munched on all the other small bites decorating my plate.

With our meal we tasted a traditional Loire River Valley wine - a Chinon, made from the Cabernet Franc grape.  It paired beautifully with dessert: airy profiteroles filled with a homemade coffee ice cream and topped off with a bittersweet chocolate sauce.  I barely managed to snap a quick picture before it disappeared off my plate!

Yum!

Fully satisfied from another French lunch, I realized how much I truly enjoy these classes and how greatly I look forward to settling into my space at the prep table, putting on my apron, and setting up my mise-en-place.  As my I watched the two TAs laugh with one another while cleaning up the last of the serving dishes, decked out in their kitchen whites with their names embroidered in black, I wondered what sort of future the kitchen might hold for me.

À la prochaine!

Next week: Burgundy