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Jean Luc Blandin
the award winning butcher from the Normandy village of Brecey
is one of the nicest people you are ever likely to meet. Angie
and I are always made to feel a part of the family whenever
we call in to see him. He was the first butcher to be awarded
Fabrication Gourmandie status in Normandy, an honour of which
he is justifiably proud. Jean Luc is a perfectionist and this
dish is a glowing testament to his talents. He buys the finest
meat from animals reared naturally within a 20 kilometre radius
of his home. He then combines the pork with the world famous
crème fraiche of Isigny together with a dash of cider
(this being Normandy a dash of cider is almost compulsory!).
He then adds locally grown carrots and shallots with Paris
mushrooms to create a meal that Angie describes as “his
best so far”. No wonder we are always so warmly welcomed.
When we first tasted the dish Jean Luc served it to us with
a garnish of fresh fruit but we are a little more conservative
and so we regularly serve this flavour filled dish with mashed
or boulangere potatoes or, of course, with roast potatoes
cooked in the goose fat.
Saute de Porc 750g (Serves 3)
Chateau Portel Syrah 2004
The reds of Minervois are famously
rich with the added bonus of this wine having spent a year
in expensive oak. These grapes were harvested one week later
than adjoining vineyards giving extra ripeness. Fabulous. |
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As well as the wild white horses and
pink flamingos, small jet black bulls roam free beneath the
wide skies of the Camargue the vast delta of the Rhone where
it flows in to the Mediterranean. The area is wild and somewhat
desolate and a place where cowboys and gypsies still live
in their traditional ways. The bulls were originally bred
for fighting but nowadays are more likely to be kept for their
flavoursome and tender meat especially after being awarded
their own Appellation d’Origine Controlee status.
The bulls feed exclusively on the lush
grasses that grow on the rich fertile soils deposited by the
great River Rhone. An exotic and strangely beautiful region
of France where time seems to have stood still.
The meat is very lean and dark in colour
and always served in large chunks after being marinated for
no more than 24 hours in the deep red wine of the region,
often Costieres de Nimes, sometimes Gard, maybe Rhone and
then married with locally grown vegetables and black olives
from Nimes. This is a rich and wholesome dish best served
on a bed of red or wild rice in order to soak up all that
wonderfully rich sauce.
Gardianne de Taureau 690g (Serves 3)
“the classic dish of the Camargue”
Les Roquets
Merlot 2006
Roquet is the Catalan word for rounded stone. This smooth
and fully rounded Merlot comes from the rocky, stone strewn
slopes on the eastern edge of the Pyrenees. The perfect partner
for this dish. |
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The Basque region of the Pyrenees is
one of my favourite destinations in France. The cuisine is
superb and I count Pierre Accoceberry,
the butcher in the picturesque village of Espelette as one
of my closest friends. I think we have visited every watering
hole, bistro, bar, café and restaurant within a 50
mile radius of the village! The Basque people frequently use
lamb from the steeply sloping hills of the Pyrenees in their
traditional dishes, often matched with the mild red peppers
for which the area is renowned. In late autumn long strings
of these bright red peppers are draped over all the houses
in order for them to dry in the sunshine. Naturally a village
Fete is organised to celebrate the harvest!
Pierre has created this dish using his
own unique recipe, combining the pieces of lamb with the local
peppers and grapes. The lamb is firstly gently sealed by being
cooked over a hazlewood fire to achieve a taste and flavour
unlike any other.
Simply pour the contents of the jar into
a saucepan, cover and gently heat for 7/8 minutes. Serve on
a bed of broad pasta or for a special treat with roast potatoes
cooked, of course, in the goose fat.
Agneau aux raisins 850g (Serves 3)
Falaises de
Cucugnan Grenache 2002
From the Sichel family of Chateau
Palmer fame no less. A seductive and expensive tasting wine
from the excellent 2001 vintage, 6 years old and now just
perfect to accompany the Lamb.
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