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Raymond Blanc's programme


mint
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I have never visited Blanc's establishments, as when I was in the UK I was too far and they are too expensive.

I did read some of his excellent recipe books though.

I have to say that I find these programmes a bit 'France for Tourists' with him peddling the same old line about 'woonderfool' Fronsh food.

I had coffee this morning at the counter of the café where I am a regular with the two Michelin starred chefs of our town who had come to the Marché Paysan to get provisions as they do most weeks.

The contrast between their modesty and good natured humility, and Blanc's rather  OTT approach is striking.

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[quote user="Benjamin"][quote user="Thibault"] 

we intend to look it up on our next visit

[/quote]Excuse me for asking, but what does that phrase actually mean?[/quote]

 

Well I think it is a rather old fashioned way of saying that next time we are in Burgundy (quite soon, in fact,) we intend to go to the premises and see what's on offer.  Have you never come across the phrase "...I must look up old Freddy the next time I'm in town....." [:D]

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[quote user="NormanH"]
I had coffee this morning at the counter of the café where I am a regular with the two Michelin starred chefs of our town who had come to the Marché Paysan to get provisions as they do most weeks.
[/quote]

Would one be from l'Octopus, and the other l'Ambassadeur by any chance Norman?

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Exactly [:)]

Fabien Laurent

and

Patrick Olry

(Patrick le discret as he is called in that link..[:)])

For people who enjoyed the Burgundy restaurant and find themselves in the South, in the Gard, there is a slightly more commercial, but excellent establishment that has many of the same values at

  1. le Domaine de Blancardy, between Ganges and Nîmes. I spent a wonderful birthday weekend there as the guest of my son
This link only gives the prices

http://blancardy.blogspot.com/search/label/Menus

Heston Blumental said:

Heston Blumental, Fat Duck

'A summer favourite is

Domaine de Blancardy in Moules et Baucels, north of Montpellier.

Several years ago I got interested in going to French farms that open as

restaurants and this one is my favourite. They serve stunning food from

the farm in a beautiful 14th-century courtyard. Try duck confit or they

make their own foie gras, or go for roast goat and excellent potatoes

cooked in duck fat, all washed down with wine that is made on the

premises.'

Moules et Baucels, Ganges, France, 00 33 46773 9494, www.blancardy.com

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Something I appreciate about Patrick is that he is happy to be photographed with his pastry chef, and be completely open about the fact that he  has a 'foreign' name (Mohamed Morseli).

Of course this should be completely normal, but I remember a reputed restaurant in Montpellier, next to the bar in which my son worked whose somellier also had such a name, and so it was left off the wine list and never mentioned.

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[quote user="Thibault"]

next time we are in Burgundy (quite soon, in fact,) we intend to go to the premises and see what's on offer.

[/quote]

Thanks for that. I'm sure we'll all look forward to how you get on. Often the media can slant a description to suit a situation.  [:D]

 

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[quote user="Thibault"]

 

Thanks for that - we intend to look it up on our next visit to Burgundy.  So far, it's been a very interesting and entertaining series.

[/quote]

It looks like there has to be a booking of at least ten people? isn't that what it says? I frankly, apart from the St Sylvestre, would have problems getting 9 more people to pay 39€ a head for a meal.

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I caught Raymondo's programme last night, from Lyon.  As always, lovely place, great chefs etc.  I didn't know before why there is so much offal on offer in Lyon.  I'm not a great fan of andouillette or tête de veau for example but there was lots of other stuff to get the tastebuds going.  I was particullaly amused by the 'Mère' invited to lunch who had obviously got their hair and makeup done for the occasion but completely OTT.

Did anyone notice the prices in the market?

Apart from the chicken at £40 the cheese was around €32 per kilo and the chocolates €81 per kilo.  Even the tomatos were €2.90.  Not exactly the sort of stuff I could afford every day

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Whilst I have enjoyed all the programmes so far, I thought that last night's was the best.

I'd have cheerfully scoffed every scrap of the menu on offer, but Mrs G was less enthusiastic about the idea of the Quenelles de Brochet and the Poulet de Bresse. Everyone to his own. We're agreed though that Salade Lyonnaise is delicious and we often do it as a Summer lunch, though probably not to RB's standard!

I'd be interested to know whether anybody has ever gone to the expense of a Bresse chicken and if so, whether it was worth it? I just wonder whether amateur cooks might not do justice to an (allegedly) superb product and whether its best left to the professionals?  Or is it all hype?

As for the cheese, €32 / kilo for top quality cheese doesn't seem unusual - we have to pay €30 / kilo for some cheese on our local market, but its a treat rather an everyday thing.

For us, its the best bit of TV that Blanc has done for years.    

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Gardian, yes, I have eaten poulet de Bresse in a fancy hotel we stayed at whilst househunting![:D]

I know, I know, those were the days when we were still working PLUS you could take about 30% off all French prices mentally because of the exchange rate!

Perhaps I shouldn't say "fancy hotel" because it might give the wrong impression.  Let me re-phrase.  It was a better class hotel than we would have stayed in normally and it had 2 excellent restaurants.

The chicken had one of those metal ring things with tab to show its provenance and yes, if the exchange rate went back up to 1.50, I'd have no hesitation in ordering it again![:P]

Pat, I believe the quenelles were made from minced pike

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I have made quenelles and do you know I cannot remember what I put in them, but it doesn't matter, if you put them in a sauce, I like home made italian tomato sauce, and put the lid on and gently mijote, they fluff up and soufflé and are divine.

Seems every european country has their dumplings and I love dumplings.

 

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[quote user="idun"]Seems every european country has their dumplings and I love dumplings. [/quote]

Digressing slightly (and certainly from RB's Quenelles), I can remember working in Vienna many years ago and there was a sort of mobile canteen that came to the office at lunchtime.

They were in to Knoedel (sorry if I've got the spelling wrong) in a big way.

Day 1 was Savoury X Knoedel, followed by Sweet Y Knoedel.

Day 2 was Savoury Z Knoedel, followed by ........... you've got the drift. 

That was the point that I gave up and went to the local bar daily for beer & sarnies. Can't stand the things -dumplings, that is.

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I haven't managed to watch the latest programme yet - maybe tomorrow!

An English friend who lives nearby was telling me that she tried the RB Beaune recipes on a couple of her French neighbours during the week. He is a lorry driver, and she's a bus driver, and they are very into good restaurants. They ate every scrap, all the while itemising the flavours they were finding in each course - they greatly approved of it all!

As for dumplings - I love them - especially in my stews! I'm looking forward to the quenelles in the programme.

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