Diamond Anniversary

Well, I was poised to go back to Blog Objective A, but maybe “C” trumps (er, maybe overides it).   This day marks the 75^th anniversary of the invasion of France at Normandy, normally termed “D Day” Seems like it is fitting to honor those who gave their life to (ultimately) turn WWII in favor of the Allies. 

Five years ago, MFO and I were part of a tour group to France which included the Normandy region, led by none other than Chef Loic Jaffres.  Looking back, it was a memorable trip, both for food and also the historical significance.

As with all memorials to solemn pieces of our history, it was a sobering experience to see the place where so many Americans did the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

With all the media coverage today, you might have seen a picture similar to this today on TV:

Depicting the incident of an ally parachute soldier got entangled on the roof of a church in Ste. Mere Eglise, and they have recreated the scene.   As I recall, the soldier did not perish and had a story of his own, but he will be memorialized forever on this church and in this town.

There are several memorials honoring the Americans

views of the challenges facing the allied invasion forces at places like Omaha Beach

In the town itself, there are cemeteries for the fallen

With graves marking the final resting places of the soldiers

Some of the museums had dioramas depicting various actions

After experiencing the poignant memories of the invasion, it was time for……

LUNCH!

The town is also for famous for

And the bakery has a restaurant associated with it, with the typical French custom of presenting the menu in usually lovely handwriting on an exterior chalk board

Inside was welcoming

Being a large group, we all had the same courses, one of which was Dodine de Saumon.  know what that is?

“The recipe of the Dodine Sauce is one of the most ancient in the history of French cooking. We are first given it in Le Grand Cuisinier de toute cuisine, which dates from about the year 1350, and there are many recipes for it in other fourteenth- and fifteenth-century cookery books.”

You should know what the “Champignons des Sous Bois” is.  Anyway it was a lovely dish

Served of course with the always delicious French Baguettes

After lunch we “toured” the bakery shop

It’s nice to dredge up old memories

Although we were touring, we were suitably

DFL(unch).

 By golly those French do it right!!

Stranded!..

 

Well, I’ve stuck you in Normandy.  Time has gone by and we’re leaving tomorrow morning for the last of our international trips for 2013.  We’ll be going to England to trace the roots of the Calvert's, who founded the colony in Maryland.  While the first two (France) trips were food centric, this one will be mostly devoted to history.  Of course I have done some research, and have found places that serve respectable food, so hopefully reports will emanate from the UK.

I resisted the temptation to do a whirlwind wrap up of Normandy because there are still wonderful stories to tell.  For instance there was the day we started out with a trip to a small fish market in the town of Grandchamp – Maisy

home of many working boats which bring in all sorts of the sea's bounty:

 

 

and our old friends

 

 

Freshly caught, eyes still shiny and bright, a wonderful variety from the sea..  real food...

After that we visited the famous Bayeux tapestry, (watch this if you have time) a stunning relic of the 11^th century chronicling the Norman invasion and conquest of England.  It is amazing..

Then off again to visit an orchard that produces another famous (non-cheese) product of Normandy: Cidre, Pommeau, and Calvados!  All made from the noble apple

We were given a tour by the owner of the property, a classic French gentleman who explained the processes to us

We then adjourned to the farmhouse and were treated to a wonderful al fresco luncheon

of local meats and Charcouterie.. how beautiful is this? 

Finished with the product of the orchard

We then blearily boarded the bus again and went to the small town of Le Cambes and visited their local bakery.  This wasn’t a touristy place, but a real working boulangerie for a small town.  We spent about two hours where the owner/baker told us about all phases of baking, from the flower to completed product.

Mixing

 

Forming

Baking

And Voila!!

 

Isn't this gorgeous?

 

 

It was warm, even hot in the kitchen, and he does this every day, generating some 700 (!!) baguettes for the population of 600 some odd souls.  You have to love your work to do this.  Passion, yes, but long hard work everyday.. this isn’t Iron Chef crap it’s real honest to God food work.  Where it’s done..

Then it was back to the Manoir for a cooking demo by Chef Loic

 

 

following which we were ready for dinner and were

DFD

 

Up the Mont... or not

Next course…

We left the copper cookware place with spirits high (and pockets lighter) and headed for Mont Saint-Michel, and the ancient abbey.  It has been a stronghold throughout history and naturally a tourist destination.  So our coach was one of many, and we were just one of several other groups.  Sightseeing loomed, but the first order of business was….. Lunch!  Several of our party went into a place that featured Moules, but MFO and I along with another couple selected another place with a unique menu item.

On the way, our guide Loic said that the area around the Mont was quite tidal with lots of marshes.  On these marshes, sheep are raised, and due to the tidal action, the vegetation has a high salt content.   This is reflected in the meat and “salt meadow lamb” is considered a regional delicacy.  We found a restaurant across from the mussel place called “le Pré Salé” which features such lamb, along with local seafood and the famous Mont Saint Michel Omelet .  So we split from the group, went over and were pleasantly surprised to find it a pleasant white tablecloth, quiet place with crystal glassware (for wine).  We settled in and ordered some welcome beverages.

Time was a bit of a factor so we just had main courses (it was lunch, remember) of a warm goat cheese salad (Salade de Chévre Chaud), Millefeuilles de Rilletes of Scallops, and the male contingent went for the salt meadow Cotes d’Agneau.  Charger plates were removed, bread, proper silver delivered (sharp knives, fish knives, forks, etc), and soon the food arrived, the lamb

Along with the scallops

The lamb indeed did reflect the salt meadows (not overpowering) but it did require you to sort of sort out the meat from the fat. Following the meal, a sweet tooth couldn’t be denied and a dessert was ordered.  It was quite a production.

Incidentally, we found this extravagance on dessert to be fairly common.  This in the land of tarts and patisserie..  interesting.

Upon exiting we rejoined the group, in front of one of the local statuaries.  No explanation, but interesting..

We boarded a little courtesy bus that took you “close” to the Mont.  After that it was on foot.

Now, one will note that there is a lot of “vertical development” to the Abbey.  As with all of these ancient fortifications, height is a distinct defensive advantage.  This of course turns into (at least for us) a distinct disadvantage for the visitors. Once the group was inside, we were joined by a charming guide who explained that there were many, many,  many steps involved in getting to the top.

It was at this point that the feeder had a decision to make.. tough it out knowing that the knees would object to the trip down, or realize that you can't do things you used to do easily.  In probably what will become a more regular decision, I reluctantly decided I would not join the group.

So, off they went

(hut, hut, hut)

 

Or rather, “up” they went, and I was by myself feeling slightly guilty.  The Mont is not only the home of the abbey,  but it contains a small city of narrow streets

 

 

Which contain not only the usual kitschy little shops but also a lot of purveyors of food and drink

Menus are displayed in the streets, and by now, I would hope you could figure out at least the main dishes on this one

It turns out that there is a very famous place within the walls: "Mère Poulard opened her inn on Mont Saint Michel in 1888 and created the famous omelette that is known in France and throughout the whole world". People go in to have the omelette at a hefty price of about fifty Euros (it's big enough to share).  Current reviews of the place are not kind, but of course you go to say you did it and for the ambiance.  Anyway, I sought it out

They have kind of an open kitchen where you can see the famous egg dish being prepared and made

 

open wood fueled fire with several omelettes cooking

 

And to come full circle, you know where all that copper stuff came from?  You guessed it.

Eventually the group descended from the heights, we re-gathered and headed back to the Manoir.  So it was a good lesson for me, realize what you can and cannot do, and you can find rewarding things to do within yourself....

 

 

 

Atelier du Cuivre...

Time is marching on, so maybe we’ll adopt a “small plates” approach and dole out little bites instead of a complete meal….

One of the places we stopped was in the little town of Villedieu – les – Poéles, because of a particular place there.  A hint is apparent on the town square

In particular the

Quick French lesson;  Atelier translates as “Studio” or “Workshop”, and Cuivre is “Copper” ; So you go down the little tunnel to the little shop

and upon entering, you are presented with a dizzying slice of culinary heaven

Anybody who studies about or does serious cook, knows that copper is the ultimate material for cooking equipment.   This place is one of the oldest fabricators of copper cookware still in operation in France.  You appreciate it not only for its obvious beauty, but mostly for its cooking properties (which we’ll talk about that in a bit). Just look at those things.  Enough to make you swoon! (as are the price tags, but who cares).  You pick up one of the pans, and the first thing that strikes you is how heavy they are.  Beautiful things.

We were given a tour of the workshop, preceded by a very informative introductory talk, from a lady who was a Brit, so language was not a problem

She talked about the reason that copper is the preferred material for cookware is because of its superior heat conducting properties.  For instance, when a pot is used made of another material with less heat transfer properties, the temperature of the (sauce pan) decreases the farther from the heat source.  That is, as you move toward the top of the pot, it gets cooler.  In a sauce with say, butter, the fat will migrate away from the hottest part to the cooler, resulting in separation and breaking.  She claimed that with copper, the temperature remains pretty much constant from bottom to top.  Said you could leave your sauce overnight on heat and it would never break.  That’s what she said. Their pots are lined with tin, and now they are making some lined with silver.

After the demo, we moved into the workshop.   One might say we also moved back in time

 

The pan starts its life as a disk of copper that is mounted to the lathe (above) and gradually formed into a vessel

No automation here, it is all in the hands and skill of the artisan.  After the pot is formed, it is moved over to another station for more hand work.  You know when you look at some bowls they have dimples on the side?  She explained how they do it

For the size of pan he is working on, there are about 4000 strikes of his hammer

Ping! rotate… Ping! rotate… Ping! rotate… Ping! rotate... Ping! rotate… Ping! rotate… Ping! rotate.. Ping! rotate… Ping! rotate…  repeat this four thousand times and you have a finished product. Oh, and they were all in neat rows, evenly spaced.  Amazing process.  All by hand for the most part.  Besides the cooking products, they also do art pieces, we saw a complete bathtub, which she said was around 250,000 Euros.  I was struck by the fact that the two workers we saw were not young.  I asked if they were working younger apprentices into the business and she said it was hard.  Nobody wants to do that anymore.

Their cookware is famous; it has its own registered watermark, and is used in kitchens throughout France.  And MFO made sure that it will be used in kitchens throughout the Digs..

What a unique opportunity.  Another reason why we like to visit France.

 

On our way back to the little bus, I ran across this sign

With my expert command of culinary French, I assumed the “derriere” was a reference to the anatomy of the swine (with Andouille), but alas, our guide informed me that it meant something like 100 meters behind there is a store that makes sausages..  Oh, well..

Our next stop was Mont Saint-Michel

wherein the Feeder learned that the knees are weaker than the brain...but I think we’ll make this our next course.

 

 

Bon Appétit!