{"id":274,"date":"2018-06-14T09:40:17","date_gmt":"2018-06-14T08:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nourished.eu\/blog\/?p=274"},"modified":"2020-02-26T10:16:51","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T10:16:51","slug":"a-rendezvous-in-dijon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nourished.eu\/index.php\/2018\/06\/14\/a-rendezvous-in-dijon\/","title":{"rendered":"A Rendezvous in Dijon"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a short winter on the Isle of Man I am back to France. This time home is a 25 meter barge called the Rendezvous. I am cooking for Elegant Waterways who own and run three barges, all of which cruise along the canals of Burgundy.\u00c2\u00a0 Menus to include lots of fantastic Burgundian wines, oodles of Truffles, Duck, Cherries, Escargot and of course Fois Gras.<\/p>\n

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Trout mousseline<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The boat accommodates six passengers and four crew. We head South from Dijon along the Valle D’ouche which is a pretty limestone valley strung with tiny villages containing little other than a beautiful church, a bar and some angry looking geese. The guests are conveyed, each day, by Armelle, our tour guide, to Chateaux, Vine yards and markets whilst the crew keep the boat in tip top condition. I have carte blanche with the budget and menu planing and although the guests know that they can request anything (one guest had a penchant for Brussels sprouts as their vegetable du jour) we usually stick to local food simply because it is so good. It’s a grueling schedule for the crew with little time off but even a quick coffee sat on the air conditioning unit back aft acts as mini holiday. The scenery is verdantly beautiful and calming, a minute watching a Heron fish and take flight can feel like an eternity.<\/p>\n

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Cooking aboard Rendezvous<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s been challenging at times. I think my most worrying dish was the Poulet de Bresse. It’s hard not to be intimidated by what is, ostensibly, chicken and mushrooms in wine but which costs 64 euro for two birds, 72 euro for the wine, as it has to be vin Jaune from the Jura region and handfuls of dried morels. I did panic about about doing justice to such a renowned dish but the blue footed chickens do all the work in that they are so fatty they do not go dry in the cooking. The meal was a delight and I was so grateful to be asked to cook it even though it gave me a few sleepless nights beforehand<\/p>\n

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Elf smiles at the thought of finding more Truffles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My favourite ingredient of the year had to be the Cardinal Artichokes which remained in season all the time that I was in France. I used them in all sorts of ways from the traditional eaten whole with vinegarette to veloute and soups. I felt as though I was looking after the beleaguered livers of our guests. The Artichoke is part of the thistle family and has marvelous healing effects. I think the tastiest way to cook them and certainly the easiest way is boiled, quartered and roasted with all manner of other goodies. Recipe to follow on my work in process recipe page.<\/p>\n

October brought us Truffles. It was not the best conditions for them. The year was dry and intense, perfect for Viniculture but not great for the flamboyant funghi who prefer dank and wet conditions. Emma and I managed an afternoon of foraging with ‘Elf’ the Italian Truffle Hound. We headed up to the hills above Nuit St Georges. Our morning, with the happiest dog in the world, culminated in a degustation lunch of all things Truffe. We ate Truffle Cheese, Jambon Perseille avec Truffle Mayo and Tartuffa on bruschetta washed down with Truffle Mead which works well in a splash of Cremant de Bourgogne as does pretty much everything!<\/p>\n

Thanks to all at the Maison des Truffes for a wonderful experience. For more info www.maisondestruffes.com<\/p>\n