Catching a Rainbow

January, a time when thoughts turn to root vegetables, hearty soups and slow cooking, when once in a while something comes along to lighten the heart.
Lambs leaf lettuce is just such a thing. At a time when nature is at its deepest slumber, this delicate vegetable steps forward as if to remind us that there will be a spring, and that the interminable cold and gloom will not last forever, in perpetuity.


HISTORY:

Salads originated in the Mediterranean basin. Evidence of such has been found in the tombs of the pharos dating from the 5th century BC.
The culture of corn salad, or lamb’s leaf lettuce first began in France, alongside the River Loire, during the Renaissance period of the 14th Century. Images of the crop appeared in a painting by Leonardo de Vinci, Léda and the Swan, which has unfortunately been lost.
The 15th Century poet Pierre de Ronsard sang of the “small salad of the fields and meadows…” where the lettuce remained, a long time wild. Two centuries later the crop made its way into cottage gardens and its domestication began.
Following the second French Empire a Parisian restaurant owner created a salad in celebration of the Italian king Victor Emanuel II, a salad of lamb’s leaf lettuce, turnip and beetroot - the colours of the Italian flag.
Primarily grown in France and the Netherlands, Lambs leaf lettuce is known by many different names. Clairette, Corn Salad and La Doucette or "the little sweet one" in French. In Germany it is known as Feldsalat (meaning field salad) and in addition mâche,rampion, Rapunzelsalat, Salade de Chanoine, Salade de Prêtre are all common names.


BUYING:

Lambs leaf lettuce looks similar to water cress, but with a milder slightly bitter nutty taste. The leaves are said to be the shape of lamb’s tongues and are found in small clumps. As with all salads it is better not to buy those that are pre-washed and pre-packed and often preserved in a protective atmosphere. Once the bag is opened they degrade very quickly and are best eaten within one or two days.
Buy in clumps, complete with the sandy roots, which are a result of the soil this vegetable prefers to grow in. The leaves are extremely fragile and will not tolerate being crushed, better to place them on the top of a shopping basket where they can be carefully looked after.

STORING:

The lettuce does not store well, better to buy often and then replenish the supply. A few days in the bottom of the fridge are all than can be expected of this hardy, yet at the same time fragile crop.

PREPARING:

It cannot be emphasised enough, when washing lambs leaf lettuce, allot of water is required, a whole sink...and that is for the first washing. Remove any roots, but pinch them off using your thumb and forefinger just below the base, so maintaining the leaves in their original small bunch, which looks more appealing on the plate.
Fill the sink and allow the lettuce to float for about thirty minutes, agitating the water every so often. The sand trapped in the roots will be released and fall to the bottom of the basin.
Drain the lettuce, empty the sink cleaning away any sand, and then repeat the process.
Gently place the salad in a salad spinner, an absolutely indispensible item for any kitchen, indeed no salad should be placed on the table until it has been spun to remove the excess water. (Click on the below link to order one)
All salads should be dressed, it is the utmost in laziness to serve a salad un-dressed as happens all too frequently in the United Kingdom.

COOKING:

Not usually done, however the leaves can be added to a stir fry at the very last minute, or cooked very quickly and used as a replacement to spinach.
As with all salads a vinaigrette dressing of your choice is preferable, but for the same reason care should be taken as when transporting, any vinaigrette should be served apart, and added to the leaves at the last moment. If poured over the salad, and left for any more than a few minutes, the fragile leaves will begin to cook in the acid thus becoming limp, unpalatable and only fit for the dustbin.
In fact, a vinaigrette dressing or other sauces made with strong acidic ingredients are not the best for Salade de mâche. Walnut oil, in which a few slices of green apple have been allowed to soak for twenty minutes, or a small piece of citrus fruit, will provide all the acidity required and provide a subtle yet well balanced dressing which will perfectly complement your salad.


OTHER STUFF:

Lambs leaf lettuce, with its delicate fruity flavour complements strong flavoured food admirably. Fruit, dried fruits and nuts, particularly walnuts, are a wonderful combination. It goes well with pâté, chicken livers and duck. Later in the meal the leaves complement certain cheeses, particularly goat’s cheese from the Loire valley, as well as blue cheeses of all varieties.

All pre-packed salad should be thoroughly washed, even if it claims to be ready-washed. A major cause of food poisoning in France and something which doctors warn against during pregnancy, is supposedly pr-washed salad goods.


Victor Emmanuel II (1820-1878) First king (1861-1878) of united Italy and last king of Piedmont-Sardinia (1849-1861).
Victor Emmanuel succeeded his father Charles Albert to the throne of Piedmont-Sardinia in 1849, following the abdication of Charles Albert after two humiliating defeats by Austria… Victor Emmanuel successfully met various crises in the early years of his reign.
In the 1850s Piedmont-Sardinia remained the only constitutional state in Italy, a haven for persecuted Italian nationalists and liberals who had been involved in the 1848-49 revolutions. By 1859, assured of military support by Napoleon III of France in the Treaty of Plombières, Piedmont-Sardinia once again went to war with Austria. As a result of this conflict, Austria ceded Lombardy. Successive upheavals in the smaller states of central Italy and Giuseppe Garibaldi's successful campaign in southern Italy against the Neapolitan Bourbons led to the creation of a united Italy…

RECIPES:

Lambs leaf salad with beetroot and pine nuts


©Copyright Malcolm Hamilton 2007-2008






References:
http://www.mache-nantaise.com/
http://www.mache-nantaise.com/
http://www.mache-nantaise.com/
Bibliography
F. Cognasso, ed. Le Lettere di Vittorio Emanuele II. (Turin, 1966).
Denis Mack Smith. Victor Emanuel, Cavour and the Risorgimento. (New York, 1971).
Denis Mack Smith. Italy and Its Monarchy. (New Haven, 1989).
H. McGaw Smyth, "The Armistice of Novara: A Legend of a Liberal King," Journal of Modern History (1935): 141-74.
F. Valsecchi, ed. Le Relazioni diplomatiche fra l'Austria e il Regno di Sardegna (1849-1860). (Rome, 1963).

The misnamed Jerusalem artichoke has no real link with Jerusalem at all and only a distant link to the more familiar Artichoke, both coming from the same family of plants the family Asteraceae or Compositae.
It is a relative of sunflower native to eastern North America, from the state of Maine to North Dakota, and south into some of Florida and Texas
It has a distinctive nutty flavor which has been suggested to be similar to that of glove artichoke hearts- being used in many recipes to replace or compliment potatoes. The plant which if left unattended can become an invasive weed is a wonderful source of an inexpensive but delicious food.

HISTORY.

Jerusalem artichokes were found being cultivated in North America and are said to have been introduced into Europe by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain. Although de Champlain described the vegetable tuber as tasting of artichokes there real taste is similar to that of Chinese water chestnuts. Certainly not native to Jerusalem, the route of the name is thought to derive from the Italian for Sunflower, girasole to which the Jerusalem artichoke is related. Indeed the plant resembles a many stemmed sunflower complete with numerous small sunflower type blooms.
In France the Jerusalem artichoke was synonymous with rationing during the World War II when they were grown as a food staple all over the country.

BUYING.

Roots should firm, dense and free from spongy soft areas. Their shape, not dissimilar to ginger can be very nobly and one should try to buy the largest tubers available.

STORING.

Jerusalem artichokes will keep for several weeks in the salad chiller of the fridge but are better stored in a cool dry area such as a garden shed or garage covered with sand, much the same way as carrots are often stored.

PREPARING.

As potatoes.

COOKING.

A perfumed vegetable without being too scented which can be used to make a different recipe wherever potatoes are called for. Often thought of as peasant food and not fit to grace the tables of high society, the Jerusalem artichoke marries perfectly with the woody aromas of wild mushrooms and dried fruit and nuts. The flavour utterly sublime with lobster and crab can also be used with other seafood such as scallops.
They can be cooked as potatoes – baked roasted, sauté, boiled or steamed, and as with potatoes Jerusalem Artichokes will discolour when exposed to the air. Once peeled and cut maintain their colour by storing in acidulated water, using either a little vinegar or preferably lemon juice.


OTHER STUFF.
Because of the peculiarities in the digestion of Inulin, the form of carbohydrate found in Jerusalem Artichokes, they do have the side effect of causing flatulence.



RECIPES.

Cream of Jerusalem artichoke soup

Seared scallops with bacon, Jerusalem artichoke puree and crushed peas

Chicken and Jerusalem artichoke pie

Jerusalem artichoke and sage gratin

©Copyright Malcolm Hamilton 2007-2008

In France the sixth of January is known as the Day of the Kings, and in common with many other countries of the world it is the day when figurines of the three kings are traditionally added to the Christmas nativity scene; thus extending the festival beyond the customary twelve days celebrated in Great Britain.

The French have a rich and varied culinary history and French chefs have for centuries adapted their skills and recipes to commemorate famous historical events.
Whether it is a pastry commemorating the Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race, or a chicken stew with eggs and crayfish to celebrate Napoleons crushing victory at the Battle of Marengo (14 June 1800), or even the much-maligned Peach Melba, invented to commemorate the visit of a famous opera singer to England.

In the case of Epiphany they created a cake… the Kings Cake, made in celebration of the three wise men and their visit to Bethlehem 2007 years ago. The moniker kings did not appear until the third century AD and was an elevation of the term, wise men, or magi.




The Gateaux des Rois or the Galettes des Rois, depending on whether you live in the north or the south of the country, fill the shelves and window displays of both Boulangeries and Pâtisseries all over France from just after New Year, right through to Easter. But, the most important day is the sixth of January, Epiphany.











The date for the festival was set Pope Julius II (December 5th, 1443 – February 21st, 1513), the one time bishop of Carpentras, a town situated north east of Avignon on the edge of the Rhone Valley, in south-east France.

In England, Epiphany begins the day after Twelfth Night, which traditionally brings the Christmas period to an end. In France however, Christmas officially ends on February the second with yet another celebration, the feast of Candlemas.
Thus the serving of Galettes des Rois is still thought of as a Christmas time celebration, which has been practiced for years.


It is not clear when the Galettes des Rois were first invented, let alone whether that invention was French or not. Certainly eating special cakes in celebration of the Epiphany is not just a French tradition, as the same exists in North America, Spain, Mexico and other European countries.

In France, during the reign of Louis XIV (September 5th, 1638 – September 1st, 1715) the ‘celebration of the festival of the kings’ was banned.
The church believing that the festival had its roots in early paganism and was contrary to biblical teaching, thus the interdict. The Catholic Church also believed that the day of celebration was merely an excuse for overindulgence and unwanted immoral behaviour and was not something good God-fearing people should entertain.
The French people ever inventive at getting round rules and regulations they do not agree with, re-introduced the day as ‘La fête du bon voisinage,’ or ‘good neighbours day’ and presumably the cake was reintroduced at the same time, but with possibly a different name.

Cakes have been used in the celebration of the Epiphany since the Middle Ages and as with other regions of the world the cake in France varies from one region to another.
Of the two versions in existence in France today, the southern Brioche based bun is probably the elder of the two.



The current version of the Galette, which is indistinguishable from Gateaux Pithiviers, in all but name, was probably not in existence before the 17th Century.



Yeast based buns have been used in pagan festivals since the times of the pharaohs and were being baked in ancient Greece as long ago as 1500BC. Bouns or buns were used in pagan worship in celebration of Cecrops the First, the founder of Athens, which was long before the modern version of puff pastry was perfected by Marie Antoine (Antonin) Carême (June 8, 1784–January 12, 1833).



Carême, often called the chef of kings and the king of chefs, perfected modern day puff pastry from which the northern Galettes des Rois and Pithiviers are made. However, Carême did not invent puff pastry. The delicate leaves of this wonderful creation have graced recipes both sweet and savoury since the 18th century, but the original recipe probably a variation of Baklava, was introduced into France during the Islamic occupation of the country in the 8th Century.

Regardless of which recipe was used, all reference to kings, kingdoms and crowns were dropped during the French revolution (1789 - 1799.) when the festival of the kings fell as the executioner’s blade.
The original celebration may have been usurped, but not so the cake. Renamed the ‘Gâteau de l’Êgalité or the equality cake, for obvious reasons, the French drew lots to decide which citizen would present the galettes to the assembled masses and the tradition of dividing and sharing the pastry continued.

The cake, in France has two forms: a pastry and a bun and neither can be called a true cake.
In the north of the country, including Brittany, the Galettes des Rois is more evident. The Galette is based on one of the most famous French Pastries coming from a commune in the Loiret département of France. To all intents and purposes the Galettes de Rois is a Pithiviers made in a slightly different shape. Some recipes however, do call for the addition of cinnamon, cloves or other eastern spices, which make it dissimilar to the traditional pastry, which contain just frangipane or almond paste (not to be confused with marzipan).
The addition of spices reaches back to the nativity and is a reminder of the wise men and their gift of spice and is a strong bond with Epiphany.



In the south, notably in the region of Provence and further west along the Mediterranean coast towards Spain, the preferred recipe uses brioche.
Brioche is a butter enriched yeast dough which for the gateaux is made into a ring and decorated and adorned with candied fruit, glazed with syrup and sometimes flavoured with orange oil. The fruit, brightly coloured, emulate the jewels of a crown and the gateaux is glazed and baked until it glistens, resembling gold.
Neither version can be called a true cake, regardless of where they come from, nor are they the only Kings Cake that exist.



In the Catalan region of Spain, an autonomous region historically associated with France, there are neither the Gateaux des Rois or the Galette des Rois. In Catalonia the Tortell de Reis is King.

The Tortell is a ring or crown shaped enriched sweet bread, similar to the French brioche, which are often stuffed with marzipan and topped with glazed fruit.

The Spanish influence transcends the Atlantic Ocean into Mexico, where the Rosca de Reyes is made to celebrate the magi. This version calls for sweetened bread, decorated with pieces of candied fruit such as orange and lime, which are again representations of the jewels in a crown. The Mexican version is often filled with nuts, dried figs, and cherries, not necessarily an almond paste as in Europe.

In Germany and Switzerland the Dreikönigskuchen or the three kings cake is eaten for breakfast on the day of epiphany and is another derivative of the rich brioche based bun from the south of France.

The Kings Cake, in a similar guise, is also found a few miles north of Mexico, in the southern states of America. Here, vast numbers are eaten, forming a focal point of the celebration of Mardi gras.
In early Catholicism, Epiphany was considered to be the first day of lent and the eating of the Kings cake was also an excuse for using up food not suitable to be consumed during the fasting period: such as almonds, eggs, sugar and butter.
Mardi gras, a French word, literally meaning fat Tuesday, is the same celebration as the British Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day, which heralds the opening of the Lenten period.
The word shrove, not common in American English, is the past tense of the old English word to shrive, and describes the period of confession early Anglo-Saxon Christians were expected to perform prior to Lent.
It is not clear whether the American version of the cake is an adaptation of the Mexican and Spanish Rosca and Tortel’s or if the gateaux arrived with the Acadian settlers forced to head south through America, into Louisiana, following the Great Expulsion.

The Acadians were French immigrants who originally settled in the northeastern region of North America, until they were forced from their homes, by the British during the great Expulsion of 1755. This expulsion, also known as the Great Upheaval, was the forced removal of the French speaking population of Nova Scotia between 1755-1763.
The migrants moved south and settled in and around Louisiana where they became know as the Cajuns and it was possibly these people who introduced the southern French Kings Cake into the present day United States of America.
The American version of the Kings Cake, which is similar in style to the one eaten in Spain, pre-dates modern day puff pastry. This further suggests that the southern French brioche based recipe is older than the more recognisable puff pastry based Galettes des Rois eaten further north. It is a simple fact that the French had fully established their colonies in America by the time Antonin Carême worked his magic and the lighter version of the cake, so enjoyed in Brittany, did not make its was across the Atlantic to the Americas.

To be continued ©MalcolmHamilton 2007

Jerusalem artichoke

The misnamed Jerusalem artichoke has no real link with Jerusalem at all and only a distant link to the more familiar Artichoke, both coming from the same family of plants the family Asteraceae or Compositae.
It is a relative of sunflower native to eastern North America, from the state of Maine to North Dakota, and south into some of Florida and Texas
It has a distinctive nutty flavor which has been suggested to be similar to that of glove artichoke hearts- being used in many recipes to replace or compliment potatoes. The plant which if left unattended can become an invasive weed is a wonderful source of an inexpensive but delicious food.

HISTORY.

Jerusalem artichokes were found being cultivated in North America and are said to have been introduced into Europe by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain. Although de Champlain described the vegetable tuber as tasting of artichokes there real taste is similar to that of Chinese water chestnuts. Certainly not native to Jerusalem, the route of the name is thought to derive from the Italian for Sunflower, girasole to which the Jerusalem artichoke is related. Indeed the plant resembles a many stemmed sunflower complete with numerous small sunflower type blooms.
In France the Jerusalem artichoke was synonymous with rationing during the World War II when they were grown as a food staple all over the country.

BUYING.

Roots should firm, dense and free from spongy soft areas. Their shape, not dissimilar to ginger can be very nobly and one should try to buy the largest tubers available.

STORING.

Jerusalem artichokes will keep for several weeks in the salad chiller of the fridge but are better stored in a cool dry area such as a garden shed or garage covered with sand, much the same way as carrots are often stored.

PREPARING.

As potatoes.

COOKING.
A perfumed vegetable without being too scented which can be used to make a different recipe wherever potatoes are called for. Often thought of as peasant food and not fit to grace the tables of high society, the Jerusalem artichoke marries perfectly with the woody aromas of wild mushrooms and dried fruit and nuts. The flavour utterly sublime with lobster and crab can also be used with other seafood such as scallops.
They can be cooked as potatoes – baked roasted, sauté, boiled or steamed, and as with potatoes Jerusalem Artichokes will discolour when exposed to the air. Once peeled and cut maintain their colour by storing in acidulated water, using either a little vinegar or preferably lemon juice.


OTHER STUFF.

Because of the peculiarities in the digestion of Inulin, the form of carbohydrate found in Jerusalem Artichokes, they do have the side effect of causing flatulence.

RECIPES.

Cream of Jerusalem artichoke soup

Seared scallops with bacon, Jerusalem artichoke puree and crushed peas

Chicken and Jerusalem artichoke pie

Jerusalem artichoke and sage gratin

Of all the vast range of foods coming from the fertile soils or abundant sea in and around Brittany, it is perhaps the artichoke alone that is most synonymous with this region of France.
Practically an emblem of the five counties it is said that the artichoke can only grow within five miles of the sea; as the plants requires salt blown in on the wind to encourage good growth and well developed heads. How true this is I do not know. If you have an idea I would be pleased to here…click here.

When talking about artichokes in Brittany I am referring to the globe artichoke such as the Camus de Bretagne which can be found growing all over the region.
Native to the eastern Mediterranean, the artichoke is the edible flower bud of a thistle-like plant and a member of the sunflower family. It should not be confused with the Jerusalem or the Chinese artichokes, both of which are tubers that grow underground.

In Brittany there are three varieties of artichoke, which make up the mainstay of production, the most popular being the Camus de Bretagne. Available from the end of May to November, they account for 64% of the artichokes produced in Brittany.
The second, the Castel de Bretagne accounts for 27% and the Petit Violet de Bretagne makes up the remainder.

The Camus de Bretagne averaging 500g per artichoke has an even round structure with slightly serrated leaved which are large but slightly shorter than the other two varieties. The Camus is eaten cooked either as a whole vegetable or just the stuffed artichoke hearts, which are the firm base of the flower structure sought after by food lovers all over the world.

The Castel de Bretagne, are slightly larger than the Camus, averaging 600g per flower head and arrive on the market slightly later in May than the Camus. They have a slightly elongated form, a green grey colour, and a distinctive taste, which sets them apart from the Camus.

Lastly there is the Petit Violet de Bretagne, which are much smaller averaging 150g each. They arrive in the shops towards the middle of June and are recognisable by their small size and purple tinge. They are usually sold in bunches and are excellent quartered and stir-fried or at their best eaten raw with sea salt and a dribble of lemon juice and olive oil.

The botanical name for Artichokes, Cynara scolymus, derives from the Latin canina meaning canine and the Greek skolymos meaning thistle. Its English name is a derivative of the Arabic for the thistle.
Although man has been eating artichokes for more than 3000 years it was
Catherine de Médici, the wife of King Henry II of France who is purported to have introduced the first plants into the country.
Artichokes are not immediately recognisable as good to eat and I am always amazed to think that someone thought of eating a plant, which after all on the outside is just a hard tough thistle, but I am glad that they did.


The Camus and the Castel varieties should have bright green firm flower heads and as with any flower bud the petals should be closed tight to form a dense mass. Although technically a flower and as such the outside edible parts are really petals, I will refer to them as leaves from now on to avoid confusion.
In the hand an artichoke should feel heavy, dense and when a leaf is removed it should come away with a clear snap. When removed the leaf base should weep a little liquid and show no sign of insect infestation. The ends of the leaves should not be yellow nor in some cases black, which are indications of old artichokes.

Fresh Artichokes will keep for up to a week in the bottom of the fridge providing you do not remove the stalk. Cutting the stalk will result in the artichoke wilting quicker and reduce the keeping qualities of the plant. They freeze well if blanched in boiling water for a few minutes before freezing which helps preserve the colour and as with cooking, the addition of lemon juice will also help maintain a good green artichoke.
Artichokes can be boiled or steamed and adding a cut lemon to the water whilst boiling will prevent the artichoke from turning black during the cooking process.
Once cooked artichokes do not keep well and must be eaten within two days, any longer and the vegetable develops an unpleasant taste and a slimy texture.

How to cook globe artichokes.

Artichokes can be cooked either by boiling in plenty of salted water or if you prefer by using a steamer although the latter process usually renders a darker artichoke which has a less pleasant appearance.


1. Cut off the stem close to the base of the flower head and drop into a very large pan of boiling salted water, the addition of cut lemons prevents discolouration although some prefer vinegar.

2. Simmer uncovered for about 15-25 minutes depending on the size of the artichoke. Any leaves exposed to the air during cooking will darken and so a lid too small for the pan you are using can be placed on top of the chokes to ensure they are fully immersed whilst they cook.

3. To test if cooked the point of a knife should enter the base of the artichoke with only a little resistance, similar to a slightly underdone boiled potato.

4. Once cooked remove the artichoke and tip upside to drain before serving. They can be served hot with melted butter or better, sauce hollandaise or cold with a vinaigrette or olive oil.

How to eat an Artichoke.

Essential equipment.
1. Large bowl for debris.
2. Finger bowls filled with hot water and several slices of lemon.
3. A change of serviette.


Eating an artichoke can be divided into two stages and for those people who have never tried one, can appear fairly daunting.
Whilst I was the restaurant manager of Gravetye Manor a hotel in West Sussex, an American couple ordered artichokes. It was the first time they had tried this delicacy, but at the time I was unaware.
An hour and a half after being served with their artichokes I was surprised to hear that the couple had not yet finished, which was unusual, and so I went to investigate.
Arriving in the restaurant I saw that the two were five minutes away from having eaten the entire artichoke, leaves, fury inside and the heart. Obviously it was too late to tell the couple that what they were doing was wrong and that ninety per cent of a globe artichoke is inedible…perhaps not to this stomach hardy duo from across the pond.
When you try your first artichoke, or if you already have, you will perhaps better understand this little anecdote.

Artichokes are usually served alone on a large plate; and any sauce is better served separately in a sauceboat.
To eat an artichoke, pull off the outer leaves one at a time and dip the pale fleshy part of the leaf into your chosen sauce.
The only part that is eaten is the fleshy base of the leaf and even then the edible part it is not bitten but sucked and pulled out through the front teeth. Sounds disgusting, but it is the only way.
The first few leaves may produce a disappointing amount of flesh, but as you begin to work your way round the artichoke and move further in towards the centre, so the amount of flesh at the base of each leaf increases.
After a while the leaves become smaller and the amount of edible flesh decreases until it is not worth bothering about. It is then time to remove all the remaining leaves and proceed to the heart of the artichoke.
The heart is the base of the flower and is recognisable as being covered by a myriad of small filaments, which need to be removed.
The heart has the form of a very shallow bowl and to remove the filaments a knife is inserted at a slight downwards angle from the edge of the heart towards the centre. Working around the heart with the point of the knife always in the centre the entire fibrous middle can be removed in one go…with a little practice.
The dark green heart can then be covered in sauce and eaten with a knife and fork.


In addition artichoke hearts can be prepared on their own, the leaves are discarded for a quite different experience.
To see how to prepare artichoke hearts click on the camera below for a short informative video.











Quick simple and foolproof Hollandaise sauce. (4 people)
















As with mayonnaise, hollandaise’s cold counterpart, many recipes make the making of the sauce an overcomplicated and lengthy if not a ritualistic procedure, when in effect they are both made extremely easy by the use of a food processor.
I would reiterate a food processor and not a liquidiser; there is a difference and this sauce will not work in the latter.

1. Melt 200g or 8 ounces of butter in a measuring jug or similar, in a microwave for two minutes at half power. If not fully liquid continue for an additional minute. Remove from the microwave and allow to stand. (The solids will sink to the bottom of the jug, leaving the clear butter on top).
2. In a small cup place three tablespoons of white wine vinegar and a good turn of freshly ground black pepper according to taste.
3. Warm the vinegar and pepper in a microwave until hand hot, definitely not boiling.
4. Place the yolks of three eggs in the bowl of a food processor and switch to high speed.
5. Pour in the vinegar and blend for a minute or so until the yolk vinegar mixture starts to thicken.
6. Pour in the butter fat in a good steady trickle allowing about two minutes to pour in all the butter. If the sauce is too thick then add a little of the milk solids at the bottom of the jug which contain water thus making the sauce thinner.
7. Pour into a warm sauceboat and serve immediately.

This sauce will not separate as does sauce made by hand, and should be served warm.

References
http://www.ciaprochef.com/fbi/ipod.html
http://www.produitenbretagne.com/
http://www.prince-de-bretagne.com/

April’s showers have abated and the Ides of March are long since past, but the end of spring often arrives as a damp squib.
May, a month unable to decide if it belongs to spring or summer, varies from day to day. Driving rain, chill winds and yet on occasions such wonderfully clear blue skies that leave the sweltering days of full summer to shame.
Food is as problematic as the climate at this time of the year, and as one seasonal fare comes to an end so another falteringly begins.

The mainstays of winter fruit, apples and pears have had their day, stored since last autumn when they were plucked from orchards all over France. Their end is nie; even having been stored in a protective suffocating atmosphere cannot prevent their slow inevitable demise.


Oranges seem to have shrunk from within and the bittersweet juice of last summer is but a memory.
Strawberries arrive early in the month, far too early; and without enough sun are bland and tasteless as the monstrous greenhouses in which they are forced.
The first cherries appear in the second week of May, expensive 11€ a kilo ($3.80 - Lb, £3.40 - Lb), apparently cheaper than last year but in another two weeks the heat of flaming June will make them worth buying and the price will have fallen to something we can all afford.
Too early for peaches, nectarines and plums and the first melons come from Morocco.
We are graced with new potatoes with their thin skins and pale waxy flesh but broccoli and cauliflowers are coming to an end, and the ever-elusive asparagus never quite seems to appear.






A few stems of tasteless deathly white grass are on offer at the moment but the slender green variety which used to be grown all over France, including Brittany, are but dew on a summer morning, here one minute gone the next.

Rhubarb, a vegetable which the French are not really convinced about, can be found in a few markets and supermarkets but not the fine champagne variety so sought after by chefs all over the world.



Pré-salé lamb, fed exclusively on the salt marshes around Mont St Michel in Normandy is a meat not to be forgotten. The pastures covered by the sea twice a day leave a residue of salt in the grass on which the lambs feed. However, it is reluctant to make an appearance in Brittany and only a few butchers stock this wonderful product.



The Scallop season is over and the water is too cold for mussels worth eating.







The finest Breton Artichokes are still two or three weeks away from being available, leeks are turning woody, garlic is drying out and the onions seem to be sprouting into life forgetting they are on a market trolley and not in the soil.

One could be led to believe that May was a depressing time for the avid gastronome or gourmand…not so. This lack of availability is merely but a pause, a break in the natural cycle of the world, a lull between seasons. This respite has been lost in the UK and USA, with twenty-four hour a day three hundred and sixty five days a year commercialism, consumerism and the feeding of mammon.
Strawberries at Christmas, peaches in January and asparagus all year round, in fact every day of the year every single fruit and vegetable known to man can be bought in nearly all supermarkets throughout these two lands. No wonder people moan and complain that the fruit is not the same as the fruit of their youth; the fruit of their youth did not cross the globe, under ripe, overpriced and unready for anything apart from the bin. But these same people still buy food out of season, still complain and still finance the trade in tasteless food.
I would rather put up with the vagaries of May if it meant that I could taste those first strawberries, bite into the very first green asparagus stems or feast myself on a pot of plump fresh mussels when they are ready to be eaten.
May gives the body a little time to rest, a time to dwell on the wonderful fruits, vegetables and other foods from both the sea and the land, which will all be available in their time and season.
May gives us time to prepare, to dust of the cookery books and be ready for the onslaught of colours and taste, which will soon assail our senses
May is such a great month.
©Copywrite Malcolm Hamilton 2007©

Leaving Lannion, taking the D786 eastwards towards Tréguier, one comes to the lovely restaurant of La Ville Blanche.

La Ville Blanche is an unassuming building, named after the village in which it is situated. It could mistakenly be passed-by as one travels further up the road to the pink granite coast…but that would be a great mistake.

The restaurant of Jean-Yves Jaguin, is a gourmets delight, and is certainly not to be missed as one wends ones way through the beguiling region of Trégor, in Northern Brittany.

Set back a hundred yards from the road, partly hidden by immature trees, one finds the restaurant of La Ville Blanche. Originally it was the Jaguins family home, as well as business having been run as a shop and restaurant run by Jean-Yves and Daniel Jaguins grandparents.
Two generations later the shop has ceased to be and become but a memory. In its stead a superb Michelin starred restaurant has been created, offering superb food with a flavour redolent of Brittany.

Brittany is a land of myth and of legend; it is a region of rugged shorelines interspersed with tranquil bays and a myriad of islets. Its coastline is indicative of its food - bright, vibrant and never far removed from the sea.
Large succulent lobsters, crawfish and langoustines, tender clams, crab the size of dinner plates, mouth-watering scallops and the ever-present jewels in the crown, mussels.

Brittany’s hinterland is green with verdant lush grass leading down to the vast salt flats of the south, it is a region of farms, it is a region of food but above all it is a region of fealty.

All this can be expressed in three words, one place and a multitude of dreams…La Ville Blanche.
Whether it is roast monkfish served with a puree of Coco de Paimpol or local crab served with blé noir pancakes, Breton lobster, roasted in the oven with slightly salted butter or fried abalone with potato purée, sea beans and chestnuts, they all have a taste evocative of Brittany.


For reservations call

0296-37-04-28 from France
+33-296-37-04-28 from outside France

Fax : +33.296.46.57.82
E-mail : jaguin@la-ville-blanche.com
All major credit cards accepted,

Closed: Monday, Wednesday, Sunday Evenings (except July, August)
Check web site for annual closing.

Rungis is not so much a food market - but a town and a way of life for thousands.

The original market Les Halles de Baltard moved to the site of Rungis in 1969. Les Halles was situated in the centre of Paris and not only had outgrown the site but was also causing considerable traffic congestion for the capitol.
The move to Rungis was a monumental change, there having been a market at Les Halles since 1136. (Victor Baltard designed the original market beginning in 1851).

The town of Rungis is in the département of Val-de-Marne, which in turn is in the region of Île-de-France and is only 7 miles from the centre of Paris.
It is well served by communications being only a few miles from Orly Airport, close to the junctions of the A6 and the N7 two important arterial roads in France, as well as having its own rail depot within the confines of the market site itself.

Rungis is a food distribution centre not only for France, but also for other European countries. The market is divided into sections: fruit and vegetables, dairy, seafood, meat, poultry, flowers and other items connected with the food trade such as packaging, knives and kitchen equipment.

The market covers 573 acres, an area larger than the principality of Monaco and is frequented by 26,000 vehicles a day. Rungis is a town in itself with banks, post offices, hairdressers, hotels, a laundry and restaurants for the 15000 workers who live to eat rather than eat to live.

It deals in enough food to feed twelve million Frenchmen every day, as well as the finest restaurants in Paris and the surrounding area.
Girolles(Chanterelles) and Cèpes in our local supermarket today had been purchased at Rungis and were ready for me when the store opened at nine o’clock.

The market is the property of the French State but run by a company at Rungis on their behalf. It opens between 0200 and 1300 depending on which area one is visiting; the fish market opens before the others to ensure that the fish is as fresh as possible, the food halls are usually empty by 0800.

The market itself is a labyrinth of sheds, hangars and offices interconnected by streets railway lines and paths. The main food halls are huge affairs some like the fish hall is air-conditioned to help maintain the temperature and freshness of the products.
Men in bloodstained overalls preparing and selling all manner of meats; poultry and game frequent the meat hall.
The dairy section, a less bloody affair with cheeses too numerous to count stacked in every section. General de Gaulle once famously asked how is it possible “to govern a country that produces 246 different varieties of the stuff.” And they are all on sale at Rungis.

The fruit and vegetable section is the largest of the market with eight fruit and vegetable halls. The distances between the various vendors are so great that the buyers use bicycles to travel between them.

It is well know that the French are lovers of good food. The French not only pride themselves on the production and preparation of their food, but they also take as much care over their foods distribution, which can attributed to a famous chef, François Vatel.



The tragic story of Vatel comes to a head in 1671 when François Vatel was enticed to work for the Prince of Condé. The Prince has invited King Louis XIV as well as two hundred other guests to a reception.
On the first evening a light supper was prepared comprising of turtle soup, creamed chicken, fried trout and roast pheasant.
More guests than anticipated arrived to enjoy the sumptuous meal and Vatel thought that there was not enough food to go around. He became depressed even though his staff assured him that the meal had been a great success.
The following morning the staff awaited a consignment of fish, enough to feed the guests that evening, however when the delivery arrived the quantity of fish was far less than required. Vatel retired to his room, wrote a note explaining that the shame was too much to bear, before fixing his sword blades in a door frame and throwing himself onto the blades…eight times some say.
His body was found the following morning when he failed to turn up for work and the missing fish arrived a few minutes later

The meal went ahead as planned, however as a mark of respect for the great chef the fish course was omitted. Ever since food has priority in every mode of transportation in France.
The story of Vatel has been made into a film starring Gérard Depardieu.
Explore the Works of Gérard Depardieu
Vatel film review.

There is not an equivalent to Rungis in the United Kingdom. The nearest we have to it is New Covent Garden Market, situated at Nine Elms in South London…often called Nine Elms Market.
Between 1982 and 1985 I was a buyer at New Covent Garden market, buying fruit, vegetables and flowers.
I can still remember the first time I saw the huge trading sheds and amazed at the vast quantity of fruit and vegetables on offer. The noise, the sights and the smell of fresh coffee, freshly baked bread and sizzling bacon gently wafting across the site on the early morning breeze. And I swear there is nowhere colder than Nine Elms at three o’clock on a winter’s morning…except perhaps Rungis?
For those of you who have visited Nine Elms will know how big it is. Rungis however is ten times bigger and has five times as many people visiting it on any given day and the sights sounds and smells are equally ten times as vivid.

In 1810, two brothers, Jean Pierre and Jean Frédéric Peugeot, converted an inherited mill at Sous-Cratet in the department of Doubs in Eastern France on the Swiss border, into a steel foundry.
Contact Peugeot


They initially produced springs but two years later they began the production of saws, which won the first-class gold medal for their quality and price. In 1850, the Lion symbol appears on all the saw blades. It symbolises the qualities of the Peugeot tools and utensils:  Teeth resistance, blade flexibility, fast cutting.



In 1890 following a test in 1889, Armand Peugeot produced four examples of his first car with a petrol engine.
During the 1930s, Jean Pierre PEUGEOT visited major American car manufacturing plants.  During a big banquet it was pointed out to him that everything in the room was American.
"Almost all" replied the French boss picking up the table pepper mill "except this which is French" and turning it over, added "and what is more it's a PEUGEOT".




In 2003, two new mechanisms were invented:  pre-chopping for chilli and the mill for Guérande salt. For more info go to http://www.peugeot-moulins.com/?langage=gb