Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #13

There are four days between Instruction #13 and the respective practical. In fear of forgetting, I better share what I learned now. Rather than later.

Instruction #13 – Alsace

• Flammenküche – savory bacon, onion and cream tart
• Trout stuffed with morel mushrooms and braised in Riesling wine
• Alsatian-style sauerkraut

The recipe names suggest Germanic origin, but indeed they are still French.

Alsace is the eastern most region of France. Barely separated from Germany by the Rhine River. Many culinary traditions of this region have spilled over from German influences.

Home to many international organizations, Alsace is one of the European Union’s most important cities. Moreover, the abundance of natural resources has developed this region into one of the most gastronomically interesting areas.

With no access to sea water, all fish hail from the rivers. Carp, trout, pikeperch, pike, and eel are most common. Goose, turkey, and rooster roam the barnyard grounds. While venison, hare, wild boar, partridge, and pheasant and hunted in the wild. Cabbage, onions, and potatoes are the only real earth grown vegetables. Yet, the soil also produces and abundance of corn, hops, wheat, rye, and barley. When it comes to the sweet vine, cherries, plums, and raspberries are picked.

Life in Alsace wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for the local munster cheese production.

Wines too are bountiful. Most made in German-style. Gewurztraminer, riesling, pinot-noir, pinot-blanc, tokay, and muscat are the common varietals.

Our first dish was flammenküche, Alsatian for tarte flambée, or baked in the flames. The story goes like this. Alsatian farmers used to bake bread once a week in wood-burning ovens. To test the heat of the oven a thin piece of dough would be placed into the center – near the embers. If hot enough the dough would be ready in one minute. Somewhere along the way, onions, lardons (bacon), and crème fraîche was put on top. Nowadays, recipes use crème fraîche, heavy cream, fromage-blanc, or some combination there of. Today we used half heavy cream, half fromage-blanc to supplement onions and bacon.

Similar to our stuffed red-mullet recipe. Today we stuffed trout. This time mushrooms replaced the tapanade. Shallots, button mushrooms, and morel mushrooms were cooked in butter. Seasoned with salt and pepper. And finished with chives.

Butterflied trout fillets were stuffed with our mushroom mixture. And braised in riesling wine. Once the fish was cooked – and set aside to rest – the cooking liquid was strained. Reduced. And finished with crème fraîche.

Just when I think I’ve seen all the turned vegetables there are to see. Another one pops up. Today carrots turned like tops. I mean really? Who has ever? Gently stewed, these pesky vegetables, passed along some sautéed whole morel mushrooms finished our plating.

When I think of Germanic lands I think of wieners and sauerkraut. Chef Caals prepared a heaping pot of cabbage. Stewed with carrots, onions, cloves, bouquet garni, juniper berries, peppercorns, Alsace wine and water for over three hours.

In a slightly simmering pot of water, Chef had salted (pickled) pork rib, smoked slab bacon, pork shanks and pork rind slowly cooking. Carrot, onion, bouquet garni, and leek flavored the water. When the meat began to fall off the bone – after about 3 or 4 hours – the meat was decanted. And added to the cooked sauerkraut.

A few cumin smoked and Strasbourg sausages finished the dish. Passed with turned (of course!) potatoes and parsley.