Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #5; Practical #5

Capital – Dijon
Fish – carp, eels, fresh-water pike, crayfish, and snails
Livestock – Morvan beef
Fruit – blackcurrants, cherries, and prunes
Cheese – Époisses, Charolais, and Claquebitou

Any idea what region our next dishes come from? How about if I told you that pinot noir and chardonnay are the main grapes grown in this region? Here's a clue - recently popularized by a dish of its namesake. Think Meryl Streep and Le Cordon Bleu. No guess?

Bourgogne – Burgundy. Of course!

An adoptive Burgundy soul – originally from Midi-Pyrénées – Chef Clergue gladly worked through each recipe of Instruction #5.

Instruction #5 – Burgundy

• Puff pastry with snails, smoked bacon, mushrooms, and white Chablis wine
• Gaston Gerard-style free-range chicken with Morvan-style crapiaux
• Gingerbread ice cream and gingerbread napoleon with red wine poached pear

This was another all around great menu. Everything worth remaking for guests.

Always served in multiples of six, the entrée – appetizer, or first-course, in French – of snails was prepared. Snails are separated from their shells. You can buy them already separated, or hunt for them yourself in July – the only permitted month of the snail-hunting season.

Once onion, shallot, fennel, carrot, garlic, and bacon have sweat well in a warm sauté pan, snails are added. Mixing and developing flavor. Deglaze with Chablis – a Burgundy wine made of chardonnay. And simmer until the mollusks are cooked.

Snails placed on baked puff pastry. Topped with garlic, shallot sautéed mushrooms. And drizzled with a beurre blanc made of the same Chablis wine. Creates a very complex flavor.

Initially the garlic, shallot, bacon combination hits the palate. Quickly followed by a mossy, forest floor suggestion from the snails. Buttery-ness, equally from chardonnay as the real thing, the sauce interconnects the former flavors with the crispy puff pastry. Delish!

Named after Dijon’s once mayor, Gaston Gerard, we next prepared the main-course. As in the past, we flambéed, de-wish-boned, trimmed, and segmented our fowl. Contrary to previous methods, we also took out the leg tendons.

With the feet still attached. A small slit in the back of the calf exposes the white tendons. Wrapping the hooked-end of a ladle underneath and twisting to tie the tendons firmly in place. Aggressively tugging rips the tendons from the hip joint. Down the thigh. Around the leg. And out the opening. Simply finished with a brief whack of the cleaver. Dislodging foot, tendons, and all.

From here we baked the chicken. And passed with a sauce of shallots, garlic, Chablis, and paprika. Cream and Dijon mustard finished the sauce.

As an accompaniment to the chicken small crepe-like pancakes were plated. Made of flour, yeast, eggs, potatoes, and fresh herbs.

Chives, chervil, and parsley mixed with vinaigrette effortlessly finished the dish.

Straight on I found the sauce to be too mustard-y. Clearing the nasal cavity as the aftertaste developed. As a complete bite – with chicken and pancake – it was very good. The flatness of the pancake and (often) dry texture of the chicken helped to balance the sauce.

I heard a lot of happy moans from my neighbors in regard to the dessert. Gingerbread and red wine poached pears are a fantastic combination.