How to Eat Well When Traveling to the Burgundy Region of France
French food is fresh, delicious, and considered the standard for many professional chefs. This is well known. However, what is considered traditional food from the heart of the Burgundy region of France, better known as Beaune?
On our travels through
this region and while staying in the quaint town of Beaune, I’ve found the
answer to that question. This was a delicious task.
Is
that a snail on my plate?
Escargot is common in
most regions of France, but very popular here in Beaune. Most often,
it is packed with a buttery herb mixture and baked. Considered an
appetizer, if combined with a salad it is a satisfying meal. Superb
French bread is free and served with most meals.
Beef
Bourguignon is more than just a stew
When is a beef stew not
beef stew? When it is made in France. Beef Bourguignon is
a stew taken a few steps farther down the road of delicious.
For this dish, the beef
is cut into cubes and sautéed with a bit of bacon. Wine, stock, a tad
bit of tomato paste, garlic, fresh herbs, sautéed carrot, and onion join the
meat mixture while it stews. Before it's served, browned pearl
onions and mushrooms are added and the sauce is reduced. Most often,
this luscious stew is served over wide noodles. A pitcher of red
house wine is the perfect compliment.
Wine
plus chicken equals: Coq au vin
Coq au Vin actually
means rooster in wine, red wine to be exact. Besides being very popular and on
most menus here in Beaune, it is widely known as the most famous of all French
chicken dishes. It's definitely one of my
favorites. What's not to love? Marinated in wine and
herbs overnight, the chicken is then cooked in wine until it is fall-apart
tender. Add to this some great veggies...yum.
In my kitchen, I place two pounds of skinless, boneless chicken thighs in a bowl and cover with three cups of red wine – preferably a lighter style – and sprinkle with
pepper. Covering tightly, I set it aside in the refrigerator
overnight.
Reserving the liquid, I
drain and pat the thighs dry before lightly flouring and then browning each in
a hot skillet coated with oil. The drained pieces go into a pan with
tall sides.
In the same skillet
wiped clean, I then sauté one cup of sliced mushrooms, one-half-cup of chopped
celery, one-clove minced garlic, and one thick slice of chopped
bacon.
Once this mixture is
lightly browned, all join the chicken along with the reserved liquid and a
bouquet garni, which is two bay leaves, one clove, and two sprigs each of
thyme, parsley, and savory wrapped in cheesecloth and tied tightly with kitchen
twine. This simmers for about an hour or until the chicken is
tender.
Removing all from the
liquid, I reduce the sauce by half over high heat and finish by thickening it
with a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed in water. All goes back in the hot sauce
to get nice and toasty warm.
Many times, this stew is
served on its own, over mashed potatoes or noodles. I prefer serving
mine over soft polenta.
My
favorite meal?
Salad! Yes,
the simple salad was my favorite meal while in Beaune. Yes, I did
enjoy the Beef Bourguignon and Coq au vin very much, but the
salads were amazing. One of my favorites was topped with warm
camembert, a generous amount of prosciutto, toasty potato slices, and earthy
olives.
Bon appétit!
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