Low priced French Wines in US?

Hi Papa, That was a great synopsis of winter bistro cooking! I remember Astier quite well and recall there being no more comforting place to go on the evening of Sept. 11 2001. Another great thing about bistro's in Paris is the low cost french wines available that are virtually unknown outside of France. I know you have mentioned in the past that there are a lot of good low priced french wines available in the US and I'm intrigued if you can provide an insights on where and what to buy in the US at low pricepoints. I'm interested in wines that display more complexity than American wines for everyday drinnking. Looking forward to hearing about some of your hidden gems! Love Stephane

POT-AU-FEU and POULE AU POT, TWO GREAT FRENCH ‘’COMFORT FOOD’’ BISTRO DISHES... AMONG MANY OTHERS.

Hey, Stéphane, you lucky Californian, do you know that while you were on business in sunny Barcelona the outside temperature dropped several times below 0 (F) in Chicago. The perfect kind of weather to stay home and to prepare a slow-cooked dish for dinner. That’s why I fixed some ‘’cuisses de canard braisées aux échalottes’’ (braised duck legs in shallots and white wine), unfortunately not as tender as they should have been, some very tasty ‘’veau marengo’’ and ‘’ fricassée de poulet aux capres et aux olives’’ (chicken braised in tomatoes, capers, olives and white wine). I just wanted to imagine for a couple of hours that I was in one of my favorite Parisian bistrots (or bistros) with some good friends enjoying the winter sport that I prefer: Preparing and eating good food and drinking good wine. While my duck legs were simmering in my brand-new ‘’cocotte Le Creuset’’, I was drinking a glass of that Tempranillo from Gundlach-Bundschu, perfect with duck legs, that you brought at Christmas from California , and it helped me to reflect about your last question regarding ‘’winter French bistro dishes’’. So as usual I started making lists in my head. Here are the results of my thoughts on that important matter When I fly back to Paris, as soon as I am boarding the Air France airport bus to the city, my first thought is about what I want to eat for my first French lunch (or dinner depending on the time of my arrival downtown Paris) and where I want to go to eat that first ‘’ welcome back’’ treat to myself. And invariably, especially during the winter season, my first choice is a traditional bistro where I will be sure to find the kind of French “comfort food” dishes that I like so much, rather than a fancy starred establishment.  

I usually want my first winter meal in Paris to include any of the following typical ‘’bistrot’’ or ‘’brasserie’’ dishes:

“Choucroute garnie à l’alsacienne” (an Alsatian specialty consisting of seasoned slowly cooked sauerkraut in Alsatian white wine (preferably Riesling) with various types of sausage, cured meats and hams, and served with boiled potatoes) ‘’Lapin à la moutarde’’ (a rabbit stew in a mustardy cream sauce served with fresh pasta) ‘’ Veau Marengo’’ (another slowly cooked stew of veal, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and sometimes green olives in a white wine sauce, generally served with buttered fettuccini or rice). I cooked this dish for you the last time you came to Chicago by yourself in January. ‘’ Daube de boeuf Provençale’’ (a very fragrant stew of marinated beef braised in red wine with herbs, onions, garlic, carrots, bacon, and olives and flavored with brandy and orange zest served with young small potatoes or pasta). Some people cook it with added mushrooms and tomatoes. And it is always better the next few days when reheated. ‘’Boeuf Bouguignon’’ (a beef stew slowly cooked in red Burgundy wine) ‘’Cassoulet’’ either from Castelnaudary or from Toulouse (a very rich and hearty casserole of white beans with duck confit if it is the Castelnaudary formula, or lamb if it is prepared in the Toulouse fashion, pork shoulder, pork sausages, garlic sausage, pork rind, garlic crumb, onions, garlic, herbs, cloves, sometimes tomatoes (if from Toulouse). This dish is normally cooked and presented in a ”cassole”, an earthenware crock that gave its name to the dish. I prefer the Castelnaudary version. ‘’Petit salé aux lentilles’’ (salt pork baked with lentils) ‘’Gigot d’agneau de 7 heures’’ (very slowly braised leg of lamb, supposedly for 7 hours, with carrots and tomatoes) ‘’Cuisses de canard confit aux pommes sarladaises’’ (roasted duck confit legs served with sliced potatoes sautéed in duck fat with garlic) ‘’Coq au vin’’ (a very old recipe from Burgundy- rooster, or a roasting chicken, marinated in pinot noir red wine with onions, carrots, celery, pepper, garlic and herbs and cooked with mushrooms and bacon) ‘’Epaule d’agneau aux flageolets’’ (roasted lamb shoulder with flageolet beans) or .. a good ‘’Moroccan Tagine’’, and why not a "Vietnamese lunch’’ including ‘’nems’’ (very small crunchy egg rolls served with lettuce and fresh mint leaves that you dip into a nioc-mam-based sauce) and lemongrass chicken. As you can see there is not much seafood in that list. I eat fish only when I am invited in a fancy seafood restaurant, never in a bistrot. And as you know I do not like shellfish, like mussels (even though they are very commonly served in Parisian bistros in a fragrant ‘’marinière’’ broth), or oysters and clams that are more popular in brasseries than in bistrots. The only fish-based bistro dish that I like is ‘’Brandade de morue’’ (salt cod gently cooked in milk then pureed with olive oil, sometimes with young potatoes, and optionally with a touch of garlic) .It is delicious as an appetizer when served with garlic toasts. Brandade is one of the few food specialties that was created in my native town of Nîmes. And, only occasionally, I do not mind ordering when they are very well prepared, once again as an appetizer, ‘’Harengs marinés pommes à l’huile’’ (herrings marinated in onions, carrots, spices and white wine, served with lukewarm sliced young potatoes in an oil dressing). As far as appetizers are concerned, some of my favorites first courses would be: ‘’Terrine de canard aux pistaches’’ (duck country terrine with pistachios) ‘’Terrine de lapin aux noisettes’’ (rabbit terrine with hazelnuts), ‘’Saucisson chaud en croûte’’,(warm pork sausage baked in a crust of pastry dough) ‘’Poireaux vinaigrette’’ (leeks served lukewarm with a mustardy vinaigrette sauce) ‘’Poêlée de girolles ou de cèpes aux échalottes ’’ (chanterelle or porcini mushrooms sautéed with shallots) And my super-favorite: ‘’Aligot’’, a very rich, smooth but very filling dish from the area of Aveyron in Auvergne, made of melted fresh Tomme (cheese) d’Auvergne mixed with mashed potatoes, cream, butter and garlic. The meal should end with a very good “plateau de fromages’’ (cheese tray) including necessarily some of my favorites: Camembert, Cantal, Roquefort, Tomme de Savoie, and Banon. For desserts, I would choose either a ‘’Tarte Tatin’’ (caramelized pear Tart), or a ‘’Sorbet au cassis’’ (black currant sorbet).

There are many bistrots in Paris that serve several variations of these dishes.

I cannot guarantee that the following places are still as good as they were the last time I was there, in some case a few years back, but nevertheless here are a few suggestions: For tasty terrines I would go to: LA BICHE AU BOIS 45 avenue Ledru-Rollin, in the 12th arrondissement (near Gare de Lyon) or CHEZ LA VIEILLE also known as ‘’ADRIENNE’’, 1 rue Bailleul, in the 1th. But ASTIER, 44 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud in the 11th, has also some very flavorful terrines. (but see my precautionary comments about this restaurant farther down) For ‘’Aligot’’ I would go without any hesitation to the great l’AMBASSADE d’AUVERGNE, 22 Rue du Grenier Saint-Lazarre, in the 3rd, or at l’AUBERGE AVEYRONNAISE, 40 rue Lamé, in the 12th. If you do not mind a slightly weird decor and ambiance, try CHANTAIRELLE 17, rue Laplace, in the 5th for other authentic and very tasty specialties from Auvergne. For a ‘’Lapin à la moutarde’’, I would choose MONSIEUR LAPIN, 11 rue Raymond Losserand, in the 15th, a restaurant whose decor and specialties are entirely devoted to the rabbit , or ASTIER. For a good ‘’Gigot d’agneau de 7 heures’’, you could try the quaint LE SQUARE TROUSSEAU 1 rue Antoine Vollon, in the 12th, but it has been one of WADJA’s best specialties for years, 10 Rue de la Grande Chaumière, in the 6th. There are many places in Paris where you can eat a decent ‘’Cassoulet’’. Try LA TABLE d’AUDE, 8 rue de Vaugirard in the 6th, or D’CHEZ EUX 2 Avenue de Lowendal, in the 7th, or IL ETAIT UNE FOIS DANS LE SUD-OUEST 8 rue Gustave Flaubert, in the 17th. For a traditional ‘’Coq au Vin’’ in a delightful retro decor try ‘’AU MOULIN A VENT’’, 20 Rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard, in the 5th. La BICHE AU BOIS also has a very decent one For ‘’Cuisses de canard confit avec pommes sarladaises’’ The best, but most expensive choice would be the ‘’Michelin-starred’’ AU TROU GASCON 40, rue Taine, in the 12th. But you can find some very edible and cheaper versions at LA FONTAINE de MARS, 129 Rue Saint-Dominique, in the 7the (same precautionary comments as for Astier) or at L’AMBASSADE DU SUD-OUEST, 46 Avenue de la Bourdonnais, in the 7th. I also remember a very pleasant confit at ‘’LES VIGNES DU PANTHEON’’, rue des Fossés Saint-Jaques, in the 5th. A good ‘’Epaule d’agneau’’ can sometimes be found at a very good bistro owned by a Basque chef, LE TROQUET, 21 Rue François Bonvin, in the 15th. Some of these dishes are also very good when they are on the menu at LE BUISSON ARDENT, 25 Rue Jussieu, in the 5th and sometimes at THOUMIEUX, 79 Rue Saint-Dominique in the 7th, a very charming and old-fashioned place. For an authentic ‘’Choucroute garnie à l’Alsacienne’’, as well as other Alsatian specialties and great wines, my all-time favorite is l’ALSACO, 10 Rue Condorcet, in the 9th. The owner's behavior is sometimes unpredictable, but he has the best sources in Alsace for good quality products and wines. The best ‘’ Plateau de fromages’’ included in a prix fixe menu is at ASTIER.

• You may be surprised that I mention ASTIER quite often, but for many years it was my favorite address in Paris for “comfort food”. You may also remember that on September 11, 2001, when you finally landed on your American Airlines flight from San Francisco, I called you on your cell phone to make sure that you were all right and to let you know that my flight from Paris to Hanover, Germany, where I should have been that night, was canceled. Since your business dinner with your contacts in Paris was also canceled, we found ourselves by chance in Paris at the same time that day. We were both exhausted, physically and emotionally by the traveling and the horror of the news of the day. So I suggested to have dinner at ASTIER to try to lift our spirits and relax a bit. It had been a terrible day but I am a bit ashamed to admit that it was a memorable meal. But unfortunately ASTIER was acquired by new owners in 2006 and what I read leads me to believe that the place is not as spectacular and convivial that it had been for so many years.

Finally, if the idea of eating a non-French meal in Paris does not turn you off, go for a Moroccan ‘’Couscous Royal ’’ or a good ‘’Tagine with candied lemon’’ at ESSAOUIRA, 135 Rue du Ranelagh in the 16th, and for a nice vietnamese lunch at LE PALANQUIN, Rue Princesse, in the 6th or at LE BAMBOU, 70 rue Baudricourt, in the 13th.

Now, let’s talk about two really typical French rustic dishes that are the perfect comfort food on a wintry night: Poule au Pot and Pot au Feu

 They are in fact cousins having a common link: Meat and vegetables in a broth that you let simmer in a “pot” on the “fire” (feu) for a relatively long time.

1. POULE AU POT (Chicken in the Pot).
 
As you know I am not much of a royalist but this dish always reminds me of my only favorite French king, HENRY IV (1553-1610), nicknamed ‘’ Le bon roi Henri’’ or ‘’ Le Vert Galant’’ (since he was not only a bon vivant who love good food and good wines but also an attractive and sensual fellow who was quite successful with beautiful young ladies) . Before becoming King of France in 1589, he was called Henri roi de Navarre since he was from the French Southwest area of BEARN, that includes the ‘’Pays Basque’’, a region that was at the time part of a pretty large kingdom on both sides (Spanish and French) of the Pyrénées mountains. It is also a region that keeps beautiful and colorful culinary traditions.
I like HENRI IV for several reasons: He was the only king who was very close to the French people and always tried to better their living conditions, especially the peasants and the underprivileged. He was the only protestant (Huguenot) king we ever had and did a lot to preserve the rights of the ‘’Calvinists’’ to practice their religion in those troubled and violent times of religious wars. But unfortunately he was forced to abjure his religion and become a catholic to save civil peace in France and later was assassinated by a fanatic catholic. His two most famous quotes are: ‘’ Paris is well worth one mass’’ to explain why he decided to abjure the protestant religion; and ‘’ My wish, if God let me live long enough, is that that every French ploughman (peasant using a plough) in my kingdom, even the poorest, can put a chicken in the pot every Sunday.’’
Some people still think that the ‘’poule au pot ‘’ originated in the Béarn area. Perhaps; But in any cases ‘’la Poule au Pot’’ is not a recipe created by Henri IV.

• In fact this dish has a long tradition in France that goes back to the end of the Middle-ages period. In those days people used heavy cauldrons that they put directly on open fire, either in the fireplace or outside in the farm yard. They would put everything and anything they could find in terms of vegetables and meats in a large amount of water in the cauldron and let the whole mix simmer for a long time. So, at the beginning, the pot-au-feu had more or less the same formula as the poule au pot.

There are multiple ways to prepare this dish. Here is a simple one.
 
It is very difficult nowadays to find an older hen that normally should constitute the main component according to the traditional French recipes. So most cooks use a roasting chicken instead. Some French people, as well as the few restaurants cooks who still propose this dish on their menus, stuff the chicken with a mixture of ground or finely diced Bayonne ham, bread crumbs soaked in a little milk, minced onion and garlic, chopped chicken liver, 1 beaten egg, chopped parsley and a couple of spices like nutmeg. But most cooks just simply use the whole chicken without any stuffing. In the basic recipe, which is the way your mom prepares her own delicious but simple version, first you fill a large cooking pot or kettle with about 6 quarts of cold water. Add the chicken with its legs tied up (trussed if the cavity of the chicken is stuffed, but your mom does not stuff her chicken), One or two large peeled onions studded with one clove, one finely sliced large leek with some of the green portion remaining, thoroughly cleaned and rinsed, 1 large sliced peeled carrot, about ten sprigs of parsley roughly chopped, 10 black peppercorns and 5 peeled whole cloves of garlic. Add one bay leaf and three teaspoons of dry thyme. Most people also add a stalk or rib of celery but your mother does not since I do not like celery.
You want to bring the whole thing to a boil and then reduce the flame so that it gently simmers, uncovered, for one hour. Then you add 5 to 6 leeks cut to an 8 inch length, cleaned, trimmed, cross-split vertically in the green portion and tied in a bundle with a piece of string, 4 medium turnips, peeled and quartered, 8 carrots peeled, trimmed and quartered crosswise, 1 Tb of coarse salt and some freshly ground pepper from the mill. You let the whole thing continue to simmer for 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. Make sure that there is always enough water in the pot to cover the ingredients and that it simmers gently but never boils.
Serve and carve the chicken in a large ceramic plate, surrounded by the vegetables. The meat sometimes literally falls from the bone but the pieces should remain firm but moist and tender. The broth can be reduced separately in a smaller pot and served in a separate bowl or tureen.
At home we eat steamed cous-cous along with the vegetables and the poule au pot, but most people eat small peeled young boiled potatoes, either cooked in the broth with the chicken for 20 minutes at the end of the cooking cycle, or boiled separately. Some people serve this dish with noodles cooked for 5 or 6 minutes in the broth. Make sure that a small bowl or cup of coarse salt or even better ‘’ fleur de sel’’, from Camargue or Brittany, is placed on the table so that the guests can put a little bit of it on the side of their plate.

• I would recommend drinking either a MERCUREY (red burgundy from the Côte Chalonaise area), a red SANCERRE (from Central France) or a COTES DE CASTILLON (red Bordeaux).

In Paris, only a handful of restaurants still serve this dish. The most celebrated one since the early thirties is LA POULE AU POT, 9 Rue Vauvilliers, in the 1st , in the old ‘’Les Halles’’ district, where many late-nighters still eat after a show, a concert, or a gallery opening. The original owner, the famous Madame Suzanne Perniquet sold the restaurant in the early fifties, but subsequent new proprietors kept her famous recipe alive on their menu. The decor and ambiance are quite nice.  

2. POT-AU-FEU (Pot in the Fire)

This is another dish that has been in existence in various forms, probably since the end of the 18th century during the revolution. But its real origins are similar to those of the poule au pot, the iron cauldron in which peasants boiled various pieces of meats and vegetables that they added, day after day, in more or less the same broth..
Some French food historians think that it was the “king of chefs”, Marie-Antoine Carême, (1784-1833) who published the first recipe for what is now known as Pot-au-feu a few years after the revolution when an emerging French ‘’middle-class’’ started to cook more elaborate meals at home. Carême is recognized as the chef who changed the French cuisine at the begining of the 19th century, created what could be called nowadays the concept of ‘’Haute cuisine’’ and codified its principles. In any cases he is believed to have written the first real French cookbook.
Modern French chefs, over the last 35 years have developed a tendency to create all kinds of variations of ‘’pot-au-feu’’, the most popular being ‘’pot-au-feu de la mer’’ (seafood pot-au-feu) and ‘’pot-au-feu de cochon’’ (pot-au-feu of pig meat). One of the most celebrated and influential chefs of the new generation that came into the spotlight in the early seventies and invented what would be called "La Nouvelle Cuisine’’ was Michel Guérard. He became famous with his concept of ‘’cuisine minçeur’’ (cooking method allowing you to stay fit and trim while eating very well) in his famous restaurant of LES PRES d’EUGENIE in Eugénie-Les-Bains in Southwest France, near the Spanish border. But before that he had made a name for himself in a small bistrot that he had launched in 1965 in Asnières sur Seine, an obscure suburb of Paris. He called that place, where he created the bases of a new lighter approach to traditional ‘’cuisine ménagère’’, LE POT AU FEU.
It was perhaps in memory of his parents who, during World War II, were butchers in Normandy, and explained why Guérard’s first love was meat. LE POT AU FEU, after two difficult first years of operation, became one of the most acclaimed and fashionable restaurants of the Paris area and was rewarded 2 stars by Michelin in 1970. Another big star of the new French cooking school, Joël Robuchon, created a famous ‘’ Pot-au-feu aux 5 viandes’’ (5 meats pot-au-feu) that incorporated beef, veal, lamb, chicken and duck.

The ultimate pot-au-feu ?
 
But the most celebrated and imitated pot-au-feu was derived from a set of guidelines from an ‘’imaginary” gastronome, DODIN-BOUFFANT, born from the litterary creativity of a Swiss author from Geneva, Marcel Rouff who, in 1924 wrote a book, “LA VIE ET LA PASSION DE DODIN-BOUFFANT”. This book describes the life and the food creativity of this man who never existed but might have been inspired by CURNONSKY, the famous gastronome and food critic who was a personal friend of Rouff. This pot-au-feu was served in ”quatre services” (four courses) and included sausage, beef, veal shank, fowl, and foie gras. Several well-known Parisian chefs from the late sixties and early seventies created adaptations of this famous dish and used their own creativity and special techniques to modernize it. Among them were RAYMOND OLIVER , who was the super-chef of LE GRAND VEFOUR for 36 years, and JACQUES MANIERE, who launched the techniques of “La Cuisine Vapeur” (Cooking with steam) in the late seventies early eighties. MANIERE, when I lived in Paris from 1963 to 1970, was the chef of two marvelous restaurants in the 5th arrondissement that I loved: AU PACTOLE and later a place called precisely....DODIN-BOUFFANT.
More recently in late 2005 and early 2006, the chef of the restaurant of the famous HOTEL MEURICE, one of the most refined and luxurious hotels in Paris that has a magnificent dining-room and a great young chef Yannick Alleno, re-created what he called “ Le Grand Pot-au-feu DODIN- BOUFFANT”. It was a very audacious and filling affair served first in four and later in five courses for at least two persons, that the restaurant had on the menu at a cost of 150 euros per person. If you went there with a companion and ordered adequate good Burgundy wines, the total cost for two might be over 550 euros ($715) Another well-known 19th century “gastronome”, BRILLAT-SAVARIN , to whom Rouff dedicated his book on Dodin-Bouffant, had also a recipe for the perfect Pot-au-feu. And it inspired many chefs of the 20th century.

What about a more traditional pot-au-feu?
 
Many restaurants in different French regions use all kinds of different pieces and cuts from various animals, and sometimes mix them together. I have nothing against well-known regional variations like the ‘’potée’’ from either Lorraine or Auvergne where various pork-based ingredients are more prevalent than beef, and where the main vegetable is cabbage, since they can be as comforting and flavorful. In fact there are hundreds of recipes and formulas to produce a pot-au-feu. But I will limit myself to the traditional old-fashioned approach: The all-beef pot-au-feu...
Now, if you are a French person living in the U.S. and wishing to reproduce the same kind of flavor from the same kind of beef cuts that you were used to in France when preparing a traditional pot-au-feu, you will face a major obstacle as soon as you enter the butcher shop. As you know, the French cut their beef carcasses in a very different way than American meatpackers do over here. Besides how are you going to translate in American the equivalent of the traditional French pieces that you need for a pot-au-feu? Assuming of course that you know a real butcher who cuts his own pieces of beef and that you do not have to rely solely on the meat department of a supermarket, where everything is prepackaged and where the choices are limited to steaks, ground beef, roasts, and perhaps beef stew. So let me tell you what cuts are used in France and what are their approximate American equivalents. I had to research that question recently for a very specific reason. I was at KIKI’s BISTRO in Chicago, like every Friday for lunch, and a few tables away from mine, there was a high school French teacher who was eating pot-au-feu with around 10 of her students. Obviously, she did not know howto define in French the different pieces of beef that were in their plates, so she asked the waiter. He came to see me for help and I went to her table to explain that I knew the translation of two of the pieces but that I had to do some research in my books at home after talking to the chef to know exactly what kind of American cuts he was using. I e-mailed her my reply along with a recipe in English the following day.

In France most restaurants would use three different cuts of beef to make a pot-au-feu. The most popular pieces would probably be

Pointe de culotte = Rump pot roast (many think that this piece is as essential a component as the ribs or Paleron or macreuse = Shoulder or Chuck pot roast Plat de côtes (sometimes called plates côtes) = Short ribs (fat trimmed) Gîte à la noix = Bottom Round But some other cooks s would also use : Milieu de poitrine = Brisket and possibly Tranche Grasse = Sirloin tip A piece of boned beef shank is also a good option. Most cooks would also add a few pieces of oxtail, sometimes to replace the ribs, and, of course, several small marrow bones, that you want to keep in some cheesecloth while cooking so that the marrow does not dissolve into the broth. The essential rule is to have 3 different types of meat, one with some fat in it, one with some bones and tendons producing some gelatin, and a leaner and more meaty cut. You will tie the ribs and and the pot roast with some string.
You will use two sets of vegetables and herbs: One that will cook in the broth with the bones and the first part of the meat: Onions (studded with cloves), leeks, carrots, celery ribs, possibly parsnips, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns. The other one that you will add several hours later and that you will eat with the meat: carrots, leeks, turnips.

• Since there are lots of different options depending on the types of meats and the number of servings to prepare the pot-au-feu, I will not give you a specific recipe here. You can find some good ones on the following sites: http://frenchfood.about.com/ that offers both a traditional and a simplified version of the dish http://www.epicurious.com/ http://www.foodnetwork.com/ And of course you can always count on “Mastering the art of French Cooking” by Julia Child. And " French Regional Cooking" by Ann Willan provides also a very good recipe.
• And just for the fun of it read the "pot shots" chapter in the very interesting and funny book by a well-known food critic , Jeffrey Steingarten: "It must have been something I ate".

But be prepared to spend at least 2 hours of preparation and 3 to 4 hours of simmering. In fact many cooks start the day before it is supposed to be served since the real pot-au-feu is cooked in 3 different stages. This dish is normally served in two courses. First you eat the broth that has bean degreased and reduced. Then you eat the meats with the vegetables and put some of the warm marrrow on pieces of toast. Make sure that you have the proper accompanying condiments: 3 different types of French mustard including Dijon and Moutarde de Meaux. Some good quality coarse salt, like sel de Guérande for example. Horseradish, cornichons (French pickled gherkins), and small pickled white onions.

Some red wines that you may want to drink with your pot-au-feu:


A red Saumur-Champigny, a Moulin à Vent (from the Beaujolais), a red Côtes de Duras, or in more robust tone a good Saint-Emilion. But a red Chassagne-Montrachet or a Santenay (both from Burgundy) would also fit the bill quite nicely.

And if you are in PARIS in the heart of winter, here a few addresses to eat a traditional pot-au-feu:
 
CHEZ LA VIEILLE (Adrienne) 1 rue Bailleul, in the 1st LA TOUR DE MONTLHERY (CHEZ DENISE) 5 rue des Prouvaires, in the 1st LE QUINCY 28 avenue Ledru-Rollin, in the 12th RESTAURANT DE LA TOUR 6 Rue Desaix, in the 7th.
But in no way should you go to LE ROI DU POT AU FEU, for some 30 years the Parisian reference, that nowadays is just a ‘’tourist trap’’. Bon Appétit...

Winter Bistro Cuisine

Hi Dad, As you know bistro cuisine has always been my favorite. I was wondering what are some common winter comfort foods you would find in a bistro this time of year. The one that quickly comes to mind is "pot au feu" but I'm trying to think of a few more and I'm drawing a blank. Can you enlighten me a bit around common traditional winter bistro dishes? Love Stephane

MY FAVORITE FILMS OF 2006

MY FAVORITES FILMS OF 2006 Stéphane, This vintage year was no better, I’m afraid, than 2005. A few independent good American productions ranked above the mediocrity of the commercial crap that the Hollywood machine inundated the world market with. So, once again I had to rely on NETFLIX to see half a dozen great films, since I did not go to France in 2006 and was therefore deprived of my regular blood transfusions. You will find two separate lists here below. The first one of films I have seen in Chicago theaters. The second one of films I rented and saw at home on my DVD player. In any case, let’s hope that the 30 interesting foreign films that were screened in various film festivals in 2006, Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin, etc. will eventually be distributed in the U.S. either in DVD, or shown in “art houses” or local mini-festivals. LIST 1: Films I have seen in Chicago theaters: 1.THE ILLUSIONIST Neil Burger, USA I am usually a bit skeptical about indie films shot in period costumes and in foreign ‘’decors” pretending to be big budget movies with relatively well-known actors but directed by practically unknown new directors. But this time I was more than pleasantly surprised by the mastery of Neil Burger (his only other film was “Interview with the assassin”) in creating an authentic and visually stunning romantic film. Adapted from a short story by Millhauser taking place in Vienna around 1900, it allows Burger to demonstrate an incredibly assured talent in story-telling, actors directing (both Edward Norton as the magician and Paul Giamatti as the Vienna police chief inspector are very convincing), and above all in creating shots that almost reminded me at times of the directing style of Max Ophuls and Visconti. Besides this tale of intrigue, deception, class differences, beauty, and ‘’magic’’, is also one of the most exciting love story I have seen on an American screen for a long time. And I am ready to bet that the leading lady, Jessica Biel, will be seen again in a bigger role in a not too distant future. 2. THREE TIMES Hou Hsiao Hsien, Taiwan HHH is one of my favorite Asian directors. Some of his previous films, like “Flowers of Shanghai”, “Good Men Good Women”, “Goodbye South, Goodbye”, or “Puppet Master”, are considered by many film critics as small masterpieces. This time we are dealing with a very challenging stylistic essay. HHH tells three different stories taking place in Taiwan in 1966, 1911, and 2005 and dealing with the traditional Asian themes of self-respect, individual independence, and love. But the originality of the treatment comes from the fact that the two lead-actors playing the major parts in each segment are the same ones. A real tour de force since they manage to adopt completely different personas and physical looks in each episode. Visually spectacular. 3. THE FORSAKEN LAND Vimukhti Jayasundara, Sri Lanka In 2005 my big surprise of the year was a film coming from Thailand: “Tropical Malady”. This year the cultural surprise comes from a director from Sri Lanka, Vimukthi Jayasundara, who describes the very difficult, painful, and sometimes explosive relationships between the members of a very dysfunctional family. The father, a depressed and not too motivated reserve soldier, his sister and his adulterous wife live in a decrepit house in the middle of a desolate no man’s land at the end of a civil war fragile cease-fire. The way his camera explore the desolate landscape around the house is sometimes deliberately slow and irritating, but this film nevertheless offers a very rich study of the supernatural dimensions space, sounds, and real time, can reach in serious cinematographic “mise en scene”. I sometimes thought of Bergman’s “The Silence” while watching this haunting movie. 4. THE DEPARTED Martin Scorsese, U.S.A. He is back to great shape. One of the most gifted and intelligent directors of his generation is reaching the top of his art in this fast paced, very stimulating, and visually eye-popping saga describing the daily dangerous lives of two moles, one infiltrated by a mob boss in the police headquarters, and the other by the police in the same gangster’s organization. It is sometimes pure thriller, sometimes almost documentary style. I was not that thrilled by Matt Damon’s job, but Leonardo di Caprio demonstrates in a very convincing way the very wide scope of his acting talent. And it is good to see Martin Sheen, as the police captain, in a deeply thoughtful role that is way better that his tired depiction of the president in the “West Wing”. As the old mobster, Jack Nicholson once again is often overplaying, but he is obviously enjoying himself tremendously in one of the most ambiguous roles of his long career. But all the supporting actors are also wonderful. As in most Scorsese films, the cinematography and editing technique are top notch. By the way, this film is a very faithful remake of a very good movie from Hong Kong: “Infernal Affairs”. 5. STRANGER THAN FICTION Marc Foster, U.S.A When I saw its trailers in a theater, I thought this film was going to get on my nerves. But, in spite of its many script implausibilities and sometimes too far-fetched or over-scripted situations, I got totally captivated by the charm of this romantic comedy-drama, that is very cleverly directed by German-born Marc Forster, whose previous big success, “Monster’s Ball”, I had not seen. He has a very uncommon fluid way to control the narrative process of the complex story line (an IRS auditor is persuaded that his life and possibly upcoming death are written and programmed by a book writer) and he astutely balances the playing styles of his very unusually cast actors. Will Ferrell, of SNL fame, proves that he is much more than an accomplished TV comedian. Dustin Hoffman, as a professor of literature transformed against his will as a sort of shrink, finds one of his most interesting roles in recent years. And Maggie Gyllenhaal, as the baker and love interest with a very strong independent personality, projects one of the best feminine presence I have seen in an American movie for a long time. Only Emma Thompson, as the neurotic author, did not entirely convince me that she was not miscast. But the role of her “assistant” is played in a very subdued but efficient and original way by Queen Latifah. In any cases, it is one of the few recent American films that leaves you excited, both emotionally and intellectually, for many hours after you have left the theater. 6. VOLVER Pedro Alomodovar, Spain From “Matador” and “Labyrinth of Passions” in 1982 and 1996 to “All about my mother” and “Talk to her” ( 2002) , I have always considered the Spaniard Pedro Almodovar as one of the most accomplished author-directors of the European cinema. He is a master not only in the art of framing and in his very personal use of colors to express emotions and symbols. But he is above all probably the best director of women since Ingmar Bergman. It is very interesting to note that this very passionate man, whose defense of sexual plurality has been a trademark in many of his films, has probably written the best and most psychologically intricate parts, often involving very demanding and “risqué” situations, an adult or even mature actress can dream of. We are involved once again in a very melodramatic story where a provincial and bored housewife, a superb Penelope Cruz, tries to cover for her daughter who has accidentally killed her father who was trying to rape her. The process involves other women and neighbors in various locations including her native village, and even this woman’s mother (Carmen Maura) that everybody thought she was dead. The whole film is a delightful and balanced exercise between reality and phantasms, love and despair, life and death, tragedy and black humor, in a typical Spanish way. A must see. 7. THE AURA Fabien Bielinski, Argentina Bielinski, another Spanish-speaking writer-director, this time from Argentina, died suddenly in his mid-forties shortly after completing the editing of this movie. It is sad because The Aura was only his second feature film and it is so extraordinary, both in terms of storytelling and of cinematic values, that you will always wonder what kind of wonderful career he might have developed. Even though it could be described as a gangster noir film, it is in fact more of an almost surreal tale of the adventures of an epileptic man, a taxidermist dreaming of the perfect bank robbery, who get caught in an infernal situation involving the heist of a casino during a hunting trip with another man in the forests of Patagonia. The rhythm of the movie is disconcerting, sometimes very dreamy and slow moving, sometimes violent and nightmarish. But the mood and the description of the relationship between men, nature, and violence are very absorbing. It can sometimes evoke the memory of films lake “Deliverance” and “Tropical Malady”. 8. PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION Robert Altman, U.S.A. I am not an unconditional fan of Altman. I think that some of his films like “Mc Cabe and Mrs. Miller”, “Nashville”, “The Wedding”, “The long Goodbye”, ‘‘Short Cuts”, or “Gosford Park”, are little treasures of the American cinema. But many others, like “The Company” , “Prêt à porter”, “Come back to Five and Dime”, are in my opinion either poorly scripted, lazily directed, or totally boring. This is why I am so happy that the last film he completed before dying a couple of months ago, will be recognized as one of his best. It renews with the tradition of “Nashville” and its to-ings and fro-ings, chance encounters, frustrated performers and lovers, impromptu funny dialogs, and above all this particular and contagious love that Altman had for his actors, who almost constituted an “ensemble”. Garrison Keillor brings such a forceful natural presence to his own “character” that you actually believe that you are participating in one of his shows. Besides, he proves to be a “natural” wonderful actor. Kevin Kline is marvelous as Guy Noir, but the other members of the cast, Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep as a very "painful" sisters singing duet, John C. Reilly, Maya Rudolph, and Tommy Lee Jones as the bad Texan guy, are equally stimulating. The strange number by Virginia Madsen was a bit out of place and style. But do yourself a favor and rent that very satisfying film on a quiet winter Sunday night. 9. THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA Tony Lee Jones, U.S.A I have been so frustrated by the complete disappearance of the “western” film genre from American screens for the last quarter of a century that this first directorial endeavor by an iconic American actor was a real treat for me. As a matter of fact I cannot wait to see it a second time on DVD to catch all the subtleties of the script, the editing, and the actors direction of this very exciting piece of pure cinema I missed when I saw it in a theater. I was probably too absorbed by both the storyline and the beauty of the cinematography by the very gifted Chris Menges. This scenario, written by the author of “Amores Perros”, is based on some true facts, and it involves a Texas rancher (Tommy Lee Jones) who forces a border patrolman (Barry Pepper) who killed his Mexican employee and friend, the Estrada of the title, to travel with him and the semi-mummified corpse to the native Mexican village where he wants to honor his promise to bury him there. Of course they will face many obstacles on their journey through mountains and deserts. The stunning landscapes of South Western Texas, just North of the Rio Grande where the film was shot are close to Jones’s own place of birth. All the elements of a “western” from the late fifties are revived here, but, since it takes place in the late nineties, there is definitely an added touch of very contemporary cynical and political point of view. 10. L’ARMEE DES OMBRES (ARMY OF SHADOWS) Jean-Pierre Melville, France (1969) I missed this film when it was released in Paris in June of 1969 (Stéphane, you will probably understand why…) and I always felt frustrated by this gap in my extended knowledge and admiration of most (but not all) 14 Melville’s films, since I had read many times that it was probably not only his best film but also the best film ever made on the subject of the French Resistance to the nazi occupation between 1940 and 1944. As you know Stéphane, my early childhood years took place in occupied France and I have always been fascinated by stories, and movies, related to this painful period of our history. So when this first complete version (sort of a director’s cut) was released for the first time in the U.S. in April 2006, I was very happy to find out that not only it was an incredibly fresh and contemporary piece of cinema, but also that the situations and characters described in this film were able to have a very deep emotional impact on me 63 years after they occurred. It is impossible to encapsulate the very complex story line. The film is based both on Joseph Kessel’s book of the same title published in a clandestine way in 1943, and on Melville’s own experience as an active resistance fighter when he was a young man. So all the events, the daily life episodes, and the extreme dangers faced by the “resistants” described in this film are based on real people and authentic stories. The cinematography, in fascinating cold blue-grey hues that became a trademark of some of the Melville’s films (like “The Samourai”) and the very precise scene-cutting and final editing, could be discussed in film schools as examples of close to perfection film-making. And above all the direction of some of the best French actors of the late fifties and sixties (Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Paul Crochet, Serge Reggiani, and an incredible performance as Mathilde by the great Simone Signoret) is masterful. A gem not to be missed. Do not be late since the first 2 minutes are breathtaking. Runner ups: L’ENFANT Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Belgium Originally this film was in my 10 best list. But I realized that I did not like it with the same enthusiasm that I felt for “ROSETTA”, or “Le FILS” the two precedent films by the Belgian brothers. This story of a “childish’’ unemployed and not too bright young man (Jeremie Renier, who was the adolescent “star” of the Dardenne first feature film, “ La promesse”) , also a small-time thief and wheeler-dealer, who decides to sell the new-born baby his girl friend just had, takes place as usual in the bleak environment of a Belgian industrial city, like the Dardenne’s first 3 films. At first sight there is nothing very sexy or appealing in this pathetic story. But the way the Dardenne follow their characters with a lot of sympathetic close scrutiny force you to practically enter into their minds and become part of their small personal dramas and idiosyncrasies. The intensity of the action, without the help of any artificial effect or music, increases all the way to the end. The cinematography is a model of efficiency: not a single shot or frame that is not absolutely necessary. This film is what I would call a perfect example of an anti-aesthetic cinema. THE QUEEN Stephen Frears, England I regard Stephen Frears, along with Ken Loach, as one of the most reliable and creative contemporary English directors. What is fascinating is his capacity to adapt his solid film-making techniques to the type of story he is filming while keeping a very personal style. He spent most of his career working as a TV director, and it probably gave him this very good capacity to adapt to all kind of genres. Even though they have completely different subjects, time periods, and types of characters, films like “Dangerous Liaisons”, “My beautiful launderette”,“Samy and Rosie get laid”, or “Prick-up your ears” all share the same elegance and stylistic fluidity in story-telling. I was very reluctant to go see “The Queen” since I am not too fond of stories about the British royals. But I was completely taken by the precision of the script-writing and its quite bold comments on the relationships between the royal family, the British citizenry, and the press, during the Diana story, and I enjoyed Frear’s masterful control of his story-telling process from the beginning to the end of the movie. The cinematography is very seductive. And of course the actors performances, Helen Mirren’s interpretation of Elizabeth II is almost painful, are very convincing, as it is often the case in British films. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, USA At long last a non-vulgar, and very joyful comedy. This is the story of a very loony family including a depressed and suicidal uncle, a marvelous super-angry, sex-obsessed, but affectionate grandpa (Alan Arkin), a rebellious and nihilist adolescent, an often stupid and inconsiderate father who is selling methods to achieve success, and a mother on the verge of a nervous breakdown (Toni Colette) riding an out of shape Volkswagen bus to California. They are trying to arrive on time to allow the young daughter to compete in a beauty contest. Of course the trip will be full of unexpected events, including the death of the grand-father whose corpse, compacted in the trunk, will have to travel with them all the way to the end in order to be buried. The whole thing is at the same time very refreshing and thought provoking. The directing is very efficient and serves a very astute screenplay and sharp dialogs. 2: Films I rented and saw on my DVD player: 1. HENRI LANGLOIS, The PHANTOM OF THE CINEMATHEQUE Jacques Richard, France, 2003 This long but fascinating saga of the life-long passionate and constant efforts of a Frenchman, Henri Langlois, to save thousands of films from destruction or oblivion and to constitute one of the richest library of films of all origins is a must-see film for anybody who really loves movies and the history of cinema. Hundreds of film clips and interviews of actors, directors, producers, film technicians, writers, journalists, who witnessed the colossal efforts of the man who put the Cinémathèque Française on the world map of cinema. The portrait of the man as a very controversial but also very humane and generous is in itself a fascinating study. A very grand and touching documentary. 2. LA BETE HUMAINE Jean Renoir, France, 1938 Based on one of Emile Zola’s books, this is one of the better films of the old master that was made between “La Grande Illusion” (“Grand Illusion”) in 1937 and his masterpiece “La règle du jeu” (“Rules of the game” that had just been re-released in the U.S in a brand new print) in 1939. I never had a chance to see it before and I have to admit that it is still very powerful, even if some sequences are a bit too melodramatic for a 2006 viewer. Jean Gabin, one of the most celebrated actors during his long career of over 35 years, plays a locomotive engineer who is an epileptic and is involved in a dangerous love affair with the beautiful wife of the station master played by Simone Simon. There is also a sordid situation of moral blackmail over the murder of one of her lovers. Spectacular black and white cinematography. 3. TIRESIA Bertrand Bonello, France, 2005 Bertrand Bonello is, for me, one of the most creative and original French contemporary directors. I had been totally won over his 2001 “ The Pornographer” with François Truffaut’s favorite actor: Jean-Pierre Léaud. In that film, Bonello had a totally innovative, but a bit austere, stylistic approach to composing frames and directing actors. “Tiresia” goes farther and is sometimes almost revolutionary in its narrative and shooting processes. This very haunting but different film, based on an ancient Greek mythology legend, will probably disconcert many viewers, and its subject will perhaps shock a few. Tiresia is a beautiful Brazilian transsexual prostitute who works at night in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. She is kidnapped and sequestrated in his house by a poet (Laurent Lucas from “ With a friend like Harry”) who sort of wants to dedicate his life to her beauty. But, deprived of her hormone treatment, Tiresia slowly loses her feminine attributes, and the frustrated poet blinds her/him and abandons her/him in a forest after almost killing her/him. The second part of the film narrates how Tiresia is found and brought back to his health as a beautiful young man by a young and very naive woman in a small country house. Like in the Greek legend Tiresia proves to be an oracle and is able to predict the inhabitants of the village’s future. This annoys the priest of the parish (Laurent Lucas again) who has difficult arguments with Tiresia. All this can sound weird, but in fact this is a very articulate and beautiful film, whose style sometimes reminded me of Robert Bresson’s filmic style. 4. GOOD MORNING NIGHT Marco Bellocchio, Italy, 2003 I always thought that Marco Bellochio was one the most innovative directors of the Italian New Wave of the sixties when he directed “Fists in his Pockets” (1965), “ China is near” (67), and later in 1971 “ In the name of the father”. He then, like Jean-Luc Godard, had a period of extreme-left political activism that had a very diminishing impact on his career as an international director. But later on he came back to more traditional production methods and “The leap into void” won best actor and best actress awards for two French actors ( Michel Piccoli and Anouk Aimée) at the Cannes film festival in 1980. He also had a certain success, based on scandal caused by a “real” sex scene in 1986 with “‘The Devil in the flesh”. But afterwards he was plagued by a long purgatory period marked by more misses than hits. It lasted until 2002 when he directed the beautiful and very moving “ The religion hour” ("My mother’s smile") where the great Italian actor Sergio Castellito offered the best performance of his career. And he is back to the top of his directing shape with this very dark and intimist story describing the difficult relationships between Italian prime minister Aldo Moro and his Red Brigade captors after they kidnapped and later killed him in 1978. It is a very tense, but a bit claustrophobic, piece of cinema, beautifully shot in both black and white and colors, that benefits from a very controlled actors direction and a sharp editing. 5. THE INTRUDER Claire Denis, France, 2005 Claire Denis has been one of the most creative and “free-thinking” female directors working in France since the late eighties. Several of her best films had limited distribution in the U.S. but are available in DVD: “Chocolat” (88), “No fear No die” (90), “ I can’t sleep” (94), “Nénette and Boni” (96), “Touble every day” (01), “Friday Night” (2002). But if you should rent only one of her films, it has to be “ Beau Travail” (1999), which for me is one of the most visually stunning European film of the last 10 years. Its narrative style is perhaps the most inventive and visually absorbing since Alain Resnais’s “Hiroshima my love” in 1959. In “The Intruder” she directs the same strong actor, Michel Subor, that she already used in “ Beau travail”. Jean-Luc Godard had put him for the first time in the sunlight in his 1960 second feature film, “Le petit soldat”, that was for a long time censured by the French government for his treatment of the topic of torture during the Algerian war. Michel Subor plays the role of a dying man who gets an illegal heart transplant and goes to the French South Pacific islands to find his long estranged son. Very strong stuff... beautifully shot in glorious colors and cinemascope by another great French woman- artist of the cinema: Director of photography Agnes Godard. 6. MONDAY MORNING Otar Ioselliani, France, 2002 I am always saddened by the unjust oblivion by American film distributors, and by many critics of the very original work of this Georgian director, who got so disgusted by the way he was treated by the Soviet authorities in his homeland in spite of many awards in international film fests, that he emigrated to France in the early eighties where he has been directing little gems since then. He is now a French citizen. Iossellani is a very facetious but human-loving maverick director. He claims to be influenced by the French master Jacques Tati. But in fact he has his very own originality. He creates semi-loony situations where ordinary people living either in small French towns or villages find themselves alienated in completely bizarre and sometimes dream-like intrigues or fantasies. But Ioselliani has such of love for his out of the ordinary characters and the actors who make them sound totally real, that we end-up entering his strange universe without any second thought. In "Monday morning", a French blue-collar worker in a polluting plant near Paris has sort of a melt-down and leave family and friends to embark in a strange very personal adventure in Venice, full of discoveries and new realities about himself. If you cannot find this very well-shot film, try and rent one of his earlier film: “Chasing butterflies”, its a pure little masterpiece. 7. CLEAN Olivier Assayas, France, 2004 I am a fan of Olivier Assayas, one of the most influent directors of the new New French Wave, that developed in the late eighties, early nineties. Some of his best early films, “Paris s’éveille” (Paris awakens), 1991, and “L’eau froide”(Cold water"), 1994, as well as “Late August, early September”, 1998, had very limited distribution in the U.S. But his sumptuous and very moving adaptation of a great novel by Jacques Chardonne, Les Destinées Sentimentales, was released with some success and is rented as a DVD as “ Les Destinees”. His biggest commercial in the U.S. was “Irma Vep”,1996, whose leading lady was Maggie Cheung, the famous Hong Kong actress, who became Assayas wife for a couple of years. By the way, Assayas directed a beautiful portrait of one of my favorite directors, Hou Hsiao Hsien, for a French TV channel in 1997. “Clean” tells the depressing story of the widow of a former rock star (Maggie Cheung again who won the best actress award for this performance at Cannes) who, while she spends some times in prison for drug use, has left her son with her father-in-law, a great role for Nick Nolte. She then tries, with lots of difficulties and challenges facing her, a new “clean” life in Paris. Eric Gauthier, who also won an award for this film in Cannes as best Director of photography) has created a very moody visual universe for this fascinating film. 8. INFERNAL AFFAIRS Andrew Lau, Hong Kong, 2002 After seeing Scorsese’s “ The Departed”, I had an urge to see the original Hong Kong model for his film. I was not disappointed. Internal affairs, in some ways, is almost more touching and involving that its American remake. The two actors playing the “moles”, the great Tony Leung (from “In he mood for love”) and Andy Lau, are as efficient as their counterparts in Scorsese’s film. And the role of the mob boss, played very intensely by Eric Tsang, is in some way more intriguing that Jack Nicholson’s. The cinematography is really spectacular; No wonder, the great Australian director of photography Christopher Doyle (Chungking express, Rabbit-proof fence, The quiet American etc.) was partially responsible for it. 9. MILLENNIUM MAMBO Hou Hsiao Hsien, Taiwan, 2005 I know, the same director is already part of my 10 best films seen in theaters. But I was really captivated by the rhythm and the tone of this otherwise rather not too interesting story of this B’girl and her lovers and gangster friends. It is purely because of its visual and stylistic qualities, which are nevertheless impressive, that this movie figures in this list. 10. DON’T COME KNOCKING Wim Wenders, U.S.A 2005 Why did I like so much this half failure of a movie that was panned by the majority of American critics? It is certainly not the best film by one of my favorite German directors, but it sure is one of his most personal. Sam Shepard, who also wrote the script and seems to enjoy this hyper-narcissist trip, plays the role of a very tired former star of western movies, who after he failed miserably in all his endeavors, including marital, is now in search of his unknown child in Butte, Montana. I really enjoyed the variety of the characters. I was especially overjoyed to see the marvelous Eva-Marie Saint again in a very touching appearance as Sam Shepard’s old mom. I loved the surreal quality of the cinematography by the very good German director of Photography Franz Lustig who was able to create a very eerie feeling around these landscapes of the West. And I enjoyed the courageous stand by Wenders to shoot a film as completely alienated from what the American public expects or wants nowadays.

Best Films of 2006

Hi Papa, As you know Andrea and I dont get to the movies very often as your grandson is not much for films at his young age. We wanted to get your take on what the best films from last year are as well as the best films you rented last year so we can queue up a list for weekend viewing in 2007. I'm sure you already have a nice list in your head ready for public viewing! Love Stephane

French Rum: Try Rhum agricole from Martinique

RHUM AGRICOLE DE LA MARTINIQUE: A FRENCH SPIRIT AS SMOOTH AND SENSUOUS AS A GOOD COGNAC OR ARMAGNAC. THE PERFECT HOLIDAY AFTER-DINNER DRINK

Stéphane, Funny that you asked about French rum (spelled rhum in French) after what happened to me a couple of weeks ago: Around 5:00 PM I was waiting for my bus 151 in front of my office building and it was deadly windy and cold, around 15 F, in Chicago. Standing next to me was a poor fellow who works in my building and he was sneezing and coughing, obviously hit by the early symptoms of a cold. He turned to me and said something to that matter and that he was going home and take two aspirins. I said:” better drink a grog, it’s the best natural preventive remedy I know against the early stage of a cold”. He looked at me, puzzled, and asked: “what’s that?” So I told him the recipe: ”In a coffee mug pour 1,5 oz of good quality rum, amber or gold, add 1,5 Tb of lemon juice, 1Tb of honey, a slice of lemon, and pour hot water almost up to the rim. Stir the drink and sip it while it’s warm.” He said: Sounds good. I will try it but I never had rum in my life, what should I buy? ”And my answer was:” if you want to buy a bottle just to make a few “grogs” any decent industrial rum, preferably “amber”, “gold” or “aged”, from a commercial brand from the Caribbean Islands will do: Barbancourt from Haiti, Mount Gay from Barbados, Myer’s from Jamaica, Cruzan from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Bambu from Antigua, or less preferably Bacardi from Porto Rico. But, if you don’t mind paying a little more money, and might want to enjoy that rum in other more relaxed and festive occasions than to take care of a cold, get yourself a bottle of Rhum Agricole de la Martinique, preferably “ambré”, or even better “ vieux” (old) from famous distillers like CLEMENT, BALLY, ST. JAMES, NEISSON, or LA FAVORITE. You will not regret it and I am ready to bet that after trying one of them, you will go back for more and will enjoy drinking them neat, as you would for an old bourbon, or a brandy”. I did not see this guy again since, and I do not know if he followed my advice. In France, in street cafés and bars, they use an inexpensive plain dark or golden “industrial” rum to prepare grogs. Americans until recently, have preferred light, especially white, or golden rums that they can mix in cocktails, like daiquiris, planter’s punch, Pina Coladas, Cuba libre, or Bacardis. They also enjoy drinking spiced or flavored rums. Captain Morgan is one of the biggest commercial success in that category.

But over the last 3 years, sophisticated and expensive rums have become trendy, especially in fancy bars and dance clubs. And a new class of rum drinkers has emerged: They prefer drinking “neat”, as after-dinner drinks, dark without the addition of caramel, usually “pot distilled” and aged in oak casks, age-dated rums coming from the best distilleries from producing areas such as Haiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, and Venezuela. For these connoisseurs aged dark rums are as enjoyable as good cognacs and armagnacs An amusing detail: Even though in France, in cafés and “bars-tabac” (see one of my earlier postings on the subject of French cafés and bars-tabac) many patrons used to drink grogs at the “comptoir” during harsh winter days when it was very cold and humid outside, this drink is not a French invention but an English one. The Royal Navy used to provide its sailors daily rations of brandy while at sea on long voyages. The purpose was not only to boost their morale but also to give a more acceptable flavor and cover the bad smell and taste of the “fresh water” on board that, after several days of navigation, used to get spoiled in its wooden tanks. In the 17Th century the Navy replaced the brandy with rum. But the negative impact of that strong liquor on the performance, discipline, and health of the sailors gave the idea to the famous Admiral Edward Vernon, nicknamed “Old Grog”, to mix water with the rum. Then the Royal Navy added lemon or lime juice to the daily rations since this combination not only delayed the spoilage of the water but also, the vitamin C contained in the lemon helped to protect the men from diseases like scurvy.  

 A few historical facts about rum

Rum started to be consumed in England in the middle of the 17th century. Most probably it was coming from the English-speaking Caribbean island of BARBADOS, perhaps the first place on earth where rum was distilled. Good rum is a product coming from the distillation of fermented juice or syrup coming from the sugar contained in the fibrous stalks of sugar cane, a perennial tall grass that some experts think was first growing in New Guinea (Papua) or Indonesia. The Latin name for sugarcane is Saccharum. Therefore it is often thought that the three last letters of that Latin word are at the origin of the name of the spirit . But in England they think that the word rum derives from Rumbullion, a word from the 17h century meaning “ great tumult” . This word, as well as the expression ‘’kill-devil’’, was used in the British Caribbean Islands to define rum that had the bad reputation to give nasty headaches and excite the bad behavior of its consumers. Nowadays many people agree that the growing of sugar cane was extended in several Asian regions by the Chinese and introduced to the Middle-East (and North Africa) by Arabs. That is where the French catholic crusaders found it and they brought it back with them to Europe. The Spanish, who call rum ‘ron’’, planted sugarcane in the Canary Islands, as early as the 12th or 13th century, and Christopher Columbus brought some cane from the Canaries to Hispaniola, an island shared nowadays by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, in 1493. In turn, the Portuguese conquistadors and colonizers brought sugar cane to Brazil. When the ever growing demand for sugar boomed in the 17th century, all the Caribbean islands, as well as countries of Central and South America, benefiting from the same ideal climatic conditions for this kind of cultivation, that had been colonized by the Dutch, the British, the French, the Spanish, and the Portuguese, expanded their plantations of sugar cane and subsequently of sugar mills. In the mid 1600’s , they started to ferment and distill the residual byproducts of crushed sugar cane (after extraction of the sugar juice) , and it produced a heavy gooey syrup called “molasses”. It is at that time that rum was born. As a matter of fact the majority of industrial and even some good quality rums produced in the Caribbean, Central and South America, are based on the distillation from molasses. Only in the French Antilles, and more particularly in the islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Marie Galante, is very high quality rum produced exclusively from the pure fresh juice from the cane. This rum is called RHUM AGRICOLE. Its production is very strictly controlled and these rums benefit, like some French cheeses, from an AOC (Apellation d’Origine Controlée) label. (see later in this article) Even though rum is produced in countries as diverse as Australia, Canada, Taiwan, the Philippines, Newfoundland, or Hawaii, the largest concentration of rum distillers is nevertheless located in 17 islands of the Caribbean Basin. The largest producers being Barbados, Puerto Rico, Antigua, Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, La Martinique, La Guadeloupe, the Dominican Republic, the Virgin Islands (both U.S. and British). Some noteworthy producers are also found all over Central America, and in a lesser way in some South American countries, the best rums coming from Nicaragua, Guatemala, Guyana and Venezuela. Brazil produces a lot of light cheap rum (Cachaca) Some European countries like France, the U.K, Germany and Austria import rums from the Caribbean and age, blend, and bottle them. But they are most of the time 2nd quality industrial rum.

Two additional historical notes: 1. From 1750 to the American Revolution, they were about 40 distilleries in New England making rum from molasses shipped from Caribbean sugar plantations. Then the British started to tax heavily the import of nay molasses not produced in a British islands or territories. The French did not like the loss of this lucrative markets and, as you know, enthusiastically assisted the New England revolutionaries in their fight against the Brits. 2. Rum was unfortunately used as a tool of the slave trade since the rum made in New England and the Caribbean was used as a payment of West African slaves, who were then sent to the plantations of The Caribbean, and South America to work in sugar cane fields and sugar mills. When, some years ago, your mother and I visited St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands there were many historical sites, including a museum and some old sugar mills, reminding us that this island was a major clearing and exchange center for both the rum and slave trade between West Africa, North America and Europe, particularly Denmark that for many years was ruling St. Croix.  

What are the major types of rums produced in Martinique ? La Martinique is an island located in the ‘lesser Antilles” in the Caribbean Sea, half-way between Puerto Rico and the Venezuelan coast. It has the administrative statute of a full-fledge French “departement”. The first French settlers came to Martinique in 1635. They started to export sugar around 1650. But it is the invention in 1694 by a Dominican Priest, Father Labat, of a still that will allow local sugar plants to distill the molasses. In 1767 there were 450 sugar mills in Martinique. But after 1870, the prices of sugar collapsed. And later on, in the middle of the 20th century, when a large part of the cane sugar consumed by the French was progressively replaced by sugar coming from beets, most of the sugar plantations and mills in Martinique went bankrupt. Their owners then in order to survive, got the idea to distill the fresh fermented juice extracted directly from the cane. The RHUM AGRICOLE was born and a real rum industry replaced the purely sugar-producing one. The appellation DOC for Rhum agricole was obtained in 1996. In the fifties there were around 100 distilleries left in Martinique. In 2006, only 9 of them are still active.

They produce 2 kinds of rhums:

·Rhum industriel (sometimes called rhum léger), that is produced mainly from the distillation of molasses coming from sugar mill. Only less than 25% of rhums from the Martinique are rhums industriels. ·
Rhum Agricole, that is produced either from “gros sirop” (a natural dripped “brut” sugar), or from a “sirop de batterie”, which is high concentration cane juice The cane harvest takes place in the first months of the year when the tropical weather is dry at a time when the canes are reaching their ultimate level of maturity. The harvest used to be done by hand, but now is most of the time mechanized. The stalks of cane are pressed in horizontal mills to expel the juice. The fibrous residues, called “bagasse”, are dried and burned to provide heat for the stills. The first juice called VESOU, is fermented in large vats to become sort of a wine. Then when the fermentation is complete, the Vesou is distilled in single-column copper stills made by the same French coppersmiths that build stills for Cognac producers. The resulting RHUM has an alcoholic rating of around 70%. Often it is mixed with water to reduce its alcoholic content to 50 or 60% (100 to 120 proof). It is a very transparent spirit that will stay in large vats for 2 to 6 months, to let all its natural aromas develop. At that time a part of this batch will be bottled and is sold as “rhum blanc” (white rhum). It is used mainly straight as a before dinner ‘’apéritif’’ and in cocktails and punches, etc. Some rhums blancs are also aged. But when they start to get a darker hue, they are treated to become transparent again.
The best rhums blancs come from a stage of distillation called ‘’coeur de chauffe’’. They are consumed in their youth when their velvety fresh aromas are still potent. The second part of the batch is put in oak barrels to age. All kind of different barrels, new and used, made of different kind of woods, generating various levels of tannins, vanillin, smoke flavors, are used to produce specific bouquets and distinctive aromas. If it is aged for more than 3 years, this kind of rhum can be labeled RHUM VIEUX (Old Rhum). Its beautiful different shades of colors also come from the type of wood used in the barrel. Some rhums vieux are 30 or even 50 years old. But they must be aged at least 4 years to be called VSOP and 6 years minimum for an XO ( Hors d’âge) appellation . · If this RHUM AGRICOLE is made exclusively from distilled freshly squeezed sugarcane juice, it can earn the label of Rhum Agricole de la Martinique (or de la Guadeloupe), Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée. So be suspicious of labels saying imported from France. Over the last few years, a slightly caramelized white rum, called ‘’ambré’’ or ‘’rhum paille’(if it is not caramelized), aged for around 18 months, including a few in oak vats, is getting more and more popular.  

Some reliable brands of Rhum Agricole de la Martinique that you can find in Chicago

At Sam,s La Favorite , Rhum agricole blanc, 100 proof One liter: around 29 dollars La Favorite, Rhum agricole ambré, 100 proof One liter: around 34 dollars L a Favorite, Rhum agricole Vieux, 80 proof One liter: around 48 dollars Neisson, Rhum agricole élevé sous bois (sort of ambré) 100 proof around 66.00 dollars St. James XO Rhum agricole around 24 dollars at Binny,s Rhum Clément VSOP: around 35.00 dollars Rhum agricole blanc Clément: around 30.00 dollars Rhum St. James Hors d’âge: around 30 dollars Neisson Rhum agricole Réserve Spéciale: around 65 dollars. Personally, I would go with the Neisson Réserve Spéciale and the La Favorite vieux. If you want a white for punchs or mixed drinks buy the Clément A ta santé....

French Rum

Hi Dad, I made a nice rum punch receipe the other day with some nice Carribean Rum which got me wondering about where some of the finest Rum's come from? That reminded me that you had once mentioned that there are Rums as good as Armagnac. Certainly that is not what is going into the Rum punch but I'd love to learn more about some of the Rum's you've sampled in the french Carribean and any reccomendations on a nice bottle to buy. Thanks! Stephane

French Christmas dinners

Salut Stéphane… I will try now to answer your question about traditional French Christmas dinners

When I was 11 years old I read, several times, a charming book called “ Lettres de mon Moulin” (letters from my windmill) the most well-known work of a relatively minor French author from the late 19th century, Alphonse Daudet. Like myself he was born in Nimes where the name of my High School was “Lycée Alphonse Daudet”. Even though Daudet lived most of his adult life in Paris, he loved to return to Provence to relax and observe the local people, and the imaginary narrator of this book that consists of 30 short stories and tales taking place in Provence, is supposed to live in a windmill in the small village of Fontvieille, about 7 miles northeast of Arles. That windmill called nowadays “Le Moulin de Daudet” still exists and can be visited. But Daudet himself never lived there. He just enjoyed so much one of the old abandoned windmills of Fontvieille, where flour used to be milled until the early part of the 19th century, that he decided to buy it. Even though he never completed the actual purchase, he would keep coming regularly from Paris to visit his friends in Fontvieille and spend quiet days in front of “his” decrepit windmill, enjoying the surroundings and taking notes for future stories. One of the stories of “Lettres”, “Les trois messes basses”, centers around a priest, Dom Balaguere, the chaplain of a castle in a small village of Provence. He is about to celebrate the three ritual “messes basses” (low masses) celebrated on Christmas Eve, one after the other, in the chapel of the castle for the villagers. But the poor priest does not know that his altar boy that night, Garrigou, is in fact the Devil pretending to be Garrigou. The Devil has decided to induce him in temptation of extreme gluttony and then to punish him in a terminal way through excessive eating and drinking during the “réveillon” (Christmas Eve’s traditional festive feast). So, just before mass, while they prepare in the chapel’s sacristy, Garrigou tells Dom Balaguere, with an accumulation of juicy detailed descriptions, about all the beautiful dishes, wines,desserts and liquors, that they are preparing in the kitchens of the Castle. All these goodies are part of the traditional “Repas Gras” that people in Provence used to eat after midnight mass. Garrigou describes different types of waterfowl: grouse, partridge, pheasant, etc. Then it talks about the fish courses: carps, eels, trouts. Then he describes the main traditional dish of stuffed turkey with truffles. And the wines he says will be 100 times better than the communion wine. Personally I think these wines were probably produced in either the nearby vineyards of Les Baux or even might have been some Côtes du Rhône, like perhaps a Chateauneuf-Du-Pape, located 45 miles North of Fontvieille. The priest is so excited by all these gastronomical perspectives that he accelerates the normal reading of the liturgy, bypasses several texts and chanting, and gives a furiously fast paced rhythm to the 3 masses under the encouragement of the increasingly rapid and insistent bell ringing of the demonic altar boy. Once the masses are expeditiously finished, Dom Balaguere can at last splurge at the ”Reveillon” table. But he dies from a stroke due to over-absorption of food and wine before the end of the feast. At the end of the story, he is, later on, coolly received at the entrance of Paradise by Saint Peter who gives him a special punishment… I will not tell you the end so that one day in the future you can read this entertaining book to your son Sébastien. As a matter of fact, the most famous provençal writer and film director, Marcel Pagnol, adapted and directed in 1954 a film also titled “Letters from my Windmill” which covers only 3 of the 30 short stories of the original book. But one of them is “ Les 3 messes basses”. Perhaps you could find it at Blockbusters. Video Adventures in Evanston used to carry it
 
Each French province has its own Christmas culinary traditions, but my favorites are the ones from PROVENCE.

I have been dreaming for many years to be able to return to my native area in the South of France at Christmas time and to indulge in one of those traditional special Provençal ‘Repas Gras” eaten when people return home from Midnight mass. But I am not even sure that these traditional feasts still exist. Even though each region of France has its own Christmas culinary traditions that vary often according to the products that are grown and produced locally, there is no doubt in my mind that until the fifties, Provence, along with Alsace, had the richest ones. 
In Alsace, river and lake fish like pike, carp, or trout, as well as foie gras (an institution there since it was practically invented in that region), are often followed by roasted goose with sauerkraut or red cabbage. The desserts are either ‘’bredle”. special cookies flavored with aniseed, cinnamon and almonds, Kugelhopf a nicely clock-shaped cake, or Bierawecka, a spicy fruit cake, as well as cherry soup. The fish dishes can be enjoyed with a good Riesling, the foie gras with Tokay (a pinot gris), the goose with Pinot noir, rosé or red, or a Riesling Grand Cru and the cake and pastries with Gewürztraminer or an Alsace Grand Cru Vendanges Tardives, that can also produce a good match for Foie gras en brioche. Some of the best wines from Alsace are not exported to the United-States, the level of their production and a lack of exporting structures would not allow it. But a few reliable more “commercial” Alsatian producers that I like whose wines can be found in the U.S. are: TRIMBACH, Domaines SCHLUMBERGER, KUENTZ, HUGEL, Domaines WEINBACH.  

In Brittany, special Christmas crepes are of course part of the meal.  

In Provence, families would have sort of a “thanksgiving supper” before leaving for church. It had some kind of religious connotation and was used to thank God for all the good things that happened during the year. This “Gros Souper” (Big Supper) would consist of 7 meatless dishes. It could include, after a pumpkin or squash soup, several cooked vegetables like artichokes, cauliflower, fennel or celery, sometimes served with a garlic (or anchovy) based mayonnaise (aioli). Another popular dish was cod fried in olive oil, or in a ”brandade” (cooked in milk and then mashed with olive oil and a touch of garlic). Sometimes you would eat snails boiled in a broth or grilled in the fireplace. And various salads like celery salad would be also served. After the table was set up with 3 separate fine white tablecloth, and the family’s best silver, the oldest of the children would walk around the table three times carrying a very large fruitwood log. It would be doused with spiced cooked wine by the Grandpa and placed in the fireplace. Then the family would eat this relatively frugal but copious dinner. At the end they would eat some of the “ Treize desserts” (13 desserts), that were a symbol of Jesus-Christ and his 12 apostles
The 13 desserts were essentially fresh fruits like pomegranates, tangerines, apples, pears, winter melon. Dried fruits like figs and dates and sometimes late harvest grapes. Nuts, like almonds and walnuts. This special mix of dried fruits and nuts is still called “Le mendiant” (the beggar). And of course there would be some typical regional sweets and candies, including white or black Nougat (a special candy made of sugar, honey, almonds, hazelnuts, and candied fruit,) that is a specialty of Montélimar, Calissons d’Aix (a semi-soft candy made of melon and almonds paste. Pâtes de fruits (candied fruit paste), and some pastries like mini fruit tarts and the traditional ‘’Pompe à l’huile”, a special soft sweet bread made with olive oil. The adults would drink “vin cuit” (spiced cooked wine) with these desserts. Some of these desserts would be set aside on a separate small table in case the house would have the visit of some poor people from the village, beggars, or ghosts of the ancestors of the house. Then some more spiced wine would be put into the fire, the log would be removed from the fireplace, and put on the side where it would slowly consume itself until New Year’s Eve. Or sometimes it would be wrapped and saved until next Christmas as a good luck charm. The formula for the “Gros Souper” was different from one city or village to the other according to the type of vegetables and fruits produced in the family’s garden or by the local farmers. In some families, this was the only meal on Christmas Eve. But in many others the “real thing” would be served after the midnight mass under the form of a “Repas Gras” (fat meal). It would be the ultimate “repas de réveillon”, as described in “Lettres de mon moulin”, and include game, fowl, roasts (goose, turkey, or capon, stuffed or simply roasted), and a vegetable baked dish of blets or cardoons, quite often “au gratin”. A cheese course would sometimes follow, essentially made of regional goat cheeses.  

The meal would end with the famous “ bûche de Noël”. 

The “ bûche de Noël” is in fact inspired by the traditional Christmas log mentioned earlier. It is still served traditionally at the end of any Repas de réveillon de Noël all over France. It is basically a rolled sponge cake in butter cream completely covered with a chocolate or vanilla cream coating. Some plastic figurines, dwarfs, Santa Claus, angels, reindeers, or little mushroom-shaped meringues, are implanted on top. Nowadays, lots of families prefer an iced (refrigerated) version called “bûche glaçée”. Needless to say, the next day, on December 25, cooking for lunch would be a little less elaborate. If there were guests perhaps a home-made rabbit terrine, or a “brouillade de truffes” (a truffled omelet with “crème fraiche”) would be served as a first course, followed by a roasted capon with some simple vegetables (peas, green beans, carrots, sautéed potatoes) and a salad. For dessert ,some left-over from the bûche and the “treize desserts” would be brought back to the table. And for dinner, “aigo-boulido”, the traditional simple but very tasty provençal garlic soup, would soothe overstuffed stomachs.  

Our family Christmas dinners in Reims in the late 1950’s

You Grand Maman Maes, my mother, like her mother before, was quite a good cook. In fact I learned a lot from them just watching them in the kitchen. Since we were not catholics, but calvinist protestants, there was no midnight mass for us to attend on Christmas Eve. We all went to listen to my father’s (a minister) beautiful Christmas service on Christmas morning around 10:00 AM. So the ‘‘réveillon” dinner would usually be served at around 8:00 PM. First we would drink some very good ‘’brut’’ Champagne as an aperitif , most often from KRUG, with home- made ‘’friands” or ‘’feuilletés au jambon et au fromage”. These were delicious amuses-bouche made of a delicate and slightly crunchy puff pastry interspersed with tiny flakes of ham or bacon, or laced with gruyère cheese. Then we would sit down for the first course that was often either Coquilles Saint-Jacques gratinées or Vols-au-Vent aux ris-de-veau. She baked the fresh Saint-Jacques (sea scallops) in their own shells with their beautiful red coral still attached, in a velvety butter, cream, and mushroom sauce, and covered with a light breading and a touch of melted cheese which got slightly “gratineed”. The Vols-au-Vent, delicate puff-pastry shells, were filled with tiny pieces of ris-de-veau (sweetbreads), mushrooms, and sometimes tiny shrimps, in a delicate and light béchamel sauce enhanced by a touch of white or sherry wine. A few times we had instead some very good “foie gras” as a first course. Next came the main dish: The dinde rôtie farcie au marrons (Roasted turkey with a chestnut stuffing). These birds were not as huge as their American counterparts, maybe 7 or 8 pounds at the most. But they were very juicy from both a frequent basting and the internal stuffing. That stuffing was composed of cooked peeled chestnuts, the sautéed chopped liver of the turkey, some pork sausage, tiny cubes of soft stale bread softened in a little milk, parsley, sautéed chopped onions, shallots and garlic, a little cream, cognac, thyme, sage, and of course salt and pepper. I do not remember if she put celery in it. But since I hate celery and I have a beautiful memory of that stuffing, I doubt that she used celery. I believe that sometimes she might have added an egg yolk. The whole thing was mixed in a bowl with some broth or water. The result, after around 2 or 3 hours of roasting in the oven was delicious. The accompanying vegetable dish was often a “gratin de cardons”, a very typical dish from the area of Geneva, Switzerland where my mother was from. The cardon (cardoon) belongs to the same family as artichokes. The leaves of Its long prickly whitish stalks need to be removed. Then thorough peeling, cleaning and brushing, is necessary, before cutting the stalks in small pieces and boiling them in salted water with some lemon juice. Then they are baked in a hot oven in a dish covered with béchamel sauce, lightly spiced up with nutmeg, topped with a little grated Swiss cheese, and tiny nuts of butter. The taste and the texture of this dish, which I found out was imported by the colonists of New England in the 17th century, but never became popular in the U.S, are quite unique. Then we would have a salad of lettuce and Belgian endives, with walnuts and a classic vinaigrette. Followed by an excellent cheese platter, that would always have some specialties from my mother’s region of origin, Vacherin, Reblochon, and authentic Swiss Gruyère, as well as more pungent cheeses like Pont-l’évèque, Roquefort, and Camembert, that my father preferred. And of course we would finish with the “bûche de Noël” , accompanied by sorbets and “tuiles aux amandes” (a crusty buttery cookie with almonds that my mother was famous for). The bûche and sorbets came from a very good pastry shop. As for the wines we drank:My father in these days was very “Bordeaux-oriented”. So, as far as I remember, we drank essentially Pauillac and St. Estèphe wines with the turkey and the cheese courses. For the appetizers, I think that we might have occasionally drank some white Bourgogne (Burgundy), but I do not remember what kind,. But most probably we continued with Champagne during the first course.
 
What is served in contemporary “diners de réveillon” in big cities like Paris?

Nowadays, the French who attend Midnight Mass have become a minority. The catholic church has lost a lot of its past influence on the daily life and on the traditions of France. In any case most churches celebrate “Midnight mass” much earlier in the evening so that parishioners can go home and eat the traditional diner de réveillon. As a first course, most Parisians eat either Oysters on the half-shell, smoked salmon, (preferably wild, not farmed-raised), lobster (steamed, cold, with a home-made spicy or lemony mayonnaise) , boudin blanc, but most often the all time favorite: duck or goose foie gras. My brother Luc serves usually both oysters and foie gras. Foie gras is served in all kinds of forms and preparations: warm or cold, fresh pan-seared with a reduction of Banyuls wine, in terrines, sliced from a can and served with an exotic preserve or condiment, fully cooked “au torchon”, half-cooked, etc.. Many people order either a foie gras, whole or half, from their local butcher or “Charcutier-traiteur” , already prepared and pre-cooked. Some go through the extensive labor of love of buying a fresh one and cook it themselves. Some buy “sous-vide” (vacuum packed), or “confit” in its own fat in a jar, or simply in a can. The canned one has to come from a reputable company, generally from Alsace or the South-West of France (Dordogne or Gers, for example) and be really a “bloc” of pure foie gras, rather than a mixed kind of pâté or ballotine that could contain very little foie gras but all kinds of different ground and pureed pieces, including some pork products. Fresh foie gras is very expensive. A good quality canned or preserved “bloc de foie gras” from a good supplier can also be very expensive. In the U.S. the best foie gras one come from the Hudson River Valley in the state of New York. As you probably know, the sale of foie gras has been banned in Chicago restaurants following a stupid law voted by the City Council some months ago. Boudin blanc is one of my favorite Christmas first courses. It is a very delicate soft sausage encased in a very thin natural casing. It is made of finely chopped good quality white meat from veal and chicken, mixed with some veal fat, eggs, cream, a touch of flour, soft bread soaked in milk, seasoned with pepper, nutmeg, salt, possibly chives and parsley. Sometimes it can be flavored with a little wine or brandy, and, for the more fancy one, flakes of sliced black truffles and/ or crushed hazelnut. It is gently pan fried and can be served, warm, with mashed apples. Recently, Chapon rôti (roasted capon) has become a favorite main course. But many people stick to the traditional roasted turkey, or less often goose. The most popular stuffing, or served separately as a side accompaniment is “ marrons” (chestnuts). You can find them fresh, shelled or not, peeled and pre-cooked in jars, or even canned. In the last case one of the most well-known French producer is Faugier. But fancy small vegetables like midget potatoes, peas, mini-carrots, cooked lettuce or cabbage, turnips and salsifis (oyster plant), are also served as an accompaniment. Sautéed mushrooms of all kinds are still very popular. A fancy salad of “Mesclun” (various types of lettuce and greens) is often served after the main course, usually dressed with a special vinaigrette, based on champagne vinegar for example, and spiced-up with exotic ground pepper. Some nuts, pieces of smoked duck magret, or cheese, can be added. Next is a cheese course (see my article on cheese trays on this blog). A basic good platter should at least include a camembert au lait cru (see my post on this blog), a non-refrigerated Roquefort, a Reblochon, a Cantal (“entre deux” aging), a Sainte-Maure (goat), a Livarot, and a good Comté. And as usual, the meal ends with either a traditional bûche de Noël or, more and more often, a “bûche glaçée”, which can be composed partially of ice cream and sorbets. In fact various “sorbet towers” made of scoops or blocks of sorbets of sophisticated natural flavors (exotic fruits and liquors) made by famous “glaciers-pâtissiers” (like Berthillon) are increasingly popular as Christmas dinner desserts.  

Wines: What should you choose?

That is the most difficult part, because everybody has his own theory about what the most perfect match should be. I will give you some entirely personal suggestions: With foie gras: Most people used to say: SAUTERNES. I would prefer a relatively young red GRAVES (Chateau Ferran 2003 would be a good but not too expensive choice) or a GEWÜRZTRAMINER (2002 from Kuentz). But a good CHAMPAGNE ROSE (Gosset Celebris or Lassalle would be good decently-priced choices) can be very enjoyable with a seared foie gras. If sliced warm with a Banyuls wine reduction, a good slightly chilled BANYULS would be a natural choice. With saumon fumé (smoked salmon): Either CHAMPAGNE brut (Alain ROBERT or GIMMONET, both good quality-price ratio)or POUILLY-FUME (Michot or Domaine de Riaux 2003) With boudin blanc: Either a Roche- aux- Moines from SAVENNIERES (a very fragrant white from the area of Anjou-western Loire Valley), or an ARBOIS ( white from the Jura area). With oysters: Without hesitation, a MUSCADET DE SEVRE et MAINE sur lies . With dinde aux marrons (turkey with chestnuts): a SAINT-JOSEPH (Domaine COURBIS 2002 cuvée spéciale or GUIGAL) a very elegant Côtes-du-Rhône from the Ardèche (chestnut producing area) or a MERCUREY 2003 (Chateau de Chamirey) a very pleasant and flexible red Burgundy from the Côte Chalonaise. With chapon rôti (roasted capon): a CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 2002 (white or red Burgundy) With salad: Sparkling mineral water With cheese: It is difficult to have a wine for each cheese. if I had to limit myself to one wine I I would go with a SANCERRE ROUGE (from the center of France), or a SANCERRE BLANC to go with goat cheese With the dessert: The accepted choice is CHAMPAGNE DEMI-SEC. But I do not like it. I would rather have a CREMANT d’ ALSACE.  

BON NOEL ET BON APPETIT

French Christmas Culinary Traditions?

Hi Papa, As we are getting closer to Noel I've been wondering what a tradtional french Christmas feast may entail. Can you shed some light on any special foods or dishes that the french eat on Christmas day? Also, are there any specific wines or drinks that are also served after Pere Noel has arrived? Cheers Stephane

Camembert: In search of a decent one in Chicago

CAMEMBERT: IN SEARCH OF A DECENT ONE IN CHICAGO 


A few images of the past…and realities of Today 

  I still have a vivid memory of what the “clochards” (hoboes and homeless people) in French towns in the mid-fifties ate while sitting on public benches located on street sidewalks, in squares and parks, or in the Parisian Metro (subway). They invariably cut pieces of “gros pain” (large pieces of slightly grayish white bread that some bakeries sold by the weight in those days) or slices of baguette with their old Opinel flick-knives, and spread some cheap canned pâté, or ate it with saucisson sec (dry pork sausage). They washed that down with cheap “gros rouge” (a very dark ordinary red wine) directly from the one liter bottle that they kept either in the pocket of their coat or under the bench. I remember the two main brands of these terribly bad red wines, Geveor and Kiravi, because during my student years, they were sometimes the only ones I could afford on financial crisis days. Sometimes they alternated the pâté (or saucisson) with a triangular piece of camembert cheese that they picked directly from its typical wooden box. Quite often the camembert was either very runny because it was too ripe or even slightly decayed if they had picked it up from a grocery store’s disposal bin, and you could smell its pungent odor. And in those days it was not uncommon to find tiny maggots in it. But sometimes, when it was a very cheap camembert, it was all too white and its interior was anything but creamy as it should have been. Its texture and color reminded me of plaster. At home my mother in those days was often buying camembert “made in Thierache”, another dairy producing area 150 miles Northeast of Paris because it was much cheaper than the “real” camembert de Normandie. It was in the late fifties that large co-op dairy groups started to produce camembert and brie in an industrial way in geographical zones other than Normandy. As a matter of fact, camembert was always considered the king of cheeses in France, and until recently was the second most popular cheese (after Emmental) among French consumers. But nowadays, busy younger French families have a tendency to buy more and more often industrially processed milder pasteurized cheeses, including camemberts that they know will stay fresh, firm, mild, and sweet smelling in their fridge for quite a while. And they buy from a refrigerated shelf at the supermarket, rather than at the small traditional mom and pop-owned “fromagerie” (cheese shop) down their street. As a matter of fact, in 2005, 89% of all camemberts were sold in France in supermarkets and only 3% in small “fromageries” shops. It is mainly older people who will ask their “fromager” in these small shops to choose for them a good quality authentic camembert de Normandie au lait cru. And they will ask for a camembert “à coeur”, meaning ripe all the way to the heart of the cheese.

So, what is an authentic camembert of Normandie, and how does it compare with a pasteurized camembert? Legends and facts

According to a well-preserved semi-legendary story, it is a young lady by the name of Marie Harel, who lived in the village of Vimoutiers, near Camembert, in the department (geographical district) of Orne, in Normandy, who was the first to give the famous cheese its modern form around 1791. The secret formula to produce the rind was given to her by a catholic priest from the region of Brie (another cheese producing area about 30 miles south-east of Paris) whom she had sheltered on her farm when he was trying to avoid swearing allegiance to the new republican government issued from the revolution. In fact, cheeses had been made in that area, the “Pays d’ Auge” of Normandy, a country of rich meadows and apple trees, since the 16th century. But the concept of adding a bacteria to the surface of the cheese after salting and before its drying phase to provide its specific aroma during the maturing process and help to obtain this marvelous and edible “bloomy” rind, can probably be dated just after the French revolution. But it will take until 1890 for the camembert cheeses to attain national and international recognition, when a French engineer named Ridel invented the round box made of light poplar wood that allowed camemberts to be stored and transported more easily. These boxes are still used in 2006.

The authentic “camembert au lait cru de Normandie” (raw milk camembert) had to wait until 1983 to be granted the official AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée-Controlled Designation of Origin) mark by the French Government. This AOC implies that the camembert is made from milk coming exclusively from one of the departments of Normandy (the 3 main milk producing ones are Orne, Calvados, and Manche) and is produced according to specific processes. For example it has to be “moulé à la louche en 5 louches successives déposées toutes les 45 minutes” (hand-poured in a mold with a ladle 5 times in intervals of 45 minutes)  

How is it made? It takes a little more than three weeks to 
produce an edible authentic camembert 

First the raw milk is collected and its temperature should not exceed the normal human body temperature. It is poured into vats called “bassines normandes”. Its curdling process is initiated by the addition of rennet. Then the curdled milk is poured, with the help of a special ladle, by hand and very gently, in five passes, into perforated molds to allow a natural drainage. This process can take up to 4 or 5 hours. Then, it is removed from the mold and put on shelves for 6 hours. Then the cheese is turned over and put on a tray. Its surface is lightly salted (with a dry salt) on both sides and a natural bacteria (penicillium candidum or camemberti) is added. Next it is placed to dry on shelves in a special cellar where it will age to almost complete maturation for close to two weeks. Then it is packed in its box where it completes its maturing process for 5 or 6 days before being sent to the point of distribution or retail. It will at this stage of “affinage” (maturation process) probably be ready to be eaten. But to be good it has to be “à coeur” (fully ripened to its heart). It is still a fragile product when it reaches the cellar of the “fromager” and requires its daily attention and several manual and olfactive inspections. Another handicap is its short shelf life: no more than 8 to 10 days. If it goes beyond its normal life cycle, an authentic raw milk camembert’s rind turns brownish, it looses its flat bloomy whitish surface, with light reddish dots or thin streaks , gets dry, its center collapses, and it develops an unpleasant ammonia odor. A very few camemberts are sometimes “affinés” (aged) with either apple cider or “calvados” (the famous apple brandy). But I doubt that you will find any of those at your local supermarket.

Growth of the pasteurized camembert market.

  This fragility and short shelf life are probably the main reasons why, starting in the mid-sixties, the authentic raw milk camembert was progressively replaced by “pasteurized camembert”. The pasteurization (by heating the milk) process allowed the customer to obtain a more stable camembert, whose life cycle could reach more than 30 days from the date of packaging. And it relieved both the distributor and the retailers of many constraints: They no longer had to spend a lot of time watching after the good condition of their camemberts until they sold them. They also saved money with added shelf life, reduction of care in aging and storage, and above all reduced financial loss resulting from cheeses that turned bad and could not be sold. For the cheese producers it also meant that they could make all year long, even when the milk during certain times of the year was less rich, a camembert that would offer consistency in terms of freshness and taste. And of course, it facilitated the export to countries like the United States where the FDA prohibits the import of cheeses made from raw milk, unless they have been aged for more than 60 days. This condition of course is out of question for an “authentic camembert au lait cru de Normandie” aged no more than 3 weeks. The main concern of the FDA is the possibility of getting listeria, salmonella, or E-coli from raw milk cheeses. It happened a couple of times in the past. This is why the plants of the few remaining French producers of AOC raw milk camembert are submitted to extremely tough rules and regulations regarding milk collection, processing, storage, etc. And they have to face very frequent controls by health inspectors. But the bottom line is that pasteurized camembert has none of the qualities in texture and aromas that the raw-milk AOC offers, since the pasteurization process destroys the bacteria that are precisely at the origin of those flavorful characteristics. It is interesting to know that some producers of pasteurized camemberts try to restore the original taste of the raw milk cheese by minimizing the exposure to heat during pasteurization. On the other hand, some producers of raw milk are said to try to limit the risk of listeria in their milk by heating it a little bit. In the late 1930s there were about 1.400 dairies in Normandy producing traditional camembert. According to the French Ministry of agriculture, in 2005 only 40 plants are still producing camemberts in France (118,670 tons) and their production decreased by 3.1% compared to 2004. Some camemberts are produced in other geographical areas of France but cannot be classified as AOC. Even though I could not find precise statistics on the percentages of pasteurized vs. raw-milk, one can estimate than in 2006, less than 10% of the total French production of camemberts is made of authentic AOC raw milk camemberts from Normandy.

Only 10 dairies are still making AOC authentic raw milk camembert de Normandie.

Only one of them, Ferme de la HERONNIERE, a farm in the small town of Camembert owned by Monsieur Durand, still produces real artisanal camembert in a very traditional method, using milk from its own cows. · Coopérative ISIGNY /STE. MERE, well known for the fact that it was the first producer to invent and use, in the sixties, a robot capable of forming camembert through the traditional ladle pouring method. · GILOT SA · Laiterie du MOULIN de CAREL (acquired in 1997 by the large dairy group BESNIER, now LACTALIS) · Société Fromagère d’ ORBEC, that produces my favorite camembert, LANQUETOT, acquired by the BRIDEL Group, now also part of the LACTALIS Group. · Société Fromagère de SAINT MACLOU that makes the famous camembert LEPETIT, perhaps the favorite brand in France. · Fromagerie REAUX, that makes more than 3 millions camemberts per year. · Domaine de SAINT-LOUP · Laiterie de BERNIERES-JORT that belongs Today to the LACTALIS group via its acquisition in 1997 by BESNIER · Fromagerie du VAL de SIENNE There are still a few independent dairies producing pasteurized camemberts, and perhaps a few small one still producing raw-milk camemberts, but a large number of producing dairies belong to three major dairy groups: · LACTALIS (ex-BESNIER) with brand names available in the U.S like Le CHATELAIN and PRESIDENT, might have 50% of the market shares of camemberts. · BONGRAIN with brand names found in the U.S like COEUR de LION and ILE DE FRANCE · SODIAAL with brand names found in the U.S. like LE RUSTIQUE  

So, what does a good AOC camembert de Normandie, (if you manage to find one in the U.S), look like, or at least what should a good pasteurized camembert de Normandie look like?

Camembert is a fromage à pâte molle (soft-ripened cheese) made of 100% raw or pasteurized cow milk, preferably from Normandy. It is never cooked, nor pressed. Its fat content is normally at least 45% It is packed in a glazed protective paper in its traditional light wooden box. The label on the box should clearly state the brand name, the geographical place of production, which should be in an area in Normandy with a zip code starting preferably with 14 (Calvados) or 61 (Orne), where the best zones of production (Pays d’Auge) are located. The weight of the camembert should be 250 grams (8.8 oz) and it should also appear on the label. On the side of the box a date should be printed, indicating the DLUO (date limite d’utilisation optimale) that tells you that this cheese should be consumed before that date to be at its best. Do not forget that the French put the number for the month after the number for the day. If there is no date but some other numbers, they may indicate for some brands the location of the plant in France, the day of the year when the cheese was packed, and the source of the milk When you open the box, and smell the cheese, you should not get any strong odor, especially not ammonia related. The round cheese should fit neatly in the box and fill it completely. It surface should be flat all over and not irregular with holes in it. If you press the center gently it should not sag but offer a supple resistance. When you remove the paper the surface should be whitish, covered with what we call “fleur” (a sort of light powdery fluffy bloom); it could possibly be slightly granulated, and it probably will show some very pale reddish dots or discontinued very thin steaks. When you cut a portion, forming a triangular shape whose tip reaches the center of the cheese, the ‘‘pate” (the interior part of the cheese) should be uniform and creamy in texture from the rind to the center and have a pale yellow color all the way to the center of the portion. This way you know it is ready and ‘’à coeur”. In no way should the interior be runny and collapse on the plate when you cut the first slice or portion The taste should be flavorful, buttery, mild and slightly nutty or perhaps a bit fruity. Some people think that some camemberts whose milk came from a meadow where apple trees grow might have a faint aftertaste of apple. You can eat the rind if you want to. Personally, I do not eat the side rind. If you do not finish the camembert the first day, wrap it well in its original paper, put it back in the box and keep it in a cool place, but not in the fridge. Eat the remaining piece as soon as possible, during the next two days. To me, the best texture and taste of a pasteurized camembert is obtained when you buy it 10 to 15 days before the expiration date.  

What breads and wines are the best companions to a camembert? 

I prefer to eat my camembert with a freshly baked and crusty ‘’baguette’’ rather than with specialty breads like nut-bread, whole wheat, or sour-dough. And I think that the most appropriate wine to drink with a pasteurized camembert is either a good quality Beaujolais-Villages or even better a “cru du beaujolais” like a Brouilly or a Chenas. A Mercurey would also be a good choice. If you were lucky enough to eat an AOC au lait cru, I would recommend a Saint-Emilion or even a Bandol or a young Gigondas. You can eat a couple of slices of Granny Smith or Golden apples with your camembert if you wish. They are almost cousins. If you wish to bake or use camembert in special dishes go to http://www.camembert-aoc.org/, and you will find in the English-speaking version of this site (sponsored by the Union of producers of camembert from Normandy) half a dozen of tasty French recipes for camembert-based tortes, pies, salads, spreads, and crusty snacks.

My search for a good camembert in Chicago

When we arrived in Chicago from Paris in January of 1970, one of my first exploration of the city food landscape made me very depressed: There were no cheese mongers of any persuasion, even downtown, and I found out rapidly that the only camembert available was a canned Danish bland white thing utrageously called camembert. But it did not bear any resemblance with the original. After a year of despair, at my local grocery store in Evanston I found a strange transparent round plastic box that contained 8 portions, nicely individually wrapped, of a cheese called Camembert by DELICO. It was produced by KOLB, a small cheese factory in Lena, in the northwest part of Illinois, and was quite edible. Today KOLB belongs to the BONGRAIN group and produces some ILE de FRANCE products there. We ate that camembert for two years until we found a brie from France sold at Stop & Shop on Washington St. in the Loop precisely under the brand name of ILE De FRANCE. But it probably had stayed for too long in a cold storage warehouse in New York or New Jersey and the grayish color of its rind as well as its strong pungent taste did not satisfy us and we gave up after a few trials. My only comforting moments were when someone would bring back, in a lucky semi-clandestine way of course, some good cheeses bought at Charles de Gaulle Airport. Or when I was attending some wine degustation where French cheeses would be served by local distributors or serious caterers. One of my greatest but small moments of pleasure was at the end of my dinner on the evening Air France flight to Paris, when I opened the portion of camembert BRIDEL that came on my tray. It was pasteurized and over-refrigerated, but after months of deprivation, it was a real treat. Years later, when BRIDEL was bought up by BESNIER (now LACTALIS) this camembert became a PRESIDENT product and lost a lot of its appeal to me. We had to wait until the eighties, to be in a position to locate decent French cheeses in Chicago. But a good camembert was still very hard to find in the early nineties. Only after the new millennium did the tremendous “cheese and wine” fad which enveloped the whole city of Chicago bring us a much wider variety of good, and well cared for, French cheeses. The vital role of serious and knowledgeable local importers like Sofia Solomon, who brought all kinds of cheese to Chicago stores and restaurants, helped a lot. Anyway... About a month ago, I had a sudden craving for camembert, so I decided to do a survey of about 20 grocery, specialty food stores, cheese shops, and wine stores with food and cheese departments, in Chicago to find out what brands and kinds of camembert they were selling. First I tried the two main chains of local supermarkets, JEWEL and DOMINICK’S which over the last 2 years have started to carry a wider selection of imported cheeses, even though they are rarely correctly stored and most of the time are over-refrigerated. The only camembert was the PRESIDENT, from Lactalis, probably the bestseller worldwide. I tried it twice in different stores and was very disappointed. Both were very white, under ripened, rather bland in taste, and their texture was much too firm. No creamy paradise in sight… The price was $ 5.99 but the expiration date in one case was “border line” I was expecting to find a better choice at TREASURE ISLANDS, on Wells St., an old reliable small local chain of grocery + butcher stores that usually carry lots of European food products. But once again, there were only two camemberts available: The omnipresent PRESIDENT that sold for $ 4.00 and whose date of expiration was quite acceptable and a non-descript brand called FLEURS DE FRANCE. I opened one box. It did not reveal any odor and its texture felt to firm.
Next I decided to go one step further and to test more sophisticated stores. I started with WHOLE FOODS, a high-end type of grocery chain with an emphasis on organic products. Their store on N. Ashland at School St. used to carry three brands of camembert 3 or 4 years ago: ISIGNY, Le RUSTIQUE, and another one whose brand name I forgot. Today they carry only 2 brands: LE CHATELAIN (a good Lactalis product imported from France) at $ 9.99 each, and DELICE de FRANCE a large wheel of camembert made in France and sold by the piece. The Evanston store sells PERE CAMEMBERT, a product of LACTALIS made in its plant of Belmont, WI. It did not generate any odor when I opened the box and its texture felt too smooth. I did not dare to try it.

Their main competitor, WILD OATS, at least in its Evanston store which is the only one I checked, had a few boxes of LE CHATELAIN, selling at a low price of $ 6.99. But the expiration date was borderline.
Note: Wild Oats was acquired by Whole Foods in 2007.
Then I went to TRADER’S JOE on N. Lincoln Avenue, an interesting store belonging to the very successful Californian chain, which has lots of interesting and cheap imported foodstuffs from all over the world. I do most of my grocery shopping there. They usually sell 4 different types of Brie there. One “private label” made in France which is perfectly edible, one mediocre from ILE de FRANCE, one Canadian, and one American. But until now, only one American camembert, ROUGE ET NOIR. I tried it a couple of times, it’s OK but not really close to a French camembert. But recently, for the holidays, they started to have a French pasteurized camembert LE RUSTIQUE for only $ 4.99, a bargain . I knew that brand, manufactured by the Fromageries Riches Monts that belongs to the SODIAAL Group. And I when I ate it in France, I liked it. But the one I bought at Trader’s Joe was way past it prime. The distributor on the East Coast had probably kept it for too long in its warehouse and it was not enjoyable anymore. I will wait for the next batch to be delivered to try it again. As always I returned to my favorite, FOX and OBEL, a beautiful grocery-butcher-deli-bakery-bistrot store on East Illinois St. which has one of the best selections of unusual cheeses from Europe in the whole city. But to my surprise, they carry only LE CHATELAIN, this time at $ 7.99 each. The date was right (I bought it 12 days before expiration). And it was at the right temperature. This camembert, that according to their web site is “gently pasteurized” meaning low heat, to preserve the traditional aroma, was ‘’à coeur” and was probably the most decent piece of camembert I ever ate in the U.S.
EATZIS, their relatively new and very attractive competitor that seems to be doing good business with young well-to-do clients from the Lakeview and Lincoln Park neighboroods. was the only place in town to carry, to my surprise, one of my favorites: COOPERATIVE d' ISIGNY. But since its date of expiration was "borderline", I did not buy the last one available on the shelf. But I will return and buy one when they receive a new shipment.

Note: EATZIS was closed in 2007

Next I decided to visit so called “gourmet food shops ‘‘. I started with one of the new ones, PROVENANCE, on N. California. A very nice boutique indeed where the owner, Tracy, knows what she is talking about and has an unusual selection of international foods. They had a camembert from “LIFE IN PROVENCE" a line of imported foods from France managed by 2 French expatriates. It was very disappointing, bland, not creamy, and with a non-descript structure. But it was quite cheap, around 4 dollars each. When I called Tracy a few weeks later, she had dropped this line to replace it by an American “camembert” from Colorado, MOUCO, that she said was very good. She also sells PERE CAMEMBERT. FOODSTUFFS on Central St, in Evanston, told me that in the past they sold DELICE de FRANCE, but they had replaced it with an American camembert from Michigan. I did not try it. GODDESS AND GROCER on N. Damen Avenue did not sell any camembert I tried two other gourmet food stores owned by well-known Chicago restaurateurs and caterers: TROTTER’S TO GO on W. Fullerton Avenue did not sell any camembert at all. COBEY sold only LE CHATELAIN for 10 dollars each.
The next step was the specialty cheese stores. PASTORAL on N. Broadway has an impressive selection of artisan cheeses (more than 100), from all over the world including the U.S. But they do not sell any French camembert. Instead they sell an American one from Michigan, RENY PICOT. I am tempted to try it one of these days and will get back to you to let you know about my impressions. THE CHEESE STANDS ALONE, a nice little shop on N. Western Avenue near Wilson, sells a limited but very astute selection of cheeses from both Europe and the U.S. They sell only LE CHATELAIN which, according to the competent owner, is the closest to the real thing you will find in the U.S at this time. I agree with him entirely.
Last but not least, I went to check the cheese and deli department of the two largest wine merchants in Chicago: BINNY’s on N. Clark St has a nice and well-presented selection of European cheeses, including beautiful goat cheeses. But its sells only one camembert: LE CHATELAIN again for $ 8.99. The cheese and deli Manager told me that until the FDA changed its opposition to the importation of raw milk cheeses, LE CHATELAIN would be the only decent one to buy there. SAM’S WINE and SPIRITS on N. Marcey St. also had a very nice selection of French cheeses and they are attractively presented and fresh. But they had only LE CHATELAIN and ROUGE et NOIR , an O.K product made for many years in Petaluma, CA. They also sold a camembert made in France and distributed by a French fancy food distributor from the Lyon area called CHANTAL PLASSE. But its $ 12.99 price tag discouraged me from trying it.
So we are facing a very strange paradox: In Chicago nowadays, you can find an enormous and very sophisticated array of good quality and even unusual French cheeses from every province, but you have a hard time finding more than two or three brands of decent pasteurized camemberts. One cheesemonger told me that he thinks that people in the Midwest do not know a good camembert from a mediocre one, and anyway prefer Brie because it is always creamy, rich, light in color and does not have a strong odor. "It does not stink", as he said. So my own conclusion is: Be patient. One of these days you will see AOC camembert de Normandie "au lait cru" again in this country. But for the time been, be satisfied with good quality pasteurized ones like LE CHATELAIN, Le RUSTIQUE, or ISIGNY.
Bon appétit.
Update: On Dec 14, 2006 I bought an ISIGNY STE. MERE from EATZIS for $7.99. It was the best pasteurized but authentic Camembert de Normandie I had in a long time: Perfectly "à coeur'', balanced aroma, near to optimal texture. I will go for more.

 In 2012 WHOLE FOODS asked Hervé Mons a famous ''affineur de fromages'' (professional cheese ager) whose job is to age to perfection various types of French cheeses for demanding restaurants and retailers, to create an authentic camembert that would stay good on their shelves from New York to San Francisco. Hervé Mons supplies great cheeses to restaurants as well-known as Bocuse or Trois Gros.
Of course this camembert made for the U.S market it could not be really authentic since the U.S. FDA does not authorize the importation and distribution in this country of ''camembert au lait cru''. Hervé Mons searched for months for reliable dairies and cheese makers in Normandy who would  accept to create such a camembert. And they made it. Hervé Mons camembert,sold exclusively in Whole Foods stores in the  United States. I think thats it is probably ''thermisé'' meaning that the milk is heated as a temperature which kills bacteria, but not to the point of pasteurization, which kills the typical flavor of a good camambert.
Anyway, there are less than 10 producers of authentic Camembert de Normandie au lait cru left in France.
Hervé Mons camembert is really flavorful  and the closest I ever had to an old style French camembert de Normandie,
It is the only one like and buy in this country. And at $ 9.99 a wheel, it is a bargain.