France: Fact Sheet
LA CIGALE MARKET
Our first stop is the La Cigale market in Parnell, Auckland.
La Cigale is an authentic French style market where you can buy
gorgeous cheeses, marinated olives and of course French crepes to
name a few! They are open on Saturdays from 8am until 12 and
Wednesday from 12.30pm until 6.30pm.
Contacts: La Cigale Market
69 St Georges Bay Rd
Parnell, Auckland
Elizabeth Lind
Ph: 09 366 9361
www.lacigale.co.nz
MAISON VAURON
Next stop we head to nearby Newmarket and a truly
memorable wine tasting experience where each wine is selected from
a different region of France and complimented with sumptuous
culinary treats.
Contacts: Maison Vauron
5 McColl St
Newmarket
Ph: 09 529 0151
www.mvauron.co.nz/
TERRINES
In France the art of charcuterie (the cooker of
meats) dates back to the 15th Century. Expert Frenchman Guillaume
Desmures teaches a group of fortunate Kiwis how to make delicious
and reasonably simple terrines.
Contacts: Guillaume Desmures
Lauthentique@xtra.co.nz
PROVENCAL TERRINE (1kg)
400g pork back fat - minced
400g pork shoulder - minced
200g bacon - minced
100g sliced pitted olives
1/2 cup White wine
5g rubbed thyme
20g white salt
5g black pepper
1 egg
METHOD
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Place in a terrine dish. Cook in
oven in a bain marie (start with cold water) at 180 degrees for 1.5
hours. Keep in fridge 24 hours before serving.
LA TROPEZIENNE
We also visit French patisserie 'La Tropezienne' on
Auckland's North Shore, where French immigrant Louis Bouquet
labours over each hand made treat. Today he shows us how to make
the dramatic French dessert - Croquembouche.
Contacts: La Tropezienne
Clyde Court
Browns Bay
Auckland
09 478 8798
MAITRE DE
The role of Maitre De seems to come as second nature
to Frenchman Jean Jacques Bourvois. He makes it look easy, but in
truth he is an expert. Jean Jacques shows us his charm while at
work in a busy restaurant in Parnell.
Contacts: Tribeca Restaurant
George St
Parnell
379 6359
HOME COOKING
Frenchman Yannick Miseriaux makes food for a living
at his fabulous French style deli, 'Pyrenees' in Devonport. Despite
his busy working life, he takes time out to cook some French
favourites for his extended family.
Contacts: Pyrenees
87A Vauxhall Rd
Devonport
Ph: 09 445 0021
STUFFED PEPPADEW (Stuffed Pepper)
200g mild peppadew (mild slightly hot pickled bright red
piquanté peppers from the Limpopo province of South Africa
Pepper) in brine
1 medium tub of plain cream cheese
1 medium shallot (use 1/4 of a red onion as an
alternative)
30g fresh chives (spring onions can be used as an
alternative)
1/4 of a telegraph cucumber
METHOD
Soften the cream cheese with the back of a wooden spoon. Thinly
chop the shallot. Cut the chives into tiny strips using the tip of
a pair of scissors. Blend all ingredients together and then pipe
into the Peppadews. Slice the cucumber, place the Peppedew on
top.
It's crunchy, creamy, fresh, pretty and delicious with a pre drink.
TARTIFLETTE (potato tart)
1 whole round of Reblochon cheese (from the alps, made
from 3 different breeds of cows milk)
1.5kg organic creamy as opposed to floury potatoes (Rua, Agria or
Desiree) skin on, boiled, chilled, sliced
1x small tub of crème fraiche'
2x shallots - diced
1x medium carrot - diced
1x celery stalk - diced
1x hand full of curly chopped parsley
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
200g of sautéed "Petit lardoons" (smoked batons of pork
belly)
20g salted butter
Sea Salt and black pepper
1/2 glass of Vin d'Alsace (optional)
2x garlic cloves in tin foil and roasted with the vegetables (for
the salad dressing)
METHOD
Combine the carrot, celery, shallot, parsley, olive oil, salt and
pepper and bake for 15-20 minute at 180 degrees Celsius until
softened.
Place a layer of sliced potatoes into a buttered oven proof dish
(lasagne dish) add the vegetable mixture, the lardoons, scattered
knobs of crème fraiche. Cut the cheese into 4 quarters and
place on top. Bake at @00 degrees until golden brown.
PETIT COUER DE CHOCOLAT (Crying chocolate hearts)
For 12 hearts:
200g melted 72% cacao chocolate
24 chocolate buttons (unmelted)
125g melted butter
4 eggs
200g fine white sugar
50g white flour
50g ground almonds
4 egg whites with a pinch of salt whisked into a meringue
METHOD
Whisk the sugar and the egg yolks together
Mix the flour, ground almonds, add the sugar/yolk mixture
Combine the melted chocolate and butter
Put all the ingredients together and fold in the egg whites using a
wooden spoon
Place into heart shape moulds. Take 2 chocolate buttons (back to
back) and slide into the heart. Bake for 15 minutes at 165 degrees.
Serve hot
ORGANIC BREAD
When Sylvie Delobel first came to New Zealand, she
worked as an accountant. Now she owns a superb organic bakery in
Ellerslie. 'Boulangerie L'Epi' is Sylvie's labour of love and you
can taste it in the breads and pastries she creates for her
appreciative clientele.
Contacts: Boulangerie L'Epi
64 Michaels Ave
Ellerslie
Ph: 09 579 5240
No recipes supplied
BASTILLE DAY - AKAROA
At the end of the show we visited New Zealand's oldest
French community in Akaroa for the annual Bastille Day
celebrations. Over the course of the day we discovered a fabulous
French restaurant called Vangionis where the chef Stephen Bradley
cooked the indulgent 'Duck Confit'.
Contacts: Vangionis
40F Rue Lavard
Akaroa
Ph: 03 304 7714
Dale Thomas (organiser of the Bastille Day
celebrations)
Ph: 03 304 8900
DUCK CONFIT WITH RED CABBAGE & ROAST POTATOES
Confit:
4 large duck legs (skin on)
2 cups rendered duck fat
4 bay leaves
5 whole cloves
1x tbsp whole black pepper corns
3 tbsp good sea salt
1x large sprig of thyme
Cabbage:
Half a red cabbage
250g butter
5 cloves
Salt and pepper
5 large potatoes
METHOD
Rub the duck with salt and pepper corns, bay leaves and thyme.
Leave for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Rinse the salt off, trying to keep the herbs, pepper corns and cloves. Place the duck legs in a heavy casserole pot with the thyme and bay leaves and cover with the duck fat. Put the lid on and bake for 6-8 hours at 120 degrees (just before the meat starts to fall off the bone).
Slice the cabbage. Put a few knobs of butter on the bottom of a heavy pan then layer the cabbage, cloves, salt and pepper and the remaining butter. Pour the port over top. Cover with a lid and braise in the oven for 3 hours stirring occasionally.
Peel and cube the potatoes and drop into boiling water for 2
minutes. Drain well.
Next heat some duck fat in a heavy fry pan and place in the
potatoes & duck legs skin down. Put in a hot oven 240 degrees
until golden and crispy. Place the cabbage on a plate, the duck on
top and pour some of the juice from the cabbage over the duck.
Place the potatoes on the side.
