Showing posts with label griottes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label griottes. Show all posts

Turnips, (Navets) Parsnips (Panais) and Swedes (Chou-Navets or Rutabaga). Traditional Root Vegetables in Modern French Cuisine.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 


Turnips
www.flickr.com/photos/dorseymw/47832678951/
     
Navets – Turnips.

The turnip was always popular in France; it was never just another root vegetable to add to a stew.  Turnips are often the garnish of choice when served mashed with butter or served together with carrots. (After I tried turnips mashed with butter for the first time, I changed my mind about turnips completely). I now agree with the French; a turnip is a serious vegetable.  Mashed turnips are rarely on menus at home, so look out for them in France.
   
Turnips in the languages of France’s neighbors:
  
(Catalan – nap, nabius), (Dutch – raap, rapen), German - speiserübe), (Italian -rapa), (Spanish - naba).
      
Turnips on French Menus:

 Filet de Pintade du Gers Rôti, Purée de Navets - Breast of roasted Guinea fowl from Gers, served with turnip puree.  Gers is a department in the region of Occitanie and famous for its Label Rouge, Red label, IGP. Free-range poultry. The Guinea fowl from Gers are considered among the best in France.
  


Navarin Printanier de Homard au Romarin, 
Navettes, Jus de Crustacés,
A Springtime Navarin made with lobster flavored with rosemary, and served with turnips and the natural cooking juices of other crustaceans.
      
Navarin de St Jacques et Langoustines Petits Légumes Sauce au Noilly Prat - A Navarin with the meat from the King Scallop and Dublin Bay prawns accompanied by young vegetables. The vegetables will include turnips and a sauce made with France’s first, and still most popular, vermouth Noilly Prat.

A Navarin is a ragoût, a stew, traditionally made with lamb, fish or shellfish and the navet, the turnip. Ragouts, and in this case a Navarin, require slow cooking in stock, with or without wine. Besides turnips in a Navarin, other vegetables are usually carrots, parsnips, or Swedes (rutabagas) and potatoes. When made with young turnips and other early vegetables, the same stew will become a Navarin Printanier, a springtime Navarin. The name Navarin is probably linked to a dish that originated in the country of Navarre. Navarre is now divided into the Province of Navarre in Spain and the Pays Basque, the French Basque Country, in southwestern France. More about the name Navarin towards the end of this post.
   
Noix de St Jacques au Sésame, Boulette de Bussy – The meat of the King scallop cooked with sesame and served the Boulette de Bussy turnip. The Boulette de Busy is light green colored turnip considered sweeter than others.  
     
Velouté au Navets de Pardailhan - This veloute, a velvety soup, is made with the heirloom black turnips of Pardailhan. Pardailhan, the village that gave their name to this turnip is inside the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut Languedoc, The Natural Regional Park of Haute Languedoc. The village is 35 km (22 miles) from the Mediterranean.
   


The Black Turnip of Pardailhan.

N.B.: Navettes de Provence are not to be confused with navets, turnips.  The Navettes de Provence are sweet biscuits usually flavored with lemon or orange zest. The biscuits took their name from the shape of a navette, an oval with pointed ends; however, do not be surprised if today’s Navettes de Provence have other shapes.
  
Panais - The Parsnip.
 
Raw parsnips look like rough, ivory-colored, large carrots. Despite the similarities, parsnips are not carrots, though they are from the same family.  Parsnips are slightly sweet and, when properly cooked, have a firm and pleasant texture. The parsnip ’s texture is one of the reasons French chefs have always appreciated them and the reason that they are added them to many dishes. Parsnips are one of the few vegetables whose origins are wholly European and grow well in cool climates. Parsnips were already starring on menus, over 2,000 years ago, at Roman banquets.

Parsnips in the languages of France’s neighbors.

(Catalan – xirivia), (Dutch – pastinaak), (German – pastinak), (Italian - pastinaca), (Spanish - chirivía, pastinaca).

Parsnips on French Menus:

Velouté de Panais -   A parsnip veloute, a velvety soup.
 
Turbot Sauvage Poché en Blanquette à la Vanille, Purée de Panais-  Turbot, caught in the wild and served poached in a blanquette flavored with vanilla and served with a parsnip puree.   A blanquette is a traditional stew and its recipes generally include mushrooms and a cream sauce along with white wine.
   

Parsnip soup

Filet de Biche, Navet Acidulé, Panais et Griottes Purée de Panais -  A fillet steak from the female red deer, served with pickled turnips, parsnips,  sour cherries and pureed parsnips. An adult male red deer is a cerf, an adult female deer is a biche.  The English word bitch comes from the French biche.
 
The menu listing above gives the diner no indication that the red deer is wild game. In France, many animals usually associated with the wild game are farm-raised. Unless otherwise indicated the pheasant, wild boar, red and roe deer on your menu will have been farm-raised.
     

Navets - Parsnips.

Rutabaga or Chou-Navets or – Swedes or Rutabaga.

The Swede or Rutabaga is a vegetable that often looks, to me and many others, a lot like a parsnip; however, they are not related.  I am no expert on plant genetics and when I see Swedes, in a market next to parsnips all I can say is that they look very similar if generally a little larger.  When both are in a stew I am also not sure where they significantly differ.  So Swedes, in France and elsewhere, are often used instead of parsnips and are often listed on French menus as panais, parsnips.  To confuse us even more, one of the French names for Swedes is Chou-Navets and that relates to the French word Chou, cabbage. The Swede, it turns out, is a member of the cabbage family. The other name rutabaga used in both French and English comes originally from the original Swedish.
   
 Swedes, Rutabagas in the languages of France's neighbors:
 
(Catalan – nap de Suècia), (Dutch – koolraapm kohlrabi, rutabaga),(German - schmalzrübe, steckrübe, unterkohlrabi,  kohlrüben), (Italian - cavolo rapa, cavolo da foraggio), (Spanish - colinabo, col nabo, nabo sueco).
    

A rutabaga, a Swede.
www.flickr.com/photos/elvissa/368430515/
  
Swedes, Rutabagas, on French Menus:
     
Raviole de Paleron de Boeuf, Rutabagas, Bouillon de Lard des Pyrénées – Ravioli made with beef shoulder and rutabagas served with a broth made from bacon from the Pyrenees.

Filet de Cannette des Dombes Servie Rosé, Cubes de Rutabaga Rôtis au Miel, Jus à la Genièvre -  Breast of duckling from the Dombes served rosé, pink, with cubes of rutabaga roasted in honey; served with a juniper berry sauce. 

   Duck in France is traditionally served pink, rosé; unlike a steak, you will rarely be asked how you would like your duck cooked. If you prefer duck cooked differently, tell your waiter when ordering. 
  
 The Dombes is a plateau outside the city of Lyon with a long history of combined usage for agriculture and freshwater fish farms. The Dombes covers more than 30,000 acres and is a center for ducks and other waterfowl. The duck on this menu listing is a female, a cannette; a male duck is a canard. When the type of duck from the Dombes is not mentioned then, it will usually be the Canard Colvert, the wild mallard duck. The mallard is the most common wild duck in Europe. In France, as elsewhere, ducks may be hunted in season with a license.
  
Another claim for the origin of the name Navarin:

Some chefs link the Navarin's name to the Greek War for Independence. Then the combined French, British, and Russian navies fought the Turkish and Egyptian navies in the Battle of Navarino in the Eastern Mediterranean in 1821. The Turkish defeat in that battle was the turning point in the Greek search for independence. In 1832, Greece won its independence after nearly 400 years of Turkish rule. I have looked, without success, for recipes, or menus for Navrin published close to the time of the Battle of Navarino. That search follows the French tradition of naming new dishes after significant events or great people. However, the appearance of Navarins on French menus does not link to the right dates. Escoffier has recipes for Navarins, but that is close to 100 years after the battle of Navarino. I side with those who link the Navarin to a dish that originated in or was credited to the country of Navarre.

--------------------------------

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010, 2014. 2018, 2020

--------------------------------


Are you searching for words, names,
or phrases on French Menus?

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Cerises, Bigarreaux and Griottes - The Cherries of France. Cherries on French Menus.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

  
Cherries
www.flickr.com/photos/tracyelaine/4606773000/


Cerises - Cherries
The cherries on French Menus will be under the names
Cerises, Bigarreaux, and Griottes.

    
While the word cerise does cover all types of cherries, bigarreaux usually  indicates sweet cherries while griottes always represent the mûre, slightly sour, morello type cherries.

La Cerise sur le Gateau.
This French expression translates as the cherry on the top of the cake and has the same meaning as “The Icing on the Cake” in English.
   
After strawberries, cherries are the second most popular fruit in France, and to prove it France is the 15th largest cherry producing country in the world. In season, from May through early August different cherry varieties fill the markets and restaurant menus will be filled with dishes made from fresh cherries.
      
Cherry Blossom
    
Cherry dishes on French menus:

Aumônière de Poire et Mousse de Griotte au Grand Marnier – Pears stuffed with a mousse made from the griotte sour cherry and flavored with Grand Marnier liqueur.
    
Cerise au Marasquin  -  Maraschino cherries were originally a native Croatian cherry used for making maraschino liqueur. Today the maraschino cherries on top of your whipped cream or cakes are produced primarily by adding a red pigment to regular cherries while flavoring them with all sorts of substances and lots of sugar. I suggest you think twice before eating the red stuff in these cherries!
      
Cerises au Porto sur Glace à la Vanille  –   Cherries; here they are probably griottes, the morello type cherries, flavored with porand served with vanilla ice cream
   
Cerises Burlat  - Burlat cherries are native French cherries that taste and look like a medium-sized California Bing cherry, and I love Bing cherries. From that similarity, I was not surprised that the Burlat is the most popular sweet cherry in France. The Burlat cherry developed from cuttings from a wild cherry tree, and the finder was a French soldier, named Léonard Burlat.  Léonard had been called up for service in the French army during WWI, and in 1915, he discovered a remarkably different wild cherry tree near the city of Lyon. When Léonard went home on leave, he took the cuttings from that tree back to his family’s farm, near his home village that is now the small town of Loire-sur-Rhône in the département of Rhône in the Rhône-Alps, and the rest is history. France had fallen in love with Burlat cherries.
      
Burlat cherries
www.flickr.com/photos/johnloo/4609747322/

Léonard Burlat ended up with a cherry and a street named after him as well as the thanks of a nation of cherry lovers. Burlat cherries are now grown all over the world, and in France, they account for over 50% of the cherries sold annually. 
   
Cerises Noir - Black cherries. Usually, this indicates griottes, morello type sour cherries.
   
Cerises Jubilee - Cherries Jubilee. These are morello type cherries marinated in kirsch, a liqueur made from cherries, accompanied by vanilla ice cream, and flambéed in front of the diners while being served. This famous recipe was created, and first served at the Savoy Hotel, London, by Auguste Escoffier in honor of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, her 60 years on the British throne; that was on the 22nd June 1897. 
         
Cherries Jubilee
www.flickr.com/photos/kirt_edblom/14505460017/
    
You may wonder how a dish created in England in honor of a British queen remains on so many French menus?  Well,  to begin with, Escoffier was, of course, an extremely famous French chef, and Queen Victoria loved France and was also much loved by the French. Queen Victoria and her family were close friends of the Emperor Napoléon III and the Empress Eugénie. When Napoléon III lost his job as Emperor at the end of the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871), he found refuge in England.

 When Napoléon III died in exile in England in 1873,  Queen Victoria paid for the crypt built in the Benedictine Abbey of St Michael’s in Farnborough, Hampshire, England, where he is buried. The abbey itself was built for Napoleon III by the Empress Eugénie, and when she died in 1922, she was buried next to him. The only son of Napoleon III and the Empress Eugénie was  Eugène Louis, the Prince Imperial, and Napoleon IV; he died fighting for the British Army in the South African British Zulu wars, in 1879 and is buried in the same English church alongside his parents. Many French tourists, visiting the UK, make a point of visiting the last resting place of Napoleon III and Napoleon IV.    

More about Napoleon and cherries.

The bigarreau Napoleon is a sweet cherry, and it is a yellow to pink to red sweet cherry.

For more about Napoleon III see the post:

and for more Napoleon I's descendants see the post:
    
Clafoutis aux Cerises Burlat Clafoutis made with sweet burlat cherries.  Clafoutis, pronounced clafooty, (the S is silent), is a traditional tart from the old region of Limousin.  The original clafoutis was only made with cherries mixed and cooked together in a crêpe-like batter. Now clafoutis are popular all over France and just as popular when made with other fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and fish. The old region of Limousin included the departments of Corrèz, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne that are now part of the new super region of Nouvelle Aquitaine.   

A cherry clafouti.
www.flickr.com/photos/noellegillies/19584503876/
   
Confiture de Cerises Noires - Black cherry jam
    
Filet de Canette Montmorency  Slices of duckling breast prepared with Montmorency morello type cherries. Cherries are no longer grown in the village of Montmorency outside Paris, but any dish with Montmorency in its name will contain cherries, and Montmorency cherries are grown all over the world. The village of Montmorency is now a bedroom community of over 20,000 people, but apart from being famous for its cherries, the French philosopher and writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau lived and worked there, and the painter Camille Pissarro loved to paint there.
   
Sliced duck breast with sour cherries.
www.flickr.com/photos/experiencela/77236358/
  
Entrecôte de Daim aux Bigarreaux  -  An entrecote, a rib-eye steak, from a fallow deer served with a sauce made from sweet cherries.  This will be farmed deer, as in the hunting season when wild game may be on the menu, then either the full menu will be marked as a Carte de la Chasse, a menu from the hunt or wild game listed on the main menu will carry the suffix sauvage, wild. Many of the animals traditionally associated with hunting are farm-raised in France. On your menu without any other indication, the rabbits, hares, fallow and other deerpheasants, quail, and even wild boar are all farm-raised and will be on menus all year round.      
    
Griottes à l'Eau-de-vie – A dessert of griotte, morello, cherries made with an eau de vie, a fruit brandy, usually this will be kirsch, itself a cherry liqueur. A dish like this will usually be served with a soft white cheese or ice cream.

Guignolet or   Guignolet- Kirsch  - A popular French, red, 16-18% alcohol cherry liqueur. 

Kirsch or Kirschwasser - A 40-45% clear, cherry brandy that may be in your cheese fondue, in desserts, cakes or served ice cold on its own.    Kirsch from the Fougerolles, the small town in the department of Haute-Saône in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté is one of the most respected sources for French Kirsch.
      
Kirsch de Fougerolles AOC/AOP

Apart from Fougerolles so famous for its Kirsch liquor, there are other famous cherry towns in France; a particularly compelling one is the town of Céret in Occitanie.

Céret has a cherry festival in the last week of May or the first week in June. For all French fetes and celebrations check, ahead of time, with one of the French Government Tourist Office in your country.
   
The cherry festival in the town of Céret in Occitanie.

The Céret cherry season begins in May, and there will be sales of all products made with cherries at stalls and restaurants in and around the town along with bands, traditional Catalan dancing and more.
   
Cherries in Céret.
     
Céret menus will also offer a wide range of French and Catalan-influenced dishes.  At almost any time of the year, Céret is a delightful place to visit as there is much more to the town and area than just cherries, Catalan cuisine, and Catalan connections.

The town also strong connection to modern art that began when Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso came here in 1911 and spent a year or two in Céret during Picasso’s cubist period; today Céret considers itself the home of cubism and over the years, many other artists, not just the cubists have also spent time there. Céret’s small but unique Museum of Modern Art was founded in 1948 by some of the artists who visited and loved the town; it holds works, mainly donated by artists who spent time in Céret, and that includes Picasso, Braque, Chagall, Matisse, Miró, Soutine, and others.

Still Life With Banderillas
Georges Braque. Ceret, summer 1911
www.flickr.com/photos/rverc/4297148574/

For the opening times of the museum and days when it is closed see the museum’s French language website that is easily accessed with Bing and Google translate apps.


Getting to Céret.

Céret is in the department of the Pyrénées-Orientales in Occitanie and is just  15 km (9 miles) from some beautiful Mediterranean beaches; it is also just 15  km (9 miles) from Perpignan and 18 km (12 miles) from Spain. 

The only time when I cannot recommend Céret is in mid-July when, unfortunately, Céret, has real bullfights, corridas, the bloody ones. You may schedule your visit for before or after the corridas. Since Catalonia in Spain has banned bullfighting, I am hoping that Céret with its Catalonian history will soon follow suit.
   

Portrait of the artist Chaim Soutine painted by Modigliani in Céret.
 
Bigarreau - Sweet cherries  in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - Cirera or guinda), (Dutch - kers), (German - kirsche), (Italian - ciliegi, cerasa) (Spanish- cereza, guinda).

Griotes - Morello sour cherries in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - guinder, cirerer amarg),  (Dutch -  zure kers),  (German –sauerkirsche, weichselkirsche, weichsel), (Italian  - amareno, visciolo, amarasco), (Spanish  -   guindo, cerezo ácido, cerezo de morello).

------------------------------------------

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019

------------------------------

Searching for the meaning of words, names or phrases
on
French menus?

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