from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Aubrac cow and calf.
Photograph courtesy of Jean
Weber
www.flickr.com/photos/inra_dist/25371239801/
From
farms over 800 m. (2600’) high, for five to six months a year, the Aubrac
cattle are free-range on the Aubrac Plateau in the center of Southern France, where
they graze on grass, wild herbs and wild flowers.
In the winter, the cattle are fed hay from the same grass and herbs that they eat in the summer; after two to three seasons on the plateau, their beef is well-flavored and well-marbled. When you want great beef, look for Bœuf Fermier d’Aubrac, Label Rouge, red label, on the menu.
The cattle took their name from the volcanic mountainous region called Monts d'Aubrac, south of the Massif Central, in the departments of Aveyron, Cantal and Lozère. There, on the “highest point” (alto braco in the Occitan Language, hence Aubrac), was built an ancient monastic community that served as a hospital for pilgrims on the way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The village of Aubrac is the highest in the department of Aveyron and is the headquarters of the Aubrac Regional Nature Park, and it contains the 12th-century church and hospital ruins. Despite its low permanent population, the village of Aubrac is today a center for tourism.
The area has
mountain climate: winters are harsh and long, bringing intense cold and
snowstorms, while summers are sunny.
The Aubrac breed developed here over centuries, and old writings note that in the 17th century, the monks had gathered the first elements of a rationally exploited herd, with the first animals recorded in the AUBRAC breed genealogical book dating back to 1894.
Aubrac
was once associated with burons, stone huts where farmers transformed their
milk into cheese during the summer pastures. This practice has almost
disappeared today, and with very few exceptions, Laguiole cheese is no longer
made with Aubrac milk; it is now a beef breed intended for meat production.
The Aubrac Beef’s Label Rouge
The
Bœuf Fermier d’Aubrac must meet yearly standard checks, unlike many
wines that bear famous labels but were last checked one hundred or more years
ago. For their Label Rouge, red label, the calves must be raised
by their mothers until weaned, and no antibiotics or growth hormones may be
used. Every year, there are organoleptic tests, where highly trained
professional tasters use their very special noses and taste buds to ensure the
quality of the raw and cooked beef never drops.
To
meet the requirements for the Label Rouge, there must be at least 10,000
sq. m. (2.50 acres) for each cow and calf. This beef comes from small
farms with the average herd size less than 100 head, including calves and
bulls. Many of the farms are also AB
(Agriculture Biologique), organically certified organic farms.
Bœuf
d’Aubrac on French Menus:
Côte de Bœuf d’Aubrac
pour 2 (800 g), Frites Maison –
A bone-in rib-eye steak (Chapter12) from the Bœuf Fermier d’Aubrac
for two, weighing 800 grams (28 ounces) including the bone, served with the
restaurant’s special French Fries.
The bone in a
bone-in rib-eye steak will take close to 30% of the weight served, and so
each diner may expect around 275 grams (9 ounces).
Frites Maison indicates the
restaurant has its own particular take on French fries. Ask.
Daube de Boeuf
d’Aubrac Label Rouge - Daube
(Chapter 13), is a famous beef stew that originated in Provence. The
meat is marinated overnight in herbs, garlic, vegetables, pork rinds, tomatoes
and red wine. The next day, with the
addition of more red wine, the daube will be slowly braised until ready.
When good chefs begin with good beef, they make seriously good steaks. However, with good ingredients, it is the rare gourmand who can tell one good steak from another. That is not so true for stews like a Daube, where it takes more than a very high temperature and a little salt and pepper to cook. A good stew takes hours of preparation at a low temperature, the herbs have to be just right, and when the meat used is not just good but seriously good, then you will taste the difference.
Daube
Photograph courtesy of tpholland
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tpholland/4122574973/
Faux-Filet de Bœuf d'Aubrac au Poivre Noir de Kâmpôt, Lit de Fèves - A UK sirloin steak, a US strip steak (Chapter 3). (The UK and USA sirloin are not the same cuts.) Here it is prepared as a pepper steak made with the Kampot black pepper from Cambodia and served on a bed of fava beans, also called the Windsor, or broad bean.
Poivre de Kâmpôt from Cambodia is a real pepper, from peppercorns, not a chili pepper, and holds a European Union IGP. Pepper enthusiasts claim its taste speaks to gourmands. and of course, the pepper’s origin makes the menu listing more interesting.
Pièce de Bœuf d’Aubrac Cuite au Barbecue, Panisses aux Herbes et Sauce Foyot – The butcher’s choice of the best rump steaks (Chapter 5), cooked on a barbecue and accompanied by herb-flavored Panisses, and served with Sauce Foyot.
Piece de Bœuf, or Piece Boucher, indicates the butcher’s choice, and that is the name given to a few uniquely tasty cuts from the rump with only enough steaks for six to eight servings from a whole steer. A skilled French butcher knows the real value of these cuts that are overlooked and ignored outside of France,
Panisses began as a street food made with chickpea flour in the City of Nice on the Côte d’Azur, and while their shape is not fixed they mostly look like wide oblong fries (chips) and like the best fries are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Traditionally, Panisses were bought hot and eaten on the go on their own with salt, but today, an addition of grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese may be offered, while in restaurants, they may be used as a garnish or served with a salad.
Sauce Foyot, also called Sauce Valois - A Sauce Béarnaise made with the addition of the glazed cooking juices from roasted meat.
Entrecôte d'Aubrac, Sauce au Bleu d'Auvergne, Frites - A ribeye steak (Chapter 2), from the Aubrac beef, served with a sauce from the Bleu d’Auvergne AOP cow’s milk blue cheese and French fries.
The Bleu d'Auvergne AOP cheese is a creamy, 29% fat, blue, cow’s milk cheese from the department of Cantal in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The cheese was planned to be a cow’s milk version of the Roquefort AOP sheep’s milk cheese, and it is a very tasty cheese, but it is a much milder blue cheese.
The Fête du Bleu d'Auvergne is held in the town of Riom-ès-Montagnes during the third weekend in August. Their website, like the others, is in French only, but with the Google or Bing translation apps, it is easily understood.
https://www.ville-riom-es-montagnes.fr/fete-du-bleu-d-auvergne
The Aubrac cattle
The Aubrac cattle were, until the French Revolution, raised to pull plows and provide milk as well as meat. Then the cows provided the milk for the fabulous Laguiole cheese, though now other breeds have taken their place, with tractors and combines replacing the Aubrac cattle pulling plows. Nevertheless, despite the changes, a few farmers still make Laguiole cheese with Aubrac milk.
Transhumance
Aubrac beef farmers continue a tradition of “transhumance,” the seasonal movement from the winter farms and barns to the summer pastures. Every year, a few thousand visitors come to watch as the herds meet near the village of Aubrac on the 25th of May, when the herds with the cows and their calves begin their trek to their summer pastures.
http://www.transhumanceaubrac.fr/
Laguiole Cheese.
The village of Aubrac, where the transhumance begins, is just 20 km (12 miles) from the small but famous town of Laguiole. Laguiole is home to the Laguiole AOP cheese and the famous Laguiole cutlery. (Laguiole is pronounced lie-yole; the G is silent.)
Laguiole Cheese.
Photograph courtesy of Au Fromager de Rungis.
Laguiole en Aubrac - Brown Horn
Photograph courtesy of Amazon
Traveling to Aubrac
If
you are traveling to the Mediterranean and the towns of Sète
or Montpellier from Paris, you will probably take the A71 and A75
highways. The A75 passes close to the Aubrac Plateau and the small town
of Laguiole. To travel to Aubrac, take the A75 autoroute or arrive by
train to a nearby station like Aumont-Aubrac and then take a bus. Must-try
local foods include aligot.
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