Behind the French Menu

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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon I, is by most French polls, that country’s most famous citizen. However, the last member of the Bonaparte family to change the world was the Emperor’s great-grandnephew Charles Bonaparte. Charles Bonaparte was an American citizen, and he founded the FBI.

Emperor Napoleon I’s younger brother visits the United States.

Emperor Napoleon I ‘s younger brother Jerome (Geronimo) Bonaparte ( 1784 –1860) visited the USA where he fell in love with a lady called Elizabeth Patterson. They married on Christmas eve in December 1803. Their marriage soon brought them a son also named Jerome. As expected, back in France Emperor Napoleon I did not accept the marriage of his brother to a commoner.

Portrait of Emperor Napoleon I

Photograph courtesy of damiananddude.

The grandchildren of Jerome Bonaparte

and Elizabeth Patterson.

Jerome was forced to divorce Elizabeth Patterson and return to France. There he was forced into an arranged marriage with Duchess Catherina of Württemberg. That, however, was not the end of the Bonaparte family’s history in the USA. The son of Jerome and Elizabeth Patterson grew up as an American citizen, graduated Harvard Law School and married Susan May Williams. Jerome and Susan May would have two sons. The eldest was Jerome II (1830 – 1893), and the youngest was Charles (1851-1921). Jerome II studied at West Point and graduated 11th in his class. Jerome II would serve in The Texas Mounted Rifles, from where he would resign to fight in the French army for his cousin Emperor Napoleon III.

A view of Harvard Law School.

Photograph courtesy of mak506.

Charles went to Harvard Law School, and after graduation married Ellen Channing Day. Charles Bonaparte was considered an astute and ambitious attorney. That, I imagine, was to be expected since he had great-grand Uncle who had become an Emperor and a third cousin who was now Emperor Napoleon III. In Charles Bonaparte's gene pool, there was inbred ambition.

As an attorney, Charles met Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt (1858-1919) before he became President. Then, when Teddy became the 26^th President of the USA he appointed Charles Bonaparte to investigate land frauds in the Indian Reservations. Charles’s work and his solutions were considered a great success. In 1905, Teddy Roosevelt made Charles Bonaparte Secretary of the Navy and in 1906 the USA Attorney General.

Charles Bonaparte, photograph lower right.

Photograph courtesy of Flickr

As the USA Attorney General Charles Bonaparte found he lacked the enforcement powers for crimes that were national. In May 1908 Charles Bonaparte created a force of special agents, the first G-Men. Charles appointed the first director of these special agents who at the time held the title of The Examiner. Later The Examiner would be called the Director of the FBI. The first Examiner, of The FBI, was Stanley W Finch.

The FBI badge.

Photograph courtesy of cliff1066 ™

With the end of Roosevelt’s term in 1909, Charles Bonaparte entered private practice while the FBI would grow from strength to strength.

J. Edgar Hoover.

Sixth Director of the FBI

Photograph courtesy of Iman1138.

Jérôme (Geronimo) Napoleon Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon 1 and the grandfather of the founder of the FBI is buried with Emperor Napoleon I in Les Invalides, Paris. According to the website, Findagrave.com Charles is buried with his wife in the Bonaparte family plot in Loudon Park Cemetery in Baltimore.

Les Invalides, Paris France.

Photograph courtesy of Wallyg

After an excellent French dinner in Paris, Corsica or Washington DC raise a glass to Napoleon I’s great-grandnephew Charles Bonaparte, the founder of the FBI. A Napoleon Cognac, a Napoleon Armagnac or a Napoleon Calvados would be suitable.

A Cognac snifter with Napoleon Cognac.

Photograph Courtesy of JonathanCohen

Napoleon Cognacs, Armagnacs, or Calvadoses are blended grape or apple AOP brandies that have aged for at least six years in oak barrels. The usage of the name Napoleon for these six-year-old brandies was authorized after 1936, but by then no Napoleons could claim royalties.

N.B. For the diehard Bonapartists, Charles Marie Jérôme Victor Napoleon (1950-) is now Napoleon VII and the current Bonaparte pretender to the French Imperial throne. Charles Marie is active politically and does not forget his claim to the throne of France.

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Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are over 400 articles that include over 2,500 French dishes with English translations and explanations. Just add the word, words or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" and search with Google or Bing.

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Almond Dacquoise.

Photograph courtesy of Science of Cooking

Dacquoise or Le Biscuit Dacquoise is traditionally made with almond or hazelnut meringues layered with chocolate; some chefs, however, will offer a variety of different flavors. I have enjoyed an excellent version of Le Biscuit Dacquoise made with fresh fruits.

Hazelnuts are not only for a Dacquoise

Photograph courtesy of Peter Trimming

www.flickr.com/photos/peter-trimming/6660069221/

No traces remain of a name for this cake’s original creator; he or she vanished in the fog of French culinary history; however, the cake’s name explicitly links it to the historical area of Pays Dacquois, the area around the town of Dax. Pays Dacquois is today included in the department of Landes in the region of Nouvelle Aquitaine.

Eggnog mousse cake with almond dacquoise,

striped jaconde, raspberry gelee,

Photograph courtesy of Allie Cooper

www.flickr.com/photos/a_cooper/2096580861/

The town of Dax is also famous for its thermal baths.

The town of Dax was already famous for its thermal baths in Roman times; unfortunately, when the Romans left the baths fell into disuse. Having said that, I do not want anyone claiming that I have implied that none of the locals had a bath for over 1,500 years! Nevertheless, the baths are famous again.

The famous hot fountain in Dax.

The water is naturally a consistent 64 degrees centigrade every day of the year.

Photograph Courtesy of Frédérique PANASSAC.

www.flickr.com/photos/10699036@N08/1579189067/

If you are traveling in Nouvelle Aquitaine and are close to Dax consider taking a day or two off from touring and rejuvenating yourselves at one of Dax’s spas; then, in the evening, enjoy the excellent cuisine from Dax and Aquitaine. The town of Dax is small and beautiful, and the options include staying overnight in a B and B, and using the attractive and well run public spas, or pampering yourself in a five-star hotel with its own spa on the premises.

Roman arch in Dax.

Photograph courtesy of the Dax Office de Tourisme

A meal in one of the town’s restaurants will introduce you to the local cuisine, and for your dessert make sure that the chef is offering his or her version of the original Dacquoise. This area is in Armagnac country, and so you are practically obligated to end your meal with a glass of Armagnac as your digestif.

Armagnac Marquis de Montesquiou 1942

Dax is in Armagnac Country.

Caveat emptor: Armagnac and other liquors, unlike wine, do not age in the bottle

Photograph courtesy of Pierre Lannes.

www.flickr.com/photos/titounet/8752106666/

Other nuts may flavor your Dacquoise:

Biscuit Dacquoise Aux Noix, Sirop de Café, Bavaroise Vanille, Chantilly Café- A Dacquoise with walnuts, coffee syrup, vanilla moose and Chantilly cream flavored with coffee. A Bavaroise is sometimes translated as a Bavarian cream mousse, which it rarely is. Bavaroise originated, rather obviously, in Bavaria, Germany, as a custard with whipped fresh cream prepared along with a vanilla or a fruit flavor and gelatin. A Bavaroise made in France today will often have a recipe that will be far from the original, and from experience, I prefer the French versions. A French Bavaroise is usually made with whipped cream mixed with a fruit puree, or the chef may use white cheese and fruits; savory variations without the cream or cheese are made with vegetables and yet others with Foie Gras.

Dacquoise au Praline – A Dacquoise made with pralines.

Dacquoise Pistache – A Dacquoise made with pistachio nuts.

Moving on.

From the 13^th century until nearly 100 years ago Dax had been an important inland port on the River Adour just 30 km (19 miles) from the Atlantic. Dax’s work as a port included the transport of Armagnac, wines, and timber, however, when the trains arrived in the late 19th century Dax’s port could not compete; the trains transported freight and passengers for half the price. However, for the locals and visitors, the River Ardour remains a beautiful place to walk alongside and to picnic.

The Etang de Bois de Boulogne,

In the park alongside the River Adour at Dax.

Photograph courtesy of the Dax Office de Tourisme.

You may want to plan your trip so that you are not in the area of Dax in the middle of August. Then, there is, unfortunately, five days of full-blooded bullfighting, the Spanish style of Corrida. Catalonia in Spain has already banned the bloody, so-called sport, of bullfighting, but certain towns in southern France still permit it. Check with the local Tourism Office for the exact dates for those who do or do not wish to be there during their Feria; the website is in English..

http://www.dax-tourisme.com/en/

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