Post by Sarastro on Aug 13, 2007 11:18:48 GMT -5
Many years ago when I was studying in Tours, a friend of mine from Amboise invited me to his home for dinner. We were very young and he still lived at home with his parents who were originally from Auvergne. From the local grocer, his mother had specially ordered a very young, almost creamy cow's milk cheese (I believe it was Cantal). For our dinner that night she blended the cheese with mashed potatoes, continuously mixing in a circular fashion. As she stirred, she never altered the direction of her motions, always clockwise. She explained that by so doing, the integrity of certain longitudinal filaments in the mixture was maintained.
At the dinner table, I was able to taste this heavenly creation for the first time, a seemingly simple food yet an unforgettable experience. In Auvergne, where it is a staple among the farmers and others who make their livelihoods from the land, it is called Aligot.
Years later, simple foods from the French countryside became quite chic at Parisian restaurants. Aligot is now widely available at restaurant tables almost everywhere in Paris. My preferred location is L’Ambassade d’Auvergne in the 3rd arrondissement. The people at L’Ambassade d’Auvergne, when asked, graciously provide satisfied dinners with the recipes used at the restaurant. Readers probably know of other restaurants serving aligot, but in Paris I prefer this one:
www.ambassade-auvergne.com/
As good as the food is at the Ambassade d’Auvergne, it is not the absolute best restaurant serving aligot. Those honors go to a restaurant established many, many years ago in Aubrac; Chez Germaine.
Germaine died some time ago but the restaurant and its traditions live on. When ordering aligot at Chez Germaine, and everyone does, the waitress exits the kitchen stirring a large copper bowl of aligot, always stirring in circular motions of the same direction. She fills each plate with a large portion. For the uninitiated, she also swirls a crown of aligot upon his head and presents him with a certificate, authenticating the Chez Germaine dinning experience. There is even a special technique, used among the locals, to eat aligot. One rotates his fork, tines vertical and drags the sideways tip across an outer edge of his serving. This action isolates a bite sized portion of aligot on his plate which is quickly scooped up for consumption. Everything else served here is unforgettably delicious: fruit tarts, sausage, even the steak.
I seldom miss an opportunity to dine at Chez Germaine, finding myself detouring from A75 and following narrow winding country roads to Aubrac in the heart of Auvergne.
I still have my certificate.
At the dinner table, I was able to taste this heavenly creation for the first time, a seemingly simple food yet an unforgettable experience. In Auvergne, where it is a staple among the farmers and others who make their livelihoods from the land, it is called Aligot.
Years later, simple foods from the French countryside became quite chic at Parisian restaurants. Aligot is now widely available at restaurant tables almost everywhere in Paris. My preferred location is L’Ambassade d’Auvergne in the 3rd arrondissement. The people at L’Ambassade d’Auvergne, when asked, graciously provide satisfied dinners with the recipes used at the restaurant. Readers probably know of other restaurants serving aligot, but in Paris I prefer this one:
www.ambassade-auvergne.com/
As good as the food is at the Ambassade d’Auvergne, it is not the absolute best restaurant serving aligot. Those honors go to a restaurant established many, many years ago in Aubrac; Chez Germaine.
Germaine died some time ago but the restaurant and its traditions live on. When ordering aligot at Chez Germaine, and everyone does, the waitress exits the kitchen stirring a large copper bowl of aligot, always stirring in circular motions of the same direction. She fills each plate with a large portion. For the uninitiated, she also swirls a crown of aligot upon his head and presents him with a certificate, authenticating the Chez Germaine dinning experience. There is even a special technique, used among the locals, to eat aligot. One rotates his fork, tines vertical and drags the sideways tip across an outer edge of his serving. This action isolates a bite sized portion of aligot on his plate which is quickly scooped up for consumption. Everything else served here is unforgettably delicious: fruit tarts, sausage, even the steak.
I seldom miss an opportunity to dine at Chez Germaine, finding myself detouring from A75 and following narrow winding country roads to Aubrac in the heart of Auvergne.
I still have my certificate.