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A few days to enjoy this region and the best it has to offer to taste and savor… So this time I’m taking you to Bordeaux and Saint Emilion, to discover canelés, macaroons and wine making!
Here I am this time in Bordeaux. No sooner arrived than I left, because I drove to the Chateau Sogeant where I spent the night.
You can even see the room because I left the window open!
In the evening, aperitif in the park and dinner with the Château’s wine! For starters, a delicious foie gras and gingerbread tatin with caramelized apples. When I saw it arrive, I first thought it was a block of foie gras, but in the end it was not, it was “homemade” and it was really delicious.
The next day, departure for Saint Emilion! A really charming little town that has a lot of culinary assets!
At noon, a small break in a restaurant on the terrace, to enjoy a simple but original dish. A slice of black pudding with espelette pepper, served with a salad and a big glass of red wine. I’ll make it again at home….!
In the streets, many (too many?) wine stores, but some of them have really caught our attention…
I take the car (rented…) to go to the domain of the Château de Franc Mayne, where a visit is necessary, followed by a tasting.
We then find ourselves in a huge room where 10 gigantic vats (5 wooden and 5 metal) are used to macerate the grapes cold, then hot, for the alkolic fermentation.
An imposing press to recuperate the marc wine which is on the surface.
Then the malo-lactic fermentation which transforms the not very pleasant malic acid into milder lactic acid.
And finally a rest in the monolithic cellars, so particular to Saint Emilion.
We meet then in the store to taste two very different wines. This gave me an appetite again!
In addition to the monolithic church which it is absolutely necessary to visit, I left almost running to discover THE store of macaroons of Saint Emilion to the 9, street Guadet!
The store doesn’t look like much, but they are full of treasures!
This one offers everything. It goes from the kougloff to the cookie, through the pieces of nougat. But the object of our visit is the macaroon that Nadia Fermigier prepares every day with her three companions.
These little cracked macaroons are real little jewels that you should smell and touch before eating them.
The box itself is part of this beautiful promise.
The macaroons release a frank flavor of almonds thanks to the addition in the paste, of bitter almonds. The recipe is simple but like all good recipes, it is kept secret. Of course, as I hate not understanding how it is done, I will get down to the task and try by all means to understand! I already have several clues! But I’ll talk about that another time!
They are glued on a paper and are crunchy and melting at the same time!
The store also offers canelés…
In the street, the call of wine is constant and of course I succumbed by leaving with several bottles!
The store of Canelés Lemoine has a branch in Saint Emilion.
Each to his own, but these are the ones I prefer…
The next day, back to Bordeaux where for a month of June, the weather did not fulfill its contract. Small disappointment quickly compensated by the regional dishes and the museums of Bordeaux! By the way, this fountain in the garden of the museum of fine arts!
Direction Baillardran for the canelés! If you don’t know them yet, it’s time to take a look. There are more than six points of sale in Bordeaux and even a Baillardran café (without a toilet, how do you wash your hands???).
The canelés are presented like gems.
But what really interests me is the back store where you can see that they use copper molds. I use teflon-lined aluminum molds at home, although I also have 22 copper molds for my parents’ oven, which is much more powerful than mine!
The unmolding is fast so as not to damage the canelés, the gesture is precise.
As soon as they are unmoulded, the canelés are grouped together…
By sizes….
Then individually wrapped for the bigger ones. They will then be sorted by cooking.
It was a real waltz of canelés that was playing in front of me.
And in the evening, dinner at the restaurant “Le Cochon Volant” where absolutely huge and medieval dishes are served at really reasonable prices!
For starters, a decadent oeuf cocotte with two foie gras. One in a “homemade” terrine and the other pan-fried, both on a large slice of toast.
And for the main course…a second starter! Because my stomach was already well filled… But this cold duck breast sandwiching a foie gras did not scare me!
Recipes related to this trip:
