Malbec World Day this year was on April 17th. It just so happened to be the day I went to visit Cahors France. Cahors on the isthmus of the Lot River is the capitol of the Lot department in Southwestern France. Today it is best known for the grapes grown in the region: the Cot, more commonly known as Malbec. Today there are 4200 hectares in the AOC of Cahors. The history of wine in this region dates back to 50 BC following the Roman conquest of the Celts. Wine lovers that the Romans were, they planted the area with vineyards. In Medieval times the wine of this region became known as the Black Wine of Lot. Pope John XXII was born in Cahors in 1249 and while he was Pope, he made Cahors wine the official table and sacramental wine of the Roman Catholic Church. The popes of his time did not live in Rome, rather Avignon. The “Avignon Popes” were known as great lovers of wine, John XXII did much to advance the viticulture of the area and the wines of the region became known as “Vin du Pape” which later became known as Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Pope John XXII built the famous chateau that is the symbol for the wines of this AOC: Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
Emperor Peter I of Russia drank Cahors wine as well, and it became the sacramental wine of the Russian Orthodox Church. Other famous drinkers of this wine were Henry I of England; his wife was Eleanor of Aquitaine who brought this wine with her for their wedding. Black wine from Lot became a rival to the wines of Bordeaux at the English courts. In 1853 Domingo Faustino Sarmiento of Argentina was determined to improve the wine regions of his country. He hired Michel Aime Pouget a French soil specialist to make enhancements to the vineyards of Argentina. Pouget brings several types of vines from France, one being the Cot of Cahors. This vine does well and is now the dominant varietal in Argentina.
The Cot of Cahors does not fare as well in France: in 1883-1885 the Great French Wine Blight hits the region, and all of the vineyards were replanted. More recently, heavy frosts occurred in 1956 and the region had to be replanted en mass. In 1971 the region achieves the distinction of and AOC. The wines produced from Cahors are generally 100% Cot, and cannot go below 70% Cot. The other 30% is a blend of Merlot and Tannat.
Cahors was a prominent city in the Middle Ages. It was known for the fact that bankers charged interest on loans, which was considered the sin of usury by the Roman Catholic Church. Because of this, Cahors is immortalized in Dante’s Inferno as a wicked place. Today, it is primarily a tourist destination as it has a well preserved medieval section, including the Cathedral of St. Etienne and a beautiful ancient bridge the Valentre.
Cathedral of St. Etienne was built as a fortress by the bishop in the end of the 11th century. The door on the north door was carved in about 1135 and depicts the Ascension of Christ. Another small panel on the door shows the stoning of Saint Etienne in remarkable detail. The cathedral is unique in its double domed architecture and it also has a beautiful cloister dating back to 1509.
The Valentre Bridge was begun in 1308 and completed in 1378. The architect of the bridge was upset with the slow progress on the bridge. Legend has it that he made a pact with the devil to speed up the work. As the bridge rapidly approached completion, the architect found a way to get out of the agreement; he gave the devil a sieve and commanded he bring water to the workers. The devil realized he’d been bested, so every night he took out the top stone of the central tower. In 1879 during bridge renovation, the architect added a small carved statue of the devil clinging to the top of the tower as a permanent memory of the legend.
One cannot drink the wine of the region without considering the food. The regional cuisine is noted for its many duck dishes, truffles, foie gras and saffron. In addition, fruits and nuts are abundantly grown including peaches, plums, strawberries, melons and grapes. Chestnuts and walnuts are plentiful, appearing in cakes, pastries, salads and many other dishes. The food is simple, traditional and wonderful to enjoy with a glass of wine. I think it’s time for lunch!
Friday, April 19, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Rocamadour, France Photos April 2013
Rocamadour at sunrise
Balloons taking off from the valley
Balloon at the ramparts
Grand Staircase
Our Lady of Rocamadour
The Dance of Death
Looking for Roland's sword
Stations of the Cross
Cross of Jerusalem
Rocamadour from valley
Rocamadour, France April 2013
Easter came early this year and it was still raining and cold in Toulouse. With a three day weekend and a grim forecast, we looked for an area with reasonable weather and something to see. The tour booklet “Grand Sites of the Midee Pyrenees” list Rocamadour as a must see, so off we went Michelin Green Guide in hand. The legends of Rocamadour described in our Green Guide are as interesting as the pictures and it might just be the perfect location for Easter.
Remember Zacheus the tax collector of Jericho who climbed the tree to see Jesus? His wife was St. Veronica who wiped the face of Jesus with her veil. Together they were forced to escape Palestine not long after the crucifixion of Jesus. The story in the Green Guide relates a tale of a rickety boat on the Lot River guided by an angel bringing them to the area not far from Rocamadour. They supposedly lived out their lives in this region converting the locals to Christianity. Later in the history of Rocamadour, the story continues that St. Amadour wanted to be buried under the existing church in Rocamadour. While digging the grave for St. Amadour, another ancient corpse is uncovered. This body is thought to be Zacheus’. The relics of St. Amadour are still underneath the churches in a subterranean chapel.
St. Amadour is credited with carving the famed statute of Our Lady of Rocamadour. This walnut wooden statue is one of 180 Black Madonna’s in France. In 1172, writings describing the Miracles of Our Lady of Rocamadour were widely distributed. Thousands upon thousands of pilgrims came here, some on their way to Santiago de Compostela and others for the miracles of Rocamadour. One particularly special pilgrim was Roland, one of Charlemagne’s Twelve Peers and possibly his best warrior. The Song of Roland commemorates his mighty deeds and a pilgrimage to Rocamadour. Roland’s sword was called the Durandal, the sharpest sword in existence. The hilt of the Durandal contained the tooth of Saint Peter, the blood of Saint Basil and the hair of Saint Denis. Before Roland was killed, he attempted to break his sword so no one else could use it. The sword would not break, so Roland threw it to the Archangel Michael and it is allegedly embedded in the cliff wall at Rocamadour, far from his enemies.
Other pilgrims were not as famous as Roland. Some pilgrims were sent to Rocamadour as punishment, especially the Albigensians. As part of their punishment, they had to wear special clothes covered with crosses and a very wide hat on their long walk to Rocamadour. Upon reaching the Great Staircase with 223 steps, the penitent would strip to his undershirt. Chains would be fastened to his arms and neck. The penitent would then crawl on his knees to the top, once at the top, he would be brought before the statue of Our Lady of Rocamadour where a priest would pray to absolve his sins and finally remove the chains. The penitent would receive a special medal proving this journey.
Other sites on this terrace level are the Basicila of St. Sauveur, St. Amadour’s crypt, and the Chapel of Notre-Dame. On the chapel of Notre-Dame of Rocamadour is a 9th century miraculous bell, which rings of its own accord to foretell of a miracle. Thirteenth century frescos painted on the outer wall of the chapel picture the dance of death. Continuing up the hill are the Stations of the Cross and at top of the hill is a Cross of Jerusalem which was brought from the Holy Land by pilgrims. The ramparts on top of the hill were built in the 14th century to protect the city.
After all this heavy history, it is time for some local specialties. The area is famous for truffles, walnuts, wine, strawberries and foies gras. Rocamadour is famous for a special small cheese. It is called Rocamadour, and it is a goat’s milk cheese of the Cabecores variety. The cheese has a soft rind and is usually eaten within 12-15 days. If it is aged longer a blue mold grows on its rind and the flavor becomes much stronger. I had my mold free cheese on a pizza with honey and smoked duck breast. This type of pizza holds up well to a local Cahors wine. Bon Appetite!
Remember Zacheus the tax collector of Jericho who climbed the tree to see Jesus? His wife was St. Veronica who wiped the face of Jesus with her veil. Together they were forced to escape Palestine not long after the crucifixion of Jesus. The story in the Green Guide relates a tale of a rickety boat on the Lot River guided by an angel bringing them to the area not far from Rocamadour. They supposedly lived out their lives in this region converting the locals to Christianity. Later in the history of Rocamadour, the story continues that St. Amadour wanted to be buried under the existing church in Rocamadour. While digging the grave for St. Amadour, another ancient corpse is uncovered. This body is thought to be Zacheus’. The relics of St. Amadour are still underneath the churches in a subterranean chapel.
St. Amadour is credited with carving the famed statute of Our Lady of Rocamadour. This walnut wooden statue is one of 180 Black Madonna’s in France. In 1172, writings describing the Miracles of Our Lady of Rocamadour were widely distributed. Thousands upon thousands of pilgrims came here, some on their way to Santiago de Compostela and others for the miracles of Rocamadour. One particularly special pilgrim was Roland, one of Charlemagne’s Twelve Peers and possibly his best warrior. The Song of Roland commemorates his mighty deeds and a pilgrimage to Rocamadour. Roland’s sword was called the Durandal, the sharpest sword in existence. The hilt of the Durandal contained the tooth of Saint Peter, the blood of Saint Basil and the hair of Saint Denis. Before Roland was killed, he attempted to break his sword so no one else could use it. The sword would not break, so Roland threw it to the Archangel Michael and it is allegedly embedded in the cliff wall at Rocamadour, far from his enemies.
Other pilgrims were not as famous as Roland. Some pilgrims were sent to Rocamadour as punishment, especially the Albigensians. As part of their punishment, they had to wear special clothes covered with crosses and a very wide hat on their long walk to Rocamadour. Upon reaching the Great Staircase with 223 steps, the penitent would strip to his undershirt. Chains would be fastened to his arms and neck. The penitent would then crawl on his knees to the top, once at the top, he would be brought before the statue of Our Lady of Rocamadour where a priest would pray to absolve his sins and finally remove the chains. The penitent would receive a special medal proving this journey.
Other sites on this terrace level are the Basicila of St. Sauveur, St. Amadour’s crypt, and the Chapel of Notre-Dame. On the chapel of Notre-Dame of Rocamadour is a 9th century miraculous bell, which rings of its own accord to foretell of a miracle. Thirteenth century frescos painted on the outer wall of the chapel picture the dance of death. Continuing up the hill are the Stations of the Cross and at top of the hill is a Cross of Jerusalem which was brought from the Holy Land by pilgrims. The ramparts on top of the hill were built in the 14th century to protect the city.
After all this heavy history, it is time for some local specialties. The area is famous for truffles, walnuts, wine, strawberries and foies gras. Rocamadour is famous for a special small cheese. It is called Rocamadour, and it is a goat’s milk cheese of the Cabecores variety. The cheese has a soft rind and is usually eaten within 12-15 days. If it is aged longer a blue mold grows on its rind and the flavor becomes much stronger. I had my mold free cheese on a pizza with honey and smoked duck breast. This type of pizza holds up well to a local Cahors wine. Bon Appetite!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Armagnac Photos February 2013
For medicinal purposes
Greetings from the rooster
An old vintage
Une Piece Armagnacaise
Inside the Estate
Aging barrels
Art Gallery
Ready for Armagnac
Gascon-home of Armagnac
Armagnac, Feburary 2013
Winter has been dismal; grey and rainy every day since mid-December. Not being able to stay in the house another weekend, we pointed the car north east of Toulouse and ended up in Armagnac country. We visited several Les Plus Beau Villages one of them was Montreal Armagnac. Here we were directed to an area called Le Boubee and found the Armagnac Estate. Since it was a cold rainy afternoon, we were the only customers of the day and were treated to a personal tour and tasting of the Armagnac from Tenereze De Ladeveze.
Armagnac is a type of brandy developed in the southwest of France the region of Gascony, the first region to distill spirits. Armagnac is the oldest type of brandy but it remains less well known around the world than cognac. In the 14th century Prior Vital Du Four, a Cardinal extolled the virtues of Armagnac: “It makes disappear redness and burning of the eyes, and stops them from tearing; it cures hepatitis, sober consumption adhering. It cures gout, cankers, and fistula by ingestion; restores the paralyzed member by massage; and heals wounds of the skin by application. It enlivens the spirit, partaken in moderation, recalls the past to memory, renders men joyous, preserves youth and retards senility. And when retained in the mouth, it loosens the tongue and emboldens the wit, if someone timid from time to time himself permits.”
More recently in 2007, scientists at Bordeaux University were studying the health effects of Armagnac. People in this region of France live an average of 5 years longer than all other regions of France. In general they smoke quite a bit and eat a fatty diet with plenty of foie gras, confit de canard and sausages. So, this leaves Armagnac as a fountain of youth. Armagnac has anti platelet properties and may also block some of the digestion and absorption of dietary fat. I am going to personally continue this research, eat a diet filled with foie gras and duck fat and have a jigger of Armagnac daily to see what happens. The diet is already in place, the Armagnac started yesterday. I’m feeling better already!
So what is this magic liquid? It is a spirit distilled by a unique process from wine made from several specific varietals of grapes grown in the southwest region of France. There are 10 varieties of grapes that can be used, but the most common are the Baco, the Colombard, the Ugini Blanc and the Folle Blanche. These grapes yield the special aromas, flavors and textures of Armagnac. These grapes are grown in only three districts: Bas-Armagnac-yielding supple youthful spirits, Tenareze-mainly Ugni Blanc and Colombard grapes that can age a long time, and Haut-Armagnac-who’s spirits can be flat and hard. The soil types vary between a mixture of sandy soil with a small amount of clay or a mix of clay and limestone. Much of the Armagnac is still produced by small local distillers, although some have gone into a co-op type of production.
Traditional Armagnac is produced with a column still between the months of November through January. The still is portable and moves around the area to each estates wine to distill the wine into Armagnac. One of the differences between Armagnac and cognac is that Armagnac is distilled only once in a small continuous column-typestill called an Alambic . Cognac is distilled twice using a pot style still. With the Alambic still the wine is heated and the resulting steam passes up the main column and through a number of heated plates. As the steam passes through the plates comes into contact with the wine entering the column so the steam picks up additional fruit elements and flavors. The vapor enters the condensing coil and cools to liquid and drips straight into an oak barrel.
The Armagnac barrel is called une piece armagnacaise that holds 400-420 liters. Once in the barrel the taste softens by evaporation of alcohol and water (past des anges- the angles’ share). The oxidation that occurs in the barrel allows more aromatic compounds to form which improves the flavor. Barrels traditionally came from oak from the Gascon forest, but due to a limited supply, some of the wood now comes from the Limousin forest. The Gascon oak gives tannis to the spirit, and the Limousin oak imparts a vanilla flavor. After a year in the new barrel, the Armagnac is moved into older oak barrels to continue its aging process. Once it is taken out of the barrel bottled, the spirit is stable and the taste will not change. The age of the Armagnac (time spent in the oak barrel) determines its labeling.
Labeling of Armagnac:
VS or three star is a blend that has spent at least 2 years in a barrel
VSOP is aged in the barrel for 5 years
XO 6aged 6 years
Hors d’Age at least 10 years in the barrel
Vintage Armagnac must come entirely from the year listed on the bottle
Independent estates will show the domain’s address on the front of the bottle along with the appellation. If not, the Armagnac was bottled by a negociant, and the spirits can come from multiple locations in the region.
When to drink Armagnac:
It is traditionally a digestif and is savored after a satisfying meal. It can be paired with desserts such as almond cakes, apple tarts, and caramelized pears. Locally, prunes, usually from Agen are soaked in Armagnac, or it can be served with coffee and mild cigars.
How to drink Armagnac:
Step One: Pour 1.5 ounces into a brandy snifter
Step Two: Observe the color and the clarity
Step Three: Smell, tilt the snifter so that you get both alcohol and fruit notes
Step Four: Put a few drops onto your tongue, then go for a small sip. Roll this around your palate and enjoy the length and finish. You are looking for a balance between the alcohol, the oak and the fruit: too much oak dries out the palate, too much alcohol masks the fruit and too much fruit makes it taste like a liqueur.
A la tienne!
Armagnac is a type of brandy developed in the southwest of France the region of Gascony, the first region to distill spirits. Armagnac is the oldest type of brandy but it remains less well known around the world than cognac. In the 14th century Prior Vital Du Four, a Cardinal extolled the virtues of Armagnac: “It makes disappear redness and burning of the eyes, and stops them from tearing; it cures hepatitis, sober consumption adhering. It cures gout, cankers, and fistula by ingestion; restores the paralyzed member by massage; and heals wounds of the skin by application. It enlivens the spirit, partaken in moderation, recalls the past to memory, renders men joyous, preserves youth and retards senility. And when retained in the mouth, it loosens the tongue and emboldens the wit, if someone timid from time to time himself permits.”
More recently in 2007, scientists at Bordeaux University were studying the health effects of Armagnac. People in this region of France live an average of 5 years longer than all other regions of France. In general they smoke quite a bit and eat a fatty diet with plenty of foie gras, confit de canard and sausages. So, this leaves Armagnac as a fountain of youth. Armagnac has anti platelet properties and may also block some of the digestion and absorption of dietary fat. I am going to personally continue this research, eat a diet filled with foie gras and duck fat and have a jigger of Armagnac daily to see what happens. The diet is already in place, the Armagnac started yesterday. I’m feeling better already!
So what is this magic liquid? It is a spirit distilled by a unique process from wine made from several specific varietals of grapes grown in the southwest region of France. There are 10 varieties of grapes that can be used, but the most common are the Baco, the Colombard, the Ugini Blanc and the Folle Blanche. These grapes yield the special aromas, flavors and textures of Armagnac. These grapes are grown in only three districts: Bas-Armagnac-yielding supple youthful spirits, Tenareze-mainly Ugni Blanc and Colombard grapes that can age a long time, and Haut-Armagnac-who’s spirits can be flat and hard. The soil types vary between a mixture of sandy soil with a small amount of clay or a mix of clay and limestone. Much of the Armagnac is still produced by small local distillers, although some have gone into a co-op type of production.
Traditional Armagnac is produced with a column still between the months of November through January. The still is portable and moves around the area to each estates wine to distill the wine into Armagnac. One of the differences between Armagnac and cognac is that Armagnac is distilled only once in a small continuous column-typestill called an Alambic . Cognac is distilled twice using a pot style still. With the Alambic still the wine is heated and the resulting steam passes up the main column and through a number of heated plates. As the steam passes through the plates comes into contact with the wine entering the column so the steam picks up additional fruit elements and flavors. The vapor enters the condensing coil and cools to liquid and drips straight into an oak barrel.
The Armagnac barrel is called une piece armagnacaise that holds 400-420 liters. Once in the barrel the taste softens by evaporation of alcohol and water (past des anges- the angles’ share). The oxidation that occurs in the barrel allows more aromatic compounds to form which improves the flavor. Barrels traditionally came from oak from the Gascon forest, but due to a limited supply, some of the wood now comes from the Limousin forest. The Gascon oak gives tannis to the spirit, and the Limousin oak imparts a vanilla flavor. After a year in the new barrel, the Armagnac is moved into older oak barrels to continue its aging process. Once it is taken out of the barrel bottled, the spirit is stable and the taste will not change. The age of the Armagnac (time spent in the oak barrel) determines its labeling.
Labeling of Armagnac:
VS or three star is a blend that has spent at least 2 years in a barrel
VSOP is aged in the barrel for 5 years
XO 6aged 6 years
Hors d’Age at least 10 years in the barrel
Vintage Armagnac must come entirely from the year listed on the bottle
Independent estates will show the domain’s address on the front of the bottle along with the appellation. If not, the Armagnac was bottled by a negociant, and the spirits can come from multiple locations in the region.
When to drink Armagnac:
It is traditionally a digestif and is savored after a satisfying meal. It can be paired with desserts such as almond cakes, apple tarts, and caramelized pears. Locally, prunes, usually from Agen are soaked in Armagnac, or it can be served with coffee and mild cigars.
How to drink Armagnac:
Step One: Pour 1.5 ounces into a brandy snifter
Step Two: Observe the color and the clarity
Step Three: Smell, tilt the snifter so that you get both alcohol and fruit notes
Step Four: Put a few drops onto your tongue, then go for a small sip. Roll this around your palate and enjoy the length and finish. You are looking for a balance between the alcohol, the oak and the fruit: too much oak dries out the palate, too much alcohol masks the fruit and too much fruit makes it taste like a liqueur.
A la tienne!
Monday, February 4, 2013
Photos for Chamonix and Les Houches
Les Houches
Les Houches
Mont Blanc
Les Houches
Brevant Ski Area
Brevant Ski Area
Lift at Brevant 
Chamonix below
Hotel Slalom
Chamonix-Mont Blanc and Les Houches France January 2013
Chamonix’s formal name for the town is Chamonix-Mont Blanc. It is one of the oldest ski resorts in France and the site of the first winter Olympics in 1924. To this day there is some dispute between France and Italy as to whether the dividing line is over the top of the mountain or around the back side of the base of the mountain. Chamonix dates back to 1091 when land was given to the Benedictines to build a priory. No one really visited this area except a few religious officials to check up on the monks until the mid-18th century. Until that time only about 1800 people lived in the valley. The first successful ascent of Mont Blanc was in 1786 by Micheal-Gabriel Paceard and Jaques Balmat. Since then many more people have come through and the population has swelled to 9000 permanent residents due to tourism.
Les Houches is a smaller town about 6 km away from Chamonix. Its ski area is used every year for the Men’s Downhill World Cup Ski Championships. The French National Ski Team uses these runs as their training grounds as well as the Ski Club of Great Britain. Currently Les Houches is a favorite ski area of many from Great Britian and Ireland. We stayed in a wonderful Bed and Breakfast “Hotel Slalom” which is run by a British ex-pat. She serves the best breakfast anywhere and really understands the subtleties’ of her guests. She says she keeps ketchup for Americans who want it with their eggs, has some baked bean for the Brits, knows that the French usually take croissants and confiture, and still politely asks the Spanish if they would like anything to eat, knowing full well that they usually only take coffee before noon. We were made to feel welcome, given some of the best advice for local dining and encouraged us to meet some of the local characters.
Serge Cachat-Rosset is a local who is an extreme skiing legend. Extreme skiing is defined as skiing that can only take place on a 50 degree slope and the opportunity to fall off the side of the mountain must be ever present. On the front of his ski shop are several black and white poster sized shots of him making the first descent down the face of Aiguille Verte on August 1, 1973. Wearing a sweater, ski knickers and a pair of sunglasses, he was dropped out of a helicopter and made the descent in five hours. He’s an unassuming man and he greets everyone who comes into his shop with a guess of your boot size. He was spot on with ours. He will also select your skis and point you to the right gear you need, and nothing else. His advice for me when I told him I was falling a bit was to ski near some trees and use the branches to pull up! I will take that under advisement.
Les Houches has two other claims to fame; the first is for a famous physics summer school program “l’Ecole de Physique des Houches” which was started by Cecli DeWitt-Morette. Two dozen Nobel Prize winners have been either students or instructors at this summer school.
The second claim to fame for Les Houches is that it is the traditional starting and ending point for the Tour du Mont Blanc. This summer event is a seven plus day walk around the base of Mont Blanc covering areas of France, Italy and Switzerland. At 170 km long, it is considered to be one of the classic long distance walks in the world. More recently, the annual Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc is a mountain marathon which the participants cover the same ground usually in under 24 hours. The winning time is generally ~20 hours long. At that pace one would have a hard time enjoying the scenery or get a chance to have fondue!
Fondre is the French verb to melt. The original fondue is described in a cookbook published in Zurich in 1699 under the name “Kass mit Wein zu Kochen” meaning to cook cheese with wine and serve bread for dipping. That about describes it! Fondue is claimed by the Swiss, French and Italians in the region, but it has been the Swiss who have done the most to promote it as their national dish. The Swiss Cheese Union took up the cause in the 1930’s and continued by organizing kits to be sent to all military units so that they could always eat fondue. In 1950 a Swiss restaurateur, Konrad Egli introduced fondue bourguignonne (meat cooked in hot oil) at his Chalet Suisse restaurant in New York City. Konrad Egli did not stop there, in the mid-1960’s he invented chocolate fondue as part of a promotion for Toblerone chocolate.
Cheese fondue is made by blending several grated cheeses, wine and seasonings. The emulsion is stabilized by adding a little bit of cornstarch. The temperature is held such that the cheese stays melted, but does not burn. If this is done correctly, at the bottom of the pot, there will remain a crispy layer called “la religieuse” the nun in French. This is lifted from the pot, broken into pieces and eaten. Certain etiquette applies when one eats fondue: if a man loses his bread into the pot, he buys a round of drinks for his table. If a woman loses her bread, then she has to kiss the person next to her. Of course there is no double dipping, and you are supposed to use your fondue fork only to dip the bread and bring it to your plate, not bring the dipped bread directly to your mouth. Your dinner fork should transfer the dipped bread to your mouth! Next time I will know!
Les Houches is a smaller town about 6 km away from Chamonix. Its ski area is used every year for the Men’s Downhill World Cup Ski Championships. The French National Ski Team uses these runs as their training grounds as well as the Ski Club of Great Britain. Currently Les Houches is a favorite ski area of many from Great Britian and Ireland. We stayed in a wonderful Bed and Breakfast “Hotel Slalom” which is run by a British ex-pat. She serves the best breakfast anywhere and really understands the subtleties’ of her guests. She says she keeps ketchup for Americans who want it with their eggs, has some baked bean for the Brits, knows that the French usually take croissants and confiture, and still politely asks the Spanish if they would like anything to eat, knowing full well that they usually only take coffee before noon. We were made to feel welcome, given some of the best advice for local dining and encouraged us to meet some of the local characters.
Serge Cachat-Rosset is a local who is an extreme skiing legend. Extreme skiing is defined as skiing that can only take place on a 50 degree slope and the opportunity to fall off the side of the mountain must be ever present. On the front of his ski shop are several black and white poster sized shots of him making the first descent down the face of Aiguille Verte on August 1, 1973. Wearing a sweater, ski knickers and a pair of sunglasses, he was dropped out of a helicopter and made the descent in five hours. He’s an unassuming man and he greets everyone who comes into his shop with a guess of your boot size. He was spot on with ours. He will also select your skis and point you to the right gear you need, and nothing else. His advice for me when I told him I was falling a bit was to ski near some trees and use the branches to pull up! I will take that under advisement.
Les Houches has two other claims to fame; the first is for a famous physics summer school program “l’Ecole de Physique des Houches” which was started by Cecli DeWitt-Morette. Two dozen Nobel Prize winners have been either students or instructors at this summer school.
The second claim to fame for Les Houches is that it is the traditional starting and ending point for the Tour du Mont Blanc. This summer event is a seven plus day walk around the base of Mont Blanc covering areas of France, Italy and Switzerland. At 170 km long, it is considered to be one of the classic long distance walks in the world. More recently, the annual Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc is a mountain marathon which the participants cover the same ground usually in under 24 hours. The winning time is generally ~20 hours long. At that pace one would have a hard time enjoying the scenery or get a chance to have fondue!
Fondre is the French verb to melt. The original fondue is described in a cookbook published in Zurich in 1699 under the name “Kass mit Wein zu Kochen” meaning to cook cheese with wine and serve bread for dipping. That about describes it! Fondue is claimed by the Swiss, French and Italians in the region, but it has been the Swiss who have done the most to promote it as their national dish. The Swiss Cheese Union took up the cause in the 1930’s and continued by organizing kits to be sent to all military units so that they could always eat fondue. In 1950 a Swiss restaurateur, Konrad Egli introduced fondue bourguignonne (meat cooked in hot oil) at his Chalet Suisse restaurant in New York City. Konrad Egli did not stop there, in the mid-1960’s he invented chocolate fondue as part of a promotion for Toblerone chocolate.
Cheese fondue is made by blending several grated cheeses, wine and seasonings. The emulsion is stabilized by adding a little bit of cornstarch. The temperature is held such that the cheese stays melted, but does not burn. If this is done correctly, at the bottom of the pot, there will remain a crispy layer called “la religieuse” the nun in French. This is lifted from the pot, broken into pieces and eaten. Certain etiquette applies when one eats fondue: if a man loses his bread into the pot, he buys a round of drinks for his table. If a woman loses her bread, then she has to kiss the person next to her. Of course there is no double dipping, and you are supposed to use your fondue fork only to dip the bread and bring it to your plate, not bring the dipped bread directly to your mouth. Your dinner fork should transfer the dipped bread to your mouth! Next time I will know!
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