Beautifully packaged and displayed, Clovis Reymond founded in 1834 at Villamblard produce liquers, bottled fruit & syrups
For the second year running the sunshine played its part in Ribérac's Printemps du Gastronomie. The day broke clear, cold and bright with a peerless blue sky which quickly stamped its authority on the proceedings.
The Pâtisserie Bordelaise and their display including the regional treats known as cannelés
I passed through the Place de Gaulle a little before 8.00 am amid the hustle and bustle of exhibitors and organisers readying everything for the long day ahead. The French are particularly good at this sort of thing. They are well versed in the assembling and dismantling of stalls, marquees, display stands etc. The work always seems to be carried out under a cheerful banter between old friends or new acquaintances accompanied by a swirl of cigarette smoke and small black coffees. I suppose the nearest UK equivalent is the setting up of the ubiquitous 'car boot' in Farmer Giles spare field, on a sunny Sunday morning whilst sipping a cuppa and dissecting yesterday's football results.
Peter, proudly representing a vital part of the Périgord's heritage and gastronomy
When Lesley and I arrived at about 11.00 it was already apparent that this year's event was going to be so much better patronised than in 2011. Word appears to be out and it was really heartening to see the square already full of local people, young and old alike, enjoying themselves in the glorious heat of an early spring mini-heatwave. Indeed as the temperature mounted and my mind started to wander to something cold in a glass my eye was caught by some strange looking people wandering around, dressed in heavy cloaks draped with leather around the shoulder, thick hats, and carrying stout wooden staves. Are they mad? Are they Brits? Are they Morris Men who've lost their way? Well, a bit of both really. I was introduced to Peter and his wife Susan, resident British in France and belonging to and supporting something known as 'Confreries'. To understand this fraternity or brotherhood one must think of the Trade Guilds in the UK who represent such diverse things as woodturning, stone masonry, embroidery etc. Naturally enough in France it's all about food and drink. Peter and Susan's particular speciality is cêpes and everything relating to them. It's a serious business and you have to be commited to and believe in your cause. No lightweights need apply. Really it's all about promoting and supporting local produce and keeping a way of life alive and kicking in the 21st century. Representing 'Les Confréries' at Ribérac were the brotherhoods of Raisins d'or Sigoulés (golden raisins of Sigoulés), Paté de Périgueux and the Dolte Collége de la truffe et du foie gras du Périgord. What a perfect cross-section of the wonderful foodstuffs produced in the green and fertile land that is the Périgord.
The lovely Liliane from Holland, resplendent in her ceremonial attire
A family taking part in the best picnic set-up competition
Wine producers were well represented from such diverse regions as Bergerac all the way down to the Tarn department far away to the south east of Ribérac. I got chatting to a young wine producer from Bergerac, Frédéric de Monner from Château Sanxet. Frédéric informed me that he had studied Law at the University of Bordeaux but now felt that, in his own words "I want to get my hands dirty." So, here was a young man, obviously well educated, who instead of burying his head in law books wanted to work the terroir. He produces red, dry white and a really nice subtle Monbazillac. He told me with evident excitement that he had only got to bed at 3.00 am that morning due to the bottling of his very first recolte, that of 2011. My best wishes go out to Frédéric for it is people like him that give me hope for the future of France's wine production. Try his lovely red, a 2010 Cuvée Barrique.
Frédéric de Monner waxing lyrical about his wines
Another interesting couple passionate about their products are M. et Mme Brureau from the Domaine de Peyres-Combes which falls under the Gaillac appellation in the Tarn. Victor Brureau hails from the island of Guadeloupe and it was what he saw there with the industrial production of bananas and the chemicals involved in this process that convinced him that organic or Bio production was the only way forward. A Domaine highly recommended because of the belief and passion that this couple have been putting into their product since commencing its production in 1988, long before organic production was fashionable. It was a long drive for these particular exhibitors and I like to think I did my little bit to support them.
M.and Madame Brureau passionate about their bio-wines from Gaillac
This year Ribérac was blessed with the presence of several renowned chefs who arrived to reveal the secrets of their cooking. I was particularly interested in Parisien chef Bruno Viala and his interpretation of a style of cooking known as 'cuisine moléculaire'. This entails freezing by the process of liquid nitrogen. He presented mint marshmallows which he popped fleetingly into a canister of nitrogen before dipping them into a luxury, liquid chocolate. Once coated in the chocolate he then popped them back into the nitrogen which froze the chocolate, making them into a marshmallow version of a choc-ice. I sampled more than one of these and trust me, they were really, really delicious. It seems that what makes a great chef or cook is their ability to think in a different way, to be able to produce something unusual and then present it in an interesting style. This is precisely what Monsieur Viala did.
Go on, take one, you know it's good for you
Bruno Viala showing us all about 'cuisine moleculaire'
It fell upon one time French Masterchef quarter finalist Phillipe Mesuron to entertain the children. He took on (quite happily it seemed) the challenge of organising a large group of local children and directing them in the fabrication of a melted caramel mix blended with cooked bananas. This entailed groups of children all dressed in chefs fatigues wrestling with pans full of melted down Haribos which sat atop very hot stoves. The H&S Executive police in the UK would have come down on such a situation like the proverbial ton of bricks. The children chatted and laughed amongst themselves, one even seemed to sustain a small burn to her arm, but then just grimaced before getting on with the job in hand, the making of lots of sticky sweet stuff. The children all lost themselves in the experience and one could tell that the kitchen environment was not an alien place to them.
Philippe Mesuron passing on his culinary tips to the younger generation
This young lady is quite at ease slaving over a hot stove in temps of nearly 30 degrees
Back for the second year was local chef Fabrice Morel representing his establishment at Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, Hostellerie de Périgord. Fabrice is a great believer in the promotion of locally sourced ingredients and this is always evident in his menu. He has the knack of using products such as foie gras or beef and presenting them in such fashion that they don't appear heavy and overbearing. He has modernised the use of such ingredients and last Saturday was a case in point where he cooked a 'Boeuf-en-portfeuille'.
Fabrice Morel turning out his pancakes under the watchful eye of master of ceremonies, Jean François Bittard aka Jeff
Fabrice and his team of Romaine and Karim bringing it all together
Basically this involved flash frying a quality piece of beef with added rock salt. It was then sliced through the middle ready to receive a slice of home-prepared foie gras which had been lightly scored and sautéed in sesame oil. Meanwhile, whilst Fabrice was busy with the meat Romaine set about prepping up some mini pancakes made with sesame seeds. Karim got very busy dissecting some fresh lime, lemon, red onion, chinese leaf, radish, lemongrass and finally (a nice touch this) a habenero pepper. All this was finely chopped and put into square shaped moulds before being plated up along with the steak and foie gras pancake 'sandwich'. A really innovative dish which tasted wonderful and an inspiration in the use of such ingredients as beef and foie gras.
Fabrice, Karim and Romaine take the applause. Photo courtesy of Ben Morel
The day swung along to the traditional music of Huguette and Michel Lorin and friends
Hopefully the 'Festival Printemps de la Gatronomie' is going to become a regular feature in Ribérac's calender and go from strength to strength. See you next year!
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