Chef Darian’s Blog

That is so Cheesy!

November 1, 2008 on 3:35 pm | In France | No Comments

Well, just got back from a fantastic trip to Burgundy. I have some friends that are restoring a 200 year old mill in Toutry, France. It is called Moulin du Foulon (the Felt Mill). It used to make felt, cut lumber and grind wheat. They even have a restored bread oven that the workers would make bread in from the flour they made. Oh so incredible. It was a very relaxing trip which entailed a lot of wine, cheese and even a little gardening.

After being picked up at the train station in Montbard, I was driven cross-country to the mill. It is an incredible 4 story stone building. On the table awaiting my visit was a buffet of various cheeses, cold meats and bottles of local wine. Can I tell you, we started eating around 10PM and after I’m-not-sure-how-may bottles of wine we realized that the cheeses and meats were almost gone. It was 3AM and there was a graveyard of wine bottles laying around. I slept so well that night. My bedroom was right over the mill race, which goes through the house. The wheel is housed within the mill and you get the constant rush of water through the entire house. It is so hypnotic. In fact, every night was a good nights sleep.

In the morning Stefan ran to the village and brought back some fresh bread, pain au chocolat and more cheese. We had a great breakfast followed by a little work in the garden. As anyone with a yard full of vegetation can tell you – there is always plenty to do. This meant clearing debris from the locks, a wade out in to the river to clear trees stuck on the dam, pruning the hedges along the mill pond and cutting up a tree that had fallen over. The work was followed by some incredible steaks procured from the village butcher. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender! Tanya grilled them on the terrace overlooking the river. If it weren’t so cold it would have been perfect to have dinner out there!

The next day we went to a village nearby and walked through an old fortress built to keep the Norman’s out. Apparently, the village is quite popular as Joan of Arc even came through a time or two! Then it was back home to work……followed by some wonderful pasta with truffle paste, artichokes and another steak! I could never be a vegetarian. Oh, did I mention there was more wine!

Thursday was spent working at outside while the sun was shining. Then we headed in for more cheese and a glass of wine. Tanya was treating us to dinner at a wonderful restaurant in a local village and she was worried that I would ruin my appetite. fat Chance! After some more wine and a few games of Scrabble we took our showers and headed in to town for dinner. I have to tell you that by the end of the night I was in gourmand heaven. I wanted to meet the Pastry Chef and kiss him! We started dinner with a glass of Champagne. Starters of Goat cheese with a tomato relish and balsamic reduction. There was fresh bread and savory tuilles filled with egg salad. My dinner was a roasted red pepper flan, potato puree and young duck breasts. Divine! Cheese course came next. Our young waiter brought a tray of French cheese to the table and if you had any questions about any of the cheeses – he was there to help! He knew everything about that cheese. I had some wonderful blue cheeses and a few goat cheeses! Heaven. But wait – dessert was next. I had ordered (and you must order at the beginning of the meal as the pastry chef makes everything fresh for each person) macaroons with pistachio butter cream and homemade chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce and creme anglaise! I hardly said a word during dessert. My friends kept asking me if I were alright as I was a silent as a church mouse. I was thinking that I might ever eat macaroons that tasted so much like heaven! The owner came to our table and asked if everything was alright. I explained that I felt like crying as I was overcome with emotion – over dessert! I asked him to pass on my compliments to the chef and that if there was anyway he could find one more macaroon in the kitchen. He laughed and said that the chef only makes what is ordered at the time it is ordered. There are never any left-overs. Apparently, he was really amused by this and when he left his wife came in to tease me about the macaroons. I can tell you that the chocolate ice cream was like a frozen chocolate mousse and that when the dining room was empty of guests I picked up the bowl and licked it clean. I was not ashamed – I would have felt ashamed to let any of that go back to the kitchen.

Well, it was an incredible trip – a much needed holiday with some very close friends. Tomorrow is back to work at the hotel. Seven weeks to go – and winter is pounding on our door! It is getting cold here. I wonder if they can mail those macaroons to Dublin?