Day 50: Midi, France

Midi is known for making dishes such as duck, and casseroles. We touched upon each of these ingredients throughout this lesson. highlighted in the dishes below. 

Pommes a la Sarladaise is potatoes sliced thin on a mandoline, then layered with black truffles. This potatoes get very crispy and are a pretty dish to serve with a lot of flavor. Since I sell truffles at work I have become a bit of a white truffle snob. Therefore the black truffles don't excite me all too much (occupational hazard) any more, but at the end of the day a truffle is still an amazing treat to have. 

Pommes a la Sarladaise

The cassoulet is one of the most hearty dishes I have ever set eyes on. It is broken into 4 layers. It starts with a lamb stew, followed by soaked beams, pork loin, and lastly with duck confit. Each layer is prepared separately and then set into a large casserole dish. It is then topped off with the juices of each meat, duck fat, and breadcrumbs to make a crust on top. It is best made when it sits over night so all of the juices can get absorbed, enhancing the flavor and making the meat and beans extra tender. The final step is to bake the entire casserole in the oven to completely heat it through and lightly crisp the top. We ate ours the day after it was prepared (at 9am). It is one of the most flavorful dishes i have ever eaten, with each layer highlighting a different set of flavors. I am most intrigued as to when this dish is eaten in France. While I started this topic by saying French food isn't always heavy, this is most definitely heavy! It is also a special set of ingredients, using many expensive items. So indeed it is used for special occasion, and as a way to preserve meat in the olden days. Lucky them. 

Cassoulet

Tarte aux Blettes

This tart uses a tart and is then filled with many regional ingredients. Ingredients include swiss chard greens, gouda cheese, currants, rum, apples, and pine nuts. I was expecting the dish to be on the sweeter side but since there is so much swiss chard it was pretty bitter, making it a definite savory dish. It is a nice dish since it really expresses what the region represents in one little tart.