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Cuisine morvandelle
Oct. 17th, 2007 08:20 pmThe Auberge de la Beursaudière (whose web site is a thing of beauty, but be warned, it will sing to you) is on the edge of the Morvan, the part of Burgundy which is not stony vineyards but lush green pasture. The web site (for those who decide to risk it) does a good job of conveying the enthusiasm with which they pour on the local colour. We dined in the upstairs restaurant, and were apprehensive when we arrived and saw the roaring fire, the pseudo-rustic décor, the staff in traditional costume - not to mention hearing the accordion music. The menu played on all the local dishes, too, but with a twist - which could have been dreadful, but was actually wonderful.
With the aperitif (a glass of chablis), they brought us a plate of amuse-gueule: little cubes of beursaude (a sort of cake made with pork scratchings, lard and fromage frais - I asked - warm and crunchy and delicious), a cube of jellied ham, a gougère (cheese choux pastry).
My starter was two slices of tomato terrine, flecked with herbs but subtly flavoured, acting as a foil to the accompanying creamy mousse of goat's cheese and ratatouille sorbet (I knew as soon as I saw that on the menu I had to try it; it was silky smooth and tasted intensely of ratatouille).
We were, of course, drinking the local red, which was Irancy.
My main course was the bavette: I'm not sure what cut that is, but some kind of steak? And it was served with a creamy chaource sauce (there may be a whole other post on cheese, its ubiquity and lack of discretion). The sauteed potatoes were fabulous, the carrots were cooked with cumin, and there was a little fritter of something green and cabbage-like.
For dessert I ordered the "macarons épicés": this was a sundae glass containing (from the bottom up) a poached pear; some tiny macaroons (though I couldn't detect any spice) sandwiched together with blackcurrant sorbet, crème chantilly and a tuile biscuit flavoured with anis.
And we weren't finished yet, because the coffee arrived with another plate of tiny treats: a little sponge cake with flaked almonds on top, a toasted hazelnut in dark chocolate, a little bar of intensely fruity blackcurrant jelly.
With the aperitif (a glass of chablis), they brought us a plate of amuse-gueule: little cubes of beursaude (a sort of cake made with pork scratchings, lard and fromage frais - I asked - warm and crunchy and delicious), a cube of jellied ham, a gougère (cheese choux pastry).
My starter was two slices of tomato terrine, flecked with herbs but subtly flavoured, acting as a foil to the accompanying creamy mousse of goat's cheese and ratatouille sorbet (I knew as soon as I saw that on the menu I had to try it; it was silky smooth and tasted intensely of ratatouille).We were, of course, drinking the local red, which was Irancy.
My main course was the bavette: I'm not sure what cut that is, but some kind of steak? And it was served with a creamy chaource sauce (there may be a whole other post on cheese, its ubiquity and lack of discretion). The sauteed potatoes were fabulous, the carrots were cooked with cumin, and there was a little fritter of something green and cabbage-like.
For dessert I ordered the "macarons épicés": this was a sundae glass containing (from the bottom up) a poached pear; some tiny macaroons (though I couldn't detect any spice) sandwiched together with blackcurrant sorbet, crème chantilly and a tuile biscuit flavoured with anis.
And we weren't finished yet, because the coffee arrived with another plate of tiny treats: a little sponge cake with flaked almonds on top, a toasted hazelnut in dark chocolate, a little bar of intensely fruity blackcurrant jelly.
