100% Cote d'Or Or How the French Become Good Eaters

   

Weekly Trip to Carrefour for my neighbors in Dijon.

     As I left my BnB for the Gastronomic Fair, I spotted my downstairs neighbor unloading his groceries. Ah, I asked if he had just come from the Fair. "Mais non, seulement Carrefour!" Just a trip to the large grocery store. Tins of duck infused cassoulet, terrines of pork with mushroom, toasts, cookies, four different aperatifs...such is life in France. The pleasures of the table, shared with family and friends. He insisted a take a jar of the terrine, and come and visit them some evening while I'm here.

     At the Fair, I gained some idea of how this value is instilled. I seated myself at the cooking demonstration counter of the Cote D'Or. This department radiates from Dijon, includes Beaune and is home to great wines and cheeses and grain cultivators, some quite large.

The size and terrain of Cote d'Or farms warrants large machinery.

     Very quickly, I was welcomed by Stéphane Bescond, who with his wife, has a restaurant, Chez Cocotte, in a village just south of Dijon, surrounded by fields.

Stéphane is an articulate advocate for the products of the Cote d'Or. I watched as he entranced classes of children, showcasing one of the chefs preparing - no - but yes, hamburgers, from 100% local products. Stéphane's method is to break down cooking for children into Lego block pieces. First came the beef: Charolais. The children, like me, had seen them in the tent of animals nearby.

Cote d'Or's favored beef cattle.

    Block #1: Beef should always be cooked "bleu" or "saignant," on the rare side. 

    Block #2: Ketchup de Cassis! The local berries, with vinager and mustard, cooked down to a jam. (MMMMmmmm, can't wait to try making this!)

    Block #3: The cheese. Local: Brillat-Savarin, applied liberally over mustard to a "hamburger roll" from your local boulangerie.

    The rolls with their accompaniment warmed while the beef burgers grilled.

All attention to chef and Brillat-Savarin toasts on hamburger buns.

    

Chef Serves Finished Product as Stéphane (on left) adds commentary.

Antipation!

Satisfaction!

     And that is how Stéphane spreads the message to cook and eat locally: "Fast Food Interdit!"