Côte de Boeuf is the fore-rib of beef with the main backbone removed. We have dry-aged our beef in-house, slow roasted at a low temperature, Served with a compound butter and seasonal vegetables.
Bresaola is eaten everywhere in Italy, but we bring it back with us to Burgundy whenever we can. It is usually served simply with arugula, shavings of parmesan, a little lemon and olive oil.
We ‘force’ our rhubarb in the early spring by covering the plant with an upside down garbage can. There in the dark, it develops tender, pale pink stalks with a more delicate flavor than regular rhubarb.
Gougeres are the nibble in Burgundy. That and a kir (dry white wine with a dash of creme de cassis), and you know you’re in Burgundy. Gougeres are cheese puffs made with pate a choux, one of those mother recipes of French pastry.
This classic French onion soup is all about coaxing the natural sweetness out of onions through slow caramelization, which gives the soup its rich, deep flavor.
Cantal is a fruity cow's milk cheese coming from the Auvergne region of France. It's delicious as a table cheese but also has a great melting quality which is why it makes the perfect base for ripe garden tomatoes. The addition of a good brushing of tangy Dijon mustard directly on the uncooked pastry gives it a Burgundian twist.
One important counsel with this tart is to salt the tomato slices as least 1/2 hour before assembly. Otherwise they will exude too much juice and the crust will be soggy.
The tart can be assembled and baked on a solid rectangle baking sheet or in a round fluted tart pan with removable bottom.
This curing of duck breast is similar to curing salmon for gravlax. The best kind of duck breast, called magret, is thick and very meaty. Perfect for this recipe.
Coq au vin is a French dish of chicken braised with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and optionally garlic. A red Burgundy wine is typically used, though many regions of France.
Boule, from the French for "ball", is a traditional shape of French bread, resembling a squashed ball. It is a rustic loaf shape that can be made of more or less any type of flour.
There’s one thing that still makes us home-sick after all these years. Crabs. We grew up on the Chesapeake Bay, and summer was crabs. We caught them by the bushel. Chicken-neckin’, we called it. So we have a natural soft spot for this combination
This is a very traditional recipe, passed on to us by our good friend, Agnes Tassel, who has been making Creme de Cassis for us and our friends for years. We are serving her 2006 this summer! Thanks Agnes!
Sweet chestnuts and cêpes both start turning up at local markets in October. Their flavors complement one another; and the surprise addition of little nuggets of foie gras in each spoonful makes this an elegant seasonal soup.
It’s also fairly straightforward to make if you use vacuum-packed, pre-roasted and peeled chestnuts. High-quality varieties can be readily found and will spare you the time-consuming process of roasting and shelling the chestnuts yourself.
This is perfect for a dinner party because much of the preparation is beforehand.
The curing of the salmon results in a beautiful texture, colour and flavour.
The magret is the breast of a duck that has been fattened to make foie gras. It is dark, rich meat without being gamey. Since foie gras production has been ‘democratized’ in France (meaning that a lot more farmers have gone into foie gras production because it
There are a few stars in this dish. The prime fillet of beef, the seasonal 'La Noirmoutier' island potatoes, the red wine infusion and the fresh vegetables.
Even here in land-locked Burgundy we have a craving for the sea from time to time. Here is a convivial seafood stew to gather round and pick. The most important aspect of this recipe is adding the fish
Epoisses, the cheese, is produced in our local town…Epoisses! People who live around here will tell you unequivocally that there is no better cheese on earth than ‘their’ Epoisses. And we heartily agree. It has one weakness though: it doesn’t travel well.
Here we combine several Burgundian flavors — the sweet fruit of the blackcurrant jelly, the exotic spices of the pain d’épices and the richness of the foie gras — for a surprising burst on the palate. Look for foie gras called ‘entier mi-cuit’
Sardinian Fregola, a toasted semolina pasta is traditionally served with shellfish, usually small clams. Here we use the tiny Moules de Bouchot, mussels from the French Atlantic coast, but use whatever mussels you find locally. You could also add small shrimp if you like.
I love the combination of fresh apricot and raw green pistachio nuts. I often serve warm sautéed apricots with a scoop of pistachio ice cream for a quick simple dessert. In this recipe the nuts are coarsely chopped to line the baking pan and top the cake for a crunchy texture.
A favourite in the Domaine de Cromey, the local Burgundian goats cheese fabulous and try and get the best quality you can. Cranberries give it a holiday feel too.
A gougère, in French cuisine, is a baked savory choux pastry made of choux dough mixed with cheese. There are many variants. The cheese is commonly grated Gruyère, Comté, or Emmentaler, but there are many variants using other cheeses or other ingredients.
The garden rules the seasons. So summer has officially begun here in Burgundy: we cut the first zucchini a little while back. We take the earliest ones no larger than a finger, and the young plants seem to love it, bursting with vigor and momentum.
The ‘beurre d’escargots’ is the garlic and parsley butter that we serve our snails with in Burgundy. No snails here, though! Use any white-fleshed fish for this dish. I like hake; but you will find different fish where you are than I get here.
This dish has all those popular Provencal flavors. What’s more, it’s a really striking presentation. We make it here at home in Burgundy when garden tomatoes are ripe and flavorful.
Here in France we’re lucky to have the small, sweet bouchot mussels from the Normandy coast. Highly-prized and plentiful, no other Atlantic mussel is quite so fine.
This is the best known of the red wine meurette sauce recipes, propably because it is such an unusual combination: poached eggs in a red wine sauce. Served with pearl onions and bacon 'lardons' over a garlic crouton, it's a seductive classic.
These little ‘packets’ are pieces of lamb tenderloin wrapped in phyllo pastry. They can be assembled ahead of time and roasted for 20 minutes just before serving.
This pickled cabbage is good all on its own, but when cherries are in season they make the salad even more interesting. We like to serve this on a summer buffet table with grilled chicken.
Sandre is arguably the finest of the fresh water fishes. It got its English name (though the English themselves also call it ‘zander’) because it looks like a perch and hunts like a pike. It also has the blue-white
This traditional onion and anchovy tart is found along with Fougasse and other savory pizzas in boulangeries throughout southern France.
Quality anchovies and small Nicoise olives decorate the slow cooked herb and onion base.
Perfect summer lunch with green salad and chilled Rose wine.
Fresh Turbot, roasted on the bone, warmed salad of seasonal vegetables with split capers and zucchini flowers. This rich summer dish is all about the best possible ingredients available and cooking them simply.
In Burgundy we are so lucky to have the Bresse Chicken or the Black footed chicken, just two of many possible options, for you just source the best quality available.
This dish was served with some fresh garden vegetables, it is simple, classy and very tasty with some delicious Burgundy Wine
The wildly popular black riso venere is a modern hybrid rice from the Piedmont region of Italy. It is a cross between asiatic rices, grassy and pungent. Look for rice labeled integrale
Scallops come into season just in time for Thanksgiving and this is a great recipe for the holidays. Many wines on our list would work, this time we chose Champagne and Crémant, although a Chablis or Vézelay would also work beautifully.
In French, it's Tarte aux Echalotes et a L’Époisses.
People who live around the village of Burgundian village of Epoisses will tell you unequivocally that there is no better cheese on earth than ‘their’ Epoisses. And we heartily agree....
This dish was inspired from time spent with some very talented Japanese chefs.
The pure clean flavors within this style of cooking pair beautifully with the similar character in Burgundy wine.
The world famous 'Poulet de Bresse' comes from a region very close to Domaine de Cromey. This is a perfect recipe for the family holidays, perfectly adaptable to use with a good quality local chicken or turkey.
There are many ways to serve this smoked mackerel Rillette. Cucumber rounds, lightly toasted dark bread, endive spears as shown in the photo or served as a starter with a tossed green salad.
Once made chill the mixture for an hour before serving.
A savory croissant filled with smoked trout and horseradish pairs beautifully with a glass of Chardonnay. These can be made ahead of time and popped into the oven 20 minutes before serving or eaten at room temperature if made ahead of time.
A classic Burgundian ingredient, snails !!
No need to be afraid, they are tasty and here we cook them so simply, complimented by both parsley and tomato.
Lamb is great all year, but Easter is when we become most excited for the new season. This recipe uses classical flavors which enhance the delicate flavour of springtime.
Assiette de Printemps a la crème d’Ail et a L’oeuf Poché
We make this salad when the season’s first fresh peas and fat white asparagus stalks arrive on market stalls. A perfect Sunday brunch dish!
Zucchini is in at the moment. And in a couple of weeks we’ll have more than we can handle. So we are always looking for an interesting way to bring the freshness of the garden to a prepared dish.
Velouté de navets à la Mirepoix D’Escargots. This mirepoix (a very fine dice of mixed vegetables and herbs), made mostly of carrots, cabbage and mushroom, gives an earthy quality to this soup, which heightens the mineral, gravely flavors of the snails.
In the Veneto, risotto tends to be looser and juicier, usually based on fish or shellfish. The rice of choice is vialone nano, a shortish-grained semifino appreciated for its soft texture and great absorption.
This tenderloin carpaccio is served warm…and just warm, not cooked. This makes the meat meltingly tender and releases flavors. Serve with the tomato salad below for a wonderful summertime meal.
Made by the monks at the Abbey of Cîteaux near Nuits Saint Georges, Cîteaux is one of our favorite Burgundy cheeses. Made from organic cow’s milk, it has a true taste of green pastures.
This simple springtime salad should be made from garden fresh vegetables at their peak. Use top quality extra virgin olive oil, fleur de sel salt and freshly ground quality pepper to make the ingredients sing.
Peche de Vigne is a variety of red-fleshed, late-ripening, flavorful peach. Called such because it’s sometimes grown among the vines, it also goes by the name ‘peche sanguine’
We’ve lit the wood burner, unlocked the cellar door, and are ready for that first taste of the changing season. Let the autumn begin! Here is a recipe to put you in the mood, should one of your hunter friends drop a hunk of game on your doorstep.
Enjoy the unique recipe from the kitchen of Domaine de Cromey, the home of Elden Selections in the heart of Burgundy France. It is winter and one of our hunting friends gave us some wild squab.
Everywhere we have been in Europe we have eaten baccala, salt cod, in some form or other. So we brought it home to Burgundy. Here we use it to stuff the zucchini flowers that are abundant in the garden right now.
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