Fire and Sole Food in Rouen

Friday, May 7th 2010

Before coming to Rouen, I knew three exactly things about the city:

1. Joan of Arc was flambeed here,
2. Monet was so fascinated by the changing light on the cathedral he painted it many (i.e. 30) times, and
3. Julia Child fell in love with French cuisine at a restaurant here, thanks to the film Julie and Julia (very charming if you haven't seen it)

Fire. Light. Love. Not a bad start! Well, minus that whole excruciatingly painful burning part. And so, we picked La Couronne, the oldest restaurant in France (1345), and where Julia Child had "the most exciting meal" of her life for our wedding anniversary dinner.

Note: In addition to our dinner, the Crown has witnessed the burning of Joan of Arc (1431), the Black Death (1348), countless wars and celebrations, all the while serving the famous, the infamous, and the rest of us for nearly 700 years. Ironically, one of the outbreaks of the Black Death in Rouen may have started around May 7 (our anniversary), 1348 (NOT our date!) according to this book.

The interior is suprisingly unstuffy. The ceiling is low, with heavy dark beams, as you might expect.

A silver coffee urn shaped torture device, for making the famous Canard à la Rouennaise*, is prominently featured. There was trap door under my chair. What's under there? ...

This is old school fine dining; ladies get a menu without prices.

Having had a full French dinner before, Dave opted for lighter fare.

• the sweetest cantalope imagineable with a salty proscuttio
• seared halibut in a light, fragrant curry sauce over beans
  
• a very fluffy Grand Marnier souffle

This was my first "full" French dinner.

• meltingly tender duck liver with fresh figs
• delicate, lemony dover sole meunière
• cheeses selected from the 45 or so options available (no kidding-the tray was sagging under the weight of all the cheeses to choose from!)

A meunière preparation is deceptively simple. But every detail has to be perfect for an outstanding dish: creating a light golden, crisp crust while not overcooking the delicate sole; cooking in butter just long enough to make it nutty and rich without becoming the tiniest bit bitter; and using the lemon juice to halt the sauce at just the right moment.

For your further reading:

Top 10 culinary highlights of Normandy

*Canard à la Rouennaise:

1. Strangle 1 live, young duck (you'll need the blood for the sauce later...)
2. Remove the feathers and entrails, leaving the liver and gizzards.
3. Roast lightly.
4. Remove the still rare breast and thighs.
5. Put the rest of the carcass in a presse à canard (duck press) and squeeze out the blood and juices.
6. Reduce the blood, and blend with the liver to make a sauce.
   

The French Medical System

I just had my first encounter with the Evil French Socialist Medical System™.  I take a variety of medications on a daily basis.  Yesterday, I was in a hurry to get out of the house and accidentally took an extra dose of one my my meds.  Unfortunately for me, it isn't a medication that behaves well when you either under or over-dose on it. 

About 11am yesterday I started having some pretty bad symptoms, and our French school took me to the hospital. The ER was pretty much the same as any American hospital, except that I got to see a doctor faster than I expected.  They were modern, efficient, and professional.  I was in the ER for 3 hours total, including time for observation and an EKG.  No one discussed fees or insurance with us until we were finished (unlike a visit to a Canadian hospital a few years ago where they would not see us until I produced a credit card).

The total cost for an ER visit, doctor exam, EKG, and 3 hours of observation... €32.25

...and yes, I am feeling fine now, thanks!

Recipe: Sgroppino al Limone

Sgroppino al Limone (Frothy Lemon Sorbetto)

Refreshing-perfect for summer! Originally from Venice, Italy but my first taste of this tasty concotion was at the G Spot in Amsterdam. A waiter brought one to another table..it looked so good we asked what it was and ordered two. Soon, sgroppino's were appearing on tables all around us! A tart, fresh tasting lemon gelato or ice cream is essential. I tried Haagan Dazs..but it just wasn't the same.

• 2 cups (16 oz) of lemon gelato, softened
• 2 tablespoons vodka
• 1/3 cup Prosecco or sparkling wine, chilled
• Zest of one lemon

Blend the lemon gelato, vodka and Prosecco.

Pour mixture into a pitcher and serve immediately. Sprinkle lemon zest on top. Serve with small spoons. Serves 4 in chilled champagne flutes.

Note: Mixture will separate if left standing.

1066 and You...in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux

May 1, 2010

What does the Norman conquest of 1066 have to do with me? you may ask.
Suprisingly, quite a bit! After the Norman conquest, a large number of words with a French origin (up to 1/3 of English) entered the English language. This includes words like: bacon, massage, corset, fantastic, flower. All of which, bien sûr, make learning French a bit easier!

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux
"Wow..it looks like a matte painting!", David exclaims as a massive cathedral suddenly appears as we walk a curvy cobblestone street. I nod. Now, as it has for almost 1,000 years, the cathedral dominates the old section of Bayeux. Fires, wars, and time have all led to many changes, additions, and modifications. At night, it is beautifully lit. Later, on a D-Day tour, we would see the cathedral spires from Point du Hoc on the coast.

Inside, a formidable set of 20 ft tall dark wooden doors, topped with a cobwebbed glowing circular window is behind me. Ahead, the ceiling soars far, far above me, criss-crossed by delicate ribs that sprout from the tops of slender clusters of tall columns that reach towards the ground. Soft music plays in the background as I look up and pass intricately carved stonework: small ovals--a man charming a monkey, monsters, lions, bishops, and lovers--punctuate a background of geometrical designs caved in relief.

Before this cathedral, there was, perhaps, a Roman sanctuary when the city was known as Augustodurum. Later, a Roman Catholic cathedral was built. While still under construction, William the Bastard forced Harold Godwinson to take an oath on holy relics in this (now rebuilt and modified) cathedral. Harold broke his oath, eventually leading to the Norman conquest of England in 1066. And William finally got a new last name...William the Conquerer.

The cathedral was initially completed under Bishop Odo, William the Conquerer's half brother, who also likely commissioned that the history of his brother's 1066 conquest be embroidered on linen (the Bayeux tapestry). Surviving wars, invading armies, fires and other near misses, the Bayeux tapestry existed within these walls for some 1,000 years to become one of the few surviving records of life during this time.

As we descend into the crypt, it is dim and cool. It is one of the few 11th century areas that is pretty much structurally the same. Most of the crypt is dark; only a few lights shine on the paintings of angels (added in the 15th century) at the top of the columns. I can see a shape in the dark. Only after the camera has flashed do we realize it is a brightly painted tomb with a painting of the deceased behind it. I think, perhaps, this is sometimes how we live our lives. Only dimly seeing where we are going, until the occasional bright flash illuminates what was already around us.

Note: I found an interesting book review for "The Needle in the Blood", a historical novel by Sarah Bower about Odo and the making of the Bayeux Tapestry. Looks like it could be a good read!

A quick video is here.

All photos 2010 by L Gunter

Weekend (April 30-May 2) in Bayeux, France

May 1, 2010

Psst. The SNCF website doesn't want you to know this! From Rouen, take a 2hr train ride to Caen (careful..some routes are almost 4 hrs). In Caen, catch one of the frequent 20 minute trains to Bayeux. The old part of town is a bit of a walk from the train station. There is a local bus, but we opted for taxi (6 euro to our B&B near Place Charles de Gaulle).

Bayeux. Best known for it's famous tapestry, this is a lovely little medieval market town, great for walking. It was the first town liberated after D-Day, and one of the few towns not heavily damaged during World War II.

• founded as a Gallo-Roman settlement in the first century BC under the the name Augustodurum
• largely destroyed during the Viking Raids of the late 800s but rebuilt in the early 10th Century under the reign of Bothon

What to see:

• Bayeux Cathedral: original home for the Bayeux Tapestry
• Bayeux Tapestry: located in a former convent, the audio tour gives you easy to digest information as it keeps you moving along the 230 feet (70-meter) length of embroidered linen cloth recounting the events leading to Norman victory over England in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The tapestry is one of the few surviving documents of general lifestyle during this portion of the Middle Ages. No photography permitted. (Or needed really, with all of the pictures available elsewhere.)
  BBC video about the tapestry | nice animated version of the tapestry

Lots of pictures in Bayeux are below. I agree with Dave-someone spilled a whole bucket of pretty on this town!

To pause the slideshow and
show more information about a specific photo (if I added more),
put your cursor over a photo;
single-click to bring up a larger version. Voila!

All photos 2010 by L Gunter