TRAVEL REPORT: FRANCE IN FEBRUARY II

The second half of the Cook's Tour was based in Brive-la-Gaillarde, a prosperous town four hours south of Paris by train. Its setting in a rural countryside dotted with small farms is best described by the expression, la France profonde. Roman settlers undoubtedly sensed the potential of this location when they arrived in the 1^st century. Brive grew to become a major trading crossroads linking Paris with Toulouse and Geneva with Bordeaux by road, river and rail. The Brive tourist office staff admitted that the arrival of eight American tourists on a culinary adventure was a ‘first’ for them, but the arrangements they made for our stay exceeded our expectations.

On our first day, we drove forty minutes south to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lascaux. This cave is the third iteration and most exacting facsimile of a rarified space in which Cro-Magnon man drew images of the roving herds of animals in his environment repeatedly over a period of 700 years some 17,000 years ago. The one hour immersive tour through this replica is an unforgettable experience. Visitors are left to conjure up the beliefs and emotions that inspired this compelling animalscape.

The following day we drove further south to a small farm on a hillside surrounded by acres of dormant orchards. Small signs along the road had guided us there, but the buildings on the property were unmarked. It took a few minutes for us to find the owner's daughter in the farm’s small auberge. When she opened a wooden box filled with truffles, much as a jeweler would present a collection of diamonds, we knew we had arrived at the right place. Her father soon showed up driving a small truck with a golden retriever in the passenger seat. We followed him in our van to a field of young trees we soon learned were truffle oaks.

The process of harvesting truffles hasn’t changed since it began. In the Dordogne, the hunter requires a dog with a trained nose, a trowel and a basket to contain his harvest. The job description includes patience and the willingness to spend time kneeling on the cold ground in the middle of winter. Truffles mature during the growing year and are collected from December through March.

The farmer sent his dog among the trees with the cry, “Allez, Allez!” The dog wandered, nose to the ground like a vacuum cleaner, sniffing around the trees near their drip line. When he stopped and pawed at the ground, the farmer knelt, scooped out about two inches of soil, gathered a handful, held it to his nose and inhaled deeply. If it smelled of truffles, he continued to carefully feel around in a six inch circle with the trowel and a bare hand until he felt a hard, round object. He wiped off his black gem, the size of a shooter marble, and placed it in a basket. After every truffle find, the dog was given a small cube of gruyère cheese from a jar in the basket. (If the hunted failed to quickly reward the dog, it gently brushed his leg with its paw to remind him.) This ritual continued for an hour as we followed in a freezing, lightly falling rain

A multi-course truffle lunch awaited us back at the auberge. A starter course of two French bread slices generously covered with truffle butter was followed by an omelet studded with truffles, and, after that, a plate of truffled potatoes and sausage. The cheese course consisted of a slim disk of tart goat cheese covered with truffle honey. Dessert was a chocolate brownie accompanied by a small scoop of truffle ice cream and a dab of truffle tiramisu on either side.

On Saturday morning, we walked through the Foire de Foie Gras held in Brive’s Georges-Brassens market hall just a few steps away from our hotel and the tourist office. When I last attended this event almost twenty years ago, all the edible parts of ducks and geese (except the quack) were laid on tables outdoors with just a tent cover overhead. Brive’s current fair is held in this well-it space, and each farmer now displays tins of his signature foie gras pate alongside fresh whole ducks and parts. We dispensed with ceremony in the market’s relaxed atmosphere and held a quick tasting of goose foie gras on fresh bread before wandering outside to stroll the weekly farmers’ market.

From the market we were driven to a hands-on cooking class in a nearby kitchen design shop equipped with a large professional kitchen. We prepared a Michelin-inspired menu under the direction of a local chef which began with a lesson on deveining duck liver for a foie gras mi-cuit starter course. Other highlights include a sauce for roasted duck breasts flavored with the local red wine mustard and a five layer entrement for dessert.

Later that afternoon we enjoyed a digestive tasting at the Denoix Distillery in downtown Brive. Since 1839, this family-owned business has been producing a line of walnut flavored liqueurs with an Armagnac base. The distillery’s polished copper equipment reflects its owner’s commitment to traditional artisanal practices which includes boiling sugar syrup in a copper cauldron over a wood fire. Change is evident in the variety of other flavored Armagnacs such as orange, fennel and chocolate. The limited production of Denoix's liqueurs means it will remain a local specialty. It also distributes the region's red wine mustard.

What’s my takeaway from this Cook’s Tour to France? When traveling off the tourist track, it’s wise to bring an extra bag, with one’s appetite, and gather local food treasures to share and savor at home. By the way Denoix's red wine mustard is available, you guessed it, from Amazon. Its awkwardly translated name is French Purple Mustard.