La cuisine de Basse-Normandie

I thought about titling this post, “Just add Calvados.” That delicious apple brandy from Normandy is included in nearly every dish I have to share with you today – main course, dessert, even the coffee.

If you are unfamiliar with this beverage, you’re not alone. It’s not popular in the United States and it can be hard to find except at well-stocked liquor stores. A note for those in northern Michigan: an excellent locally-produced apple brandy can be purchased at Black Star Farms’ tasting room.

Despite the elusiveness, I’ve rarely been without a bottle of Calvados in my pantry since college days, and I can credit that to the chunky apple walnut cake recipe in The Silver Palate Cookbook, which was my first acquisition in a cookery book collection that now numbers in three figures. My husband requests that cake every fall, and having once made it without the shot of Calvados, I can verify that this magical ingredient is worth tracking down.

Cows grazing among the apple trees of Normandy. Philippe Alès [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Calvados is an area of lower Normandy that takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the shore in the English Channel. The famous Camembert cheese also originates from lower Normandy. However, I did not pair these two classics for my dinner à la normande, mostly because I just missed closing time at my local cheese shop and was unable to get any Camembert.

Still, I have a great collection of recipes to share with you, starting with a rye bread that does not include Calvados (although I suppose it could be substituted for the hard cider.)

This week’s video.

For the Normandy Cider Rye, I used this recipe from The Rye Baker. I found a similar recipe from La Brea Bakery. If you have a digital kitchen scale – and if you bake, you really should – use the metric measurements, which for Greenberg’s recipe has 650 g rye flour, 260 g all-purpose flour, and 650 g hard apple cider.

Our main course came from another favorite cookbook, Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table. Her Chicken Normandy has been a weeknight standby in my house for years. I even included it for a class I taught at Oryana several years ago on cooking with apples.

Chicken à la Normande (adapted)

  • all-purpose flour (for dredging)
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or equivalent chicken thighs
  • 1-2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 8 oz sliced mushrooms
  • 1/3 c. chicken broth or green tea
  • 2 Tbsp Calvados
  • 2/3 c. heavy cream

Note: When a recipe has a small amount of broth, I often use leftover or second-brew tea instead, just because I have it handy.

Chicken à la normande, with a kale salad.
  1. Put some flour on a plate and season it with salt and pepper.
  2. Pat the chicken pieces dry and dredge them in the flour on both sides, shaking off excess.
  3. Put a large deep skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp each of butter and oil. When the butter is melted, add the chicken. Cook for 3 minutes, turn and cook on other side for 3 minutes more.
  4. Add more butter or oil if the pan is getting dry, then toss in the apple, onion and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and stir to coat with the oil and butter. Cook for 1 minute then add the broth. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the chicken is almost cooked through.
  5. Turn the heat up again, pour in the apple brandy, and boil until it’s evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the cream and cook until the cream reduces by about one quarter. Taste for salt and pepper. 

I served the chicken with a kale salad, which I’m certain is not typical of Norman cuisine, but it worked well.

Wine note: an oaky chardonnay paired nicely with this dish. I opened a bottle, poured a glass, immediately regretted it because I wasn’t yearning for that taste, but then felt like a genius when I sipped it with the chicken.

And now, the Norman hole, or le trou normand. I had never heard of this delightful concoction until I researched the cuisine of the region, yet I suspect it will become a mainstay in my kitchen. It is a shot of Calvados on top of green apple sorbet, and in Normandy it it typically served between courses to aid digestion. I can’t say for certain that it helps for that, although it certainly didn’t hurt. It’s light, refreshing and also a nice ending for a meal. Unfortunately, commercial green apple sorbet is not readily available in most U.S. grocery markets, so I made my own, blending directions from numerous recipes in English and French.

Green Apple Sorbet

  • 4 Granny Smith apples
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 200 g sugar
  • 200 g water
  1. Thinly slice the apples, discarding the cores. Toss with the lemon juice and freeze overnight.
  2. The next day, make a simple syrup by boiling the water and sugar together until it dissolves. Pour this over the apples and whiz in the blender until smooth.
  3. Chill for a couple of hours and then add to your ice cream maker. Alternatively, you could use the freeze-stir method.

Finally, what would a Normandy meal be without an apple tart? I used a recipe from my new favorite food book, Let’s Eat France!

Tarte normande

  • 8 oz sheet all-butter puff pastry
  • 2.25 lbs apples
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 8 oz (or 1.25 cups) crème fraîche
  • 3 generous Tbsp Calvados
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Line a pan with puff pastry; do not grease the pan.
  3. Slice the apples into medium-thick wedges, then sprinkle them with the lemon juice.
  4. Arrange the apple slices on top of the dough, placing them snugly against each other so they almost overlap. (Or just throw them in randomly; it will still be good).
  5. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until lightened. Whisk in the crème fraîche, then stir in the Calvados. Pour this mixture over the apples.
  6. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden.

I made a rectangular version because I used store-bought puff pastry and I didn’t want to cut it.

In true Norman fashion, you could serve the tart with a café-calva, which (do I even need to say it?) is coffee with a shot of Calvados. The café-calva is not a taste I loved on its own, but it was surprisingly delicious with the tart. The French really do know something about food and drink, n’est ce pas vrai?

Next week, our tour takes us to Brittany, the Celtic region of France.

À la prochaine semaine !

Basse-Normandie, Invasions

Aside from Paris, one of the most popular destinations for American visitors to France is the coast of Normandy. The sites of the D-Day landings in World War II call to those who want to honor the soldiers whose sacrifices marked the beginning of the end of the war in Europe, and those beaches and related monuments also are a draw for general students of history.

The Allied invasion of 1944 was one of the most significant military campaigns in history, but it was not the first Norman invasion that changed the world. That distinction belongs to the invasion of 1066 that was launched from Normandy across the channel to England.

The Norman conquest of England, nearly a millennium ago, isn’t just ancient history. Its legacy can be found through every subsequent century and even in our language.

For three centuries after the conquest, England was basically ruled by the French. The Anglo-Norman dynasties that followed William’s conquest conducted government business in Norman French and maintained their continental holdings and interests. Some of these rulers spent very little time in England. If you want to learn more about this time period, I can highly recommend historian Dan Jones’ fascinating book The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England. Incidentally, my favorite Plantagenet is Eleanor of Aquitaine, and we’ll visit with her when we get to southwestern France.

After the Plantagenet dynasty passed on English rule to the Tudors, France and England remained almost perpetually locked in conflict. Even today, British-French relations can be strained as the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union. (That link is such a fascinating read on the current state of affairs that I must link it again!)

And there may be no better region to contemplate the past 1,000 years of Anglo-French history, or its future, than in Basse-Normandie. When we eventually visit, we might start in Bayeux to view the famous tapestry depicting the Norman conquest.

Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux [Public domain]

The D-Day beaches, where Allied forces landed to liberate France from the Germans, are nearby, as well as graveyards, museums and memorials for the fallen soldiers.

Unrelated to any of these wars is another of Normandy’s top attractions: the island monastery of Mont-Saint-Michel, where visitors can learn about learning in medieval times while enjoying stunning views.

Antoine Lamielle [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

One of the best locations to experience the remnants of traditional Norman culture and various dialects of the Norman language, as well as explore the peculiarities of Anglo-French relations, may be the Channel Islands.

These islands, technically the last survivors of the ancient Duchy of Normandy, are basically independent entities, although they receive protection from the United Kingdom. They were the only British territories to be occupied by the Germans during World War II. A terrific novel, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, explores this time period and its aftermath. A film version is available for streaming on Netflix.

John Rostron [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

Back on the mainland, another destination for nature lovers is the area south of Caen known as La Suisse Normande for hiking, canoeing and scenic villages.

Osbern [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

And speaking of villages, I’m so enchanted by the photos of the quintessential Norman village of Beauvron-en-Auge that I want to go directly to the real estate listings!

Tango7174 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

It’s right in the heart of Calvados and camembert country, which is a perfect teaser for next week’s armchair travel segment, the food and drink of Basse-Normandie.

À bientôt !

La cuisine de Haute-Normandie

Pity the lactose-intolerant in Normandy, where it seems every dish contains milk, cream or butter. Or maybe lactose-intolerance isn’t an issue there.

Normandy is justifiably renowned for its cheeses, which include Camembert, Livarot and Pont l’Evêque.

How did it get to be a land of such rich dairy products? Rolling green meadows and a breed of cattle regarded as highly productive.

Vache normande

We’ll get to the great cheese in a couple of weeks. Today, let’s learn about some things that can be made when milk is cooked very, very slowly.

One traditional Norman dish is teurgoule, which is a rice pudding. It may resemble crème brûlée, but the process is very different. It’s baked for hours at low heat in an oven until a crust forms.

Teurgoule. Raphael Labbé [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

The Normans also make a milk jam, called confiture de lait. It is milk, sugar and vanilla cooked over low heat until the milk caramelizes. It is strikingly similar to the traditional Latin American preparation of dulce de leche. I used this recipe after looking up several versions in French to ensure it was the real thing.

The confiture at the end of about three hours of cooking.

The confiture is delicious on toast, perhaps made from one of the signature breads of the region, pain brié. The name might lead one to believe it contains cheese, but don’t be confused. Notice the accent. This word comes from the Norman verb brier, which means “to pound.” And that’s exactly what you do with the dough: beat it senseless (or airless).

I used this recipe in English, again after confirming its resemblance to recipes in French. The amount of yeast seemed excessive, but perhaps that’s what was needed for the incredible rise it manages after all the violence. Check out the pounding of the dough in this week’s video.

pain brié

Next week: Basse-Normandie and famous invasions.

Haute-Normandie, part 1

CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73699

In 2016, France reorganized its administrative regions, combining Haute-Normandie (Upper) and Basse-Normandie (Lower) into a unified Normandie, to the delight of its inhabitants. But we’re keeping the division for our tour de France because it’s a large region with much to share.

Normandy owes its name to its association in the late dark ages with Viking raiders, or Norsemen. We’ll explore the invasions to and from Normandy in part 3.

For now, we take a look at the rich contributions to art and literature, beginning in the ancient city of Rouen, the region’s capital. Located on the River Seine, it was founded by the Gauls and has served as a center for many dynasties, including the Merovingians, the Dukes of Normandy and Anglo-Norman kingdoms.

Rouen. DXR [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Rouen boasts beautifully-preserved half-timbered houses and other delights of medieval architecture. The Gros-Horloge is a 14th-century astronomical clock and one of the oldest mechanisms in France.

Gros-Horloge, Rouen.

The Cathédrale de Rouen is among its most famous attractions and was painted by Claude Monet.

Cathédrale de Rouen. Yoyo6507 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Normandy gave birth to the Impressionist art movement. In the 1870s, Monet named his hazy painting of the sea at Le Havre “Impression, soleil levant” (Impression, sunrise), and that became the name of the style of painting by free-thinking artists of the late 19th century seeking to capture scenes of nature and everyday life.

Impression, soleil levant. Claude Monet [Public domain]

Initially met with derision by the art world, the Impressionists now are beloved. Monet was their leader and the countryside of Normandy a favorite subject. Monet’s home and beautiful gardens at Giverny are a top tourism draw.

Monet’s garden at Giverny. Art Anderson [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Other famous French people, and even an English king, were born in Rouen. Joan of Arc was tried and burned at the stake here.

Notable from a writer’s perspective is the city’s contribution to literature. Gustave Flaubert hailed from Rouen. His debut novel, Madame Bovary, which is credited with establishing modern realist narration, is set in Rouen and the nearby countryside. (See this week’s video for our take on a couple of Bovary films.)

Gustave Flaubert

Another literary Norman was Flaubert’s protégé, short story master Guy de Maupassant. One of his stories, The Englishman of Etretat, was inspired by a dramatic incident involving the near drowning of English poet Algernon Charles Swinburne, who had taken refuge on the Normandy coast from the constraints of Victorian society. A very flowery account of Swinburne’s ordeal in the surf and its aftermath, along with de Maupassant’s role in it, is a fascinating read, with a cameo appearance by Oscar Wilde. Victor Hugo, who spent significant time in the area, also contributes to the tale.

Algernon Charles Swinburne. Balliol College Portraits: 139 Oil on canvas, 18×13, 1860. Poole number 74

With the exhaustive list of “must-sees” in Normandy, a month seems insufficient for a trip there, even a virtual one. We’ll try our best to provide an enticing overview in our four week stop. Join us next week for some tasty recipes, and don’t even think about counting calories!