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| "Tour the vast culinary landscapes of Italy, dotted with historical anecdotes and stories of the farm.... Chock-full of unpretentious, simple recipes... [the book is] perfect for anyone who loves Italian fare and lore." |
| Review of Italian Farmhouse Cookbook, New York Newsday |
A Sample Week At On Rue Tatin
Weeks may vary, but this will give you an idea of what awaits you at On Rue Tatin!
DAY ONE—MONDAY
7:30 p.m.
Welcome Dinner - A Country Feast!
Welcome to On Rue Tatin this early Monday evening, for the welcome feast I have prepared for you If the weather is fine, we will enjoy our aperitif outside, in the shadow of Notre Dame de Louviers, then segue into the timbered dining room for our multi-course meal.
This will be your first sample of the exceptional flavors and aromas that you will be immersed in during your week at On Rue Tatin.
| MENU Homemade Orange Wine A Selection of Fresh and Seasonal Amuses Bouches Squash and Chestnut Soup Crisp Roasted Guinea Fowl with Fresh Figs Poached in Honeyed Red Wine Garden Herb Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette Local Cheeses Seasonal Fruit Tourte |
DAY TWO—TUESDAY
At 10 a.m. you will put on your apron and head to the professionally appointed kitchen, where a luscious display of locally produced ingredients awaits — depending on the season, there might be gorgeous bunches of asparagus and heads of fresh garlic from Baptiste Bourdon, Swiss chard and tiny spring beets from Monique and Jean-Claude Martin; delicate lamb chops from Brittany, via Mr. Dragonelli’s butcher shop, or late-season scallops, still in their shell, from the English Channel.
I will open the class with a discussion of kitchen etiquette and the care and feeding of knives, then we will do a tasting of different salts. This class will include the following techniques: choosing, caring, preparing seafood, fish stock, macerating, poaching, egg yolks as thickener, steaming, sautéeing, the use of garnishes.
| MENU Chilled Cucumber Puree with Herbed Cheese End of Summer Tomato Tarts Cod with Tender Seasonal Vegetables en Papillote Salad with Pumpkin Seed Oil Vinaigrette AOC Cheeses Fromage Blanc Ice Cream with Marvelous Seasonal Berries |
After a break, you will return to On Rue Tatin. To begin this afternoon’s class I will discuss the importance of buying locally produced ingredients, and the importance of a relationship with growers and artisans. I will then do a tasting of artisanally made nut oils.
During this class the techniques will include marinating, wood-fired grilling, roasting, custard-making, making a classic vinaigrette, caramel.
Tonight we will also experience a very special cheese tasting with local artisanal cheese maker.
MENU |
DAY THREE—WEDNESDAY
8:30 a.m. We leave On Rue Tatin for the lively cacophony of a village market in the town of Le Neubourg, twenty minutes by car from Louviers, through lush farmland.
After coffee at the market, you are free to peruse this wildly colorful, aromatic world yourself and purchase something for our picnic lunch, or accompany me as I hunt for what is best and most seasonal. I can give you tips here on how to choose the best seasonal produce, the finest most fresh seafood, the best meats and sausages. You will also have a chance to purchase artisanal products, from honeys and herbal remedies to spice bread, freshly made jams and linen tea towels, made from flax produced in local fields.
We will all return from Le Neubourg with laden baskets, which we empty on the kitchen counter and transform into a picnic lunch. I’ve got local cider chilling, for us to enjoy alongside.
I will discuss shellfish and how to prepare it, as well as cutting vegetables for maximum flavor, and general vegetable and fruit preparation. We will do a tasting of artisanal meat products.
PICNIC LUNCH MENU
Steamed Normandy mussels
Avocado with Pistachio Oil
And the rest depends on serendipity, what we’ve all found at the market!
Wednesday Evening - a wine tasting with caviste Hervé Lestage who will share his passion for fine, carefully produced wines, which we will taste along with the simple dishes you have prepared.
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DAY FOUR—THURSDAY
Visit to Rouen, the urban heart of Normandy and antique capitol of France, noted for its artisanally made faience, or pottery. We will visit an artisanal cheese shop and have a tasting with owner Francois Olivier, then go on to see the Augy family, who makes the stunning faience de Rouen, or local pottery which was first commissioned by Louis XIV. While many artisans paint the pottery, the Augys are the only artisans to actually create their own dishes before hand-painting them, and we will see it all.
After a fine and lovely contemporary bistro lunch you will have free time in this shopper’s mecca. You have the rest of the day and evening free.
I will leave Rouen at about 5:00 p.m.—you are more than welcome to accompany me. There are several wonderful restaurants in and near Louviers for your evening meal; if you prefer to stay and dine in Rouen, we can arrange for a taxi to come and pick you up.
DAY FIVE—FRIDAY
Today you will prepare a sumptuous meal that will bring together everything you’ve learned and experienced during the week.
I will demonstrate and discuss foie gras, fattened duck breast, the proper preparation of apples, pastry. We will do a tasting of foie gras.
Techniques today will include searing and pan-roasting, braising, making and rolling out no-fail pie pastry; peeling and coring apples.
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