France trip, Oct 2009 - Gavage

Gavage refers to the force-feeding of ducks or geese in order to fatten their livers in the production of foie gras. We were in the region of foie gras and we feel we should see how our food come by and we visited a goose farm.

Luckily, there are a number of farms which are opened to visitors. At the goose farm of "Des Granges", you can just walk into the feeding shed during any of its feeding time.


In general, the geese were free to roam and they were constantly picking at the ground, looking for food. They look clean and healthy, much better than I expected.

During the feeding, the geese are herded into the feeding shed and locked into compartments with 8-10 birds to a compartment.

It is not that crowded but small enough so that the feeder doesn't have to do too much chasing to get to each bird.

He held each bird's head with his hands and then locked its body into position with his thighs. There is a machine which holds all the food and the food is distributed through a slim metal feeding tube. The feeding is performed 2–4 times a day for 2–5 weeks.

A bird after the feeding

Then the birds are slaughtered and prepared into various geese products which you can buy at the shop. It seemed that no parts are wasted in France. Even the neck is saved for stuffing.

The goose farm grows their own corn for the feeding. The corn is left to dry and then they are picked and stored away for future use.

This photo is taken elsewhere but it shows how they store their corn.

France trip, Oct 2009 - Bordeaux, behind the scene

Bordeaux is the home to the 5 Premier Cru wine, namely Château Latour, Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Haut-Brion, Château Mouton-Rothschild .

After our tour around the Fifth growth Château du Tertre, the only way is up, right? So we decide to drive around Margaux and Pauillac in search of the First growth château.

But before that, someone started this:

It seems that SOMEONE just can't resist plucking bunches of plump grapes from the vine! Note: VL wasn't the plotter. She just took charge of the 'loot'

A beautiful château near Château Latour.

Following a certain someone's example, here are more photos of the crime in action at Latour:

In front of the famous tower of the Latour estate!

Then we moved onto Château Lafite-Rothschild. Lafite-Rothschild was placed at the top of the list of the premier grand cru and it has been consistently one of the most expensive wine producers in the world. A bottle of 1787 (once owned by Thomas Jefferson) also holds the record for being the most expensive bottle of wine in the world, after it went for USD$156,000 in 1985. The château surely produces enough to maintain its very fine grounds:

After all the obligatory posed photos, we went back to our shameless old ways again:



Last but not least, we visited Château Lafite-Rothschild, another one of the Rothschild estate:

This estate is actually much better organised. In front of the château, there is actually small plots of land that show the grapes by type. So we tried the grapes on each plot and selected (i.e. plucked) the ones that we liked.

It was certainly a group effort :-P

As if this isn't enough, you probably won't believe what happened next: we made face masks from the grape skins. SP was inspired by Caudalie brand and its very expensive Vinothérapie Spas. If we can't afford to go to the spa, why not do our own? It is all very easy:

Step 1: remove juice from grapes. Keep the grape skin and seed, both high in polyphenols--proanthocyanidin (PCO), a kind of anti-oxidant.

Step 2: create a relaxing spa environment with fluffy towers, pillows and soft music. For a more economical option, deck chairs and seat cushions will do.

Step 3: Apply the mask and wait 5 minutes. Make fun of your spa client in the mean time as she can't smile or move a muscle.

I felt fully rejuvenated after my spa treatment and I am sure my friends have a good laugh too :-P

So what happened to the juice, you may ask? Well, we weren't going to let the "First growth juice" go to waste.

The juice was left in the fridge to 'ferment' overnight and the boys actually drank it in the morning for breakfast. No tummy troubles were reported.

So that's it, we are jointly responsible for the reduced production of 3 of the 5 First growth château in 2010. But if you ever ask me about the grapes in person, I will absoluetly deny having done it!

France trip, Oct 2009 - Armagnac tasting at Château de Cassaigne

Château de Cassaigne was built in 1247 by Montassin de Goalard, abbot of Condom. It was once the country residence of the bishops of Condom.

The estate is now a major Armagnac producer. We went there one afternoon for Armagnac tasting. The wine tasting is free and the French guide can speak some English. She also happens to be very pretty. So while the boys were busy taking photographs of the French Mademoiselle, I turned my attention to the very generous samples

Spices that you can taste in an Armagnac. Just learn a few and you can pretend to be a connoisseur! :-P

Samples. There are more sweet aperitif and digestif in the fridge.

The pretty mademoiselle

I even get to sample of the infamous pruneaux à l’Armagnac (prune soaked in Armagnac).

They stocked Armagnac from all years. And there is a price to match as they age.

Barrels

SP's favourite is the local Floc de Gascogne (a local aperitif).

Some 30 years old stuff

Deers fighting. Don't worry. Nobody got hurt.

The grounds of the château are also beautiful and we had a fun time feeding the deers with weeds pulled from the ground.

France trip, Oct 2009 - Rocamadour

You can see Rocamadour from afar. It is lodged half-way up a limestone cliff overlooking the gorge of the River Alzou.

Its sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary has for centuries attracted pilgrims from every country. It was once ranked just behind Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela as a pilgrimage site. That is saying a lot to me. And according to one of my sources, this town is currently the second most visited pilgrimage site in France after the infamous Le Mont St-Michel.

We went at late afternoon and we didn't spot any pilgrims. We found the Grand Escalier to the sanctuary which has 216 steps. These steps were once climbed by pilgrims on their knees but nowadays, there is the option of taking a lift. It was getting late so we didn't climb up to the top.

Rocamadour is also famous for its young goat cheese, not that I found any in the single street of the town. They are served in most of the fine-dining restaurants in the region. This cheese I would highly recommend, as long as you don't mind goat cheese.

France trip, Oct 2009 - Auberge Veyret

If you are searching for traditional cuisine of the Périgord region, then look no further than a traditional auberge. You will certainly eat well here.

The auberge that we went to is called Auberge Veyret. The room had a rustic feel to it and it serves all the local favourites that are in season. We went during walnut and foie gras season so all the dishes appealed to us. In the end, we decide to have the Menu Gourmand. It consisted of five courses, and included a before-dinner drink, unlimited wine to go with your dish, and an after dinner-drink. We also ordered a Montbazillac to go with our cold foie gras dish.

There is a pot of fresh walnut at each table. We must have gone through at least 1/3 of this pot.

Foie gras on toast just to get start with our Vin de Noix, a wine-based apéritif made with walnuts.

Very fresh walnut

Walnut soup. This soup is EXCELLENT and it has inspired SP to make his own version at home.

Terrine de foie gras de canard. Very well-made and full of flavour. This is coming from a girl who has been eating foie gras all week!

Escalope de foie gras d’oie poêlée. Pan-fried foie gras with a piece of quiche-like thing on the side

Yum..

More foie gras, on beef this time

Stuffed goose-neck. What's in the stuffing? Truffles and foie gras, naturally!

Looking from the other side of the dish. Doesn't it look good?! Halfway through the dish, I was so stuffed that I can't even imagine having cheese and dessert. So we went for the after dinner drink straight away.

Our digestif

While this place is not a fine-dining restaurant, all the food was fresh and was made well. We paid less than 75 euros for 2 people and that includes all the wine that we can drink. There is no doubt that this place offer unbelievable value and if I am ever in the region again, I would definitely revisit. This time, I vow to go very very hungry and finish all the courses! :-P

For more information:

http://www.auberge-veyret.com/