Behind the French Menu: 2016-05-22

Denté, Denti or Denté Commun - The Dentex or Common Dentex, a Mild but Tasty Fish.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Dentex

Photograph courtesy of the Biodiversity Heritage Library

Dentex from the sea.

When caught in the wild the dentex will have come to your menu via the Mediterranean or the Atlantic. Nevertheless, fish under 600 grams will have come from fish-farms. In the wild, dentex can reach 15 kilos or more, but they are rarely seen over six kilos.

Dentex in the Mediterranean I.

Photograph courtesy of Christophe Quintin

Dentex on French Menus:

Pavé de Denti Sauce Vierge –- A thick cut of this fish served with sauce vierge. (See the appendix Sauces: Sauce Vierge).

Denti de la Pêche Corse Rôti –- Wild dentex from the Corsican coasts, served grilled.

Carpaccio de Denti – Dentex Carpaccio.

Pave de Denti aux Girolles – A large cut of dentex prepared with girolle chanterelle mushrooms.

Denti au Four. (Minimum 4 pers) – Roasted dentex, for a minimum of four persons. This will be a single fish weighing over one kilo; probably one and a half kilos. Deboned that will be close to 250 grams of fish per diner.

Dentex in the Mediterranean II.

Photograph courtesy of Christophe Quintin

Denti de Méditerranée Rôti, Fricassée de Girolles aux Abricots et Salicornes – Dentex, from the Mediterranean, roasted and served with a fricassee, a stew, of girolle chanterelle mushrooms, apricots, and salicornes. Salicornia or samphire is often, mistakenly, called an edible seaweed; it is not. Salicorne, of which there are many family members, grows in salt marshes and along the coast, not in the sea. The young salicorne plants are collected between April through July and then will be used in salads, sauces, soups.

Dentex with cuttlefish ink.

Photograph courtesy of oanababy

There are quite a number of close dentex family members, and they will all find their way to the menu under the one name, dentex.

Dentex in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - dentó), (Dutch - tandbrasem), (German – zahnbrasse), (Italian- dental, dendichi, dentice), (Spanish - dentón, déntol).

Connected Posts:

Chanterelle Mushrooms, the Most Famous Four. Chanterelle Girolle Mushrooms on French Menus. The Mushrooms of France IV.

Carpaccio on French Menus.

The Apricot or Abricot. The Wonderful Fruits of France.

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Salicorne, Perce-pierre, Criste-marine or Haricot de Mer - The Vegetable Samphire or Salicornia in French Cuisine.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Samphire growing in the sandy soil.

Photograph courtesy of FortBienVert

www.flickr.com/photos/47689195@N00/293924476/

Samphire (salicornia) is not a seaweed:

Samphire is often, mistakenly, called an edible seaweed; it is not. It is a coastal plant, with many family members, and grows in salt marshes and even in the sand along the coast. Its shape, not its taste, gives it another name, sea asparagus.

The mildly salty and slightly bitter taste of Samphire along with its crunchy texture (when properly cooked) allows it to partner well in many salads when served cold or when served warm with fish or shellfish.

British phaenogamous botany 1834-1843

Photograph courtesy of Biodiversity Heritage Library

www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/28992508086/

Salicornia on French menus:

Terrine de Poisson à la Salicorne – A fish pate flavored with samphire.

Mesclun - Queues d'Écrevisses - Salicornes - A mixed green salad with freshwater crayfish tails and samphire. N.B. A salade mesclun should, by tradition, include at least five different salad greens.

Samphire salad with a thinly cut, cold, tri-tip steak.

The tri-tip cut is the aiguillette baronne in France.

Photograph courtesy of Omid Tavallai

www.flickr.com/photos/tavallai/4833766606/

Filet de Sandre aux Salicornes, Beurre Blanc – A filet of zander, (pike-perch), with samphire served with a white butter sauce.

Crisply fried European seabass with samphire.

Photograph courtesy of L’Atelier des Chefs.

Flétan Meunière aux Salicornes – Halibut prepared in a meunier sauce accompanied by samphire, Meunier is a sauce of butter, lemon juice and parsley served warm.

Conchiglie Farcies aux Gambas et Salicornes - Shell shaped pasta stuffed with large shrimps and samphire.

Samphire in a Parisian market.

Photograph courtesy of Melanie Lazarow

www.flickr.com/photos/mlazarow/1378640343/

As samphire reaches a wider public, more recipes are being created for using these vegetables in salads, sauces, soups as well as for pickling them for use out of season as a condiment. Some French market gardeners have felt the demand and are now cultivating the plant, but along France’s Atlantic coast young, wild samphire plants are still gathered in the wild from April through July. Many of these gatherers, ramasseurs in French, are professionals and under contract to restaurants. Throughout the year these same gatherers will be working further inland collecting wild herbs, fruits, and vegetables such as wild leeks, wild garlic, and wild berries including juniper berries and elderberries along with wild mushrooms like cepes, and chanterelles.

Samphire flowering on the coast.

In the department of Charentes Maritime.

Photograph courtesy of Ancoline

www.flickr.com/photos/ancoline/28004524631/

Connected Posts:

Ail - Garlic. Garlic in French Cuisine.

Algue or Algue de Mer Seaweed, Edible Seaweed. Algue or Algue de Mer on French Menus.

Asperges en La Cuisine Française – Asparagus in French cuisine. The Artists who Painted Asparagus or Lived Near Argenteuil.

Bar or Loup - European Sea Bass. Bar on French Menus. European Sea Bass in French Cuisine.

Chanterelle Girolle - The Chanterelle Mushroom on French Menus. Three of the Four Chanterelle Girolle Mushrooms in French Cuisine. The Mushrooms of France IV.

Crevettes and Gambas - Shrimps and Prawns. Shrimps in French Cuisine.

Dining in the Department of Charente-Maritime on France's Atlantic Coast.

Écrivisse (L') - The Freshwater Crayfish. Crayfish in French Cuisine. Crustaceans III.

Flétan (fletan)– Halibut, the fish.

France's Butter Sauces I. The Three Most Popular Butter Sauces on French Menus.

Genièvre or Baie de Genièvre- Juniper Berries. Juniper Berries in French Cuisine.

Pates and Terrines. An introduction to the meat, fish, vegetable and fruit pates on French menus.

Poireaux – Leeks. The Leek in French Cuisine.

Salades - Salads. Forty of the Most Popular (and Simply Made) French Salads. Salads in France.

Sandre - Zander in the USA and Pike Perch in the UK. Sandre in French Cuisine.

Sureau - Elderberry and Fleur de Sureau the Elderberry flowers. The Elderberry on French Menus. Elderberries in French cuisine.

The Cèpe - The French Porcini Mushroom. The Cepe in French Cuisine. The Mushrooms Of France III.

Searching for the meaning of words, names or phrases

French menus?

Just add the word, words, or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" and search with Google. Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are over 450 articles that include over 4,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations.

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Ossau-Iraty AOP. One of France’s Two AOP sheep’s cheeses.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Fromage Ossau-Iraty

Ossau-Iraty AOP Cheese.

Ossau-Iraty AOP – A 50 % fat, non-pasteurized, smooth, firm to crumbly sheep’s milk cheese. This is a semi-hard cheese with a white to ivory color and a subtle, slightly nutty taste; the rind is yellow-orange to reddish gray. The cheese is aged for a minimum of two to three months before being sold. The aging of this cheese is very important and is done in damp, temperature-controlled cellars; the cheese is turned and brushed every few days to ensure that each cheese matures evenly.

The most well-known sheep's cheeses.

Ossau-Iraty AOP is one of the two sheep's milk cheeses granted AOP status in France. (The other is Roquefort AOP). Whole cheeses weigh 4 -5 kilos ( 9 – 11 lbs) each. Ossau-Iraty will not only be on the cheese trolley it will also be on many menus:

A wrapped Ossau-Iraty Cheese.

Photograph courtesy of Muñoa Alimentacion

Ossau-Iraty on French Menus:

Ossau-Iraty et sa Confiture de Cerises Noires – Ossau-Iraty served together with black cherries. This is a popular dessert

Figues Fraîches au Jambon Sec de Montagne et Ossau Iraty: -Fresh figs served with cured mountain ham and Ossau-Iraty.

Omelet melon and Ossau-Iraty cheese.

Photograph courtesy of Guillaume Simon

Jambon Cru, AOC Ossau-Iraty, Piment d'Espelette, Pommes de Terre Risolées, Sorbet Griotte.- Cured Ham, Ossau-Iraty AOP Cheese, Espelette pepper, deep fried rissole potatoes and a sorbet of sour cherries.

Le Merlu Étuvé Lentement, Poutargue et Ossau-Iraty, Slowly steamed whiting the fish. Here, it is served with portargue, the salted and dried roe of the gray mullet, and Ossau–Iraty.

Aging Ossau Iraty Cheese

Demi Magret de Canard, Cuit au Sel de Guerande, Céleri au Miel et Galette de Pomme de Terre a l'Ossau Iraty. Half a duck’s breast cooked on the salt from Guerand, along with celery with honey, a potato pancake, and Ossau Iraty.

Brochettes aux Figues Fraîches, Ossau Iraty et Jambon Sec de Modena. - Skewers of fresh figs, served with Ossau Iraty cheese and cured ham, from Modena, Italy.

Salade Tiède de Poires Comice, Ossau Iraty et Noisettes Torréfiées – A warm salad with comice pears, Ossau-Iraty Cheese, and roasted hazelnuts.

The cheese’s most important producer.

Photograph courtesy of abac077

There is an age-old dispute over who first created this cheese; the dispute is between the historic regions of Béarn and the Pays Basque, the Basque Country. Until the 1970’s the same cheese was called Ossau in Béarn and Iraty in the Pays Basque. Then someone said let us work together to market this cheese properly; that may mean increased incomes, maybe a new television, maybe a new car, maybe Common Market subsidies?. Then, voila, after hundreds of years of disagreement, a compromise was reached, and since 1970, the cheese has been called Ossau-Iraty AOP. Economics won out; the cheese itself has not changed.

Ossau-Iraty AOp will be on many local menus and may be offered with a salad or used as a gratin on the main dish. The longer the cheese is matured, the stronger tasting it becomes; matured Ossau-Iraty cheeses will be on the cheese trolley and in the supermarkets and, fromageries, cheese shops all over France.

Ossau-Iraty AOC is an important part of the local economy and you may obtain a map for their Route du Fromage AOC Ossau-Iraty, the Ossau-Iraty cheese road. This special road is prepared for just one cheese, and it does direct you to many farms that produce it, and you may taste it at different stages of maturity. Nevertheless, many of these farms make other local cheeses, and that will make your tasting more enjoyable. Wine cellars, shops, and other farms along the route may also offer, for a small additional charge, local wines that include Irouleguy and Madiran. Those farms that make other local, though less well-known, cheeses include other sheep’s cheeses as well as cow and goat's milk cheeses. Tasting requires a small contribution to the local economy. (see AOC and Basque).

Ossau-Iraty has a French-language website. Using the Google and Bing translation apps makes their information very clear.

http://www.ossau-iraty.fr/categorie/fromage-aoc-pur-brebis

On the same website, you may download a PDF with their Route du Fromage:

http://www.ossau-iraty.fr/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/OI_RTEFROMAGE_HD.pdf

Connected Posts:

Cherries in France. The Cherry on French Menus.

Céleri - Celery. The Joys of Celery on French Menus.

Duck Breast- Magret de Canard or Lou Magret, Duck Breast Dishes and Recipes on French Menus.

Ham in France. The Ten Most Popular Hams.. Ham in French Cuisine.

Merlan – Whiting, European Whiting the Fish on French Menus

Miel - Honey. The Many, Varied and Wonderful Honeys of France. Honey on French Menus

Piment d’Espelette - Espelette Chili Pepper. The Most Popular Chili Pepper in French Cuisine.

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Figues - Figs. Figs on French Menus. The Best Figs in France are the Figues de Sollies,

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Figues de Sollies

Photograph courtesy of Emi Yañez

Figs in France

Figue/s – Figs; the fruit. Figs reached France through those first seafaring wholesalers, the Phoenicians and now grow all around the Mediterranean. Figs are another of the fruits that first grew in the Middle East or Asia and spread with traders who followed or established trade routes. The first findings of domesticated plantings of the fig come from a 10,000-year-old Neolithic village discovered in The Jordan Valley, north of Jericho in the Middle East. That timing even pre-dates the domestication of wheat.

The Greeks and Romans loved figs and when the Romans occupied France in 121 BCE there were not enough fig trees for their needs, so they brought more. The Greeks had previously brought new vines, and then the Romans brought figs, peaches, cherries, apricot trees and more. The Romans were the first to use figs to fatten pigs and geese and create the fatty animal livers they loved, and so it was the Romans who taught the French how to prepare foie gras, fattened duck's liver. Then again, there are many who still ask “what did the Romans ever do for us”? Well. the Romans also taught the French to set up and run snail farms and even created a system for imitation rain to make the snails grow faster

Figs on French Menus:

Carpaccio de Veau au Fromage de Chèvre et aux Figues- A veal Carpaccio served with goats' cheese with figs.

Le Trio de Fromages Corses et sa Confiture de Figues – A trip of three kinds of Corsican cheese served with a fig jam.

Figs du Sollies

Photograph courtesy of Mon Œil

Magret de Canard aux Figues – Duck breast prepared with figs

Pageot aux Figues Fraîches à la Sarriette - Sea bream prepared with fresh figs flavored with summer savory.

Pavé d'Espadon aux Figues Fraiche accompagné d'une Purée – A thick cut of swordfish prepared with fresh figs and served with potato puree.

Wild figs, also tasty.

Photograph courtesy of Shumpei Sano

Sorbet Citron Avec Alcool De Figues – A lemon sorbet with fig alcohol.

Suprême de Pintade aux Figues et Pruneaux Marinés au Porto. Breast of Guinea Fowl with figs and prunes marinated in port.

Tarte aux Figues Tiède et Boule De Glace Vanille – A warm fig tart served with a ball of vanilla ice-cream.

The very best of France’s figs:

The very best figs in France come from in and around the village of Solliès – Le - Pont in the department of Var in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The Figues de Sollies AOP are also called the Figues Violettes de Sollies. These particular violet colored fresh figs are practically hand reared and hold an AOP for their unique quality. They are sold fresh from the 1st of September through the 30th of October. The small town itself should also be awarded an AOP for its beauty.

A superb fig tart.

Photograph courtesy of marlenedd

The French Government Tourist Information Office that includes 5 communities around Sollies and has a French language website. Google and Bing translate apps present the sites in English.

http://www.tourisme.fr/1228/office-de-tourisme-sollies-pont.htm

When you visit the village of Solliès-Le-Pont, you may well assume that the village may have been part of the Garden of Eden. Water channels run everywhere, taking water throughout the village to all the trees and gardens, which are filled with many different fruits. Close by are the villages of Sollies-Toucas and Sollies-Ville. Sollies means the sun in the Provencal dialect. The village of Solliès-Pont is just 45 km (28 miles) from St Tropez.

The Feast of Figs

Summer fruits

Emiliano De Laurentiis

The last Friday, Saturday and Sunday in August are the dates for the Fête de la Figue de Solliès-le-Pont, the Feast of the Figs in Sollies. The fete’s organizers have a French language website. Using the Google or Bing translate apps all will become clear:

http://www.fetedelafigue.fr/

The fete begins on the Friday night when meals with figs as their centerpiece are prepared in the village square. Saturday and Sunday include hikes, visits to fig orchards and market stalls selling a wide variety of artisanal products; these and many more events are followed by fig parades with decorated carts, Provencal dances and more. Of no less importance is the election of a baby as the year’s “baby fig” and fig cooking competitions.

Fig and spice jam

Photograph courtesy of Iakov Vokhmintsev

Around the village of Sollies are other communities whose residents make a great deal of their income from growing these same unique figs. So do not be surprised if there are many places in the area you pass offering figs.

If you are looking for the world production of figs the very best are the Sollies who produce less than 20,000 tons a year. However, around the world over 1,000,000 tons of figs are produced annually. The world’s largest producer, Turkey, alone accounts for over one-quarter of the world’s needs.

Connected Posts:

Carpaccio on French Menus.

Espadon; Swordfish. Espadon on French Menus.

Foie Gras in French Cuisine. Foie Gras is Fattened Goose or Duck Liver Foie. Foie Gras on French Menus

Pintade, the Guinea Fowl, may be on Your French Menu; it Makes a Pleasant Change From Chicken.