On my last trip to France, I spent a few days at my cousin’s house in Savigny-les-Beaune in Burgundy. It’s always a joy for me to visit her, because I get to experience country living at its best, surrounded by the best foods and wines in the world. Her husband Patrick Bize is the 4th generation winemaker of Simon Bize et Fils, which for me means a 15 second walk down to their wine cellar for unlimited access to their wines, 24 hours a day. My cousin, who is an excellent cook, made simple but hearty and delicious meals for me every day to complement their beautiful wines. Here are some photos of the good life in wine country…
Horse plowing the vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin
Wine aging in the cellar
Bottles aging in the cellar
Wine labels
Wine labels
One of the first lunches that my cousin cooked for me was Poulet de Bresse baked in the oven with house white wine. All foods and desserts that require wine are cooked only with their Bize wine. The last time I visited them, she cooked an outstanding coq au vin with 2 bottles of their pinot noir. Although it seems like such a luxury from my point of view, this is ordinary daily life for winemakers. What a life!
Poulet de Bresse in house white wine
Poulet de Bresse, given an AOC status, is the most prized chicken in France. Everything from rearing to quality of soil, from diet to slaughtering, is strictly regulated to maintain its famous gamey yet tender and delicate fatty flavor.
Poulet de Bresse
The Bresse chicken dish she made me was garnished with a simple cream and mustard grain sauce (using Dijon mustard, of course- Dijon is only about an hour drive away), accompanied with fava beans sautéed in butter and baguette from the boulangerie down the street. I was lucky enough to score the tender chicken foie, while my cousin enjoyed the gizzard.
Poulet de Bresse with its foie, fava beans and baguette
One afternoon my cousin dropped us off in the middle of the forest, telling us that we needed to forage for our dinner. This forest was her secret place to pick wild asparagus, les asperges sauvages, which I had never even heard of until then. In this dense, dark, cool and quiet forest, we diligently picked these long and thin wild asparagus stalks in silence. They were quite abundant, and I was so excited to be able to forage for my own food. It’s such a wonderful experience to be able to see where your food comes from, and to be able to enjoy the fruits of your own labor.
Wild asparagus
I blanched the asparagus in boiling salt water, then tossed them with spaghetti, sea salt and olive oil. It was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had.
Spaghetti avec les asperges sauvages
One of their winemakers brought over a basket of freshly picked baby greens from his garden, which he dressed with a simple viniagrette. We enjoyed these fresh vegetables with terrine de foie de lapin (rabbit liver terrine) and an award winning jambon persilles (ham with parsley) from Beaune. Paired with never-ending supplies of their house wine, this al fresco family dinner was one of the most memorable meals in my life.
Fresh garden greens with Bize wine
Jambon persilles avec terrine de foie de lapin
On another evening, we gathered on the terrace to watch the sunset with a bottle of 1999 Moët et Chandon rosé and grujere, which is a type of cheese bread. The inside of the bread was soft and doughy with a subtle and elegant cheese flavor.
Champagne toast with grujere
Grujere cheese bread
My cousin made a delicious tuna, onion and tomato quiche one day. Everything is made from scratch here, with great love and care. Her dried cherry tart was also fantastic- freshly picked cherries that were sun dried on the terrace.
Tuna, tomato and onion quiche
Dried cherry tart
For my last dinner, she pulled out the good stuff. Burgundy escargot with garlic and butter, and house made duck leg confit. The escargot were succulent and juicy, and the duck confit had perfectly crispy skin covering tender meat that fell right off the bones.
Burgundy escargots ready to go into the oven
House made duck leg confit
Other dishes that she made include asparagus soup and strawberries marinated in house red wine. Oh, and don’t forget the cheeses. Every meal concluded with the obligatory assortment of French cheeses. My favorite was the Epoisse, perfectly stinky and incredibly creamy. My time in Savigny-les-Beaune was magical, beautiful and happy. Everything was prepared with great care and detail. Every night we would gather around the table as the kids talked about how their school day went and Patrick about his predictions for this year’s harvest. With laughter abound, delicious food filling our content bellies, and Patrick returning every half hour with yet another bottle of wine, mealtime was always a place of love and warmth. Although I enjoyed my dining experience in Paris, from local bistros to high end restaurants, the food that I had at my cousin’s house was truly priceless. I miss them so much…
Cheese plate
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