F E B R U A R Y, 2014 - SAV O I E

NE W Y ORK, NY

FR ENCH QUARTERS
WHAT TO E A T & DR IN K IN F R A N CE R I G H T N O W , EV ER Y M O N D AY N I G H T AT L AFAY ET T E

S A V O IE M E N U
Prigord Truffle & Raclette Croque Monsieur ~ Chestnut Velout, Foie Gras ~ Milk-Fed Porcelet, jerusalem artichoke gratin ~ Gteau de Savoie, poached lady apples, chocolate chantilly
$65 SOMMELIER PAIRINGS FRANCE

2011 Domaine de la Tournelle 'Fleur de Savagnin' ~ 2011 Celliers des Cray Chignin-Bergeron ~ 2011 Domaine de la Renardire Arbois-Pupillin Trousseau ~ Patrick Bottex Bugey-Cerdon 'La Cueille' Mthode Ancestrale
$45

SAVOIE
We love Savoie for its grassy raclette cheese, weird vin juane and the mirepoix of French luxury Alpine skiing: Chamonix, Courchevel and Val d'Isre. Its the dead of a cold, snowy winter in New York City and were thinking about chalets and fresh powder. Were also enjoying higher than usual doses of everything youd find on a true Savoyards dinner table; grassy cheeses, forest chestnuts, root vegetables, wild game, mountain berries and porcelet. We have always admired how the French cook for the cold. Its done with fortifying braises, layered on richness and deep, rooty flavors. For Februarys menu we are starting with an American raclette from Spring Brook Farm, our housemade brioche and a traditional croque monsieur laced with a little Prigord truffle. Next up, roasted chestnut velout (recipe follows) poured table-side over a foie gras torchon and garnished with wintry bits like grapes and brussels sprout petals. Weve parceled out a milk-fed pig from Qubec to compose the entre. The pork shoulder has been braised and confited in duck fat, and the rotisserie porchetta was fashioned from the belly, rack and our own pork sausage. This is accompanied by glazy, pork-roasted apples, whole grain mustard and a crock of creamy sunchoke gratin. To finish up, a traditional Gteau de Savoie with poached lady apples and boozy chantilly.

Every Monday Night in February

Q: WHAT IS FRENCH QUARTERS?

is divided into 101 dpartements. Each month, we look at one and tell you the things we like about it the most i.e. the food and the wine. Every Monday night at Lafayette, we offer a menu of our findings.

A: FRANCE

LE VIN DE SAVOIE
We think the wines of Savoie (and the Jura, directly north) are among the most exciting and unexplored of France. These alpine regions along the Swiss border run colder than most wine producing regions, nurturing vines and wines that are comfortable alongside our wintry menu. Here are some of our favorite grapes and wines from the Savoie: Savagnin usually finds its way into the local specialty Vin Jaune, which is deliberately oxidized (and requires an appetite for discovery). This unusual, savory example is vinified in the ways of traditional table wine. The dry whites of the Jura are usually 100% Chardonnay, and provide an excellent alternative to whatever other Chardonnay youre drinking. Vintners of Chignin-Bergeron grow only Roussanne grapes, and produce regrettably small quantities of luscious, medium and full-bodied whites. Trousseau and Poulsard yield light-bodied red wines with delicate fruit, astonishing complexity and incredible versatility with food. These grapes are grown almost nowhere else, and have the added benefit of the Juras cool climate which guards against over-ripeness. We love to finish with the sparkling, sweet ros of Bugey-Cerdon, a wine which undergoes only a single fermentation, rather than the two rounds of Champagne and other Mthode Champenoise. Toujours soif!

THIS MONTH: SAVOIE NEXT MONTH: GERS

CHESTNUT VELOUT
I N G R E D I E N T S : Serves 6
1 lbs. peeled, roasted chestnuts Herb sachet of fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, bay leaf, black peppercorns, thyme, fennel seeds & clove 4 Tb. butter 2 leeks, whites only, rinsed & sliced celery root, peeled and diced 1 carrot, peeled and diced 2 Tb. Armagnac 6 cups chicken stock 2 cups heavy cream

COOKING METHOD: To receive our monthly

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Make a sachet with your favorite herbs and spices. Sweat the leeks, celery root and carrot in a pot with butter over medium-low heat. Add the chestnuts, stir well, and deglaze with Armagnac. Add the stock and of the cream. Simmer over low heat until the vegetables and chestnuts are tender. Remove the sachet and pure the mixture in a blender, adding the remaining cream slowly until you achieve the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and strain through a mesh sieve for best results.

L A F AYETTE G RAND CAF & BAK ERY 380 LA FA YETTE STREET, NYC (212) 533-3000