Side, Snack, Appetizer

Bucheron

Bûcheron (sometimes boucheron, bucherone, boucherond, or bucherondin) is a goat's milk cheese native to the loire valley in france. semi-aged, ripening for 5 to 10 weeks, bucheron is produced as short logs that weigh 3 to 4 pounds (1.4 to 1.8 kg) that are sliced and sold as small rounds in food stores. bûcheron has an ivory-colored pâte surrounded by a bloomy white rind. soft, but semi-firm in texture, this cheese when young has a mild taste and it has a harder texture. as it ages, is gets a softer texture and a sharper, more intense taste. it is a good cheese for salads or for snacking with hearty grained breads, crackers, grapes and fresh figs.

Drink

Chambord liqueur

Chambord (french: [ʃɑ̃.bɔʁ]) is a 16.5% abv raspberry liqueur modelled after a liqueur produced in the loire valley of france during the late 17th century. the chambord product brand has been owned and produced by the brown-forman corporation since 2006.chambord is made from red and black raspberries, madagascar vanilla, moroccan citrus peel, honey and cognac.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Crottin de Chavignol

Crottin de chavignol is a goat cheese produced in the loire valley. this cheese is the claim to fame for the village of chavignol, france, which has only two hundred inhabitants.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Faisselle

Faisselle is a non-protected french cheese made of raw milk from cows, goats, or sheep. the name comes from the mold in which the cheese is strained: faisselle.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Fouée

Fouée, also known as fouace, is a round, airy bread from the western france (touraine and anjou region of the loire valley, poitou, charente). it looks somewhat similar to pita. it is served with pork rillettes, salted butter and mogettes (white beans).not to be confused with another french culinary specialty, called fouace or fouasse, from the southern france (rouergue, aveyron and haute-auvergne). fouace is a traditional pastry with a light-yellow crumb, a fine crust, often strewn with sugar grains. it is usually presented in the shape of a crown or bun and it is well known for its unique orange blossom flavor. it can be enjoyed for breakfast, aperitif or dessert. fouace is a variety of brioche prepared from wheat flour, sourdough, butter, eggs, milk, sugar, orange flower water, and salt.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Lentilles vertes du Berry

Lens culinaris lentils grown in cher, centre-val de loire, france

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Olivet au foin

Cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk, from olivet, centre-val de loire, france

Dessert, Sweet

Pithivier

A pithivier (english: ; french: pithiviers, ipa: [pitivje] (listen)) is a round, enclosed pie usually made by baking two disks of puff pastry, with a filling stuffed in between. it has the appearance of a hump and is traditionally decorated with spiral lines drawn from the top outwards with the point of a knife, and scalloping on the edge. it is named after the french town of pithiviers, where the dish is commonly assumed to originate. a small mound of filling is positioned at the centre of the underneath layer of pastry, rather than spread on it, so as to prevent it from leaking during baking. the pie is traditionally finished with a distinct shine to the top of the crust, by brushing on an egg wash beforehand, or by caramelising a dusting of confectioner's sugar at the end of baking, or both. made for epiphany, it is similar to the galette des rois. the filling of the pithivier is often a sweet frangipane (optionally combined with fruit such as cherry or plum), but savoury pies with vegetable, meat or cheese filling can also be called pithivier.

Main

Pithivier

A pithivier (english: ; french: pithiviers, ipa: [pitivje] (listen)) is a round, enclosed pie usually made by baking two disks of puff pastry, with a filling stuffed in between. it has the appearance of a hump and is traditionally decorated with spiral lines drawn from the top outwards with the point of a knife, and scalloping on the edge. it is named after the french town of pithiviers, where the dish is commonly assumed to originate. a small mound of filling is positioned at the centre of the underneath layer of pastry, rather than spread on it, so as to prevent it from leaking during baking. the pie is traditionally finished with a distinct shine to the top of the crust, by brushing on an egg wash beforehand, or by caramelising a dusting of confectioner's sugar at the end of baking, or both. made for epiphany, it is similar to the galette des rois. the filling of the pithivier is often a sweet frangipane (optionally combined with fruit such as cherry or plum), but savoury pies with vegetable, meat or cheese filling can also be called pithivier.

Drink

Poiré

Pear cider/alcohol

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Pouligny-Saint-Pierre

Pouligny-saint-pierre is a french goats'-milk cheese made in the indre department of central france. its name is derived from the commune of pouligny-saint-pierre in the indre department where it was first made in the 18th century. the cheese is distinctive, being pyramidal in shape and golden brown in colour with speckles of grey-blue mould, and is often known by the nicknames "eiffel tower" or "pyramid". it has a square base 6.5 cm wide, is around 9 cm high, and weighs 250 grams (8.8 oz). the central pâte is bright white with a smooth, crumbly texture that mixes an initial sour taste with salty and sweet overtones. the exterior has a musty odour reminiscent of hay. it is made exclusively from unpasteurised milk. both fermier (farmhouse) and industriel (dairy) production is used with the fermier bearing a green label, and industriel a red label. its region of production is relatively small, taking in only 22 communes.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Rillettes de Tours

Pork spread made by cooking pork meat slowly in pork fat, from tours, centre-val de loire, france

Dessert, Sweet

Riz à l'impératrice

Riz à l'impératrice (pronounced [ʁi a lɛ̃.pe.ʁa.tʁis]) is an elaborate molded version of rice pudding in french haute cuisine. rice pudding is mixed with bavarian cream, set in a charlotte mold, turned out and then decorated with candied fruits macerated in alcohol such as kirsch or maraschino.the dessert is said to have been named in honor of the empress eugénie de montijo, empress of france from 1853 to 1870.marcel proust refers to the dish in volume one of his in search of lost time.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Sainte-Maure de Touraine

Sainte-maure de touraine is a french cheese produced in the province of touraine, mainly in the department of indre-et-loire. it is named after the small town of sainte-maure-de-touraine, in the department of indre-et-loire, at equal distance from westly chinon and eastly loches. sainte-maure de touraine is an unpasteurized cheese made from full fat goat's milk. it has the form of a small log, around 16–17 cm in length, and weighs at least 250 g. it is white and soft under a greyish moldy rind and is rolled in wood ash. it has a straw through its centre, marked by the aoc seal and a number indicating the producer. the straw is used, in the making, to keep the roll together. the finished cheese has 45% milk fat.

Main

Salmon

Salmon () is the common name for several species of ray-finned fish in the family salmonidae. other fish in the same family include trout, char, grayling, and whitefish. salmon are native to tributaries of the north atlantic (genus salmo) and pacific ocean (genus oncorhynchus). many species of salmon have been introduced into non-native environments such as the great lakes of north america and patagonia in south america. salmon are intensively farmed in many parts of the world.typically, salmon are anadromous: they hatch in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water to reproduce. however, populations of several species are restricted to fresh water throughout their lives. folklore has it that the fish return to the exact spot where they hatched to spawn. tracking studies have shown this to be mostly true. a portion of a returning salmon run may stray and spawn in different freshwater systems; the percent of straying depends on the species of salmon. homing behavior has been shown to depend on olfactory memory.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Selles-sur-Cher

Soft blue cheese made from goat's milk, from selles-sur-cher, centre-val de loire, france

Main

Shad

The alosinae, or the shads, are a subfamily of fishes in the herring family clupeidae. the subfamily comprises seven genera worldwide, and about 30 species.the shads are pelagic (open water) schooling fish, of which many are anadromous or even landlocked. several species are of commercial importance, e.g. in the genus alosa (river herrings), brevoortia (menhadens), and hilsa.

Dessert, Sweet

Tarte tatin

The tarte tatin (french pronunciation: ​[taʁt tatɛ̃]), named after the tatin sisters who invented it and served it in their hotel as its signature dish, is a pastry in which the fruit (usually apples) is caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked. it originated in france but has spread to other countries over the years.

Drink

Touraine

Touraine is an appellation d'origine contrôlée (aoc) in the loire valley wine region in france that produce dry, white wines and red wines rich in tannins. the aoc status was awarded by a decree of december 24, 1939 (modified by the decree of august 29, 2002). the wine-growing area extends over 5,300 hectares (13,000 acres) departments of indre-et-loire, indre and loir-et-cher and comprises a total of 70 communes and it is thus a "subregional" appellation covering the same area as a number of local aocs.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Valençay

Valençay is a cheese made in the province of berry in central france. its name is derived from the town of valençay in the indre department. distinctive in its truncated pyramidal shape, valençay is an unpasteurised goat-milk cheese weighing 200–250 grams (7.1–8.8 oz) and around 7 cm (2.8 in) in height. its rustic blue-grey colour is made by the natural moulds that form its rind, darkened with a dusting of charcoal. the young cheese has a fresh, citric taste, with age giving it a nutty taste characteristic of goat cheeses. the cheese achieved aoc status in 1998 making valençay the first region to achieve aoc status for both its cheese and its wine.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Volailles de l'Orléanais

Poultry reared in loiret, centre-val de loire, france

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Volailles du Berry

Poultry reared in cher, centre-val de loire, france

Drink

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are major factors in different styles of wine. these differences result from the complex interactions between the biochemical development of the grape, the reactions involved in fermentation, the grape's growing environment (terroir), and the wine production process. many countries enact legal appellations intended to define styles and qualities of wine. these typically restrict the geographical origin and permitted varieties of grapes, as well as other aspects of wine production. wines not made from grapes involve fermentation of other crops including rice wine and other fruit wines such as plum, cherry, pomegranate, currant and elderberry. wine has been produced for thousands of years. the earliest evidence of wine is from the caucasus region in today's georgia (6000 bce), persia (5000 bce), and italy (4000 bce). new world wine has some connection to alcoholic beverages made by the indigenous peoples of the americas, but is mainly connected to later spanish traditions in new spain. later, as old world wine further developed viticulture techniques, europe would encompass three of the largest wine-producing regions. today, the five countries with the largest wine-producing regions are in italy, spain, france, the united states, and china.wine has long played an important role in religion. red wine was associated with blood by the ancient egyptians and was used by both the greek cult of dionysus and the romans in their bacchanalia; judaism also incorporates it in the kiddush, and christianity in the eucharist. egyptian, greek, roman, and israeli wine cultures are still connected to these ancient roots. similarly the largest wine regions in italy, spain, and france have heritages in connection to sacramental wine, likewise, viticulture traditions in the southwestern united states started within new spain as catholic friars and monks first produced wines in new mexico and california.