French Gastronomy is one cuisine that has had me fawning over it ever since the first time I tried it out. The simplicity of the flavours that adorn the palate along with the elaborate techniques is the reason that I enjoy this cuisine so much. On top of that, French wines have been established as one of the foremost authorities in wines. So when these two combined at the Indo French Chamber of Commerce’s Gala Dinner at the Pullman Hotel New Delhi Aerocity, we were totally impressed.
Although many of us have believed French cuisine to be a standardized one with a set of rules, it’s quite interesting to know the variations that are present even within the different regions. From the East, we try out a beautifully roasted Duck that’s served with an Orange sauce. The combination of the meat with this sweet sauce makes for quite a combination. I also tried out some creamed potatoes which I decided to combine with the Duck.
The French Onion soup is one classic dish and the thick warm flavours are aptly represented from the North of France. Made with loads of onions brewed together for quite an amount of time, the soup is both thick and warms us to the core in these chilly Delhi winters. Moving onto the West, charcuterie draws its amazing flavours and we try out a mixed grill of sausages and chicken cooked with thyme. From the South, there were quite a few offerings but we decided to try out Pork Roast which had been done until the meat was tender and falling off the bone.
There were also some desserts from L’Opera along with a chocolate Eiffel Tower which stood almost 1.5 metres tall. Combined with some Camas wines and one of France’s very own anise liquors from Ricard, the flavours of France had us enamoured. The history of Pastis de Marseille is quite interesting indeed. As Absinthe had been banned in the early 1900’s in France, and high proof Anise liquers were banned, Paul de Ricard created the recipe for Pastis and Pastis de Marseille. While Absinthe was prepared from Green Anise, Pastis is made from a distillation of Star Anise along with an infusion of Liquorice root. Pastis is usually mixed with cold water before drinking which gives it a cloudy colour.
