Say Cheese in Annecy

| TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2017 | THE STRAITS TIMES | D9 BON VOYAGE SPECIAL | SPH CONTENT LAB Say cheese in Annecy The alpine town of Annecy is known as the Venice of France, but Suzanne Sng fi nds its cheesy dishes as memorable as its charming canals IN THE alpine town of Annecy nestled in the foothills of the French Alps, I went on a food trail and discovered these delightful dairy dishes: Tartifl ette From left: Annecy is known as the Venice of France for its winding canals; It is said that lovers who kiss in the middle of the romantic Pont des We were drawn to the outdoor Amours stay together for eternity. PHOTOS: SUZANNE SNG stall with the most enticing smell of potatoes, bacon and onions smothered in gooey cheese, Tartifl ette is sold at street stalls as and ended up devouring huge well as in restaurants. amounts of tartifl ette for dinner. The vin chaud (warm mulled wine) we drank to wash everything down helped in keep- ing us warm in the cold winter weather. Fondue The French version, Savoyarde, uses a bubbling mix of comté, beaufort and reblochon — a creamy cheese made from three Fondue and raclette at Le Freti, breeds of French cows that graze which has served cheese dishes on the Alps — and was so good for more than 40 years. that we scraped up every last bit from the bottom of the pot with the cubes of bread. Raclette Originating from Switzerland, the raclette, a semi-hard Swiss cheese, is placed on a wrought- iron apparatus with red-hot heat- ing rods that warm the cut side of the cheese until it melts into a puddle onto the plate served with boiled potatoes, gherkins, pickled onions and charcuterie. Do not drink cold water with Mediaeval cheese torture device the meal, as it causes the cheese with half a wheel of raclette on it. to turn uncomfortably to stone in the tummy. To avoid indigestion, do as the locals do and go with white wine, warm mulled red wine, herbal tea or kirsch (brandy made from cherries). A mind-boggling selection of tartifl ette, fondue and raclette can be had at Le Freti (12, rue Sainte Claire), though perhaps not all at the same time. Mashed potatoes and melted Aligot cheese are whipped together to At the street stall where we make aligot. encountered aligot, the chef was using a ladle to repeatedly pull the mixture of mashed potatoes with GUIDELINES melted cheese into the air in an energetic dance before the stove. The high-speed TGV This whipping action introduced train from Paris’ Gare air and turned the concoction so de Lyon takes less than four smooth that it practically glided hours to get to Annecy, though down my throat. For more deca- it is faster to get to Annecy dence, add truffl es to the mix. from Geneva, Switzerland, than from Paris. The bus ride takes Pizza about an hour, with departures I had the best pizza outside Italy, scheduled throughout the day. from a wood-fi red oven at a petite pizzeria called The Little Italy ■ The daytime (16, rue Sainte Claire). The crust temperature in August was perfection and the generous can go above 38 deg C, toppings include Italian sausage and drop to 14 deg C at night. cooked in prosecco, prosciutto In winter, expect near-freezing and marinated anchovies. Or, go temperatures, but also bright for the Montana pizza, which is Alpine sun and the possibility topped with four different types of snow. of cheese. ■ Tourist season is in spring and summer, with winter months being less crowded. In the lead-up to Christmas, there is a fair winding around the Old Town. ■ Most of the popular sights are within walking distance if you put up in the Old Town, where there are numerous Toppings such as marinated small hotels and Airbnb anchovies and Italian sausages on options. the pizzas at The Little Italy. NEXT WEEK Soak in the rustic life of Honduras EDITOR Leong Phei Phei PROJECT EDITOR Beatrice Ang CONTRIBUTORS Christina Ching, KS Randhawa, Suzanne Sng CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Uma Venkatraman SUB-EDITOR Melissa Anne Tan ART DIRECTOR Chris Tan ART AND DESIGN Kimmie Tan, Sara Tan ADMIN EXECUTIVE Jenny Wong ADVERTISING SALES Angeline Foo, Oh Say Tuck, Serene Tang, Grace Cheng, Patricia Peh, Veronica Chong, Rose Naldoza, Pamela Tan, Cindy Hiang (6319-2048) For reproduction of articles or reprints of photographs, call SPH’s Information Resource Centre: 6319-5508 or 6319- 5726. E-mail feedback to [email protected].

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