Where to live WhereWinter food to tour live CHOUCROUTE GARNIE lsace encompasses the sampled at the many winstubs Bas-Rhin and Haut- in Strasbourg, the region’s A Rhin departments cosmopolitan capital and seat in the Grand Est region and of the European Parliament. is nestled between the Rhine Literally meaning ‘wine river to the east and the room’, these cosy bars are Vosges mountains to the west. decked out in nostalgic décor In this picturesque corner of AlsAce and characterised by their northeastern France, the dawn of the laid-back, convivial atmosphere colder months begins around the middle where you can warm up to other winter of October when a tapestry of colour classics such as baeckeoffe stew or bacony washes over the vineyards and the chill in flammekueches with carafes of local wine. the air has everyone craving rustic platters Alsace has a semi-continental climate of aromatic choucroute simmered in white with cold, dry winters. In fact, Colmar, wine and abundantly crowned with large located in the southern Haut-Rhin chunks of pork, sausages and potatoes. department, benefits from a sunny Though sauerkraut already appeared microclimate with little rainfall. at Alsatian tables as of the 15th century, Strolling through its storybook streets it wasn’t until the 19th century that the lined with colourful, half-timbered houses fermented cabbage was served with other and pretty canals will certainly make ingredients and became the choucroute winter blues a thing of the past! garnie (garnished sauerkraut) we know The city happens to be the viticultural today. The dish is similar to the German capital of Alsace and is a great place to start schlachtplatte, and not surprisingly so, exploring the more than 100 wine villages since Alsace has alternated between and many caves spread out over its 170km German and French rule several times Route des Vins. since the 17th century. Colmar is just a stone’s throw away This resulted in an attractive blend from Germany and Switzerland, and of cultures evident in everything from should a morning of skiing with the family Alsace’s distinct architecture to its be on your mind, the Vosges Massif’s culinary traditions. Choucroute, affordable resorts offer pistes usually enjoyed as a suitable for all levels. The special family meal and largest in the region is La accompanied with a Next Bresse-Hohneck, with 42 crisp, zingy riesling or month pistes spread out over regional beer, can be more on life in 220 hectares. Alsace and why it’s not just for winter Above: Colmar’s picturesque streets Right: A dish of choucroute garnie Below: A typical winstub GoodWinter calls for hearty French food intaste sublime surroundings. Paola Westbeek sets out to discover some of the nation’s favourite dishes and where best to enjoy them hether you live Fewer crowds during this time mz; Creutz for the adrenaline of year also mean a more authentic D y A b of gliding down experience and ample ‘space’ for house A ix glistening slopes at hunters to really get a taste for living in p lb ; some of the most the country. A y Dez A impressive winter sports destinations But that’s not all. With its cheese- b W A ix or prefer the gentle climate of the sun- smothered casseroles and rich stews, p soaked Mediterranean coast, there is France’s rustic winter cuisine is one of plenty to love about winter in France. the season’s most enticing highlights. photos © 40 Living France February 2020 completefrance.com completefrance.com February 2020 Living France 41 Where to live WhereWinter food to tour live enjoy lunch with a view of ineliv C y Mont Blanc in savoie A b A ix p photo © photo Beautiful lake Annecy Arles in winter ollowing our taste buds south, our DAUBE DE BOEUF Alpes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence food tour continues in Provence- departments, this alpine paradise is home to F Alpes-Côte d’Azur with daube de 68 ski resorts, among them Isola, located at boeuf à la provençale, a rustic stew of an elevation of 2,000m and overlooking the tender beef marinated in red wine infused Mediterranean Sea. with onions, carrots, aromatic herbs and If you’re considering permanently settling orange rind. in Provence or spending the winter there, The dish, which also includes black bear in mind that although the region is the olives, gets its name from the pan it was warmest and sunniest in France, mistral originally prepared in: the daubière, a pRovence-Alpes winds are quite common during the season deep, round or oval piece of earthenware côte d’AzuR and can be unforgivingly harsh, causing used for braising meats. temperatures to quickly plummet. That Daubes are prepared all over France. In certainly didn’t stop Vincent van Gogh from fact, in Elizabeth David’s French Provincial In the daube avignonnaise, for escaping to Arles in February 1888, however! Cooking, (Grub Street, 2007) an authority example, beef is replaced with lamb and Though he often complained about the on cuisine du terroir, we read: “There must red wine is replaced with white. ‘infuriating nuisance of the constant mistral’ be scores of different recipes for daubes in Daube de boeuf is a favourite Sunday in letters to his brother Theo, he also wrote, Provence alone, as well as all those which lunch in winter and a delectable way ‘what a compensation, when there’s a day have been borrowed from other regions, to warm up after an active day on the with no wind. A rich tartiflette for a daube of beef is essentially a country slopes of the Alpes du Sud. Stretching ‘What intensity of colours, what pure air, housewife’s dish.” out over the Alpes-Maritimes, Hautes- what serene vibrancy.’ eading south, past Bourgogne- TARTIFLETTE drawn to Haute-Savoie’s numerous ski Franche-Comté, we arrive resorts and its close proximity to Geneva, La daube de boeuf provençale H in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes to where many find employment. this is an easy recipe, but • 1 glass (4floz) are there to give body as After about 10 some of the fat from the indulge in a taste of the mighty tartiflette, When asked if the locals are welcoming, it has all the rich savour of red wine well as savour to the stew, 4 minutes, put the wine sauce, extract the bouquet the queen of voluptuous French winter she replies: “Yes, I would say they’re of these slowly cooked • 1 bouquet of thyme, bay into little squares. skin into another saucepan, and pour the sauce around dishes. Made with potatoes, onions, friendly, but the Savoyard people are wine-flavoured stews. the leaf, parsley and a little and slice the tomatoes. bring it to a fast boil; the meat. if you can, keep generous amounts of bacon, cream and naturally reserved and quite closed initially. pot to cook it in may be strip of orange peel set light to it; rotate the the dish hot over a spirit white wine (not to mention an entire However, when you get to know them and earthenware, cast iron or • seasoning in the bottom of the pan so that the flames lamp after it is brought to round of Reblochon cheese), tartiflette was they trust you, they are welcoming.” a copper or aluminium 3 pot put the olive oil, spread. When they have the table. At the serving invented in the 1980s to promote the soft AuveRgne Caro encourages anyone considering a oven pot of about two have the meat cut into then the bacon, then the died down pour the stage, a persillade of mountain cheese from Haute-Savoie. Rhône-Alpes move to go for it: “This region has so much ïh pints capacity, wide rather squares about the size vegetables and half the wine, bubbling over the finely chopped garlic and Ra 1 It is based on a traditional potato dish to offer. The weather has very clear seasons than deep. of half a postcard and pork rinds. Arrange the meat. Cover the pot with parsley, with perhaps an sson; known as péla and made with a potato with good, warm summers and cold, A about third of an inch meat carefully on top, the greaseproof paper or anchovy and a few capers, ij b / C called tartiflâ (hence the dish’s name). Caro, originally from England and a snowy but sunny winters. The mountains n IngRedIents thick. buy the bacon or slices overlapping each foil, and a well-fitting lid. can be sprinkled over the A l Tartiflette continues to be a firm favourite digital/social media marketing professional have to be experienced, whether on skis, b • 2lb of top rump of beef salt pork in the piece and other. bury the garlic transfer to a very slow top. or stoned black olives ont at ski destinations. who also writes the blog Taste of Savoie snowshoes or just viewed from the terrace m • 6oz of unsmoked streaky cut it into small cubes. cloves, flattened with a oven, gas mark one, 290°F can be added to the stew “La R’mize in Les Gets serves a great (tasteofsavoie.com), lives in Cernex, a tiny of a mountain restaurant. voie bacon or salt pork knife, and the bouquet, in and leave for two and a half an hour before the tartiflette,” says Caro Blackwell. “Chalet farming village located approximately “Many of the ski resorts offer access Sa • 3oz of fresh pork rinds scrape and slice the the centre. half hours. end of the cooking time. lb; A La Pricaz on La Col de la Forclaz above 30km north of Annecy.