20 Nov. 2020
5 good reasons to stay in Coeur de Tarentaise in Winter
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Aujourd'hui Demain
Moûtiers480m
Matin
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Après-midi
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Aujourd'hui Demain
Saint-Martin-de-Belleville1450m
Matin
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Après-midi
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Savoyard Gastronomy
Savoie’s unmissable gastronomic specialities
In Cœur de Tarentaise, Savoie cuisine is a staple found on practically every table. Sweet or savoury, it calls out to our tastebuds, tantalising them with its aromas, colours and flavours.
Your plate is where it allbegins… Indulge in delicious flavours that will meet even the most exacting standards!
Diot sausages
A traditional sausage in Savoie cuisine,diots can be plain, pure pork, smoked, or flavoured with cabbage or beaufort cheese, they’re a carefully prepared delicious treat, accompanied by a good Savoie wine.
You’ll love them served with potatoes or crozets.
The Pormoniers
A variety of “green” or “herb” sausage that comes from Savoie. Made with lean pork, which is added to green vegetables (chard, leeks, spinach), pormoniers come from the region’s country folk who slaughtered their pigs at the beginning of the winter. They used to make sausages bulked up with garden vegetables. Their name comes from the local dialect “pormon” which means “lung” and refers to the offal that country people once used to make them. This winter dish is often served with potatoes, but we also love them with polenta or a delicious ‘crozet’ gratin !
The Crozets
Don’t miss out on crozets!
These little square pasta shapes are so typical of Savoyard culinary heritage. From the slang word “croé” meaning little, this Savoyard speciality was historically prepared at home, using buckwheat flour, eggs, salt and water. Today, you can also find them made from durum wheat. This pasta is the perfect accompaniment to diot sausages, poultry or meat in sauce.
Serving ideas
You only need to cook them in boiling water for 12 minutes on a low heat. Before you drain them, give them a rinse in water to get rid of the starch. Then mix in 20cl of crème fraiche and 100g of grated Beaufort cheese. Season with salt and pepper, brown in the oven and that’s all there is to it!
You can also enjoy a delicious Croziflette!
Dish inspired by the tartiflette but with the use of crozets (instead of potatoes),
croziflette is cooked with bacon, crème fraîche, onions and good cheese
Savoyard too, the Reblochon. A delight !
Mulled wine
A sweet, spiced winter drink, mulled wine is a staple of ski resort welcome drinks and torch-lit descents.
The origins of mulled wine
Made from hot wine mixed with honey, pepper, bay leaves and dates, this drink dates back to the Roman era where it was always on the menu at banquets for its reputed digestive properties.
It spread throughout Europe and France in the Middle Ages, when fruit such as oranges and mixed spices including cloves and cinnamon were added to make the wine keep for longer. This beverage, known as hippocras, was very popular at the royal court.
It wasn’t until the late 19th century that mulled wine spread through the Alps.
Which wine should you use for mulling?
A bottle of cheap plonk makes for a bad mulled wine. It’s better to use young, light, fruity wines such as Pinot Noir or Gamay de Savoie.
La Fondue
Savoyard fondue is a regional dish made from melted cheese and bread. It is made from local produce such as Beaufort, Comté de Savoie, Emmental de Savoie or Abondance cheese.
Cheese fondue is all based around a simple principle: eating little cubes of bread covered in melted cheese, white wine and garlic, using fondue forks to dip into a fondue pot.
Historian Marie-Thérèse Hermann notes that fondue is not a traditional part of Savoyard culture, but developed after theSecond World Warin Savoie.The dish is only familiar in the north of the region, which shares a border with Switzerland. However, due to its cost, it didn’t spread far. Countryfolk would have occasionally heated a piece of cheese over the fire and eaten it with bread.
Ingredients / for 5 people
● Allow 250g of cheese for a regular portion. Reduce the portion size to 200g or 150g for smaller appetites.
● Use 1/3 Beaufort, 1/3 Comté and 1/3 Emmenthal.
● For 1kg of fromage you’ll need 400 ml of dry white wine.
● Allow around one baguette for 3 people.
Raclette
Raclette first appeared in the Middle Ages when it was commonly known as “roast cheese”.
At that time, countryfolk were used to eating it in summer, outdoors, when they were taking their cattle to graze. They melted half a wheel of cheese over a woodfire and then scraped the melted top off the cheese using bread or potatoes. The name “raclette” didn’t appear until 1874, as a reference to the act of scraping the cheese directly from the wheel.
Throughout the 20th century, the traditional method gradually gave way to electric utensils, first family-sized and then mini versions.
Today the word “Raclette” immediately conjures up the Savoie region. It’s an emblematic hard cheese for the Alpine mountains, made from unpasteurised cow’s milk. It was recently awarded PGI (Protected Geographical Status).
Rissoles
Rissoles are little turnovers traditionally made in the autumn, filled with pear compote. You can also fill them with apple compote. They were once a speciality reserved just for holidays.
Bugnes / French Doughnuts
In the olden days, these used to be cooked during carnival time, as a way to use upfat before Lent, but now we make them all year long to celebrate a special occasion or just to enjoy them!
Genépi
Also known as "Génépi of the Glaciers" or "Génépi of the Alps".
Before becoming a popular after-dinner digestif in the French mountains, Génépi liqueur went all the way back to the Middle Ages. It wasn’t until much later, in the 19th century, that it became widespread thanks tomonks making it in their distilleries. Génépiwas historically used in infusions to soothe digestive problems and colds. It can also be useful to help wounds heal and combat altitude sickness.
Fleurs de Genépi
This little plant measures between 5 and 20cm. Its stem is silky, downy and grey in colour, and its flowers are tiny and yellow.
Very hard to find, Génépi grows exclusively in the Alps, from July to September, between altitudes of 2,000 and 3,000m, mostly in scree and rocks.
It’s a protected species and forbidden to pick in the Vanoise National Park.
Les Fromages
Le Beaufort
Beaufort, nicknamed the “Prince of Gruyères” is a hard cheese made from whole unpasteurised milk, renowned for its unparalleled flavour.
It was granted the Beaufort AOP in 1968, which specifically codifies the rules of production, from the growing of the grass all the way to when the cheese is taken out of the ripening cellars.
Sold under 3 names:
- Beaufort,
- summer Beaufort
- mountain pasture Beaufort.
Where to find it:
Moûtiers Dairy Cooperative: +33 (0)4 79 24 03 65
Au Petit Délice: +33 (0)6 25 32 55 76
Alpage des Combes in la Sauce: +33 (0)6 22 97 65 48
Sérac
Sérac is a by-product of making hard cheese. It is made from the “lactoserum” liquid residue (whey) that comes from cheesemaking. Low-fat and low-calorie but very rich in protein, it used to be kept back for family consumption, particularly in poor areas.
To make it, whey is heated to 90C°, then added to an acidic fermenting agent (vinegar, lactic acid…) which causes it to thicken. Then it’s drained and put into a mould for around 24 hours. In some places, sérac is even smoked (placed on a board underneath the chimney cowl). And in Alpine farms where there are goats, goat sérac is a highly prized speciality.
During the summer, Alpine sérac, which is a more flavourful variety, accompanied by a slice of fresh bread, a trickle of honey or a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt makes a delicious snack.
Where to find it?
Chez Pépé Nicolas in Val Thorens - +33 (0)6 09 45 28 35
Pradier goat farm inHautecour - +33 (0)6 06 84 78 71
Villarenger goat farm- +33 (0)6 43 06 65 52
Moûtiers market, Tuesday and Friday mornings (from Pierre-Vincent)
Tomme de Savoie
This is the oldest cheese from the Savoie region. Tomme de Savoiewas initially made to use up the skimmed milk left over from butter-making.
Originally made by rural familiesfor their own use, Tomme is without a doubt the oldest of the Savoie cheeses. Largely made for day-to-day family consumption, Tomme de Savoie was only known about and sold at local markets. Its rural origins explain its rustic appearance.
Today, only real Tomme de Savoie has Protected Geographic Status guaranteeing that the milk is of Savoyard origin, and that production and maturation all take place in the Savoie.
La Trentsa
In the hamlet of Le Chatelard, you’ll find a pretty little farm called “La Trentsa”, cleverly converted into a guest house by owners Susan and Serge Jay. Here in the Belleville Valley, this French-English sheep-breeding couple produce their famous cheese of the same name. It’s a local speciality made from whey and rye bread.
They also make delicious silky smooth, subtly flavoured yoghurts, ewe’s milk Tomme and whey (low-fat cheese).
FERME "LA TRANTSA"
Le Châtelard
73440 Saint-Martin-de-Belleville
+ 33 (0)6 64 25 38 58