Scenes from the Curator's 2008 Visit to France
In the spring of 2008, the Curator and Mrs. Mustard traveled to "Gay Paree", other locales in France, and of course the city of Dijon to celebrate the mustard that made the city famous. Here's an album of photos from their trip. (And below the pictures is a tasty recipe for "Chicken Gaston Gerard")
(click on thumbnails to bring
up a larger image)
Baguettes from the market at the 16th arrondisement in Paris |
Beaune, near the Fallott
mustard factory |
One of the many beautiful churches in Dijon |
 Another majestic view of Dijon |
The Curator and his friends at the restaurant in Dijon, after a meal of Poulet Gaston Gerard |
Maille Mustard Shop
Dijon, France |
The Edmond Fallot factory in Beaune |
The Curator presents medals to Europeene de Condiments (Bornier and Temeraire mustards) |
Jacky Merra, the chief mustard maker at Temeraire, and the Curator |
Mrs Mustard at the Eiffel Tower |
A view of Notre Dame from
along the Seine (Paris) |
Mrs. Mustard and Vincent at the Orsay Museum |
The Arc de Triompphe at night (Paris)
|
View of Sacre Coeur from the top of the Pompidou Art Center (Paris)
|
Mrs. Mustard at the
Seine River (Paris)
|
CURATOR'S RECIPE: CHICKEN GASTON GERARD
A traditional dish in Dijon is this simple but elegant chicken in mustard cream sauce with grated gruyere cheese (comté is what the locals use). Gaston Gerard was a famous local politician who was instrumental in the cultural scene of Dijon 75 years ago. It is considered old-fashioned by many in Dijon but a few restaurants still serve it. Here is the Curator with the staff of the "Kanter" where they served it on our last day in Dijon.
The Curator has recreated the dish just for you:
1 |
frying chicken (cut up)
salt, black pepper, paprika |
2 |
Tbsp. Unsalted butter |
1 |
bay leaf |
1 |
sprig thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried) |
2 |
Tbsp. dry white wine |
3/4 |
Cup crème fraiche or heavy cream |
2 |
Tbsp. Temeraire Dijon Mustard |
3/4 |
Cup grated gruyere cheese
Bread crumbs |
Dry the chicken pieces and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Heat a sauté pan to medium-high and melt the butter. Brown the chicken on both sides, then reduce heat to medium-low. Add bay leaf and thyme and cook, covered, about 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is done but still moist (turn the chicken once during cooking).
Preheat a broiler. Remove the chicken to a shallow earthenware casserole. Discard bay leaf and thyme and pour off excess butter and fat. Over high heat, add white wine to deglaze the sauté pan. Add crème fraiche and cook over high heat until it is warm. Remove from the heat and stir in the mustard and then all but 2 Tbsp. of the grated cheese. Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle bread crumbs and the rest of the grated cheese on the top and run it under the broiler to brown.
Yield: 4 servings.
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