When I saw the photo prompt this week of the boy holding the two geese I
never thought I’d be able to find an old family photo to fit this theme. No one
in our family hunted.
But what does Toulouse-Latrec have to do with this week's theme?
The photo of the geese reminded me of a cookbook that my sister had
in her collection:
Who knew that Lautrec applied his exuberance and meticulous artistic technique to the art of cuisine? He invented recipes and cooked new dishes as beautifully as he painted his Parisienne surroundings.
 |
| Toulouse, after cooking and consuming a delicious dinner |
He planned his meals carefully and made beautifully
decorated menus.
Here’s his recipe for Confits D’Oies Du Languedoc
(For non French speakers, D’Oies means geese and Du Languedoc is a region of France).
Take four geese fattened to the point when they can no longer move about, cut them in four, removing wings and legs but leaving the skin. Set aside the fat livers. Scrape and remove all the fatty tissues and let them melt on a gentle heat in a large copper pan.
Drop in the carcasses, the wings and
legs.
Salt the pieces, arrange them in big
stoneware jars and pour over them the liquid fat.
You have in this way the preserve which can be kept for
several months.
It can be eaten cold when it comes out of the pot, with no
further preparation after the goose grease has been melted.
But people prefer to serve it either with peas or with a
tomato sauce, or in a cassoulet, or with rice in stock, a second cooking being
usually recommended.
Mmmmm. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?
Wouldn’t you give about a million dollars to sit down to one
of Toulouse’s dinners and take home one of his beautifully decorated menus? The
menu itself would probably be worth a million dollars!
Take a gander at some other goose stories by clicking here: Sepia Saturday.
It sounds a bit iffy to me - drop it into a pot with the grease and save for a couple of months?
ReplyDeleteI know. I can't imagine eating that! Yuk. And the poor geese.
DeleteI had the opportunity to go to Moulin Rouge last Fall on my European Tour. I believe Toulouse-Lautrec frequented the place quite often. We had an excellent floor show!!! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI've been there too. It was a great show. but I was disappointed that I didn't see the ghost of Toulouse lurking around.
DeleteNancy
I love how he doesn't mention killing the geese before cutting them in four. Men and their recipes!
ReplyDeleteI must admit that I edited the recipe a bit so as not to be too boring. But, no, he never did mention killing the geese. I guess everyone in those days took that part for granted.
DeleteNancy
This is a quote, I print it without checking its vewracity:
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to California, USA for its legislation that now bans the production and sale of pâté de foie gras in the state.
Foie gras producers were given eight years by the legislation to develop alternative methods of production. It’s hard to imagine what form a cruelty-free alternative to foie gras might take; particularly as foie gras requires the force feeding of ducks and geese to such absurd levels that their livers become enlarged and diseased. These livers, along with other ingredients, are used to make the paté. Of course, no one came forward with an alternative and the law has come into effect.
Foie gras is produced by inserting a tube into the oesophagus (gullet) of the duck or goose through which boiled maize mixed with fat is fed. Mechanised systems can deliver the feed in just two to three seconds, allowing one person to force feed up to 400 caged ducks in an hour. Ducks are typically force-fed twice a day for 12 to 15 days and geese three times a day for 15 to 21 days. The amount of feed in each meal is abnormally large and is increased over the force-feeding period. If force-feeding is stopped, the birds greatly reduce their feed intake for several days.
California’s ban on the sale and practice of foie gras really is a huge step forward. There was a last minute push by defiant pro-foie gras restauranteurs to stop the ban. Fortunately for the ducks and geese involved, their efforts failed. As Michael Voltaggio of the Hollywood restaurant, ‘ink.’, told LA Weekly, ‘Nobody likes to be told what to do, and that’s one of the biggest problems with this whole thing. But at the end of the day, it also forces creativity.’
Thanks for this, Nigel. Yes, California sometimes gets it right! Can't believe those pro-foi gras restauranteurs. They may have fat livers, but they have no heart!
DeleteNancy
Having long been an admirer of Toulouse-Lautrec's art, his cooking skills are new to me, but not too much of a surprise. He sure managed to pack a lot of good living into that diminutive frame of his. The duck recipe sounds very much like something I've either read about before or seen on television. I've yet to sample the delights of Paris, though.
ReplyDeleteI would never have associated Toulouse-Lautrec with cooking either. What a clever connection to the theme.
ReplyDeletehow fantastic, it's great to learn something new on a Saturday
ReplyDeleteWonderfully entertaining post. I would like the menu but not the food. Didn't know about the cheffing either.
ReplyDeleteQMM
Splendidly inventive. I love, particularly, the picture of him reclining after cooking and consuming a large meal.
ReplyDeleteA very clever spin on the theme photo. It seems natural that a French artist would combine skills of painting and cooking.
ReplyDeleteI never expected to run into Toulouse-Lautrec today but this was a great spin between the odd and the birds. He seemed so content in his chair...
ReplyDeleteGreat post!!
:)~
HUGZ