It is said that the French kitchen is the most renowned in all the world. With it's extensive range of skills, recipes and superb wines to match, it's no surprise. Most French chefs spend years training, and are normally expected to work as Pastry chefs first. Once they've mastered the art of the patisserie, they are finally let loose on the rest of the kitchen. In fact, most French chefs take their cooking very seriously so if you happen not to like what's been served that day, it's probably best to pay your bill and leave gracefully rather than risk the cold hard whack of a cast iron frying pan on the back of your head.
There a many parts to France but most importantly, and what is considered the home of the French kitchen, the Gastronomic capital, where it all began, is Lyon. You can find the city of Lyon in East Central France, in the region Rhone-Alpes, situated between Paris and Marseille. Residents are known as Lyonnais. The food is an influence of France, Spain and Italy and well-known for it's long list of top chefs, not least Paul Bocuse. You'll also find that two of France's best known wine regions, the Beaujolais to the North and the Cote du Rhone to the South. What's best about Lyon are the Bouchons, local restaurants serving only local food and wine, and like a secret coven, where strangers are seldom welcome. Traditional local dishes include Rosette lyonnaise and saucisson de Lyon (sausage), andouillette, coq au vin, esox (pike) quenelle, gras double (tripe cooked with onions), salade lyonnaise (lettuce with bacon, croutons and a poached egg), marrons glacés, coussin de Lyon and cardoon au gratin.
In celebration of France and all that is wonderfull about cooking and eating, go to our recipes page: http://madebythechef.com/tips-and-recipes and try your hand at a French classic, Tarte Tatin. As demonstrated by Jamie in his excursion, Jamie does the Midi Pyrenees, recently aired on Channel 4. Tarte Tatin is supposed to have been a dish created over 100 years ago, purely by accident when an apple dish went wrong so a layer of pastry was slapped over the top, baked in the oven, when crisp and golden, turned out upside down and hey presto, a new dish was born. Enjoy yours with Ice cream, whipped cream or simply on its own. Go to http://madebythechef.com/tips-and-recipes
