Dining in the Auvergne
The gastronomy in Auvergne
Source: Auvergne Comité Régional Du Tourisme
The Best of the Land: the Auvergne Table
Source: Michelin Travel
The Auvergne region
in central France is also noted for the production of
fine cheese.
Régis
Marcon’s love for his homeland and its food inspires every page of this
beautifully presented cookbook, which powerfully conveys Marcon's dedicated
and contemporary approach to his culinary roots.
Marvelous Recipes from the French Heartland his passionate
testament to the foods and cuisine of his native Auvergne region in France, received the
nation's highest publishing honor in the field of gastronomy with its
selection in 2001 to receive the Prix La Mazille, awarded annually by
the Salon International du Livre Gourmand of Perigueux. The prize cited the
French-language edition, La Cuisine Chez Régis Marcon, as the best
French book of the year in observing and respecting the traditions and
values of fine cookbook writing.
Marvelous Recipes is a remarkable work both for the breadth and
richness of the recipes presented and for the intimate perspective that
Marcon provides on the relationship between his cuisine, his native
Auvergne, and his fellow countrymen who supply his provender. Recipes follow
the natural order of the year, offering a bounty of appetizers, vegetables,
fish and meat entrees and desserts suited to each of the four seasons.
Marcon's cuisine relies on the elements unique to his region, including a
dazzling array of mushrooms, cheeses and local herbs. Recipes born from
traditional French cuisine take on a new dimension in their simplicity and
modernity. He combines ingredients in a personal style that emphasizes
brilliant flavors in unaccustomed and delightful ways.
Marcon places his cuisine in regional context with an extensive introductory
essay describing the origins of his culinary philosophy, the local foods
that define his cuisine, and the development and refining of his skills as a
Chef at his acclaimed hotel-restaurant in Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid. This
context is further enriched by affectionate profiles of the local farmers,
mushroom foragers, butchers, cheesemakers and other food purveyors whose
provender fills Marcon's kitchen and shapes his menus at Auberge et Clos
des Cimes. The book concludes with 28 "Basic Recipes" fundamental to
Marcon's creative interpretation of regional French cuisine.
