A good way to deal with the scarcity of green vegetables is to draw on the plant diversity of pumpkins. The chef at Jardin des délices David Baggs, in Craponne-sur-Arzon, mixes colors and flavors. Squash and pumpkin make a great seasonal starter.
Ingredients
A Nice fillet of Vourzac trout (for one person), green lentils, vegetables: carrot, zucchini, brick pastry, red cabbage, lemon, fish broth prepared the day before, unsalted butter (to pearl , feed the trout), salt, pepper, five berry mixture, Espelette pepper powder, crème fraîche, raspberry coulis.
Temps
It takes approximately 45 minutes, taking into account the day before preparing the broth.
Astuce (s)
The fish broth which is presented in a deep plate is seasoned when serving with a little lemon juice (a few drops) for acidity and especially the discoloration effect: the purplish color of the cabbage becomes pink
From the garden to the plate, the pumpkin is celebrating
What a funny story that of Jack with the lantern who, for having wanted to make a pact with the devil, was refused entry to paradise as well as to hell. The hero of this Irish tale found himself forced to wander forever with a hollowed-out turnip in which an ember glowed. The turnip will later turn into a pumpkin. Our “hero” of the day is not a native of Green Erin, but of “Perfidious Albion”. Chef David Baggs – whose London accent betrays his origins – does not hide his taste for “vegetables”. In this season, cucurbits, squash and other pumpkins whose colors burst on the stalls of vegetables were found, Halloween requires, even in the decoration of the room of the Jardin des délices, David Baggs' restaurant in Craponne-sur-Arzon. The room (around twenty seats) is the domain of Alison, his daughter. Twelve years ago, Le Jardin des Délices took over from another establishment that had filed for bankruptcy. David Baggs left the London suburbs quite young to settle in France. His wife being from the Riviera, it was quite naturally in Nice that the couple settled. The chef has visited several local palaces, such as Negresco, to name but one.
The Garden of Earthly Delights by David Baggs
“My wife and I decided to raise our children in a quieter environment,” explains this son, grandson and great-grandson of farmers who felt the call of the countryside. The family settled down in Sembadel. Dog breeding followed poultry farming when David Baggs joined Pippo, at the Régina du Puy hotel, and returned to service behind a kitchen piano. Then in Craponne-sur-Arzon, within the house belonging to the Paillet family, the British chef chose to strike out on his own by designing this bistronomic restaurant with a resolutely family atmosphere.
Who said the English only swear by roast beef?
“Many didn't believe it at first, but I have customers who come to us especially to eat fish,” assures the chef who is particularly fond of octopus, squid and other Mediterranean fish. He is always looking for atypical products like 4 kg plaice which provide thick slices. The chef prefers octopus cooked at low temperature, just snacked, served with an einkorn risotto.
“The English did not know how to protect products with quality signs like the French”
David Baggs (empty)
This descendant of a peasant family speaks as a connoisseur of this ancient cereal that the Sabarot house has undertaken to bring up to date: “It has chew and then, it enters the cultural cycle of the lentil which fixes the nitrogen . » In Craponne, you can also enjoy an old Cantal risotto with its slightly nutty taste. But David Baggs has another penchant, vegetables. Due to its origins, he prefers them cooked “English style”, just blanched, before browning them in olive oil.
Mix the pumpkins and vary the pleasures
David Baggs and his daughter.
It is a stone's throw from Craponne-sur-Arzon, in Saint-André-de-Chalencon, that the Jardin des délices sources baskets of vegetables (according to the harvest at the time), from the market gardener Christophe Dupuis. “It is important to work in trust with a supplier,” assures the Craponnais chef who appreciates the difference that there can be between England and France. “The English did not know how to protect products with quality signs like the French. Take the example of cheddar, the emblematic cheese of Somerset, it has now become more popular in Canada and Australia than in Great Britain,” regrets David Baggs.
“Summer truffle is cheaper and less aromatic than black truffle”
David Baggs (empty)
The pumpkin, for its part, is widespread everywhere, just as popular in France as across the Channel. The restaurant serves it as a hot starter. The invigorating and fragrant dish is made up of a mixture of squash or pumpkin with a beautiful orange color, and squash, yellow and white, with a slight artichoke taste. Summer truffle (canned) enhances the dish. “It is less expensive and less aromatic than black truffles,” explains the cook. It is generally found in delicatessens. The marriage with the taste of artichoke is harmonious.The front of the garden of delights
Once cooked for half an hour, the squash flesh will serve as the basis for the recipe. The pumpkin will be cooked separately. It will come with the red onions (milder than the yellow ones) to line the bottom of a ramekin and add a little crunch. The squash pureed with crème fraîche, and slices of summer truffle are added on top. Light cream passed through a siphon completes the decoration of the dish without forgetting a pinch of red paprika for decoration – and adds a spicy touch! This autumn recipe, in a possibly completely vegetarian version and very easy to make once you have passed the test of slicing the cucurbits, can only delight the taste buds.
The restaurant.
The Jardin des délices in Craponne-sur-Arzon is open from Wednesday to Sunday for lunch. Friday and Saturday evening.
Pumpkin delight
Cucurbitaceae, a large family
Cucurbits offer an incredible diversity of shapes, tastes and colors. A boon for collectors and selectors around the world. In Haute-Loire, it is in Saint-Germain-Laprade that one of the great specialists is located. Bruno Defay, author of a book Treasures of squash and pumpkins, could talk about it for hours…
Nature has definitely done things well. In the time of Jean de La Fontaine, what would have happened to this villager resting under a tree, and who was surprised about the pumpkin that such a large fruit was endowed with such a frail tail. Until an acorn detached itself from the oak… Bruno Defay confirms that botany retains the term “fruit” for the pumpkin.
Saint-Germain-Laprade squash
The large family Cucurbitaceae is made up of genera, within these of species and within the latter of varieties. All squashes have their uses, like the gourd-shaped one that we discover in Bruno Defay's garden and which we would think is simply ornamental. However, it was once used to probe wine barrels. Bruno Defay regularly re-cultivates seeds from the four corners of the world entrusted to him to preserve them, because the latter have a limited lifespan of five years maximum. Certain plants similar to zucchini and whose flesh is fermented are used to make an alcoholic beverage.
The Hungarian blue pumpkin, not very fibrous, works wonders in soup. Green olive squash with very fragrant flesh is considered one of the best. It is a pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) recognizable by its spherical peduncle. And yet, it does not catch the eye like the pumpkin with its chestnut flavor and bright orange color. If Bruno Defay cannot keep all the squash from his vegetable garden, he reserves the seeds used in making bread. He happened to create a complete menu based on pumpkins. Grated raw butternut squash as a starter (or gratin), then baked horn squash and for dessert to make brioche instead of flour, while kiwano, called horned melon, or cucumber from Kenya make excellent sorbets.
Philippe Suc
