“Bonjour and welcome to the Best of Taste le Tour, I am Gabriel Gaté.
Since 2005 I have had the great honor to produce and present a most enjoyable gastronomic journey of the regions crossed by the famous Tour De France bicycle race.”
Bonjour, it is a great pleasure for me to be with you for the next three weeks and to share with you my taste of le tour de France two thousand and five.
Our very first show screened on the 1st of July, 2005 and what a privilige and a huge amount of fun it has been bringing you this series..
I presented the first six years from the beautiful terrace of the Restaurant of the great french chef Philippe Mouchel on the banks of the yarra in Melbourne.
Philippe was a regular contributor to the show over the first six years, his classic training and exquisite skills creating French dishes really set a high standard that we were able to keep up right through our series.
“”La ballotine de canard est une entrée des plus nobles de la cuisine française surtout avec du foie gras.”
“Duck ballotine is one of French cuisine’s noblest entrees, especially when made with foie gras.”
When you are talking about french food, you must talk about french wine.
“With me Christian Maier”
“Sommelier and friend Christian Maier, who happens to be a native of Alsace was the expert on all things from the vine, Christian’s amazing knowledge of great French wines and spirits was always appreciated by his fans.
I particularly loved his advise when it came to matching food and wine.
”
Now with that lovely salad prepared by Phillipe Mouchel, the lobster salad. I can’t think of anything better than a nice bottle of champagne.
“When it came to le grand FROMAGE, I was lucky enough to learn from the master of Cheese -Will Studd.
With his passion and expert knowledge of French and European cheeses WILL tempted our taste buds for the six years he was a regular contributor.”
Talented and creative patissier Pierrick Boyer spoilt us with the preparation of irresistible gateaux and desserts from many different regions.
“La tarte Bourdalou. Voilà!”
“I was thrilled to introduce many other French experts at that time.
Including vigneron Dominique Portet, Italian Chef Joe Fergetto, Young patissier Sebastien Burot and Breton, Jean Marie Blanchot, as well as my friends charcutiers, Guillaume and Murielle Langlois.”
“Ah Bonjour”
“And believe it or not —- My eccentric brother and Gendarme, Francois is a very keen cook and he thinks he is funny.
Francois was much loved by our audience even though at tomes he was bit messy.”
Keeping it the family my wife Angie and Son Michael, shared their love and passion for french cuisine by contributing with amazing regional specialities….. merci cherie’s.
Since 2011, I have presented Taste le Tour entirely from France or from whatever country the Tour de France visits and It is hard to name a favourite year but I think 2013 with the celebration of the 100th Tour de France starting in Corsica was extra special.
Napoleon Bonaparte was born only a few hundred metres from here.
Recipe Poulet Marengo aux olives / Chicken Marengo with Olives
This flavoursome chicken Marengo is one of the most famous French dishes and was created for Napoleon Bonaparte.
I first brown some chicken pieces in a little oil, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Then I transfer the chicken to a roasting pan and bake in the oven at 160°C for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, I add some shallots to the pan and 1 tablespoon of thyme.
After a few minutes I add 4 pieces of orange peel and half a glass of Corsican white wine and boil until the wine has almost evaporated.
Next I stir in 2 cups of diced tomato for a few minutes and add the chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons of olives.
When it’s hot, I serve the chicken with a little sauce and freshly cooked broad beans.
It’s very popular and I understand why Napoleon loved poulet Marengo.
Tomorrow in the best of Taste le Tour we feature some great specialities of countries visited by the Tour outside France.