The concept of a Confrérie in France

[SWISS_CHEF]

I was reading a cookbook from the Jura and stumbled across the formitable title of the "Confrérie de la Poularde de Bresse au Vin Jaune et aux Morilles". Apparently this is an official society of of Gastronomes devoted to a single dish. T he dish they worship is Bresse chicken cooked in a white wine sauce with morel mushrooms! The cookbook had several pictures of grown men dressed up in robes and wearing funny hats presenting each other with keys and documents. They all had rosey cheeks and it looked like they were having a great time.

What a great way of looking at life!

Do you know of any quirky food clubs?

Here is a link to an interesting site.

http://www.franche-comte.org/FRANCAIS/TERR...reries_bas.html

Edited January 23, 2005 by SWISS_CHEF (log)

[SWISS_CHEF]

I was so inspired by the Confrérie that I decided to make their famous dish. If only you could smell it too!

[Jonathan Day]

There are a lot of these Confréries and Commanderies; they seem to be a cross between economic development groups, social clubs and craft guilds. Some of them have elaborate rituals and robes for their members. I think my favourite is the Académie du Melon du Haut-Poitou -- an "academy" founded in 2002 to promote the sale of melons.

Like the melon academy, many of these groups were founded relatively recently -- some in the 1970s, many more recently. Most have a patron saint, often St Vincent, patron saint of winemakers.

Here's a partial list, assembled from a number of sources. The numbers in parentheses e.g. (06) refer to the postal regions of France. I've translated some of the names; where I haven't, the group is usually a wine society.

* * *

RÉGION PROVENCE ALPES COTE D'AZUR

Confrérie du Mimosa (06) [Flowers]

Confrérie de l’Ail (84) [Garlic]

Confrérie de l’Agneau (84) [Lamb]

Confrérie Abeilleurs de France [beekeepers]

Confrérie des Anysetiers (84) [Anise growers]

Confrérie de l’Asperge(84) [Asparagus]

Confrérie du Ban des vendanges des Côtes du Rhône (84)

Confrérie de la Cerise des Monts de Venasque(84) [Cherries]

Commanderie des Côtes du Rhône(84)

Confrérie des Vignerons des Côtes du Ventoux (84)

Confrérie de la Fraise de Carpentras et du Comtat Venaissin (84) [strawberries]

Confrérie de la Truffe du Mont Ventoux et du Comtat Venaissin(84) [Truflfes]

Confrérie de la Cave de Beaumes de Venise (84)

Confrérie des Goutevins de l’Enclave des Papes (84)

Confrérie des Louchiers Voconces (84) [soups]

Commensale du Luberon (84)

Confrérie de l’Ordre des melons de Cavaillon (84) [Melons]

Confrérie du Plant de Vigne (84)

Confrérie « Saint Vincent » des vignerons de Visan (84)

Confrérie des Tastes Grappes des Terroirs d’Avignon, (84)

Confrérie des Tastes fougasses (84) [Fougasse bread]

Confrérie de Maîtres Vignerons de Vacquéras (84)

Confrérie du Maintien des Traditions Provençales (84)

Confrérie de l’Échansonnerie des Papes (84)

RÉGION RHÔNE ALPES

Confrérie de l’Olivier (26) [Olives]

Confrérie de la Lavande(26) [Lavender]

Confrérie des boyaux rouges(69) [A “boyau” is an intestine; the boyaux rouges were soldiers from Lorraine]

Confrérie de l’Ordre du tire bouchon (69) ["Order of the corkscrews", but probably a wine society]

Les Mousquetaires (69)

Les Compagnons du Beaujolais (69)

Confrérie du Gosier Sec (69) [literally, “dry throat”, so presumably a drinking society]

Confrérie des Coteaux de Lyonnais (69)

Les Grappilleurs du Beaujolais des Pierre Dorées

RÉGION LANGUEDOC ROUSSILLON

Commanderie de Tavel (30)

Confrérie de Jaugeurs de Liracs (30)

Confrérie de la Côte du Rhône Gardoise (30)

Confrérie des Chevaliers de L’Olivier du Languedoc Roussillon (34)

Confrérie de la Pierre sèche (30) [“the dry stone”, presumably similar to gosier sec]

RÉGION MIDI PYRÉNÉES

Confrérie des Maîtres Vignerons de Frontonnais(31)

Commanderie des Grands vins de Gaillac (31)

Grand Ordre de Rocamadour du diamant Noir et du Vieux vin de Cahors (48)

Docte Collège des Maîtres de la Truffe et du foie Gras en Périgord

Confrérie des vins de Cahors (46)

Viguerie royale du Madiran (65)

Confrérie du vin de Quercy (82)

RÉGION AQUITAINE

Commanderie du Périgord [General gastronomy of the region]

Les Maîtres de la Truffe et foie Gras du Périgord [Truffles and foie gras]

Confrérie de la Truffe noire du Périgord et du Tricastin [black truffles]

Commanderie des vins de Tursan (40)

Confrérie des Vignerons des Coteaux de Chalosse

RÉGION POITOU-CHARENTES

Confrérie de la Cagouille [snails]

Confrérie de la Pomme de Terre de l’Ile de Ré [Potatoes]

Confrérie du Sel de l’Ile de Ré [salt]

Confrérie du Franc Pineau

Confrérie du Tourteau Fromagé [Cheese tarts]

Confrérie du Gouste Chèvre de France [Goat cheese]

Confrérie des Chevaliers de st Antoine

RÉGION BOURGOGNE

Confrérie de la truffe de Bourgogne [Truffles]

Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (27)

Compagnage des Ambassadeurs des Vins Jaunes (39)

RÉGION BRETAGNE

Confrérie des Goustiers de l’andouille de Guéméné [Andouille]

Confrérie des Chevaliers de la coquille St Jacques des Côtes d’Armor (22) [scallops]

Confrérie du Marron de Redon (35) [Chestnuts]

Confrérie des Panses de L’Oie [panse means “stomach” but I think this might refer to stuffed goose necks]

Confrérie du Poulet Janzé [Chicken]

Confrérie des Chevaliers de l’Huître de Bretagne [Oysters]

Confrérie du Foie Gras de Bretagne et de Lanvaux

Confrérie des Maîtres Cidriers de Cornouaille [Cider]

Confrérie de l’Artichaut de St Paul [Artichokes]

Confrérie des Mouliers du Vivier [Farm-raised mussels]

Confrérie de la Frigousse [A kind of stew made with wild boar, pork, beef, veal, venison, herbs]

Confrérie des Huîtres de la Baie [Oysters]

Confrérie Pipéria la Galette [A galette is a sort of flat cake; I don’t know what Pipéria refers to]

Confrérie du Coco de Paimpol [White beans]

RÉGION PICARDIE

Confrérie du Pinot Meunier (02)

RÉGION CHAMPAGNE-ARDENNE

Confrérie du Joyau des Bois la truffe de Champagne( 52) [Truffles]

RÉGION LORRAINE

Confrérie de la Truffe de Lorraine [Truffles]

RÉGION ALSACE

Confrérie de l’Escargot (68) [snails]

Confrérie Saint Grégoire du Taste Fromage de la Vallée de Munster(68) [Munster cheese]

Confrérie Saint Etienne d ‘Alsace (68)

Confrérie du Pied de Veau (68) [Calves’ feet]

Confrérie de la Choucroute (68) [sauerkraut]

Confrérie de l’Asperge de Village-Neuf (68) [Asparagus]

Les Talmeniers du Bon Pain d’Alsace (68) [Alsatian bread]

Chaîne des Rotisseurs (67) [Roast meats]

RÉGION FRANCHE-COMTE

Les Ambassadeurs des vins jaunes (39)

Confrérie des Maîtres Pipiers de St Claude(39) [briar pipes, for pipe smokers]

[Bux]

The mind boggles, but I have to share my admiration for any such food club and their members.

A galette in Brittany is a pancake made from buckwheat. A crêpe is referred to as a crêpe when it's made from wheat flour and it's almost always sweet. A galette has a savory filling. This is the case in Breton crêperies. In Parisian restaurants serving food of some finesse, a savory crêpe might be filled with seafood and a cream sauce, but that's not Breton cuisine. However, as I'd not hazard a guess about pipéria, I don't know that the whole phrase hasn't got some local slang meaning.

I still remember a chicken with morels in a cream sauce with vin jaune. It was in the town of Arbois and I believe the restaurant has a single star. It must have been the late 60s. I don't recall having that dish again. It was exceptional, although I found it very rich at the time and I thought it was a large portion. I recall the chef was a large man in the very image of large chefs. I was still an impressionable young man and the time and it made a very good impression on me.

[bleudauvergne]

This takes signature dish to a whole new level. Swiss Chef, it looks scrumptious. Did it taste as excellent as it looks? Enough to inspire the confrerie?

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I was so inspired by the Confrérie that I decided to make their famous dish. If only you could smell it too!

←

/quote]

Swiss Chef, the concept you bring to our attention is tremendously interesting and your pictures are excellent, but all either does is to flame my need for the recipe or concept you followed in order to create these lovely plates.

[SWISS_CHEF]

Swiss Chef, the concept you bring to our attention is tremendously interesting and your pictures are excellent, but all either does is to flame my need for the recipe or concept you followed in order to create these lovely plates.

←

Hi Margaret,

The recipe goes like this:

Soak some dried morels in warm water utill soft (save the water).

Cut up a whole chicken, S&P pieces and fry them in butter and vegetable oil to give them some color. Put the pieces in a casserole once they are colored. To the frying pan, add some finely chopped shallots and the drained morels and cook utill the shallots are translucent. deglaze with a cup of Vin Jaune...reduce, then add the liquid from the morels and some water and a little sauce thickener or roux and a cup of cream. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon and there should be enough to almost cover the chicken. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the casserole, cover and put it in a medium oven for 30-40 minutes and presto! The smell is to die for and the chicken will be very tender. Morels have a lovely smell and nutty taste that goes very well with Vin Jaune. It also goes well with wild rice and Roquefort cheese.

Well actually, I cheated a little because I didn't have a Bresse chicken or Vin Jaune so I improvised with a normal store bought chicken and a half half mixture of German auslese riesling and dry sherry and the result was very close (BTW it makes a a great aperitif not unlike Lillet).

[Bux]

It was, as I mentioned, quite a long time ago, but the dish made a good and lasting impression. Although memory plays funny tricks on us, I recall a very white sauce and a chicken that was equally white. If memory serves well at all, it was a whole large chicken split between the two of us and I would guess that it was slowly and gently poached and served in a sauce that was made from a white stock, lots of cream and a good dose of vin jaune as well as morilles. I was unfamiliar with morels at the time. It may well have been my first encounter with them. They were certainly not common in American markets or middle class restaurants at the time. Thus I can't say if they were fresh or dried. I can't even say for sure what season it was, but it was late fall or early spring as there were unexpected snow flurries the next morning. It was not a luxurious hotel or restaurant, but sitting by the window, having my coffee and watching the snow flurries with the memory of the previous night's dinner had me feeling cosseted as never before and it was one of a series of experiences that's addicted me to small hotels in small French towns.

I recall the hotel's name as Hotel de Paris. So many wonderful experiences were in Hotels with seemingly generic names -- Hotel de la Gare, for instance. I am sure the chef's name was Jeunet and while I'd no longer expect the chef to be there, this thread inspired me to look up Arbois in the Michelin Guide. There is no longer a Hotel de Paris, but there is a restaurant, by the name of Jean-Paul Jeunet, with 12 rooms. I suspect it is the son of the man who cooked for us and that he's emphasized the restaurant, but kept the few rooms and added an annex near by. It appears he's also modernized and upscaled the restaurant as Michelin says it's an elegant contemporary dining room. He's also earned two stars and the most rewarding thing I can report is that one of his signature dishes is Poulet de Bresse au Vin Jaune et Morilles.