A Brasserie Classic with Heart: ‘Choucroute Garnie’

Photo:  At the market, the Butcher's pups eagerly await the leftovers from the Choucroute garnie.

At our Saturday market, there is a pony-tailed gentleman who sells artisanal cheeses and of every sort of olive you can imagine, all in beautiful wooden barrels.  We know fall has arrived in Burgundy when he adds to his stall steaming trays of the best  sort of French Saturday lunch:  Choucroute garnie.      Photo below:  Monsieur de la Ponytail.

Choucroute garnie, that classic brasserie dish which originated in Alsace, is not for the faint of heart.  In that you must have strong, un-clogged one to eat it.  The base is choucroute, or sauerkraut (preferably homemade), simmered in beer or a dry Riesling with some duck or bacon fat, and maybe some diced apple thrown in.  To this you add a variety of meats, such as:  smoked sausage, keilbasi, boudin blanc, pork belly, frankfurters, pork loin, bacon, and maybe some goose breast.  You serve it with boiled or sautéd potatoes and mustard to slather on the meat.  if there’s anything more delicious on a crisp fall day, I’m not sure what it could be.  This is French comfort food at its best.

While waiting in line recently at the market to buy our lunch of choucroute garnie, the elderly gentleman in front of me, obviously a regular, related his tale of woe to Monsieur Ponytail before he placed his order.  “But I haven’t seen you in a while!"  Monsieur Ponytail said to his customer.  “I’ve been in the hospital,” he responded, leaning on his cane.  “I had a major crise cardiaque! (heart attack).  Ma foi, my doctor put me on a low-fat, healthy diet.  So you’ll have to give me just half of my regular lunch."   At which point Monsieur Ponytail dished out a heaping bowl of sauerkraut and added a rather alarming portion of pork belly and smoked sausages.  His customer sighed heavily and went on his way to eat his ‘light’ lunch.  Perhaps the red wine he likely washed it down with cleaned out his arteries.  

The history of choucroute garnie is the history of the French brasserie.  The beer halls so popular in Germany at some point slipped over into the Alsace region of France.  The bars began to serve food along with the beer:  small bowls of sauerkraut, and some bits of pork to go with it.  These three compatible ingredients were eventually combined into one dish, and fluffed up with other cuts of meat.  The convivial community atmosphere of these bars, where anyone from the farmer to the fashionable could meet and eat, evolved into the French brasserie, which eventually made its way to Paris.  

One iconic French brasserie in Paris is Bofinger, near the Places des Vosges.  It has all the components of a great brasserie:  the art deco décor, tuxedoed waiters dashing about with overloaded trays, a lively, noisy ambience.  There’s the usual large menu, but this is their speciality:  choucroute garnie, served family style on huge, raised metal platters placed in the center of the table.  If you haven’t been, you must go.  Forget your heart-healthy diet for a day, and indulge your other heart—the one that loves a memorable moment à table with those you love. 

If you want to tackle crocroute garnie at home, I recommend Jacque Pépin’s recipe (you do have his new book on your Christmas list don’t you?).  In the meantime, here is another very simple recipe with sauerkraut, which is also one of my favorite ways to use up the last of the turkey leftovers!

RECIPE:  Spicy Hot Turkey Reubens

For two sandwiches, spread four slices of rye bread with the special sauce below.  On two slices mound up some sliced turkey (the milder white meat is best here) and good sauerkraut.  Top with slices of Emmental or other Swiss cheese, and several slices of pickled jalapenos (this was my husband's idea, he likes everything hot hot).  Top with the other two slices of bread.  Melt plenty of  butter in a cast iron skillet and grill sandwiches on each side until cheese is melted and bread is nicely browned.  Good served with cornichons and sliced apples. 

Special sauce:  mix about 3 parts mayonnaise to one part chili sauce (or ketchup).  Stir in a splash of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, plus a splash of brandy for good measure. 

Ron's Corner:  "I don't like EVERYTHING hot.  Just my food and my women."

Favorite Reads:  Speaking of food, the toney town of Mougins on the Cote d'Azur is a mecca for foodies.  It's gorgeous, too.  See the article I wrote about it, called 'Village Life: Southern Belle' in the December issue of France Magazine.

And this week, we begin a series of recommendations for the perfect Christmas gift books for Francophiles.  For French travelers, virtual or real, something from the Simonetto Greggios series 101 Beautful Small Towns in France  or 101 Beautiful Towns in France Food and Wine should be a hit.  There is also an  Italy  version.  Or, for Franco-foodie friends, try a fun French memoir, just out:   Cooking for Claudine, about an American who speaks no French but marries a Parisian woman–and ends up with the daunting task of cooking a holiday feast for his new mother-in-law. 

Our Reader's Blogs:  Paris for the holidays, oh la la!  Get the scoop from Diane at her blog, Paris Insider's Guide.   And do not miss the beautiful Provence Rugs this week at the wonderful design site, An Eye for Detail.

Unless otherwise attributed, all POSTS, PHOTOS and RECIPES on this blog copyright ©2011 Lynn McBride.  All Rights Reserved.