Ingredients
For the dough
- 15 cl milk
- 110 g butter
- 50 g flour
- 4 eggs (200 g)
- 100 g freshly grated Cantal AOP cheese
For the cracker
- 40 g lightly salted butter
- 2 sprigs parsley
- 2 sprigs chives
- 2 sprigs sage
- 140 g flour
- 40 g hazelnut powder
1. Cantal AOP gougères with herbs
Gougères with Cantal AOP and herbs are tasty little bites, perfect for the aperitif. These puffs are salty, light and crispy.
Les Gougeres Au Cantal AopPreparation
- Prepare the cracker: wash and dry the herbs, remove the leaves and blend with the butter until green. Mix with the flour and hazelnut powder, season with salt and spread to a thickness of 2 mm between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Freeze for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 220°/th. 7-8, in fan-assisted mode. Prepare the dough: pour the milk, 10 cl water, diced butter and a pinch of salt into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once, mixing well. Return the saucepan to a low heat and dry the dough, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. It should pull away from the edge.
- Place the dough in a bowl and stir for a few minutes to cool. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well between each addition. Stir in the cantal.
- Place the pastry in a pastry bag fitted with a smooth tip. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, shape small rounds of dough about 4 cm in diameter, and place a cracker round of the same diameter, cut from the cracker dough, on top of each round. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 220°/th. 7-8, then turn down to 180°/th. 6, and continue baking for at least 20 minutes, opening the oven at the end to let the moisture escape. The cabbages should be golden-brown and firm.
2. The pounti
Pounti is a savory cake with herbs, vegetables and often prunes. This unique sweet and savory blend is a typical Auvergne specialty, offering a surprising and delicious combination of flavors.
Ingredients
- 400 g sausage meat
- 250 g (or more) chard leaves (here chard and spinach)
- 12 soft prunes (or soaked in water the day before)
- 1 onion
- A few sprigs parsley
- 150 g buckwheat flour
- 5 eggs
- 30 cl milk
- salt and pepper
PountiPreparation
For the pounti, we’ll use only the chard greens; save the ribs for another recipe.
Wash the chard greens, parsley and spinach (remove the stems). Peel the onion.
Finely chop all these ingredients (preferably with a knife or half-moon).
In a large bowl, make a fairly thick pancake batter by mixing the eggs with the flour and milk.
Add the crumbled sausage meat and chopped vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Pit the prunes.
Pour half the mixture into a greased cake tin (if not made of silicone). Arrange the prunes on top and pour in the rest of the mixture.
Bake for 1 to 1 h 15. Check for doneness with the blade of a knife, which should come out dry.
Let the pounti cool slightly before unmolding. Enjoy warm, cold or brown slices in a hot pan with “a good bit of butter”.
©Philandcocuisine
3. The truffle
This emblematic dish is based on potatoes, fresh Cantal cheese and garlic. Truffade is a real treat for lovers of melted cheese and comfort food. It is often served with a green salad and Auvergne ham.
Ingredients
- 1kg firm-fleshed potatoes
- 400g fresh Cantal tome cheese
- Saint-doux cheese
- 50g dry-cured ham
- 3 cloves garlic.
TruffadePreparation
- Peel, wash and thinly slice the potatoes. Dry them in a kitchen towel.
- Crush a clove of garlic to extract the pulp and cut into small pieces.
- Thinly slice the tome cheese.
- Cut the cured ham into small pieces.
- Melt the Saint-Doux. Add the dry-cured ham.
- Brown the potatoes over high heat, turning regularly.
- Remember to add the garlic.
- Place the fresh tome on top.
- To gratinate the cheese, turn over like a pancake.
- Turn out onto a plate.
Raphaël Dubernat’s recipe
4. Les Tripoux
Tripoux is a traditional Cantal dish, made with veal, lamb or mutton tripe. Cooked at length with aromatic herbs and vegetables, these little marvels are a real treat for lovers of authentic, rustic dishes. Usually served with potatoes or bread.
- 1 kg veal belly
- 25 cl white wine
- Celery
- 1 can tomato paste
- 2 carrots
- 2 onions
- 1 bunch thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cloves
- 2 garlic cloves
- Salt
- Pepper
Tripoux cheesePreparation
- First, blanch the chopped veal rinds with the thyme, bay leaf and cloves for about an hour.
- Add carrots, onions, garlic and celery. Add salt and pepper.
- Add tomato paste and white wine.
- Cover and simmer over low heat for at least 3 hours.
- Serve piping hot with potatoes.
Le panier du Causse
5. Tome tart
Tarte à la tomme is another tasty specialty from the Cantal region. This tart, made with fresh tomme, has a melt-in-the-mouth texture and a slightly tangy taste.
Ingredients
- Shortbread pastry
- 400 grams fresh tome cheese, crumbled (removed from refrigerator at least 1/2 hour before use)
- 130 grams caster sugar
- 1 sachet vanilla sugar
- 2 eggs
- 25 grams flour
- 15 centilitres crème fraîche (whole cream)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the crumbled tome with the eggs and sugars.
3. Add the flour and crème fraîche to the mixture.
4. Pour the mixture over the pastry you’ve greased (mine was 28 cm in diameter). To prevent the pastry from collapsing after you’ve darkened the mould with your pastry, place it in the fridge for 1/2 hour to set. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
