BRASSERIE BLANC

As you may or not know, Brasserie Blanc sources all its French wines direct with the producer (except for the vins fins) This may sound like an idyllic job, but it is not without its risks. It takes an enormous amount of time to grow and make wine; most of the year is taken up by one thing or another. This leaves a very small window in the year when we can visit them and get their full attention. So we usually set out in January, and that’s where our problems started. Arriving at Bordeaux airport we found our car, an impressive American Chevy, frozen to the floor. Literally. After a little hefty coaxing and some help from the gargantuan engine, we were free and heading to Vins D’ Aquitaine in Bordeaux. It is 10 in the morning, we are still cold, still somewhat exhausted from the Herculean task of moving a ton of American machinery, and we got up at 3 am.

Brasserie Blanc aims to provide the very best atmosphere with modern and authentic French cuisine Overseen by Raymond Blanc, all of the dishes are hand crafted using the finest ingredients, sustainable, freedom foods, free range, natural or wild produce. In many ways simple food is far harder to cook. A notable example in Brassserie Blanc is Boeuf Bourguignon. Now most people have at one stage in their lives eaten a beef stew with red wine. I have eaten many examples; some have remained ingrained in my memory. If truth be known most not for the right reasons. This simple dish has had many crimes committed in its name and yet it can be…….sublime! This is why I think it is a great example of what I am trying to achieve. Good produce is not enough, a good recipe is not enough. What a good Bourguignon needs, demands, is patience. It takes time. There are no short cuts. If done correctly, the pieces of meat are whole but can be cut with a spoon, the sauce is thick but not sticky, the taste rich but not overpowering and the aroma instantly makes you feel warm inside. Real French food.