Cheese route, Savoy cake: gourmet stroll in the great outdoors of the Savoy mountains

It is in the mountains, in Savoy, that you take the girls to us for a new ride, always virtual, confinement requires. It is therefore from our sofa that we land on the Bourget Vanessa Lake.

Yes, on the largest natural lake in France: 18 km long. And for an overview, we connect to the Photoweb360.fr site. We fly over the water and the peaks, look carefully, one of them is shaped like a canine. It is the Tooth of the cat.

The legend says that a fisherman had made the vow to throw back into the water the first fish he would catch, just to bring himself luck. He did not keep his promise and on the third take, it was a cat that he caught, a cat that turned into a ferocious monster, and terrorized everyone, until two soldiers drop it into the lake. But one of his canines stayed up there. Since then, this peak which dominates the Abbey of Hautecombe is therefore called the Dent du Chat. 

And this Hautecombe Abbey, we can also discover it, while waiting for it to reopen, by going to On-Visite.com. It is a jewel of Cistercian heritage but it is above all THE necropolis of the princes of Savoy. Thirty are buried there. 

And if you want to hike after Vanessa's confinement, what do you offer? 

The Savoy Cheese Route which crosses the Tarentaise and Beaufortain valleys. You climb the mountain pastures, you learn how to make cheese, you taste it, and you even sleep under the stars. And then another possibility: the Vanoise National Park, which also offers a "MyRDVnature" application, which sends you notifications on fauna or flora, with historical anecdotes and practical advice to help preserve the place . 

And if, finally, we were going for a tour on the side of Haute Savoie and Mont-Blanc.

Come on, we all dream of the great outdoors, so we set off to climb Mont Blanc, by royal route, but without leaving our chair thanks to the 360 ​​° virtual tour (st-gervais.tartinvillephoto.com). And we're even going to climb the summit ridge at 4,808.72 meters. There we are alone in the world and we recharge. 

A post-containment accommodation proposal? 

Les Cabanes du Mont-Blanc in Passy, ​​treehouses. It reopens tomorrow, the cabins are distant from each other and breakfasts are delivered in a basket.

Marion Sauveur, what Savoyard specialty do you suggest we reproduce in our cuisine? 

An airy cake on the palate, very soft, with a crunchy crust. And light in addition, since it does not contain fat. It is the cake of Savoy. It would have been developed in the 14th century by a certain Pierre de Yenne, the pastry chef of the Count of Savoy, on the occasion of the arrival of Charles IV of Luxembourg. We would have ordered him a cake light as a feather.

Lightness, it will be obtained by beating the egg yolks and sugar for a very long time, but also by mounting the egg whites in snow. And by baking the preparation in a wooden mold, to reduce the heat and gently raise the cake. 

This recipe hasn't really moved. Some flavors were added to it between the 17th and 18th centuries, such as cinnamon, citrus zest or orange blossom.

And at home, how do we do it? 

We gently assemble the egg whites. Small bubbles must form. It may take 20 minutes. It really takes patience. 

Meanwhile: mix the egg yolks with the sugar until it turns white. Once the mixture is well creamy, add the flour and the potato starch (it's a little trick to make it even lighter) before incorporating the whites very delicately. The texture must be soft. For vanilla or citrus lovers, you can add the seeds of a pod or the zest of a lemon. 

Do not forget to butter and sweeten the mold. A little trick so that it forms its pretty golden crust and it detaches from the mold without worry after cooking. 

Marion, where can you eat a very good Savoy cake? 

In Savoy! In Yenne, not far from Aix-les-Bains, where the famous pastry chef from the Comte de Savoie is said to have come from. This pastry has produced the traditional recipe since 1782 and the cake is baked in a wood oven.

And if you have the opportunity to sit down at Carine Veyrat's in Reine des Prés, on the shores of Lake Annecy, you will have the opportunity to taste her Savoy cake with blueberries. A perfect match. 

If you have time to stop in Annecy, two addresses: 

• The RED Bakery
• Philippe Rigollot Pastry 

And if you are passing through Chambéry, try the one at Boulangerie L'Evidence.